If you are visiting this blog, I regret to inform you that I am no longer in Peru. For that reason, if you want to continue following my exploits, you will have to do so on my original blog:
www.sleepmuch8.blogspot.com
See you there.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
We're Back
All in all, it was a good four months. Back to be in the USA though. For anyone who likes this type of thing, a picture:
More to come
More to come
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Journal Post: Last Observations, Thumbs up and thumbs down for Peru
I went on a trip, rather hastily, to Ilo. It was postponed due to the Paro, which apparently is being resolved. Before I went, I neglected to mention that I can now make Adobo, that spicy pork soup that I have mentioned. I made it on Sunday and we ate it, and it was good. I need to post this because it’s part of the course work and I completely forgot to talk about it. Soon to come: complete recipe for delicious Adobo.
Enough about ancient history.
During my recent trip to Ilo, (apologies in advance, I didn’t take a camera), I noticed a few things that I found unusual and noteworthy. There was an ambulance with its lights on that entered the road in front of the bus that I was on and it began to race towards the nearest town. This is one of the few times I’ve seen an ambulance, and watched in disbelief as it followed a line of four or so different vehicles NONE OF WHOME LET THE AMBULANCE PASS. Worse still is that the ambulance tried in vain several times to pass but was unable to because of oncoming traffic.
…
Wow. Not your brightest moment Peru. I am currently shaking an admonishing finger at the drivers on the road to Ilo. Anywho, I rediscovered why I love Ilo so much. It is a port town that reminds me of Valpariso, but a fraction of the size. People in Ilo seem to like me, and as a missionary I ended there and had success, to more reasons to love it. Unfortunately, some people I had hoped to see had moved and some that I saw were no longer active members of the LDS church (or any church for that matter). I ate the best Torta de tres leches (3 milk cake) in Peru (despite what my wife says), at the store called, Ma’ Charito which is owned by the Patriarch. When I was a missionary, Wednesday was free cake day, raising Ilo’s comparison score considerably.
Another point in Ilo’s favor is that it is easy to spell and write in a blog. Not like that other place I recently wrote about with the funny ‘n’ with the squiggly line above it that isn’t on my keyboard.
Another thing that I saw in my travels: if the bus you are traveling on stops for construction or anything really, and many people start getting off and making for the roadside, don’t worry, they are indeed, using the bathroom. Even the ladies (***liberal use of the term alert***). That’s life. Don’t feel embarrassed, in fact, I counsel you to join them. 7 hours on a bus with no bathroom is a long time. Just a tip, make sure you don’t step in the previous bus travelers’ #2. Watch your step, that’s all I’m saying.
Alas, good restaurants in Ilo. In the town proper is Tommy’s, which is around the corner from the plaza, and good parriada. For chifa (Chinese Peruvian food), I would recommend Chif Hoy, which is on the plaza. For you big spenders out there, go about 10 minutes in taxi on the costal road to Tacna and you’ll find Calienta Negros, an expensive restaurant all by itself which is great for everything, especially fish and cordon bleu. The name of Calienta Negros comes from a story that on this particular rocky point, the slave ships bound for Equator and Colombia (and Peru) that had to round the continent used to stop there to let the slaves warm on the rocks for a while. (I suppose this means it was cold in the belly of a slave ship?) That’s the legend anyway, and I’m not sure if it’s true.
Ilo, you can buy shark jaws there, I know I did.
Fui en un viaje, y no a toda prisa, a la OIT. Se pospuso debido a la Paro, que aparentemente se está resolviendo. Antes de irme, me olvidó mencionar que ahora puedo hacer el adobo, que la sopa de carne de cerdo picantes que he mencionado. Lo hice el domingo y lo comía, y era bueno. Tengo que post esto porque es parte del trabajo del curso y me olvidé por completo de hablar de ello. Muy pronto por venir: la receta completa para el adobo delicioso.
Suficiente sobre la historia antigua.
Durante mi reciente viaje a Ilo, (mis disculpas por adelantado, no tomé una cámara), me di cuenta de algunas cosas que encontré insólito y digno de mención. No había una ambulancia con las luces encendidas, que entró en la carretera delante del autobús que estaba en el cual empezó a carrera hacia el pueblo más cercano. Esta es una de las pocas veces que he visto una ambulancia, y observó con incredulidad, ya que siguió una línea de vehículos de cuatro o tan diferente NINGUNA DE whome dejaron pasar la ambulancia PASS. Peor aún es que la ambulancia intentó en vano varias veces para pasar, pero no pudo debido al tráfico en sentido contrario.
...
Wow. ¿No es su momento más brillante Perú. Actualmente estoy moviendo un dedo admonitorio a los conductores en la carretera de Ilo. Anywho, volví a descubrir por qué amo tanto Ilo. Es una ciudad portuaria que me recuerda a Valparaíso, pero una fracción del tamaño. La gente en Ilo me parece que gusta, y como misionero terminé allí y tuvo éxito, a más razones para amarlo. Lamentablemente, algunas personas que yo esperaba ver se había movido y algunos que he visto ya no eran miembros activos de la iglesia LDS (o cualquier iglesia para el caso). Me comí el mejor Torta de tres leches (pastel de 3 de leche) en el Perú (a pesar de lo que dice mi esposa), en la tienda llamada, Charito Ma ', que es propiedad del patriarca. Cuando yo era un día misionero, el miércoles fue pastel gratis, elevando puntuación de Ilo de la comparación considerablemente.
Otro punto a favor de Ilo es que es fácil de deletrear y escribir en un blog. No como este otro que escribió recientemente sobre el "curioso n 'con la línea ondulada encima de lo que no está en mi teclado.
Otra cosa que he visto en mis viajes: si el autobús va a viajar en las paradas para la construcción o cualquier cosa realmente, y mucha gente comienza a recibir apagado y la toma de la carretera, no te preocupes, son de hecho, usar el baño. Incluso las damas (*** uso liberal de la alerta plazo ***). Así es la vida. No se sienta avergonzado, de hecho, yo te aconsejo que unirse a ellos. 7 horas en un autobús sin baño es mucho tiempo. Sólo un consejo, asegúrese de que no se meten en los viajeros de autobús anteriores # 2. Cuidado, eso es todo lo que estoy diciendo.
¡Ay, buenos restaurantes en Ilo. En la ciudad apropiada es Tommy, que está a la vuelta de la plaza, y parriada buena. Para chifa (comida peruana china), le recomendaría CHIF Hoy, que está en la plaza. Para usted grandes gastadores por ahí, vaya unos 10 minutos en taxi en la carretera de la costa de Tacna y encontrarás Calienta Negros, un restaurante caro por sí mismo que es grande para todo, especialmente el pescado y cordon bleu. El nombre de Calienta Negros viene de una historia que en este punto rocoso particular, los barcos de esclavos con destino a Ecuador y Colombia (y Perú) que tenía que ronda el continente utilizado para detenerse en ellos para dejar que los esclavos caliente en las rocas por un tiempo. (Supongo que esto quiere decir que hacía frío en el vientre de un barco de esclavos?) Esa es la leyenda de todos modos, y no estoy seguro si es verdad.
Ilo, usted puede comprar las mandíbulas de tiburón allí, sé que lo hice.
Enough about ancient history.
During my recent trip to Ilo, (apologies in advance, I didn’t take a camera), I noticed a few things that I found unusual and noteworthy. There was an ambulance with its lights on that entered the road in front of the bus that I was on and it began to race towards the nearest town. This is one of the few times I’ve seen an ambulance, and watched in disbelief as it followed a line of four or so different vehicles NONE OF WHOME LET THE AMBULANCE PASS. Worse still is that the ambulance tried in vain several times to pass but was unable to because of oncoming traffic.
…
Wow. Not your brightest moment Peru. I am currently shaking an admonishing finger at the drivers on the road to Ilo. Anywho, I rediscovered why I love Ilo so much. It is a port town that reminds me of Valpariso, but a fraction of the size. People in Ilo seem to like me, and as a missionary I ended there and had success, to more reasons to love it. Unfortunately, some people I had hoped to see had moved and some that I saw were no longer active members of the LDS church (or any church for that matter). I ate the best Torta de tres leches (3 milk cake) in Peru (despite what my wife says), at the store called, Ma’ Charito which is owned by the Patriarch. When I was a missionary, Wednesday was free cake day, raising Ilo’s comparison score considerably.
Another point in Ilo’s favor is that it is easy to spell and write in a blog. Not like that other place I recently wrote about with the funny ‘n’ with the squiggly line above it that isn’t on my keyboard.
Another thing that I saw in my travels: if the bus you are traveling on stops for construction or anything really, and many people start getting off and making for the roadside, don’t worry, they are indeed, using the bathroom. Even the ladies (***liberal use of the term alert***). That’s life. Don’t feel embarrassed, in fact, I counsel you to join them. 7 hours on a bus with no bathroom is a long time. Just a tip, make sure you don’t step in the previous bus travelers’ #2. Watch your step, that’s all I’m saying.
Alas, good restaurants in Ilo. In the town proper is Tommy’s, which is around the corner from the plaza, and good parriada. For chifa (Chinese Peruvian food), I would recommend Chif Hoy, which is on the plaza. For you big spenders out there, go about 10 minutes in taxi on the costal road to Tacna and you’ll find Calienta Negros, an expensive restaurant all by itself which is great for everything, especially fish and cordon bleu. The name of Calienta Negros comes from a story that on this particular rocky point, the slave ships bound for Equator and Colombia (and Peru) that had to round the continent used to stop there to let the slaves warm on the rocks for a while. (I suppose this means it was cold in the belly of a slave ship?) That’s the legend anyway, and I’m not sure if it’s true.
Ilo, you can buy shark jaws there, I know I did.
Fui en un viaje, y no a toda prisa, a la OIT. Se pospuso debido a la Paro, que aparentemente se está resolviendo. Antes de irme, me olvidó mencionar que ahora puedo hacer el adobo, que la sopa de carne de cerdo picantes que he mencionado. Lo hice el domingo y lo comía, y era bueno. Tengo que post esto porque es parte del trabajo del curso y me olvidé por completo de hablar de ello. Muy pronto por venir: la receta completa para el adobo delicioso.
Suficiente sobre la historia antigua.
Durante mi reciente viaje a Ilo, (mis disculpas por adelantado, no tomé una cámara), me di cuenta de algunas cosas que encontré insólito y digno de mención. No había una ambulancia con las luces encendidas, que entró en la carretera delante del autobús que estaba en el cual empezó a carrera hacia el pueblo más cercano. Esta es una de las pocas veces que he visto una ambulancia, y observó con incredulidad, ya que siguió una línea de vehículos de cuatro o tan diferente NINGUNA DE whome dejaron pasar la ambulancia PASS. Peor aún es que la ambulancia intentó en vano varias veces para pasar, pero no pudo debido al tráfico en sentido contrario.
...
Wow. ¿No es su momento más brillante Perú. Actualmente estoy moviendo un dedo admonitorio a los conductores en la carretera de Ilo. Anywho, volví a descubrir por qué amo tanto Ilo. Es una ciudad portuaria que me recuerda a Valparaíso, pero una fracción del tamaño. La gente en Ilo me parece que gusta, y como misionero terminé allí y tuvo éxito, a más razones para amarlo. Lamentablemente, algunas personas que yo esperaba ver se había movido y algunos que he visto ya no eran miembros activos de la iglesia LDS (o cualquier iglesia para el caso). Me comí el mejor Torta de tres leches (pastel de 3 de leche) en el Perú (a pesar de lo que dice mi esposa), en la tienda llamada, Charito Ma ', que es propiedad del patriarca. Cuando yo era un día misionero, el miércoles fue pastel gratis, elevando puntuación de Ilo de la comparación considerablemente.
Otro punto a favor de Ilo es que es fácil de deletrear y escribir en un blog. No como este otro que escribió recientemente sobre el "curioso n 'con la línea ondulada encima de lo que no está en mi teclado.
Otra cosa que he visto en mis viajes: si el autobús va a viajar en las paradas para la construcción o cualquier cosa realmente, y mucha gente comienza a recibir apagado y la toma de la carretera, no te preocupes, son de hecho, usar el baño. Incluso las damas (*** uso liberal de la alerta plazo ***). Así es la vida. No se sienta avergonzado, de hecho, yo te aconsejo que unirse a ellos. 7 horas en un autobús sin baño es mucho tiempo. Sólo un consejo, asegúrese de que no se meten en los viajeros de autobús anteriores # 2. Cuidado, eso es todo lo que estoy diciendo.
¡Ay, buenos restaurantes en Ilo. En la ciudad apropiada es Tommy, que está a la vuelta de la plaza, y parriada buena. Para chifa (comida peruana china), le recomendaría CHIF Hoy, que está en la plaza. Para usted grandes gastadores por ahí, vaya unos 10 minutos en taxi en la carretera de la costa de Tacna y encontrarás Calienta Negros, un restaurante caro por sí mismo que es grande para todo, especialmente el pescado y cordon bleu. El nombre de Calienta Negros viene de una historia que en este punto rocoso particular, los barcos de esclavos con destino a Ecuador y Colombia (y Perú) que tenía que ronda el continente utilizado para detenerse en ellos para dejar que los esclavos caliente en las rocas por un tiempo. (Supongo que esto quiere decir que hacía frío en el vientre de un barco de esclavos?) Esa es la leyenda de todos modos, y no estoy seguro si es verdad.
Ilo, usted puede comprar las mandíbulas de tiburón allí, sé que lo hice.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Journal Post
Yesterday was strange. I found myself doing something that I hadn't done since my mission, and it was just as I remembered, not all that fun. What was I doing you ask? Well, I has helping the neighbors carry bricks.This is how it happened: I just happened to be walking by, and I saw this lady carrying bricks. This many, many times in Peru. Women performing hard labor, but it never ceases to surprise me. Well, since this was happening on the block where I lived, I went to my house, changed clothes, and then went back to see if I could lend a hand. The Lady is named Magda from Puno (no surprise there) and she gladly accepted the offer, although she kept a close eye on me. After that, there wasn't much conversation as I was busy carrying bricks from the street to inside the fenced area. After about a half an hour, I had to go to the dentist, which is what I'll be talking about next, so I bid adieu to the woman and walked away. I'm not sure if the head bob I got was thanks of just a sign of disbelief that I helped her for no apparent reason. All in all, it was an awkward experience.
The dentist. A few days ago, I chipped a tooth. I chipped my tooth because I eat too quickly and because ever so often, you'll find a small bone or rock in your food. So... I needed to go to the dentist. I once had a wisdom tooth yanked out in Peru, which was a harrowing experience. I do have an advantage in harrowing dentist experiences because I usually go to Dr. Tanner in the USA, who is pretty old school in his techniques and I honestly could find no differences in his procedure for pulling out my first three wisdom teeth and the mission experience of one. Anyway, the lady who fixed my tooth also repaired two cavities. I hate letting people put me in such a vulnerable position, but it had to be done. Fortunately, their equipment was modern enough and it went smoothly. Best part is, the whole ordeal cost me less than 100 dollars, so I chalk it up for a win.
Ayer fue extraño. Me encontré a mí mismo haciendo algo que no había hecho desde mi misión, y fue así como yo recordaba, no todos los que la diversión. ¿Qué estaba haciendo usted pide? Bueno, me ha ayudando a los vecinos llevan bricks.This es cómo sucedió: me acaba de pasar a estar caminando por el, y vi a esta señora transportando ladrillos. Esto muchas, muchas veces en el Perú. Las mujeres que realizan trabajo duro, pero nunca deja de sorprenderme. Bueno, ya que esto ocurría en el bloque donde yo vivía, fui a mi casa, se cambió de ropa, y luego volvió para ver si podía echar una mano. La dama se llama Magda de Puno (ninguna sorpresa allí) y ella aceptó gustosa la oferta, aunque seguido de cerca en mí. Después de eso, no hubo conversación tanto como yo estaba ocupado transportando ladrillos desde la calle hasta el interior de la zona vallada. Después de aproximadamente una media hora, tuve que ir al dentista, que es lo que voy a estar hablando de lo siguiente, adiós a la mujer y se marchó. No estoy seguro si el bob la cabeza lo que conseguí fue gracias de tan sólo un signo de incredulidad que me ayudó sin ninguna razón aparente. En definitiva, fue una experiencia incómoda.
El odontólogo. Hace unos días, he saltado un diente. Yo mi diente astillado porque come demasiado rápidamente y con frecuencia porque siempre es así, usted encontrará un pequeño hueso o piedra en sus alimentos. Así que ... Tenía que ir al dentista. Una vez tuve una muela del juicio arrancó a cabo en Perú, que fue una experiencia desgarradora. Tengo una ventaja en las experiencias desgarradoras dentista porque por lo general van a la doctora Tanner en los EE.UU., que es bastante vieja escuela en sus técnicas y yo honestamente no pudo encontrar diferencias en su procedimiento para la retirada de mis tres primeros dientes de la sabiduría y la misión la experiencia de uno. De todos modos, la señora que me arregló los dientes también reparó dos cavidades. No me gusta dejar que la gente me puso en una posición tan vulnerable, pero que había que hacer. Afortunadamente, su equipo fue bastante moderno y se desarrolló sin contratiempos. La mejor parte es, la prueba dura entera me ha costado menos de 100 dólares, por lo que atribuírselo a una victoria.
The dentist. A few days ago, I chipped a tooth. I chipped my tooth because I eat too quickly and because ever so often, you'll find a small bone or rock in your food. So... I needed to go to the dentist. I once had a wisdom tooth yanked out in Peru, which was a harrowing experience. I do have an advantage in harrowing dentist experiences because I usually go to Dr. Tanner in the USA, who is pretty old school in his techniques and I honestly could find no differences in his procedure for pulling out my first three wisdom teeth and the mission experience of one. Anyway, the lady who fixed my tooth also repaired two cavities. I hate letting people put me in such a vulnerable position, but it had to be done. Fortunately, their equipment was modern enough and it went smoothly. Best part is, the whole ordeal cost me less than 100 dollars, so I chalk it up for a win.
Ayer fue extraño. Me encontré a mí mismo haciendo algo que no había hecho desde mi misión, y fue así como yo recordaba, no todos los que la diversión. ¿Qué estaba haciendo usted pide? Bueno, me ha ayudando a los vecinos llevan bricks.This es cómo sucedió: me acaba de pasar a estar caminando por el, y vi a esta señora transportando ladrillos. Esto muchas, muchas veces en el Perú. Las mujeres que realizan trabajo duro, pero nunca deja de sorprenderme. Bueno, ya que esto ocurría en el bloque donde yo vivía, fui a mi casa, se cambió de ropa, y luego volvió para ver si podía echar una mano. La dama se llama Magda de Puno (ninguna sorpresa allí) y ella aceptó gustosa la oferta, aunque seguido de cerca en mí. Después de eso, no hubo conversación tanto como yo estaba ocupado transportando ladrillos desde la calle hasta el interior de la zona vallada. Después de aproximadamente una media hora, tuve que ir al dentista, que es lo que voy a estar hablando de lo siguiente, adiós a la mujer y se marchó. No estoy seguro si el bob la cabeza lo que conseguí fue gracias de tan sólo un signo de incredulidad que me ayudó sin ninguna razón aparente. En definitiva, fue una experiencia incómoda.
El odontólogo. Hace unos días, he saltado un diente. Yo mi diente astillado porque come demasiado rápidamente y con frecuencia porque siempre es así, usted encontrará un pequeño hueso o piedra en sus alimentos. Así que ... Tenía que ir al dentista. Una vez tuve una muela del juicio arrancó a cabo en Perú, que fue una experiencia desgarradora. Tengo una ventaja en las experiencias desgarradoras dentista porque por lo general van a la doctora Tanner en los EE.UU., que es bastante vieja escuela en sus técnicas y yo honestamente no pudo encontrar diferencias en su procedimiento para la retirada de mis tres primeros dientes de la sabiduría y la misión la experiencia de uno. De todos modos, la señora que me arregló los dientes también reparó dos cavidades. No me gusta dejar que la gente me puso en una posición tan vulnerable, pero que había que hacer. Afortunadamente, su equipo fue bastante moderno y se desarrolló sin contratiempos. La mejor parte es, la prueba dura entera me ha costado menos de 100 dólares, por lo que atribuírselo a una victoria.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Journal Post
This past weekend was kind of a drag. Not because it wasn't fun and interesting, but because I had planned on traveling to Ilo and Tacna. I was unable to because of a Paro in which hundreds of people have expressed displeasure of a mining proposition in Tia Maria. More on this story here:
http://www.livinginperu.com/news-11984-law-order-police-have-orders-remove-road-blockade-southern-peru
In any event, I went to the bus terminal Friday at 11 with my suitcase, only to be informed that I was silly for the attempt. So, Arequipa bound I was. After the terminal, we went and ate ceviche with my wife's friends, which was tasty. I had a cup of spicy liquid with raw fish in it called 'Leche de Tigre', (Tiger's milk). As nasty as this undoubtedly sounds, it was really good, especially when combined with my fried seafood. That night, we went dancing at a place called Manaya. It was fun, but there were WAY to many people and at midnight, there was no longer any space to dance.
Saturday we ran errands, and I experimented with a fruit that I've never had before. It was atun (cactus), and the lady peeled it for me and everything. I found it good, though nothing to die for.
Aside from those things, I was busy doing homework. Perhaps I will travel to Ilo if the Paro ends soon. We'll see.
Este fin de semana pasado fue una especie de arrastre. No porque no fue muy divertido e interesante, sino porque yo había planeado viaje a Ilo y Tacna. No he podido a causa de un Paro en la que cientos de personas han expresado su descontento de una proposición minería en Tía María. Más sobre esta historia aquí:
http://www.noticiasarequipa.com/new/apoyaran-paro-en-islay-tanto-tacna-y-moquegua
En cualquier caso, fui a la terminal de autobuses el viernes a las 11 con mi maleta, sólo para ser informado de que yo era tonto para el intento. Así pues, obligados Arequipa era yo. Después de la terminal, fuimos y se comió ceviche con amigos de mi esposa, que estaba delicioso. Tenía una taza de líquido picante con pescado crudo, que se llama "leche de tigre", (la leche de tigre). Tan desagradable como este, sin duda, los sonidos, fue realmente bueno, especialmente cuando se combina con mi mariscos fritos. Esa noche, nos fuimos a bailar a un lugar llamado Manaya. Fue divertido, pero había FORMA de muchas personas y en la medianoche, ya no había ningún espacio para bailar.
Sábado nos hacía los mandados, y experimentó con una fruta que nunca he tenido antes. Se atun (cactus), y la señora pelada para mí y para todo. Me pareció buena, aunque nada para morirse. Aparte de esas cosas, yo estaba ocupado haciendo la tarea. Tal vez voy a viajar a Ilo si el Paro finaliza pronto. Vamos a ver.
http://www.livinginperu.com/news-11984-law-order-police-have-orders-remove-road-blockade-southern-peru
In any event, I went to the bus terminal Friday at 11 with my suitcase, only to be informed that I was silly for the attempt. So, Arequipa bound I was. After the terminal, we went and ate ceviche with my wife's friends, which was tasty. I had a cup of spicy liquid with raw fish in it called 'Leche de Tigre', (Tiger's milk). As nasty as this undoubtedly sounds, it was really good, especially when combined with my fried seafood. That night, we went dancing at a place called Manaya. It was fun, but there were WAY to many people and at midnight, there was no longer any space to dance.
Saturday we ran errands, and I experimented with a fruit that I've never had before. It was atun (cactus), and the lady peeled it for me and everything. I found it good, though nothing to die for.
Aside from those things, I was busy doing homework. Perhaps I will travel to Ilo if the Paro ends soon. We'll see.
Este fin de semana pasado fue una especie de arrastre. No porque no fue muy divertido e interesante, sino porque yo había planeado viaje a Ilo y Tacna. No he podido a causa de un Paro en la que cientos de personas han expresado su descontento de una proposición minería en Tía María. Más sobre esta historia aquí:
http://www.noticiasarequipa.com/new/apoyaran-paro-en-islay-tanto-tacna-y-moquegua
En cualquier caso, fui a la terminal de autobuses el viernes a las 11 con mi maleta, sólo para ser informado de que yo era tonto para el intento. Así pues, obligados Arequipa era yo. Después de la terminal, fuimos y se comió ceviche con amigos de mi esposa, que estaba delicioso. Tenía una taza de líquido picante con pescado crudo, que se llama "leche de tigre", (la leche de tigre). Tan desagradable como este, sin duda, los sonidos, fue realmente bueno, especialmente cuando se combina con mi mariscos fritos. Esa noche, nos fuimos a bailar a un lugar llamado Manaya. Fue divertido, pero había FORMA de muchas personas y en la medianoche, ya no había ningún espacio para bailar.
Sábado nos hacía los mandados, y experimentó con una fruta que nunca he tenido antes. Se atun (cactus), y la señora pelada para mí y para todo. Me pareció buena, aunque nada para morirse. Aparte de esas cosas, yo estaba ocupado haciendo la tarea. Tal vez voy a viajar a Ilo si el Paro finaliza pronto. Vamos a ver.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Journal Post: Deja Vu and Helping the Missionaries
Well, it finally happened: I accompanied the missionaries to help out the great work. I have been trying to do this since I got here, appearently, the missionaries aren´t as hard up for help as they were in my day. I actually went with them twice, Elder Pacaya and Elder... I forget the other´s name. The first night I was left hanging at the meeting place for 45 minutes before I went to find them in their house. Typical, they´d been detained in some backward corner of the area and hadn´t been able to make it on time, they had called ahead, fortunately, so that when I arrived at their house I was told to wait. Elder Pacaya is from Lima and Elder ... is from Chiclayo. (Strange that I should remember where he´s from, yet not his name). Anyway, we did go the the appointment, and as is typical, it fell through. We then wandered around the dark streets (it was 8 pm) and contacted a few people.
What was most strange about this experience of last week, was that this used to be my area and I used to be the missionary. It was weird.
Fast forward to last Saturday, (the day of the crazy munchkin invasion involving a clown if yoú´ll recall). I ran into an old investigator I´d been thinking about lately named Juan. Juan´s a good kid who studies law and fancies himself a bit of an intellectual, which is fine by me. Juan also speaks English, which was handy when I first met him two years ago because I was in the midst of training a brand new Gringo Greenie from Idaho named Sean Poole. Poole was one of my favorite companions ever, but as we all did, he suffered with the language when he first got here. Well, we taught Juan in English (which was trippy in it´s own right at the time), and he progressed. Alas, I had to leave and he stopped progressing at some point.
So... I saw him on the combi, and I chatted him up and got his address and phone number. I made an appointment, and Sunday made plans with the missionaries to go visit him.
Here´s where things took a twist. I was informed that the Zone (that´s an area of various missionary companionships for those who aren´t LDS) was going to come and do contacts in the area that afternoon. I generously (I thought so anyway, or perhaps gallantly) volunteered to help out and then go to the appointment with Juan. Turns out, the missionaries of my area are a touch nutty and they foisted me off on another companionship. One was 27 years old from Lima and the other was 19 from Orem UT. Quite a contrast. After a bizarre contact/lesson in the doorway of a humble home with a lady whose son yelled that he needed to go #2 the entire time, I treated us to some water. Later, I guided us to a member home where we collected a reference (remember, this isn´t their area- of the missionaries) and went to contact it.
A few funny things I recalled about door to door contacting:
*Not a good idea around 2 PM.
*Dogs on Roofs, all over the place. The houses are cement, flat roofed, and most people have dogs.
*You never know which door to knock, and nor which bell to ring. Sometimes yuo ring one bell, and someone comes out on the other street around the corner, it´s bizarre.
*The afternoon sun is merciless. I figure that the most saved souls lived on the shady side of the street.
*People who own stores can´t escape, but that doesn´t mean they give a fig about the church.
*Sometimes people when asked about which religion the follow they say, "None. Er, I mean, I´m Catholic." Ha ha ha, nice try.
*People (especially older people) feel the need to bring out their J-Dub (Jehovah´s Witness) literature as if to show that they have alreay had their ticket marked.I had quite a collection of the "Atalaya" (Watchtower, a J-Dub magazine) going back when I was a missionary.
At this point, it was Juan time and so we went and visited him. He´s exactly as I remember him and hope that the actual missionaries of this area can help him a bit further along the path. The lesson was a bit discombobulated due to the fact that the old guy missinoary decided to wax dramatic and also because they knew they´d likey never see this kid again. On a high note, his mom gave us some yummy orange flavered creamy geletin stuff so I chaulk it up as a good lesson. I´d skipped lunch for these fun times so after that, we parted ways and I high tailed it to the house for some food.
This happened yesterday, and by the way, I remembered the other Elder´s name- Elder Camasca.
Bueno, finalmente ha ocurrido: me acompañó a los misioneros para ayudar a la gran obra. He estado tratando de hacer esto desde que llegué aquí, aparente orden, los misioneros no son tan difíciles para recibir ayuda como lo fueron en mi día. De hecho, me fui con ellos dos veces, de Pacaya Elder y Elder ... Se me olvida el nombre del otro. La primera noche me quedé en el aire en el lugar de encuentro de 45 minutos antes de ir a encontrarlos en su casa. Típica, que habían sido detenidos en algún rincón de la zona de atrás y no había podido llegar a tiempo, habían llamado antes, afortunadamente, de manera que cuando llegué a su casa me dijo que esperara. Elder Pacaya es de Lima y ancianos ... es de Chiclayo. (Es extraño que no lo olvidaría de dónde es, aún no su nombre). De todas formas, fue a la cita, y como es típico, que fracasó. Luego vagó por las calles oscuras (era de 8 horas) y se contactó con algunas personas.
Lo más extraño de esta experiencia de la semana pasada, fue que esta era mi área y yo solía ser el misionero. Era extraño.
Un avance rápido hasta el sábado pasado, (el día de la invasión de enanos loco participación de un payaso, si recuerdan you'll). Me encontré con un investigador de edad que había estado pensando últimamente llamado Juan. Juan'sa buen chico que estudia derecho y se cree un poco de un intelectual, lo cual está bien por mí. Juan también habla Inglés, que estaba a mano cuando lo conocí hace dos años porque estaba en medio de la formación de una nueva marca Greenie gringo de Idaho llamado Sean Poole. Poole fue uno de mis compañeros favorito de siempre, pero como todos lo hicimos, que sufrió con el idioma cuando llegó aquí. Bueno, nos enseñó Juan en Inglés (que fue trippy en ella por derecho propio a la hora), y avanzó que él. Por desgracia, tuve que salir y dejó de progresar en algún momento. Así que ... Yo lo vi en la combi, y yo le conversaba y consiguió su dirección y número de teléfono. Hice una cita, y el domingo hizo planes con los misioneros para ir a visitarlo.
Aquí es donde las cosas tomaron un giro. Se me informó que la Zona (que es un área de varios compañerismos misioneros para aquellos que no son SUD) iba a venir y hacer contactos en el área de la tarde. Yo generosamente (Ya me lo imaginaba todos modos, o quizás galante) se ofreció a ayudar y luego ir a la cita con Juan. Resulta que los misioneros de mi zona son un toque de nuez y me impuesta parte en una nueva compañía. Uno tenía 27 años de Lima y el otro tenía 19 años de Orem UT. Todo un contraste. Después de un contacto bizarro, clase en la puerta de un hogar humilde con una señora cuyo hijo gritó que tenía que ir # 2 todo el tiempo, que nos trató con un poco de agua. Más tarde, nos guió a un miembro de origen, donde hemos recopilado una referencia (recuerde, esto no es su área-de los misioneros) y se fue a contactar con ella.
A pocas cosas divertidas que la recuperación de unos puerta a puerta en contacto con:
* No es una buena idea en torno a las 2 PM.
Los perros en las azoteas, por todas partes. Las casas son de cemento, techos planos, y la mayoría de la gente tiene perros.
* Nunca se sabe qué puerta llamar, y ni que sonara el timbre. A veces un anillo de campana, y alguien viene a la calle otra vuelta de la esquina, es extraño.
* El sol de la tarde es despiadado. Me imagino que las almas más guardado vivía en el lado sombreado de la calle.
* Las personas que poseen las tiendas no pueden escapar, pero eso no significa que ellos dan una figura de la iglesia.
* A veces la gente cuando se le preguntó acerca de que la religión el seguimiento dicen: "Ninguna. Er, quiero decir, yo soy católico". Ja ja ja, buen intento.
* Personas (especialmente la gente mayor) se siente la necesidad de llevar a cabo sus J-Dub (Testigos de Jehová) la literatura, como para demostrar que han tenido su alreay marked.I boleto tenía una colección de la "Atalaya" (La Atalaya, una revista J-Dub) que se remonta cuando yo era un misionero.
En este punto, que era el momento Juan y por lo que fue y lo visitó. Es exactamente como lo recuerdo y la esperanza de que los misioneros real de esta área le puede ayudar un poco más a lo largo del camino. La lección fue un poco discombobulated debido al hecho de que el viejo missinoary decidió cera dramática y también porque sabían que había nunca likey ver este niño otra vez. En una nota alta, su mamá nos dio algunas de naranja delicioso flavered cosas geletin cremosa así que lo doy como una buena lección. Había saltado el almuerzo para estos tiempos tan divertido después de eso, nos separamos y yo alta cola a la casa para comer algo.
Esto sucedió ayer, y por cierto, me acordé de la otra el nombre de Elder-Elder Camasca.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Bus Rides, Taxis, Insanity
***Note about this post, I have been trying to upload this video FOR WEEKS. Since March 15th. Finally it seemed to have worked.***
Just so you can get a small feel of my daily travel. Here is a ride in what is called a "Micro" or bus. There is also a section in the front seat of a "combi" which is a Japanese made van, and also a taxi for a bit. Hope you enjoy it.
Sólo para que pueda obtener una sensación pequeña de mi diario de viaje. Aquí está un paseo en lo que se llama un "Micro" o en autobús. También hay una sección en el asiento delantero de una combi ", que es una camioneta japonesa hizo, y también un taxi para un poco. Espero que lo disfruten.
Just so you can get a small feel of my daily travel. Here is a ride in what is called a "Micro" or bus. There is also a section in the front seat of a "combi" which is a Japanese made van, and also a taxi for a bit. Hope you enjoy it.
Sólo para que pueda obtener una sensación pequeña de mi diario de viaje. Aquí está un paseo en lo que se llama un "Micro" o en autobús. También hay una sección en el asiento delantero de una combi ", que es una camioneta japonesa hizo, y también un taxi para un poco. Espero que lo disfruten.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Visit to Quequeña.
Well, Sunday afternoon as is custom, my father-in-law took his daughter to lunch. I have married into this little tradition and so I am now the third wheel, which is fine by me as he usually takes us to some interesting place. This week, his father accompanied us, Alejandro Santos. He is 72 years old and has had an interesting life, having been born in a town near Cuzco called Sicuani, and then moving all around to finally end up in Arequipa.
Bueno, la tarde del domingo como es costumbre, mi padre-en-ley llevó a su hija a comer. Me he casado en esta tradición poco y por lo que estoy ahora la tercera rueda, lo cual está bien por mí como por lo general nos lleva a algún lugar interesante. Esta semana, su padre nos acompañó, Alejandro Santos. Él tiene 72 años y ha tenido una vida interesante, haber nacido en un pueblo cerca del Cuzco llamado Sicuani, y luego pasando a su alrededor para terminar finalmente en Arequipa.
Quequeña is an interesting little traditional town a bit South West of Arequipa. There is a lot of history inn this small community. This history included a story about the Chile invasion during the Guerra del Pacifico. From what I understood, when the Chileans were about in the area, there were some Peruvians that didn´t approve of the situation. As a result, six Peruvians were shot in the town square. They are hailed as heros now and it is quite a deal, and there is a monument erected to remember. There are lots of original old houses around the plaza and the year each was constructed appears above the door. Here are some images of Quequeña:
Quequeña es un interesante campo tradicional, un poco pequeño el suroeste de Arequipa. Hay mucha historia de la posada esta pequeña comunidad. Esta historia incluye una historia sobre la invasión de Chile durante la Guerra del Pacífico. Por lo que entendí, cuando los chilenos estaban a punto de la zona, hubo algunos peruanos que no estaba de acuerdo con la situación. Como resultado, seis peruanos fueron fusilados en la plaza del pueblo. Ellos son aclamados como héroes y ahora es un buen acuerdo, y hay un monumento erigido para recordar. Hay muchas casas antiguas al rededor de la plaza y el año en lo cual cada una fue construida figura sobre la puerta. Aquí están algunas imágenes de Quequeña:
In addition to checking out the town, I mapped the town square and here is a very rough drawing of how that went:
Además de la comprobación hacia fuera de la ciudad, me asignó la plaza del pueblo y aquí hay un dibujo muy aproximada de cómo fue que:
Afterwards, we went to eat lunch at a tradtional picantaria where my wife and I shared a¨"double", which is some chicharron de chancho (fried pork) with rocoto relleno and pastel de papa. My father in law had Cuy, which is guinea pig and I find it loathsome in appearance and taste. Regardless of what I think, it is a traditional dish and they are all for it. Here is what the little devil looked like:
Después, nos fuimos a comer el almuerzo en un picantaria del tradtional donde mi esposa y yo compartimos una ¨ "doble", que es un chicharrón de chancho (cerdo frito) con rocoto relleno y pastel de papa. Mi suegro había Cuy, que es conejillo de indias y me resulta repugnante en la apariencia y el sabor. Independientemente de lo que pienso, es un plato tradicional y son todos para él. Esto es lo que el pequeño demonio ve como este:
We wrapped up our delightlful little trip by visiting the Ququeña gravyard. It was interesting, and it enver ceases to amaze me when I see above ground family grave sites.
Estamos envueltos nuestro pequeño viaje delightlful visitando el gravyard Ququeña. Fue interesante, y Enver deja de sorprenderme cuando veo por encima de las tumbas de tierra de la familia.
Bueno, la tarde del domingo como es costumbre, mi padre-en-ley llevó a su hija a comer. Me he casado en esta tradición poco y por lo que estoy ahora la tercera rueda, lo cual está bien por mí como por lo general nos lleva a algún lugar interesante. Esta semana, su padre nos acompañó, Alejandro Santos. Él tiene 72 años y ha tenido una vida interesante, haber nacido en un pueblo cerca del Cuzco llamado Sicuani, y luego pasando a su alrededor para terminar finalmente en Arequipa.
Quequeña is an interesting little traditional town a bit South West of Arequipa. There is a lot of history inn this small community. This history included a story about the Chile invasion during the Guerra del Pacifico. From what I understood, when the Chileans were about in the area, there were some Peruvians that didn´t approve of the situation. As a result, six Peruvians were shot in the town square. They are hailed as heros now and it is quite a deal, and there is a monument erected to remember. There are lots of original old houses around the plaza and the year each was constructed appears above the door. Here are some images of Quequeña:
Quequeña es un interesante campo tradicional, un poco pequeño el suroeste de Arequipa. Hay mucha historia de la posada esta pequeña comunidad. Esta historia incluye una historia sobre la invasión de Chile durante la Guerra del Pacífico. Por lo que entendí, cuando los chilenos estaban a punto de la zona, hubo algunos peruanos que no estaba de acuerdo con la situación. Como resultado, seis peruanos fueron fusilados en la plaza del pueblo. Ellos son aclamados como héroes y ahora es un buen acuerdo, y hay un monumento erigido para recordar. Hay muchas casas antiguas al rededor de la plaza y el año en lo cual cada una fue construida figura sobre la puerta. Aquí están algunas imágenes de Quequeña:
In addition to checking out the town, I mapped the town square and here is a very rough drawing of how that went:
Además de la comprobación hacia fuera de la ciudad, me asignó la plaza del pueblo y aquí hay un dibujo muy aproximada de cómo fue que:
Afterwards, we went to eat lunch at a tradtional picantaria where my wife and I shared a¨"double", which is some chicharron de chancho (fried pork) with rocoto relleno and pastel de papa. My father in law had Cuy, which is guinea pig and I find it loathsome in appearance and taste. Regardless of what I think, it is a traditional dish and they are all for it. Here is what the little devil looked like:
Después, nos fuimos a comer el almuerzo en un picantaria del tradtional donde mi esposa y yo compartimos una ¨ "doble", que es un chicharrón de chancho (cerdo frito) con rocoto relleno y pastel de papa. Mi suegro había Cuy, que es conejillo de indias y me resulta repugnante en la apariencia y el sabor. Independientemente de lo que pienso, es un plato tradicional y son todos para él. Esto es lo que el pequeño demonio ve como este:
We wrapped up our delightlful little trip by visiting the Ququeña gravyard. It was interesting, and it enver ceases to amaze me when I see above ground family grave sites.
Estamos envueltos nuestro pequeño viaje delightlful visitando el gravyard Ququeña. Fue interesante, y Enver deja de sorprenderme cuando veo por encima de las tumbas de tierra de la familia.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Journal Post: Backlog
It occurs to me that in the excitement of all my travels and responsibilities, I have let the daily joy that is the blog post fall by the wayside. In penance for this unspeakable act, I'll bullet point the interesting things of the past week.
* Ending Semana Santa, life resumes as normal, and something that I find interesting is the climate. It is pretty warm and even at night, it doesn´t get too cold. I like that about Arequipa.
* I find the various School Uniforms somewhat interesting. In the states, there are relatively few schools that require a uniform. It is the norm here, and you will see everthing from sweat pants and shirts to button up shirts with ties and jackets. I´m glad I didn´t have to wear a uniform in highschool. Everyday that I leave work, there are tons of children in the streets just leaving school.
* I played some soccer with the members of the church, it reminded me of when I was a missionary and we played soccer for practically every preparation day
*There was a birthday party for my 4-year-old brother-in-law. It was a Train Thomas theme, and there were easily a million children there. Something different culturally is the necessity of contracting a clown. I am not afraid of clowns, but I'm not a huge fan either. This clown got more than he bargained with the puppet show portion of his entertainment when the little monsters started attacking the wolf puppet and his tent.
Luckily for me, there were some fun games to be had in the prizes given out. I was able to play a with a few of them, and this is one of them.
It is called a "bolero". The object of the game is to get the big end to fall on top of the little end with one hand- the picture should explain it simply enough. There were also toys called "trompos", which are tops that you wind a string around and then throw. You'd be surprised how tricky each of these toys are to master.
Se me ocurre que en el entusiasmo de todos mis viajes y responsabilidades, he dejado la alegría cotidiana que es la caída entrada en el blog en el camino. En penitencia por este acto atroz, me topo punto de las cosas interesantes de la semana pasada.
* Poner fin a la Semana Santa, se reanuda la vida como algo normal, y algo que me parece interesante es el clima. Es muy cálida e incluso por la noche, no se ponga demasiado frío. Me gusta que alrededor de Arequipa.
* Encuentro de los distintos Uniformes Escolares algo interesante. En los estados, hay relativamente pocas escuelas que requieren de un uniforme. Es la norma que aquí, y verá EVERTHING de pantalones de chándal y camisetas a abrocharse las camisas con corbatas y chaquetas. Me alegro de no tener que usar un uniforme en el colegio. Cada día que salgo del trabajo, hay toneladas de los niños en las calles acaba de salir de la escuela.
* Jugué al fútbol con algunos de los miembros de la iglesia, me recordó de cuando yo era un misionero y jugamos fútbol para prácticamente todos los días de preparación
* Hubo una fiesta de cumpleaños para mi hermano de 4 años de edad-en-ley. Fue un tema de trenes Thomas, y no eran fácilmente un millón de niños allí. Algo diferente culturalmente es la necesidad de contratar un clown. No tengo miedo a los payasos, pero no soy un gran fan tampoco. Este payaso tiene más de lo que esperaba con la parte de su espectáculo de títeres del espectáculo cuando los pequeños monstruos empezaron a atacar a la marioneta lobo y su tienda. Por suerte para mí, hubo algunos juegos de diversión que había en los premios entregados. Tuve la oportunidad de desempeñar un espectáculo con algunas de ellas, y este es uno de them.It se llama un bolero ". El objetivo del juego es conseguir la gran final a caer en la parte superior del final poco con una mano-la imagen debe explicar simplemente lo suficiente. También había juguetes llamados "trompos", que son las tapas que usted enrolla una cuerda alrededor y luego tirar. Usted se sorprendería de lo difícil cada uno de estos juguetes son de dominar.
* Ending Semana Santa, life resumes as normal, and something that I find interesting is the climate. It is pretty warm and even at night, it doesn´t get too cold. I like that about Arequipa.
* I find the various School Uniforms somewhat interesting. In the states, there are relatively few schools that require a uniform. It is the norm here, and you will see everthing from sweat pants and shirts to button up shirts with ties and jackets. I´m glad I didn´t have to wear a uniform in highschool. Everyday that I leave work, there are tons of children in the streets just leaving school.
* I played some soccer with the members of the church, it reminded me of when I was a missionary and we played soccer for practically every preparation day
*There was a birthday party for my 4-year-old brother-in-law. It was a Train Thomas theme, and there were easily a million children there. Something different culturally is the necessity of contracting a clown. I am not afraid of clowns, but I'm not a huge fan either. This clown got more than he bargained with the puppet show portion of his entertainment when the little monsters started attacking the wolf puppet and his tent.
Luckily for me, there were some fun games to be had in the prizes given out. I was able to play a with a few of them, and this is one of them.
It is called a "bolero". The object of the game is to get the big end to fall on top of the little end with one hand- the picture should explain it simply enough. There were also toys called "trompos", which are tops that you wind a string around and then throw. You'd be surprised how tricky each of these toys are to master.
Se me ocurre que en el entusiasmo de todos mis viajes y responsabilidades, he dejado la alegría cotidiana que es la caída entrada en el blog en el camino. En penitencia por este acto atroz, me topo punto de las cosas interesantes de la semana pasada.
* Poner fin a la Semana Santa, se reanuda la vida como algo normal, y algo que me parece interesante es el clima. Es muy cálida e incluso por la noche, no se ponga demasiado frío. Me gusta que alrededor de Arequipa.
* Encuentro de los distintos Uniformes Escolares algo interesante. En los estados, hay relativamente pocas escuelas que requieren de un uniforme. Es la norma que aquí, y verá EVERTHING de pantalones de chándal y camisetas a abrocharse las camisas con corbatas y chaquetas. Me alegro de no tener que usar un uniforme en el colegio. Cada día que salgo del trabajo, hay toneladas de los niños en las calles acaba de salir de la escuela.
* Jugué al fútbol con algunos de los miembros de la iglesia, me recordó de cuando yo era un misionero y jugamos fútbol para prácticamente todos los días de preparación
* Hubo una fiesta de cumpleaños para mi hermano de 4 años de edad-en-ley. Fue un tema de trenes Thomas, y no eran fácilmente un millón de niños allí. Algo diferente culturalmente es la necesidad de contratar un clown. No tengo miedo a los payasos, pero no soy un gran fan tampoco. Este payaso tiene más de lo que esperaba con la parte de su espectáculo de títeres del espectáculo cuando los pequeños monstruos empezaron a atacar a la marioneta lobo y su tienda. Por suerte para mí, hubo algunos juegos de diversión que había en los premios entregados. Tuve la oportunidad de desempeñar un espectáculo con algunas de ellas, y este es uno de them.It se llama un bolero ". El objetivo del juego es conseguir la gran final a caer en la parte superior del final poco con una mano-la imagen debe explicar simplemente lo suficiente. También había juguetes llamados "trompos", que son las tapas que usted enrolla una cuerda alrededor y luego tirar. Usted se sorprendería de lo difícil cada uno de estos juguetes son de dominar.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
J-Cruz and Hamburg Restaurants. yum and yum.
These restaurants have made their theme lots of neat stuff that they've been able to accumulate over the years by being in Valparaiso, a large port city. Here are some views into the good times to be had there.
Estos restaurantes se han abierto el tema de cosas interesantes que han podido acumular en los últimos años por estar en Valparaíso, una gran ciudad portuaria. Éstos son algunos puntos de vista en los buenos tiempos que había allí.
Estos restaurantes se han abierto el tema de cosas interesantes que han podido acumular en los últimos años por estar en Valparaíso, una gran ciudad portuaria. Éstos son algunos puntos de vista en los buenos tiempos que había allí.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Chile: Notes
This is the typical audio slide show that accompanies my travels. I will mention bullet point some things:
Esto es una tipica presentacion multimedia que pongo junto con mis viajes. Mencionare en forma breve algunos cosas:
There are lots of dogs on the beach.
Hay muchos perros en la playa.
There is lots of graffiti around and about (much like any big city I suppose).
Hay mucho graffiti por alli (como cualquier otro ciudad grande supongo).
Some of the pictures are of me taking pictures, these were taken by a girl who lives with my aunt who is also studying journalism.
Algunos de los fotos son de mi tomando fotos, fueron tomados por una chica a quienes vive con mi tia y tambien esta estudiando periodismo.
There are lots of pretty flowers in Viña Del Mar.
Hay muchos flores bonitas en Viña Del Mar
I find the juxtaposition of colonial style homes and modern skyscrapers interesting.
The roofs of all the buildings in Viña are pretty ugly, something you don't see from the street.
The sea lions in Valpariso are lazy.
The wooden houses in Valpariso are painted lots of interesting bright colors.
The statue of a lady in the night was stole from Lima when Chile occupied it in the Pacific War.
The building with big rods was damaged by the Earthquake, and there are quite a few small damages still being repaired.
There is a famous restaurant called Cap Ducal that I remember from when I was young, as well as the Castle Wulf. Both landmarks. And the dock of Viña, can't forget that.
Esto es una tipica presentacion multimedia que pongo junto con mis viajes. Mencionare en forma breve algunos cosas:
There are lots of dogs on the beach.
Hay muchos perros en la playa.
There is lots of graffiti around and about (much like any big city I suppose).
Hay mucho graffiti por alli (como cualquier otro ciudad grande supongo).
Some of the pictures are of me taking pictures, these were taken by a girl who lives with my aunt who is also studying journalism.
Algunos de los fotos son de mi tomando fotos, fueron tomados por una chica a quienes vive con mi tia y tambien esta estudiando periodismo.
There are lots of pretty flowers in Viña Del Mar.
Hay muchos flores bonitas en Viña Del Mar
I find the juxtaposition of colonial style homes and modern skyscrapers interesting.
The roofs of all the buildings in Viña are pretty ugly, something you don't see from the street.
The sea lions in Valpariso are lazy.
The wooden houses in Valpariso are painted lots of interesting bright colors.
The statue of a lady in the night was stole from Lima when Chile occupied it in the Pacific War.
The building with big rods was damaged by the Earthquake, and there are quite a few small damages still being repaired.
There is a famous restaurant called Cap Ducal that I remember from when I was young, as well as the Castle Wulf. Both landmarks. And the dock of Viña, can't forget that.
Semana Santa... AKA Crazy Week.
I'm not catholic. I respect the traditions and all, but sometimes I find things that are very strange to me. For example: Semana Santa (Holy Week). There are lots of things that the people of Arequipa do to commemorate various aspects of the last week of Christ's life, and I find all of them slightly odd. But hey, that's just the Mormon in me. If you are curious about this particular tradition, check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Week
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semana_Santa
In Arequipa, folks are big on recreating everything that Jesus did during the last week. Therefore, there are various events in all of the churches where people wave palms and a man with a beard rides a donkey, people walk from church to church, a person is crucified (theatrically), and other recreations. One of the more amusing is the burning of Judas, which is usually a pinata made paper and in the likeness of the current political president.
There are a few things other than the recreations that are good to know. For example on Friday you can only eat fish, which leads to very high seafood prices and the making of something called "chupe de cameron" (crab soup), which I find all kinds of disgusting. (There are sometimes hairy crab legs, fish eggs, chunks of clam, and other things that shouldn't be combined. I love crab and seafood, but only as individual dishes and well cleaned.)
There is also "ley seca" which is "dry law". Basically, nobody is supposed to consume alcohol for a few days. It's funny, because in the large Wal-Mart like store, there was caution tape around the liquor section proclaiming that for Arequipa law, there can be no sale of alcohol for Ley seca.
On the Sunday of the resurrection, there is eating of what is called "Caldo De Pascua" (Easter soup). This is supposed to be like regular chicken broth: carrots, potatoes, chuño, yuca, chicken. But this has a twist, instead of just chicken, there is supposed to be 7 other types of meats. Yeah... I know what you're thinking. If you are thinking, "not vegetarian friendly", you are right.
One other thing that happens Semana Santa: All week religious films are played on all of the Peru channels. From Ben Hur to the Passion of Christ, they are all there. Some are overtly Catholic, some are merely religious entertainment, but everyone gets hyped for Christ this time of year as a result.
Yo no soy católico. Yo respeto las tradiciones y todo, pero a veces me encuentro cosas que son muy extraño para mí. Por ejemplo: Semana Santa (Holy Week). Hay un montón de cosas que el pueblo de Arequipa hace para conmemorar los diversos aspectos de la última semana de la vida de Cristo, y me encuentro con todos ellos un poco raro. Pero bueno, eso es sólo el mormón en mí.
En Arequipa, la gente son grandes en recrear todo lo que hizo Jesús durante la última semana. Por lo tanto, hay varios eventos en todas las iglesias donde la gente las palmas de las olas y un hombre con una barba de paseos en burro, la gente camina de iglesia en iglesia, una persona es crucificado (teatral), y otros. Una de las más divertidas es la quema de Judas, que suele ser una piñata hecha de papel y en la semejanza de la política actual presidente.
Hay algunas cosas que no sean las recreaciones que es bueno que conozcas. Por ejemplo el viernes sólo se puede comer pescado, lo que lleva a los precios del pescado muy alta y la realización de algo llamado "chupe de Cameron", que me parece desagradable. (A veces hay patas de cangrejo peludo, huevas de pescado, trozos de almeja, y otras cosas que no deben ser combinados. Me encanta el cangrejo y mariscos, pero sólo como platos y limpiar bien.)
También hay "ley seca", que es la "ley seca". Básicamente, nadie se supone que debe consumir alcohol durante unos días. Es curioso, porque en los grandes de Wal-Mart como tienda, no había cinta de precaución alrededor de la sección licor proclamando que la ley de Arequipa, no puede haber venta de alcohol para la Ley Seca.
El domingo de la resurrección, no está comiendo de lo que se llama "Caldo de Pascua" (sopa de Pascua). Esto se supone que es como el caldo de pollo regular: zanahorias, papas, chuño, yuca, pollo. Pero esto tiene un giro, en vez de pollo, no se supone que debe ser de 7 otros tipos de carnes. Si ... Sé lo que estás pensando. Si usted está pensando ", no" amistosa vegetariana, tiene usted razón.
Otra cosa que sucede Semana Santa: Durante toda la semana películas religiosas se juegan en todos los canales de Perú. De Ben Hur a la Pasión de Cristo, están todos allí. Algunos son abiertamente católicos, algunos son meramente de entretenimiento religioso, pero todo el mundo se promocionado por Cristo en esta época del año como resultado.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Something wierd.
Would you like to know what one of the first indications were that I was in a foreign country? Very well, it was this:
Desean saber cual es una de las primeras indicaciones que me hizo dar cuenta que estaba en un pais ajena? Bien esto:
This is strange. I know cigarettes are bad, everyone knows that. Even the smokers know that. But in Chile it is the LAW that 50% of all cigerette boxes and ads are used for anti smoking ads. And yet they still outsmoke Peruvians. I don´t understand.
Esto es raro. Sè que cigarros son malos. Todos lo saben. Aun los fumadores saben. Pero en Chile es la LEY que 50% de todos las cajas de cigarro y propadanda son utilizados por advisos contra tabaco. Y aun fuman mas que los peruanos. No entiendo.
Desean saber cual es una de las primeras indicaciones que me hizo dar cuenta que estaba en un pais ajena? Bien esto:
This is strange. I know cigarettes are bad, everyone knows that. Even the smokers know that. But in Chile it is the LAW that 50% of all cigerette boxes and ads are used for anti smoking ads. And yet they still outsmoke Peruvians. I don´t understand.
Esto es raro. Sè que cigarros son malos. Todos lo saben. Aun los fumadores saben. Pero en Chile es la LEY que 50% de todos las cajas de cigarro y propadanda son utilizados por advisos contra tabaco. Y aun fuman mas que los peruanos. No entiendo.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Journal Post, Observation # 9 Chilean food.
About food.
There are many interesting things that I could recount from my week in Chile, but I worry more about food than anything, so here is a short recap of some dishes that I ate Also, upon suggestion of my cousin Roberto, I will attempt to write all further posts in Spanish as well as English.
Sobre comida.
Hay muchas cosas interesantes que pude recalcar de mi semana en Chile, pero preocupo más acerca de comida de cualquier otra cosa, entonces acá tienen a un resumen de algunos platos que probé. También, actuando según la sugerencia de mi primo Roberto, intentare escribir todos anotaciones en español también como ingles.
1) Humitos:
I’ve never had these before but they are basically Tamales. Mashed up corn, cooked wrapped up in the leaves, and some type of herb for seasoning (my Aunt Elba told me the name of the herb, but I have subsequently forgotten.
Nunca antes les he probado, pero básicamente son tamales. Maíz molido, cocinado enrollado de las hojas, y algún tipo de hierba para sazonar. (Mi Tía Elba me dijo el nombre de la hierba, pero ya me lo olvidé.)
2) Empanadas:
I am sure that I cannot get away with calling this a Chilean food, as I have seen them in ample quality elsewhere. But, I can tell you that what the Chileans call Empanada “Pino”, which is beef, egg, olive, and sometimes raisins, is what in Peru they call Empanada Chileno. Which, taking into account the prevalence of this particular combination of foods in the Chilean “pastel de choclo” and other dishes, I attribute this flavor to Chile.
Seguro que no puedo decir que esta es una comida chilena, como les he visto en diversos otros lugares. Pero si puedo decir que en Perú se les llaman empanadas chilenas. Que, tomando en cuento la presencia de esta combinación particular en las comidas de chile como pastel de choclo y otros, atribuyo este sabor a Chile.
3) Meat and Pebre:
Meat, especially beef, is well received and readily devoured by one and all. For the birthday my cousin’s (Diego) son, we ate a delicious meal which consisted of meat, bread, pebre, and of course, Coca Cola. The meat was beef, cooked up in the oven and salty and delicious. The bread in Chile is different than that of Peru, although there is such a variety in both countries that I am sure that you could find some of the same in both. But the common bread in Chile is called “pan batido” in Viña del Mar and “marraqueta” (SP?) in Santiago. It has a somewhat hard crust with at soft interior, is ovalish in shape with a line down the middle. There are lots of other breads, and a principle difference between common breads in Peru and Chile is that the Chile bread is denser and a touch saltier. Pebre is VERY Chilean. It is similar to salsa, but generally not spicy. It is made with chopped onions, tomatoes, and a LOT of cilantro- it is actually greenish in hue. This is applied liberally to bread and meat alike and I like it.
Carne, especialmente res, es bien recibida y devorada con gusto por todos. Por el cumpleaños del hijo de mi Primo Diego, comíamos a una cena delicioso que fue carne, pan, pebre, y presupuesto, Coca Cola. La carne fue res, cocida en el horno y fue salada y rica. La pan de Chile es diferente al pan de Perú, pero hay tanto variedad en las dos países que seguro que podrías encontrar lo mismo en ambas. Pero el pan común de Chile se llama pan batido en Viña del Mar y marraqueta (SP?) en Santiago. Tiene la parte exterior poco duro y es suave por adentro, tiene una forma oval, con una línea partiéndolo en dos. Hay muchos panes en Peru y Chile, pare una diferencia principal es que los panes son mas densos y salados en Chile. Pebre es MUY chileno. Es similar a la salsa, pero por lo general, no es picante. Consiste de cebolla cortada, tomates, y mucho cilantro- ya es verde. Se aplica liberalmente al pan y la carne igual y eso me agrada mucho.
4) Chorrillana:
This is a yummy, yet simple dish. It’s somewhat like the Peruvian dish, “lomo soltado”, but I like it better. It consists of small strips or chunks of beef, chopped onions, some fried eggs (but not many and very subtly mixed in with the meat). This is heaped atop a bunch of French fries. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s really tasty for some reason. So much so that I recalled it from when I was 8-years-old and went back to the restaurant, which is an awesome places called J-Cruz that I’ll discuss at length in subsequent posts.
Esto es un plato sencillo, pero rico. Es parecido al plato peruano, lomo soltado, pero esto me gusto más. Es pedazos de res, cebollas picadas, algunos huevos fritos (pero no muchos y sutilmente combinado con la carne). Esto viene encima de un montón de papas fritas. No se que es la razón exactamente por que es tan rico, pero es muy sabroso. Tanto que me acordé de ello de cuando tenía 8 años y volví a este restaurante, que es un lugar muy chévere que se llama J-Cruz y que explicaré mas en anotaciones subsecuentes.
5) Corvina:
Is fish, and it’s pretty dang good. I like it because it is relatively boneless. I had this in La Serena where my cousin Daniel lives that is 7 hours north of Viña by bus. We went out to a restaurant on the beach and that’s where I had my fish dish. It was supposed to be somewhat spicy (although after living in Arequipa the Chilean’s have nothing that can get my tongue). In any event, this corvina was fried, which was fine, but it also came with some large sautéed mushrooms over it with rice. I was reluctant to dive in as I’m not all that big on mushrooms, especially these big ones called ‘sera’. However, I am pleased to say that the whole thing was really good. I love it when I find a new food that I enjoy.
Es pescado, y bien rico. Me gusta porque es de muy pocos espinas. Esto comí en La Serena por donde vive mi primo Daniel y es como a siete horas norte de Viña en bus. Fuimos a un restaurante en la playa y es allí donde comí mi plato pescado. Supuestamente tenia que ser picante (pero después de vivir en Arequipa no hay nada en Chile que puede afectar mi lengua). En todas maneras, esta corvina fue frito, que estaba bien, pero también tenia alguna champiñones encima con arroz. Fue reticente meter mi tenedor, porque no soy de muchos champiñones. Sin embargo, estoy contento decir que todo fue muy rico. Encanto cuanto encuentro nuevo comida que me disfruto.
There are many interesting things that I could recount from my week in Chile, but I worry more about food than anything, so here is a short recap of some dishes that I ate Also, upon suggestion of my cousin Roberto, I will attempt to write all further posts in Spanish as well as English.
Sobre comida.
Hay muchas cosas interesantes que pude recalcar de mi semana en Chile, pero preocupo más acerca de comida de cualquier otra cosa, entonces acá tienen a un resumen de algunos platos que probé. También, actuando según la sugerencia de mi primo Roberto, intentare escribir todos anotaciones en español también como ingles.
1) Humitos:
I’ve never had these before but they are basically Tamales. Mashed up corn, cooked wrapped up in the leaves, and some type of herb for seasoning (my Aunt Elba told me the name of the herb, but I have subsequently forgotten.
Nunca antes les he probado, pero básicamente son tamales. Maíz molido, cocinado enrollado de las hojas, y algún tipo de hierba para sazonar. (Mi Tía Elba me dijo el nombre de la hierba, pero ya me lo olvidé.)
2) Empanadas:
I am sure that I cannot get away with calling this a Chilean food, as I have seen them in ample quality elsewhere. But, I can tell you that what the Chileans call Empanada “Pino”, which is beef, egg, olive, and sometimes raisins, is what in Peru they call Empanada Chileno. Which, taking into account the prevalence of this particular combination of foods in the Chilean “pastel de choclo” and other dishes, I attribute this flavor to Chile.
Seguro que no puedo decir que esta es una comida chilena, como les he visto en diversos otros lugares. Pero si puedo decir que en Perú se les llaman empanadas chilenas. Que, tomando en cuento la presencia de esta combinación particular en las comidas de chile como pastel de choclo y otros, atribuyo este sabor a Chile.
3) Meat and Pebre:
Meat, especially beef, is well received and readily devoured by one and all. For the birthday my cousin’s (Diego) son, we ate a delicious meal which consisted of meat, bread, pebre, and of course, Coca Cola. The meat was beef, cooked up in the oven and salty and delicious. The bread in Chile is different than that of Peru, although there is such a variety in both countries that I am sure that you could find some of the same in both. But the common bread in Chile is called “pan batido” in Viña del Mar and “marraqueta” (SP?) in Santiago. It has a somewhat hard crust with at soft interior, is ovalish in shape with a line down the middle. There are lots of other breads, and a principle difference between common breads in Peru and Chile is that the Chile bread is denser and a touch saltier. Pebre is VERY Chilean. It is similar to salsa, but generally not spicy. It is made with chopped onions, tomatoes, and a LOT of cilantro- it is actually greenish in hue. This is applied liberally to bread and meat alike and I like it.
Carne, especialmente res, es bien recibida y devorada con gusto por todos. Por el cumpleaños del hijo de mi Primo Diego, comíamos a una cena delicioso que fue carne, pan, pebre, y presupuesto, Coca Cola. La carne fue res, cocida en el horno y fue salada y rica. La pan de Chile es diferente al pan de Perú, pero hay tanto variedad en las dos países que seguro que podrías encontrar lo mismo en ambas. Pero el pan común de Chile se llama pan batido en Viña del Mar y marraqueta (SP?) en Santiago. Tiene la parte exterior poco duro y es suave por adentro, tiene una forma oval, con una línea partiéndolo en dos. Hay muchos panes en Peru y Chile, pare una diferencia principal es que los panes son mas densos y salados en Chile. Pebre es MUY chileno. Es similar a la salsa, pero por lo general, no es picante. Consiste de cebolla cortada, tomates, y mucho cilantro- ya es verde. Se aplica liberalmente al pan y la carne igual y eso me agrada mucho.
4) Chorrillana:
This is a yummy, yet simple dish. It’s somewhat like the Peruvian dish, “lomo soltado”, but I like it better. It consists of small strips or chunks of beef, chopped onions, some fried eggs (but not many and very subtly mixed in with the meat). This is heaped atop a bunch of French fries. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s really tasty for some reason. So much so that I recalled it from when I was 8-years-old and went back to the restaurant, which is an awesome places called J-Cruz that I’ll discuss at length in subsequent posts.
Esto es un plato sencillo, pero rico. Es parecido al plato peruano, lomo soltado, pero esto me gusto más. Es pedazos de res, cebollas picadas, algunos huevos fritos (pero no muchos y sutilmente combinado con la carne). Esto viene encima de un montón de papas fritas. No se que es la razón exactamente por que es tan rico, pero es muy sabroso. Tanto que me acordé de ello de cuando tenía 8 años y volví a este restaurante, que es un lugar muy chévere que se llama J-Cruz y que explicaré mas en anotaciones subsecuentes.
5) Corvina:
Is fish, and it’s pretty dang good. I like it because it is relatively boneless. I had this in La Serena where my cousin Daniel lives that is 7 hours north of Viña by bus. We went out to a restaurant on the beach and that’s where I had my fish dish. It was supposed to be somewhat spicy (although after living in Arequipa the Chilean’s have nothing that can get my tongue). In any event, this corvina was fried, which was fine, but it also came with some large sautéed mushrooms over it with rice. I was reluctant to dive in as I’m not all that big on mushrooms, especially these big ones called ‘sera’. However, I am pleased to say that the whole thing was really good. I love it when I find a new food that I enjoy.
Es pescado, y bien rico. Me gusta porque es de muy pocos espinas. Esto comí en La Serena por donde vive mi primo Daniel y es como a siete horas norte de Viña en bus. Fuimos a un restaurante en la playa y es allí donde comí mi plato pescado. Supuestamente tenia que ser picante (pero después de vivir en Arequipa no hay nada en Chile que puede afectar mi lengua). En todas maneras, esta corvina fue frito, que estaba bien, pero también tenia alguna champiñones encima con arroz. Fue reticente meter mi tenedor, porque no soy de muchos champiñones. Sin embargo, estoy contento decir que todo fue muy rico. Encanto cuanto encuentro nuevo comida que me disfruto.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
CHI CHI CHI, LE LE LE, VIVA CHILE!!!
That's what they yell here at soccer games. Where is "here" you ask? Why, none other than Chile, birthplace of my mother, and country I had to go to this week for visa purposes. You get 90 days in Peru as a tourist and than you have to either leave the country or go to Lima to do some ridiculous paperwork.
ANYWAY.
I got on a bus in Arequipa Friday the 19th at 10:30 am. I got to Vina Del Mar at around 9 am on Sunday. Peru doesn't do Daylight Savings Time, but Chile does. But to complicate things, because of the recent Quake, the Chileans are putting off DST until April. So what that means is that when I crossed the border into Chile, it ceased to be 6 pm and became 8 pm.
Just a note about the scenery between Arequipa and a City in Chile called Coliapo: IT SUCKS. Unless you like sand.
What you can see above is basically what you get for 15+ hours on the bus. Money in Chile is confusing to me. Something that has always bothered me is the enormity of the numbers involved. The current exchange rate is 526 Pesos to each dollar. And the basic unit of money here is 1000 pesos. More to come.
ANYWAY.
I got on a bus in Arequipa Friday the 19th at 10:30 am. I got to Vina Del Mar at around 9 am on Sunday. Peru doesn't do Daylight Savings Time, but Chile does. But to complicate things, because of the recent Quake, the Chileans are putting off DST until April. So what that means is that when I crossed the border into Chile, it ceased to be 6 pm and became 8 pm.
Just a note about the scenery between Arequipa and a City in Chile called Coliapo: IT SUCKS. Unless you like sand.
What you can see above is basically what you get for 15+ hours on the bus. Money in Chile is confusing to me. Something that has always bothered me is the enormity of the numbers involved. The current exchange rate is 526 Pesos to each dollar. And the basic unit of money here is 1000 pesos. More to come.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
What I do. Continued...
Education.
Everyone agrees it's important.
Here in Arequipa, there are several Universities. There are also some in Puno, Juliaca, Tacna, and even some types of higher education in Ilo and other places.
The main universities in Arequipa are: Universidad Nacional San Agustin- La UNSA (national), Universidad Catolica, Universidad Catolica San Pablo, and Alas Peruanas. There are various technical institutes around and about as well.
As far as these universities are concerned, it is hard to get into the UNSA because the tuition there is payed by the state. Unfortunately, the pay of the professors at the UNSA is determined year to year depending on the Budget and/or corruption of officials and so there are constant strikes by the professors. That SUCKS for the students. Turns your vacations into school and your school time into useless time and often means you end up studying a few years more than necessary.
The Catolica seems to be a prestigious enough place, but costly and the students are supposedly liberal snobs. (Just what I heard). The San Pablo is where my wife studied and they seem to be pretty strict about everything aside from being expensive. Here at my job we encourage the youth not to go there because they are really dedicated to the idea that one can not study and work simultaneously.
*** Side note and cultural observation. This sentiment about work and study is widely accepted and for that same reason, youth live with their parents much longer. This changes the WHOLE SOCIETY. Seriously. People mature slower, are less independent. The other side of the coin is that family ties are strong and there is a community support within the family. I'm glad I was independent of my family early and enjoy the self reliance that I gleaned from taking care of my own matters from 18 on.***
Alas Peruanas is generally looked down upon as the bottom rung of the university experience, but having only actually entered one university here(San Pablo), and seen the outside of another (UNSA), I really couldn't tell you.
I estimate that the percentage of people that seek higher education here is decent, but I am sure it could be much, MUCH more.
Something else different about the University experience here is that a person has to apply, be accept in, and follow one career. That means that at age 16 (when they finish high school) they must know what they want to do for their career. I think this is a bad system. Numbers agree with me. According to a statistic that the Ministerio de Trajo (work department) released in Arequipa a month ago: 80 percent of all professionals are working in something that isn't their field. That is a lot of wasted time and money. Basically, we have lawyers and doctors driving taxis and selling pirated DVD's. I like the State's option of letting you get in and than decide. I like the ability to leave studies for a while and than come back. Some universities are ok with this (UNSA) some are not, (San Pablo) but it is not easy anywhere. I like being able to switch universities, and having most of my credit counted in the new institution. Here, nothing counts and if you desire a change, you have to quit and than start from scratch somewhere else. I like being able to pick my classes and figure a schedule that works for me. Here you are assigned classes and schedules that are, frankly, ridiculous.
There are more things that I could say, but I think you get the idea.
Everyone agrees it's important.
Here in Arequipa, there are several Universities. There are also some in Puno, Juliaca, Tacna, and even some types of higher education in Ilo and other places.
The main universities in Arequipa are: Universidad Nacional San Agustin- La UNSA (national), Universidad Catolica, Universidad Catolica San Pablo, and Alas Peruanas. There are various technical institutes around and about as well.
As far as these universities are concerned, it is hard to get into the UNSA because the tuition there is payed by the state. Unfortunately, the pay of the professors at the UNSA is determined year to year depending on the Budget and/or corruption of officials and so there are constant strikes by the professors. That SUCKS for the students. Turns your vacations into school and your school time into useless time and often means you end up studying a few years more than necessary.
The Catolica seems to be a prestigious enough place, but costly and the students are supposedly liberal snobs. (Just what I heard). The San Pablo is where my wife studied and they seem to be pretty strict about everything aside from being expensive. Here at my job we encourage the youth not to go there because they are really dedicated to the idea that one can not study and work simultaneously.
*** Side note and cultural observation. This sentiment about work and study is widely accepted and for that same reason, youth live with their parents much longer. This changes the WHOLE SOCIETY. Seriously. People mature slower, are less independent. The other side of the coin is that family ties are strong and there is a community support within the family. I'm glad I was independent of my family early and enjoy the self reliance that I gleaned from taking care of my own matters from 18 on.***
Alas Peruanas is generally looked down upon as the bottom rung of the university experience, but having only actually entered one university here(San Pablo), and seen the outside of another (UNSA), I really couldn't tell you.
I estimate that the percentage of people that seek higher education here is decent, but I am sure it could be much, MUCH more.
Something else different about the University experience here is that a person has to apply, be accept in, and follow one career. That means that at age 16 (when they finish high school) they must know what they want to do for their career. I think this is a bad system. Numbers agree with me. According to a statistic that the Ministerio de Trajo (work department) released in Arequipa a month ago: 80 percent of all professionals are working in something that isn't their field. That is a lot of wasted time and money. Basically, we have lawyers and doctors driving taxis and selling pirated DVD's. I like the State's option of letting you get in and than decide. I like the ability to leave studies for a while and than come back. Some universities are ok with this (UNSA) some are not, (San Pablo) but it is not easy anywhere. I like being able to switch universities, and having most of my credit counted in the new institution. Here, nothing counts and if you desire a change, you have to quit and than start from scratch somewhere else. I like being able to pick my classes and figure a schedule that works for me. Here you are assigned classes and schedules that are, frankly, ridiculous.
There are more things that I could say, but I think you get the idea.
Monday, March 15, 2010
What I do.
Here in Arequipa, I spend the bulk of my days in the Church of Latter Day Saints Employment Center. Here I teach a class that helps orient people in finding work and interacting with their resources. It's a nice job and I like helping people, so I find it rewarding. It's a nice building, and my bosses are good types so everything is good on that front. As far as what else I do: I am the new media specialists for the center and as part of this, I manage a newsletter and website. The website is located here:
http://sreperusur.weebly.com
I know, I know. VERY SIMPLE. But what do you expect? My bosses aren't technological geniuses and they need to manage it after I leave, in a mere two months. That being said, the thing I enjoy about what I do is that I can help people that have very little hope and very little optimism in the economy and I can help situate them. The LDS employment center is very "Teach a man to fish" oriented and I find that refreshing.
The economic situation in Peru ... Well. Like anything, there is opportunity for those willing to work. It is not easy here. A normal monthly salary here for around 50-60 hours a week would probably fall around 500 ./S . That's roughly 180 bucks a month. It's a tough environment, but one can be successful. Currently, there is a boom of micro finances and small businesses. I enjoy seeing that because it creates a more favorable market overall. I do what I can to get people to communicate with each other so that employment and self employment is easier and more profitable.
http://sreperusur.weebly.com
I know, I know. VERY SIMPLE. But what do you expect? My bosses aren't technological geniuses and they need to manage it after I leave, in a mere two months. That being said, the thing I enjoy about what I do is that I can help people that have very little hope and very little optimism in the economy and I can help situate them. The LDS employment center is very "Teach a man to fish" oriented and I find that refreshing.
The economic situation in Peru ... Well. Like anything, there is opportunity for those willing to work. It is not easy here. A normal monthly salary here for around 50-60 hours a week would probably fall around 500 ./S . That's roughly 180 bucks a month. It's a tough environment, but one can be successful. Currently, there is a boom of micro finances and small businesses. I enjoy seeing that because it creates a more favorable market overall. I do what I can to get people to communicate with each other so that employment and self employment is easier and more profitable.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Journal Post: Observation #8 Dryers
I miss my dryer.
Dryers aren't very common here. In fact, I think that in my whole area of expertise (S. Peru), I think that I have seen two personally. Bummer, because I like when I put my clothes in and then they come out warm and delicious smelling, as opposed to hanging and smelling like the farm animals that live next to us in the outskirts of town. Not to mention, hang drying WRINKLES EVERYTHING. I am no fan of ironing things, but it is a necessary evil. Because there are no dryers, sights like these are fairly common:
Well. That's the way things are. So if you live here, I hope you are lucky enough to have a washing machine, slightly more common than the dryers, but not very. Hand washing to me seems like it takes FOREVER and I would hate to do it. I once had to hand wash my undergarments in a faraway lawless town called Desaguadero for three months. It was a bummer. Another problem with cloths lines, is where do you hand your underwear? Some people have places out of public eye to hang those things, but many just hang them where they can. Makes for some interesting walks in certain parts of town. What is the first thing I do whenever I get back to the states from Peru? I wash ALL of my clothes, and than toss them in the dryer with way more fabric softening sheets than necessary. So if you need me on April 28-29th, I'll be doing laundry.
Dryers aren't very common here. In fact, I think that in my whole area of expertise (S. Peru), I think that I have seen two personally. Bummer, because I like when I put my clothes in and then they come out warm and delicious smelling, as opposed to hanging and smelling like the farm animals that live next to us in the outskirts of town. Not to mention, hang drying WRINKLES EVERYTHING. I am no fan of ironing things, but it is a necessary evil. Because there are no dryers, sights like these are fairly common:
Well. That's the way things are. So if you live here, I hope you are lucky enough to have a washing machine, slightly more common than the dryers, but not very. Hand washing to me seems like it takes FOREVER and I would hate to do it. I once had to hand wash my undergarments in a faraway lawless town called Desaguadero for three months. It was a bummer. Another problem with cloths lines, is where do you hand your underwear? Some people have places out of public eye to hang those things, but many just hang them where they can. Makes for some interesting walks in certain parts of town. What is the first thing I do whenever I get back to the states from Peru? I wash ALL of my clothes, and than toss them in the dryer with way more fabric softening sheets than necessary. So if you need me on April 28-29th, I'll be doing laundry.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Journal Post: Sunset
Well, you will have noticed a bit of a hole in my postings. Sorry about that. I have a valid excuse. Remember that blackout? Well, here at my work, there was a different one a day or so later, and that blackout messed up our internet. As you will recall from this post: http://peaksandpitfallsinperu.blogspot.com/2010/02/candelaria-continued.html, the time it took to get it fixed was a lot longer than it should have been. 5 days. Anyway, at the same time, the internet in the place I currently reside was also on the fritz and probably will not be accessible again. So here is the long awaited update.
I took some more pictures in Mollendo this last weekend, and bid farewell to the beach because I will not likely be seeing it again in the near future. Here are some pictures of a place that I used to go with my companion. It's a cliff against the ocean between the land terminal and the main block of the city. (Mollendo is crazy in it's setup) At this cliff, there are a TON of vultures, seagulls, and pelicans just chilling and riding what I imagine to be wicked sweet updrafts. Anywho, here they are:
I took some more pictures in Mollendo this last weekend, and bid farewell to the beach because I will not likely be seeing it again in the near future. Here are some pictures of a place that I used to go with my companion. It's a cliff against the ocean between the land terminal and the main block of the city. (Mollendo is crazy in it's setup) At this cliff, there are a TON of vultures, seagulls, and pelicans just chilling and riding what I imagine to be wicked sweet updrafts. Anywho, here they are:
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Lifting in the Dark.
Apagon
This comes from the verb "apagar", which means "to turn off". Apagon: We call it a "blackout" in English. These are fairly common, and the power when it is on, is what we call in the USA "dirty power". This means irregular. Volgate fluctuates. I knew this before, but remembered clearly when it fried my wireless modem that I brought down.
Yesterday I was planning on going to the gym. The lights went out, but I went anyway, supposing that perhaps where the gym was, there the light would be also.
It wasn´t.
It was rather strange to be listening to my IPOD in a dark room surrounded by strangers lifting weights.
The gym was exactly not like the 24-Hour-Fitness of which I am so fond. There are weights.
Description: Three stories. First floor, free weights. Second floor, stationary bikes of varied quality. Third floor, some kind of aerobics-step-dance class taught as a group. The teacher of the aerobic deal HAS to be gay. If not, then I am shocked. The building isn´t in great shape, but it isn´t terrible. It has a monthly rate of 40 soles for just free weights, or you can pay 1.50 ./S (that is the "dollar sign" if you will- for soles, from here on out, that´s what I am using) every time you want to go in.
After the uncomfortable grunting and heaving in the dark with strangers, I opted to run the distance (which was probably a few miles) back to the house because the power was still out and there is nothing to do when the power is out.
Luckily, it came back on before I got there.
In a completely unrelated side note, I had a delicious cake for my birthday. Too bad there weren´t two gallons of delicious skim milk to accompany it.
The tradition here is to sing "Happy Birthday" in English (wierd), and then in spanish. Than to blow out the candles. Then to taste the cake. At the cake tasting part, it is expected that someone will shove the whole face in the cake. I had this happen on my mission with a vengence, but this time around, I really wanted to eat the cake rather than ruin a portion with my face so I held it above the would be pushers and kept clean.
This comes from the verb "apagar", which means "to turn off". Apagon: We call it a "blackout" in English. These are fairly common, and the power when it is on, is what we call in the USA "dirty power". This means irregular. Volgate fluctuates. I knew this before, but remembered clearly when it fried my wireless modem that I brought down.
Yesterday I was planning on going to the gym. The lights went out, but I went anyway, supposing that perhaps where the gym was, there the light would be also.
It wasn´t.
It was rather strange to be listening to my IPOD in a dark room surrounded by strangers lifting weights.
The gym was exactly not like the 24-Hour-Fitness of which I am so fond. There are weights.
Description: Three stories. First floor, free weights. Second floor, stationary bikes of varied quality. Third floor, some kind of aerobics-step-dance class taught as a group. The teacher of the aerobic deal HAS to be gay. If not, then I am shocked. The building isn´t in great shape, but it isn´t terrible. It has a monthly rate of 40 soles for just free weights, or you can pay 1.50 ./S (that is the "dollar sign" if you will- for soles, from here on out, that´s what I am using) every time you want to go in.
After the uncomfortable grunting and heaving in the dark with strangers, I opted to run the distance (which was probably a few miles) back to the house because the power was still out and there is nothing to do when the power is out.
Luckily, it came back on before I got there.
In a completely unrelated side note, I had a delicious cake for my birthday. Too bad there weren´t two gallons of delicious skim milk to accompany it.
The tradition here is to sing "Happy Birthday" in English (wierd), and then in spanish. Than to blow out the candles. Then to taste the cake. At the cake tasting part, it is expected that someone will shove the whole face in the cake. I had this happen on my mission with a vengence, but this time around, I really wanted to eat the cake rather than ruin a portion with my face so I held it above the would be pushers and kept clean.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Journal Post: Observation #7: Transportation
I was told by my boss that driving here was like navigating a river, you just ¨Go with the flow¨ try to stay above the current. Today, my combi (the Van that serves as public transport) failed to ¨go with the flow¨ and hit another combi. Or rather, turning right from the inside lane (which didn´t exist, it was actually just one lane with too many cars in it), he cut off another combi also turning right and caused that combi to hit his rear quarter. What do you suppose happened? The door collectors yelled at each other for a moment and then everyone went about their business. That´s usually the way fender benders go around here. It´s a hassle to do the insurance thing here and nobody really has it anyway, so the shops are wizards at fixing things cheaply and will Macguyver anything.
Something I noticed when I first got to Peru is that people drive with all five senses. Especially sight and sound. Therefore, people here constantly honk the horn. Maybe because it´s fun, maybe to alert other drivers of thier presence, but whatever the reason, it´s a constant noise.
Also, the combis and taxis make driving a nightmare. Always stopping in the road, weaving in and out of traffic, making intersections way more complicated than they need to be.
Round abouts with stop lights ... Wha???
Nobody honors the rules of the road. The only rule is, if the other guy doesn´t stop, you probably should. And if you are a pedestrian, right of way goes the the car.
Another funny thing my boss said about driving here, ¨Don´t look at the other guy, if you look, it´s a sign of weakness, and you may have to yield. Just keep going and the other person will stop.
SPEED BUMPS EVERYWHERE. This is probably to make up for lack of police, but they are serious about the speed bumps.
Roads that have large potholes and very poor marking. Where is the money to repair roads? The Peruvians don´t know either appearantly.
And another rule that I´ve heard mentioned, ¨The nicer car has the right of way¨. If you hit a nice car, chances are that car´s owner will give you a lot of greif. As opposed to a not so nice car.
All I know is that it´s a valient soul here who gets behind the wheel.
Something I noticed when I first got to Peru is that people drive with all five senses. Especially sight and sound. Therefore, people here constantly honk the horn. Maybe because it´s fun, maybe to alert other drivers of thier presence, but whatever the reason, it´s a constant noise.
Also, the combis and taxis make driving a nightmare. Always stopping in the road, weaving in and out of traffic, making intersections way more complicated than they need to be.
Round abouts with stop lights ... Wha???
Nobody honors the rules of the road. The only rule is, if the other guy doesn´t stop, you probably should. And if you are a pedestrian, right of way goes the the car.
Another funny thing my boss said about driving here, ¨Don´t look at the other guy, if you look, it´s a sign of weakness, and you may have to yield. Just keep going and the other person will stop.
SPEED BUMPS EVERYWHERE. This is probably to make up for lack of police, but they are serious about the speed bumps.
Roads that have large potholes and very poor marking. Where is the money to repair roads? The Peruvians don´t know either appearantly.
And another rule that I´ve heard mentioned, ¨The nicer car has the right of way¨. If you hit a nice car, chances are that car´s owner will give you a lot of greif. As opposed to a not so nice car.
All I know is that it´s a valient soul here who gets behind the wheel.
Monday, March 1, 2010
I'm a sad guy Chile
For those of you who don't live on this planet, there was a major earthquake in Chile on Saturday the 27th. The epicenter was near Concepcion Chile and it was especially stressful for me due to my mother's family that lives there. I wish I could say that I had a happy birthday (also Saturday, but the earthquake kind of rained on that particular parade. Fortunately, my family is OK, but watching the footage of the Tsunamis, etc, is heartbreaking. The family here did give me a delicious cake, but more on that tomorrow. Today, I am merely posting this sad face that I made in illustrator. I hope that Chile is in all of your prayers.
Friday, February 26, 2010
A dance group.
Here are a few pictures that I took of a dance group my wife is in. Dances pictured: Kajelo, Saya, and another one I don't remember the name of.
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