Will has a great time with Josefina. The general daily schedule is that when she arrives at 8, they leave for the park. Usually, she comes back with him around lunch time for food and a nap — although most days (and the easiest days) he falls asleep in the stroller on the way back to the house. While he sleeps, Josefina helps around the house (cleaning, cooking, laundry… whatever needs to be done) and generally Paul orI play or help out with Will after his naptime and do our best to make sure Josefina goes home around 5. (Note: she offers to stay late and even expected to stay until Will was in bed each day when she first came! We encourage her to rest each afternoon and go home at 5 to be with her family. She really exemplifies the hard-working ethics and attitudes of so many of the wonderful Peruvians we’ve encountered.)
The last few days, Will has been off visiting with the family that Josefina worked for prior to coming to us; they are back in the country for a visit. (Side note: we are completely enamored with this family — our conversations reflect similar ideologies, we both are vegetarian, etc., etc.) Today, Jude (free-lance journalist and general cool-mom extraordinare) called to check whether it was okay for Will and Josefina to join them into the afternoon. It ended up that Will spent the entire day with them! We didn’t see him until 6:30 this afternoon — I don’t think he missed us a bit. When folks remark on how independent, confident, and self-assured our kid us, we must admit — they aren’t kidding!!
JMR | 12-Feb-06 at 12:28 am | Permalink
Hey Molly —
A side note: if you don’t know about them, there are two really wonderful vegetarian restaurants in Miraflores that are also dirt cheap (under 6 soles when I was there 2 years ago) and extremely safe. In both, you have to order the menu (entrada, segundo, postre y refresco) but I’ve never been disappointed with the menu in either place. One is Bircher Benner on Schell, which is actually across the street from a laundromat that used to house Nirvana, my favorite high school discotheque. The other… damn it, I’m forgetting the name and even the street that it’s on (which is bad, beause it’s the better one), but it’s a half block north of José Pardo somewhere between the Santa Isabel and the ovalo.
Let me know if you find ’em and what you think. Then again, you’re back to the States soon — good luck!
Holly | 12-Feb-06 at 8:02 am | Permalink
Is the other one Gorvinda (run by the Hare Krishna’s?) We are embarrassed to admit that we haven’t visited either yet, although are familiar with both. Gorvinda also has a health-foods store attached — great place for finding soy products, etc. Thanks for the suggestions!!