Culture Shock, Take Two

I arrived back to the US last week and am still getting used to my own culture again. Alaska gave me a nice welcome with -20 degree weather and a big bull moose grazing in the backyard. I think the two worlds I’ve lived in could not be further apart!

Home sweet Alaska...

 Aside from the obvious climate differences, I am taken aback by almost every aspect of daily life. The other day I stood for several minutes just staring at the choices in the grocery store. I keep saying hello, thank you and excuse me to people in Spanish. It took me 6 tries to check my voicemail the first time because I kept pushing the wrong buttons, and still takes me ten minutes to write a text message in English (well, lets be honest, that may be normal for me). Other big news - People here abide by traffic laws! There’s no swerving or hanging out of moving vehicles, and transportation itself here is so lonely- everyone with their own car and so many going to their destination alone. I can get all my laundry done in one day, and with a dryer! Tap water doesn’t have to be boiled, dishes go into this contraption called the dishwasher, and I can flush my toilet paper down! Doctor waits are minimal. TV and music are so foreign. And it’s so QUIET.

view of Anchorage flying in

I can’t shake the feeling that there are holes in my life after Peru. I miss everything-everyone- to the point of feeling a physical ache. I miss the symphony of roosters, buses rumbling by, horns blaring, bicycle peddlers, children shouting, latin music blaring, dogs barking. The organized chaos that is the public transportation system. Peruvian babies. The view of the ocean as we round the curve to Huanchaco and the bliss of riding a wave on a surfboard. Greetings from strangers on the street. Stray dogs. Slow walking pace. My neighborhood market. Freshly squeezed juice. The mass in Spanish. Picarones-arroz a lo pobre-lomito saltado-ceviche-papa a la huancaina-tallarines saltados-chifa-chicha morada-helado de lúcuma-aji-arroz con leche-hamburguesas y sandwich de pollo-yuca-mango-choclo-Cusqueña-pisco sour. (in no particular order!) But most of all, I miss my Peruvian family. My patients – the laughter of my peds patients and the stories of my geriatric patients. Neighbors, colleagues, co-workers and nuns. Peruvian and gringo friends alike. My friend and Spanish coach Maria. Pancake and taco nights with family. The shouts of my host cousins as they race upstairs to feed the dog. Night-time tea and laughter. I miss the culture, lifestyle, and though I feel so blessed to have had such a great experience, I can’t help but feel pretty bummed that it’s all over. However, it has been amazing to see family and friends again - 14 months is a long time to be away!

“Most of us live the greater part of our lives submerged. Certainly in my own case I can say that not until I left America did I emerge above the surface.” Awhile ago my friend shared this quote by Henry Miller, and it definitely mirrors my own feelings about living and working abroad. I don’t think I really “got it” until I spent a good chunk of time in a developing nation. Now that I’m back in the US, I find it’s hard to convey the exact experiences and feelings of life in Peru to others. It’s hard not to compare everything to life in Peru and bring it up in every passing moment. It’s also hard not to judge others, nor to be guilt-ridden and disgusted by parts of American culture.

Someone responded to Miller’s quote with, “The tough thing is to make personal changes as a result, without turning into a sour cynic about your own culture. ‘Enlightened’ people usually turn into judgmental people. Enlightenment with humility of a good thing.” So, two months post-life-in-Peru, I find myself faced with this challenge and still in a bit of mourning over my separation from South America. I hope that my new lifestyle and many of life’s lessons learned - the Peru “magic”- will somehow live on in my life.

on the descent to Anchorage

So, I guess this is my last post. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my experiences and will carry some "Peru magic" into your life as well. Thanks for all of your support over the year! 

Y gracias de nuevo a mis queridos Peruanos- siempre contigo! (y hasta pronto!)

Cuidado!

One of my biggest frustrations with the Peruvian culture lies in the reality of (lack of) safety. I’m not just talking about the lack of seatbelts or the common transit/pedestrian dangers of daily life. I’m talking about the daily dangers surrounding each woman – and likely not just Peru, but presumably all of Latin America. Now that I’m about to leave, I feel like I can comment on it a little bit (without hopefully freaking out my parents too much!)

It’s hard not to be a bit paranoid here. Whenever anyone asks me where I live, I get the gasp and the “Oh, no, you shouldn’t be living in that neighborhood, it’s so dangerous!” Parts of my neighborhood are notorious for murder and gang problems, but fortunately I live in a “nicer part of the ghetto” as it’s affectionately called. I chose to forego the comfort of an apartment in Trujillo for the many benefits of immersion– in order to truly get to know the community for work in public health, I wanted to become a part of it. It worked out well - my living arrangements have been excellent – complete with wireless internet, my own bathroom that now has hot water(!), great proximity to the clinic, and the best part of all… an AMAZING family!

Sure enough, once they began to recognize me as a long-term volunteer at the local health clinic, it was clear that my neighbors “had my back” and I really began to feel more like part of the community. True, I still get stared at all the time, but I certainly feel safer walking around my community. During the day, the main worries are robberies. Peruvians are constantly looking over their shoulders as they walk. Don’t talk on your cell phone outside of the house- someone will run by and snatch it. Don’t carry a purse unless you absolutely have to. Avoid certain streets that are notorious. Don’t sit near the door to the public transportation- someone may run up and grab your bag. Don’t use the bridge unless you have to- they wait to rob you there. Lock the house 3-4 different ways.

Many Peruvians in my neighborhood are terrified to leave their homes at night. I’ve become much less social at night, simply because it’s not safe to go out. If I want to go play soccer at 8pm in Trujillo, by the time we finish, the public transit will have stopped running and I’ll have to take a cab by myself back to La Esperanza at night. It was frustrating at first, but now I’m used to it and instead use night hours to either work from home, spend time with my host family, or read and drink tea ☺

La Esperanza is working to improve the crime situation

Trujillo and many other parts of Peru have had an escalating problem with what they call “extortionistas” – basically, groups of thugs who select homes or businesses and threaten them. They demand monthly payments and if they don’t receive the payment, they blow up the home. I’d heard of these groups before but didn’t realize how bad the problem was until about 6 months into my stay here. We were sitting around the table after dinner talking, when all of a sudden we heard a series of extremely loud explosions that were so close they made the house shake. We began running around in circles in the living room, unsure of where to go or what to do. They evacuated the sisters who had been in the back rooms and we huddled near the other side of the house, trying to figure out what was going on without leaving the front door. It was then that my family confessed to me that their neighbors had been having problems with the extortionistas. Just before I arrived in Peru, their neighbors’ house one street away was blown up because they refused to make the payments (fortunately, nobody was home at the time). The house across the street from mine is currently being threatened and the family has been making the monthly payments.

This news terrified me – it was suddenly a much more real threat. I began to worry that these people would see me entering my own home and start to threaten my host family since they have an obvious gringa living with them. Fortunately, nothing has happened, but it’s been a constant worry. On top of that, I’ve had many friends who have been mugged. I know people who have been kidnapped in taxis and taken out to the desert - and luckily somehow got away to tell. Safety is a real concern – whether you’re Peruvian or not.

It’s obvious that God’s watching over me during my time here. I am still amazed that I haven’t even been robbed (knock on wood!) I’ve had a few attempts but have managed to get out of each situation. I have a handful of taxi drivers that I know and trust – as for the rest, I only use taxis as a last resort – and almost never alone. I’d rather it take 30 more minutes but be on some type of public transit where the worst that could happen would be a robbery. I only get into certain types of taxis, and they have to pass the “face” test - Creepy? Bad feeling? Young? NEXT. Elderly man… okay! (Maybe we’ll get in a car crash because he’s half blind, but at least he’s less likely to kidnap me!)

My biggest struggle this whole time has been in how 2-sided my life is. I’m walking in Peruvian shoes for a year, but deep inside I’ve known that come October I’ll be whisked back to my safety net of top quality health services and few personal safety concerns. It seems so unfair that Peruvians, and in particular Peruvian women, have to live in daily fear like this for their entire lives. They are constantly worrying – Where can the kids play safely? Will someone rob the home? Sexual assault? Taxi kidnappings? Extortionistas? Muggings on the street? And it never ends. They say that with the new president Ollanta, Peru should start to crack down on crime…. let’s hope they’re right. 

But, safety concerns and all, Peru nonetheless feels like home now – a beautiful place and at it’s heart, beautiful people who I will miss deeply – come Saturday. Can’t believe the year is coming to an end!

Corre, Gringita, Corre!

With my new running buddies (and random bystander)

Yesterday, in honor of my last Sunday in Trujillo, I participated in the “Pedro Horna Montoya maraton” (actually a 10k) race. And get this - for the cost of 3 soles (one dollar) I signed up and got my t-shirt! I’ve been looking for races in Perú all year and was pumped to finally find my South America running experience!

It was a great final farewell in the city I’ve come to love and call home over the last year. I was amused by the little Peruvian touches – “a big medical work-up prior to race” was a blood pressure measurement; “be there at 8 and race starts at 11:30” was really be there at 11, race starts at 12. At the race start, I was literally left in the dust- all 150 participants took off in full sprint! (But then, a few blocks later, some people were walking.) I was the only non-Peruvian in the race and the crowds did not let me forget it. “Corre, gringita, corre!” (run, little gringa, run) and “MIRA a la gringa!” (LOOK at the gringa) were most common, but I also heard a little kid say, “Mamá… mujeres corren también?” (Mom, women run too?)

Whenever I approached a man in the race, he would look at me with wide eyes and take off sprinting full speed ahead for a few seconds to lose me. Given my lack of consistent training, I was in too much pain to care about the scene I was inadvertently making. At the finish line, I was sieged by a mob of Peruvian men who wanted to take a photo together. They informed me that I got third place out of the women (really not that impressive, considering there were maybe 25 of us) and that I won a prize! They called “Mary Bocker” up to the podium (and somehow they lost my first name in there somewhere!) and proceeded to give out medals, a certificate, and a cash prize – 100 soles (30 bucks)! Yeah! Aside from dodging cars, pedestrians and dogs, and the occasional inhalation of bus exhaust, it was a semi-normal running race – and for me, a very unforgettable day.

The Positives

When it comes to negatives and positives, it’s a no-brainer that my personal experience over the last year tips the scale in the positive direction.

The Negatives…

Of course, poverty levels and poor sanitation, dangerous public transit, crime, and faults in the healthcare system are obvious negatives common in South America. But on a personal note in regards to my own daily life here, the negatives include…

Dog attacks – 2

Bout of unidentified 3 to 5-day fever illness – 6

Food poisoning - 1

Near pedestrian-car collisions – too many to count

Flea attacks – 2

Parasites – yup

Cockroach incidents – 3 especially scarring moments

Bed bugs – yup

Other than the occasional cheddar cheese craving, there’s not a whole lot that I’ve found I really miss anymore as far as “things” go. I feel pretty adjusted to powdered coffee (or no coffee), no sense of personal space (in fact I think I will miss this!), long conversations after dinner, hand-washing clothes and dishes, the smells, bugs and rats, the slowness of daily life. Constant mugging-prevention precautions. Frequent power and water outages. Less frequent bathing/hygiene. Answering to "gringita" and various versions of my name ("Ahm-bar.") Latin music (In fact, I will really miss this!) New ideas of what is “loud.” LOTS and LOTS of white rice; my host moms' spiciest aji. "Peruvian time" - lines, waiting, and everything starting late. Crazy public transportation rides (which have interestingly enough helped with my motion sickness- I can now read in moving vehicles!) Being gawked at when doing any sort of physical activity. (Well, being gawked at whenever I leave the house). Daily male harassment on the streets. Having to eat unidentified parts of animals. Peer pressure to dance (with 5 foot tall men) in front of everyone at family events. Being charged three times the rate, simply because I am white. These things all make up bits and pieces of my daily life that I now come to savor and expect – I’m enamored with the culture. Which leads me to …

The Positives…

I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful work opportunities and professional connections here. As someone recently pointed out, I’ve had the chance to have a unique glimpse into such a broad spectrum - not only the poorest of the poor, but also the national political level through work with the Peru Ministry of Health. I’ve networked through hospitals, physical therapy clinics, physical therapy academic institutions, public health projects, schools for kids with special needs, different groups of religious congregations, different levels and groups within the ministry of health, groups of physical therapists from all over Peru, Regis University and PTs in the US, various other non-profits, health outposts, and rehab equipment specialists.

Socially I’ve had the time of my life - meeting people from all over the world. Having the chance to use vacation days to explore other parts of Peru. Learning how to surf and attempting to master another language. Learning all about so many different aspects of Peruvian culture and experiencing holidays and special events. The incredible culinary experience, regardless of the side effects (will have a stomach of steel when all is said and done!) The personal growth – spiritually, professionally, and in leadership. So many amazing experiences leading to the expansion of my comfort zone boundaries and the shift of my worldview - something I'm already having a hard time putting into words, but something that's ultimately had a huge personal impact.

By the far the greatest positive of all has been the people – the heart of Peruvians. My “second family” – the host family that have treated me like one of their own. The incredible co-workers and support from the clinic, the school, the physical therapy community and the Hermanas Del Buen Socorro. Peruvian friends and neighbors. My patients. My friends at Espanglish and Muchik surf shop. And the different little networks of gringos I've stumbled upon. 

I do not know how on earth I will say goodbye in less than one months’ time. I think it will be one of the hardest moments of my life.

The Cock Fight

Coliseo de Gallos - Huanchaco

For the last 10 months I’ve been really curious about the Peruvian Pelea de Gallos (cock fight). My host dad raises and fight roosters, and apparently is well known in the community for his success – in fact, they call him, translated, “The one who kills all the others.” The first time I met my host dad, he was standing outside the front door holding a rooster. Apparently he breeds them and gives away baby roosters to good friends for special occasions – which is considered a highly prized gift. 

my host dad is a cock-fighter!

One day I got the tour of his set-up: up on the roof of the house down the street, he raises about 30 roosters for cock fights. This is no easy task - the fighting roosters have a special (expensive!) steroid-like food mix to boost their explosive strength, a special training regimen including spurs in a large sand pit on the roof, and a rest schedule in the days leading up to fights. They even get special “vitamin” injections!

one of my host dad's roosters

 

The truth is, I didn’t really want to see a rooster die on some bloody battlefield, surrounded by cigar smoke and drunk men shaking fistfuls of soles in the air, in a dust pit in someone’s backyard. But the whole idea of it intrigued me – plus, I thought, it can’t be as gruesome as the bull fight, right?! (Which I have yet to experience).

So, finally, with 2 other gringos and my host sister in tow, I went to the cock fight. My host dad wasn’t on the rooster roster this weekend, but he came along to watch. I was glad we showed up with a few locals- we certainly stood out among the almost 100% male crowd. 

the battlefield

Before the fight, roosters are prepared for battle by taping these 5cm-long needle-looking bones to the back of their legs – which makes is easier to damage opponents. By the time they’re carried to the dirt pit, they look pretty pumped up and ready to fight! They arrange the fights by the weight of each bird. The birds have 6 minutes of fight time before a tie is declared. A rooster wins if his opponent 1) dies, 2) almost dies, or 3) runs away in the other direction when a door is opened at the end. The bounty for winning a cock fight can be several hundred soles – which is about 60-100 bucks – but here, that is a LOT of money for one day’s work! And for big tournaments, one sign boasted a prize of ~1500 dollars - and a free bull!

roosters in action!

making bets

I have to admit, the experience pretty much lived up to my stereotyped expectations. Yes, it was smoky, and yes, the men all had beer. Feathers went flying and the men shouted and shook their fists in the air to make bets. As a whole, I was intrigued by the cultural experience, though I’m not sure my gringo friends (one of whom is a vegetarian) were quite as enthused to be there. Fortunately we only witnessed one rooster die, though many had eyes gouged out and at times it was a bit gory. I certainly won’t be eating any chicken for dinner – at least until tomorrow. ;)

Stop and Smell the AJI

“I didn’t really grow until I learned how others live.” –Ben Sollee

I'm sure I've commented before about how the slowness of the Peruvian culture is simultaneously frustrating yet fantastic. I’ve had to adapt in a number of ways from my prior fast-paced western-culture ways – Here, several hours late is on time, and many aspects of life are not as efficient as could be – tasks that used to take ten minutes in the US can take hours or even days here, between transportation, procedures, communication mix-ups, detours, lines, etc.

But, there’s a glorious two-hour lunch here – generally everyone comes home in the middle of the day to eat with family, and lunch is the biggest meal of the day. And, at night, we sit around with a lighter fare- usually coffee and something small – and often stay around the dinner table talking for hours.

It’s a nice change from life as I knew it in the US. We get so caught up in rushing from point A to B to C to D throughout our daily lives – and how much of it really matters? Why are we okay with spending hours each day in our cars alone, yet unable to set aside more than 20 minutes for a rushed meal (often not even together)?

I’m still super busy as far as work goes here, but my spare time feels different – full of aimless but very enjoyable moments “doing nothing” with the people I am close to. In the book “Eat, Love, Pray” Gilbert talks about the joy of doing nothing. It’s something I’ve come to really savor about this culture. In fact, I feel like Perú is my own personal secluded island - it transforms me into a place where stress is all relative and I mostly just feel calm contentedness. (Okay, maybe the opposite of secluded, but you know what I mean).

I would even go as far as to say that my Peruvian island is slowly sucking the type A personality out of me. Really, you don’t believe me?! Exhibit A: walking speed. Just ask my sister- it drove her nuts that I was walking so slowly when she came down to visit... I now generally amble about, true to Peruvian style. Another example, I don’t stress out when I don’t have time to exercise as normally as I’d like – I’ve long ago accepted that with long work hours and few places to safely exercise, this one I’ll take for the team for a year. (Exhibit B: rice baby.)

Speaking of eating, I’m starting to panic as I realize that in 3 months I will have to do without my top ten Peruvian foods (to be announced- stay posted). At the top of my list - anyone who’s ever tried Peruvian cooking knows that aji (a concentrated liquid of hot pepper) is a staple to the diet – and it’s delicious. Peruvians take a great deal of (justifiable) pride in their Aji. I’m proud to say that I can now tolerate a moderate to strong blend of aji without batting an eye! (Another step closer in operation: become Peruvian).

Beyond the incredible culinary impact, I hope that this taste of how others live that’s led to so much personal growth will stick with me long after my time in Peru is gone. I think we could all use a little time to “stop and smell the aji”… What do you think?

(PS: visitors still encouraged!)

Quien ganará?

Keiko vs. Ollanta. Democrat vs. Dictator. Woman vs. Man. The 2011 Perú Presidential elections will reach their final historic ending today, June 5th. The candidates are pretty different and like the first round of elections a few months ago, there is no clear leader in the polls.

Keiko stands for education – building schools and improving access to education in rural areas. She’s promised to change unemployment rates, and wage a fight against crime. She’s also the daughter of prior president Alberto Fujimori, who was inn office from 1990-2000. “A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of authoritarianism and human rights violations. Even amidst his 2008 prosecution for crimes against humanity relating to his presidency, two-thirds of Peruvians polled voiced approval for his leadership in that period.” (Wikipedia.org) Many of Keiko’s critics oppose her for her family history and also claim that since she’s become involved in politics, she in unexperienced and has failed to take any significant action.

Ollanta is a big advocate against crime. Rumor has it that if he wins, he will completely re-design the constitution, install a country-wide nightly curfew, and send all boys age 14 and up into the military. He also claims to improve the education system by providing financial access to university education for young people, regardless of ability to pay. He also plans to change international trade agreements, particularly with the U.S., and shift Perú into a system of national-only companies for all exports. His military career had some accusations of human rights violations, and he also receives criticism over his past leadership within the Communist Party of Perú and the Movimiento Ethnocacerista, “an ethnic nationalist group composed of former and current Peruvian soldiers many of whom are veterans from the domestic conflicts against the Shining Path, and to a lesser extent against the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement and the brief Cenepa War between Ecuador and Peru.” (Wikipedia.org)

In polling friends and family, it appears that there’s a pretty even split on who will vote for who. Many of my patients claim they will select neither, because they do not approve of either candidate. As I mentioned in a prior post, Peruvians are required to return to their hometown to vote (if they don’t, they incur a large fee). The school systems gave the kids Friday and Monday off school in honor of the elections, and since Thursday the city has been on a “dry” status- no purchasing of alcohol and the closing of all bars. The streets have been a flourish of activity these last few months, and this week it got even crazier as Trujillo had a special visit by Keiko. I’m looking forward to an end to the political adds, loudspeaker messages, painting, chanting, etc. – looking forward to life going back to “normal” here in La Esperanza.

Who will win? I’ll post an update later today!

Growing Pains

I’ve started to compare my feelings as a foreigner living in a new country to a constantly evolving romantic relationship. The relationship starts out pretty great – the “honeymoon” phase – where everything is new and exciting, and I can’t get enough (of the culture). A few months later, (okay- maybe more like weeks in my case) I settle more into reality and the novelties wear off a bit, and I begin to acknowledge little pet peeves – things that can be annoying, but at the same time kind of cute, endearing. I give it a few more (days? weeks? months?), and those things turn into straight up annoyances. As time goes on, it becomes a game of positives and negatives – well, these things aren’t ideal, but ________ makes it worth it. Now, we all know from my relationship track record that all of this can happen in a pretty short time span.

Fortunately for Peru, the pros still outweigh the cons. But, as I’m growing better with Spanish, and more insightful with the culture, I’m picking up on more and more health practices/beliefs that particularly drive me nuts. I haven’t made a list in awhile, so here goes- my list of Peru health-related growing pains:

- 1. Multiple injections in the butt (of a mystery solution) for any and every ailment... (sore throat? foot pain? eye infection?)

- 2. Use of antibiotics for everything (and prescribed for 1-2 days. Got into an argument with doctor the other day about whether antibiotic resistance is a proven phenomenon or not)

- 3. Insistence that you are sick because a) there was a change in the climate or b) you had ice cream/drank something cold

- 4. Belief that if your joint makes an audible noise, it is dangerous and means you have severe arthritis or a fracture

- 5. Osteoporosis diagnosis (so common here!), and patient is not educated to take calcium, let alone anything else for it

- 6. Similarly, my sister (who was down here for a few weeks volunteering in a Trujillo hospital and clinic) informed me about the problem with general practitioners and advocating avoidance of milk– often the doctors tell parents to avoid giving their kids milk when they have a minor illness. Now, nobody seems to ever drink milk and cheese is scarcely consumed (see #5)

- 7. Insistence of creams/lotions for musculoskeletal injuries

- 8. Belief that a cold shower or the use of ice is bad for injuries

- 9. Wrapping areas that hurt (with a scarf, sock, cloth etc.) – not to help with swelling, but to keep it warm at all times

- 10. Belief that if you bundle up at the gym or when you go running, you will burn more calories (similarly, cranking up the heat for gym exercises classes! I think the only place I’ve found an actual heater in Perú has been at the gym)

- 11. Belief that a back brace is necessary for any physical activity (running, spinning class), regardless of whether the person has a history of back pain

- 12. Lack of patient education, or very improper patient education / diagnosis

- 13. General dependence on MD, external locus of control and desire to medicate/ take a pill for everything (Doctors here even sell little bags of a powder called “stress medicine!”)

Also, depending on where you are in Peru, you may observe some other very unique practices related to health. I recently had a patient in a more rural area tell me that she rubs human urine all over her body to help with her low back pain (and swears by it!) I’ve also learned that Peruvians will sometimes rub a (live) guinea pig all over their body when they are ill, and then they kill it and cut it in half. The organ in the guinea pig with damage corresponds to the origin of their own health problem.

With the exception of urine and guinea pigs, in noting these cultural tendencies, it seems that in general some of these beliefs and medical practices can be compared to how the US was – 50 years ago. It sounds like many people in my parents’ generation grew up with some of the same common practices. It’s frustrating to observe some of these practices, but also important to be respectful of the cultural differences, as difficult as it may be. Though this list of “cons” seems daunting – don’t worry, my positive experiences and joys of being part of the Peruvian culture are overflowing, and (contrary to my usual relationship patterns) we won’t be breaking up soon – at least until October.

Luxuries

I’ve never quite experienced the exclusivity of my own culture until I got down here. I was surprised to find that when I tried to access Pandora.com way back in November I received this message: “We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for listeners located outside of the U.S.” While I wallowed over not being able to use one of my favorite websites for year, I headed to abc.com, hoping to catch an episode of a guilty pleasure mind-relaxing TV show in English to make me feel better. And, sure enough, BAM! “You appear to be outside the United States or its territories. Due to international rights agreements, we only offer this video to viewers located within the United States and its territories.” Wow. Now I know what it’s like to be on the other side… and on the other side of something so trivial.

Certainly Peruvians lack many “luxuries” that we have in the US. The one that always moves me is how difficult it is to get a Visa – even to travel to a neighboring country. I’ve only met one Peruvian in 7 months of living here who’s ever been outside of Peru. Essentially, they don’t travel. More powerful is the fact that the majority never even get to go near Machu Picchu, because tourism has driven up the prices to the point that locals only dream of ever going. When I make remarks about having my host family visit me someday in Alaska, they laugh and always say, “Maybe in another life.” I’ve been planning weekend excursions every chance I get here – but most Trujillans rarely even travel as far as Chiclayo, a three hour journey. I pretty much always feel like a spoiled, wealthy American (though my bank account by US standards would beg to differ!)

I had an interesting conversation the other day with my host family about home appliances. I’m pretty sure they deemed me crazy right away, as during first month here they were quite startled by the nightly “alien ship landing” (me using my electric toothbrush!) This time I tried to explain dishwashers, something they still tease me about now whenever I do the dishes. We also talked about how most homes in the US have things like microwaves, washers and dryers…and tools of vanity like hair dryers/ straighteners, curling irons, etc. At the end of the conversation, my host sister looked at me incredulously and asked, “But… what do you DO?”

My only answer for her was, “Work.” How do you explain what life’s like on the other side of the pond without coming off as completely self-centered and spoiled rotten? How to explain things like routines of daily gym sessions, swimming 4 hours a day for a team, or how often I used to eat out? Drying my hair every day (well, in reality - every day that I showered. Hmm, more like every other…), using microwaves, toaster ovens, or (my personal favorite), the quesadilla maker? Moreover, how to explain the concept of a work-a-holic within the context of a completely different culture? I’m definitely not saying that Americans work harder – nor longer hours - by any means, but it’s clear that our culture is certainly more individualistic and outcome-based in many ways.

Unemployment is a big problem here, any most families are supported by a single-person income (if any). But in the clinic, when I ask my patients if they are working, virtually every person will answer yes – “Of course, I work in my home.” Peruvian women are incredibly hard-working and you’ll never hear them complain! Here, the average Peruvian woman surely works 80+ hour weeks… up before dawn to go to the market and prepare breakfast, then back to the market and spending all morning preparing lunch (the biggest meal of the day), then cleaning and hand-washing clothes in the afternoon before preparing dinner. Never mind raising the children and taking care of the elderly. (Which, by the way, is also a big deal here. The elderly are almost never sent to a nursing home – family members will drop everything to be their live-in caregivers.)

So, whether it be Pandora or ovens, dishwashers or Visas, (or in many cases – sinks, toilets, running water, electricity, etc.) our cultural “luxuries” are certainly very different. Though sometimes I really miss having a washing machine, I think that if anything a change in daily luxuries has (hopefully!) made me a bit more patient and tolerant – and one step closer to identifying with these strong, amazing hard-working Peruvians I admire so much!

Dia del Trabajador

Happy “worker’s day!!” Apparently, today is another federal holiday. I am loving all of these days of celebration. I thought Dia de la Mujer (women's day) was pretty great, but this one takes the cake! I've got to wonder what Peruvians would think of some of our American party days - Superbowl Sunday? 4th of July?

The festivities started yesterday morning with beer and parties, and carried on through the night. Mid-day today they had a small break for a nap, but resumed festivities this afternoon and are still going as I speak. (I can attest to this by the neighbors’ music level, though I decided to sit this one out and try to have a productive work weekend.)

Whenever this holiday falls on a Sunday, people are upset that they don’t actually get a day off work, so it seems they unofficially elect the following Monday off as well! (But- by unofficial- I mean that many businesses and all of the schools are closed Monday too). Not surprisingly, I didn’t quite get the memo in time … I’d already scheduled a full list of patients to see tomorrow, whoops!

Peruvians themselves will joke about how many holidays and days off work they get. Friendship day, mother's day, father's day, women's day, children's day, lover's day, worker's day, etc. - and usually the kids get each respective day of school off (or the preceding Friday/following Monday!) By the time you add in religious holidays (Saints days, holy week, Christmas, etc.) - the calender is blooming with holidays! You definitely won't hear me complaining :)

Election Day!

Peruvians love to talk politics. Fortunately, down here the Sarah Palin jokes are kept to a minimum, (it’s amazing how much Peruvians know about Alaska!) although I still get them from time to time, in addition to Obama comments! (Which are overwhelmingly unfavorable... they say that Obama made a lot of promises to the Latino population that he never fulfilled.) Okay, yeah, moving on…

The Perú 2011 elections have been the heart of many conversations since my arrival back in October. Here, you find advertisements for candidates painted or posted on nearly every wall, building, bus, truck, home, teenager, etc. It’s completely legal for parties to pay home and business owners to display their logos.

Presidential elections happen every 5 years, and the next one – the Primaries - are this coming Sunday. Prices on transportation have already risen, because Peruvians are required to vote in the place where they originally registered (even if decades ago), and regardless of whether it’s in another part of the country. (If they don’t go, they have to pay a huge fine!)

It seems that no-one is too concerned about election-time violence or riots, which is a relief. My very first day in this country fell on a smaller election day, and all I remember is walking around in a culture-shocked daze and seeing armed men everywhere!

I’ve been asked three times in the last week who I am going to vote for, which I find hilarious. I feel like I still stand out terribly here, but maybe I am actually starting to blend in, because people have also started asking me if I’m from Lima! (Limenians have lighter skin and hair. YES – Mission Become Peruvian nearly accomplished!)

But, I’m glad I don’t have to vote, because the choices are a bit overwhelming. There are 10 candidates for President. Every time I tune in, someone else seems to have made a big break in the polls. Last I checked, it was pretty close – there were four people hovering all between 15-20% popularity each. Keiko has been pretty popular – and if elected would become the first female President of Perú. Castañeda and Toledo are also up there, and PPK and Ollanta seem to be gaining some late momentum. I guess only time will tell… I will keep you posted!

Carnaval en Cajamarca!

Last weekend I headed about 6 hours inland for a new taste of Peruvian culture in Cajamarca. Cajamarca is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains, filled with picturesque avenues and known for it’s delicious dairy products – cheese, yogurt, manjar blanco – as well as the ever popular “cuy”(guinea pig).

We arrived at 4:30am and headed straight to a place called “Los Baños del Inca”- a tourist spot that boasts steamy natural hot springs (previously visited by Inca King Atahualpa), private hot tubs, a pool, beautiful gardens, spa services, and ruins. Great (and cheap!) way to warm up for a few hours!

 

That afternoon we explored a culinary fair and climbed up to the top of Cerro Santa Apolonia for a great (though rainy) view of the city. I finally gave in and tried the cuy for dinner – and let’s just say that I am still not too impressed. May have been the fact that most of my portion was the head of the animal (see picture).

We also got soaked at one point as we explored town- one of Carnaval’s traditions is to dump water (via buckets, hoses, water balloons) on complete strangers! That night we hit the streets around the Plaza de Armas for the start of the festivities – which involved a whole lot of music, dancing, singing and chanting.

The following days’ festivities continued with much of the same, plus extra dosings of water and lots and lots of brightly colored paint! Massive crowds paraded around the streets, grouped in smaller bands, singing songs about carnaval and engaging in rowdy paint and water attacks. Being a bit competitive myself (ahem…) I joined in by dumping cups of red paint on anyone not in our group.

Residents of the homes dumped water and launched balloons from doorways and rooftops. Toward the end, it started to downpour, which did not seem to deter anyone at all (we were already completely drenched anyways). Miraculously my camera made it out alive!



We managed to catch a big parade on the last day before we headed back to reality. It was definitely the rowdiest weekend I’ve had yet, and a bit of unique, glorious Perú culture I will surely never forget.

Uncensored...

I’ve been keeping a journal while I’ve been down here. My entries are a bit sporatic- but here’s a little sampling of random thoughts from a quick browse:

-Chicken foot soup for breakfast!
-Bright pink hot dogs (unidentified meat) = LIKE!
-Very public defecation! (not me…just observation)
-Flea bites. Again.
-I found myself crammed in a combi (think: old falling apart VW van) with 32 other people, chickens, and a bag of guinea pigs. New record!
-The nuns were robbed at gunpoint on the way home from the bank today.
-Now using toxic amount of deet bug spray in order to survive the hour of insect attacks sitting in church.
-Good looking man and then… I see the fanny pack. Dang it.
-Peruvian karaoke parties are wildly popular- think Backstreet Boys or Beyonce + Spanish accents!
-A wild dog ran across the altar and trotted through the pews in the middle of mass, but nobody batted an eye.
-Guns…armed people everywhere.
-Peruvians like to whistle, and to publicly nurse babies on bumpy combi rides.
-...looked down to find a huge cockroach on my foot!
-“No, the mosquitoes attack you because you are WHITE.” - Nun 
-Overfed by three different sets of aunts and uncles today!
-One step forward, two steps back (the birds pooped all over my hand-washed laundry again).
-Facial paralysis caused by stress? Back pain ‘all in your head’? Starting to wonder about these doctors…
-Fingerprints to sign work documents!
-…where I consumed one quarter of a whole chicken, a mountain of French fries, a huge salad and a liter of Inca Cola in one sitting…

I like to try and bring a little humor into my experiences here, but the honest truth is I am completely enamored with the culture, the good BUT also the not so good. It’s an incredible place and while transportation and sanitation realities may not be ideal, what I don’t put into lists are the people that make this culture so unique and beautiful…

The woman with a large hat and three teeth who gives me a big grin as she shucks corn in the market. “Buen dia” from the old men who sit and talk outside the corner house. My favorite lady who sells me freshly squeezed juice from her cart on my way to work. My 90-year old patient who sings to me in Spanish. My patients, co-workers, colleagues and friends who share their stories, their lives, their food, their hospitality with me. Uncensored observations included, these people and their tough, hard-working, family-based values are the face of Perú I’ve come to know – and love.

Ghosts, re-incarnation and Coca-Cola

I’ve had some interesting conversations here in Perú about the after-life. I’m not sure if this reflects the cultural beliefs of all Peruvians, but it seems that many I’ve talked to believe in ghosts and re-incarnation. As for me, I’ve been on the fence about whether I believe in ghosts … that is, until about a month ago…

A few days ago, I noticed a full glass of coca-cola sitting on the mantel in front of the picture of my host family’s grandmother. Apparently, the night before, my host sister locked her keys into the living room part of the house. She had to get up early for work the next day and needed the keys to leave the house, so she lifted up some silent pleas to her grandmother (who passed away 11 years ago) to bring her the keys. In the middle of the night, she awoke to loud noises coming from the living room (which we lock every night). She thought we were getting robbed and (bravely) crept toward the door. What she found, however, were her set of keys placed outside of the (barred) kitchen window! Thus, the cup of coca-cola, her Grandmothers’ favorite beverage, remained on the mantel as a gift of thanksgiving for several days.

Okay, this all sounds a bit crazy, right?! Well, I believe it – and here is why. Last month, we took a trip to Tembladera, a small beautiful community in the mountains northeast of Trujillo. My host family has relatives there, and we stayed overnight in the house that used to belong to the grandparents, but is now abandoned. Staying in the house itself was quite an adventure – sleeping on the floor (no furniture), no bathroom or running water, rats, etc! (see picture)

Haunted House in Tembladera

That night, it was extremely hot and buggy, and while we lay awake trying to sleep in the miserable heat, we began to hear things. First, loud noises that were definitely coming from within the locked kitchen. Host sister #1 fled to her aunt’s house out of fear, and host sister #2 went with her for a moment, leaving me alone in the house. After they’d left, the room changed drastically from unbearably hot to ice cold. I began to hear and feel a man’s raspy respirations on the right side of my face. I heard footsteps outside of the bedroom door. The bedroom door (which was a few feet from the edge of my sleeping bag) began to move – opening and closing slowly. I lay there, paralyzed, not sure what to do. I put on my headphones, but I could still hear everything.

When host sister #2 returned (after what felt like an eternity!), everything, room temperature included, went back to normal for a moment. I decided not to tell her - I didn’t want to scare her. However, for the rest of the night, we both experienced the same phenomenon – air changes, footsteps, breathing, door movements. Needless to say, we barely slept. The following morning, the heavy door that leads to the unfinished part of the house (which we’d locked the night before) was wide open. Yup… I’m now a believer!

Beware of Dog(s)

There are a lot of wild dogs that roam the streets here. Some of them are big and scary but others surprisingly look more like lost grungy domesticated poodles! There's a breed called the Peruvian Inca Orchid, or Peruvian hairless dog (see picture below) that sometimes makes an appearance in my neighborhood too.

Peruvian Hairless Dog Spotting near Trujillo

Generally, they pay little attention to me, and vice-versa. However, the other day, I had my first dog attack! I was out running in my neighborhood (yes, with someone else, and yes, with my pepper spray, mom!) Luckily, it was just a little guy who chomped on my shoe and didn’t break the skin, and one big kick to the face was all it took to get it to stop. Suddenly wondering if I should have considered that rabies vaccine after all.

So, in addition to watching out for water balloons and other Carnaval acts of mischief, I now have a heightened wariness for the dogs. I try not to let my guard down for people either… I’ve had a few attempted robberies in my neighborhood. Most recently, I was carrying a bag and a guy in a moto-taxi swung out of the back trying to snatch it as they drove by.

Ah well, never a dull moment here… but between dogs, water balloons, motor vehicles, and people, let’s just say that neighborhood strolls are not exactly relaxing!

The Pisco Sour

 

Perú’s most famous beverage is the pisco sour. It also happens to be a personal favorite. February 5th was an important holiday here, National Pisco Day! We celebrated with home-made Pisco’s and a game night (“Uno” was a big hit!) Pisco sour is grape brandy mixed with lime juice. It’s got a nice kick to it, and the egg white froth sounds strange but makes the perfect finishing touch. I’m pretty sure they sell bottles of Pisco in the US… try one yourself:


¼ cup Pisco
1 tablespoon sugar – dissolved with a little heat and water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon pasteurized egg whites
3 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients in blender. Serve with a wedge of lime and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.
SALUD!

Water Balloons

Last week I was walking to work when I rounded the corner and was faced with two little kids, a cooler, and a bunch of water balloons! I froze for a moment like a deer in the headlights, as one of the kids had a balloon in the “fire” position and looked ready to launch it! I think they were just as confused as I was, only they were puzzled simply from the sighting of the elusive tall white gringa roaming the neighborhood. I used this to my advantage and quickly dashed across the road, narrowly missing a bus (and the water balloon attack)!

I thought it was an isolated freak incident, until a few days later I was walking with my friend Cathleen (an even taller gringa) and out of nowhere, we were attacked by water balloons thrown from a moving vehicle! I was further away from the car… but poor Cathleen wasn’t so lucky!

As it turns out, the entire month of February in Perú is Carnaval. From what I’ve gathered, the big celebration is at the end of the month/early March up in the town of Cajamarca, but there are hints of the festivities all month long - and all over the country.

Customs for the entire month of February: Children throw water balloons at the women (strangers included). Women throw water balloons at the men (strangers included). People throw water balloons into open windows of public transportation. People dump flour onto strangers’ heads. People smear shoe-shine all over strangers’ faces. Some sort of a tradition with a (live?) chicken dangling from a pole. Other tradition where you hang gifts from a tree, dance around it, and then axe it down. And I’m sure there’s much more I’m bound to find out!

I’ll be sure to take photos…

You've got mail...

I’ve had a few interesting encounters with the Peruvian post office, or SerPost, since I’ve been here. One day, I went to mail some postcards (which ended up costing over 2 dollars a piece! Wow! That’s a 6 hours’ wage here - just to mail one!) There are a number of men in uniforms armed with guns all around the place. I paid for my stamps and then was completely confused as I could not find the mailbox ANYWHERE! I finally asked one of the armed men, and he laughed at me and said, “la boca del león” which means the lion’s mouth. Even more confused, I wandered around looking for anything resembling a mailbox with a lion on it, until he guided me toward his decorative thing off to the side. It was a giant unmarked bronzed lion’s head and you drop the letters down the mouth into a cardboard box. Not sure how I missed that.

The second time, I went to pick up a package. After several sets of doors and showing my identification to armed men, I arrived at the back of a 20-person line. 2 hours later… I was still in the line. It was hot and lacked personal space. The same three ladies kept repeatedly trying to cut in front of everyone. Every package had to first be located from the storeroom. I caught a glimpse of the storeroom from time to time – a large room with a religious shrine in the center surrounded by thousands of letters and packages piled in up in bags and on the floors. It looked like pure chaos. (But, the Virgin Mary did create a nice ambiance for the room).

Once you made it to the front of the line and they located the package, you had to sign all these forms, show your passport, give them two copies of your passport (??) and watch someone cut apart the box and take every single thing out to inspect it. (The inspector lady cut her finger in the process so one package left with blood all over it! Then after that, the process was severely slowed because she had to do everything with one hand.) Finally, you sign some more things and off you go with your package! Getting the package home is a whole other adventure- do you risk it getting stolen by taking public transportation, or risk worse things by getting into a cab alone? I took public transit and then bolted the two blocks to my front door… mission accomplished!

*A special thanks to those who have sent me care packages! You are AMAZING!*

Monkey in a Cage

One of my biggest challenges with living in Peru has been in finding ways to exercise. It’s a bad idea to walk around the neighborhood during the day, let alone to go for a run! And yoga videos, Billy’s boot camp, jumping jacks and self-invented circuits loose their appeal pretty quickly in my little bedroom. So, I’ve been going into “town” 1-2 times a week to use a gym. At first I felt kind of guilty about it – after all, it’s not a financial option for the overwhelming majority of people in my area. But, for my own mental health and stress relief I decided it was probably a good idea. Plus, when I found out that they had hot showers, it was a done deal!

I’ve had a lot of interesting moments at the gym so far. The first was doing a double-take as I walked by one of the TV’s - apparently it’s normal here to watch a full-nudity show while getting in some cardio! Other than that, it’s much like your average gym in the US- personal trainers, a big room for group workouts (I’m still working up the nerves to bring my non-Latino moves into the dance class), and even a juice bar! Some of the weights are a bit rusty, and there are areas where the roof has fallen in, but I would still say that it creates a few hours of luxury for me every week. Although, now that summer is here, with no air conditioning it gets pretty muggy (especially when I try to blend in by wearing Spandex).

I’ve tried out a few spinning classes, but I try to limit them as I can’t hear well again for hours afterward! (Peruvians have a thing for loud music). One of the spinning instructors also likes to scream into her headset wildly and hop up and down, but she never gets on the bike. Sometimes she runs around the room and cranks up the resistance on peoples bikes without warning too! My first day she avoided me like the plague and gave me strange looks the whole time but she’s gradually warmed up to me and includes me in the madness now.

The gym has a few treadmills that are located by the front windows, or the area I refer to as “The Zoo.” It looks like a nice area to get some people-watching in as there is a lot of foot traffic on the street outside. However, it’s quite the contrary - it just makes me feel like a monkey in a cage. Old men, young women, old women, young men, children – you name it – are intrigued by the gringa running on the treadmill. People stop dead in their tracks and point, or walk up to the glass and just stand there! Sometimes cars even slow to a stop. I don’t get it. Yes, I am white. Yes, I am actually running on the treadmill (most people here just walk on it).

I am always trying to find ways to blend in, but the truth is I don’t think it will ever happen here. No amount of sunbathing or Spanish practice will do the trick, and I’ve come to accept it. (Although most people I meet here ask if I am from Spain, which is progress!) But, I hoped that after a few months of life in Perú, the constant stares/pointing/whispers would slow down. Not a big fan of unwanted attention, so this is yet another reason that my patience should (hopefully) increase in bounds this year!

Chan Chan and Las Huacas

Trujillo has a very interesting history, and I decided that it’s about time I touch on this part of the culture (especially since I visited the pictured sites over a month ago!)

The overall history of Peru is fascinating (even for someone who has a short attention span like me) and you can spend hours upon hours reading about it. I’ll spare you the complete details as I’m sure Wikipedia (and my Lonely Planet book) do a much better job. But, some little signs of history you catch in daily life here include
1) The Spanish influence - Spain occupied Peru for several hundred years, beginning in the 1500’s. A significant amount of the food and certain customs/architecture decorating the city of Trujillo reflect this bit of history.
2) Chifa - Chinese food/restaurants everywhere! This is due to a historical immigration and influx of workers, and the food today is more of a hybrid combination of Chinese with the Peruvian and Spanish substitution for some ingredients.
3) Ruinas – Every day that I work at the school, I walk by two different walled in areas that almost blend in with the homes of the residential area. Turns out they are ancient archaelogical sites from the Chimú era- and well preserved too! It’s common to see historical ruins interspersed within close proximity to the more modern culture around Trujillo.

Last month, I got to be a tourist for a day thanks to Shana, Hailey and Marcelle who were visiting.

Our first stop was at the Huacas del sol/de la luna outside of Trujillo. These structures belonged to the Moche, a coastal society of northern Peru who inhabited the land from AD 100-800. The Moche are noted for exquisite pottery and large temple mounds (‘huacas’ or pyramids), and they are still being excavated. While the climate and El Niño have reportedly done quite a bit of damage to these sites, we were still able to enjoy the mural paintings that remain in Huaca de la luna with an interesting guided tour.

Check out the local wild dog that hangs out around the Huacas. It’s called "biringo" – a native Peruvian hairless dog. Traditionally used as body warmer for people with arthritis, this dog has a higher body temp. than average!

Our second stop was at Chan Chan, which was built around AD 1300, covers 36 km, and is the largest adobe city in world and largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas. The 60,000+ inhabitants were from the Chimú empire and were known for gold, silver, and ceramics prior to looting. The sheer size of Chan Chan is incredible. It once consisted of 9 major compounds or cities (but only part of 1 accessible by tourists). It’s a barren area, but with a little imagination and exploration it grows on you.

We ran out of time at the end and didn’t even make it to the other sites that Trujillo has to offer, so there’s definitely more to see – If planning a trip, may want to allow for a few days in the area just to see the historical attractions.