| For Stuart, the slower pace of life in Peru is both a good and bad thing. With his girlfriend he lives in Lima, known as the City of the Kings. Here, he talks about things he has observed and experienced there -- like his business plans, tips on getting a work permit, and factors that affect the cost of living in Peru. |
 Stuart Starrs |
August 14 2006
-Where were you born?
London, United Kingdom
-In which country and city are you living now?
Lima, Peru
-Are you living alone or with your family?
I am living with the family of my girlfriend.
-How long have you been living in Peru?
Almost 1 year.
-What is your age?
23
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Peru?
I have always been interested in living in another country, I just hadn't decided on where. I regretted not taking a gap year before starting university; which I found to be a really tough time and unfulfilling in many ways. I was determined to do something interesting abroad after university. It was then that I met my girlfriend, who is from Peru. She spent several months in the UK, and when I graduated we left for Peru immediately.
-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
A visa isn’t necessary for visitors from many countries for up to three months, with possible extensions for another three months. After this a small (by European standards) fine is imposed for each day you stayed over this. Leaving the country and reentering is what I have been doing as I quite enjoy traveling. This gives you a whole three more months with the option of extending it for another three.
Getting a residency or a work permit is another story in a country where bureaucracy rules. If you were to find work, your future employer would need to vouch for you on your application. If successful you would then be asked to leave the country to visit a Peruvian embassy anywhere abroad, collect your permit, which will have been sent there, collect it and then re-enter Peru. This is even the case if you marry a local.
-How do you make your living in Peru? Do you have any type of income generated?
My girlfriend works as a (sometimes freelance, sometimes contracted) graphic designer, of which some work is for the Web. I work on any Web application programming that needs to be done after her design has been completed. In addition to this I work on projects handed to me by friends back in the UK. I am currently pursuing other ideas that would provide a more stable income; you'll have to read my blog to see when that starts and how it goes.
-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I had studied Spanish for a short while in London, which provided me with a foundation level knowledge. Living here for so much time has helped me progress quite rapidly. I would recommend immersion combined with regular lessons for anyone.
-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I miss my family and keep in contact with them on a regular basis through various electronic means. The culture here is extremely family oriented and I spend most of my time with the family of Annett; this has made my time here so far that much easier.
-Do you have other plans for the future?
I am looking at ways of making a stable living here, self-employed, but it may take some time to organize. If that doesn't work out I would consider moving to another country not my own if I can't find opportunities here.
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I am currently living in the family home of my girlfriend, which is considerably larger than mine back home, which was bought and paid for; for a grand total of $90,000. That would probably buy only the front door of a similar house back in London.
-What is the cost of living in Peru?
Services and local products vs. imported products
Here the price of people's time and effort is what makes the cost of living here so low. Where you might cut the grass yourself back home, or fix your own leaky tap, there's no reason to do so here. Eating out is cheap. In London families rarely eat out because of the price involved. Here you will be paying barely more than the price of the raw ingredients, a similar price you would pay for foods to cook at home – again this comes down to the low cost of human labour.
Material items on the other hand, such as TV's and cars are often imported from the Far East or the West, which means that you will be paying a dollar equivalent price, a steep tripling of what would be the equivalent local.
The cheap labour issue is true across the board – you won't be paid much for working a long 9-7 day if you get a job here, but with a good restaurant meal costing as little as it does, perhaps it balances out.
-What do you think about the Peruvian people?
The only notable thing to say is about the staring. Long, glaring looks at strangers or people obviously not Peruvian are normal here and should not be considered threatening or offensive.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Peru?
Positive
- Friendly people, always with a smile
- Slower pace
- Family-oriented culture
- Best food in the world, but almost totally unheard of
- Colours other than grey for buildings
- Outstanding natural beauty just hours in any direction
Negative
- Poverty
- Slower pace
- Terrible customer service
- Outstanding natural beauty covered in garbage and destroyed with pollution
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Peru?
Don't drive, it's deadly. Don't walk, it's smoggy.
Luckily, loose change is enough to pay for public transport; but be careful, they drive like lunatics.
-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Peru?
I keep a blog called "…en Perú" about all aspects of life here, from travel to food to daily life.
You can access it at: http://enperu.blogsyte.com/
In particular this entry: http://enperu.blogsyte.com/blog.aspx?b=87 provides a good summary of what I have experienced here.
London is too expensie these
London is too expensie these days. Definately agree that the slower pace of life is a big draw for living in South America.
Travel to South America
Peru.....Peruvians
Hi, I am sorprised to read that a British guy thinks that Peru is OK.... well that show that English guys are so nice and polite.... all i can say, is that we had the most horrible experience in Lima - Peru, .... we got into so much trouble .... people are so pushy, asking for money ( people expected gifts or money from us)... In one occasion we were asked for money! ... we did not had that amount, called the police to report that person, the police recovered our staff, then with a big smile ( because they smile quite a lot) ( dont be a sucker a smile is just a way of getting things from people) well the police asked us for a propina ( monetary help ) i couldnt belive it, they were asking for money! ... i had to give $10 each , why? because they wouldnt not accept less... i was so horrified!.. we were told that ..things are that way , apparently the police do not get decent wages so they have to make extra money.... the country is very corrupt / people has a tremendous admiration for foreigners why? they simply believe that we are rich, that we all have so much money , women spend hours on the internet loging in website to chat with guys form america or europe hopping that someone might take them away from that country, that is very sad, because is true Peru is beautiful ( in terms or nature) people might be nice but they have ways to charm you and slowly slowly get something from anobody who let theire fences down ... so watch out.... food? is true ... food is nice, .... in terms of driving a car i wouldnt bother because taxi is incredible cheap, .... people are warm, but dont let your guard down, ...to be honest i couldnt wait to go back to America, ... Lima is a very corrupt place, we were told that the current President of Peru Alan Garcia was re-elected ( his presidency took place 14 years ago ) that president left Peru in poverty taking with him millions from his own People he ran away to an european country, living in exile for many years ,.....years.went by, he return to Lima and won the Presidential elections ! he is elected again President !, never asked about the robbery he commited during his sudden hasta la vista amigos ....not questions asked, on top of that to make thing incredebly loughable he ordered to impreson another ex-president who had committed the same crimme, now that ex-president is in prison probably being judge by one who did the same crimme ! the two are as bad as eachother ... that is Lima .... also we observed that the very poor people are the nicest, i mean the people who live outside Lima, People in the provinces, are really nice .... I cant believe people could select Lima to live in ... perhaps some people is madly in love or just don care or just get use to it...i dont know, honestly.... this is my experience and opinion.... 10 points for food, ..... customer service is poor very bad indeed, politiness forget it! .... try another country.... bye ... hope you dont angry with my comments, ... if you do... ( your choice)
Andrew
Go back to America Madeleine
I am an Italian living in the UK and had the opportunity to study in the US and visit Peru several times.
I agree with most of the comments from Stuart and I can only tell you one thing: I never found so many ignorant people as I did in the US, America is not the centre of the world, you are not the smartest people on earth... instead of insulting a country such as Peru, look first where do you live, do you feel proud of your government for example? Alan Garcia is probably very corrupted but Bush is destroying countries and life’s all around the world.
terrible customer service?!?!?!?!
Hi Stuart and others reading this,
I just cannot believe that you mentioned poor customer service!!!
I have lived for over a year in Lima with my husband, and we were just amazed by the customer service in Lima! In all the supermarkets the staff was packing up for you then drove the cart to your car / taxi (without accepting a sol!), whereas in Belgium where I live now (still not my home country), they start closing the dairy stalls and turn off the lights 15 minutes before the official closing time... that was my very first culture shock and welcome back to Europe in the first week here.
In the restaurants in Lima they were always nice and attentive (except from the fact that if you had a second order often they could keep max 3 items in their head at the same time). And the food is fantastic in Peru, and with dedicated and talented locals like Acurio and Plevisani I believe it will be very well known and widely appreciated all over the world in 10 years!
The only problem we had was with the taxi service (officially registered companies never appeared on time when we booked and they were constantly trying to charge double-triple-whatever if we flagged down taxis on the street.) However once knowing the prices you never accept such a deal, and every fourth-fifth car is a taxi, so you just let it go, there will be another hundred for you soon...
Yes, Peru has upsides and downsides like ALL countries in the world but I have never felt so integrated as there, so far away from home... And of course there are much less possibilities, and many poor people asking for money, but just walk around on the streets of your hometown, open your eyes and see! It is so easy to go to a less development country and judge especially if you are passing by as a tourist... Very few people are forced to leave their developed country to go to live/work in a developing one, so if you just cannot stand it, you are free to go home and stay there. However, once you decide on visiting another country, pay a bit more respect and do not criticise how others live... (these last thoughts were Re: the first comment)