So, my first year in Lima just ended. I moved here in early March of last year. You know when you go to a party (maybe a Meetup event) because you want to meet people and extend yourself? You may not know anyone there, and you don´t want to leave because you came to try it out. Maybe it is located at a new bar and you need to make friends.

My first year in Lima felt like me standing at that Meetup party. I am blinking, smiling, and occassionally laughing. My friends remind me that I laugh a lot when I talk I am also standing there, staying in the room, wanting to make friends, be liked, and generally putting one foot in front of the other. Not bailing. Not freaking out. Not changing plans. Not being too hard on myself, just being in the room. Staying in the chair. I have now worked for 2 different NGOs and lived in 4 different places in 3 completely different parts of the city. Yep.