pumped

So freakin´ pumped for the game on Saturday night vs. Alabama. We got a big crew here, ready to head to a bar in the city and root on the Hokies to victory. GO HOKIES!!!

gringo´s tips on how to be peruvian pt 1

1. Drink, love, and never disown Inca Kola
If pisco is the national drink of Peru, Inca Kola is second. It´s a yellow colored soda with a bit of a licorice taste to it, but quite good. Peruvians swear by it so much that it outsold Coca-cola up until a few years ago.
2. Set up your own Peruvian bank account...it´s easy
Yeah that´s right I got a bank account here. You want to fight about it? It was simple. Just give them two forms of ID, sign a few forms, and in minutes you got your own Peruvian debit card.
3. Always comment about how cold 60 degrees feels
I just don´t get it.
4. Know just about everything there is to know about pisco...especially that it´s from Peru
A couch surfer visitor and I were discussing pisco types in a combi a few days ago and a random eavesdropping guy turned around and gave a big schpeel about his favorite kind of pisco and why we should buy it. Moral of the story: ask any Peruvian and they can tell you what Pisco is, how it´s made, what their favorite kind is, and most importantly, why Chilean pisco is horrible.
5. Own a dog and put a sweater on it
I guess it´s because there are so many dogs running rampant here that the sweater signifies ownership. I would never actually believe that someone would put clothes on a dog for any other reason.
6. Refer to limes as lemons
I know they do this in a few other Latin American countries as well, but again I just don´t get it.
7. Work really hard...all day
This is very admirable. From what I´ve seen, people here work their butts off.

Salud

quechua

I don´t mean to offend anyone, but to me, the Incan language Quechua sounds a lot like baby talk.

biblio¨lame¨a

Ok let me explain...

Been doing a bit of work on a report for use with the microfinance project so my colleague, Marta, and I figured what better place to do research and gather sources than at the national library (biblioteca) of Peru. Talk about culture shock.

This place is nothing like what I grew up on back in the States and or what I knew from VT. First of all before we even enter the library we have to state our purpose to guards stationed out front. Then we proceed to a security check-in where we have to give the serial numbers of our computers, among other information. Now we finally enter the library building and must BUY a pass to do anything. 8 soles later we head up to the study room. Both of us wearing backbacks, we have to take out the materials we are using and lock our bags in a locker. Now, realizing we both had computer, the library attendant kindly reminded us we have to pay for the use of energy. Seriously? This meant walking back downstairs, getting a form written, then walking to the cashier, paying, and finally bringing your receipt back to the library attendant. Ok, now all that was done. It was time to immerse myself in some books, the real reason I came.

Unfortunately, that would be impossible. After walking in I first realized there were no books anywhere...maybe in another room I thought. I was right, however this room is inaccessable to the public. One must know the book he/she is looking for or find it in an electronic card catalog then request the library attendant to go retrieve it. This was really frustrating because I love so much the freedom back home to browse aimlessly among the shelves or have that one book you´re looking for and navigate your way through the dewey decimal system to locate it. These are simple satisfactions, but things you´re just unable to do here.

The past week I´ve been eating a lot of sandwhiches. I LOVE crafting the perfect sandwhich. There´s nothing like it. It´s definitely an art and I admire anyone who has those skills to create something so delicious. As the materials I typically use back home seem to be unavailable here, I´ve been seeing what the street restaurants have to offer, and let me tell you, there are some artists here. My most savory experience to date would be that at a small corner shop called ¨Club Sandwhich¨close to my house. I ordered the shreaded chicken topped with cheese, lettuce, bacon, chips, and aji (a spicy mayonaise type sauce). And they even toast the bun on the grill. One bite had me head-over-heals for this place. An explosion of taste in my mouth. These things make me happy...and I think Club Sandwhich and I are going to have a long, fruitful relationship.

Until next time...

backgammon and more

Here in our house, backgammon is a way of life. I´m pretty sure it´s not a Peruvian thing, we just play a whole lot of backgammon...and it´s really intense.

Since learning how to play a few years ago, I´ve always loved the game, but it´s just not one of those things you really do unless it´s raining outside or you´re really bored. But here, I probably play at least 15 games a week. As stated earlier, the intensity is fierce. Right now I´m in a bit of a slump and just can´t seem to beat my roommate Carlos (who´s birthday is today)...happy birthday man! Anyway, I´ve often threatened to embarass him in front of his girlfriend and beat him bad, but the past two weeks I haven´t even been able to steal a game from him. This calls for some strategy readjusting.

A house backgammon tournament is on the horizon as well. The official rules have been written and now we´re just waiting for all the roommates to return from vacation. Also, often times bets are placed on games. Ice creams are popular betting items and lately I´ve been pushing for massages as well.

Speak of massages, I was walking down the street near my house today and happened to look in a door to a building and saw about 30 beds with people lying on them. I thought it was a massage place, but no one was attending the people on the beds. It definitely wasn´t a hospital or old folks home and was perfectly visible from the street. They had a lady at the front taking money as well. I have absolutely know idea what it was. My best guess is that it´s a place you can go and take a nap in the middle of the day, and if that´s the case, that´s basically the best idea ever.

As far as food goes, I´ve been dabbling in a few sweets lately. There is a very wide selection of cakes and pies at the local bakery for less than a dollar a slice. I´ve been sampling ones such as german chocolate cake, strawberry cheesecake, and fruit tarts. All quite good, but one of my favorites has to be the suspiro. I believe it´s typical to Peru. It is typically served in a cup or bowl and filled at the bottom with a sweet caramel and topped with light whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Yummy.

Until next time...

perales

Since arriving a month ago, I have been in search of a church or some kind of fellowship, something with which I could get involved. Work with SOLAC has been quite slow lately, so I have to find more things to get me out of the house as well. And after several weeks of contacting people and waiting, the Lord provided a contact at an evangelical Presbyterian church located in a poor community on the outskirts of the city. After talking with the director, Moises, he invited me out to meet the community and see if I would be interested in helping out. We met at KFC (ha) and went on our way, about a 30 minute bus ride to the area in a district called Santa Anita (see map). The community is poor, similar to that of Huachipa (which I will expand on soon, I promise), but has a bit more city feel to it, whereas Huachipa is kind of out in the middle of no where. After getting off the bus, we walked through the neighborhoods a bit, making our way to the church, which is located in a community called Perales. Definitely got a few looks, as gringos are not seen often in these parts. However, a few churches back in the states off a bit of financial support and also send groups one week out of the year to run a vacation Bible school, which Moises described as being a ¨huge blessing and encouragement.¨ Anyway, they put on a small church service that night for about 15 of us there in total, complete with singing hymns, an offering, and a teaching. And after, Moises introduced me to everyone and they warmly welcomed me into their community. Lots of smiles, laughs, hugs, and kisses. It was an awesome night and really what I needed.

Over the past week I have been going back quite often and meeting more people...kids, adults, everyone. And I can´t help but have a vision for what this could be there. There´s already an earnest people, willing to learn and committed to being involved. And for that reason, Moises and I have been sharing ideas. After only knowing this guy a week I can´t help but be struck by his passion to see the Lord work. He´s also a very solemn, patient, and grateful man, who wants these kids to know the Lord and to succeed in life. He´s someone I will be learning from for sure, but I also feel like I can teach him a lot through what I´ve learned from my experiences. In addition to normal church services, we have been discussing possible programs to implement such as English teaching, nutrition checkups, sports, music, and much more. But, in order for the ball to get rolling, we need manpower more than anything. So I´m in the process of contacting just about anyone I know who might want to give a week or two or more and come down here and volunteer. Or possibly a church is looking to send a group somewhere or support a people...I don´t know. But if you´re reading this an you want to get involved or know someone who might, please contact me! (sceubank@gmail.com)

Exciting things ahead for sure. That is all for now. But first...

Fun/Depressing Fact: Because of the Humboldt Current, Lima is covered in fog seven months of the year. Lima gets very little rain throughout the year and the sky is almost always overcast.

Woop woop

a few observations

Some things that are on my mind:

1. I´m pretty sure that it´s impossible to finish a roll of mentos without them popping out the other end.
2. In Lima, people on the street begging or selling small snacks are legitimately overjoyed whenever you give them some leftovers or extra food. They look at you like it made their day.
3. Along the same lines, there are a lot of really nice people here that are very welcoming to a stranger like me.
4. Soup made with chicken feet isn´t that bad. There will be more on this later.
5. Saw the sun briefly today and I´m looking forward to the next time.
6. I´m also looking forward to September 5th, the start of the Hokies season/national championship campaign. Go hokies!
7. Making friends with the vegetable guy and chicken lady makes me happy.

sick

Ok, I think I´m over my nausea now. I actually did come down with a little stomach sickness the past few days...not sure if the cau cau is to blame or not. My bet is on my homemade simple syrup...let me explain.

I was trying to make my own pisco sours after some friends and I were given a special training from the bartender at El Cordano. Now this just isn´t any bar, it´s probably one of the most famous private establishments in Lima. Given it´s close proximity to the President´s dwelling, it´s the bar of choice for presidents and foreign diplomats for drinks, especially pisco sours. So back to the story... after the bartender gave us these special step by step instructions, I just had to give it a go at home. And since simple syrup (Jarabe de Goma) is a main ingredient, I thought I would make it from scratch. All it basically is one part sugar, one part water heated to a slow boil. However, when I made mine it tasted and smelled weird. Nevertheless I went on making mediocre pisco sours that night. And the next few days my stomach felt horrible. I still don´t know what it was, but I think it was something with that syrup. Maybe I didn´t boil it long enough or something for the water to be safe. Oh well.

After getting over the sickness, my friend Fran invited me out to eat with his family. We went to a very nice place right on the Pacific called El Hornero. They specialize in grilled meats and they do not joke around. Fran decided that he, I, and his brother could share an entree. So they brought out this MASSIVE mini grill piled high with a variety of meats and set it on the table in front of us. Unfortunately the picture doesn´t do it justice as ours was about twice as large if not more. It included chorizo, blood sausage, sirloin steak, pork chops, antichuchos, pig kidneys, and more. We maybe ate half of it between the three of us. I´m not sure if I´ve mentioned this yet but portions here are huge. You definitely get what you pay for and usually more.

Fattening up in Peru,

Shawn

cau cau

Cau Cau (pronounced ¨cow cow¨) is by far the worst thing I have eaten in Lima. I´m a big fan of trying new foods, and pretty much everything here is really tasty. I also like to order things in a restaurant when I don´t know what they are and be surprised...or at least I used to like to do that. A few days ago in a restaurant that has never disappointed me here, I ordered cau cau. When it came out I had no idea what it was. Didn´t really look like chicken or beef...and it seriously smelled like livestock. I still had to try it. After 5 or 6 bites I just couldn´t go on. The smell was making me nauseous.

SO what is cau cau? After walking back to my house trying to rid my mouth of this taste, I had to look it up. Not surprisingly cau cau a dish prepared with multiple farm animals stomachs/intestines. I had a feeling that´s what it was. Some tell me that it´s really great if prepared properly. I just don´t know about that.

Still feeling nauseous...

explanation

So everyone has been asking me, ¨Shawn, I don´t understand the title of your blog. Can you please explain?¨

Ok, no one has actually asked, but I know everyone has been wondering. So I will expand on this.

First of all, I´m tall, 6´5.¨ Whenever I get on a bus back in the states I can´t stand up but have to kind of hunch over. I get in people´s line of sight at concerts all the time. And riding in the back of a 2-door car is the absolute worst.

So I knew coming to Peru would be even more of a challenge considering the average Peruvian male height is 5´4¨compared to almost 5´10¨in the States. When I landed I figured I would probably be the tallest person in the country. And so far, I´m right. Rightfully so, most things are built according to the height of the average Peruvian. I knew I might have to duck through a few doorways or hang my feet off a bed for 6 months, but I was prepared for that. I was not ready for the combi.

Combis are basically miniature buses. In a combi that has 10 seats, they manage to squish 25 people in. When I get in, or try to get in, I´m sure it looks hilarious to the bystander. Especially if there are no available seats, I´m forced to get my accordian on, this means knees bent, back pressed against the roof, face somewhere it shouldn´t be. Is this uncomfortable? Of course. Do I detest riding in combis? Absolutely not. There´s not much else that reminds me more that I´m in a different world. I think I´m going to soak that in while I can. Plus, combis get you from A to B very cheaply. Once you start learning the routes, it´s even more fun to use them. And how about culture immersion? Riding a combi in rush hour certainly goes a long way toward that case. I´m not even going to begin to talk about how these guys drive, and yet you rarely see an accident.

So that´s it. I´m too big for a combi and I wouldn´t have it any other way.

living on the edge

Before coming here, when I thought South America, the first thing that came to mind was danger. That is probably this continent´s biggest stereotype, especially among North Americans. The typical traveling family says, ¨Yes, I know there is beautiful scenery down there, incredible diversity, interesting culture, but (tightens lips and takes a breath) it´s dangerous.¨ The fact is, it IS dangerous. I´m sure there is a lot of crazy stuff that happens here that I don´t even know about. Warnings to not go near that district after dark or never, or to never go walking on those streets are very typical, and I´m sure for good reason. I find myself living in the district of San Borja, highly reputed as one of the most safest and subdued areas of the city. Just the other week some dude started moaning and yelling outside someone´s house on my block. It wasn´t more than 2 minutes before two police cars and a moto-cop rushed to this seemly harmless domestic disturbance. My roommate Incio went outside to get a closer look and returned to tell me horrifying news of a love triangle gone wrong, ending in a fatal stabbing. Of course, I believed him (with my preconceived notions of South American crime) and thought ¨wow, here in San Borja? huh...¨ I knew my parents would be scared for my safety when I told them. But, you know it´s kind of cool to live on the edge here in a dangerous neighborhood. Minutes later Incio told me he was joking and he actually had no idea what happened, but nothing bad. I felt deceived and slightly disappointed...I mean I´m really glad no one got hurt.

Limeans, at least here in San Borja, do not joke around with security. Bad neighborhoods are miles and miles away, but better safe than sorry, right? I´ve been quite impressed with some of the creativity these people imploy in securing their houses. For instance, instead of barbed wire on the top of a wall or fence, they just find a whole bunch of pieces of sharp glass, point the sharp end up and then set it in cement (see photo). Also, spikes are very popular as well as electric wire. But sometimes I think they take it a little too far. Actually, I interviewed a burgular about it (translated from Spanish of course).

¨So I went to rob this guy´s house, but he had like mad security. First I escaped the 3 levels of sharp, rusty spikes. Then I slithered through the electric wire. Next, I outran the 2 trained-to-kill pitbulls, then finally picked the lock to his front door.¨

Do I make my point? Isn´t just one layer of spikes or an electric fence enough?

I recently enjoyed a very nice dinner at my friend Francisco´s uncle´s house. It was billed as a barbeque, so I was very excited to see what that actually meant here. We met at the supermarket, where Fran´s uncle picked up a HUGE piece of meat...ribs, legs, basically the whole back half of the animal. I later found out it was young goat. Back to his place and after a few chilcanos (pisco and ginger ale), it was time to start cooking. The ¨grill¨was actually a smoker. A giant, black metal barrel heated below by carbon coals. They hung the goat on meat hooks and in two hours, it would be time to eat. Unfortunately, it was 10pm and I was hungry! Fortunately the fish and mushrooms that were cooking by the same method only took half the time. But when it was finally time to eat the main course, it was well worth the wait. Great flavor, meat falling off the bone, all served with a nice red from Catalunya (Spain). My first but certainly not my last time eating goat. Hey...don´t my grandparents have a goat farm??

Until next time...

Exploring the city...first impressions

Living in a city of 8 million people (17th largest in the world i might add) there´s always something going on. Sometimes because of so much activity, an event that would typically get lots of exposure in say...Blacksburg, doesn´t in Lima. For instance, closing big roads randomly and not putting up one of those lighted boards a few days or weeks in advance announcing the closure. Alright, so maybe a pipe burst unexpectedly and required an immediate fix. I can deal with that. But when I found out the circus (¨Zirkus¨in Spanish) was in town, it was the last thing I wanted to hear. It´s not that I hated the circus, actually I´ll admit that I can´t remember ever going to one, but I just really wanted to play basketball. Basketball courts aren´t the easiest things to come by here in Peru since it isn´t exactly the country´s national sport. It turns out the only public courts in walking distance from my house around are just outside a giant arena, that yes, was hosting the circus. The courts were empty and I´m pretty sure they weren´t going to move everyone outside to show them a huge dunk or something. But apparently those courts were circus property as long as the circus was there. My roomies and I pleaded our case, but the circus won. Now I hate the zirkus.

On a less sarcastic note, there is a lot to see here in Lima. Last week, some friends and I went to a book fair down the street. They had a very...interesting portrayal of Afro-Peruvian music. Had a video, but am unable to upload. Maybe next time. Also, The human body exhibit is here until next month. Plus, there are a ton of museums to visit. One museum I´m looking forward to visiting in particular is the Museum of the Nation. It hosts a permanent photo exhibit on the terrorism in Peru from 1980-2000.

Did I mention Peru also has some of the best waves in the world?
Got my first glimpse at some pretty nice olas (waves) yesterday.
In spanish they either say ¨hacer surf¨or ¨correr olas.¨ I much prefer the latter, which is literally translated as ¨to run waves.¨
The wind was coming fairly hard off the water but the waves were still holding a decent shape. I saw the potential for the longest left in the world for sure. Once that wind switches...forget about it. Glad I brought my wetsuit.

And finally, the food! When you think Peru, you probably don´t think cheese, nor should you. Let´s just say a nice block of hard, sharp Parmeasan is pretty hard to come by, among others. However, the Peruvians have got it going on with queso fresco (fresh cheese). It´s basically just cheese curd, similar to a very mild feta cheese. And because it´s so mild you can eat it by the handful (yes, i do). And although it originated in Spain, Peruvians have managed to produce it with quality and incorporate it into their cuisine. A spicy, cold sauce is made from it and drizzled over boiled potatoes, often served with the aforementioned antichucho (marinated and grilled cow heart). Yum!

Until next time...