Final Month Reflections Part 1: Peru

Peru- Lo buen, lo mal, y lo feo.
 (The good, the bad, and the ugly. And yes, I probably translated that wrong)


With one month remaining in Peru, I'm going to share a few of the things in Peru worth actively missing and also the things worth escaping. I'll start off my little diatribe with a list of things I very much like about Peru.

1. The food: Pretty much any dish here has a long history, from fusion to import to adaptation. The cocineros have a few staple ingredients they know how to use and use well, as well as some interesting ones. Among the, how to put it, "unique" things I have tasted here- cuy (more commonly known as guinea pig), cow heart, pig stomach, and lucuma (a delicious fruit only found in Peru during the summer). Chela, my host mother, told me she once ate cat. Mmmm.
2. The lack of heating/air conditioning: While I realize that the temperature extremes here are, well, not extreme at all, I have to admire the complete negligence of these systems. One Peruvian attitude we can all learn from would be translated like this: "Buck up. Wear a sweatshirt."
3. The variety: Peru has just about every type of geography possible and seemingly limitless locations to explore. I could explore the many fascinating landscapes of Peru for months on end.
4. The history: If there is one place that celebrates who it is and where it came from that place is Peru.
5. Academically, the focus on development seems very realistic and productive. They invest in research for how to bring themselves out of poverty, raise the standard of living, and generally improve the country. What's more is that they are training the next generation to do the same.

Now for the mildly annoying attributes...

1. Why are there 10 ophthalmology stores in a row on a single street? Or an avenue full of mattresses? Does this business strategy really make sense to anyone?
2. Also, how many key replication shops does one neighborhood need?
3. Kissing traffic jams. This one extends to every culture that uses the cheek kiss as a greeting and decides to say goodbye in the very center of a crowded sidewalk between a group of 10 or so. Flash forward15 minutes and foot traffic finally stands a chance.

Finally, the hate list. It had to come, but I hope you will see my negativity as charming sarcasm or some other bull crap (hey, there's always the chance, right?)

1. Lines: They don't have them here...
2. because people think they need to be extraordinarily rude to service workers in order to actually get what they want/need.
3. Machismo and catcalls: Wanna hear my BIG-cat call? GRRRR. Now get the hell away from me.
4. The celebration of diversity when there is actually huge singling out of minorities, a highly racially divided society, and rampant stereotyping.
5. Teachers not showing up for classes. At the danger of sounding like a petulant teenager: WTF? Who does this? Its your job for which MY tuition is paying. You need to be there.
6. On the same note, teachers rescheduling classes they miss and then taking attendance. No no. Not happening.

 Anyway, this is part one of my "final month" special. As this one focused on things I will miss/not miss about Peru, the following will do the same about the US.

November has arrived and it is time to get down to business. Which is why I'm sitting here writing a blog post. As far as procrastination goes, I'd say this is fairly productive. Regardless, I've been doing some pretty fabulous traveling during the last two weeks of October in preparation for my November homework hibernation. The highlights of my trips are as follows...

Ica

• We hit up a bodega (wine and pisco brewery), did some tasting, and bought our weight in alcohol. We're legal here after all!
• I visited a museum with a large collection of mummies, deformed heads, and various other non-appetizing images, after which...
• My roommate Katie found a worm in her food. Yum. The waitress simply said, "Oh don't worry. It's from the lettuce," and picked it off the plate.

Huacachina

• The only activity we took place in during this excursion was sandboarding, which was more than enough. It breaks down like this: hop on dune buggy, race over gigantic mountains of sand, grab a snowboard, and ride it down standing up or lying down. It was awesome, and I even stood up once or twice!

Paracas

• This touristy town is really just a gateway to other activities, but we did meet a friendly artesano and his loyal Peruvian hairless dog.
• The Islas Ballestas are a 30 minute boat ride from town and are packed with every type of marine wildlife: birds, sea lions, penguins, everything.

Arequipa

• The White City had all the brilliant sun and gorgeous architecture Lima is missing. The locals were friendly, the number of catcalls was significantly lower, and the food was something else.
• The first day here we spent wandering and seeing the beautiful colonial homes, churches, and monasteries.
• At Museo Santuario, I had the chance to see the frozen remains of Juanita, an Incan human sacrifice on the top of a mountain near Arequipa.

Colca Canyon

• So much fun. We had a great, but exhausting trek down the canyon to an oasis. Everything was included in a surprisingly low price and we made some American friends that were put in the group as us.