Since I've been here for over two months (can't believe it!) I though I should share some observations and things I've learned about this country. Where to begin...
1. Time - Everybody is on what's called "Peruvian time" here. This means showing up 30 minutes late to everything and it being ok. It's been frustrating and difficult to get used to, since in America we're always on such a tight schedule and it's rude to be more than 5 minutes late. Peruvian time means if we're supposed to leave somewhere at 9 am, everyone actually wakes up at 9 am. It also means if I have a class that starts at 4, I can leave my house at 4 because I know the professor will casually stroll in at 4:15 or 4:20.
2. Bags - They love them. I don't know why. When I go out for chifa (Chinese food) and want to take rice home, they put it in a plastic bag and tie it up. If you order food to go, the restaurant will put sauces in little bags, since they don't have factory-made packets.
3. Cleaning liquids - There really aren't that many! Laundry soap is in a powder form (of course it comes in a big bag). Instead of liquid dish soap, the soap is like this green paste stuff in a container that you have to scrape out with a sponge to clean your dishes.
4. Honking - Oh my, my ears will not know what's happening when I return to the US. Honking is all I ever hear. I feel like when I'm driving in Madison, I only honk if I'm about to get into an accident or somebody in front of me doesn't realize the light has turned green. Here, they honk CONSTANTLY!! For everything. Taxis drive down the street and honk and every single person walking on the sidewalk to see if they need a ride. Cars honk to let you know they're turning (why not just use a blinker?) Some buses and cars even have special horns installed so that they're especially loud or make a unique song. Oh, and there are tons of car alarms constantly going off, too.
5. Vendors/Beggars - I can handle a change cup being shaken at me as I walk down State Street, no problem. But here, the beggars work a lot harder. Many times when I'm riding the bus a person will get on and start making a speech to all of the passengers about some sob story then go around asking individuals for money. Sometimes it will be a woman with a baby or a man who offers to sing a song. Sometimes they are also selling little candies or random things, other times just asking for money. The vendors on the street walk on the busy roads with the most random assortment of things - dolls, flashlights, lighters, etc. - and ask everyone in cars and cabs waiting at stoplights if they want to buy anything. Water and soda is also sold like this on the street. I have yet to buy anything out of a cab window!
6. PDA - It's everywhere! I always see people kissing and making out on the streets, on campus, in parks, everywhere. They're in love and apparently need everyone else to know it.
7. Cell phones - This has been a strange adjustment. I am so used to being able to call or text anyone whenever I want and not really worry about how many minutes I'm using since I have a whole boat load to use every month. In Lima, everyone has prepaid cellphones. Texting is cheap but calling is SUPER expensive. I have barely called anyone because it uses up my saldo ("credit") so fast. It makes it annoying when you can't just call somebody and talk for 5 minutes about plans - you have to send a bunch of texts and it takes forever!
8. Mail - No more luxury of simply slapping a stamp on a letter, throwing it in the mailbox, and knowing for sure it will get to the destination in a day or two. In order to mail a letter here, you have to go to the post office, a 20 minute walk from my house, ask for stamps, physically glue them onto the letter with a gluestick, and pray that it will get to the US. The last time I mailed letters they told me it would take 8 days and of course it took 16 (again, Peruvian time). As for receiving mail, if it's a letter, it will usually come in about a week. With packages, however, they take forever! My friend Kris waited almost a month for a package from his mom. Keeley got a big package from her mom and a brand new cell phone had been stolen out of it - but not the Visa giftcard or other things in the package. It's crazy - you would think there would be more security in the postal service!
9. Entertainment - Everything seems to come from the US. At the movie theater, it's all new American films that they play with Spanish subtitles. TV shows are also from the US, but are at least a season behind what's planning in the US. As for music, they have lots of South American tunes, but this one radio station, 107.7 (la planeta, tu musica en ingles!) plays English music. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Dirty Bit" by the Black Eyed Peas be played in this country. It's crazy!
10. Stores - There are super small tiendas (stores) on every block that sell the same things - some food items, beverages, alcohol, and cell phone credit. A lot of the stores have a constant gate up so you can't walk around and pick up your own things and pay for it. You have to tell the guy working what you want and he picks everything out for you and you pay him through the gate. It's kind of crazy, but I guess it's a foolproof prevention for getting robbed.
That's all I can think of for now!
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