On the Issue of BLENDING

I considered Peru because I thought I might be able to blend a little. By blend I of course mean racially and physically. As I learned a few months ago, the Argentine people are more of the European (read: caucasian) persuasion. I was kind of surprised to see more blond, blue eyed people. But when I finally did a little research on Peru, most of the pictures were of people who were a little closer to my complexion. As I read though, I learned that the people in Lima are mostly criollo which just means that they're more fair skinned and people are racist against the darker peruvians. There is a small percentage of Afro-Peruvians, which can be found around Lima but the population of Asians and Afro-Peruvians combined is less than 3%.

Am I scared that I may somehow encounter racism or some kind of discrimination? No, because no matter how much I try to blend in, I'll still quite obviously be a foreigner. I still think that once I figure out where I'm going and start to act like the people, I'll start to look like the people. It's more about attitude. Plus even if I could blend in skin tone wise, once they see the fro, they'll know I don't belong. And in case you're wondering, in a group of about 20, there's one other black girl and 2 asians.

Nos vemos!

THINGS I'll Miss

I thought you might be wondering what I'll miss. These are THINGS, not people, that I'll miss most (maybe). It's a material world and I live in the most materialistic country so here they are, in no particular order:

1. My car (traffic and buses are horrible).
2. Wal-Mart (who wouldn't miss this place???)
3. Wendy's (like the only chain that hasn't gone global)
4. Pandora (gives me everything I need 99% of the time. Darn copyright laws!)
5. T.V. but most importantly tv shows. (It's an addiction)
6. Forever 21
7. Shopping in general (I'm missing Black Friday!)
8. Flips Flops (they're a dead giveaway that I'm a tourist who deserves to get robbed)
9. My room (I think I get my own room here but it just won't be the same)
10. Water that's not bottled (supposedly tap is bad)

I'm really not that superficial but this will be fun to look back at. I'm hoping that this experience will be so outlandishly amazing that 5 months from now, this list will have no ounce of contributing to any homesickness.

10 Things You Don't Know About Peru

So if you're like me, until now, you knew nothing about Peru or most of the other South American Countries. I'll admit I got these facts out of one of those kiddie books at the library but here are 10 things that I found interesting about the country I'll be living and learning in this semester.

In no particular order, they are:

• Even though Cusco is best known about Peru, it isn't a major city. Not even in the top 5. You only know about it because of Machu Pichu.
• The national tree is the cinchona. The bark contains quinine, which is a key ingredient in medicines for treating malaria.
• In the 1800s guano, or bird droppings, made up more than 80% of the nation's economy.
• In 1992 President Fujimori closed congress and suspended the constitution because congress was preventing him from implementing reforms. Even though that seems a little unconstitutional he was still re-elected in 1995 and 2000.
• Although 45% of the population is made up of indigenous people, the 1st president of indigenous descent was not elected until 2001.
• Peru is on its 15th constitution since 1827.
• The government has the same branches as the US but there are 2 vice presidents...and a prime minister.
• A prosperous crop is the coca leaf, which combats altitude sickness and hunger...but is best known as the main ingredient in COCAINE.
• Peru is a gol mine..and copper..along with zinc, iron, lead, phospate, and bismuth.
• The nuevo sol paper money depicts historical figures (not just presidents) including, a military aviator, a writer, and a historian.
• The first black saint, Martin de Porres, was born in Lima. He died in 1639 but wasn't granted saint hood until 1967.

*Bonus* Guinea pigs, or cuy, are an Andean delicacy eaten fried or grilled, on special occasions.
Hope you learned atleast 1 new or interesting fact.
Hasta luego!

Edit: Thanks for the comment Anonymous. Ceviche is a very peruvian dish. But the peruvians are very proud of their food so there are multiple "official" dishes.