Journal Entry Six in Peru - 17/02/10

Highlight of the day: Optimising my route to school so that I pass 2 jasmine bushes that smell divine.
Discovery of the day: Show and bluster counts for a lot more than usefulness and ability even in this part of the world.
Over-riding emotion: Complete and utter chaos
Nooooo.... : Found an Araliya tree (frangipani) today, but the flowers don't smell of anything.


More on the 'discovery of the day' tomorrow. Today, I feel the need to tell you more about living in Peru. I don't feel I have touched on the food enough either... Peru is going through a phase of gaining international fame for its local cuisine. They are actively promoting their food to the rest of the world. In fact, as one of my colleagues pointed out today, the front page story of a local newspaper was the fact that Beyonce had been in Lima for one day and that she liked the food! So, it's only fair that I do my bit.

I mentioned the anticucho de corazon before, a kebab of ox heart and also the chaufa, or Peruvian Chinese food. Since my host makes lunch for me every day, I haven't had much opportunity to eat out, but she makes pretty decent food. The other teachers in school have been impressed with my lunch, albeit disappointed when I point out that I didn't cook it. Today I had 'esceviche de pescado'. I'm pretty sure I spelt the first part of that wrong, but I had to do the best with the pronunciation I heard. It was fried fish with fried onions and an egg with rice and sweet potato. Very tasty and flavourful, unlike the day before when I had some sort of bean puree. Unfortunately, spicy food doesn't seem to be her forte, so I'm going to the shops soon to buy some Peruvian "hot sauce", which I have tried and was just right for spicening things up. I'll have to keep it in the school fridge so as not to hurt her feelings... Meanwhile, last weekend I had the opportunity to taste another Peruvian speciality, 'lomos saltado', spicy meat strips fried with onions and rice. They also give you chips with the meal, potatoes and rice being a common combination here although it does make a meal unfinishable for me. I have been promised the "famous" 'seviche' soon, apparently raw fish 'cooked' with lemon. I'm not sure whether to look forward to that or dread it.

Unfortunately, my desserts have been limited to fruit salad and jelly, so that aspect is not very exciting. However, the jelly was made with milk and strawberries, so that's quite a new idea. Today, a fellow teacher brought in cake for his birthday, but it wasn't anything to write home about. The ice cream I had on the weekend was pretty good and my boss has suggested I try D'onofrio, which she considers the best in the world, but then she is slightly biased. I really must find the time to visit the bakery, but it's been too late when I get off work these days.

News on the home front, my host's daughter who lives at home is a model. Enviably, she seems to spend her time either on holiday at the beach or working out at the gym. Also, I think my first rent cheque has gone towards buying a pool for my host who gets very hot because, as her son rather amusedly pointed out to me, she is going through the menopause. It's reassuring how many words are pretty much the same in the two languages, just pronounced more 'Spanish'. It's an inflatable pool (before you get too excited), as we live on the first floor of a block of flats and I wonder where they plan to put it as there isn't much empty space around here. Having not described the flat before, I should say it's an immaculately kept (despite having a shedding dog!), spacious 4-bed flat which takes up half the floor.

There is no pleasant way to lead in to this, but it is a part of Peruvian life so I should point out a rather gross oddity in that you cannot flush your toilet paper, but have to bin it instead. I'm slowly getting used to it, although it is a habit and I was afraid I'd block up the system a few times. This is a Peru-wide fact, I believe, as the sanitation system just cannot handle it. In fact, in the school, they don't even have loo rolls inside the cubicles, but only dispensers in the common area of the toilet and you have to take some in with you. I think that covers that subject, so let's move on.

Since I don't want to end on that note, let me tell you about the pieces of art my host's son gave me. He is an artist, but these were works of a friend of his; photographs altered in photoshop to look rather mystical. One is a pineapple-like fruit overlaid with an orange tint. The other is a delightful bright pink and white mist overlaid on a photo of coca leaves or "Hoja de coca". These are the leaves of the coca plant, from which cocaine is also obtained, but the Peruvians dislike drug connection to this plant which was considered sacred by the Mayans and they drink coca tea. I don't think it makes you high, but I will try it at some point.

I will stop now before today becomes tomorrow.

Hasta Mañana!