La Séptima Semana: 7 Cultural Differences

This week and today, Monday, is officially the halfway point for me!  Two more months, 60 days, & about 8 weeks remain in my journey here in Perú.  Wow... Honestly, I can hardly believe how quickly the first two months have passed by.  As I've said before, this both excites and scares the daylight out of me.  Of course, I'm ready to see the faces of my family and friends, but there's more exploring to do!  For the start of this blog, I want to share seven of the cultural differences I have become (mostly) accustomed to in my first half/seven weeks of this adventure to prepare you for your own adventure to Perú.

1.  Potty talk - Let's just get this one over with from the start.  You are not allowed to throw your toilet paper in the bowl here.  Instead, you toss it into the trash.  Outside of the city, most public toilets do not have a seat attached AND you have to pay to get in and/or receive toilet paper.  The stuff that you do receive is far from Charmin.  To say the least, the stalls are a little smellier here...  I had a hard time with this at the start.  Bring your own TP or at least a packet of Kleenexes; you are going to need that sometimes.

2.  "Peruvian time" - Or should I say, lack thereof?  Peruvians lack a real sense of time.  To them, there are 100 hours in a day.  If you run out of time, there is always tomorrow!  They are almost (99%) always late and this is considered normal.  Go ahead and add two or three hours to whatever time a Peruvian tells you to be somewhere or when they will be somewhere, because that is true Peruvian time.  I knew that it was custom to be an hour late to the party before I arrived, but it's actually much worse than that.  Perú is simply a city full of procrastinators.  I, too, run late often... but, to them, it's on time.  Go with the flow; I have more patience than I have ever had in my life in coming to Perú.

3.  Traffic - Perhaps the most insane of all cultural differences for me is the traffic in Lima.  You are truly risking your life every time you get inside of a vehicle here.  There are times when I can literally touch the face of the person (in a different car, of course) next to me.  Traffic is really crazy... there has yet to have been a time where the bus/car/taxi I was in almost collided with another OR someone crashed nearby.  Peruvians drive very fast, and communicate with each other using some sort of honking/morse code.  I don't understand it, and I see a lot of accidents.  All I can say is, buckle up!

4.  Greetings - Peruvian men have the luxury of shaking hands with each other upon meeting, but for women it's another story.  Whether it's a woman or a man, I exchange a kiss or beso on the right cheek.  Whenever I have my glasses on, they usually get knocked to the side of my face and/or I collide with the other person's spectacles.  Totally not awkward.  What's truly awkward is that when I don't want to kiss someone I find myself closing my eyes... I have to conscientiously remind myself to keep my eyes open so that I know where I'm going.  My advice here, I guess, is to not be as awkward as I am and go for the right cheek with your eyes wide open. :)

5.  Hombres - Since I spoke of men in the last point, I would like to touch on the general attitudes of most Peruvian men.  I don't hate them, but I'm not a big fan of their attitudes, either.  Peruvian men/boys have a strong sense that they are "above" or better than women.  They won't move to the side of the sidewalk for a woman, they just blow on through the middle of the walkway.  They will, however, move over for another man.  I have witnessed this so many times...  I've even been told by my host brother a couple of times to respect him when I've laughed at him!  I would like to note that he has five girlfriends... Respect is earned.  I feel as though I have taken a time machine back to the 1950's sometimes.  Women in Perú accept this fact and are not offended by it.  I, however, believe that we (women) are equal, so this cultural difference has been a little harder for me to grasp.  Like I said before, I don't like it, but I don't let this difference consume me and I definitely stand my ground on the sidewalk!

6.  Noise - Lima is LOUD.  Between 5-6 AM, it's generally rather quiet... But at any hour other than that, there is constant noise.  I have yet to escape from the sounds of continuous construction, police/firefighter sirens, cars running, car horns beeping, car alarms, dogs barking/fighting, parties going, music blasting, kids screaming, the D'Onofrio man yelling... the list goes on and on and on.  To cope, do what I do.  Bring earplugs, wake up early, and find a happy place within yourself  'cause you can't do a single thing about what's going on outside!

7.  Contamination - Please, don't drink the faucet water; it has to be boiled first before you drink it.  Ice is sketchy, so if you want to try your luck, go ahead and order ice with your drink!  Lima is trashy - in the sense that there is trash everywhere.  When people are finished with whatever they've consumed, they usually just drop it on the ground or stuff it in a tree.  I can't tell you how many times I have been admiring a plant only to notice 10+ plastic bottles & plastic wrappers stuffed inside of it.  For me, it's really sad.  I wish that Peruvians cared more about their environment, because it's so beautiful!  In some parts of the city, they burn their trash, too.  What can we do?  I'm not so sure, and I know that I am more sensitive to this than others.  Nonetheless, I hope that you like hot tea & lukewarm water!

Now... for the highlights of the seventh week (and pictures)!  Monday was a special day for me; I celebrated two years with my best friend and boyfriend, Alex, over a Skype breakfast call (romantic, right?).  I miss him a TON, but he will be here in three short weeks!  I am so thankful for this guy & especially right now in this Peruvian experience.  I feel very lucky that he has studied abroad before; he understands all of the highs and lows better than anyone else.  I am beyond excited to share this gorgeous country with him, too.  He's the absolute best.  & I hope that you haven't puked yet. ;)

On Tuesday, the girls and I had a field trip to Lugar de Memoria; this is a museum in Miraflores dedicated to remembering the decades (1980-2000) of terrorism in Perú.  Terrorism has been the second "theme" of study in my classes the past couple of weeks, and what an eye-opening experience the museum was for all of us.  I suggest that you look into this subject if you are unsure of what I am talking about, it's incredibly interesting and enlightening for everyone.  (You really should know what happened to these people, and I am glad to know now...)  Before I knew it, Wednesday had passed, and I walked back from school that night in a light rain.  This was the first time that I had felt rain in Lima!  I took full advantage of it by walking rather than taking a taxi.  I do miss a good, hard Nebraska rain!  To reward me from walking in the cold, I had some of my host mom's homemade chicken noodle soup.  Sooo good!  Basically the same soup that I had in Huaraz.  Thursday was full of picture editing from my trip to Paracas.  That night, though, I went out with a friend to Barranco for the final Carnaval celebration and paint party!  I was gifted with my own bottle of green paint this time and had way too much fun secretly painting Peruvians.  Yet again, I came "home" looking like I had come from another planet.  My hair is still tinted green, as well.

Friday night was the birthday celebration of one of the ladies in my exchange group, and her party was beyond heart-warming.  Her family is absolutely adorable and they care SO much for her.  She had a beer-can piñata with goody bags for us girls, awesome food, chilcanos, and an amazing mousse cake to top it all off!  Score!  Great picture below minus the fact that I forgot to open my eyes... I get that from my madre.

Saturday came and went, but I ventured to a gigantic fruit market with my host family that afternoon and was surrounded by more fruit than I have ever seen in my life.  It was amazing!  The best part?  Everything was so cheap!  We bought apples, avocados, bananas, cherimoya, grapes, lucuma,  mangoes, oranges, papayas, pineapples, strawberries, watermelons, and more by the kilo.  When we returned, my host mom made me fresh strawberry juice; my absolute favorite here.  I can't complain about that - I am going to be eating a lot of fruit!  Yum!

Watermelon assembly line (below)

Literally thousands of bananas at this market! Two floors & several vendors!

Yesterday - Sunday - I took advantage of the 90 degree heat and went to Miraflores early in the day (mostly because it's my favorite) to walk the streets and shop around.  Much to my surprise, a little art show was going on in one of the parks, so I took the time to browse the paintings and fought with myself the entire time on buying one.  I refrained, but it was pretty hard.  After a little break from the sun, I met a couple of the girls at Jockey Plaza - the mall closest to my apartment.  I won't go into the details of what I purchased today, but I am proud of my bargain-hunting self, as usual!  Mostly, I was boring and bought stuff that I needed like a new toothbrush. :)  Below are a few of the displays I was blessed with viewing!  Color and talent was plentiful!

 My favorites (above & below)

Happy Leap Year!

This week brings school assessments and a weekend of a lifetime... I am going to Cuzco & Machu Picchu and I am very, very excited!

I wish you all a wonderful week and thank you for joining me on my Peruvian journey.  Chow for now! - A

La Sexta Semana: Paradise in Paracas

par-uh-dahys (n.) - a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness; a state of supreme happiness; bliss

After a brain-blowing week of assessments, my weekend started early with no class on Thursday.  On Fridays, I am always free from classes, and to not have a three day weekend every week once I get back is going to be a big adjustment.  For now, I am really loving that aspect of Peru. The girls and I did have a quick date on Thursday afternoon, though, to the U.S. Embassy.  I enjoyed the little taste of America for a minute, but in reality, I don't miss the U.S. very much.  I do miss my people, the safety, and the respect for the environment that exists in the good ol' U.S.A... BUT, I am almost to the half-way mark of this adventure and I can honestly say that I am more on the side of disliking that fact than being ready to pack up my bags and head home.  Peru is beautiful; and, looking back on all that has happened over the course of the first half and (more than) six weeks of my time here, my experience has had more positives than negatives.  My favorite of times thus far, actually, happened over the weekend.

After indulging in the hottest hot sauce of my life, a wonderful taco, chips and salsa (rare here), and 2 marvelous margaritas the night before, I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Paracas (Ica).  After about four hours, I was transported to a literal paradise.  Paracas was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life, and Saturday was one of the most amazing days in my life.  Yes, it was that perfect.  Most of Friday was spent relaxing in the sun, switching my location from poolside to in front of the ocean frequently.  Oh, it was really a rough decision, both spots were gorgeous.  With my camera, I walked the beach and picked up shells following a little yoga session by the beach at sunrise on Saturday.  Then, I indulged in fresh fruit with chia seeds, quinoa bread with honey, and a cranberry mimosa (I loved it so much I had the same thing Sunday, morning, too...) YUM.  Afterwards, we hopped on a speedboat to another, this time an island, paradise - Islas Ballestas: a small island chain full of hundreds of sea lions, birds, and a diversity of life in general (my favorite).  We made one stop to check out an ancient line formation in the dunes that pre-dates the Nazca Lines.  That was awesome, but it was quickly surpassed in awesomeness by the next thing I saw.

The groups of dolphins that passed us while feeding on our way to and from the islands took the cake for the entire weekend for me.  This was my first time on the open ocean.  To see dolphins was an overwhelmingly beautiful experience and I most definitely ugly cried.  No shame.  To garner a visit from such breathtaking, intelligent creatures on my first ocean ride was by far one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life.  Words simply do not do enough justice to how special that moment was to me!  I will NEVER forget that, never ever.  I am SO blessed.  

I was happy to be the guide's echo (except, I was first in saying everything) about the life that inhabited the island.  I'm a birder (an all animal lover, really), what can I say?  (Are those boobies?  I'm pretty sure those are...)  "The majority of birds on this reserve are boobies.  The Blue-Footed Booby comes to visit this area once a year..."  There were cormorants, pelicans, Humboldt Penguins (yes...), and more.  Bright red crabs adorned the rocks that were covered in clams and mussels.  But, the real stars were the sea lions, separated by different beaches.  I was amazed by how huge they were up close, and in such great numbers, too.  At the end, I was so happy to hear the guide tell us that this reserve will stay this way only if we continue to respect and protect it from pollution.  Can I have his job?  If I fail to come home, you'll know where to find me.

Booby Clan

Humboldt Penquins

Can you spot the lone penguin?

Sea lion beach of pregnant mothers/elopers

Fisherman pulling a diver

For the rest of Saturday, I kicked back, relaxed, and read my Neotropics book by the ocean.  I took a break to try out paddle boarding on the waves - & it was much more difficult than when on the lakes at home, obviously.  Still a lot of fun!  That night, my resort roomie and I were entertained at the bar  by a live band that played authentic Peruvian tunes with a reggae twist.  Then, under the full moon and stars, we took a dip in the pool in total peace and serenity.  I never wanted to leave the paradise that is Paracas...

But we had to leave.  Before the bus came to swoop us girls up, we took advantage of the calm, glass waters of the early morning to go paddle boarding again.  I will never forget those views.  From the Booby on the buoy to the three Andean Flamingos I spotted (and photographed, too).  Beyond amazing, yet again, for me to watch and admire this rare species of flamingo.  On our way out, we checked out the museum on the resort that was full of indigenous artifacts.  There were headdresses and fans of ancient Neotropical birds.  I can only imagine what they looked like... All I can say is - What a beautiful world we live in!

Andean Flamingo

Upon returning from paradise, I was featured on national Peruvian television for the carnival fiesta I went to two weeks ago.  Apparently it was a bigger deal that I thought... too funny.  They definitely captured my excitement.  & Who else can say that?  P.S. I have yet to move locations yet... but, I'm going with the flowww.

All in all, I am so very thankful for my weekend in paradise.  I only took over 580 photos to prove it.  I feel rather refreshed after this weekend; this experience was exactly what I needed to remind me of how incredibly fortunate I am to be in Peru.  There is no challenge that I cannot face here.  As each day passes, I find that I am loving Peru and myself even more.  For that, I believe, is where true peace is found.  Within myself, paradise exists!  I needed Paracas to remind me of that: to love myself and the beautiful life that surrounds me - the highs and the lows included - and just live.  In my heart, I know that I am growing and changing into a better Ashley in Peru... & it won't stop here.

Thanks for checking in to my big adventure & the thoughts that ensue!  Until next week... Chow!  - A