Alvaro, Jacquie and me at Lllanganuco Lake
Llanganuco Lake
Hi friends,
This blog post is going to serve 2 purposes, to do a general update about what I’ve done the past month and a half, and to show some reflections I have about the Limeño society that I’ve come to know during my first year back in Lima.This will come in a variety of parts to so as not to confuse or bore those who don’t wish to read all of my ramblings J
Part 1: (Huaraz trip!)
I’ve spent the past month working as per usual, but also got to take my first trip in Peru since I’ve returned. Huaraz is a city that’s not terribly spectacular on it’s own, but is surrounded by endless gorgeous white-capped mountains known as the Cordillera Blanca. A friend of mine from Frisbee is great friends with the owner of the Llanganuco Lodge, an incredible escape from the business of the city out near one of the Cordillera’s sights, Llanganuco lake.
In total, our group was 15 people, but we all divided up into different groups. Alvaro, Jacquie (a friend from Switzerland) and I organized ourselves and took a bus up to the mountains. 2 couples from the US Embassy plus 1 awesomely adorable 3 ½-year-old took a car up. My 2 friends from frisbee, a couple they know from Rugby (the male counterpart of the couple, Pablo, plays rugby here), a friend and a pet doggy came in another car. The last couple came up on bus, as well. As crazy as it was, especially since not all of us knew each other (although everyone knew at least someone), it was quite fun to be there all together.
Sooo, while its normal guest count is around 12-16, since we went for Peruvian Independence day weekend, they had 26 people staying there (whoopsy! Our bad, haha). Many stayed in tents outside, but the real fun came at meal time, well, primarily dinner time. Part of its isolation leaves it with only 1 food option- the restaurant. While incredibly delicious, the space proved a big tight for 26 people, but that definitely didn’t stop us from having an amazing time! Made pre/post-dinner game time! We had endless Risk, BS, Pictionary and Charades either inside in the candlelit dining area or outside in front of the campfire (complete with s’mores!).
I’d say the trip was most certainly a success, filled with fresh air, hiking and…….ULTIMATE FRISBEE at 3500 meters! Woot woot! We played a great game of disk for over 2 hours (surprisingly given all of us gave the game MAX 45 min given the high altitude) and, while I stepped out because of a sprained ankle (the dried basin of a lake isn’t exactly a smooth terrain), it was awesome.
Part 2: (Context- Lima)
Now, I’ve been here for a year, and I’ve had countless conversations with my American and non-peruvian friends about Limeño cultural aspects and habits that contrast with our own. I am extremely happy here, but I can’t deny that there are some things that get on my nerves. I do not intend this to be negative commentary, but a way to show how I’ve dealt with certain culture-clashes and recommend some constructive ways to adapt and accept certain differences between the Lima and our versions of our American culture.
Now, I will preface this with a brief and obviously insufficient description of Lima. (not Peru since I haven’t travelled or lived in enough of it to talk about it) It’s the biggest city in Peru, and by biggest city I mean the only developed city. It has about 9 million people and is situated on the central coast of Peru. The government has very obviously spent the majority of its money developing Lima and virtually ignoring the rest of the country. In the 1990’s terrorist ran rampant through the mountainside and had a few effects in the capital city (while Limeños talk endlessly about the terrorism, the truth of the matter is that the real and damaging effects happened to the poor people in the small mountain towns. Check out the film Paloma de Papel for a good understanding of this). People started migrating in masse from the mountains to the outskirts of the city and “invading” (as it is commonly referred to here) land. Basically, people started constructing shanty towns out of whatever they could get a hold of and build on government owned land that was not in use because it was (practically) un-live-able desert land. Now the city is very populous and does not have enough housing or organized transportation to deal with the influx of people. Buses are everywhere, and extremely cheap, but there is not a single bus map to be found which means people have to guess a lot, and it’s certainly not tourist-friendly (which could be a much bigger industry since Peru has SOOO many amazing things to offer). When you walk around the central part of the tourist area (Miraflores, also where I live right now, but in the residential half), you see many things that most modern cities come with, green parks with beautiful flowers, artisans exhibiting the fruit of their labor, well paved streets, movie theaters, over-priced retail and, of course, fast-food chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut and the infamous McDonalds. Okay, this is getting really long, but, if you have more questions, you can ask J But basically, the city is quite modern looking, but there’s no place in the rest of Peru that have even remotely close to the same services and goods available.
First things first, here in Lima, if you’re an American you generally get put together with all other Americans no matter what (hmm, sound familiar? Immigrants will get pushed together despite their different experiences in their home country). That being said, I’ve been given the opportunity to meet people I never would have met had I stayed in the US. I’ve met people generally from the American Embassy and the American school (teachers, not students, don’t worry), but also random occurrences. Being one of the few (maybe only?) person of Latino origin that I know here, I know my perspective is a bit different, but in general, I’ve come to realize a lot of things that make me very American.
One of those things is being fervently independent (for better AND for worse). I am very attached to the idea of not living with my parents, washing my dishes, cooking for myself and working. Just organizing my life the way I want to. And, as I’ve established with other people my age here, they generally desire the same thing making me believe this is a very American concept. Now, in Lima, most people will live in their parents’ home until they get married which is when they and their partner purchase a home of their own, ideally in the same district, but, if not, then certainly of the same economic level. This could mean moving out when you’re 25 or 35. This, to me, sounds like hell. No offense to Mom and Dad, I love them very much, but I really like doing things on my own and organizing my own space. If this means in a small, one bedroom apartment with potentially no internet, then so be it, but it’s mine dammit and I like it that way. Haha.
Okay, but this reality is due to a few factors. Summer jobs simply don’t exist here so young people have no way of making an extra buck here and there even if they wanted to. People also go to University while living at home since Lima is the only place that can actually offer a decent education in Peru. The city is not that big (geographically speaking), so living “on campus” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Therefore, people do not leave home for University and maintain similar social networks as they did in secondary school, but now their classes are in a different place. Campus life is not really existent for that reason as well, since people just go to class and go home. People will generally get their first job around the ages of 22-24, and will get paid an amount that would cover the cost of transportation and going out (aka nothing worth saving for an apartment). This job is called a práctica (basically an internship) in the field that they are studying. After they graduate university, they then begin to work either in the same place they did their internship or in a different company, also in the direct field of their study. They get paid more, but also no benefits (not quite ideal for living on your own). So, basically, it’s highly impractical to venture out and find a small unfurnished apartment to live in when you’ll be struggling to even get to and from work with the pay you get.
That being said, some people also have it quite good at home. (and by this I mean those who are from the top levels of the socio-economic pool- usually those who go to University). Most families from this level have at least one maid (many times live-in) who cleans, cooks and maintains all little details of the house. People never have to worry about any household issues because someone is always there to immediately clean up after them. You don’t even have time to think about making your bed because by the time you’re done with breakfast it’s already made. (IMPORTANT NOTE: I am currently living in Alvaro’s parents’ house and am under the care of a maid as well, which is an extreme privilege, although quite strange for me.)
I have found it difficult to connect with people my age because our social realities are quite different. While I have friends, it’s certainly not the same as the connections I made at Oberlin because our values are so different in that sense. People are so well taken care of at home, and the idea of being less reliant on parents is simply a non-issue. The current US recession has made it necessary for many post-college grads to go and live at home since jobs are quite hard to come by, but it’s seen as a set-back while here it’s perfectly normal. I feel that another effect from living at home is a huge lack of time-management which can be personally irritating. Figuring out when to study, wash clothes, get food, go to work, clean up the bedroom and other little details are ingrained into American college students, but may NEVER have to touch the reality of a privileged Limeño. Comparatively, it may seem maturity hits later, but the reality is that it’s simply a different reality. I know in Oberlin we wax poetic about cultural relativism, but living in another country has really helped me see how easy it is to generalize other cultures. It’s taken a lot of reflecting to come to terms with cultural differences and see the intricacies of how the different societies function.
While I’m learning a lot from all the Peruvian people I’m friends with, sometimes I find it easier to just chill with some of my gringo friends because we like to do similar things and think in more alike ways. I came here under the impression that I would not need to talk to many Americans (other than my own friends from home via FB or Gchat), but I’ve realized that as amazing as they are, they don’t know what it’s like to be an American living in Lima, and my American friends have helped me a lot in realizing what’s important to me and how to accept cultural differences.
I don’t want to make this blog post any longer, but I will continue with my reflections on another day. Much love friends! <3
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