The Avon Lady in Peru

Checkout my Kiva Blog post #4 here.

The Robbery

Ok, so I left off last at a big mall in Los Olivos (where no tourists go) with the young men practicing picking up the ladies.  I was getting a little tired of this and decided it was time to go.  I told Luis I wanted to grab a taxi, but he suggested that I take a combi (which would wind up being multiple combis).  I said I wanted to take a taxi.  So Luis went with me to get a taxi and I left.

Fast forward about 30 minutes- there is a ton of traffic trying to get me all the way back to Miraflores and the taxista tells me he is going to take a short cut.  Sounds reasonable.  Basically, the guy takes me to God forsaken nowhere (all the while I am asking where he is going and that I want him to go a different way).  I have a feeling he is going to stop somewhere with burning trashcans and dirt roads and tell me to give him all my money, and I am right.  I'm scared shitless, but I'm ready- as soon as he stops the car, gets out and opens the back door, I throw him my wallet and take off running.  I actually don't remember how I got to a street corner where there are a bunch of people, but I did.  I tell them I'd been robbed and don't know where I am.  I immediately call Luis, crying, as soon as I feel safe enough and tell him the story.  He asks to talk to a woman I am with to explain where I am.  Twenty minutes later (I'm waiting with the nice woman and her husband on a street corner), Luis arrives in a taxi to rescue me.  I am so relieved!  I get in the back of the cab with him and he holds me as I cry for a few minutes.  But then I'm okay.

This cab driver actually will take me to Miraflores.  As I calm down in the backseat, Luis continues to hold me, stroking my hair and telling me everything is ok, that he would not let anything happen to me.  At some point during the cab ride, I look at Luis, still in his arms, and he tells me he likes me.  I'm surprised, but not that surprised, and then he kisses me. 

Was that not a scene from a movie?

How to be a Player

The last 36 hours have been super bizarre.  It all started when my buddy Luis called me around noon on Saturday and invited me to a "workshop" he was helping to give at the university of engineering.  He said he thought I would think it was interesting.

So, I met up with Luis and his friend's brother Anthony (aged 15) downtown and we all took the bus to the university.  I knew Luis had been studying books about "How to Be a Pick-Up Artist" (PUA for those in the know, really) and I was pretty sure that was somehow related to the workshop.  Right I was!  Below is a poorly-lit pic of Luis speaking at the "Art of Seduction" workshop.

 I was at this thing for almost three hours and the "students" were all males in their early twenties.  The idea was to practice pick-up lines and body language so as to have more success in the discoteca, bar, supermarket- where ever.  And I helped in some of the presentations as the sample female- so funny. 

So, after this exciting workshop, Luis and some of the other leaders tooks the boys (and me) to a big mall in Los Olivos (near the airport) to practice their new-found skills.  Oh man.  These guys were going up to any female between the age of about 16 and 25 and trying to be smooth....I was giggling in the background.

Stay tuned for the next installment of this Saturday's events....coming soon.

A Delightful Photo

Here I am with the staff of the EDAPROSPO office in Huarochiri:

Notice that I am a bit more casual than the others in the office.  This was the day I actually got the most dressed up!  Other days it was just jeans with the hiking boots.  I am in the central office today and am looking a bit more put together.

Gift Baskets Galore

Below is a picture of a gift basket I helped to put together for clients at the Huarochiri office yesterday.  Not all clients get these special baskets- only borrowers who have taken out five or more loans.  This is more folks than you would think.  Women (who are more than 80% of the borrowers) will borrow a small amount of money every four months for years and years and years.  It's like a permanent loan.

There are basic essentials in the gift basket- like cooking oil and toilet paper (yes, it is TP and not paper towels) and also traditional Peruvian Christmas treats.  Most important among the Xmas treats is the panetón (in the blue packaging).  This Italian-like fruitcake baked good is all that Peruvians eat for dessert at Christmas. And, surprisingly, no one bakes their own panetón- you have to buy it at the store.  There are tons of brands of this stuff.  I have tried it and I was not a big fan.  I'm hoping that if I try it again dipped in hot chocolate (also included in the gift basket), I'll like it more.  A popular kind of Christmas party here is a called a Chocolatada in which you get hot chocolate and some panetón to go with it.  Not a bad idea for a party, but I'd switch out the panetón for some butter cookies.  

Chosica and beyond

Below is a picture of the central park here in Chosica.  It's kinda cute, kinda not.  Chosica is two hours outside of Lima and is a weekend getaway spot for limeños.  No other gringos sightings in the last two days.

Luis, my buddy from the Huaycan office, lives about 20 min down the road.  He and his two friends came to meet up with me Sunday afternoon.  We wandered around and had a couple beers.  Was pretty fun. 

Today and yesterday I've been in the Huarochiri office, which is actually very close to Chosica.  Huarochiri is another sort of "county" and extends for miles and miles- way up into the mountains.  I left the office a little after noon to visit some Kiva clients and follow up with them- and didn't get to the destination until almost 2!  I went with a handsome (but short) loan officer named Hernán, who was all but mute.  Most Peruvians (esp. loan officers) talk my ear off and have a zillion questions for me.  Not this guy- lots of silence on the bus.  Destination (forgot the name!) pictured below:

It was chilly and windy up there- felt like the Andes, even though I'm not sure it was.  Definitely had a rural feel to it.  The clients we visited all had dirt floors.  We finally had lunch at about 3:00 (good thing I had a pack of crackers in my backpack).  It was a huge half of a chicken cooked on an open fire in the central plaza with a couple pieces of potato.  I am so over eating the meats- especially the meat that is difficult to remove from the carcass.  I inevitably leave half the meat on the bones and then am chastised for wasting food (this time by the woman grilling).  I suggested she feed it to a nearby stray dog.  The vegetarian princess cannot help herself at times. :-)

Kiva Blog Post #3

It's about communal bank borrower groups.  Want to see it?  Click here.

Why not Huachipa?

The most action-packed of my job is visiting borrowers.  I hop-on the combi with a loan officer and follow him or her to a totally unknown location.  On Friday, I went to Huachipa- a little region in the eastern cone of Lima.  The loan officer, named Jonathan (not Juanito- there are a ton of anglicized names here), told me last minute that he had a Kiva borrower meeting and that I should come immediately to do a follow-up on that group.  I asked him if he was sure the group was receiving Kiva funding (about a third of the loans with this organization are financed thru Kiva) and he said he was sure.  So we were off.  (Main drag of Huachipa pictured below).

The majority of the ride there was on an unpaved road, and it was crazy bumpy.  About half-way there, a tall blonde-haired teenager got on the bus in a shirt and tie.  Who else could it be but an LDS missionary?  I talked to him in English and he told me about his time in Huachipa- a zone he affectionately called "Iraq" because of all the dust and the lack of plumbing.  Hmmm. 


We made it to the meeting just in time and I listened in and took pictures.  All in all it was pleasant and interesting, but it took a bunch of time- about three hours from the time I left the office till I returned.  I looked the group up in the Kiva database when I get back to the office (which I usually do before I meet with a group), and they weren't there.  Ugh- as I suspected when I checked the paper file- not Kiva funding!  Well, I visited Huachipa just for the hell of it.  Loan officer Jonathan gets points for being tall (he is about 6'2" and may be the tallest Peruvian I have met- he is Afro-Peruvian), but not for attention to detail. 

One more pic of Huachipa above- notice all of the unfinished houses.  This is really common in the outlying, impoverished area of Lima.   Hardly anyone lived here 15 years ago and the vast majority of residents have come from the "provincias," or more remote regions of Peru.  Folks live in the houses while they are being built, inhabiting the finished rooms only.  The building process can literally last a lifetime.

My friend Charlie

Some of you may remember my post about the black dress in Comas that the security guard thought made me look like "Barbie."  Well, today I got an exciting email from Charlie.  I gave him my email address so that he could send me pictures of the birthday party they had for a loan officer in the office on Tuesday.  The Comas office invited me to this party so that I could finally try the famous cuy (guinea pig), but I told them I could not miss a day at the Vitarte office.

In this exciting email, Charlie started off with "Hola, mi Barbie."  Things got worse from there as I looked at the attached photos.  I am nauseated right now staring at this, but you guys just have to experience this. 

Yes, that is the head of the skinned cuy.  He also sent an "after" version when it was fried.  Just for some perspective, below is a photo of Charlie and me, taken by a seven-year-old, which explains why it's so blurry.

Oh dear.  All I have to say.

Miraflores Movin'

I have moved apartments!  As much as I loved my roommates, I had to go to make room for the owner of the Jesus Maria apartment who is visiting for a month from Spain.  I moved today to the tourist-laden, upscale district of Miraflores.  Below is a pic I stole from the Internets:

I am about three blocks north of this shot- which is where "Parque Kennedy" begins.  I found this house thru the gringo South American Explorers' Club.  It's much more pleasant to walk around this area and there's more stuff to actually walk to- cafes, restaurants, shops, etc. 

Below is a list of the luxuries I now enjoy:
- Hot water that is always on
- Fast wireless in my room (had wireless at the last place, but it was SLOW)
- My own bathroom
- Little to no mold smell
- A gigantic room

This feels like princess heaven, I tell you.  My housemates and I make-up quite a motley crue.  The others include:

1)  Janeth: 21 year-old university student.  Peruvian, speaks pretty good English.  Her mama rents the house and works at the SA Explorers' Club a block away.
2)  Katherine: 23 year-old Fulbright teacher.  Didn't know they did Fulbrights for teaching, but apparently they do (she teaches English, but of course).  She is friends with my old roommate Kaylin, so I think the three of us will hang out.  Seems nice.
3)  Katherine's father:  65 year-old whose name I have already forgotten.  He's retired and staying here while he takes Spanish classes and hangs out with his beloved daughter.
4)  Vicente:  Twenty-something Chinese exchange student.  He's got the maid's room this time.  Seems to keep to himself.  His Spanish is way better than his English.  No idea what his actual Chinese name is.

And there you have it.  It is pretty nice not to attract so much attention in this area.  Tall gringas are a dime a dozen in these parts.

Hasta Luego, Comas

I expanded my activity arsenal to now include crayons and colored paper, and it was a big hit.  I didn't ration the paper and the three kids who were drawing used about 50 sheets!  I received many gift drawings with my name prominently written at the top (with no "h" of course)- it was fun.

Folks in Latin America all have four names - two first names, and their father's and mother's last names.   I started writing these kids' names in bubble letters (one at a time) and then they would color them in.  Good thing they have so many names- the fun lasted for over an hour.

Yesterday was my last day in Comas- I go to Vitarte (to the east) on Monday.  I like moving around because it keeps things new and exciting, but it also makes it more challenging to develop friendships with folks at the offices. 

One of the loan officers in Comas, named Elizabeth, really wanted to be my friend and invited me over to her house last night after work.  She wanted me to meet her kitten.  I took the bus with her to get to her neighborhood of Santa Anita, way to the east.  Her neighborhood was a lot rougher than I was expecting:  there was graffiti everywhere and groups of teenage guys hanging out on street corners.  Elizabeth lives with her mom and her sister (her father passed away about ten years ago).  Their place is tiny- maybe 800 square feet.  When I arrived, her mom was scrubbing laundry in a huge bucket in the middle of the kitchen!  Life is hard in Peru - the more I see of how folks get by in Lima, the more pessimistic I become.  Even if everyone in the household works full-time, it seems like the family still barely has enough to get by. 

Quick! Snap a Photo

I was out in the field today again in Carabayllo, north of Comas.  I've seen the homes perched on the hillside quite a few times now, but I keep being amazed at how bizarrely fascinating it all is.  The signs that read "Keiko" are for a presidential candidate named Keiko Fujimori.  If you know anything about Peru, you'll have heard of her papa, Alberto Fujimori, who is a former president of Peru currently in prison for corruption and human rights violations.  Why, then, would his daughter be running for president?  That is a really complicated issue, and mostly has to do with the widespread support A. Fujimori still has here.  Many folks credit him with rooting out terrorism and fixing the Peruvian economy.  Clearly he has his critics as well.

I was with my favorite loan officer, Ayme, when I took the shot above.  The client we were talking to obviously noticed that I took the picture, and insisted that we take a picture of her daughter with me.  She called the daughter outside and here you have it:

I will now email the photo to Ayme, who promised to print it out for the client.  Proof that a real, live gringa came to visit!  Thrilling, no?

Let Them Read Books

As I mentioned once before, I am the entertainment for the little kids who pass through the EDAPROSPO offices.  Most are between 1 and 3 years old; they come with nothing to do but sit on Mom's lap or run around the office like gremlins, which annoys the staff to no end.  Today, I brought in two board books (in Spanish, of course) to add to the fun.  They were a huge hit!

I read the two books to about five kids each, and then they took turns playing with the books by themselves.  Ideally, their parents would read to them, but that didn't happen - yet.  Above is my first book buddy- the poor kid was in the office for close to five hours.  Good thing her little brain got stimulated.  I am buying more books tomorrow- I will be the mobile gringa library.

The Know-It-All

Living in Lima takes patience- everything from transportation to the supermarket check-out line seems to take FOREVER.  I know not to stop at the local Metro supermarket after work when I'm hungry and flustered because I will inevitably come-off like a mega asshole. 

On Friday, I was obnoxious on a combi, but I can explain.  I really want to avoid being the patronizing, everything-in-your-country-barely-works American, but I get frustrated.  Combis seat about eleven people and they are not allowed, by law, to carry more passengers than they can seat.  Bigger buses can, but mini-vans can't.  But who enforces this law?

The Scene:  

I'm out in "the field" with a loan officer and we board a combi that is basically full.  At the next stop, the assistant lets on about five teenage girls and it's packed.  I give the combi assistant dirty looks for a while, and then say loudly, "Sir, I believe the law prohibits carrying more passengers than you can seat.  Is this correct?"
Combi Guy:  Silence.
Me:  Turning to the person next to me:  "Do you know about this law?"
Person next to me:  Shakes head yes.
Me:  "Sir, I just can't believe that you would put these kids' lives in danger." 
Combi guy remains silent.

We're almost back to the office, but at the subsequent stop, the combi guys lets someone else on, while no one else has gotten off.  I lose it and exclaim, "This is unbelievable- I'm getting off!"  I get off in a huff.  The loan officer is still on the combi.

The loan officer gets off a block later and walks back to meet me.  I'm still pissed, but feel bad that I made a little scene.  We walk back to the office together- the giant gringa and the diminutive peruana.  And so it goes.

The Food Post

Having just hit one month in Lima, I feel like I can now make some general food observations. 

Here are the Peruvian foods I like the most:
1)  Lucuma anything! (surprise, right?)
2)  Canchita- like corn nuts
3)  Sweet Potato anything (called camote here)
4)  Ceviche
5)  Habas (fried dried beans)

On a day-to-day basis, I eat a ton of rice and meat dishes (generally at cheap little restaurants where I happen to be) and I really think that's what most Peruvians eat.  Chicken and rice overload.  If not rice, then it's potatoes.  As per usual, the meats don't really do it for me. I tried a bite of anticuchos (grilled beef hearts) and they were ok, but not my fave.  I also tried mondongo italiano, which looked like an Italian pasta dish with French fries.  Problem was, the "pasta" was cow intestine.  Too chewy- ick. 

On my list to try is this little fellow below:

He is called a cuy, or guinea pig.  He is a delicacy in the Andes.  When I taste him, he will definitely need to be cut-up into tiny little pieces so that I cannot recognize his rodent body form.  I hear he tastes best slow-roasted on a spit.  I'm waiting until I'm actually in the Andes for this taste treat.  :-)

I commented yesterday, while at lunch with the folks from work, that no one had an identifiable vegetable on their plate.  Ají de gallina, pictured below, is a big favorite for lunch.  If there is a vegetable on your place, it is solely for garnish or color.  And, I repeat, potatoes are not vegetables.  I am taking my multi-vitamin everyday for good reason.

Kiva Blog Post #2

Perhaps not as inspired as my first one, but here it is if you're curious.

Carabayllo

If I close my eyes right now, I feel like I'm still on the combi - sort of like after a day at the amusement park and while lying in bed, you still feel like you're on a rollercoaster.  Today I went way north of Lima with a loan officer to a place called Carabayllo to visit borrowers.  This place has electricity, but no water or sewage.  Here is a neighborhood we stopped by:

As we left Comas, where the local office is, civilization seemed to sort of slip away.  The familiar smell of burning trash returned, and the dust kicked up.  There are not many public schools the further out you go, but there are private schools that have very low tuition rates.  The first borrower we visited used her loan to make improvements to her elementary school.  She is a more "well-to-do" woman, according to the loan officer, but saw the need for a low-cost school out here and commutes a long way each day to get here.

I met the girls below when we stopped by their house to interview their father, who has a mototaxi business.  It was about 11AM and I wondered if the older one went to school:

I am the sort of Kiva court jester with the little kids around here.  When I meet with borrowers, there are always little kids around, and they love it when someone pays them lots of attention.  This little girl below, hanging out at her mother's store, was ecstatic to have an adult play with her:

We played with a piece of twine for longer than you'd think you could possibly play with said twine.  These kids are just learning to talk, and many times have cute speech impediments (like not being able to pronounce their "r's"), but that usually means their Spanish is Greek to me.  For instance, "tres" without the "r" sound becomes "tdes" which sounds to me like "diez."  I knew this could not be her actual age, but I continued to ask until she held up three little fingers.  Duh.

What Not to Wear...in Comas

Comas is in the "northern cone" of Lima and is actually much closer than Huaycan- only takes about 50 min to get there by taxi.  The streets are generally paved and they have several major supermarkets within the municipality (the true sign of civilization in Peru).  This "Metro" supermarket is my landmark in Comas:

The weather has definitely warmed-up, especially in these outlying areas, and it's sunny and in the high 70's during the day.  I thought I would step things up and wear a dress (up until this point it's been excursion wear out in the field).  This dress hits at the knee and is fairly conservative, or so I thought.  Here's a pic (it's the black one on the right):

I knew as soon as I started walking down the main street in Comas that the dress was mistake.  Apparently, showing any part of my legs is asking for trouble.  When I got to the office, no one said anything about the dress- at first.  But, one of the loan officers asked me to fix a photo of a borrower using PhotoShop b/c she certainly wasn't taking me to his (the borrower's) neighborhood dressed like that.  Oh dear.

Yes, and so went the day, me wanting to pull-on a pair of pants, avoiding eye-contact with anyone on the street and pulling the dress down whenever possible.  The security guard at this office was a big fan of the dress:  his name is Charlie and I first wondered if he had some sort of developmental disability, but I now think he just has a goofy smile.  He told me today that I "looked like Barbie" and I turned red and told him I did not.  He said it a second time, this time in front of some clients, and I got upset and said, "No me digas cosas así en la oficina."  Translation:  "don't say things like that to me in the office."  That shut him up.

Tomorrow it's back to the t-shirt, jeans and hiking boots uniform.  Lesson learned.

Rollin' in the Combi

Lima's public transportation "system" is all about entrepreneurship- the government really has very little involvement.  There are "micros" (old school buses, but owned by private citizens) and "combis" (also privately owned) which are utility vans converted into a sort of bus.  Take a look at this photo from inside a combi:

The seats are packed really tightly together, and I have a terrible time squeezing in.  I've apologized to several people who have wanted to sit next to me, but can't fit because my knees are in the way.  I generally say, to a get a laugh, "Lo siento, soy muy grande."

Combi drivers are known for laying on the horn and making crazy maneuvers to pick up passengers.  The driver picks the music, and this is essential- regeton is really popular, as is regular hip-hop, salsa and cumbia.  The assistant yells where the combi is going, solicits passengers and collects fares.  Here is a pic I took yesterday of a combi assistant while stuck in traffic on the way to Huaycan:

Don't want to give the wrong impression here:  I do take a lot of taxis.  The combis are super interesting, but make a zillion stops and take forever.  The taxis here are cheap and fast.  Lately, I have been becoming friends with my cab drivers.  The other night, one was telling me about how his little sister had come down with "tuberculosis of the brain" and I asked, "Could it be meningitis?"  He told me that was it.  The poor guy was so worried about her- she was in the hospital, he didn't know how his family was going to pay the bills, etc.  Another cab driver told me that I might be his "media naranja" (soul mate) and I told him that he was sadly mistaken.

Feliz Cumple

What an odd, but enjoyable birthday I have had.  First, we'll start out with a pic of me and the folks at the Huaycan office at lunch:

You can't see much of it, but there was a big ole chocolate cake with fruit on top for dessert.  They sang to me in both Spanish and English.  The folks from the main office all called me on my Peruvian cell (3 separate calls) to wish me a happy birthday.  It was very sweet.  At the end of the day, just before I was leaving, I was presented with a giant stuffed dog:

Not sure what I will do with this guy, but the thought was super.  Then, when I arrived home at about 8, I was greeted by Yesica and Kaylin with sushi.  My first sushi in Peru was tasty, and unexpectedly, a cake appeared after dinner:

And guess what kind it was?  Yes, lucuma!!   It was heavenly - I tried to eat as much as I could, but only two pieces would fit in my belly.  I am sooo stuffed right now.  We have about 3/4 of the cake left, which we will give to the doorman in the morning. 

All in all, a fabulous bday in Peru.  Special shout out to Ms. Lizzie who somehow managed to get a hold of my Peruvian cell phone number, which I have given to almost no one.

Another Day in the Dust

I just returned from Huaycan to my apartment in Jesús María- only took two hours.  Yep, each way.  I am only at this office until the end of this week, but the other offices are comparable distances away.  The mini-buses are I are well-acquainted.

So I spent another day meeting with borrowers and interviewing them for updates on the Kiva website.  The typical schedule is that I go out "into the field" with Luis in the morning to find borrowers they haven't seen for a while, and in the afternoon I stay in the office to meet with borrowers in groups who are making payments.  The morning is much more action-packed in terms of scenery and movement, but I get more done in the afternoon.  Here is a photo Luis took of us in a mototaxi scaling the side of the dusty hill:

I have a funny relationship with Luis- he is super macho with me, as I assume he probably is with most women, but I really think he is trying to be a gentleman.  I sort of love it and hate it at the same time.  For instance, he stepped in front of me twice to "protect me" while out today.  The first was because there was a stray dog fight in front of us on the street, and the second was because a man he thought looked suspicious came and stood within five feet of me. 

Lunch is a fun time at the office.  We all eat our lunches together in the back room and chat for a full hour (the office is closed from 1-2).  The conversation is usually only somewhat comprehensible (today it was about Peruvian party games) and I ask stupid questions to try to keep up.  I always get take-out, but of course, and most of the staff brings their lunch.  Today I got special chicken noodle soup (not eating a whole lotta fruits and veggies here), and I was enjoying it, until I got to the chicken part.  It was parts of chicken- the feet, to be exact.  Both of them.

Huaycan: A Different World

Here's a picture of where I was today:

How crazy is this place?  This district, on the outskirts of Lima, is built into the sides of these rocky hills.  I took a motorcycle taxi (kind of like a tuk-tuk in SE Asia) up to the top of one of these hills with a loan officer to visit a borrower.  Here's the view from the top:

The roads aren't paved, so there is dust everywhere and it gets worse when a vehicle careens by.  It's super difficult to find houses up in the hills, so Luis (the loan officer) had to ask about ten people where a certain lot was in a certain area (A - Z).  I am guessing there is no postal service?  Sheesh.

I am quite a novelty up in these shanty towns.  I don't think folks have seen a whole lot of gringos, and definitely not a female as grande as I am, so I get lots of points and stares.  The bold among the gawkers (usually high school kids, love them) yell, "hello" or "good-bye." 

I like the people I'm working with in the Huaycan office: there are three women and two men.  I mainly go out into the field with Luis, the loan officer in charge of the Kiva loans, and he is quite a guy.  Definitely a charmer/character, the 24-year-old told me today:  "The older hens make delicious broth."  Referring to us older women, since now everyone in the office knows I will be turning 32 on Wednesday.   Ugh...

Link to my Kiva Blog

http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2010/11/11/this-too-is-lima/

Check it out!  It's all about my time in Huaycan, which is a super low-income area way outside of central Lima.

Inca Kola

I had to have a post dedicated to this famous Peruvian soda.  It really is so popular here - you may have sampled it at a Peruvian restaurant in the States just to try it.  You probably marveled at the bubble-gum like flavor, and maybe never had any again (as was my case at El Pollo Inka in beautiful Torrance, CA).  Well, here in Lima, everyone drinks this stuff.  Today at lunch, at a popular Chifa (Peruvian style Chinese food) restaurant, I was blown away by how many of my fellow diners were drinking Inca Kola.  You really can't miss the stuff sitting there on the table - it looks like sparkling urine.  I think it may go especially well with Asian food...

At my office on Friday, during a four hour staff meeting, the admins brought us a snack-- which I much appreciated-- and guess what there was to drink?  You got it:  lukewarm Inca Kola.  I devoured my chicken empanada, and then slowly sipped my beverage.  Ick.  Must be cultural, cuz everyone else guzzled it down.  There is even a light version, for the sugar conscious Peruvian, which I imagine I will not try. 

I am a much bigger fan of a sugary drink called Chicha Morada (second in popularity to the IK).  It's bright purple and made from a purple-colored corn (see below).  All I can think about, the few times I've tried it, is how badly the stuff must stain clothes.  Makes grape juice look wimpy.

Run, Lima, Run!

Last night, thousands of limeños (Lima residents) took to the streets of Miraflores, all because Nike told them to.  That's right- Lima had a Nike 10k- at night, no less.  My roommate Yessica was very excited to run her first organized race, and I accompanied her down to Parque Kennedy.  The police had blocked off several streets in Miraflores for the race, and this was causing even more traffic problems than usual. 

The irony of a running event in Lima, for me, is the pollution.  When I walk down the street here, the exhaust fumes can make me gasp and choke (Now I will stop complaining about smog checks in California!)  The noxious fumes I inhale on a daily basis are really pretty worrisome, and the last thing I want to do here is run.  Along the coast, where part of the race last night went, it's a little better- there are fewer cars and the ocean might have a purifying effect on the air.  I tried to find Yessica on the coast portion of the race right in front of the fancy mall called Larcomar- built into the side of a cliff.  I couldn't find Yessica (there were so many people and everyone was wearing the same shirt), but above is a random pic of some of the runners.

Yessica was psyched after the race- great job!  It was about 9:30 by the time everyone had finished, and runners spread out to the nearby restaurants/bars.  We went to a Cuban place and had a snack/drink.  Kaylin (our other roommate) came to meet up with us, as well as another Fulbright guy (Gabriel) and his girlfriend.  A fun night all in all.

Icky poo

          The purpose of this little blog is not to rant and rave about how everything in Peru is subpar.  Just want to state that out front, because the theme of this post is plumbing, and a country cannot be judged solely on its pipes and water.  That said, a good sewage system and ample hot water are lovely luxuries we gringos are accustomed to.  As you may have guessed from the sign above, we do not flush anything but human waste here in Peru (not even at Starbucks!).  This works fine if you religiously empty the little trash can beside the toilet.  However, let it pile up in there, and things are gonna get gross.  And so, here at my little microfinance organization, it goes.  No one is emptying the little trash can, and I am now boycotting the bathroom. 

          The hot water heater situation here in Peru, at least judging from my apartment, is quite different from Chile circa 1999.  Back in Santiago, I had to use a match to light the hot water heater (scary!), but it instantly supplied quite a bit of hot water.  Here, we must simply flip a switch on the hot water heater (similar to the one above), but it takes at least an hour to heat up the tank.  Does this tank provide enough hot water for two showers?  Not really.  I took chilly showers two days in a row, which in tropical countries feels great, but it ain't so tropical here in Lima. 
          

First Day at Work

So I walked the ten minutes to work today- stopped by ¡Listo!, a posh 7-Eleven type place, for a cafe americano- and I was there.  The people in charge at Edaprospo (Educación and Prosperidad hybrid) are all men, and I got to meet with them all- David, Gustavo and William.  All are super nice.  William is officially in charge of me.  He is probably 5'2" and is adorable- maybe 50 or so, looks fairly indigenous.  I definitely need to get a picture of him.  Gustavo is younger, and a bit taller- he's very funny and keeps claiming he wants me to teach him English. David is the most gringo looking of the bunch and he's the executive director.  Below is the outside of the office.

I got my own little office and I basically spent the day translating a technology survey and a social performance summary.  I needed the help of the Internets (and wordreference.com) quite a bit.  I ventured out for a walk at lunch and got some cafeteria food at a local supermercado, as well as a lúcuma ice cream cone, but of course.  I have to give a 30 minute presentation to all branch managers at a meeting on Friday, so I am using the ultimate crutch- a Powerpoint.  Needs to be about Kiva in general and Kiva's newest policies and procedures.  Good times!

Where I live...

Took some photos of my new abode.  The first pic is of my little room (also for the hired help many times, it's right off of the kitchen) and the second is the house cat, Boris.  This is all in a 15 story building probably built in the late seventies.  I'll be here until the first week of December - someone already had a reservation starting the 15th.  I'll be moving to fancier accomodations (with my own bathroom!) in a house in Miraflores rented out by the South American Explorers' Club.

Lúcuma

Saludos a todos-

I'm moved into my cute apartment in Jesús María (ten min walk from work) and I have three fun roommates. There is Yessica- '10 Stanford grad doing a Fullbright; Kaylin - '08 Rutgers grad also doing a Fullbright; and Ibis, a fiery Peruvian woman who holds the lease on the apartment.  Pictures of them to follow shortly.

For those of you who knew me when I studied abroad in Santiago, Chile (11 years ago!), I became slightly obsessed with the fruit known as Lúcuma.  Here in Perú, folks here are really into their postres de Lúcuma.  Most common are the ice cream and the cake,  but there is also lúcuma flavored syrup with which to top your ice cream and even some more savory options- like chicken topped with a lúcuma sauce.  Yum!  Below are a couple pics (from the Internet) of my favorite lúcuma items.  When my birthday rolls around in a few weeks, I am most definitely having a lúcuma cake.

Arrived in Lima

I'm at a Starbucks (again) in the swanky neighborhood of San Isidro. The Lonely Planet describes the neighborhood like this:  "San Isidro is where many of Lima's elite can be found:  inhabiting expansive modernist homes and sipping cocktails at members-only social clubs.  (Want to fit in?  Carry a tennis racket.)"
I think this is a little extreme, but has some truth to it.  My favorite Starbucks is in Óvalo Gutierrez (pictured below), which is a veritable Gringolandia:  Chili's and TGIFriday's are the other hot spots.  Tonight, I'll be at that Fridays with another American to watch the Giants' game.  I actually bought a Giants hat at SFO before I left so I can sport a little SF pride.  Surprising?  Perhaps.

Lima is overcast and humid, but not hot (it's like 65 degrees today).  I hear the fog lifts for about six weeks in January/February, so that'll be the time to hit the beach.  I've been walking most places and am a popular target for honking (mostly taxis hoping I want a ride, but also some gringa gawkers).  Crossing the street is a bit tricky- there are few crosswalks and pedestrians do not have the right of way.  So it's a lot of scampering across when it looks clear (both me and actual Peruvians).  Good times.  Below is a street scene a little further north in San Isidro.  Where are the tennis rackets?  :-)

About to Depart

This is my new blog to chronicle my time in Lima, Peru.