Street begging

Young boys performing acrobatics, juggling, or playing instruments are common sights at the major intersections here in Lima. Wherever you see a traffic light, you are likely to also see one or two 10- to 12-year-olds cartwheeling, flipping through the air, tossing tennis balls, or even simultaneously playing a small guitar and the flute. These are the street beggars I have seen most often. And before the light changes again to green, they walk slowly down the line of cars, pleading for small tokens of appreciation.

These sights are a direct result of the poverty here, which, to put it in more understandable terms, as one of my Spanish language teachers tells me, means that the average Peruvian makes approximately US$170 per month, or under US$4 a day. Even though the cost of living here is low in comparison to the United States, that is still a miserable amount with which to eke out a living, especially if you have a family of mouths to feed, shelter, and clothe.

Having once worked with the homeless, I am comfortable with many people's reactions to the idea of giving money to the homeless or beggars. Personally, I try to never give money to people on the street, preferring instead to give my money to organizations that provide programs for the poor. In those instances, I am confident of the purpose my money is being used to obtain. It's a personal decision and I respect the thought processes that guide others reasons for giving or not giving.

That is all to say that I haven't once given these children money.

Just before I came down with food poisoning, one of my Peruvian friends informed me that the majority of these children who perform at street corners are in fact addicted to drugs. Although the Peruvian government is very strict and very strong in its response concerning drugs, that hasn't entirely eliminated their sale or distribution. And these young children are very poor and resort to the lowest classes of drugs because they are inexpensive. Even more disheartening, they are also the most deadly. I am told the drug of choice is cobbler's glue - these children sniff the glue used to attach the sole of your shoe.

In cases like this, I begin to wonder which is worse: the grinding poverty or the life of drugs these children sometimes succomb to...?

I HEART the internet

What was supposed to be a few days has now turned into a couple of weeks. Shortly after moving to the new house, two things happened and one thing remained the same - all of which prevented me from writing. They are as follows, in perfectly chronological order and numbered for Andrew's personal viewing pleasure:

1) My mom was visiting and we decided to attend the FREE PUPPY event at the American Embassy. And basically, all you have to do to have a whining, peeing, poo-ing, biting, vampiric little tramp in your house is to send my mom to an event that gives away FREE PUPPIES. So yeah, we got another dog. Her name is Maggie and I am dangerously close to losing my mind and have completely sworn off puppies for the rest of my natural born life.

2) Also since my mom was visiting, we decided to take her out for a nice meal. At this (supposedly) great restaurant that sits on a pile of rocks out in the middle of the ocean, La Rosa Nautica. Well, I basically consumed everything the books tell you not to, other than the tap water, which I specifically asked the waiter if that's what he served us. I ate shrimp coctail and ceviche (fish cooked in lime or lemon juice), I consumed a daquiri, and then I ate a completely raw strawberry. The fish tasted a little old or not all-the-way-cooked, and the daquiri was a little sweet - the strawberry? It was a taste of heaven. And for one of these fine dining experiences, I was destined to pay. I quickly contracted food poisoning and was down for the count for a week.

3) And the one thing remaining the same? We still don't have internet at the house. I don't know what's happening here, but I turned on the computer today and magically had a connection. I'm not questioning it right now because now? I'm loving every second of my connection to a world outside of Lima.

Moving to less humidity

We are packing up the cushy San Isidro apartment as I type, and are moving to the house in Surco in the morning. I don't know if I'll still be able to connect to the internet in our new home, but I will try. Otherwise, it may be a few days more until I am able to post again. We'll have to see about internet service...

On hold

I may be posting infrequently for the next few weeks. My mom arrived on Tuesday and will be here for three weeks - we need to show her a good time! Hopefully you are not too disappointed that you will not experience a daily dose of limeño life.

For your consideration

My friend, Akoua (see her Blog), is volunteering in Lesotho for the Peace Corps and I invite you to take a look at her Uncle Matt's charity webpage (Bike For Beds). He is attempting to raise money for hospital beds for the hospital with which Akoua works. I promise not to think you're a horrible person for not supporting his efforts, but it is a charity which will be donating ALL proceeds to the hospital. And it doesn't take much in this case to make a difference. Please consider donating.

El Parque Olivar

This weekend we discovered our local park! It's a beautiful park with fountains and olive trees. Olive trees are some of the most beautiful trees on the planet, with their crusty bark and twisted, knobby trunks. Lucky for us, this park is only three blocks away from our house so we can walk there any time we want, with minimum hassle.

Like all city parks, it is so comforting to find a little green haven inside the city limits.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, are some pictures.

Palacio de Gobierno

Lonely Planet Peru guide (6th ed., Feb. 2007), p.92 "The exquisitely balconied Palacio Arzobispal to the left of the cathedral is a relatively modern building, dating to 1924. On the northeast side, the Palacio de Gobierno was built in 1937 and is the residence of Peru's president. A handsomely uniformed presidential guard is on duty all day." You can see that in the picture of the Palacio de Gobierno, the presidential guard is clearly on duty, evidenced by their tank-like vehicle with the mounted gun. That's not quite the guard the book refers to (because they refer to the more prettily dressed ones at the door, who ceremoniously go through a changing of the guard at noon every day), but it gives you a stronger idea of their concept of protection.

La Catedral de Lima

Lonely Planet Peru guide (6th ed., Feb. 2007), pp.93-96 "The original cathedral...was deemed too small for its congregation within a single decade, and work on its successor began in 1564, which was still unfinished when it was consecrated in 1625. It was badly damaged in the 1687 earthquake and almost totally destroyed by another earthquake in 1746. The reconstruction is based on the early plans." The remains of Francisco Pizarro, the Spaniard who colonized Peru and killed the Incan leader Atahualpa, are located in the cathedral's chapel. My Peru guide notes an interesting story about the remains..."A debate over the authenticity of the remains raged during the 1980s and early 1990s, especially after several bodies and a mysterious disembodied head were unearthed in the crypt in the late 1970s. After a battery of tests and speculation, the authorities concluded that the body previously on dipslay was an unknown church official and that a brutally stabbed and headless body from the crypt was indeed Pizzaro's, and was reunited with the head and transferred to the chapel." Good times in 16th-century Peru, my friends, GOOD TIMES.

Plaza de Armas

Lonely Planet Peru guide (6th ed., Feb. 2007), p.92 "Also called Plaza Mayor, the 140-sq-meter Plaza de Armas was once the heart of Lima. Though not one original building remians, the impressive bronze fountain in the center is its oldest feature, erected in 1650, and its oldest building is the cathedral, which was reconstructed after the 1746 earthquake."

Iglesia de la Merced

Lonely Planet Peru guide (6th ed., Feb. 2007), p.96 "The Iglesia de la Merced has a multilayered history. It was built on the site of the first Mass celebrated in Lima (which was held in 1534), but the original church was soon replaced by a larger version. This, in turn, was torn down, rebuilt in 1628, promptly flattened by the 1687 earthquake, then once again rebuilt. Work started on a new facade after more damage in the 1746 earthquake, and in 1773 the church was gutted by a fire that destoryed all paintings and vestments in the sacristy. Most of today's church dates from the 18th century."

Plaza San Martín

Lonely Planet Peru guide (6th ed., Feb. 2007), p.98 "The early-20th-century Plaza San Martín has French-influenced arthitecture and a bronze equestrian statue of liberator General San Martín erected in 1921." José de San Martín formally proclaimed Lima's independence from the Spanish in 1821. He left Latin America in 1822 and Simón Bolívar continued with Peru's liberation. The Spanish finally capitulated in 1826.

Clearing things up and checking in

Some of you have asked if the continuously gray sky is a result of the rampant air pollution. Actually, it's just winter. Winter here means gray coastal fog that covers the area for months. I don't expect to see the sun in Lima again until December.

Although I would love to blame the deisel fuel and the inefficient motors of everyone's car...

However, it only takes a short trip outside of the city to find the sun again, as I discovered in my readings yesterday at the Community Liaison Office at the embassy. Maybe Anthony and I will be taking some weekend forays once we figure out our own neighborhood.

Speaking of which, we attempted to view the famous Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Martín, and the famous Jirón that connects the two over the Independence Day holiday (Jirón is a 5 or 7 block stretch of pedestrian walkway, lined with stores and restaurants). There were so many people, however, that we didn't see much. The holidays here are meant for Peruvians to take their whole family to the streets in search of a good time. I don't think I've ever seen so many people eating ice cream in one place in my life. Jirón was completely full of ice-cream eaters. It's too bad my guide book advises me against eating the ice cream here (boo!).

Since we had the dog with us, we didn't go into any stores, but that didn't stop aggressive tattoo artists from stopping Anthony (not that it's hard to pick him out of a crowd - he is easily head and shoulders taller than 98% of the people on the street) and attempting to convince him that he needs more ink on his body. The most popular suggestion was to have Grace's face (the dog) tattoo'd to his arm. I think I am perfectly justified in registering my loud and emphatic "NO."

The next couple of posts feature pictures from the Plaza San Martín, the Jirón, and the Plaza de Armas. For you historical buffs, there are also some excerpts from my Lonely Planet Peru guide (6th ed., Feb. 2007) that explain more of what you are seeing.

Starting with this lovely picture of the Jirón: