Peruvian Independence Day!

Today is Peruvian Independence Day. On July 28th, 1821, José de San Martín declared independence from Spain, and ever since then Peru has had a proud but turbulent history. Unfortunately for Limeños, Independence Day falls in the middle of winter, which means gray, wet, and cold weather, hardly an inspiring backdrop for patriotic speeches. Too bad San Martín couldn't have won a couple months earlier or a couple months later.

 Military parade against the gray July skies

Today, the president gives his State of the Union address to talk about the achievements of the past year and planned programs and improvements in the coming year. So far, president Ollanta Humala has made some lofty promises, such as educational reforms and increased investment in education and teacher training, health care coverage for all Peruvians and complete pre-and post-natal coverage for mothers and children, increased efforts to eradicate corruption within the government and police force, and measures to reduce poverty. The promised changes seem very positive, but the sheer scope of his promises seem to set him up to fail. In my opinion, it would have been more prudent to promise less and deliver more, but politicians will be politicians.

I want to believe that positive change is coming for Peru, yet it is hard to be optimistic in light of the corruption and ineptitude of the government in the past three years of this administration, and previous administrations before this. The best ideas aren't worth the paper they are written on if they aren't carried out well. So far, the Peruvian people also seem skeptical of these promises, inspiring tweets such as, "I wish I lived in Ollanta's Peru."

But enough of politics, let's get patriotic! Fiestas Patrias is a time to celebrate what Peru has to offer, and it has much to offer. Aside from its delicious food and famous pisco sours, Peru has a wealth of traditions and cultures that other countries lack. Every region has its own dress, its own music, its own traditions that go back generations. I love the textiles and handicrafts and will never get tired of browsing the markets for pretty things, or watching the Afro-Peruvian dances or the marinera. There is an endless list of things to appreciate about this country, and today I'm proud to say I live here.

The lively and colorful danzas afro

Unfortunately, Jorge can't drink right now (doctor's orders) so he won't be able to join me in raising a glass of Cusqueña beer or a pisco sour, but I know that his sentiments are the same. ¡Viva el Perú!

Spending Holidays Far from Home

I've always been a fan of holidays. I don't go crazy decorating or bake crafty things from Pinterest, although I'm always game for a holiday-themed cocktail. Now, I love holiday decorations, I just don't like doing it myself. I let others around me make the effort and just enjoy looking at the fruits of their labor; I'm more of a passive holiday-enjoyer. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like holidays a regular amount. Like everyone, I enjoy the time off and the long weekends, the once-a-year culinary delights and ensuing food coma, the whole hullabaloo. And I like the memories and the family traditions.

 No flags or lakes or family cabins this year. No happy dogs running around, no burgers and s'mores, and no card games.

Which is why spending holidays in a foreign country is weird. The traditions are different. Things look different. Your family's not there. And especially when it's a strictly national holiday (like the 4th of July), you don't get to enjoy other people's decorations. We've already established that I'm too lazy to decorate myself, so this year I felt a distinct lack of red, white, and blue around me. And that made me a bit sad. As far as I could tell, the U.S. Embassy in Lima didn't host any sort of celebration for citizens, and since I don't know too many Americans here I felt my patriotic stirrings deflate at the prospect of not celebrating the 4th. 

But then, Jorge and I received an invite to celebrate with some friends. Not just any friends, but my British friend Nilma and her husband Dom! We watched the World Cup game (in Spanish) and drank British beer. Not quite the holiday traditions that I'm used to, but it was great spending time in such good company and I felt immensely cheered up. After the game, we put on some Beach Boys and had a cookout, which felt slightly more patriotic.

The hostess with Jorge and me

 

While it wasn't quite the celebration I was used to, I ended up having a great time (and great beer - try Fuller's if you haven't already). Just goes to show that while holidays living abroad will always be different, they can be just as much fun.

The Terror of La Ducha Electrica

Anyone who has traveled in South America (and not stayed exclusively in luxury hotels) has run across this delight:

Yes, the electric shower. Mixing electricity and water sounds like a great idea, right? Electric showers are ubiquitous here due to their low cost and the limited space they take up. The alternative is a water heating tank, which is expensive and requires an area to put it in, which many apartments don't have. They come with their own set of problems (such as a risk of explosion from pressure buildup if you forget to turn them off after showering), but in general are far safer than the electric showers.

Well, most people tell me that the electric showers are perfectly safe IF they are properly installed. That's a big if, considering that jack-of-all trades handymen are a dime a dozen around here. I'm glad I was more naive while I was traveling, because thinking back on all those questionable hostel showers makes me shudder, and given the state of some of the hostels in general, I would doubt that they spent a lot of money on a licensed electrician.

I was inspired to write about this topic by events that transpired this week. (Hi Mom, nothing to see here, I'm perfectly fine!) We have an electric shower, and it served us faithfully for about six months and then simply stopped heating correctly. The water would come out either just shy of lukewarm or eye-wateringly hot, and since Lima gets quite chilly we decided it was time to remedy the situation. We bought a replacement part (something to do with the resistance and the cables that get burned out) and had someone install it. Then we tried it out. Blessedly, perfectly warm water! Oh, the joy. Until... wait, were those...? Yes, SPARKS coming out of the electric shower. So I hightailed it right out of there faster than Speedy Gonzalez. 



The solution? Well, we'll probably buy a new shower and hire a licensed electrician to install it. Although electric showers give me the creeps a little bit, millions of people use them every day and are still alive. We've been using ours for over eight months and only had this problem after the new installation. And if you're wondering what today's takeaway is, always pay the extra money for licensed professional.