Lima's Traffic and Pollution

Unfortunately, one of the major drawbacks of living in Lima is the traffic and pollution. The cars are so small (their favorite car is the old model of the Volkswagen Bug) that the drivers feel like they can squeeze through any gap in traffic. People drive very aggressively here, often ignoring traffic signs all together and pulling out in front of someone that clearly has the right of way. They also wait until the very last moment to stop, avoiding complete disaster by inches. It's as if what you pretend you don't see can't hurt you. (I've thought about trying to draw a parallel to the Latin woman's paradigm of romantic relationships, but I won't go there for now... going to let that thought simmer.) I told Tere that when she is driving, I zone out and pretend I am somewhere else, like at the beach.

My nose was clogged for the first week until I was used to the pollution. Even though my office gets hot sometimes with no AC, I opt to keep my window closed since I dislike the smell of outside's smog. I've learned to wait until later in the day to go for walks to avoid the heavy haze of after-work rush hour. The water is not potable and I might have gotten a bit sick from brushing my teeth with it early on. There is, however, very little garbage in the streets in most of the areas that I have been and I have been surprised by my Peruvian friends' sensitivity to not littering.