Wait, You're Jewish?

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days I have experienced thus far in Lima. The sun was out with a slight breeze which made for a perfect combination of toasty rays bouncing off of my skin and cool wind to ensure that I didn't sweat. I was hesitant to venture out with Rob in search of some sweat Halloween costumes because my stomach had been feeling off since Thursday night. I found that if I was laying down or stayed very still that I felt fine. But once any movement began, my stomach was in miserable knots. With Halloween around a very short corner, I needed to find a costume- also an issue I had a lot of worry about considering I am larger than the average Peruvian man and that all the children's costumes I saw in markets were actually for women. While Rob and I waited for the Metropolitana bus, we noticed the platform was swaying which we first attributed to the heavy traffic only to find out later that it was a 6.9 earthquake! We exited the bus at Estacion Central in order to find Polvo Azules- a blue building where Zu the chef told us we could find Halloween costumes. After roaming around I asked a few people about Halloween supplies and I got the same answer after each inquiry; no Halloween costumes at Polvo Azules, go to Gamarra. Well Gamarra was where Rob and I were initially going to go but we were referred to Polvo Azules! We decided to call it day as my stomach was in borderline intolerable pain so we left costume-less. Rob and I made our way back to the bus station to head back home. We were chatting when a really attractive Peruvian man approached us and asked us for directions. I jokingly asked him how he knew we spoke English and not Russian or German which is very common in touristy Lima. He simply said he heard us talking haha! Tuns out this hunk is from Peru but lived in the US for 12 years between Ft. Lauderdale, New York and Boston and needed the same bus as us. We said we'd show him his stop and proceeded to give him a hard time about the fact that us gringos knew the bus system better than a native Peruvian. When a seat opened up on the busy bus Rob went to go sit down and I got the opportunity to chat one on one with this muscle man. Turns out this beautiful man's mother is Israeli and his father is Peruvian! He then lifted his necklace from under his t-shirt which had a chamsa pendant hanging from a gold chain! I swooned so hard until he mentioned his Canadian girlfriend- ugh. We talked about synagogues in Lima and he even spoke to me in Hebrew! I couldn't believe I was talking to a Peruvian Jew! After speaking with a fellow member of the tribe I feel more inspired to go see Rabbi Guillermo Bronstein who leads a conservative congregation in Miraflores. My new handsome, Jewish friend got off the bus at his designated bus platform and Rob and I went to get burritos at The Burrito bar where our Marketing manager, David referred us. David mentioned that if we bring wristbands from the hostel we could get a free lemonade and we all know how I feel about free things! The owner of the Burrito Bar, Stu made us 2 delicious burritos comparable to Chipotle back in the states which were filling, delicious, and a real deal. I'll definitely be recommending this joint to fellow backpackers looking for a yummy meal. Upon arriving back at the hostel, Rob and I went for a nap in the park under the sun's rays overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After about an hour of relaxing we went home and I found out that several other staff members had the exact same stomach issues as me. What's our common denominator, you may ask? Staff food! Something was bad in our lunch from Thursday that made everyone but Rob sick. According to Rob, he has the stomach of a billy goat haha! I was scheduled to work from 8:30pm-1am but only made it until midnight when Rob finally said I could go to bed. I was feeling absolutely miserable. I had an early night and only woke up twice as a result of sharp pains in my stomach. It's now 2 days later and my stomach is still way off. Luckily I have some meds and I'm drinking a lot of water but this needs to pass through me asap. Saturdays are usually pretty busy and the hostel is also more crowded than usual. Rob simply can't work alone so I need to do what I can to get my act together. I'll go to the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist what I can do make my stomach not so painful. It's funny how after being here for 2 months I've been unaffected by the produce which everyone says will inevitably make me sick and I'm ill from some questionable meat. It could always be worse!