Mototaxis

In my town, we don't have cars. It's small enough where we can walk everywhere. However, we do have moto-taxis that are a concoction of a motorcycle with an attached seat and hatch in the back (like a motorized carriage). Usually, they're good if you have a large load to carry or the wealthy can afford to ride on them daily instead of walking. (We poors resort to walking.)

Anyways, a funny thing has been happening to me more lately. I've gotten to know more town people just by the fact that I've been in my site for almost 6 months now. So, lately while on my hikes, the mototaxi drivers have sometimes stopped to offer me a ride home (not realizing that I'm walking for fun, because no one here does that). So what can I do but get into the moto and go back home? Today, I hiked for 30 minutes before I was returned home. Oh well, try again tomorrow... :)

Las cosas que he aprendido

Well, I've been in Peru for almost 9 months now. (Long enough to make a baby, and speaking of, um hmmm, people back home: Please stop making babies until I come home in August 2011. We ain't in Hollywood and I want to join in on the coo'ing and ahh'ing as well.)

Anyways, I thought I'd do a post on things that I've learned so far that's certainly made my life much easier:

1. How to make dumbbells (so that you can have Jennifer Aniston arms for when you go back to the states): Find a water/soda bottle that best fit your hands and in the size that you want. Then you can fill it up with cement (and water, if you want more weight). These plastic bottles are really handy. They can also be used to heat water and, if you're quite creative, make a soap dispenser with it.

2. On washing clothes by hand: Soak overnight before even attempting to do any type of washing. But beware of detergents that eat away at your clothes or make the colors bleed.

3. On cooking with the microwave: Virtually anything can be microwaved. I made Scottish pudding yesterday with the microwave. If the cake comes out dense, you can make a poke cake out of it with simple icing or custard.

4. On cooking over a fire: Similary, almost anything can be done over a fire. For instance, you can use the an orange shell, halved and hallowed, as a muffin cooker wrapped in alumninum foil. It also gives it the muffin a nice orange aroma afterwards. You can also make baked apples and banana boats this way as well.

5. On bargaining: "No sea malita. Mi yappa, por favorcito..." Say this in a really whiny voice and begging eyes, and you can always get two more avocados out of the deal. Really, it works.

6. Tuck and don't roll: To prepare for bedtime, tuck your shirt into your pants, tuck your pants into your long socks, and then tuck yourself into bed. This helps a little with the bed bugs. Be sure to check for tarantulas beforehand, too.

Ok, I hope this helps. Should you come to Peru, you'll be ready!

Carnaval 2010!

Such fun! I just got back from watching the parade in my town of Cajabamba. My camera broke, unfortunately, but there were some ridiculous photos of street dancing, drinking homemade chicha (a Peruvian alcohol), and pictures of me posing with the abominal snowman, Freddy Krueger, etc. The floats here are just ridiculous. I'll post some of those photos when my friend sends them to me.

The activities in my capital town of Cajamarca were fun, too. I posted some pics. I spent all this weekend there having an all out paint fight with the town on Saturday. Then for the next two days, we were dodging water balloons and water from squirt guns. When those lost its appeal, people started dumping water from buckets. Well, I hope it was water anyway. Right when I got back to the hostel yesterday--dry, miraculously--and literally three steps away from the door, someone dumped a whole bucket of something on me. Whatever it was, it reeked and made my hair crust up. It was like war all weekend long, dodging and weaving, and getting shot at every few minutes with water.

I think what I've noticed most here in Peru is that even though people are not as wealthy as in the states, they really seem to celebrate life. They constantly drink, dance, and are merry all the time. They don't look at life angry at what they do not have. Anyways, Carnaval ends this week and I look forward to finally having dry clothes again.

P.S. One final tidbit: I really had a super time at my parade in Cajabamba today. However, in the capital city of Cajamarca, everyone is fair game in the water throwing...including the elected queens. While they may look glamorous for the first five minutes, they are soaked for the remainder of the time on the floats.

Yo, dim sum, y Lima

Back from Lima, the land of dim sum, sushi, middle eastern food, soft serve ice-cream, and junk food! The dim sum wasn't as good as the states or China, but it still felt like a bit of home.

I had sushi one night with one of my previous Peace Corps trainer whom I haven't seen in a while. Sadly, she told me that I have gone "campo"--like a country mouse in the city.

But besides all the fun, I did manage to squeeze some work in. I stayed up 'til about 3 or 4 working each morning, so that on the last day, I got the chance to go to the zoo. I definitely think that the animals in the states are better taken care of. But there were lots of lamas and water buffaloes that you normally don't see at the US zoos. The funniest part was that there were vending machines located all over the zoo. I think some of the Peruvians were more fascinated with the machines than with the animals.

P.S. Doesn't this picture of dim sum make your mouth water? Peruvian dim sum is not as fancy, but I already told my aunt that our family has a dim sum date with me the day that I get back.

Un dia genial, fabuloso...Totalmente, definitivamente perfecto!!!

I love Lima. I just wanted you guys to know that I arrived safely this morning. After dropping my stuff off at this amazingly gorgeous hostel (bed bugs free!!!!), I hit downtown Lima, browsed 2 museums (felt very smart and artistic while walking around with my serious/constipated face); bought 7 packs of beef jerky in Chinatown (OMG!!! I finally found Chinese beef jerky in this one and only store in Chinatown that had it...and trust me, I combed through them all...twice); had dim sum after that; and ate ice cream and junk food all day long!!! Did I mention that I had a fabulous day!!?

The only thing that was weird was being back in the city again. Every time I come into Lima, things feel more and more foreign. I love being here, but there are so many people and so many cars! Was I ever used to the traffic and the honking and the people rushing by all around me in the states? My heart was racing!!! In fact, sheeps that passed by me today...0, bulls dodged today...0, cars that almost ran me over today...a freakin´ million! In Cajabamba, we hardly have cars! Because it´s a small town, we just walk everywhere and our ¨mototaxis¨ (motorcycles that we made into a carriage) go only like 10 mph so there´s nothing to dodge.

Ok, so you guys can have a laugh (and because my blog entries just wouldn´t be complete without an embarrassing story), I´ll admit that I did an awesome faceplant today dodging from a car. Yep, nose, hands, knees and everything smacked into the concrete while in the middle of a busy road...because I was so freakin´ afraid of getting run over. And all the while, I kept muttering the ¨f---¨¨ word like a crazy person, because it was so embarrassing.

Anyways...

I did not let this pride buster ruin my day, because I am back at the hostel now (with torn jeans and a scratched up nose). But I have, wait for it...American cable!!!!! This means it´s time for E! News! Giddy, giddy, giddy! :) :) :) Yáll get ready, when I come back next year, it´ll be like twice the giddiness, twice the excitement at everything!!!!!!!! I spent literally an hour at the grocery store today, because there were so many choices and everything was just so fabulous. Oh my, I still can´t stop smiling.

Lima esta fin de semana!

Just wanted everyone to know that I'll be in Lima this weekend. I can actually say that I'll be traveling on business :) and will be working on a publication for Peace Corps. But, of course, I will also take some time to eat McDonald's, soft serve ice cream, sushi, sip lattes, and well, you get the point. After I come back, it'll be just in time for "Carnaval," our Peruvian sierra version of Mardi Gras. I'll be sure to take pictures then. Hope everyone is doing well!