English Tea Party

A colleague of mine in San Francisco told me that his father lived in Germany for 20 years, but never learned German and only met other British expats. So when I arrived in Peru, I resolved not to be that person who only speaks English and hangs out with fellow Americans. But while I certainly improved my Spanish, I spent a lot of last year feeling out of place and lonely. About two weeks ago, I finally joined Internations after resisting for a long time. It was the best decision I've made in a while, because I have already met some great people.

One of those people is the wife of the Deputy Ambassador of England, and today Jorge and I were invited to their house for English tea time. The house is beautiful, and has a pool! But the highlights were definitely the Sri Lankan snacks and delicious cakes she made, as well as her beautiful baby. He's definitely a smiler!

It was a really nice afternoon, and despite some language barriers, Jorge felt really comfortable with the whole group. It's been such a relief to have an English outlet, and also to have people who understand the expat experience! I'm all for the authentic experience and hanging out with Peruvians, but I didn't realize how much I missed English.