Printer Girl
Summary: The internship ends in a week. It's been fun and I've learned a lot, but I look forward to returning home and figuring out the next stage of my life.For Detail-Lovers Only:At 11:30 today, I had a meeting with the DCM (Deputy Chief of Mission), to "express my views on the intern program in Lima." This is it: The beginning of the end. I have seven more days left at the Embassy after today, and am trying hard to decipher my feelings about that fact. I wrote to a friend that it's almost like graduating was, two and a half months ago. Once again, I find myself reluctant to leave just when the friendships I've begun to develop are taking root. We've established a sort of rhythm and routine in our little group of interns and have definitely made our presence known at the Embassy. Woe to the individuals that get stuck riding the elevator with our chattering group during the lunch hour! We've started spending more time with the Marines and the Army MIST (a special unit of Army), making the evenings after work and the weekends pass much more quickly than when we first arrived! And let's not forget the Peruvians! Brianna and I often reflect on the relationships we've built in our short time here, and how much effort it's becoming to try to plan activities and schedule our lives around all these people when we have a very short amount of time left and still so much to do! While I was happy to leave technology behind and take a break from the social chaos (albeit happy chaos) that was my college life, it's taken less than three months to establish the same pattern, and boy do I miss my cute little pink cell phone!!! I enjoy my job a lot, although I'm looking forward to having a more specific job description wherever I end up. There wasn't a whole lot of actual work for me to do here, which I would have preferred if this were a permanent (and paid) position. I did get some of the practical HR experience that I was hoping for, though. My favorite part was sitting in on interviews and sorting résumés. I found it fascinating that the résumés here break every rule I was ever taught about including potentially discriminatory information. Almost everyone had a picture and included a brief bio stating age, marital status, and other such personal information! Talk about having to turn a blind eye! As for the interviews, hopefully that experience will come in handy when I start my own job search in a few weeks! I have to say that I'm very excited about the field I chose, too! If there's one thing I learned from this experience, it's that working in an office full of women is never a bad thing. Between the baby showers and the birthdays, there was cake galore all summer! Since HR is a female-dominated profession, I forsee definite sweet-tooth development.In the end, my Microsoft Access project was the big thing: I learned how to use the program and created a database that will hopefully help the Financial Management Office organize and report financial information more efficiently. I was told that it's something they've been wanting to develop for almost ten years, and while my database is far from sophisticated and will probably need to be changed and adapted for their purposes, it's a very appreciated start. That makes the hours of battling Access and willing it to obey my commands worthwhile. In fact, I think I'll probably take a Microsoft Access class at some point, just for kicks. I'm hooked on the program and want to know more!And if there was a lack of physical tasks to be assigned to me, there was definitely not a lack of things to do, places to go, and, most of all, people to meet! Whether it's viewed as just general friendliness, or the more professional "networking", I did it! One punny slogan that somebody suggested to me was "Printer girl makes a lasting impression," (get it?? hehe) and it definitely applied to me, and vice versa. While there are some offices and people that I visit on a daily basis (usually as a excuse to get up and walk around a bit), I don't have to go far for some personal interaction. My little spot between the printers is perfectly positioned in one of the high-traffic areas of the building and people often stop and talk to me on their way to take care of other business. Ongoing office humor and chats have become standard, and help pass the time at work. In fact, they are my favorite part of working here. I really like the overall "office" atmosphere, as opposed to the academic environment I've been in so long. Call me crazy, but having a structured 8:00 - 5:00 schedule has been everything I ever imagined during those late-night library study sessions this past year. Maybe it will get old, but for now I love cubicle living.Clearly, I'm going to miss this place. But I'm also very eager to get home. As mentioned, once I get back to the States, I plan on starting the real job search. I don't know for sure where I'll end up, but my top choice is the Twin Cities, in MN. This is a change from just a few months ago, when I had more of an inclination to leave the Midwest and head to a completely unfamiliar location where I didn't know anybody, and see how I did. I guess I did that with Perú, and I'd say it was a successful venture! But now I'm leaning more toward a happy medium. I've spent much of my time here mulling over my plans for when I return, and the Twin Cities have been at the forefront of my thoughts, so I think that's where I'll be focusing on looking for a job. However, I'm far from limiting myself. I'll see where the opportunities come up and go from there. I'm also considering taking the Foreign Service Officer exam in April, which could start the process of turning me into a real/permanent government girl! My experience here has been positive enough that I could see myself having a career with the State Department. Why not? I've learned the acronyms already! Time will tell. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to getting back home, having a belated graduation party with friends from home, attending a couple of weddings, and basking in the summer warmth! As much as I enjoy my alpaca scarves, I'm anxious to pack them up for a couple months before the real winter comes, with blizzards to boot! Mi vida Peruana has been excellent. Let the countdown begin till I'm an Americana again!
And Then Lima Was Home
Summary: Skipped church and went against all good motherly advice not to talk to strangers or follow them to unfamiliar locations. Thank God! Also took in an art show, some ocean air, and some sweets (mmm, gelato) while making new friends. An altogether musically charming weekend.For Detail Lovers, Only:I truly love this country, mainly for it's people. They are quite possibly the most friendly and welcoming people I've ever met. Yesterday, on my way to church, I stumbled upon a religious procession for El Señor de los Milagros (Father of Miracles).
True to his name, He created a little miracle for me. While I was taking pictures from the sidelines, one of the dancers came up to me and wanted to have his picture taken. He went and posed with one of his fellow dancers, and suddenly there were about fifteen of them, swarming to be on my camera!!! It was just like a bunch of clowns tumbling around at the circus! Haha, I snapped the photo (which is one of my favorites!), and then thought to myself, why not get a picture of me with them? So I handed my camera to a woman nearby, and had barely stepped out into the street when the dancers swarmed me and sucked me into their group. There was no going back!! We got the picture, and from then on, I was one of the crew.
Suddenly, I was approached every thirty seconds by another Peruvian (from the procession itself and other spectators) wanting to know who I was and where I was from and what I was doing there! It was as if there had never been a girl with snow-white skin and blue eyes in the country before! They were sooooo nice, and before I knew it, the procession was over and I was climbing on a bus with the dancers to head to some random school that I'll never be able to find again, so that we could continue the party! There was more dancing, and food and drink, and everything was taken care of for me. I didn't have to lift a finger, all I had to do was sit there and listen and talk to them about their culture and traditions and what was going on before me. I never made it to church, but it was one of the most spiritual days that I've had in a long time!This was the perfect ending to what was an altogether fabulously Peruvian weekend. Friday night, Perla and I joined to share our second cultural event: "Noche de Arte". Solely featuring Peruvian work, this is the largest art exposition in Peru, and is partially sponsored by the Embassy. I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that there I was spending yet another Friday night eating hors d'oeurvres (some of which had caviar!) and drinking wine, as I discussed the merit of a photographers use of a daisy in her first three pictures. After perusing each of the salons and taking in a spontaneous modern dance movement, Perla and I headed to my place to meet the rest of the interns. It was almost a relief to sit around in my living room and chat with them before we headed out to Bartini's to dance. My pedestal crumbled a bit and I went back to being a 20-something intern spending her summer in Peru.The beauty of the evening didn't end with Noche de Arte, however. Bartini's is a lounge-style club situated in the heart of Larcomar, the prime tourist location in ritzy Miraflores, right on the cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean, with the skyline of Lima extending on either side. We had a great night of dancing and breathing the ocean air as we watched the mist roll in, obsuring the waves below. The Marines even showed up, although as exhilarated as we were to finally be hanging out with them (we've been trying to get together for the last three weekends) I doubt their presence did much to enhance an already excellent night.Saturday was uneventful until about 6:00, when Brianna and I went to the house of Ana Maria la Rosa, an artist and musician who specializes in the native instruments of Peru. I had become fascinated with one such instrument, called a "whistling potter" when I attended the Nazca concert the previous Monday. It's a very simple and incomprehensible device made of two bottles connected together by a tube-like bridge. The sound is made by pouring water into one side and passing it through to the other, creating a bird-like whistle as pure as any you might find in the Amazon. Depending on the construction of the instrument, it's whistle may be either high or low, and we spent the better part of an hour choosing various potters to find the ones that best complemented one another. It was incredibly meditative.The only thing that could have topped the weekend off was exactly what came to pass. Coming full circle, I spent Sunday evening back down at Larcomar with my new friend Jaime, from the OEA reception I went to a couple weeks ago. He greeted me with a beautiful black ceramic vase that he said was a ceremonial vessel of some ancient tribe (wow) and then treated me to a night of Peruvian chocolates, lemon gelato, and coffee! Granted, the coffee may not have been the wisest choice, given the fact that I drank it at 9:00 p.m. and couldn't get to sleep after I got home, making today even more of a struggle than usual as I willed MS Access to make sense! But I wouldn't have taken it back for anything. I look forward to the next weekend in Lima (just four days away)! For now, it's off to an intern movie night at my place . . . Ciao!
One Month and Counting
SUMMARY:
June = winter, keeping tabs on presidential elections, reanalylis of Pisco Sour, and starting the rule of "six degrees of separation" with six potential Peruvian friends in an attempt to meet the entire country by August.
FOR DETAIL LOVERS, ONLY:
It’s hard to believe, but I’ve officially been here for a month! I’m apparently getting acclimated, having worn a scarf to work this morning. I know it’s June, but it’s my first item made from baby alpaca wool, purchased this past Saturday at the Indian Market. I figured I’d go with this whole “winter” concept (even though it’s still a good 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit each day), and look the part. A simple accessory like an alpaca scarf and a light jacket keep the masses from hounding me with comments about how I must be freezing when I wear a short-sleeve shirt to work!
The week started off with the presidential elections, for which I was an official observer with the OEA (Organization of American States, a group of volunteers from other American countries that observe the practices in Peru to ensure fairness according to established international standards). I got a certificate and everything! It was an interesting process to participate in and watch. My job was to observe the process and record any illegitimate or suspicious practices that I saw. I also had to check on the progress of the voting, recording what percentage of registered voters had showed up by certain times, and whether or not everything started and finished in an efficient and timely manner.
I think there were about forty OEA observers throughout the country, and our reports got turned into the National Electoral Jury as evidence that it was a fair election in case any disputes arose afterward, which was a very real possibility given the close race and competitive nature of this election. It actually went off much more smoothly than expected, without significant violence. Garcia won by a large margin, which is considered better from a U.S. perspective, although it was/is uncertain of how either of the presidential candidates will perform in the next five years. As my driver said this morning when I asked how he thought things would be under Garcia, “we can’t think about it, we can only hope.” Garcia may have won, but he’s going to have to earn any support, especially after destroying the Peruvian economy in his first economic term, from 1985-1990.
Voting is obligatory here, and there’s a fine for anyone who doesn’t vote. People have to come into their assigned locations, show their ID, mark an “X” on the ballot next to the picture of the person they want (Or scribble all over the ballot to nullify it as some people did. Others just left it blank.) and literally drop it in a ballot box . . . the kind you see in cartoons or movies. Then they sign a form that has their picture on it with a bar code and mark it with their fingerprint, authorizing their vote. In the final step, they dip their finger into a jar of permanent ink to mark themselves as voters. At first I thought this was the equivalent of our “I voted” sticker, and couldn’t figure out why they didn’t just invest in some of those. It would be less messy. But then Brianna came to the conclusion that it was probably to deter people from trying to vote twice, which has been a problem in the past. I concur.
So that was the big thing of the week. The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful, although I went to a beautiful concert based on the Nazca heritage of southern Peru with one of the new interns, Perla, on Monday night. Somehow, Perla managed to get two free tickets to this concert, which was a private event for representatives of various institutions. Perla and I were the Embassy representatives. They handed out free CDs with the music that we heard (Very meditative, and earthy with kind of a new age twist. I like it and listen to it in the evenings when I get home.) and afterwards there was a reception. Perla had left early, but I stuck around and enjoyed the Pisco Sour and little sandwiches that they served.
I’m becoming a big fan of receptions! I think I’ve eaten more kinds of hors d’oeuvres in the last three weeks than the rest of my life combined! And they’re tasty and always creative. I should post a Pisco Sour update here, too. My sample size has grown to approximately eight since I wrote about the first one, and I must say that the statisticians are right. My results would have been skewed had they been based on my first Pisco Sour experience! Yes, it’s a strong drink, but the first one I tried was stronger than usual, and overall I like the beverage a lot.
I did my best to mingle at this reception, and when I saw one of the musicians talking to a couple people, I went over to ask him about one of the instruments I had seen him play. It turns out he was talking to a woman, Ana Maria, who makes this instrument along with all sorts of others also based on the ancient traditions of various indigenous groups in Peru. We chatted for a while, and she invited me to come over and see her work, so I think I might do that this weekend. She’s one of about five Peruvians on my new list of potential Peruvian friends.
Since I don’t have much opportunity to get out and about and socialize with the Peruvians, at least not in the same way I did in Spain two years ago, I’ve decided to make the most of what I’ve got. With a little initiative, I should have a decent foundation of Peruvian contacts within a week or two. Ana Maria is the first, but there’s also Jaime, a young graphic designer who volunteered with the JNE during the elections. We met at a reception on Friday night, and hit it off. I exchanged email addresses with a student who originates from a tribe in the Amazon (how cool is that???) and, of course, there’s Jessica and Carlos, the couple that I met at the airport when I first got here. I also met a really cute little old lady named Marilu who worked as a “personera” (party-affiliated observer) during the elections and regaled me with stories of her international children and grandchildren who are scattered throughout the world practicing medicine and engineering and whatnot. Most of all, Brianna and I have decided to become the favorite customers of our favorite waiter, Luis, at a local café we just started going to after work. We’ve been there three evenings this week (Finally! I’m getting some good café time in. I’ve missed that since getting here!), and I think we’re well on our way. Yesterday, Luis learned our names and made a point of saying them each time he brought us something.
That’s a good start for now, and if I work it right my six initial contacts will multiply until I know pretty much the whole country by the time I leave in August! That will come in handy in the future given my recent decision to return to Peru to live here again. I have no idea how or when that will be, but I will be coming back in a capacity that will allow me to do Peru the “right” way. Whether it’s to work, to do research, or just to travel, I will be sure to allow plenty time (and money) to explore the various regions of Peru and get to interact with the people more/speak Spanish consistently. I love it here, and I love my job, but the fact is that there’s simply not enough time to see and do everything! I keep hearing about regions in the north and east that I would love to visit, but with a 7:30 – 5:30 a day work schedule all week long, I barely have enough time to get to know Lima. And the ten days I have to travel are barely enough to make it to Cuzco and maybe the Amazon, but I’ll be pushing it. There’s no question about it. I may be leaving August 1st, but I’ll be back.
