A brief bout of homesickness

So, we're about 6 weeks into this crazy adventure.  And I've been feeling just a bit homesick.  Nothing too serious.   

• A little crabby.^
• Missing a few of my food staples that were easy to get in the US but hard or too expensive here.*
• Feeling a bit frustrated that my Spanish isn't just magically turning into fluency.+
• Just missing family and friends and a place where everything feels normal and doesn't require a lot of extra thought.

I read somewhere that 3/6 weeks and 3/6 months are hard when you move to another culture.  Someone who was a foreign exchange student commented on a personal Facebook post that 9 months is when you really get the new culture, think it's superior, and don't want to go home.  We'll see!  ;)

For right now, it feels a lot like college when the initial excitement has worn off and break seems a long way off or when a new baby comes home and disrupts your whole world.  At this point, we'll keep on keeping on....I'm working on a few projects around the house like a mini-art gallery for the girls, a family calendar and menu board, and some fall decorations.  And I'm really thankful for Skype and the internet access we have!

One of the limited salsa options- $3.50 for almost 16 oz. 
Dave got in trouble for taking this picture and played "stupid foreigner." 
We paid $1.69 for 24 ounces back home.

^ Fortunately, family has been very gracious.
* Foods such as:

• Cheese (crazy expensive, and the standard cheese is nothing like the block or shredded cheese in the states.  Queso fresco is (for our family at least) an acquired taste.  And I really miss the standard cheese that melts into ooey goodness.)
• Salsa (we found it in one store- something like $5 for 8 ounces of Old El Paso brand).  Mostly, it just doesn't exist.  At least I can make some.  You can buy tomatoes, cilantro, onions, limes, and peppers.  It's just a lot more work.  So much so that I haven't actually made any yet.  Maybe I need to teach Flor the wonders of salsa making....
• Corn tortillas (this is more a miss for the fam, but we ate a lot of them in the US thanks to the gluten free diet 75% of us are on).
• Ice cream.  The ice cream here doesn't have cream or milk as a primary (or sometimes any) ingredient.  Instead, it's more like ice milk.  Or vegetable fat and water. Seriously.  Primary ingredient is water, followed by vegetable fat and artificial flavorings.  I don't even eat it, and if you know me, that's saying A LOT.  I miss Breyers.  And Izzys.  And Grand Ol' Creamery.  And any other premium ice cream.  And you can't exactly have someone pack a pint or half gallon.  :(
• Milk.  All they have is UHT (ultra heat treated) milk here.  The girls drink it just fine but it kind of grosses me out.

+ I can get by in regular outings just fine.  But things like the 2 hour required parent meeting at M's school today meant that my brain was completely overloaded and I didn't even get everything they said.  It does give me an appreciation for immigrants.  It's a brave thing to try to get around in another culture.  And I don't even have a job (and still feel like there isn't enough time in the day to focus on language stuff).  I've been talking with Flor (our empleada) and I did a few lessons in Rosetta Stone.  At present, I don't feel like I have time or money to go to a formal language school but we'll see if I feel the same way in a month.

Cultural Norms and Expectations- Part 2

Our second event a week ago was an all school family event for M's school.  Cue cultural expectations.  We were expected to:

• Attend
• Donate a dessert (which was then sold)
• Purchase meal tickets and/or food that was for sale
• Purchase 40 soles worth of bingo tickets (about $15). 
• I think we were also supposed to sell Bingo tickets to other people and invite them to attend, too...but we didn't exactly do that.  We did take Flor and Alex with us and paid for their food, so maybe we sort of did what the school wanted.

The event was held in a rented facility far away from the school (30 min taxi ride) and, as mentioned before, it was at the same time at Alex's first communion.  After his communion wrapped up, we took our family as well as Alex and Flor and hopped in a taxi.  The driver gave us a price, overshot the destination (his own fault...) and then charged us a sol more because he had to drive farther.  Note to self: always carry change when taking taxis so you can pay them the exact amount agreed to before the ride and not be held hostage to the driver not giving you change.

When we arrived, it was mass chaos.  It was a huge gym, with various things happening on the floor (we missed the all school talent show but we got to see some dogs being put through their paces, as well as a mini-soccer game and some songs).  We also made it in time for bingo.  However, I had paid the money and turned in the cards because I didn't have any idea when we would arrive relative to bingo and hearing numbers in another language over the loudspeaker didn't inspire confidence in our ability to follow the numbers being called.  We ended up dropping off my apple pie (which seemed to turn out well and sold out fast), got our meals (and found out that while I thought I bought 4 chicken dinners, I actually got two chicken and two pork), and purchased some supplemental food (papa a la huancaina and some fancy rice which was actually my favorite thing.  We also bought a caramel apple for M and some cotton candy to share.)

Pork meal.  Underneath was a boiled potato and a plastic sleeve of sauce. 
Chicken plate was similar, but with fried chicken instead of pork.

Potato dish and just a touch of the rice on the right side.

Frankly, the whole thing was noisy and echo-y and after spending several hours in an all Spanish speaking setting where I wasn't sure if we were setting a foot wrong or right, I was more than ready to get out after we ate our food.  So, that's what we did...well, after M got her face painted (another 8 soles).  I hope it was a successful fundraiser, we certainly did our part in putting up about $50 toward the event.  The money was going to purchase instruments for the school band.

Our little kitty.

Interesting Cultural Observation- Bathrooms

So....bathrooms are a little different here in Peru. And the day after we had a 24 hour planned water outage as well as a kid home sick with a fever (thankfully not puking), it seems appropriate to let you in on some bathroom secrets.

First off, we are fortunate in that we have running water, a shower (with tub!  Not as common here.), and indoor plumbing/toilets/sinks.  Life is a little different than the USA in that we have hot water, but it's solar heated in a tank on the roof, and when the hot water runs out, it's out.  It takes a little while to get to our sink/shower and the pipes themselves are not insulated.  So hot water is best used on a continuous flow pattern and not as great for things like washing kitchen dishes where you tend to turn the water on/off as you wash some then rinse. 


Rooftop water tanks

Anyway, bathrooms.....

Differences:

• You can purchase electric heaters/showerheads that heat water at the source.  Yes, this seems like a bad idea on surface (electricity + water typically doesn't lead to good things) but if installed properly, lots of people have hot showers this way without negative impact. 
• Heating your water with electricity is really expensive and the alternative option is outlined above- a tank with solar panels.
• The plumbing can't handle toilet paper, so everywhere you go there are trash cans.  Yes, they still use toilet paper, you just can't flush it.  So now you know, if you travel through Latin America.  Use the garbage can. 

Traveling Tips:

• Make sure to carry some tissues or toilet paper with you.  And soap or hand sanitizer.  In public settings, there is usually a toilet and sink but they may not provide toilet paper or soap.  Best to be prepared.
• In a mall or public area setting, there may be a large roll of TP on the wall near the sinks instead of one in each stall.  It pays to be prepared and look around before you enter the stall.  I may or may not have learned this one through personal experience.
• Public restrooms may have a toilet, but a surprising lot of them have only the toilet, not a toilet seat.  So, practice up on your squats or be a good planner when going out.
• Sometimes, you go to a restroom and have to pay a small fee to use the bathroom, ostensibly for the four squares of tissue that the bathroom attendant gives you.  This is not unlike Europe.  Plenty of free restrooms abound, including in restaurants (you should buy something if you go in) and shopping malls.  If you use a restroom in an open air market, you are more likely to have to pay.  Plan your outings well, especially if traveling with small children.

Our concessions:

• We found that the hot water tank works pretty well most of the time and provides most of the water we need.  But if it's a cloudy day and the sun is hidden, you are out of luck.  Since we like to take showers, and prefer warm ones at that, we opted to install one of the electric shower heads.  There are two styles, one that is a major box on the wall (this is more frequently used by people who don't have water tanks like we have) and then a smaller one that allows you to turn on the electric heat only when needed.  We got the latter.  It was about $100 and will be a permanent upgrade.  Our lease allows us to install things with permission and the knowledge that we leave them for the next tenants with no compensation.  In this case, the school that owns the house also sent one of their maintenance people to install at no charge to us.  So, Merry Christmas, Dave.  Hot showers guaranteed for our time here. 

Our new electric showerhead- wires run along the ceiling

• I carry TP and hand sanitizer when going out.
• We make sure that everyone uses the bathroom before we leave the house.
• We change our garbage frequently.





Keeping it real, see post for details

Cultural Norms and Expectations- Part 1

We came to Peru with more than an average understanding of cultural norms, but we certainly aren't experts about this culture by any stretch.  This past Saturday, we had an opportunity to participate in two events about which we knew very little but which had CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS for us.  And, of course, they were both on the same day at the same time, which created a bigger dilemma for us. 

One was the first communion of our empleada's son(Alex) and the second was a family fiesta for M's school.

Flor supports her son by herself, and one of the things that is really important to her is education.  She sacrifices a lot to put Alex in a private school. 

 

Cultural side note- there are three main types of schools here, below is an oversimplified summary:

• Public (free but under resourced and not a great launching pad)
• Private and affordable, more or less (this is what M and Alex are in- some are run by churches and some are just private without a religious affiliation, the parents pay tuition, and these are stronger)
• Private and uber-expensive private schools (favored by wealthy people, expats that want their kids to go to college somewhere else and/or whose children will be in school in Peru for the long run)  

Culturally, most of Latin America has a strong Catholic leaning. Alex's school is Catholic, and even though he and his mom attend a Protestant church, he participated in the First Communion along with his classmates.  31 kids took their first communion this past Saturday and we attended.  First Communion is a BIG DEAL here, and unfortunately it was at exactly the same time as M's school party which is an annual event.  We gave her the choice of us having someone else take her to the party for the whole day or coming to see Alex's service and then all of us heading to the party afterward.  She chose the latter because "the party will happen again next year, but Alex only has this once in his whole life."   

 

The service was about 90 minutes long, with the kids proceeding in, singing some songs, having a liturgical call/response, and then the communion.  The church was packed, everyone wore white robes, and after the service we all went to a large courtyard and waited about 30 minutes while the kids got a mini-reception of their own.  Then everyone could go in and take pictures of the kids. 

 

The processional

Alex and his fancy cake

Group picture afterward with some family

 

 

Some of the interesting highlights:

• Professional photographers took pics of the kids as they came in, when they recessed out, and of each kid with their cake.  Then they quickly printed them and had armfuls, which they sold for $2-4 each, just like when you go to an amusement park and they try to get you to buy the pictures they take when you enter the park or go on a roller coaster.  I think there were at least 3-5 photographers so you had a lot of opportunities to pick which picture(s) you liked.
• The kids hand out recuerdos, or remembrances of the event.  Most kids give a card that has their name, the date, parents' names, etc., but some have more elaborate (and expensive) trinkets like a key chain or a small plastic figurine made in China.  I will confess, this didn't really make much sense to me at all, as every kid gave a recuerdo to everyone else and I don't expect that someone would have much use for 15 figurines.  But I might be missing something.  I do recall that when I graduated from high school, I pressed my mom into buying those little name cards which were SO IMPORTANT to hand out with my senior pictures and I still have tons of them in my memory box because they really weren't that important at all.  :)
• The kids all wore white robes with capelets and a sash.  They also had a little bag to carry their recuerdos, but in actuality the parents carried around boxes or bags and handed them out to everyone.  I guess 10 year olds are 10 year olds in every country.

We were honored to be invited to the event and hope we didn't inadvertently mess up some cultural expectation.  In part 2 I will talk about M's school party.

And the Sorting Hat says..... *UPDATED*

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath to find out to which house M was assigned.  Well, everything in Peru takes a little longer than promised, but she was assigned to her house and that meant we got to take another trip to another place and pick up another thing; in this case, her house shirt.

Without further ado, I present to you....the Casa of the Cocodrilos!

King Crocodile

Small logo is also on the front

I really don't know if it's crocodiles or alligators- the translator gives the same word for both, even though they are different animals.  (At least I think so...it's not like I would get any awards for animal knowledge and about all I know about these beasts is they live in different places, both of them freak me out, and Reader's Digest said to run in a zig-zag pattern if you are trying to flee from them.  Just make sure your zig-zags are wide enough not to give them a straight shot at you, they are fast.  I am shooting for 30-50 paces before turning in the opposite zig-zag if I ever find myself in that situation.)

So....the four houses are Crocodile/Green, Lion/Yellow, some bird (Eagle/Red?), and Sharks/Blue (or some other sea creature...hard to tell from the folded up shirt.) UPDATE: Eagle/Red, and Dolphin/Blue. So, what do you think this corresponds to?  Is M in the House of Slytherin?  Clearly, it's not Gryffindor.....

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Interesting Cultural Observation: Traffic Rules

From Dave:

From the files of: 'Yes, some things are different in Peru,' I give you:






Exhibit A... or Exhibit zzzzz



Will they ever stop eating?

From Kitchen Boy:

Dave: Cook and Scullery Maid

The girls have started to eat close to normal amounts of food over the past week.  Some stomach issues seem to have slowed down the pace of consumption.  Just to give you a feel for the pace of cooking when we got here - a journal entry from last week:

~6:00 - Family wakes up (both M and A are remarkably consistent on this)
~7:00 - I serve up a breakfast of oatmeal
~8:00 - "I'm hungry" explains M - so I get out the breakfast food again (I've almost finished cleaning up from breakfast #1) - bowl of corn flakes.
~10:00 - 1st lunch served (I haven't left the kitchen yet) of a green salad, white beans and fruit (afterward, I clean up and prep for the next meal)
~12:00 - 2nd lunch (at a school festival) - M has two sandwiches and a drink
~1:00 - M: "I'm hungry."   D: "Here's a glass of milk - the next meal is in the works."
~1:30 - K: "I'm hungry" (getting out food as I'm in the midst of the final touches of...)
~2:00 - 1st supper: bean and beef soup with rice
~4:00 - M: "I'm hungry" - snack
~6:00 - 2nd supper - something like a quarter cow and a field of corn - I forget
By 9:00 I've finished cleaning up and prepping some of tomorrow's food - anyone interested in being hired as a cook?

But now I'm in the kitchen only half the day, so that's good.
There's a bit more to every part of the process, including using Kilol (http://www.kilol.com.co/) to kill various things that apparently live on the fresh fruits and vegetables here.  Learning each day.

(Ed. note: Apparently, adjusting to high altitude can bring an increase in food consumption as your body works to produce additional red blood cells.)