Swanky Soiree

I've spent a good deal of time and space -- too much time some might say -- explaining the Peruvian party system on this blog. I recently found myself at a victory party for a local mayorial candidate, camera in hand. It seemed the perfect time to visually document (and prove) everything I'd been saying. Thus, I present to you, loyal blog followers, a photo story of the generation of a typical Peruvian soiree. Consider yourselves enlightened.

First, everyone must sit awkwardly against the wall in a giant circle. There's no dancing, not much talking, just a lot of sitting and waiting.


Waiting for what, you might ask. For the beer to come out, duh. Here, Papy (far left, proudly wearing his Carolina hat!) and company demonstrate the practiced art of nonchalantly scoping the crowd while passing cervezas around the circle.


These ladies are old-hands. They know the drill: a little waiting, a little lunching, a lot of dancing. One of the best things about Peruvian parties is the fact that, eventually, everyone will be on the dance floor. There are no age limits on fun here.


Next, we see what I like to call the "early adopters." These are the first people on the dance floor. They hear a favorite song and they're ready to cut loose. They don't mind that the majority of the crowd is still awkwardly balancing their paper plate of rice and beans on their laps.


Here, the early adopters are joined by the crowd at large after the band calls them to the front to listen to the mayor's acceptance/thank you speech.


You can't keep them off the dance floor at this point. The band is pumping out one hit after another. The beer is flowing. The sun is setting. The party has officially (four hours later) started.


The true mark of success -- getting the gringa to dance in your cirlce. Here I demonstrate how to two-step your way to popularity. Clearly my dance partner is impressed.


The truly amazing thing is that every single party I've been to follows this exact same format. Even the meals are the same. At least I always know what to expect, and at this point, I am more than happy to join in on all the fun.

Here's hoping you're enjoying your own special dance party!

Pisco & Peanuts

This blog title is in reference to my dinner tonight (yummy) and because it sounds like a pretty Peruvian way to say "odds 'n ends."

I found myself today with some unanticipated Internet time, thus I spent my time as any lonely foreigner would do -- partaking in some good old-fashioned Internet stalking. Perusing some of my favorite blogs (and lurking creepily around on strangers' blogs), I realized my own blogging is a bit wan. Sure, it's hard to stay on top of an Internet-based journal when you live in a town with NO Internet access, but still, I feel like there's so much I want to say and should have said to document this crazy experience. Although if you've read any of the previous entries you can certainly attest to the difficulty with which I summarize or succinctly relate my Peruvian life. What can I say? I'm wordy. Hence, the roundabout introduction to what I can only call a random update.

Birthday 2010.

My first couple weeks back in site after my Charleston trip were kind of rough, I'm not gonna lie. It's hard to go from constant activity and everyone wanting to talk to you and see you to being alone in the middle of a Peruvian desert town. But I'm happy to report I've gotten over myself and am back to loving Peru. There's something about Peruvians that just won't let you feel sorry for yourself for long. For one thing, they are hilarious in a completely unintentional way. They're also incredibly generous and welcoming.

Case in point: I was sitting this afternoon in an unassuming restaurant, working on my laptop, and ended up engaged in a nearly three-hour conversation with the owner (my Pisco purveyor). We chatted about everything from weather to politics to Hollywood stars. When he found out why I was living in Peru, he called over the other waiters to share some Pisco in honor of me and my selflessness. Ha. If they only knew how much more I am getting/learning from nearly every Peruvian I meet. Honestly, their openness and generosity touches me when I need it most. Quality people.

Besides swilling Pisco with locals, I've been steadily working on some projects in site. My artisans and I recently participated in the annual U.S. Embassy-sponsored artisan fair in Lima. I traveled with Maria and Papy for the two-day event. Papy is a Peace Corps veteran these days. He has literally been to every PC-sponsored training event that exists in the past 18 months. He loves it. He introduces himself to other Peruvians as a Peace Corps employee. I overheard him coaching Maria (who had never been to a PC event) on what to expect, pointing out who's who of the staff, and generally acting the consummate pro. It was ridiculous and endearing. This year's fair was a smaller than last year's, so we didn't sell as much as I'd hoped, but it was still a good experience for the Bad News Bears from Huaca Rajada. Poco a poco.

Maria preps for the artisan fair.

Up next: continuing with my community bank and HIV/AIDS work (two separate projects), traveling to Arequipa for Thanksgiving, studying Portuguese (I've decided it's time I learn a third language), and counting the days until I'm back in the US of A for Christmas (yes, I love Peru, but nothing says holidays like home). Hasta pronto amigos!

Saludos from Huaca Rajada!

Amazing Americana

I came, I saw, I conquered. And I’m ready for more. It turns out six days can go by extremely quickly in the fast-paced first world. It was a whirlwind trip in all senses of the word, but reassuringly familiar at the same time. But let’s start from the beginning.

I had been looking forward to my first trip stateside for months, literally counting down the days for weeks. I barely slept the night before I left and subsequently arrived to the Lima airport with plenty of time to spare. I landed in Miami with tears in my eyes. Corny, I know, but I couldn’t help it – 16 months is a long time to be away from your home, your family, your friends. After clearing customs (where the customs agent gave me a hearty “Welcome home!” after seeing how long I’d been in Peru, again bringing tears to my eyes), I headed straight for the nearest airport bar and chowed down on a burger with fries and an ice cold Bud Light draught. I’d bought some magazines to peruse as I ate my lunch, but all I could focus on was eavesdropping on the conversations swirling around me in English. I’ve gotten pretty good at tuning out Spanish when I want to be left alone, but English? In America? Forget it – I desperately wanted to strike up one of those unique airport conversations. The kind where you become instant friends with a fellow traveler, revealing personal information on a whim because you know you’ll never see them again. I made a few new friends, but was soon whisked away on the quick shuttle flight to Charleston, where I was greeted by a joyefully tearful family waving signs.

I spent the next six days in a blissful haze of shared meals, wedding activities and familial comfort. It was almost as I’d never even left. Almost. I found myself noticing the strangest things – the incredible road maintenance, the friendliness of waitresses. I was amazed by the cleanliness of everything, the luxury of modern bathrooms (though I did continue to throw toilet paper away in the trashcan, much to my mother’s disgust), the scope and breadth of food options, and just how good we have it in the U.S. I don’t want to get preachy or political, and I am certainly aware of the problems in America, but, man, it is nice over there. We, collectively, are incredibly fortunate. I guess some clichés are true for a reason – you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. And I certainly had no problem indulging myself in hot showers, cold beverages and warm beds.

Reunited and it feels so good

Keepin' it classy with some of my very favorite people

I’d be remiss not to mention the main impetus behind my quick trip home: to be a part of Britton and Rob’s wedding. I am so glad I was able to be there and share in their special weekend. It was a beautiful wedding (with lots of good food) and gave me the opportunity to see and catch up with a lot of old and dear friends. Thanks for including me, Britnin!

The happy couple

Suffice to say, the trip was over way too quickly. I struggled through my return travel day, spending nearly eight hours in the Miami airport where I gate- and restaurant-hopped the day away. Finally dragging myself to the Lima departure gate, I was greeted by mass confusion. Now there are a lot of Latin American-bound flights leaving from the Miami international terminal, but everywhere I turned were orderly travelers calmly boarding their flights. Until you reach the Peruvian gate – mayhem. Peruvians sprawled everywhere, playing cards, shouting into their cell phones, harassing the gate agent with all kinds of questions. I have no idea what was so dramatic about this particular flight – we left on time and it didn’t seem to be overbooked – but I had to shake my head and laugh a little. Peruvians live with gusto and it cheered me a little to recognize some familiarity even here, bound for my other home.

It’s incredibly reassuring to know that no matter how far you travel, or for how long, home will always be there to welcome you back. Thank you to everyone who gave me a hug, laughed at my stories, bought me a beer, and reminded me what true friends look like. I miss you all over again!