Taxistas, Bolivia, Vida

¡Saludos a todos!

I know I've been a lame blog writer lately, but I promise I will make it up to you as soon as I have hours of internet time to write my usual novels. You're in luck! I think that time might be now... ;)

Yesterday I took a cab to class (I was late, as I nearly always am so I can never take a kombi... but luckily ProPeru gives us transportation money so I'm not hurting from the extra US cents) and it was probably the nicest cab driver I've had yet. He was extremely talkative. Mostly he was talking about the Peru and Chile soccer match. He predicted that we would all be crying because Chile would win. Then he dropped me off and commented that I didn't have an umbrella. Cabs who care. I know it's weird, but I always feel that much safer when I'm in a cab covered in Catholic virgin regalia. I feel like all the saints hanging out in the cab can probably help me out in the daily bumper car ride that is traffic in Cusco. A lot of times I'll get drivers who like to charge me an extra sol (alright, so it's definitely less than a dollar, but it seems like a rip off here) because I'm a blonde, blue-eyed gringa... or just because they know they can. You really never know what you're going to get in these cabs. Sometimes they have nice leopard print seats. One time I got in and the seat was all wet because the person before me had spilled coffee. I kind of wished I hadn't told the cab driver when he started reaching back with a wad of toilet paper to try to clean it up while driving with his other hand... This afternoon I had a guy that seemed to be about ready to retire. I was a little worried that we weren't going to make it to Tullumayu anytime this century. All the cabs are the same make and model here (and right now I can't seem to conjure it... sometimes I just don't speak English and I'm sticking to that excuse) except for the luxury cabs which are usually white and not so luxurious (just bigger and station wagon-esque).

In the end, Perú lost just like the cab driver said. Everyone was sad. Caroline had the nerve to send me an email this evening from Chile with the fact that we were defeated right there. Okay, who am I kidding? I didn't watch the game at all... Edson has confessed that he doesn't like fútbol (which is definitely a rare thing here) but he sometimes watches the games so he can make comments about it with his buddies at work (who are all fanatics like good Peruvians).

This coming week is our break, so I'm planning to go to Bolivia and visit my friend Tiffany who is there working for the Peace Corps. I'm pretty excited about seeing her and seeing Bolivia! Denis may or may not be accompanying me. I'm hoping she will. I'm also hoping that I won't end up as one of the bodies under blankets that I keep seeing when they show bus wrecks on the news (don't let my mom read that part). Maria has advised me that there are certain bus lines less likely to crash. And there is also an autopista (highway) at least all the way to Puno on Lake Titicaca.

What other fascinating details can I share? Today for lunch I had ceviche, which I love (for those of you who don't know, I've been eating fish while I've been here), but for some reason I couldn't eat it all today. I think it was because Maria brought out some very green seaweed that smelled like Maine. Yum, a big lunch of the smell of Maine. Bon apetit! Also, the white picket fence in front of our house is broken. Someone came to the door to inform us this afternoon.

I've been told to elaborate on my family's visit. My dad's Spanish was pretty hilarious, complete with "solos" rather than soles and "papa fritos" rather than papas fritas. But you've got to give him a hand for trying. When I was with them I remembered that I'm really not Cusqueñan. I'm really a freakishly pale young woman who doesn't know what's going on about half the time but whose Spanish is really improving! I must admit I was pretty annoyed when my dad started talking to one of the little boys claiming to be Pablo Picasso that was selling postcards in the plaza one afternoon and actually bought postcards from him. But for the most part I really enjoyed being able to see my family. I miss them more than I let on.

I was impressed with Stephanie's ability to pick up and use some Spanish even after only a few days in Cusco. She should have stayed longer! One night (the night before Steph and my parents were leaving for Machu Picchu at the crack of dawn), Edson, Evelyn, and I took Steph out to experience the night life in Cusco. I really enjoyed it this time, more than I've ever enjoyed going out with the group. It was just so much more relaxed and fun. I was a little irked that Edson insisted on paying for everything, but more and more I'm learning to ignore the machismo society and just try to take deep breaths. Haha. I found out recently that there is a new Gender and Women's Studies faculty who has done a lot of research on domestic violence in Perú, so I'm hoping to talk to her in order to spill all my issues with the roles of women in this country when I get home.

Today in Political Science class we had a guest speaker who was talking about the process of decentralization that they are trying to go through (quite slowly) in Perú. If you didn't know, Perú has no stable form of regional govenment (I guess the best comparison is to state governments), so the major political power, economy, and population center of the country is in Lima. In the other regions of the country, lack of development reigns. They do have local governments in the provinces and districts, but for the most part Lima is able to control things from a different and move happily forward with 9 million residents while the rest of the country suffers. It sort of baffles me that Perú doesn't have an infrastructure similar to our states, but due to the tumultuos history of governments and corruption, it shouldn't be all that surprising. For over 50 years, Perú has been in a process of attempting decentralization. Unfortunately, the regional governments are always weak and have little respect. There is an elected president of the region who then selects 13 of his friends (no matter their qualifications) to be the "consejos" and wine and dine on the money allotted to the regions. Also, the various presidents that come in and out and change constitutions as they please (Fujimori again... he must have become a target of mine) can also choose to wipe out these regional governments. So the sierra and the selva remain underdeveloped. This, my friends, is part of why Rocío doesn't bathe and one of the little boys at Conchacalla clearly has a parasite. Development is a powerful thing in terms of education and health. Too bad Alan Garcia doesn't have a vision to really help these kids.

If you're wondering about my personal well being, my morale remains relatively high when I'm not frustrated about homework or missing my boyfriend or my family or all of my friends. Haha. There have been some rocky days, but I think my host family has made all the difference. Also, I believe I'm learning a lot. They say my Spanish is improving! And I'm definitely getting a whole new perspective on my home country. I have to say, seeing on BBC World that George Bush mentioned World War III does not help matters. But that is precisely why they tell you to study abroad right, to expand your horizons and develop a broader world view! So that's what I'm doing. I'll let you know what else I learn.