Written June 5.
Last night I went to a small house party with some of the volunteers for VEN Peru. I got back home around 2:30 and slept till noon. Jannet woke me up at noon, "Mi hija, son las doce. Todavia tienes suenyo??" Haha She's such a sweetheart. She gave me a bracelet para suerte.
Today we went to Huanchaco. Well first Jannet went to vote and we took pictures. She talks about Ollanta the way my grandmother talks about Obama. When we (Jannet, su hija Lili, y otra chica de Wisconsin se llama Laura) went to Huanchaco, Jannet made sure I got good prices on everything I bought. I was going to buy souvenirs but I spent all my money on myself. But my mom and Sanari should know that I thought about them lol. I got two pairs of amazing earrings and a scarf for about 10 bucks. Probably would have spent about 30 in the States, so I had to buy it here. Didn't have a choice. Hopefully I'll have time to go buy shoes at the mall tomorrow. Ok, maybe that's too much lol. It's overcast and a little chilly today. Jannet attributed the weather to God, saying that He was angry with Peru about the runoff elections.
When we got back from Huanchaco we ate and waited for the exit polls to show that Ollanta was ahead of Keiko. Entonces, tenemos una minifiesta en el apartamento. Lili y Jannet were so happy! Now we're sitting in the back of her brother-in-law's pickup truck with her sister, brother-in-law, cousin, niece, and three strangers who just hopped in. The Plaza de Armas is flooded with people screaming "Ollanta presidente" and "Contra la corrupcion" (from what I've gathered Keiko is the daughter of a former sketchy president, so lots of people are anti-Keiko outside of Lima and a few other cities. Her dad did help the economy a lot and put Peru on a growth track, but lots of folks only recognize the corruption). People are honking their horns, waving Peruvian flags. Reminds me of the night Obama won in 2008. Lili is 30, but she looks like a teenager standing over me yelling for Ollanta. She's aging well. Very well. She was hoping I didn't speak Spanish so that she could practice her English, but that hasn't happened lol. Lili's prima is tying her flag around her neck like a cape. The chanting has changed to "The people have decided. Ollanta already won." Jannet says she won't be surprised if Keiko is president by the end of the night. But for now, Trujillo is proud and celebrating democracy...
Was it dangerous to go to la Plaza de Armas? In hindsight, yeah, it might have been. If something had happened Laura and I would have been SOL. But you only live once and you may as well live on the edge. Now if I had been in Egypt or Libya, I probably would have avoided any political event. My father is likely to have a heart attack when he reads this. He's been telling me to "be careful," and that wasn't exactly careful. However, now I have a cool story to tell my kids.
...When they release the official results around 8, Jannet tells Laura and I that, "We didn't vote for Ollanta. We voted against corruption." In his acceptance speech Ollanta makes several promises and says a lot of stuff that sounds good. I mention to Jannet that Obama had a lot of good speeches and made promises, but people had unrealistic expectations. They thought he'd turn the country around in 6 months to year, which wasn't possible, so now they are upset. Jannet thinks Peruvians might be in the same boat. I'll be interested to see where Peru is in 2 or 3 years. The economy has tripled in the last ten years because of private investment and tourism, so we'll see what it looks like in a few years.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Creo que Pasaje Schell no existe
Written June 3:
Today I arrived in Lima. At 5am in Nicaragua, I didn't even know if they'd let me in the country because I didn't have my vaccines. When I was sitting on the plane in Miami last week I thought about how I didn't check to see if I needed a visa for any of these countries. I didn't check to see what vaccines I needed. Nada. But you know what they say...the Lord watches over babies and fools, and I definitely belong in the latter category. I flew Taca to San Salvador y to Lima.
I arrived in Lima (finally after hours of delays) around 2:30, after getting a full bottle of water every hour and anything else I wanted from Herna'n, the flight attendant LOL...oh, and after being set up with the woman's nephew that was sitting on my row. She was a sweet old lady and told me that her nephew, a lawyer, is very patient and sweet and very tall and loves to travel like me. She invited me to her house in Chimbonte on Sunday to meet him and have dinner with her family lol. She lives in LA. Anywho, by the time I got to customs I totally forgot about my vaccines. The agent was so intrigued that I spoke Spanish that he didn't even look at my customs paper. I'm pretty sure he just tore it and handed it to me, so I hope I don't really need any vaccines. But I'll be fine...babies and fools, babies and fools haha.
I rode in the taxi from the airport a Miraflores con una mexicana muy amable. The taxi driver was very nice as well. Peru has runoff presidential elections on Sunday, so the driver told us all about the candidates and voting. Voting is Sunday, which I learned means this weekend is a dry weekend. No one can buy alcohol, so the bars and clubs are closed. There are two candidates, but you wouldn't know it being in Lima. All you see everywhere is Keiko: Seguridad y oportunidades para todos. There are about as many Keiko for president signs as there are Jesus wants to bless you signs. Kind of like being in the Bible belt without the "You're going to hell" message behind it.
We couldn't find the street the hostel was on to save our lives. We drove around forever trying to find it!
So what about Lima? I don't want to give it a bad review because it's winter time and everything is less appealing in the winter. There's trash everywhere. Some places just have piles of trash lined along the street. I honestly can't tell if it's cloudy or if it's smoggy. Or both. The Miraflores area is nice. Reminds me of Buenos Aires, and if you know me you know I think BA is one of the best cities in the world. There's good shopping, cheap waxing and pedicures, great food in Miraflores. I had an amazing Jordanian salad last night. And the best part about South America...agua con gas por supuesto! Ah, I love it. Like BA, crossing the street here is a game of life or death. Traffic rules just don't really exist. People stop at red lights, but that's about it lol. There's really no sense of PDA here, which is fine. Doesn't bother me. If people love each other why not show it, eh? The hostel I stayed in was nice as well. Had some great conversations with some folks from Kentucky, Israel, Germany, and the UK. One of the girls from the UK, Claire, lives about half an hour from York and might be working there when I move in the fall, so it was good to meet her so that I can know at least one person when I move to the UK. It was my first time staying in a hostel, but I'll definitely do it more often. Claire has been traveling for a while alone and she says staying in hostels is the only way to remain sane when you're traveling alone. Otherwise, you get bored. I can believe that because I was bored out of my mind in San Salvador. I have books, but I didn't feel like reading them and I couldn't pick up a good wifi signal on my whackberry, so I was just there. Bored. Waiting on the plane. One of the girls from Ireland joked about how the U.S. has more study abroad programs than every other country combined. She rarely meets people from the U.S. who are traveling just for the sake of traveling. We are always "on a program." She asked, "Well goodness. How many programs are there?!" We also had a pretty comical conversation about being kidnapped and traveling alone. She'd never seen Taken, but when I told her the story line she laughed like it was the most hilarious thing she'd heard all day. Essentially a big city is a big city is a big city. The same precautions you would take in a city like NY or Detroit are the ones you would take in Lima, or Rio or Paris. People don't just go around kidnapping women from western countries especially because their families are more likely to have the resources to find them. Of course it happens, but not as often as they make it seem in the States, and if you take the obvious precautions (don't go out in the dark in a neighborhood alone, don't tell strangers everything about your life, don't go to a stranger's house alone, follow your gut, etc etc) you'll be fine. Judging from this trip, I'd say she's right. I wouldn't walk alone at night in Chinandega, just like I wouldn't walk alone at night on Bankhead. In other places, I just act like I belong. In Lima, I looked at the map before I left the hostel and I walked with a purpose like I knew exactly where I was going. No picture taking, so I wasn't screaming "I'm a tourist. I'm alone. Please rob me." In cities with high petty crime rates like Buenos Aires, it's not a good idea to walk around alone speaking English to your friend on your brand new Iphone 4. Someone may try to snatch it out of your hand. Now these tips likely don't apply in say, Afghanistan where men and women have to vote in separate polling stations. But they'll get you through the developing/developed world. As soon as I find a way to make some money, I'll be planning another trip, but for fun this time. Anyone interested in tagging along just let me know! Serious inquiries only LOL.
The guy working the reception desk was pretty cool too. He's Japanese, speaks English, Spanish and French. He's moving to Australia in September. We're Facebook friends lol.
Let me tell you about the companies/brands that are making tons of money. I've seen them in at least 7 of the 11 countries I've been to:
1. Dior
2. Lancome and Maybelline...they might not have your color, but they're there.
3. Polo and Tommy Hilfiger
4. Doritos and Lays
5. Snickers
6. Cosmo, yup the magazine
7. Kleenex
8. Coke (well duh)
9. Starbucks
10. McDonald's and Burger King
11. LG
...The trip from Lima to Trujillo wasn't bad at all. The seats were roomy and reclined really far. For most of the trip we were in the desert. Now one thing I'm not good with is geography, so when I woke up and we were driving through the desert I was very shocked lol. The coastline was on our left. I planned on staying awake so that I could see the scenery, but it turned out the scenery was just desert and mountains and the occasional shack or restaurant. I'm pretty sure the ITTSA folks gave me the best meal I've ever had on a bus/train/airplane. A piece of beef, white rice, something else covered in gravy that was good that was kinda like a potato (but I can't really tell you what is was lol), and jello for desert! Yum. I don't remember what we had for breakfast lol. It must not have been that good.
We'll see what Trujillo has to offer.
Today I arrived in Lima. At 5am in Nicaragua, I didn't even know if they'd let me in the country because I didn't have my vaccines. When I was sitting on the plane in Miami last week I thought about how I didn't check to see if I needed a visa for any of these countries. I didn't check to see what vaccines I needed. Nada. But you know what they say...the Lord watches over babies and fools, and I definitely belong in the latter category. I flew Taca to San Salvador y to Lima.
I arrived in Lima (finally after hours of delays) around 2:30, after getting a full bottle of water every hour and anything else I wanted from Herna'n, the flight attendant LOL...oh, and after being set up with the woman's nephew that was sitting on my row. She was a sweet old lady and told me that her nephew, a lawyer, is very patient and sweet and very tall and loves to travel like me. She invited me to her house in Chimbonte on Sunday to meet him and have dinner with her family lol. She lives in LA. Anywho, by the time I got to customs I totally forgot about my vaccines. The agent was so intrigued that I spoke Spanish that he didn't even look at my customs paper. I'm pretty sure he just tore it and handed it to me, so I hope I don't really need any vaccines. But I'll be fine...babies and fools, babies and fools haha.
I rode in the taxi from the airport a Miraflores con una mexicana muy amable. The taxi driver was very nice as well. Peru has runoff presidential elections on Sunday, so the driver told us all about the candidates and voting. Voting is Sunday, which I learned means this weekend is a dry weekend. No one can buy alcohol, so the bars and clubs are closed. There are two candidates, but you wouldn't know it being in Lima. All you see everywhere is Keiko: Seguridad y oportunidades para todos. There are about as many Keiko for president signs as there are Jesus wants to bless you signs. Kind of like being in the Bible belt without the "You're going to hell" message behind it.
We couldn't find the street the hostel was on to save our lives. We drove around forever trying to find it!
So what about Lima? I don't want to give it a bad review because it's winter time and everything is less appealing in the winter. There's trash everywhere. Some places just have piles of trash lined along the street. I honestly can't tell if it's cloudy or if it's smoggy. Or both. The Miraflores area is nice. Reminds me of Buenos Aires, and if you know me you know I think BA is one of the best cities in the world. There's good shopping, cheap waxing and pedicures, great food in Miraflores. I had an amazing Jordanian salad last night. And the best part about South America...agua con gas por supuesto! Ah, I love it. Like BA, crossing the street here is a game of life or death. Traffic rules just don't really exist. People stop at red lights, but that's about it lol. There's really no sense of PDA here, which is fine. Doesn't bother me. If people love each other why not show it, eh? The hostel I stayed in was nice as well. Had some great conversations with some folks from Kentucky, Israel, Germany, and the UK. One of the girls from the UK, Claire, lives about half an hour from York and might be working there when I move in the fall, so it was good to meet her so that I can know at least one person when I move to the UK. It was my first time staying in a hostel, but I'll definitely do it more often. Claire has been traveling for a while alone and she says staying in hostels is the only way to remain sane when you're traveling alone. Otherwise, you get bored. I can believe that because I was bored out of my mind in San Salvador. I have books, but I didn't feel like reading them and I couldn't pick up a good wifi signal on my whackberry, so I was just there. Bored. Waiting on the plane. One of the girls from Ireland joked about how the U.S. has more study abroad programs than every other country combined. She rarely meets people from the U.S. who are traveling just for the sake of traveling. We are always "on a program." She asked, "Well goodness. How many programs are there?!" We also had a pretty comical conversation about being kidnapped and traveling alone. She'd never seen Taken, but when I told her the story line she laughed like it was the most hilarious thing she'd heard all day. Essentially a big city is a big city is a big city. The same precautions you would take in a city like NY or Detroit are the ones you would take in Lima, or Rio or Paris. People don't just go around kidnapping women from western countries especially because their families are more likely to have the resources to find them. Of course it happens, but not as often as they make it seem in the States, and if you take the obvious precautions (don't go out in the dark in a neighborhood alone, don't tell strangers everything about your life, don't go to a stranger's house alone, follow your gut, etc etc) you'll be fine. Judging from this trip, I'd say she's right. I wouldn't walk alone at night in Chinandega, just like I wouldn't walk alone at night on Bankhead. In other places, I just act like I belong. In Lima, I looked at the map before I left the hostel and I walked with a purpose like I knew exactly where I was going. No picture taking, so I wasn't screaming "I'm a tourist. I'm alone. Please rob me." In cities with high petty crime rates like Buenos Aires, it's not a good idea to walk around alone speaking English to your friend on your brand new Iphone 4. Someone may try to snatch it out of your hand. Now these tips likely don't apply in say, Afghanistan where men and women have to vote in separate polling stations. But they'll get you through the developing/developed world. As soon as I find a way to make some money, I'll be planning another trip, but for fun this time. Anyone interested in tagging along just let me know! Serious inquiries only LOL.
The guy working the reception desk was pretty cool too. He's Japanese, speaks English, Spanish and French. He's moving to Australia in September. We're Facebook friends lol.
Let me tell you about the companies/brands that are making tons of money. I've seen them in at least 7 of the 11 countries I've been to:
1. Dior
2. Lancome and Maybelline...they might not have your color, but they're there.
3. Polo and Tommy Hilfiger
4. Doritos and Lays
5. Snickers
6. Cosmo, yup the magazine
7. Kleenex
8. Coke (well duh)
9. Starbucks
10. McDonald's and Burger King
11. LG
...The trip from Lima to Trujillo wasn't bad at all. The seats were roomy and reclined really far. For most of the trip we were in the desert. Now one thing I'm not good with is geography, so when I woke up and we were driving through the desert I was very shocked lol. The coastline was on our left. I planned on staying awake so that I could see the scenery, but it turned out the scenery was just desert and mountains and the occasional shack or restaurant. I'm pretty sure the ITTSA folks gave me the best meal I've ever had on a bus/train/airplane. A piece of beef, white rice, something else covered in gravy that was good that was kinda like a potato (but I can't really tell you what is was lol), and jello for desert! Yum. I don't remember what we had for breakfast lol. It must not have been that good.
We'll see what Trujillo has to offer.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
El u'ltimo di'a en Nica
Welp, managed to get sick. Had a fever yesterday, but feeling much better today. Still a little stuffy/coughy, but much better than yesterday. My face is red and scaly from blowing my nose all day. It's pretty gross looking actually. Anywho, took today as a rest day to make sure I'm close to healthy when I get on the plane tomorrow morning. It's good to take a day to get to know the staff and ask some lingering questions about Chinadega and Nica. I've learned two things.
1. "President" Ortega is on his way to becoming the dictator of Nicaragua. Originally the prez could serve two five-year terms, but Ortega changed that and he is now on his third term, and likely to win in November.
2. People don't really vote here and when they try are often harassed or turned away at the polls if they do not affiliate with a certain party. This means a minority group in the country controls the majority. So much for democracy... So why isn't the UN here to monitor polls like the do in Afghanistan and other countries? Yeah, I asked the same thing. Nicaraguans probably don't even know what the United Nations is. Well this is the thing, Nicaragua is one of those forgotten countries. Ortega isn't trying to take over all of Central America (at least not now). The Taliban aren't using Nica as a safe haven. There are no wars. No genocide. So basically no one cares. Nica could collapse in on itself and it really wouldn't hurt the international political economy too much, if at all, so the country gets neglected.
The people are very poorly educated. Even the teachers misspell simple words, but they are trying. So now you're thinking, ah what can I do to help? (If you aren't thinking that shame on ya! How can you be so selfish??) Well, what you can do is buy a plane ticket, pack your bag, and come down here. You don't have to know Spanish, that's what translators are for. You sit at home and read this, or some news article. Maybe you watch a commercial and think about how awful that is and how blessed you are to have not been born in Nica. Then you turn the channel. In a week you won't even think about my blog posts from this week. In a month you'll forget you even read them. In a year, you won't even remember where Nicaragua is on a map (because when you read my first blog post you had to Google Nica to see where it was). But let me tell you, in a year these people will still be here. They'll still be poor, hungry, thirsty, uneducated, dirty, and neglected. And you'll still be able to help. Because they are beautiful, resilient, hard-working people looking for opportunity.
Till next time.
D
1. "President" Ortega is on his way to becoming the dictator of Nicaragua. Originally the prez could serve two five-year terms, but Ortega changed that and he is now on his third term, and likely to win in November.
2. People don't really vote here and when they try are often harassed or turned away at the polls if they do not affiliate with a certain party. This means a minority group in the country controls the majority. So much for democracy... So why isn't the UN here to monitor polls like the do in Afghanistan and other countries? Yeah, I asked the same thing. Nicaraguans probably don't even know what the United Nations is. Well this is the thing, Nicaragua is one of those forgotten countries. Ortega isn't trying to take over all of Central America (at least not now). The Taliban aren't using Nica as a safe haven. There are no wars. No genocide. So basically no one cares. Nica could collapse in on itself and it really wouldn't hurt the international political economy too much, if at all, so the country gets neglected.
The people are very poorly educated. Even the teachers misspell simple words, but they are trying. So now you're thinking, ah what can I do to help? (If you aren't thinking that shame on ya! How can you be so selfish??) Well, what you can do is buy a plane ticket, pack your bag, and come down here. You don't have to know Spanish, that's what translators are for. You sit at home and read this, or some news article. Maybe you watch a commercial and think about how awful that is and how blessed you are to have not been born in Nica. Then you turn the channel. In a week you won't even think about my blog posts from this week. In a month you'll forget you even read them. In a year, you won't even remember where Nicaragua is on a map (because when you read my first blog post you had to Google Nica to see where it was). But let me tell you, in a year these people will still be here. They'll still be poor, hungry, thirsty, uneducated, dirty, and neglected. And you'll still be able to help. Because they are beautiful, resilient, hard-working people looking for opportunity.
Till next time.
D
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
La morena y los gringos
It's 2a on Wednesday morning. Been up about 20 mins nursing a sinus infection. Had the bright idea to sleep with the mini-fan clipped to by bed frame blowing right in my face. I woke up in the morning regretting it. Over the past 24 hours it's definitely gotten worst. I have no complaints though. I'm sitting on the freezer, drinking my fourth cup of gatorade, hoping to put some nutrients in my body. That's what gatorade does right? Like it's better than water because it doesn't just hydrate you? I saw it on a commercial...LOL. It's nice out here. There's a soothing 'symphony orchestra' created by the steady drip of water into a bucket, the crickets, Pete's snoring hehe, and the faint sounds of rain. Every once in a while an animal chimes in. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes the same sound people make when they scratch the inside of their ears/throat, but a little smoother. It's a great time to be alone and reflect on everything I saw yesterday. It was a long, hot work day. After breakfast we went out the Chonco, which is a new community in the procress of being built where the staff at Amigos for Christ have gone to the dump and told people that, if they are willing to work, they have the opportunity for a new life. It's the same concept as Villa Catalina. There are 207 families living in Chonco. There's a school, and the people have developed their own businesses. We're digging trenches to lay pipeline so that these people can have clean running water. Right now they tie huge blue tubs to their horse-drawn carts and travel to a well to gather their water for a day. So these pipelines are a big deal for them. We're also helping to build a feeding center and repair dirt roads that have eroded due to the rain. Repairing these roads is essentially driving to arock quarry and throwing rocks onto a truck to be taken back to the hole and thrown in. For hours yesterday I shoveled dirt next to 50 year old Nicaraguan women in their flip flops and skirts. I watched as others worked along side 7 year old barefoot girls shoveled rock to be used to make material selecto. The young boys out worked me at the rock quarry. An older woman and I created a steady work pace when shoveling dirt. I dug and tossed, she dug and tossed. No words needed. Her name was Maribel. The work ethic these people have is remarkable. They're not looking for a handout, they're just looking for opportunity. The opportunity to prove themselves. The opportunity to grow and prosper.
I had a funny encounter with a young girl when I asked where the bathroom was. She took me to the place where they showered. There was a huge tub filled with green water. Mosquitoes and flies hovered over it. It was heart wrenching. I told her that I need to pee (which is one of those words you learn in school that is utterly useless because the word used to say pee is different in every country), but the girl had no idea what I was saying. So I squated and sssss'ed. She looked at me like I was an idiot. I tried to think of the word for toilet, but my mind was drawing a blank and filling it with the word for computer used in Spain, which I knew wasn't right. So I asked her where she goes when she has to sssss *as I squat*. Finally! A breakthrough LOL.
I've noticed the stares I've gotten the past few days from Nicaraguans as a result of my skin color. VERY seldom do they see African American volunteers, which doesn't surprise me. I wrote an article for The Root back in November about the low rates of African Americans involved in interational volunteering and foreing development, so when Sergio told me there would be 50 'gringos' and one other 'morena,' I wasn't surprised. A gringo is a white person in many Spanish speaking countries. I've always understood it to be a derrogatory term, but here it's just another way to describe a person. Sometimes they call me a gringa negra, which is oxymoronic in itself lol. I have several theories why this is the case everywhere I go; why I'm always the only black person, or one of very few. But I'd love to hear feedback from any young black people reading this. Now don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that African Americans volunteer abroad, but we do so at significantly lower rates than our white peers, at least that's from my experience. Even when we sent out tons of recruitment emails for young people to get involved with MODEL26 as a Campus Lead for the 2011-2012 school year, we got the largest response from the ivy league schools and small liberal arts schools. The only HBCU to even show a small amount of interest was Clark Atlanta University, where we never got a full application.
Well I'm going to try to get some shut eye. Tomorrow we'll be visiting a school and delivering school supplies...well I guess technically later today. There are a few girls from Walton High School in GA that had a bike drive at their school for the community here, so tomorrow there is a bike race as well. A small relief from manual labor that my back and arms will appreciate. I'm so excited!
D
I had a funny encounter with a young girl when I asked where the bathroom was. She took me to the place where they showered. There was a huge tub filled with green water. Mosquitoes and flies hovered over it. It was heart wrenching. I told her that I need to pee (which is one of those words you learn in school that is utterly useless because the word used to say pee is different in every country), but the girl had no idea what I was saying. So I squated and sssss'ed. She looked at me like I was an idiot. I tried to think of the word for toilet, but my mind was drawing a blank and filling it with the word for computer used in Spain, which I knew wasn't right. So I asked her where she goes when she has to sssss *as I squat*. Finally! A breakthrough LOL.
I've noticed the stares I've gotten the past few days from Nicaraguans as a result of my skin color. VERY seldom do they see African American volunteers, which doesn't surprise me. I wrote an article for The Root back in November about the low rates of African Americans involved in interational volunteering and foreing development, so when Sergio told me there would be 50 'gringos' and one other 'morena,' I wasn't surprised. A gringo is a white person in many Spanish speaking countries. I've always understood it to be a derrogatory term, but here it's just another way to describe a person. Sometimes they call me a gringa negra, which is oxymoronic in itself lol. I have several theories why this is the case everywhere I go; why I'm always the only black person, or one of very few. But I'd love to hear feedback from any young black people reading this. Now don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that African Americans volunteer abroad, but we do so at significantly lower rates than our white peers, at least that's from my experience. Even when we sent out tons of recruitment emails for young people to get involved with MODEL26 as a Campus Lead for the 2011-2012 school year, we got the largest response from the ivy league schools and small liberal arts schools. The only HBCU to even show a small amount of interest was Clark Atlanta University, where we never got a full application.
Well I'm going to try to get some shut eye. Tomorrow we'll be visiting a school and delivering school supplies...well I guess technically later today. There are a few girls from Walton High School in GA that had a bike drive at their school for the community here, so tomorrow there is a bike race as well. A small relief from manual labor that my back and arms will appreciate. I'm so excited!
D
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