Peru {Part 3} -- Alfredo, Of Course!

Kei's fuente de soda where I enjoyed lunch on Wednesday.

Historic center of Lima.

A hallway in the Franciscan Monastery we visited on the bus tour.

Agatha's wonderful cupcakes!

Andres's sister, Abbie, and I.

Andres with his newborn nephew.

On Wednesday, I returned to Miraflores for lunch and once again, Agatha was kind enough to drive me around. Agatha took me to Kei’s fuente de soda – basically a small diner with a daily special, many fresh juices and coffee.

Agatha introduced me to her friend, Karen – the owner of Kei’s – and left me in her excellent care.

I enjoyed an apple juice, the daily special of chicken with rice, an empanada and a café americano to end the meal. Sitting outside reading “Dreams from my Father” by Barack Obama, I took a moment to breathe in the fresh Lima air. Realizing that moments like this don’t last forever but as much as we can we keep them in the forefront of our minds – remembering that contentment is never too far away.

In the afternoon, I took a bus tour of the historic center of Lima. It was interesting and I enjoyed seeing the historic sights of such an old city, but on the tour I realized how touristy this was -- my bus-mates straining to get countless photos of old buildings whose names they soon wouldn’t remember. The tour guide trying to crack as many jokes as possible. The inhabitants of Lima gazing at the tourists sitting on top of the double-decker bus – some waving, some probably imagining what it would be like to be us, many others probably laughing inside knowing that our attempts to understand the culture of Lima would not come from a 3-hour bus tour.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing tennis with Axl on the clay courts of their country club and enjoying sushi at Edo with Andres, Talia, Cholo and Agatha.

Thursday would be the climax of my trip and it would allow me to forget the cheap, touristy feel that I experienced on the tour bus.

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On Thursday I was awake by 6:45 a.m., excited to go to the club with Agatha and Ursula. I took part in my third spinning class of this trip and Thursday’s instructor was probably my favorite.

“Cuatro, tres, dos, uno --- VAMOS!” he would yell as we spun until we were exhausted. Singing to the remixed songs of The Killers, Queen and many popular Spanish-language songs, he definitely knew how to engage the class and I think we all really enjoyed his energy.

Ursula and Agatha left for their yoga class next door and I went to the gimnasio to run on the treadmill and lift some weights. At 9:00 we left for home and my daily breakfast of bread, orange juice and a Peruvian type of grapefruit.

Andres arrived home from class around 11:30 and we headed back to the club to play a little golf. There was a women’s tournament going on so we ended up hitting balls at the range for a while and then playing 6 holes on the back nine. We played a skins game and Andres ended up beating me by 2 – earning two pisco sours from his former coach!

We finished the round and sat outside the clubhouse drinking a couple of Cuesquenas before going home for lunch.

When we arrived at the house, I plopped myself on the couch and Andres ran upstairs to talk on the phone. I was a little unsure why no one was home but if I had learned anything on this trip, it was to “go with the flow” – so I just sat there and waited for Andres to return.

All of a sudden, Andres ran downstairs and said, “Josh, vamos!”

Then I remembered that Andres’s oldest brother, Alfredo, and Alfredo’s wife Christina, were expecting the birth of their baby this week and that must be why the house was empty!

The clinic was only about 200 yards away from their house and we jogged to the waiting area to meet the rest of Andres’s family. As we were rushing to the clinic, I realized that this was the first time in my adult life that I had ever hurried to a hospital to witness a baby being born. It was an exhilarating feeling to see Ursula and Alfredo waiting for the birth of their first grandchild.

We went back to the house to enjoy a quick lunch and then came back to the hospital to find out that the baby had been born.

"What's the baby's name?" I asked Agatha.

Agatha simply replied, "Alfredo, of course!"

The fourth Alfredo Baertl was born into this world while I was in Lima -- knowing Spanish wasn't a prerequisite for understanding the next few hours with complete clarity.

Agatha smiling from ear to ear.

Andres straining to see baby Alredo, his newborn nephew, in the nursery.

Alfredo proudly shaking my hand -- a father for the first time.

Sr. Alfredo nearly in tears.

Axl jumping around the hallway in excitement.

Ursula standing by me, in the background, smiling -- clearly taking the moment in.

Yeye and Tota thrilled to see another generation enter the family.

I was filled with such happiness the whole afternoon that I forgot I was in a different country. I forgot I was not a part of the family. I think I even forgot that I didn't speak Spanish very well.

Thursday afternoon turned to Thursday evening -- it was time to celebrate.

To be continued...