The Romance- the long version

So I guess I didn't do a good job of explaining how I got to the point of getting married to a Peruvian and moving to Peru.

As stories go, It's not a bad one. Instant Replay.

So, in general. I quit my job and decided to trek around the world doing various things........mostly this happened.

So first I was at my brother's helping take care of my neices during the day for about 2 months. They lived in Gettysburg, PA at the time. Then I spent Nov and Dec in Central America. 10 days of it in Costa Rica with my parents, sweet time. Then I went all the way up to Guatemala and down to Panama all by bus.....yes, it was exhausting but a great way to experience it all.

Then I spent Christmas in Gettyburg with my whole family. It was fantastic. Early January I took off for S. America. I started in Peru. I visited Lima, Macchu Picchu and Arequipa. Arequipa was in the rainy season...this is where the story starts. All the thanks goes to my dear friend Christy King Zapata. She spent to years as a Jesuit Volunteer in Tacna, Peru. Her host home was Gladys and Lucho and their 2 boys. She told me it was a bit out of the way (ie no tourists) but a great place to stay. So, I headed for the sun and the coast and a great family stay. I was there about 10 days not doing much of anything, which was fine by me. I was ready to relax and rest. However, Gladys was not to have any of that! This is where Richard enters the picture. He is Gladys and Lucho's nephew. He called the house to wish Lucho a happy birthday and she starts in about how she has a pretty gringa visiting who hasn't left the house etc....and so he invites me to accompany him to a wedding he has that weekend. So I accepted and then to my surprise I meet him 5 minutes later when he come by in a cab and comes to dinner at the house! That was our first meeting. I don't think I looked all the presentable. He was in his tie etc for work. We had a nice conversation at dinner and I felt very comfortable with him....no worries. That was a relief.

Well, I didn't want to go. I didn't know him. I felt wary about my Spanish in a formal environment...generally nervous. So I had the day to think about it. All day Gladys was trying to convince me it would be a fun experience. But she also described him as quiet, serious...not really the fun party type. Anyway, that night he calls to confirm and I decided, why not. You're here in Peru to have experiences.....go for it. So the next day I went to get dress shoes and Gladys loaned me the rest to dress me up. Weddings here are a very formal affair.

So, we show up late, which I guess is normal. It was nice enough but all the pomp and circumstance took forever! 3 hours worth of I don't know what (no worries, this will not be the case at our wedding). It was a bit boring to say the least. It wasn't bad for me, but it wasn't the Peruvian idea of a fun wedding he wanted me to have. As luck would have it, he had another invite to a wedding the same night for one of his clients. It was downtown. Girl 19 Guy 25. The client was the bride's mother. He gave her the loan for the wedding!

Anyway, we had fun. We danced and talked and drank whisky, with water and ice (which is the tradition here). I lost track of time and then I noticed that something odd......it turned out to be the sun. We had stayed until 6am. Well the sun was up so we decide to take a walk along the boardwalk. Before all this I wasn't really interested in him in a romantic way. I wasn't thinking of anything except he was a nice guy and I had a nice time. That's it. Well, he kissed me on the pier and the rest is history.

I stayed the rest of the week and then I traveled on to Bolivia with my friend Christy and her husband Limbert, who is originally from Bolivia. We also spent a day in Iqueque, Chile. I was supposed to leave there and make my way back to Lima the end of February via Puno. But by that time I was taken with Richard. We stayed in contact via email and phone and changed my trip and came back to Ilo for a couple of weeks. He was really surprised by the whole thing. He couldn't imagine I would want to come back etc. Little did he know.....

That is that part of the story. I'll give part II later.......there you have it.