Sight

Our eyes, the second most complex organ in the body, start to develop two weeks after we are conceived. It is estimated that our eyes are capable of processing 36,000 pieces of information per hour. And in recent years, retina scans are being used for security purposes; a fingerprint has 40 unique characteristics, but an iris has 256.

When it comes to sight, safety immediately comes to mind. Staying alert with situational awareness is fundamental in a city like Lima, where street crime is prevalent. According to Peruvian National Police (PNP) data, assaults and robberies involving violence have been on the rise over the last five years. In addition, Peru now ranks as one of the top producers of counterfeit U.S. currency in the world. According to the Secret Service, it is considered "the finest fake money on the planet", responsible for producing and distributing an estimated 60 percent of the world’s counterfeit currency. Like the Peruvians, I am suspicious of every large bill I am given.

Credit card fraud is rampant, and many travelers have reported the theft of their card numbers while traveling in Peru. I am one of them. Two weeks after arriving in Peru, my card was duplicated and money was withdrawn. Ten days after this, my boyfriend Ben got a bouquet of flowers delivered to my home in Miraflores. He made the purchase from California and his card information was taken immediately. Lessons from this experience are no more purchases online, travel with cash only (in small amounts), withdraw from a trusted ATM, only use my card when the credit machine is brought to me and cover my pin code when entering it.

I am grateful for Fran and the others who keep my apartment building safe 24/7, for Jose and the other security guards at the United Nations Complex for writing down all the license plates when we get in a cab, and for always being so polite while keeping us safe.

To lighten up the mood, the congested yet fascinating Lima city has me entertained constantly. A morning jog on a Saturday has me leaving my apartment with headphones intact, blocking out all external sound. To my right I see a petite old lady chatting up an employee at my favorite "Italian" restaurant, Sole Mio. To my left, I see my go-to coffee shop named Arabico, opening its red doors. The city seems alive and well. As I approach the Malecon - a bike trail on the coast - overjoyed people are rollerblading, biking, running,  skateboarding, and some are crossing with their surfboards. I smile as I spot a mom pushing her stroller and her husband walking their three-legged dog. The sun is flaunting its rays today. My view is filtered, it has been adjusted to high brightness. I even squint wearing my sunglasses (note to self: next time get better sunglasses). I stop at a corner to rest, I see a high-end cebicheria named Punta Sal getting their produce delivered by a man in a station wagon.

Lima Malecon

Produce Delivery 

Later in the day, I watch the city from my balcony on the 9th floor. The fog has made its grand appearance: a grim hand is reaching from the Pacific ocean, slowly devouring the city. An afternoon walk reminds me that any memory of cool air has evaporated, the UV rays perforate through the fog leaving a tan line across my chest from my shoulder bag. Lima is saturated with vehicles with no right away for its 9 million people. Staying alert and looking both ways, multiple times is a prerequisite when taking a stroll. The city of Miraflores is well maintained and clean. When it comes to Peruvians, I feel rather almighty since I am taller than most. Back home, my 5'1 stature often invites a joke or two. You don't need to speak the language to see that people are kind, raised with manners and welcoming of foreigners. While on a crowded bus, there will always be a younger teen or adult who gives their seat to a mom or a person of age.

Lima fog 

Women speaking Quechua as the keep the City of Miraflores clean

The sun is set and the city lights illuminate Miraflores. A starry night is eclipsed by a thick layer of clouds. Resting my head, unwinding as I turn on Netflix, grateful for today and its journeys. Thank you, sight, for keeping me safe in a foreign country.

Sources used: Sight, Crime in Lima, Fake Money

Sound

It's much more than noise. Sound waves are collected by the external ear and funneled to the eardrum where they vibrate. Hair cells convert the mechanical vibration to electrical signals, which excite 30,000 fibers. The auditory nerve then delivers the signals to the brainstem. From there, nerve fibers send the information to the part of the brain involved in perceiving sound. Gosh, the human body is fascinating!

I write this entry sitting on my mini stool listening to the ceiling fan oscillate. Drivers are yelling at pedestrians, birds are gossiping, bells are ringing, sirens are roaring, and incessant honks are herded through my corner window.

View of the Miraflores city from my window

My flight arrived at 8 am on January 1st. The moment I stepped onto Lima soil I heard the thundering City. I prefer the constant construction work and honking to fireworks any day! The city commotion never quits, day or night, but over time it seems to lower in volume.

My 8am-5pm Monday-Friday office job at UNLIREC has been an adjustment in terms of language. Accents from Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and even Peru are beautifully captivating. While attending school at Monterey, I would be surrounded by jargon such as organizational sustainability, innovation, indicators, values, development, and culture. Whereas, now I hear SDG 16, Resolution 1540, nonproliferation, weapons of mass destruction, small arms control, ending conflict, and forensics ballistics. Determination, focus, and research have no expiration date. I am here to learn, serve and grow. Recent google searches include what is headstamp, crime scene evidence to the court process, and anatomy of a handgun.

United Nations Complex in Magdalena del Mar, Lima

While listening in on a conference meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, representatives in NY, Geneva, Vienna, and the Regional Centres in Togo and Nepal, a wave of honor and glory soared through my soul. Hearing Ban Kin-moon say "We welcome Adrianna to UNLIREC, say something", made my heart jump to my throat. Thankfully I didn't freeze and kept it brief; mentally high fiving myself for keeping my cool.

Currently, my most advantageous tool is not the ability to speak Spanish or the fact that I know the Peruvian culture well, nor my degree. My most valuable playing card is Listening. It is through listening that I am able to file new knowledge into my long term memory, exercise the disarmament nomenclature, and am able to get to know my team.

Happy New Year! I am so grateful for my auditory system and will end with a quote from Helen Keller: "Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people".

Sources: hearing, UNLIREC.

Introduction

Welcome to my Blog, Lima, through lenses and senses.

I am a current graduate student at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, serving as an intern with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in Lima...that is a mouth full. It seems UNLIREC and I have much in common, we were both born in 1986, we aim to reach global peace, and its located in Peru, a country dear to my heart where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2012-2014. The intention of this blog is to articulate this unique internship opportunity through different lenses and senses, share my experience working for a United Nations Regional Centre, and inform and entertain you, the reader. Thank you for visiting my blog!