A couple people have asked me about the culture of Peru and do I like it here? It is incredibly difficult to define the word 'culture' because we all view it differently, don't we? One thing that I see as culturally different and intensely awesome may offend someone else or make them uncomfortable. For me, this experience is about defying the norms of comfortable. When I think about it, nothing about being here is 'comfortable'. There is nothing familiar here. But that's what makes it so wonderful. I am becoming accustomed to this culture and I'm sure once I go back to the states I will be shocked at how different things really are.
So, instead of boring you with more cultural details and reflection I'm going to list of some of the differences between here and the states - the good and the bad.
FOOD. I love it. There is fresh bread every day, all kinds of fruits I've never heard of, and lots of natural/organic products. The cheese is so deliciously rich here and tastes good on everything. I mean everything. Lunch is the main meal here and, depending on the family, is served between 1 and 4 pm. There is always a soup and a second plate called segundo. They have an endless variety of fresh veggies, meats, rices, and herbs and spices here that make the food taste like nothing I have ever had in the states. Every meal is a new dining experience and so far I have not tried something i did not like (except for maybe the cow stomach... it was a little too chewy for my liking). Dinner is a much lighter meal and is served between 8 and 10. In my family we eat left overs from lunch if we're hungry and if we're not hungry we eat bread or chicken sandwiches, yogurt and cereal and tea or coffee. When I tell mami I'm not hungry she says ok! and gives me 1 sandwich and bowl of yogurt instead of two. The milk comes in bags and the yogurt comes in white 1/2 gallon cartons. Mami and Papi go to the market once or twice a week. There are several out door markets here but the one they go to is HUGE. All the meat is freshly butchered and the veggies fresh out of the ground. They have over 200 kinds of potatoes here. Crazy. Crazy delicious.
FAMILY. My family is hilarious. They get along so well and have all of these little inside jokes and sayings that I am now a part of. They have embraced me lovingly and given me everything I need to get accustomed to this city. Papi is very patient with me and explains everything I do not understand because my sisters and mami talk really fast. (but my ears are beginning to keep up!) In South America it is customary for children to live in the house until they are married. My siblings are 14, 22, and 23 and none of them have plans of moving out any time soon. They do not understand how I could go to a school not in my hometown and live in an apartment not with my parents. Mami was astounded to learn that I have my own car and drive myself places and make my own food because they only have one car and only Papi drives it and Mami makes every meal. The concept of family is just entirely different in the country. They truly are a community. They eat together, laugh together, cry together, etc. and now I am a part of it : )
WALKING TO SCHOOL. I walk 45 minutes to and from school everyday, sometimes more than once a day because I don't enjoy the transportation system here. (it's nothing like the subways in NY or Boston...) I don't mind the walk because I see something new everyday. There are little librerias everywhere you look. They sell candies, ice cream, pop, water, and alcohol. Since you can't drink the water from the tap here I buy a bottle of water almost every day - only 1 sole. That's like $.40 in the U.S. Some stores also have school supplies and other trinkets. There are men and women lining the streets selling everything from wallets to jewelry to sunglasses to fresh produce. Many people say "buenos dias" when I walk by in the morning and "buenos tardes" when I walk by in the afternoon. There are police men on every corner and in front of major businesses and other large buildings. I always feel safe.
SCHOOL. The school basically functions like a large 5 story high school in the states but with no P.A. system or bells to announce class is over. There are no dorms since everyone lives at home and there is no time in between classes so if you have classes back to back you're always going to be late to the second one, but time is relative here and no one minds if you walk into class 10 or even 20 minutes late. There are over 4,000 students at the school so thats about 4,000 people starring at the white kids every day. I've never been so aware of my skin color as I am now. Some people are afraid of us because we're different and some people talk to us simply because we're different. I've decided to embrace my whiteness either way. All the people I've talked to at San Pablo thus far have been really nice and easy to understand. Eventually I'll have legit Peruvian friends!
CHOIR. As i said in my last post, I am taking on the role of student director. Yesterday I taught the sopranos and altos together (still without a piano). It was difficult, but we managed. The attitude towards music is much different at San Pablo than at Calvin. None of the students have any formal training and most cannot read music. I feel like I'm teaching music to 5 year olds trapped in 20 year old bodies. Once I have a keyboard it will be easier to teach. Our concert is the last weekend of October so I've got about 2 months to get La Missa Solemnis in C to sound like the work of art Mozart meant for it to be.
LANGUAGE. Believe it or not, they don't speak straight up spanish here. They speak a mix of spanish and quechua, old castilian spanish. I am learning a lot of slang that is native to this area and rich in history. Peruvians are VERY proud of their city and their history. I'm starting to learn why.
RELIGION. The majority of people here are Catholic. There are gorgeous cathedrals everywhere in the city. Today I will go to mass with my family for the first time. So far it seems to me that their religion is more about tradition and less about relationships. More on that later.
DANCING. Peruvians love their music and love dancing. I already know the tune to many authentically peruvian songs and had no trouble following along with the dance steps. Dancing is a huge part of the culture here. If you don't dance you are an outcast. So of course, I dance.
Ok, so i said I was going to list good and bad things about this country, but I really can't think of anything 'bad'. Sure, things are different, but every city is different, even in the states. I love this city, this food, this family, this school, etc. because it is different. I mean why would I want an experience exactly like the one I have at Calvin? I didn't fly halfway across the world to go through the same motions. I love it here. Plain and simple. Am I glad I got on that flight? Certainly. Am I glad to be here? Most definitely. Am I learning some thing new every day? Positively.
Learning and Loving it,
Erin
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