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…
Sunday, November 23, 2008
My site!
Hi guys. Sorry that I haven’t written in awhile. Two weeks ago I finally got to go to the place where I’ll be spending the next two years. My site is Malval, Tumbes, and it’s going to be a great time.
Tumbes is the smallest department in Peru, and also the farthest North on the coast. We joke that it’s really Peace Corps Ecuador, but apparently we should be careful about that because much of Tumbes was once disputed territory, and it’s still a sore subject. I found that out the hard way when I asked my host dad, “Tumbes was part of Ecuador until the 1940s- right?” He gave me an impassioned lecture about how Tumbes has always been part of Peru, but the Ecuadorans didn’t think so and so we had to have a war to sort it out, but it had ALWAYS been part of Peru. Okay, okay.
Tumbes is famous for its beaches and its seafood. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? Just during the five or so days I was in Tumbes I had amazing ceviche twice, shrimp chowder, a shrimp aji curry, some sort of white fish, and fried seafood. The main jobs in Tumbes are fishing and growing rice, bananas, and mangoes. Right now is the beginning of mango season, so you can think of me gorging on mangoes too once I get back to site.
Malval is a community of 1200 people about 20 minutes south-east of Tumbes the city. (The capital of Tumbes is Tumbes). I will be working with the health post there, which serves Malval and the surrounding casarillos, for a total of 4000 people. Malval is also about 20 minutes from the beach. It’s about 1.5 hours from Mancora, which is one of the most famous beaches in Peru.
I got a great reception from the health post staff in Malval. They all seem very nice and motivated to work, and they seem excited to work with me for the next two years. Unfortunately, my host family was not there during my site visit, so although I’ve been to my house, I still don’t know my family.
Tumbes is very hot and tropical. My site is flat and hot. Did I mention that it’s hot? That’s pretty much what I know so far. Obviously I will gather more and more information as I live there for two years. I’ll keep you updated.
Tumbes is the smallest department in Peru, and also the farthest North on the coast. We joke that it’s really Peace Corps Ecuador, but apparently we should be careful about that because much of Tumbes was once disputed territory, and it’s still a sore subject. I found that out the hard way when I asked my host dad, “Tumbes was part of Ecuador until the 1940s- right?” He gave me an impassioned lecture about how Tumbes has always been part of Peru, but the Ecuadorans didn’t think so and so we had to have a war to sort it out, but it had ALWAYS been part of Peru. Okay, okay.
Tumbes is famous for its beaches and its seafood. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? Just during the five or so days I was in Tumbes I had amazing ceviche twice, shrimp chowder, a shrimp aji curry, some sort of white fish, and fried seafood. The main jobs in Tumbes are fishing and growing rice, bananas, and mangoes. Right now is the beginning of mango season, so you can think of me gorging on mangoes too once I get back to site.
Malval is a community of 1200 people about 20 minutes south-east of Tumbes the city. (The capital of Tumbes is Tumbes). I will be working with the health post there, which serves Malval and the surrounding casarillos, for a total of 4000 people. Malval is also about 20 minutes from the beach. It’s about 1.5 hours from Mancora, which is one of the most famous beaches in Peru.
I got a great reception from the health post staff in Malval. They all seem very nice and motivated to work, and they seem excited to work with me for the next two years. Unfortunately, my host family was not there during my site visit, so although I’ve been to my house, I still don’t know my family.
Tumbes is very hot and tropical. My site is flat and hot. Did I mention that it’s hot? That’s pretty much what I know so far. Obviously I will gather more and more information as I live there for two years. I’ll keep you updated.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Election Reflections
You can not imagine how proud I feel of our country today. For the first time in my politically active career I got behind a cause I believed in, and so did the United States. It’s been different though, to witness this historic moment from far away. I felt both more connected to and more distanced from the election, and in ways I never would have imagined.
We missed out on a lot of election buildup here in Peru. I haven’t seen a McCain ad since August, I missed Michelle Obama coming to Colorado, and I’ve never seen Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live (the computers here aren’t fast enough to stream it). I think I’ve read less than five New York Times editorials urging people to vote.
On the other hand, I experienced a different kind of election buildup. The first night with my host family my host dad eagerly asked if I was voting for Obama. He asked, with true puzzlement, how the American people had managed to elect Bush in 2004. I felt a constant need to make excuses for my country and to distance myself from it. This is especially difficult in Peru because Peruvians are very proud of where they are from. If a Peruvian is born in Piura, for example, and moves to Lima at age two- he is a Piuran forever. Even sometimes if his parents are Piuran this would apply. Here you can never shake your identity- for better or for worse.
It was fun to share the election with my Peruvian friends too. My language class spent hours explaining the difference between Democrats and Republicans to my language teacher. When I got my absentee ballot, I poured over it with my host brother, who couldn’t believe that there were actually 16 people on the ballot for president. My host family probably became more politically informed than your average American as I gave a daily countdown to and explanation of the election. Yesterday our Peruvian facilitators and trainers were just as excited as we were, and my APCD offered words and hope that the American people come to their senses and make good decisions (basically).
The buildup wasn’t all pro-Obama, however. There was one store in downtown Chaclacayo that posted a hand made sign outside the door that said, “Jhon McCain (not a type-o, that’s how it was spelled) is very, very good. Vote for McCain” in English. Several volunteers talked to them. They couldn’t believe that a white person would vote for a black person, and expressed regret that we didn’t believe the KKK would kill Obama. Yesterday the sign changed to read simply, “McCain, President.” Today is said, “Congratulations to Hussein, the president of America.” I’m never shopping there again.
Yesterday here was tense. The day seemed to go on eternally, and we weren’t getting ANY news. Back in the States I would have probably been volunteering all day, and I would have had the opportunity to read the mood all day. I did check my e-mail in the morning here (I COULDN’T stay away), but it was early, and it only made the contrast with the eerie lack of information later in the day greater. I must say, I was homesick. I kept having flashbacks to 2004- especially to the night before the election and the electricity I felt. Tommy, I missed you most of all, and I was dying to hear how you were doing.
Peru 12 had big plans for election night. We have a restaurant in Chaclacayo that we often frequent, mostly because it is big enough and usually empty enough to hold us all. We made a deal with them for election night: if they stayed open and showed CNN in English, we would bring 48 customers. The deal was done.
Of the 48 Peace Corps aspirantes, I believe all but three voted blue. We had a great time watching the results come in. We watched CNN international, which I imagine only had one difference from the coverage you all watched- our commercials were in Spanish and Portuguese. If I’ve counted correctly, between the 48 of us we are from or went to college in 28 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. We’re pretty geographically diverse. So, we had a good time holding people accountable for their states. If “your” state went blue, expect high fives and hugs all around. If “your” state went red, expect to be pelted with trash (in a loving way). I thought that this was neat because it’s not often that one watches the election with such a geographically diverse crowd. I mean, in pretty much any other situation you at least have in common the state in which you are watching the results- right? This also led to great discussions about the nuances of the elections in many states that I normally would have known very little about throughout the night. I was surprised by how connected I felt to Colorado. It wasn’t called until after the election was called for Obama, and yet I still watched it eagerly. I think I’ve come to idolize Colorado a bit here because it is “my home.” Even most of my American friends here don’t know how diverse my living background actually is. Here, I am Coloradan. Maybe it was because of this that I had such a yearning to watch it turn blue. As it turns out, of the 7 states I’ve called home, 6 went blue. I’ve never especially warmed to Texas…
By 10:45pm (Peru is on East Coast time now) we knew that the election would be called at 11pm. By 10:59pm we were all on our feet and had a countdown (I think the restaurant owner thought we had lost it…) 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… and sure enough, the screen flashed “BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA.” We jumped up and down, we screamed, we cried, we hugged, and hugged, and hugged, and laughed, and cried. Seriously, I wish you all could have seen our jubilation (es palabra? Ya no se. Siempre invento palabras castellanas.). I can safely say that I have never seen a group of people so happy about anything. This made making state finals in marching band look like a somber event. Now, I will grant you that Peace Corps volunteers are by no means a representative population of the US (unfortunately) and that we are probably primed to be more politically active, but I mean EVERYONE was ecstatic. We (okay, I) were so happy we burst out into patriotic songs. When’s the last time you heard me burst into a patriotic song that didn’t involve a Frisbee event or the 4th of July? There is something special about Obama. Maybe he’ll bring the US some magic J. We watched McCain’s concession speech and Obama’s acceptance speech (omg- I get to listen to that man LEAD OUR COUNTRY for at least the NEXT FOUR YEARS!) through a veil of tears. I got a headache from smiling too much. We skipped home. Literally. I walked into my house all smiles- OBAMA GANÓ! I said. My host family was happy.
Today was the first day I’ve spent outside of the United States during my adult life that I felt proud of my country. I know that sounds cliché, but I actually wasn’t even expecting it. It just happened. On our way to the center this morning Peruvians we had never seen before CHEERED us from across the street. Our facilitators embraced us with congratulations. Those of us who hadn’t seen each other the night before ran across the center to jump into each other’s arms. When I came home my host family wanted to know all about Obama. They’d seen his daughters in the newspaper. “They’re blacker than he is!” they said. “Yes,” I said, “but finally, to America, it doesn’t matter.”
We missed out on a lot of election buildup here in Peru. I haven’t seen a McCain ad since August, I missed Michelle Obama coming to Colorado, and I’ve never seen Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live (the computers here aren’t fast enough to stream it). I think I’ve read less than five New York Times editorials urging people to vote.
On the other hand, I experienced a different kind of election buildup. The first night with my host family my host dad eagerly asked if I was voting for Obama. He asked, with true puzzlement, how the American people had managed to elect Bush in 2004. I felt a constant need to make excuses for my country and to distance myself from it. This is especially difficult in Peru because Peruvians are very proud of where they are from. If a Peruvian is born in Piura, for example, and moves to Lima at age two- he is a Piuran forever. Even sometimes if his parents are Piuran this would apply. Here you can never shake your identity- for better or for worse.
It was fun to share the election with my Peruvian friends too. My language class spent hours explaining the difference between Democrats and Republicans to my language teacher. When I got my absentee ballot, I poured over it with my host brother, who couldn’t believe that there were actually 16 people on the ballot for president. My host family probably became more politically informed than your average American as I gave a daily countdown to and explanation of the election. Yesterday our Peruvian facilitators and trainers were just as excited as we were, and my APCD offered words and hope that the American people come to their senses and make good decisions (basically).
The buildup wasn’t all pro-Obama, however. There was one store in downtown Chaclacayo that posted a hand made sign outside the door that said, “Jhon McCain (not a type-o, that’s how it was spelled) is very, very good. Vote for McCain” in English. Several volunteers talked to them. They couldn’t believe that a white person would vote for a black person, and expressed regret that we didn’t believe the KKK would kill Obama. Yesterday the sign changed to read simply, “McCain, President.” Today is said, “Congratulations to Hussein, the president of America.” I’m never shopping there again.
Yesterday here was tense. The day seemed to go on eternally, and we weren’t getting ANY news. Back in the States I would have probably been volunteering all day, and I would have had the opportunity to read the mood all day. I did check my e-mail in the morning here (I COULDN’T stay away), but it was early, and it only made the contrast with the eerie lack of information later in the day greater. I must say, I was homesick. I kept having flashbacks to 2004- especially to the night before the election and the electricity I felt. Tommy, I missed you most of all, and I was dying to hear how you were doing.
Peru 12 had big plans for election night. We have a restaurant in Chaclacayo that we often frequent, mostly because it is big enough and usually empty enough to hold us all. We made a deal with them for election night: if they stayed open and showed CNN in English, we would bring 48 customers. The deal was done.
Of the 48 Peace Corps aspirantes, I believe all but three voted blue. We had a great time watching the results come in. We watched CNN international, which I imagine only had one difference from the coverage you all watched- our commercials were in Spanish and Portuguese. If I’ve counted correctly, between the 48 of us we are from or went to college in 28 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. We’re pretty geographically diverse. So, we had a good time holding people accountable for their states. If “your” state went blue, expect high fives and hugs all around. If “your” state went red, expect to be pelted with trash (in a loving way). I thought that this was neat because it’s not often that one watches the election with such a geographically diverse crowd. I mean, in pretty much any other situation you at least have in common the state in which you are watching the results- right? This also led to great discussions about the nuances of the elections in many states that I normally would have known very little about throughout the night. I was surprised by how connected I felt to Colorado. It wasn’t called until after the election was called for Obama, and yet I still watched it eagerly. I think I’ve come to idolize Colorado a bit here because it is “my home.” Even most of my American friends here don’t know how diverse my living background actually is. Here, I am Coloradan. Maybe it was because of this that I had such a yearning to watch it turn blue. As it turns out, of the 7 states I’ve called home, 6 went blue. I’ve never especially warmed to Texas…
By 10:45pm (Peru is on East Coast time now) we knew that the election would be called at 11pm. By 10:59pm we were all on our feet and had a countdown (I think the restaurant owner thought we had lost it…) 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… and sure enough, the screen flashed “BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA.” We jumped up and down, we screamed, we cried, we hugged, and hugged, and hugged, and laughed, and cried. Seriously, I wish you all could have seen our jubilation (es palabra? Ya no se. Siempre invento palabras castellanas.). I can safely say that I have never seen a group of people so happy about anything. This made making state finals in marching band look like a somber event. Now, I will grant you that Peace Corps volunteers are by no means a representative population of the US (unfortunately) and that we are probably primed to be more politically active, but I mean EVERYONE was ecstatic. We (okay, I) were so happy we burst out into patriotic songs. When’s the last time you heard me burst into a patriotic song that didn’t involve a Frisbee event or the 4th of July? There is something special about Obama. Maybe he’ll bring the US some magic J. We watched McCain’s concession speech and Obama’s acceptance speech (omg- I get to listen to that man LEAD OUR COUNTRY for at least the NEXT FOUR YEARS!) through a veil of tears. I got a headache from smiling too much. We skipped home. Literally. I walked into my house all smiles- OBAMA GANÓ! I said. My host family was happy.
Today was the first day I’ve spent outside of the United States during my adult life that I felt proud of my country. I know that sounds cliché, but I actually wasn’t even expecting it. It just happened. On our way to the center this morning Peruvians we had never seen before CHEERED us from across the street. Our facilitators embraced us with congratulations. Those of us who hadn’t seen each other the night before ran across the center to jump into each other’s arms. When I came home my host family wanted to know all about Obama. They’d seen his daughters in the newspaper. “They’re blacker than he is!” they said. “Yes,” I said, “but finally, to America, it doesn’t matter.”
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