I started work on Monday. Its actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It is a lot easier to teach lessons when you have all the materials prepared and presented. Having to find and collect and arrange all your own stuff is really a long process. At the language school I am just able to review the material and then take it from there.
On the other hand, I have become rather frustrated with companies that are established and have no respect for people they are hiring. In the most recent case with a language school that is very small, maybe around 6 teachers and after getting offered a job, the owner of the school didn’t remember that I have already finished the steps for working there, and then didn’t send me a schedule. When questioned about it, she said that the schedule changes all the time and that there was nothing for me in the morning. Thanks for telling me. I guess she expects me to be at her beck and call. No thanks, I’ll find my work elsewhere with a more fixed schedule and more responsible work practices.
Hmmm...this seems to be turning into the job blog. More job news! I have a normal job! And its kinda in the realm of what I wanted to try and get into down here. I am going to be working with a company that sends Peruvian university students abroad (to the US) to work during their summer vacation. Since their summer vacation coincides, for the most part with our winter ski season, the Peruvian students are sent to work at the ski resorts across the US. Ah ha! you say, THATs why you see so many people named Juan and Carlos and Maria working as lift operators. Jk. So I will be working with this company as a coordinator. The listing said it was a program coordinator, and that means that I will be working with clients and helping them with their paperwork and getting them into our system and working with the Embassy to get their J-1 visas in order, and answering questions and working with their parents. It seems pretty cool. I have basically done this type of work before, but I am excited because I also get to use my Spanish and my English AND my coordination experience. And I have more normal working hours. I can have a normal life outside of work. However, this will be the first time in.....a few years that I will have to consecutively have to work Monday through Friday. 2 day weekend seem so short!
Enough of work. Back to bodegas, remember those little neighborhood stores? Apart from the interesting price differential there are also small single serving items. Carlos says that a lot of people are used to buying food stuffs day by day. For example, a daily sachet of Nesquik or a mini mayo packet. In some places you can also buy like one or two sanitary pads. They have almost everything in “single serving” packets. Shampoo, a razor, special potato sauce, flour, coffee, a cookie, cereal, herbs and spices, bouillon cubes, toilet paper, you get the idea. Carlos says it caters mostly to the lower economic classes and the general populous. For example, there is usually a difference in the type of people that shop at the local market versus those who shop at the supermarket. Those who shop just at the supermarket are more well off and often scorn the local market. Their attitude is “ugh...the market”. There are also those who just shop at the market. It is generally cheaper, and you can find almost all of the same goods, but not necessarily all the different brands. As you can imagine, people who are less well off are generally just shop the market. And of course you always have those who cross into both territories. It would all make an interesting study of society...
ELECTION UPDATE AHEAD!
As I am writing this the elections are in process. The voting tables opened this morning around 8 and will close today around 4. Every once in a while the news will give what is called the “Flash” which are general polls of the people as they come out of the voting areas to find out who they voted for. As it stands, Humala, the Chavez-esque candidate is ahead. Bad news bears. It is inevitable that he will make it to the run-off elections. Talking to a lot of people, both at the house and giving my English classes, it seems that while the educated class doesn’t agree with Humala, they understand why people are voting for him. He appeals to the people from the provinces and the people who live in poverty. On one hand, Carlos says that for the people who have no money, they don’t care who they vote for. The government will continue to forget about them and they will continue to be poor no matter who wins. So, why not vote for Humala. He is no better or worse than other presidents for them. Also, the idea of being forgotten and sidelined is playing a role is these elections. Humala is playing off the wants and needs of the class that holds the biggest voting majority, those who live at or below the poverty line. He is promising to deliver results to and for them, granted he is promising to do so by slightly ignoring the constitution, but....if you are poor and uneducated the constitution doesn’t mean a lot to you here. Talking to some students in a class one night, they pointed out that the problem is a social one. They said that most of the problems come from the huge, gaping class differences in the country and that this needs to be addressed for the country to start moving forward and become stronger.
For me, watching the elections is very interesting. It seems that during the debates and watching the people that a great majority of the country is uneducated in terms of the government. This may be true in the US as well, but at least you aren’t mandated to vote. People are latching on to promises that are ridiculous and that are completely out of the realm of what a president would be able to do even if it is what they want. Also, the candidates seems to be saying things that just don’t make sense to say as a president. In the debates when they each have a question, they never seem to say anything of import except to insult each other in underhanded ways. Right now as we are waiting for the results of the elections the reporters are following the top candidates and they keep asking them...so how does it feel to know that you have such a such a percent of the vote? What do you plan to do about it? Interesting questions. At the end of the day they give thank you speeches....but without all of the votes being counted. As the night progresses there are periodic updates on how each candidate is doing along with more interviews and commentaries. Hopefully by tomorrow night all of the votes will be in and we will know who will be in the run-off elections. I am finding the suspense to be killer. I can’t vote here, but I am sort of following what is going on and the suspense is horrible! First you find out who made it to the top two...which you can guess the first person, but the second place winner is always in danger until all the votes are counted. And THEN you have to wait for run-off elections and the vote count. Its like watching a soap opera and you are waiting for the next week to find out what happen.
Oh side note...when you vote you color your finger to prove that you voted. Everyone at lunch with a purple finger today.
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