Si Se Puede

It’s been a month in site and there are continuous moments of ecstasy and bliss at living here countered with moments of floundering; lost in a new culture, always feeling like an outsider. However, I have proudly gotten used to several things being part of my daily life, which I would like to share:

1. I can now walk by a cow or a horse in the road without the deathly fear that they will turn on me, and trample me to be as flat as a pancake. I even had a moment where I wanted to own a horse to ride, my very own, and then I laughed remembering deep down I am afraid of all animals taller than me.

2. I can call someone over by lifting my arm straight out in front of me with my wrist limp and my hand hanging down. I then proceed to flop my hand up and down at the hinge of the wrist, and soon enough either a car will pull over to pick me up, or someone will come walking over to me. Works like a charm

3. To refuse a drink, an offer to dance, or a ride I can now with confidence simple avoid eye contact and wag my finger back and forth, giving the clear signal that I have no interest. With no hurt feelings the perpetrator is gone.

4. I can eat two rolls of bread with some queso fresca squeezed in the middle, and a cup of hot water with a packet of Nescafe and sugar waiting to be dissolved into it and feel like this is a pretty good breakfast. And when the bread is stale I enjoy dipping it into my water with dissolved powders to re-hydrate it.  It is when they try to feed me a mounding plate of rice for breakfast that I know I am in trouble. I then put on the look of ‘huh no bread?’ which my host mom is now used to, and she sends someone to run to the store to appease the gringa.

5. I can confidently wake up in the morning at 8:30am and walk out my door to the bathroom. On the way be called a ‘free woman’ since I have just awoken and it is already 8:30. I then run back to my bed after using the restroom and lay in my bed for another hour, looking up at my ceiling and realizing that I have no plans what so ever for the day, and I am totally ok with that.

6. I can shuck green peas with my host mom, all the time watching as she pops out four times as many peas as me in the same amount of time, and not feel like an un-contributing member of society. This also goes for my rate of pulling potatoes out of the ground, putting cheese into molds, knitting, and peeling a mango.

7. I can wait patiently in a store for my turn, unbothered by the fact that the person who was clearly behind me has somehow been served before me, not even a speck of disapproval passes my face. Nope I have no plans what so ever for the day, so there is no reason why I need my bananas to make my banana bread quickly. That woman behind me clearly had someone urgent to call on her phone and needed to buy credit real quick.

It is by reminding myself that these achievements are no small feat that allow me to feel ok about not having a full daily schedule. I can fight the ever-persistent American urge of needing to put my head down and speed walk from one thing to another, thinking that satisfaction comes from double booking myself.  I am able to appreciate the slow speed and the opportunity that these two years are for me more than anyone else, so thank you American government!  I have also been reading too many Peace Corps memoirs, and I think that’s what gave me the urge to right this semi-reflection piece!

A quick note on my Peruvian New Years, which proved to be quite entertaining! They have a custom here of taking old clothes and stuffing them with trash, and other old clothes creating scare crow type dolls. Each family makes their own life size doll, and then when the day becomes dark they burn them. As an environmental volunteer my first gut reaction was a bit of dread as part of our goal is to try and stop the burning of trash, but as the smell of burning plastic and clothes filled my nostrils, the delighted looks on the faces around me made me really enjoy the tradition. We burned two dolls, and then strolled through the streets joining the neighbors in their burning of dolls, which represents getting rid of the bad luck for the next year. At one neighbor’s stoop I was offered twelve grapes. I told them I don’t usually eat grapes on new years but thanks, I was then quickly informed that I was supposed to make a wish with every grape representing each month, and if I really wanted to go crazy I could eat 24. I stuck with the 12 but I’m not going to lie I got lost in the wishes.  I was advised that most of my wishes should be about getting good Peruvian boyfriend, one of the few jokes that I can get and laugh at in Spanish.