Figuring out Lima

I don't think I can adequately recount the last twenty-four hours in one post, but I'll do my best to sum up! Traveling yesterday went smoothly but was exhausting. On the planes I had some great conversations with several interesting people, three of whom were traveling to Peru for various humanitarian work.  Around 8:30 local time we landed in Lima, and about an hour and a half later I had my baggage and was out the door, where I met Johnny Trillo, my driver, who has turned out to be the handiest person in Lima.  La casa where I am staying with several other foreigners is owned by a rather old guy named Orlando, who is unfailingly kind and helpful. My room is perfecto--small bed, desk, chairs, and a tv that doesn't work but I wouldn't watch anyway.  Most importantly there is wifi here so I can skype with everyone!
This morning I began the language school at Hispana Idiomas, only six or seven blocks away from la casa. My teacher is a ridiculously nice Peruvian woman, who is thankfully patient enough to deal with our blundering attempts at conversation in Spanish.  Actually, my classmates speak quite well--one is a recent college graduate from New Jersey and the other is an Australian electrician who has apparently been all around the world.  The school itself is a tiny two-story house in Miraflores (the affluent district of Lima).  After class it was lunch time.  If you are planning to travel to Lima, you will be pleased to know that everything is dirt cheap--I ate sizable portions of soup, salad, chicken, rice, and french fries for ten soles, which is just over three bucks.  After lunch I attempted to walk back to the house and got myself so very lost that I ended up back at the language school, where I ran into Johnny Trillo and got a ride home.  Later, Señor Trillo drove me to see the beach.  Miraflores, the section of Lima that runs along the coastline, is actually several hundred feet above the beach on a long line of cliffs.
The city itself seems more like NYC than any other international city I have visited, which is surprising.  One key difference, however, is the people, who are invariably kind and supportive.  Everyone seems very conscious of the rampant poverty in Peru and sympathetic towards that impoverished population, much more so than in any other city I have seen, including Maryville. Very encouraging, considering the work I will be doing next week.
That's it for now, so I shall say buenas noches y hasta luego! Check back soon for pics!