Why am I getting ready to move back home? The low cost of living in Peru (at least here in the Central Andes) would be a good reason for me to stay. Actually, the cheaper lifestyle here probably contributes to the more relaxed environment and attitude: another reason to stick around.
“If you don’t have a dream…how you gonna have a dream come true?” — Happy Talk
In a way, I’ve been avoiding 2012. It’s been tapping on my shoulder waiting patiently to put me through the inevitable whoosh of freshness and newness, but I’ve been ignoring it. I’m not ready.
I don’t have any resolutions, and thinking of all that I would love to achieve and change overwhelms me.
Wouldn’t you prefer to fascinate rather than just affect, influence or impress? Read on to learn more about what it means to fascinate and how you can fascinate those around you.
These are the seven triggers she describes:
I took Sally’s 28-question F Score Test and was surprised by the result: my primary trigger is rebellion. I’m hesitant about the word’s connotation, but I’ve come to embrace its meaning. I take it to mean that I’m curious, independent and break away from the norm. I wouldn’t have made it here to Peru without my so-called rebellious streak and I’m realizing how important it is to me that I continue encouraging others to follow their passion and intuition with the same vigor.
Aside from collecting rent and ignoring all that needs to be fixed in the building, our landlady believes that her role also entails encouraging and producing gossip. This task occupies her time while her husband is away for most of the year, working a mystery job in Northern Peru. This may explain why the gentleman who lives in front of our building is one of our landlady’s favorite targets. Apparently, the man is in love with her but shows his affection in odd ways as they maintain a distant love-hate relationship. He enjoys throwing water on the patio when her son is playing and leaving his sweepings in front of her door. She enjoys knocking on his door to complain.
It’s silly to see how the two ladies greet everyone but each other, how Mrs. Stout will shake out her doormat on the public stairs and how the landlady will let her own three dogs out to cause havoc with Mrs. Stout’s little mutt.
I wonder what the landlady says about me.
I’d love to hear about a character who lives in your apartment or neighborhood! =)
It turns out, the world of blogging is hardly unlike the global community I discovered in Chile. In just these past three months that I’ve started taking blogging more seriously, I’ve forged valuable connections with inspiring people from all over the world. To keep the ball rolling and build on my energy, the universe sent some positive vibes to the Central Andes and I was ridiculously fortunate to win a contest at Chris Richardson’s Travel Blog Support website, where he provides detailed yet easy-to-understand tips and help on optimizing blogs, travel-related or otherwise.
The prize: Migration of my free hosted blog to its very own server!
I’m so excited to announce the launch of my brand-spanking-new professional blog!
To commemorate this occasion and inspired by a couple of my favorite bloggers (Diana Simon and Janine Ripper), I’ve decided to try my hand at posting twice a week starting this coming Tuesday! As I continue working out the kinks until then, have a look around and send some comments my way if you have any recommendations, suggestions or critiques of the new website. =)
— Can’t thank Chris (a.k.a. The Aussie Nomad) enough for literally making this all possible! If you ever need support with a blog transfer, I highly recommend Chris because he made it seamless and had infinite patience with my IT newbieness along the way. =)
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve met and caught up with various friends, some I’ve kept in regular touch with and others that I haven’t seen in a long while. A recurring theme in our speech has been self-comparisons. “I think I’m a little bit… like Peruvians, like my mother, like that cat, OCD, autistic.” The list goes on.
I like the idea of recognizing everyone and everything that have influenced our development and that help define who we are. It can almost seem arrogant to state: “I think I’m completely like me and only me.” I also like how comparisons have us focusing on the similarities we have with others rather than the differences. We find ways to relate to others, reminding us that we’re not alone in the world. Reflecting through comparisons also helps us understand ourselves.
At the same time, I’m conscious of the dangers. It suddenly becomes easy to let a comparison be self-limiting and predictive of our future. No one in my family is artistic, therefore I shouldn’t and don’t have any creative talent. Based on the experiences of other expats I know, I’ll never develop my Spanish if I decide to teach English in Peru. We take less responsibility for our actions and the only way out is through recognition of our passivity.
My wish for this year is that my time in Peru continues to make me feel like I’m living a life filled with possibility, that it continues to make me feel free and courageous. I hope to feel new every day.
My favourite way to absorb a new culture is through its food and the Peruvians are proud of their food. Sharing a meal is an excuse to spend time to get to know another person, talking about how the food is made is always a conversation starter, and cooking together is the most fun of all!
Last week, Sara and Tabita came over for a work meeting that never did happen (because we’re still waiting for a package of materials from the US that is now two weeks over due and is being held in Lima – long story!), so they spent the afternoon teaching us how to cook papa a la huancaina (Huancayo potatoes). Potatoes are the staple food here in Peru. This Maria and I observed as soon as we arrived here and visited El Museo de La Nación (The Museum of the Nation) in Lima, which was undergoing major renovations and only had two exhibits open – one on the Shining Path and the other on potatoes. It seems common here for Peruvians to eat potatoes with rice as a meal. And speaking of carbs, I remember having lunch at a friend’s house a couple weeks ago and his sister made rice and quinoa for us! That’s like eating rice and rice!
Every morning, Maria and I drink mate de coca (coca tea). One can find coca leaves being sold everywhere in the markets and the Peruvians believe it to be a cure-all plant. For my uneasy stomach last week, for example? Apparently, more coca leaves steeped in hot water longer would make me feel better for sure. During our coca shops, Maria and I have also learned that we can ask for the better quality coca leaves to chew on (not that we do – although, I have to admit that I’ve tried it and it just tastes like leaf).
The dish I was most scared to try was cuy (guinea pig). If the idea already seems unappealing, imagine seeing dozens of live guinea pigs crawling over each other in mesh bags or cages everywhere in the streets. But when you’re in a small village and all the mothers want to show their appreciation for the work you’re doing with their infants by serving you their most prized piece of meat, there’s little you can do. The director of the infant nutrition program of Cáritas (Cesar) tells me it’s super healthy, rich in protein, with very little fat. So I had to try it. I held its little paw in my hand as I tried to scrape the meat off – it’s tough and chewy. They say that the skin is eaten too, but I couldn’t even chew it.
I’ve always considered myself a food junkie. The Food Network is the only channel I watch on TV and I love fine dining even though I don’t have critique-worthy taste buds – almost any kind of food or pastry or dessert or drink tastes lovely to me. But I’ve always known that I’ve been missing a huge part of the world of food – cooking! So I’ve been loving the past month that I’ve spent with Maria who lets me be her assistant. We’ve been making a lot of beans and soups; maybe I’ll perfect these by the end of the trip. As an aside, I was cutting potatoes for our carrot and potato soup yesterday when I accidentally cut a small piece of my thumb off. I put pressure on it for two hours, but it wouldn’t stop bleeding. Eventually, I chose the alcohol route so it would close up. Pain pain pain. My sister says this is why I should have taken cooking classes in high school. Haha!