Things the US could learn from Peru.

So, the more time I spend in this fabulous country, the more I realize that there are some things that Peru just really does right. I’m starting a list of them here so that you entrepreneur-types in the United States can think about starting them there as well.

1. The bus-cama. This is the two-story bus that makes the 9-20 hour trips from Lima into the various departments. First of all, the bus-cama travels at night. This means that you don’t have to waste 14 hours of your day traveling just to check into a hotel. The bus-cama is your personal, traveling hotel. Bus-cama’s have huge, padded, comfortable seats. Think about first class on an airplane. These seats recline nearly 180 degrees, and each comes with a pillow, a blanket, and a firm barrier between you and your neighbor. One boards a bus-cama a little before dinner time. A nice bus-cama attendant serves dinner, and then puts on a movie. After the movie the lights go out, and everyone goes to bed. The next morning the bus-cama wakes you up to music and serves breakfast before putting on another movie. At the end of the second movie you’ve arrived. Beats airplanes every time, let me tell you.
2. French fries inside hamburgers. Yup, inside, not on the side. It’s delicious. Try it if you don’t believe me.
3. Smothering everything in aji. Aji is made from spicy peppers, but is even more delicious than salsa. It goes with everything, except maybe ice cream.
4. Siestas. From 1pm-3pm it is too hot in Tumbes to do anything. So, people take cold showers and sleep. Makes sense to me.
5. Sharing food. Almost all meals here are ordered to share. All beers are ordered to share. If you buy a pack of cookies, you split them up so everyone can share. Everyone shares everything. It’s a nice change.
6. Kissing on the cheek as a greeting and a goodbye. This is a very personal gesture. It lets people into your bubble and shows that you care about them. It’s also a great way to make sure you personal greet everyone in a room or a group. There’s none of this waving your hand and saying “see ya!” Every time you get together you’ll be sure to kiss everyone hi and goodbye. I honestly think that this has helped me get to know even the other Peace Corps volunteers better because I’ve had to take just this small moment to personally recognize each one when we are hanging out in a large group. It’s also made me much more aware of how often each male volunteer shaves… When someone shakes my hand now it feels so cold. It actually feels like they are holding up their hand to block me out of their space and keep me away. Don’t be surprised if I come back home kissing you all.
7. Covering unexpected things in chocolate. My personal favourite here are saltine crackers covered in chocolate- called Choko- Sodas. May not sound great, but they are. Another good one is chocolate-covered graham crackers, and of course, there’s the chocolate covered Pisco.
8. “Amanecer-ing” a party. This means partying all night long until the sun comes up. It is par-for-the-course for many parties here. Parties that should be amancer-ed include, but are not limited to: baptisms, all birthdays, weddings, town anniversaries, and all holidays. Everyone amanecer-s a party, not just the under-thirties.

To be continued…