10 Interviews. 2 Hours. VAMOS!

So on Tuesday I had the most frightening experience of my life so far. I had to interview for an internship, en ESPAÑOL. I have never really had to interview for a job and then to have to do it in spanish after being here for less than a week?!



The way it works is CIEE has a network of business, about 30, that want interns. We went to a hotel banquet room where most of the businesses were gathered to interview on the spot. It was like a career fair... or speed dating. Beforehand we were given a folder with short profiles of all the businesses so that we could have a better idea of what we wanted to do before we got there. So I went in with a list of 10 businesses that I was interested in, thinking that I would only get to do maybe half.

I generally hat einterviews and anything where I have to talk about myself. That's pretty much what an interview is: you brag about yourself and tell them why you deserve the job. That's easy for some people never for me. So imagine the apprehension and nerves you get when you have to do an interview, then multiply that exponentially when it has to be done in spanish. I was nervous out of my mind. Would they understand me? What if I said sometihng wrong? Would I be able to think of anything (right or wrong)? What if they think I'm a complete imbecil???

I won't say that all of that went away but I somehow managed to turn it into positive and productive energy. I interviewed with about 5 companies that I wasn't originally interested in just to warm up and then interviewd with 5 that I originally was. Just as any interview goes, some of them were really nice and we clicked well, and others not so much.

I got a practica (internship) with Instituto San Fernando!

I'm not sure how I managed it but here are a few tips:

• Smile. Do it when you meet them and periodically through out the conversation. When appropriate of course.
• Nod your head to show understanding or at least attention. Alot of the interviewers spoke too fast or were just really boring. I nodded my head to show I was paying attention even though they had lost my attention.
• Make eye contact. This is something that you should master for everything. For me, it's the most important part of communication. It helped to show that I was engaged in the conversation and is kind of a sign of respect.

That's pretty much all I remember doing. But I guess I did it well! I'll give more info on what the business is and what I'll have to do when I get it!

A Note about Diversity...

                 THERE IS NONE.

 There is not really alot of diversity in study abroad. We all know that there's not alot of diversity on most college campuses anyway. But take whatever the most recent statistics are for study college/university attandence are for minority groups and shove that out the window. I don't mean this as a negative thing but it's just something that you really can't help but notice.

There are approximately 4 african american students out of about 1,500 from CIEE.

I am the only one in my program,business and society.

I'm not usually the one to point out the diversity (or lack thereof) but I couldn't help but feel my heart sink a little bit when I looked around the orientation and didn't see one face like mine out of 90 students. This is heart wrenching not just for me but for "my people." I put that in quotes because I mean only the african american group. I ran into a girl on the street who is in a different program under the umbrella of CIEE and we literally hugged and talked about how happy we were to have each other as a little community. I don't want to always focus on the color of my skin (of my afro) but they make me stand out in a different way from others. It's nice to have someone to talk to who shares the same concerns and who will have similar experiences as me. I'm not saying she's my new bestie but there will be times when only a black person can relate.

*People of Asian descent and of South/Central American descent are also represented but don't make up much more than blacks do. I've also seen some middle eastern descent students.

The point is that ALL minorities have dismal numbers. Like really sad, depressing, disappointing numbers as far as study abroad. I don't know why but I though that more minorities would come to Europe. It's the top destination for study abroad plus it's more "developed" than some countries. I didn't expect to see alot of black students in Peru and I didn't. But my group in Peru only had 25 people and there were two of us. Sin a group of 100 I thought I would see 8. I guess that's an ambitious number though...

Bienvenidos España, Besitos Perú!

I have arrived!!! I'm in Seville!!!

I realize that I didn't do anything to close my time in Peru. But it's ok because I know that I'm not done with Peru so it was more of a hasta luego and less of a chau....

I got here 3 days ago and the 7 hour difference has killed me. Of course I didn't get a good nights sleep before I left so I was exhausted when I got here...And we went from the airport to the hotel for orientation. There has been a lot of orientation which I will not bore you with. I will say that I'm getting more excited as I get more relaxed. Not that I wasn't excited before I got here but I'm starting to adjust and I think that this semester will be more awesome than I really could have hoped. It's a big statement but I tried to come open minded and with not alot of expectations. Atleast with the program itself.

Orientation has be really great. I'm trying not to compare this to Peru but as far as orientation this is so much more organized and interactive. It's because there are 90 in my program and 1,500 with CIEE plus they've been here for 20 years so they have no choice. We have guides, mine is Marta, who are our age and go to the same school that we'll be going to. They take us everywhere we need to go and we can talk to them about everything. We've been going to different restaurants and parts of the city and it's been really interesting. In the restaurants Marta tells us what's good or her favorite. She lives kind of outside of the city where most of us live but she knows everything and it's been really helpful.

The city itself is beautiful. More than I could have imagined. There are palm trees everywhere and everything is so...old. Like in a good-antique-historic way. The city is so organized and clean and even though it's cold the skies are blue and the sun is shining. The air is...crisp. Like I can breathe! I was so surprised. At first I couldn't figure it out but there's no smog. We got 2 maps and transportation is so easy. Not to keep comparing everything to Peru but it's definitely easier to get around Seville. We got two maps of the city: one of the streets and one of the buses. The streets are really curvy and narrow like alleys but the maps are great! There are buses with actual routes and no cobradors. There are underground and above ground metros. There are even bike rentals and bike lanes. You get a ticket for walking in them. I've been lost twice already but thanks to maps, I figured out where I was going and got to where I needed to be in no time.

There's been alot of academic talk and this semester I actually will have work to do, that will get done because these classes pertain to my major. One thing that I've been surprised about is that alot of the people in my group aren't as advanced as I thought they would be. I know that I have a bit of an edge because I was "immersed" last year but it's still surprising that some people look at me like I'm super advanced. I guess I did improve alot in Peru and just wasn't giving myself credit for that. I definitely understand more than I thought but I haven't run into a true-speed talking Sevillano. I got into one of the higher levels of Spanish so I don't have to take a spanish class during regular classes but I think that I will anyway. My main goal is really just to improve and increase fluidity. I want to be almost fluid and really conversational. I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity to learn about the city. Everything has been in Spanish so far and I'm actually doing great. Just need to speak spanish more...poco a poco I guess.

*Social Realidad: IDENTIDAD NACIONAL*

Encontré este video en la web sobre la identidad nacional peruana. Es muy interesante porque en clase mi profesor nos dijo que no hay una verdad identidad nacional. Si preguntases una peruana cual es la identidad nacional, él diría que los peruanos son más orgullosos de la comida. Estoy de acuerdo con él. Es verdad que yo he estado aquí por algunos meses y no sé todo pero lo que he visto no está en acuerdo con el video.


Ese video es un resumen de mi experiencias aquí in Perú. En cierto, es un que yo quiero mostrar mi familia y amigos. Muestra todo lo que es bueno en Perú. Es un de esperanza y unidad. Es para promoción. Cuando lo ves, estas viendo solo una perspectiva. Es una sociedad ideal. En ese video, la gente peruana es unida. No hay racismo ni pobreza. La gente es unida por la comida y también la cultura mixta. No es negativo a ser "mulato" ni "cholo." Además cholo es considerada una palabra de amor y cariño. El video proclama "somos cholos." Sugiere que la gente está orgullosa de las tradiciones y la gente indígenas.

Creo que la más importante mensaje que este video envía es la que dice Perú es contenta a ser una mezcla. Es una fusión de todas las tradiciones. La poeta describió Perú como un caleidoscopio de culturas y países. Perú ha describida como un país “más abierta e inclusiva.” Pero no he visto esto. Me parece que todo en Perú no es mal. Me gusta Perú y no quiero salir pero en realidad no es un país “abierta” ni “inclusiva.” Creo que nadie es orgulloso a ser un cholo. Si lo fuera la verdad la gente peruana no quisiera olvidar el idioma quechua ni los otros idiomas indígenas. La piel blanca todavía está preferida. En mi blog post anterior puedes ver que hay bastante pobreza y marginalidad. Todo no es justo y la vida no es una fiesta. La video da la impresión que Perú está floreciendo económicamente y que no hay problems. Es un de promoción pero ¿qué piensan los peruanos? ¿Qué piensan los turistas cuando lleguen y no ven la paz y comunidad que está en el video?

Me gusta el video y lo que inspira pero creo que no es realista. Inspira los sentimientos de esperanza, optimismo, orgullo, y unidad. Sin embargo, es un video que los peruanas pueden ser contenta pero no ahora. Es un de la futura pero no es la verdad identidad nacional peruana. Es una visión que Perú todavía no ha logrado.

Cooking Class!

A few weeks ago I went to a cooking class with my program. It was at an official and reputable school called D'Gallia. It was so much fun! The whole tie I've been here I've been thinking that I want to learn to cook some dishes. The food is really good and apparently really easy to prepare. Which is really the most important thing really. So we went and we cooked alot but these are really the best pictures. We made ceviche (fish cooked in lime juice, aji de gallina (my favorite), papa a la huacaina (also quite tasty), another fish, and lomo saltado (like steak with veggies). Oh and causa.

This a friend, Elizabeth, making the lomo saltado!

Me making causa! It's yellow potatoes and you have to mash them with your hands.

My version of causa rellena. It's usually more like a casserole. Veggies, mayonnaise, and OCTOPUS.



The group with the instructor. She was really nice and energetic.

I was so excited about the cooking class that Sonia (host mom) said she's going to buy me a cook book to  take home with me! And everytime we're eating she tells me the ingredients and what I might not be able to find in the states. It was a good class and we all went home super stuffed.

Arequipa, Puno, Lake Titicaca

It feels like it's been soooo long since I posted anything. Time flies when you're having fun I guess. But the only truly interesting thing that has happened is that I went to Arequipa about 2 weekends ago with a few friends. We had a simply delightful and jam packed weekend. The only bad news is that most pictures of me are on their cameras so I have to wait for them to appear on facebook. 

Arequipa is something like the 2nd largest city in Peru. I really liked it. More than I liked Cusco. It was like a cleaner, nicer, less touristy Cusco.  It was so much more relaxed and there was sun! Being in Lima where there's generally no sun or only a few hours at a time has made me appreciate the simple things in life. There's not a whole lot to do in Arequipa so we really only spent about a day exploring the city.

We went to Puno which is a small town about 6 hours outside of Arequipa. We took a bus and spent the night and then woke up bright and early to go to Lake Titicaca. The lake is like one of the wonders of the world. It's something like the biggest lake AND people live in man made isalnds. We took a tour of a group of islands called Los Uros. It was a beautiful day and the people were so hospitable and nice. We even got to try on a woman's clothes as we toured her one room hut.

The other highlight of the trip was the day we spent in Colca Canyon. The canyon is a few hours outside of Arequipa and it was pretty cool too. Some people choose to trek it over a course of days but none of us had the right shoes (lol) so we decided to do the tour bus. The bus picked us up at 3 AM and while we spent most of the day on the bus, it was still a pretty cool day. Most people go to the canyon to see the flight of the condor, which is the largest bird ever. We got there kind of late so we only saw about too but I wasn't that disappointed. I've been more amazed by the landscapes of this country so I was in awe already.

Also good news: The weekend was a great weekend for spanish. All of the tours we went on were in Spanish and it was a great opportunity to practice with strangers. We met people from all over the world including Spain, Argentina, and there was a German guy who spoke Chilean spanish. It was all very interesting and I was so proud of myself. I understood almost everything just as well as my friends (maybe even better).

*Social Realidad: Pobreza y Marginalidad*

Cuando decidí a venir a Perú yo sabía que pobreza existe. Pobreza existe en todos países entonces no estoy sorprendida cuando lo veo. Pero no sabía sobre la marginalidad y discrepancias entre las clases sociales. Mi familia y mucha gente exclamaron “pero es un país del tercer mundo, todo están viviendo en pobreza extremo” cuando les dije que iba a venir a Perú. Pero es algún país verdaderamente un “país del tercer mundo” hoy en 2010? Creí que ellos estaban exagerando y no sabían la definición verdadera del “pobreza.”Pero he visto pobreza desde llegando en Perú. Y es diferente que estaba pensando. Pobreza aquí en Perú es complicada y extendida a muchas partes. Me ha sorprendida muchas veces a ver pobreza en algunas partes del Perú. Yo digo "sorprendida" porque no hay un especifica signo que dice donde la pobreza empiece. Me parece que Perú fue construido alrededor de la pobreza. No esperaba a tropezar en las áreas de la pobreza. La pobreza es mezclada en todos partes del Perú. Por ejemplo, me fui a un sitio turístico en que todo estaba muy organizado y bonito, pero afuera, directamente frente fueron casas que estaban en mal estado. ¿Cómo puede ser? Y esto es solo un ejemplo que puedo recordar en este momento. Los “villa miserias” existe y muestra la realidad de pobreza pero que va a suceder en el futuro.
En mi investigación de pobreza encontré artículos sobre la pobreza peruana y me parece que el gobierno peruano es un poco confundido sobre suyo propio pobreza. En un artículo en peru.com Presidente García dijo “Pobreza será erradicada en el 2021…Estoy convencido que para el año 2021 la pobreza podrá haber sido virtualmente erradicada del país; en el 2005 el 48 por ciento de peruanos eran pobres, en este momento, según las cifras internacionales es el 34 por ciento, lo cual significa un salto visible e importante.”

En un artículo de gestión.pe La Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) estimó que la pobreza en el Perú podría reducirse a cerca de 31% en el 2011, aunque para ello se requiere que la economía peruana crezca en promedio 6% durante los próximos años. Según el Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI), la pobreza en Perú durante 2007 disminuyó en 5.2% respecto al 2006 y pasó de 44.5% al 39.3%. Entonces, es posible que la pobreza sea reducida drásticamente pero creo que no será erradicada completamente.

Un problema de pobreza es mortalidad infantil y malnutrición. La CAF también menciona que el Perú ha logrado importantes avances en la reducción de la tasa de mortalidad infantil (menores de un año), ya que de 58 muertes por cada 1,000 nacidos vivos en 1990 pasó a sólo 17 en 2007. Y en el caso de niños menores de cinco años de 78 a 20 muertes, es decir, una reducción de 74%, lo que es considerada la mejora más notable registrada en toda América Latina y el Caribe. ¿Con tan avanzas en la salud de los niños, cómo podría pobreza no desaparecería del Perú?

En un artículo encontré en elcomercio.com, UNICEF alertó en un estudio que la pobreza en el Perú alcanza a 78% de la población indígena de entre 3 y 17 años, comparado con el 40% de los que tienen el castellano como lengua materna. Esto es una gran cifra pero también dijo que se comprueba que hay inequidades entre los niños hispanohablantes e indígenas, pero también se encuentran diferencias entre los menores indígenas quechuas y aymaras, en comparación con los de las etnias de la selva. Las cifras muestran que más de la mitad de las escuelas indígenas no cuenta con agua, luz ni desagüe. La investigación muestra que la falta de documentos de identidad, que dificulta la precisión en los programas de ayuda social, es mayor en los indígenas selváticos. El artículo dice que los asháninkas, la mayor etnia amazónica, tiene al 25% de niños de entre 3 y 5 años sin partida de nacimiento. Un facto triste es que la maternidad es más frecuente entre adolescentes de etnias de la selva, en comparación con los adolescentes quechuas y aymaras.

Los 3 artículos se demostrada la marginalidad que he aprendido en clase. El artículo que se cita a Presidente García le da esperanza a la gente. En un sentido es un artículo que tiene una vista. El gobierno hizo estudios y la gente que tiene educación y trabajos ganará pero no toma cuenta la gente que está viviendo en pobreza. El artículo sobre pobreza entre los indígenas da una otra visto que muestra la injusticia. Es claro que las cifras sobre el crecimiento económico no se refirieron a la mayoridad de Perú, los indios. Me parece que los indios no son considerados parte del Perú. Solo son ciudadanos en silencio, sin voces ni votos.