First Days in Lima

Well, it’s been over a week since I landed in Lima, and it already feels like home (at least for the summer)!  Lima is unlike anywhere else I’ve been in South America; it’s definitely a major city, with all the amenities (department stores, Starbucks, plenty of people) and the drawbacks (terrible traffic at all hours of the day, the worst pollution in South America, plenty of people). Peru is an upper middle income country, according to the World Bank, and Lima was the seat of the Spanish Empire in South America (colonial legacies last a long time down here in the Southern Hemisphere), so I guess none of this should have been too surprising. This summer is looking really exciting!

View of the Andes from the plane

Work

As you lovely readers know, I’m here in Peru as an intern for the U.S. Embassy, in their Economics section. It’s an amazing experience. After a grand total of 8 days at the Embassy, I can already tell that I’m going to have to do some serious self-evaluation when thinking about my future. Basically, Embassies are staffed by Foreign Service Officers (FSOs), who are chosen by a very competitive test/essay/interview process. FSOs rotate around different Embassies or other positions within the State Department, usually spending 3 years at each post. Each Embassy is divided into Sections (Economics, Politics, Consular, etc. – the sections present at a given Embassy will vary depending on the context within that country and on the character of its relationship with the U.S.), which are staffed by FSOs and local staff. I’ll leave it at that, but let me know if you have questions about how it all works!

In the Econ section, the content of our work really varies based on what’s going on in or around Peru. In a nutshell, our job is to keep track of economic issues that are relevant to policymakers in Washington. So far, I’ve done research on rent-to-buy housing schemes, the American Chamber of Commerce, exchange rates, and the Spanish translations for different cuts of beef (not as easy as you’d think). I’m ridiculously (nerdily) excited about a conference I’ll be going to tomorrow, which will bring policymakers and researchers to Lima to talk about financial inclusion in Peru. Along with a lot of important Peruvian officials, Dean Karlan will be in attendance!!! Dean Karlan founded Innovations for Poverty Action, which does exactly the kind of work that I want to do in the future, and recently co-wrote a book called More than Good Enough (excerpt here), which uses behavioral economics to analyze and develop effective microeconomic development projects. I’m already starstruck, and the conference hasn’t even started!

Live

Being a government entity, the Embassy doesn’t pay its interns. However, they do provide housing for us, as well as a shuttle to and from work every day. Right now, there are seven summer interns (with one more on the way); three of us are in one apartment, and three are in another. Enrique, who’s working in the Foreign Commercial Service, lives with a host family and dog, so I’m pretty jealous. However, our apartment is not bad at all.

The place

The intern apartments are on the Malecon (a street that borders the ocean) overlooking the the water, and are about a 45 minute drive to the Embassy.

View from the Malecon

Another view 

 It’s also about a 10 minute walk to Larcomar, a massive open-air structure that houses a wide variety of things: Chili’s, Juan Valdez Café, Banana Republic, Radio Shack, a movie theater, and Wong, a grocery store. It’s really convenient, and a nice little taste of America if we’re ever feeling overwhelmed.

All the wonderful fruit that you could ever want!

Every type of potato, including Mr. Potato Head

In terms of neighborhoods, we’re located in Miraflores, which is one of Lima’s nicest areas, and is full of restaurants, parks, and fun little touristy things. We’re also next to Barranco, which is often called the “bohemian” or “arts” district of Lima, and has lots of cool bars, lounges, and art to check out. There’s definitely going to be no shortage of things to do here.

Play

While we do spend quite a bit of time at work (or traveling to/from work), we’ve also managed to find time to go exploring a bit! Here are some pictures from the various tourism that’s been going on:

This is a beach right by our apartment, where Jonah (a roommate) went surfing one morning, and I sat and hung out with the people who rent out the boards.

Peruvian beer in an American sports bar where we watched the Cavs defeat Golden State

Almost Paris

A very old wall

Where the government does their work, in the center of Lima

Our tour guide from the catacombs under the Convent of San Francisco

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!