As you all know, I am a critic of everything fashion-related. What people are wearing, how they're wearing it, and what they're wearing it with. That is why I've decided to dedicate an entire blog post to what I've observed in my almost two (!!!) months here in Lima.
Now let me start off with a disclaimer: there are some very well-dressed, "in-style" Peruvians, but the operative word here is "some." The clothes here aren't super expensive (depending on where you shop), and one can buy Hollister, Armani Exchange, and other expensive brands that are found in the US for dirt-cheap prices. That being said, there are still a plethora of notable fashion no-nos to point out.
First, the freshmen on campus. Oh how it is to be young. Generally, students who start college after high school enter at the age of 16-17. This is fine with me (except for the occasional jail-baits) because they keep me fun and youthful, but a lot of them are still at the age where they don't know who they are and, as such, dress how many students did when I was in middle school. Remember those goth kids? The baggy black cargo pants with the heavy eye liner and the chains? The pants that have silver zippers that turn into shorts? Those studded bracelets? Yeah, that's all still "in" here. My oddly-specific description above is based off of my memory of a 17 year old freshman girl at the cafeteria. (I literally stopped eating when I saw what she was wearing and said "what the $#@( is that?!)
Second, my professors. I will start with the three professors I have that are men because they all tend to dress the same: ill-fitting jeans or dress pants topped with a baggy collared shirt of some sort. Nothing really special. As for my female professor (and many women I've seen here in general), the standard outfit is a pair of baggy slacks with an ill-fitting (i.e. too tight) shirt of some sort. Friday (yesterday) is the perfect example of this. My literature professor is not fat by any sense of the term, but the way she dressed herself added at least 40 pounds to her body. The baggy pants combined with the tight shirt, which kept exposing the not-so-toned parts of her body made it a spectacle to behold as this 5'2'' woman taught us about the works of Peruvian author José María Arguedas. (And yes, I did pay attention to more than just her clothes).
A note about these small shirts (and this post in general): I've been informed by friends I've made here that it's especially difficult to dress bigger women in Peru because of the lack of plus-size stores. That is, companies mass-produce clothing in smaller sizes to conform to some standard of beauty that all women should apparently be held to. Please understand that this post is merely descriptive of what people are wearing (with a little advice thrown in). Also note that I'm not saying people have to be skinny, rather that they need to understand how to dress their bodies.
Fortunately, the style issue tends to be less of an issue when people dress up to go out on the weekends, though there are still many flagrant fashion errors. What I do love, however, is that the women here almost all wear high heels and, more importantly, can WALK in them. There is no greater turn on than a woman who can stomp down Lima's uneven sidewalks in a pair of 4-inch stiletto heels without missing a beat. Love it.
Last thing, random thought: Halls, the popular cough drops we use in the United States, are popular here as well...but as candy. The favorites are the "extra strong" variety. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm going to stick to my 6th grade homeroom teacher's advice: if you're eating a cough drop and not coughing, that better be one damn good cough drop.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
An Overdue Update
To my loyal followers,
I apologize for not updating my blog over the last several weeks, but I can honestly say that I have been busy! To that end, this post (sadly) will not contain any photographs because there hasn't been really anything interesting to show you. Let's talk in this order: my school life, my social life, and then my random thoughts.
My classes are going really well (at least, in these 2 weeks leading up to midterms!). My favorite class is, hands down, my History of the Peruvian Amazon class. The professor is amazing and really cares about his students. To that end, he has already purchased me two (2) books and one (1) newspaper that will help me immensely with my research project. Before you think he's some demented pervert trying to seduce a student, note that I'm not the only student for whom he does this. He literally goes out of his way to find resources for every student in the class, which is no small feat! My oral presentation and control/essay exam in his class last week also went really well, so I have no complaints. My other classes are going smoothly thus far, but talk to me again in two weeks after midterms are over.
Something interesting to note about my 2 of my 4 classes (though the phenomenon I'm about to explain is much more common than one would think): every professor arrives somewhere between 10-30 minutes late to lecture. No joke. Today my literature professor arrived at 11:23am even though the class started at 11am. Fortunately, I had plenty of gossiping to do, so I utilized the extra time wisely. It's going to be difficult to go back to the UW and to be expected to show up on time! Haha.
Socially, the last week and a half or so have been a metaphorical rollercoaster. Sparing you the details, I have emerged relatively fine and have become even closer to my friends here in Peru who have really been a great help. Daily lunches combined with wonderful conversation has made adjusting to this experience as easy as possible! I'm really grateful for that.
Random thoughts:
Language-wise, I seem to be improving a lot. Today, my Chilean friend was super proud when I started talking to her because she said my fluidity and my speaking was very natural. She's a wonderful person and helps me out whenever I have any doubt or question.
Relationship-wise, Peruvians are very direct. For example, a Peruvian girl asked me what I thought about Peruvian girls in general. I told her they're fine. She followed that question up with a "Do you want to be my boyfriend?" You should also know I had only met her about 30 seconds earlier. Yeah, that direct. Also, all of the (heterosexual) couples make out in public, which is common practice it seems because it doesn't bother anybody. That still doesn't change the fact that I think public displays of affection are gross.
Housing-wise: I'm trying to move out of my house because of how far away and how expensive it is. The family is very nice, but I have realized that most of my language practice comes at school and that there is really no point in living so far away from school. As one of my Finnish friends explained to me, I spend three hours traveling to and from school total every day (because traffic here is awful). That's 5 days a week, 15 hours. That adds up after about 36 weeks here. So, if you know of any housing in Lima, hit me up!
Oh! I met Barney and a giant chicken! That's an interesting photo to share with you all!
I apologize for not updating my blog over the last several weeks, but I can honestly say that I have been busy! To that end, this post (sadly) will not contain any photographs because there hasn't been really anything interesting to show you. Let's talk in this order: my school life, my social life, and then my random thoughts.
My classes are going really well (at least, in these 2 weeks leading up to midterms!). My favorite class is, hands down, my History of the Peruvian Amazon class. The professor is amazing and really cares about his students. To that end, he has already purchased me two (2) books and one (1) newspaper that will help me immensely with my research project. Before you think he's some demented pervert trying to seduce a student, note that I'm not the only student for whom he does this. He literally goes out of his way to find resources for every student in the class, which is no small feat! My oral presentation and control/essay exam in his class last week also went really well, so I have no complaints. My other classes are going smoothly thus far, but talk to me again in two weeks after midterms are over.
Something interesting to note about my 2 of my 4 classes (though the phenomenon I'm about to explain is much more common than one would think): every professor arrives somewhere between 10-30 minutes late to lecture. No joke. Today my literature professor arrived at 11:23am even though the class started at 11am. Fortunately, I had plenty of gossiping to do, so I utilized the extra time wisely. It's going to be difficult to go back to the UW and to be expected to show up on time! Haha.
Socially, the last week and a half or so have been a metaphorical rollercoaster. Sparing you the details, I have emerged relatively fine and have become even closer to my friends here in Peru who have really been a great help. Daily lunches combined with wonderful conversation has made adjusting to this experience as easy as possible! I'm really grateful for that.
Random thoughts:
Language-wise, I seem to be improving a lot. Today, my Chilean friend was super proud when I started talking to her because she said my fluidity and my speaking was very natural. She's a wonderful person and helps me out whenever I have any doubt or question.
Relationship-wise, Peruvians are very direct. For example, a Peruvian girl asked me what I thought about Peruvian girls in general. I told her they're fine. She followed that question up with a "Do you want to be my boyfriend?" You should also know I had only met her about 30 seconds earlier. Yeah, that direct. Also, all of the (heterosexual) couples make out in public, which is common practice it seems because it doesn't bother anybody. That still doesn't change the fact that I think public displays of affection are gross.
Housing-wise: I'm trying to move out of my house because of how far away and how expensive it is. The family is very nice, but I have realized that most of my language practice comes at school and that there is really no point in living so far away from school. As one of my Finnish friends explained to me, I spend three hours traveling to and from school total every day (because traffic here is awful). That's 5 days a week, 15 hours. That adds up after about 36 weeks here. So, if you know of any housing in Lima, hit me up!
Oh! I met Barney and a giant chicken! That's an interesting photo to share with you all!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Paracas!
Hello to everyone on the eve of Easter!
I have returned from my "one day getaway" to Paracas, a beach town in the south of Peru (roughly 3.5 hours away by bus). It was a wonderful experience and the first time I had ventured outside of the city. I tagged along with Cynthia, a Peruvian friend I met at school, and her mother after they invited me to join them! It was very generous of them and I'm quite grateful.
The adventure started Thursday night. Given that our bus left at 5:30 the next morning, we decided it would be best if I spent the night at Cynthia's house, which was VERY far from my house. That being said, Cynthia and her mother cooked for me and I met literally the entire family, including Cynthia's 94 year old grandmother, who was surprisingly lucid, but incredibly fragile. After heading to bed at around 1:30AM because I ended up finding the movie "Flight 93" on TV, I woke up surprisingly well-rested for our journey.
The bus ride was uneventful, mostly because I slept the entire way there, which made the 3.5 hours exceptionally easy to tolerate. When I woke up, we were passing through a small town just outside of Paracas that had been devastated by an earthquake in 2007, and it was shocking to see how it was still trying to rebuild.
Eventually we made it to Paracas where we were hounded by taxi drivers and representatives of different tourism agencies who wanted us to utilize their services. Eventually we found a nice man named Vincente who drove us around and told us all the best/cheapest places to choose. The highlight of the trip was the tour of Las Islas Ballestas, which essentially showed us Peru's equivalent of the Galapagos Islands. I saw sea lions, penguins, pelicans, and a whole bunch of other animals that I thought only lived in more temperate/colder climates, but I guess I was wrong! Below are some photos that I find particularly enjoyable.
Another interesting part of my trip was when I broke bread with Cynthia and her mother and then prayed a Christian prayer. I can't recall which one it was, though I know I've heard it before (in English). Our Father? What's the prayer people normally say when they eat the body of Christ?
The end of my trip, yesterday, April 2, also marked the end of my first month in Peru. Time sure flies, doesn't it? Only 8 more to go until I'm back with all of you! :) I intend to make every second count!
As for tomorrow, Easter, my host mother has informed me that there will be at least 16 people coming over to celebrate, so it should be an interesting day. I leave you with a link to my vacation photo album on Facebook. There are some beautiful pictures to see (and I'm not just talking about myself!).
Follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033548&id=1599810067&l=4bd717b469
I have returned from my "one day getaway" to Paracas, a beach town in the south of Peru (roughly 3.5 hours away by bus). It was a wonderful experience and the first time I had ventured outside of the city. I tagged along with Cynthia, a Peruvian friend I met at school, and her mother after they invited me to join them! It was very generous of them and I'm quite grateful.
The adventure started Thursday night. Given that our bus left at 5:30 the next morning, we decided it would be best if I spent the night at Cynthia's house, which was VERY far from my house. That being said, Cynthia and her mother cooked for me and I met literally the entire family, including Cynthia's 94 year old grandmother, who was surprisingly lucid, but incredibly fragile. After heading to bed at around 1:30AM because I ended up finding the movie "Flight 93" on TV, I woke up surprisingly well-rested for our journey.
The bus ride was uneventful, mostly because I slept the entire way there, which made the 3.5 hours exceptionally easy to tolerate. When I woke up, we were passing through a small town just outside of Paracas that had been devastated by an earthquake in 2007, and it was shocking to see how it was still trying to rebuild.
Eventually we made it to Paracas where we were hounded by taxi drivers and representatives of different tourism agencies who wanted us to utilize their services. Eventually we found a nice man named Vincente who drove us around and told us all the best/cheapest places to choose. The highlight of the trip was the tour of Las Islas Ballestas, which essentially showed us Peru's equivalent of the Galapagos Islands. I saw sea lions, penguins, pelicans, and a whole bunch of other animals that I thought only lived in more temperate/colder climates, but I guess I was wrong! Below are some photos that I find particularly enjoyable.
Another interesting part of my trip was when I broke bread with Cynthia and her mother and then prayed a Christian prayer. I can't recall which one it was, though I know I've heard it before (in English). Our Father? What's the prayer people normally say when they eat the body of Christ?
The end of my trip, yesterday, April 2, also marked the end of my first month in Peru. Time sure flies, doesn't it? Only 8 more to go until I'm back with all of you! :) I intend to make every second count!
As for tomorrow, Easter, my host mother has informed me that there will be at least 16 people coming over to celebrate, so it should be an interesting day. I leave you with a link to my vacation photo album on Facebook. There are some beautiful pictures to see (and I'm not just talking about myself!).
Follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033548&id=1599810067&l=4bd717b469
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Semana Santa!
Happy April Fool's Day everybody!
Just a quick update before I head off for a couple of days to Paracas, a beach town on the Peruvian coast with my friend Cynthia and her mom! I'm really excited for the trip! Pictures for sure as soon as I get back!
We had a short week of school this week for Semana Santa, or the Holy Week before Easter - a three whole days! :) The unfortunate thing is that one of those days is a Saturday, and although students do have classes on Saturday, I am not one of them. Nor do I have class on Thursdays. Thus I technically only get 1 day off. Poor me. ;)
Nothing really new to report except that I think I've come down with a bit of, well, the illness that appears when someone eats bad food and then their body tries to get it out of the system. Yeah. Working on getting rid of that. Probably too much information, but I felt that you all would like to know that I'm surviving!
Until I blog again!
Just a quick update before I head off for a couple of days to Paracas, a beach town on the Peruvian coast with my friend Cynthia and her mom! I'm really excited for the trip! Pictures for sure as soon as I get back!
We had a short week of school this week for Semana Santa, or the Holy Week before Easter - a three whole days! :) The unfortunate thing is that one of those days is a Saturday, and although students do have classes on Saturday, I am not one of them. Nor do I have class on Thursdays. Thus I technically only get 1 day off. Poor me. ;)
Nothing really new to report except that I think I've come down with a bit of, well, the illness that appears when someone eats bad food and then their body tries to get it out of the system. Yeah. Working on getting rid of that. Probably too much information, but I felt that you all would like to know that I'm surviving!
Until I blog again!
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