The Cure for Heartache

It is impossible to feel sad in Lima.

My recommendation: Next time you’re feeling blue, pack an alpaca and head to Peru.

St. (ex)Pat's Day

I spent Wednesday night at Lima’s only Irish pub, predictably called O’Murphy’s. There were at least 100 of people rammed into a space intended for twenty-two. Here’s a few of the 78 extra people I encountered:

A Peruvian nicknamed “El Chino” (every Asian is Peru has this nickname) who claimed he had an Irish grandma. “Okay, Chino everyone can be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.”

The Lead singer of a Cranberries cover band, headlining O’Murphy’s that night. A true Peruvian Punk Rock Girl.

Every I’m-really a-quarter-Irish expat in Lima. These characters are easily identified by the green shirts on their backs, the green beads around their necks, and the green beer in their hands.

A Peruvian anglophile with a Native American tattooed on his arm. He was really disappointed I was from Minnesota. “I have always wanted to meet someone from Tennessee.”

The nice American boy who walked three blocks to buy my sick friend water she could drink

A friendly Ecuadorian tourist, I asked him if it was his first time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and he asked me, “What’s St. Patrick’s Day?”

In Over My Head?

In Over My Head?

Every Tuesday this semester from the hours of two till four, I believe you will find me sitting attentively in the front of my Economic Development professor.

You may at this point be thinking to yourself, “E(l)mily is not very good at brown-nosing, she’s actually a lot better at sleeping in class.” And you would be right, and that is how the whole mess started.

After arriving late to my first Economic Development of the semester I took a seat on the other side of the room from the professor. The lights in the classroom were out and the overhead projector was on.

Medically, narcolepsy can be triggered by many things, non-medially, I’m pretty sure it can be triggered by overhead projectors. I never had a chance I was nodding off in minutes, despite my best efforts to stay awake.

It was during one such nod, that the professor decided to ask me what country I was from. Well, no surprises here, I didn’t answer his question. So he repeated it. A nice girl sitting in front of me gave me a gentle tap, I jerked awake. The professor changed his question, this time to, “Do you understand Spanish?” “Yes, of course,” I answered. “You just don’t know how to say what country you’re from?” This was embarrassing. Which is worse, admitting I was sleeping on the first day or not understanding Spanish?

Not being able to stomach either alternative, I lied and said I had been very focused on taking notes. The professor asked me to stay after lass to discuss my placement in the class. This was not the positive impression I planned to make. Now, I am stuck playing catch-up. And with the help of my old friend, espresso, I will be the best exchange student PUCP (and Prof. Tello) has ever seen.

Problem of Economic Development Solved

I came to Peru to study economic development in a developing country. The plan was to augment my resume, learn the issues, return to US, and continue studying for years until eventually I knew enough to start fixing third-world economies. That was the plan.

So, just imagine how I felt when I realized I had the solution for all of Peru's economic woes my first week in the capitol.

Here's Peru's fundamental problem (in a nut-shell): Yesterday, I was walking down the street and saw a churro stand.

Mmmm...I love churros, they remind me of elementary school lunches. Hmmm...Why is that the only food PSI could get right? Oooh, you know what would go really well with a churro? An Inca Kola, of course! (This bit here, of course is the profound inner-workings of mind)

So, I went up to the proprietor and offered him a s/.20 bill in exhange for a churro and Peru's gift to the world, Inca Kola. Then he gave me a look that with attitude said, "¿Esperes que te dé cambio por un veinte?" The look was definitely in Spanish. "You want me to give you change for a twenty?"

And gave him a look right back, "Would you rather not have my money?" That was it, he didn't have change and I didn't have a churro.

So now we get to my thesis. How can an economy function when people have too much money to spend? Every day, Peruvians with money to burn are burned by their country's flat-out refusal to mint more 50 centimo-coins. Okay, this is a bit of a conjecture, I don't know that the government won't mint more change. but how else do you explain why everyone wants change and no one has any?

This is a fundamental problem for a developing country, just think of the welfare loss. Think of all the good trades not made, it's an economist's nightmare.

So why has no one seen this before? I don't know, but I can't wait to tell my Development Theory Professor that he should start looking for a new job, because, problem solved: make more coins.

Phantom Llama

I hope you´re all still mulling over the moral complexities discussed in my last blog post. If it gave you something to think about, here is a post that should give you nothing to think about.

Let´s play a game. I say a word and you tell me the first thing that comes to your head.

Ready? Okay, Peru.

Did you say llama? Was the first thing you thought of either a lovable llama or an affable alpaca. For me Peru is synonymous with these furry camelids. I thought I would see at least one everyday.

This, however, is not the case. Llamas are not the least bit ubiquitous in downtown Arequipa. I have yet to see one llama, alpac, or a wild cousin, the ever-elusive vicuña.

But there is hope. This weekend I have been promised llamas- llama hats, llama wool, llama meat, and llamas themselves (I probably won´t eat the llama meat). Colca Canyon, where I will be trekking, is home to these wooly devils, and I can´t wait.

Trust that there will be many photos of me and these magnicifent creatures to come.

Clarification

Clarification: I love my teaching job.

It has come to my attention that my last blog post was a little negative. Though, I have come to hate the word teacher, I still love what it represents and what I am able to do for the kids I work with. Even though I have been struggling philosophically with issues related to poverty, don't get me wrong, I love every challenging minute I'm at Flora Tristan Community School!

Why I have come to hate the word teacher

One of the goals of our school, besides the promise of entering “The Magical World of English” is to teach la buena educación, good manners. All we’ve really managed to do is change, “más rápido, más rádpido, más rápido” to “teeeeeeeea-cher, teeeeeeeea-cher faster pleeeeeeease.” It is impossible to explain how irritating the word teeeeeea-cher has become to me. The usage is incessant.

We nicely respond, “thank you for asking, I will spin the rope faster.” And in response it’s, “faster, faster, faster.”

I everyday at school I find myself in a difficult position (not that I’m special, I think all the volunteers wrestle with something similar)-how to deal with extremely deprived children, starved for attention and chocolate.

I found myself in a deep conversation with a volunteer from California on the idea of a culture of dependency. Do we foster this kind of culture in impoverished communities when the biggest economic activity in foreign aid? Can this kind of dependency be established as early as 5 years-old, when well-meaning volunteers pass out candy and bracelets to children who would not have these luxuries otherwise?

As a liberal, I am quick to see the societal factors and implications of poverty and slow to blame individuals for their dire circumstances. After all, isn’t a mother on welfare only making a sound economic decision to receive government assistance, when working for minimum wage can’t pay for daycare? Still, as privileged Americans (and Europeans), do we have a responsibility to teach the missing element of hard work in the sad-face-equals-toys-equation? Or we see deprivation and know we can make a kids’ day with a few soles and chocolate?

I don’t have an answer, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about. If you feel like it leave me your thoughts.

Endless Birthday

Even though today is my birthday, it feels like we’ve been celebrating all weekend. Friday during the day, I had my first day at school (I’ve been placed at Flora Tristan Community School on the outskirts of Arequipa). It was a great experience. The kids are really eager to learn English and in my class of 8-10 year olds, we’re working on adjectives and writing short sentences, The mission of the school is to supplement public education (which some of the kids can’t been go to because they have to work) with English lessons and social interaction so they can grow up to be marketable employees. It is very rewarding work. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow! Wednesday all the volunteers are taking the kids at the orphanage to the beach. It sounds fun, but also a logistical nightmare.

Friday night, was a pizza party for the volunteers who left on Saturday, but we kind of hijacked it as a combined birthday party. Later, we went out dancing at a fantastic rooftop club that played raggaeton. The whole night was a blast. I can’t believe how much fun the other volunteers are. It’s such a diverse blonde, English-speaking group ;)

Saturday, my roommate Katie and I went on an exploring shopping extravaganza. We went out for Peruvian coffee and came back with lots of souvenirs. We also took in Arequipa’s only vegetarian restaurant (Katie and I are the high-maintenance, American vegetarian asthmatics). It was a great day getting to know this beautiful city. Later in the day a few of us went for salsa lessons and post-class dancing. Salsa, to me, is harder than it looks, but everyone was really patient.

Today, we went to the store to get ingredients for birthday pancakes. After an hour and half of flipping flapjacks for 15 people, we enjoyed them with strawberries and Peruvian nutella. We also had birthday brownies but they turned out pretty badly, we ate them anyway.

Now we are relaxing and preparing for another week of volunteering. It’s all big fun

the first leg

Disclaimer: This is the longest post I will ever publish, I promise. It was first written as an email to my parents.


Hola!

I´m beginning my first blogpost from Peru with the spanish greeting for hello, bacause i know it would just not be a proper first entry with the contrived use of the native greeting. :P Anyway, so far so good! The journey here went very smoothly. After 50 hours of travel time I finally arrived in Arequipa.

The bus ride here was very different than I expected. After leaving Lima´s thrving metropolis of a downtown (claire, they have applebee´s and chili´s) the bus reached the dessert. The kind of dessert you might excpect to find in Riyadh or maybe Mars. I´ll ba honest, it´s not that pretty, maybe that´s why you never see it in tour books. But it is very interesting and remarkable in its own right. The poverty I saw was extreme, much worse than anything I witnessed in Thailand. In the rural areas I saw, people live in small cinderblock houses carved into the giant sand dunes. With no visible agriculutre, one can only wonder how they are able to feed their families.

Arequipa is a striking contrast to the dry dessert that surrounds it, a kind of fertile valley, if you will. I arrived at the guest house and was greeted by a group of sick volunteers who didn´t make it to work today. I have some advice: if you plan to start a charity in a developing country, american and european students are an unreliable work souce. Their weak stomachs make them fairly useless upon arrival. Luckily, I have yet to get sick. The star fruit smoothie and accidently drank in Lima has yet to catch up with me.

The other volunteers, though, sickly are really nice. I cliqued especially well with my roommate Katie from Boston. Tomorrow the other two americans in the house are leaving and it will just be Katie and I. The rest of the group is from England and New Zealand. As I was sitting around the table chatting with everyone this morning an impromptu go-kart trip was proposed. So me and and a couple other of the volunteers caught a cab to try our hands at racing. It was a blast.

When I got back Katie and I went to the large market near our house and got some fresh-baked bread and fruit. It was a welcome departure from plane and bus food.

Tomorrow, I have a coffee date with Katie in the morning, then orientation, then I start with the kids! I still son´t know if I am at the orphanage or the school, but I´m fine with either.

Off to Peru

A quick update:
If you haven’t heard the detailed version of my Peruvian itinerary, and you’re interested, this is the blog post for you.

Tuesday Feb. 9th
4am Leave for the airport
6am Flight to Miami
1040pm Arrival in Lima

Tonight I will e staying at a hostel in LIMA near the airport; therefore you should give me call on skype, I will be stuck in my room.

Wednesday Feb 10th
12pm Bus ride to AREQUIPA
2am (Feb 11th) Arrival in Arequipa

When I get to Arequipa I will move into the volunteer house for Traveller not Tourist. The next day is orientation
http://www.travellernottourist.com/index.html

March 8th
10am Return by bus to LIMA
11pm Move into Apu Peru Apartments
http://www.student-houses-peru.com/apu4.htm

March 10th
8am Orientation at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP)
http://www.pucp.edu.pe/content/index.php

July 4th
Finals Begin

July 10th
Finals End

July 15th
Return Home

An unapologetic apology

I have said some unkind things about bloggers and travel journalers in the past. I made my argument that the "blog" is really much more fascinating to the author than to the dutiful friends who make the obligatory blog visit when they see their friend has been fishing for comments by making a post on facebook: check out my blog, I added new pictures. Pictures are a good way to sucker people in, I like pictures.

Inevitably the post will still be self-indulgent, and there will not be enough pictures. Much like this post (I like to think i am self-aware enough to see the irony in El Peruvian).

So if you do your duty, visit once, get bored half way through and hope next time there are more pictures, you are forgiven.

I will occasionally give quippy updates on the perils and pleasures of South America. I will offer a unique glimpse into the lives of the beautiful people of Peru. I may seek to inspire you into action on behalf of the impoverished children of casa Hogar Luz Alba. but who I am kidding, this blog is really for me (and maybe my mom). You made your dutiful visit, and now your off the hook, unless you care to indulge me too :)