After living in Peru for over two years, I arrived home during the first week of December. Leaving my site was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'm not complaining; I'm just stating the facts. People cried. I cried. My host-brothers actually sobbed. A dozen women and girls accompanied me out of my site on moto-taxis, blowing whistles and horns the entire way. The whistles were a bit much but I appreciated the gesture. Leaving was obviously something I had to do but that didn't make it any easier.
Then I got home and lived for two weeks as an anti-social being, holed up in my parents' house with random forays into society to run errands with my family. Nothing about the U.S. overwhelmed me as much as one might suppose. I expected the shopping malls. I expected the SUVs. I honestly was feeling a bit guilty about not experiencing the typical effects of reverse culture shock. I was starting to feel like maybe I was just forgetting Peru too quickly.
Then, I actually left my house and started interacting with other people. Little did I know that I had just been living in ignorant bliss. Apparently, the vast majority of the privileged U.S. population is living in ignorant bliss of another kind because they don't truly seem to care about anything going on outside of their own lives and certainly nothing going on outside of their own country. Hence, what follows is a bitter parody of the SNL segment "Really?" which, unlike the SNL version, has no intended humour.
Really, you think I want to listen to you talk about how a meal is just so much nicer with a fine, pressed damask napkin?
Really, you're really going to check Facebook on your portable phone machine in the middle of our conversation? Really?
Really, you bought your young children Motorola Droids for Christmas? I don't even know what those are. Really.
You seriously think you need to replace your HUGE television with an even more GINORMOUS television? Really?
You're actually going to talk about yourself for, oh, 3 hours and not even bother to ask how I've been? Well, that REALLY happened.
You really think that the way you live doesn't have implications? Really?! You don't think that just maybe you really aren't entitled to everything you have?
REALLY?!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
After two years in Peru, I...
...Finally understood a joke about rice preparation and actually thought it was funny.
...Am still constantly baffled by Peruvian medical remedies. Suffering from a wound or perhaps the common cold? Try kerosene. I hear it works wonders.
...Continue to laugh in people's faces at inappropriate moments because I'm positive that they are joking and, go figure, they're not. Case in point: I was recently told by my host-brother, who is 15, that his feet grew so much because he wore sandals and watered his feet. "Just like plants," he said.
...Point out Gringos as if I were not one myself.
...Am completely unfazed by any invasion of my personal space.
...Have kind of, maybe, gotten used to seeing my primary school students at parties.
...See no problem with referring to someone as Chino.
...Still don't understand why many Peruvians are called Chino when they have no characteristics meriting the nickname whatsoever.
...Love chicha.
...Would rather drink about anything other than lukewarm Peruvian beer.
...Feel like my Spanish language level may have advanced from that of a 6 year-old to that of a 6.5 year old.
...Am certain that my English language level digressed.
...Feel like an 8 year-old because I've reverted to wearing clothes that were picked out by my mother and eating whatever my Peruvian host-mother puts in front of me.
...Feel a little sad that I won't see my younger host-brother grow up.
...Am looking forward to being able to eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat it.
...Do not regret not being able to eat what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it for the past two years.
...Am still constantly baffled by Peruvian medical remedies. Suffering from a wound or perhaps the common cold? Try kerosene. I hear it works wonders.
...Continue to laugh in people's faces at inappropriate moments because I'm positive that they are joking and, go figure, they're not. Case in point: I was recently told by my host-brother, who is 15, that his feet grew so much because he wore sandals and watered his feet. "Just like plants," he said.
...Point out Gringos as if I were not one myself.
...Am completely unfazed by any invasion of my personal space.
...Have kind of, maybe, gotten used to seeing my primary school students at parties.
...See no problem with referring to someone as Chino.
...Still don't understand why many Peruvians are called Chino when they have no characteristics meriting the nickname whatsoever.
...Love chicha.
...Would rather drink about anything other than lukewarm Peruvian beer.
...Feel like my Spanish language level may have advanced from that of a 6 year-old to that of a 6.5 year old.
...Am certain that my English language level digressed.
...Feel like an 8 year-old because I've reverted to wearing clothes that were picked out by my mother and eating whatever my Peruvian host-mother puts in front of me.
...Feel a little sad that I won't see my younger host-brother grow up.
...Am looking forward to being able to eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat it.
...Do not regret not being able to eat what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it for the past two years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
