Tchaikovsky in Iquitos

Fact No. 27: Bras are important. I’m not sure how this particular fashion trend began heFun re in Iquitos, but it’s true. They sell beaded bra straps on every street corner. Clear bra straps are also super popular. Also, if you’re wearing a strappy tank top, you should wear the beaded bra straps or a halter bra strap. Point being, bra straps should be seen. Oh, and bras are SUPER padded too. So much for me and my Target bras...

Fun Fact No. 28: Band geeks are universal. Yup, sad but true. A Peruvian band geek is just as dorky as an American band geek as you will see below.

Well, who knew that November would fly by so quickly?? Was it the anticipation of my birthday? Was it that I wasn’t working on my prospectus every bloody day? Was it that my fieldwork has really gotten underway? But really, how is it December already? I am perplexed. Well, regardless, a few tidbits that have happened as of late:

1. I went to see a brass quintet from Lima called Sounds Brass. They all studied at the Lima Conservatory and they all play in the national symphony. The really neat thing was that they didn’t just sit down and play, which would seriously bore any person from Iquitos who has never seen a trombone before and could care less about Handel. They played pieces from all over the place, from the theme to Star Wars to Little Brown Jug. In between each piece, they talked about the piece, its origins, and they also gave a little lesson on each instrument (2 trumpets, 1 french horn, 1 tuba, 1 trombone) and its history. It was completely A) entertaining and B) didactic. People here just have no idea about this kind of music, and it was a great experience.

2. Speaking of Sounds Brass, later that night I went to Noa, one of only 2 discotecas here in Iquitos, and it just happens to be the one where I've never been. I went with Monica and her roommate Gloria and we had a ball. Especially after we started dancing with three of the quintet who showed up. And lemme just tell you, these guys are DEFINITELY band geeks. The only difference between them and regular band geeks is that they can at least dance salsa pretty well. Which might be a hugely offensive statement to those BG who can dance salsa well, but I would imagine they are few and far between. I felt like I was in my home country, and it was fun fun FUN.

3. I have been preparing with Fernando the cellist and pianist a concert at the Fatima grade school featuring the first orchestra EVER of Iquitos. He has singlehandedly mounted this orchestra in 6 months - which includes teaching the girls what a violin is, how to read music, how to listen, and play. IN ONLY 6 MONTHS!!!!! Last night was the premier concert and the auditorium was PACKED. The orchestra (16 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 1 bass, 2 alto recorders, 1 piano and including yours truly on flute) played 4 pieces (Adeste Fideles, The Titanic theme song, Practice Time, and the famous bit of Beethoven's 9th). This performance was followed by the first ever ballet of Iquitos, the Nutcracker with just about the cutest ballerinas EVER. It was a roaring success, and with the video footage, I hope to bust out the baddest ass "Musicians Without Borders" organization ever. Well, here's hoping!

Kathryn 2

Fun Fact No. 26: You can fit a lot of people on a motorcycle. So far I've only ridden a motorcycle by myself, double, and triple. I have seen cuadruple and even quintuple (sp?). Today, however, I saw six. SIX people on a motorcycle - three adults, three kids. Holy crap, folks.

Well, in one fell swoop, I became a godmother of two people. One was born on my birthday at 9am. She's a healthy baby girl who was named after me. We call her Kathryn 2. The other turns fifteen in a month and never had a godmother and needs one for her quinceanera. She's one of the girls that works at the house and is a cousin of the family. Her name is Silvia and I just love her to pieces. Within about 2 days, I got godmother duty. I get to baptize Kathryn 2 and I get to parade Silvia around in her beautiful ball gown. Fun!

Burpday Party

Fun Fact No. 25: Peruvian olives are GIGANTIC. Strange, but true. They are kind of sweet,
and just HUGE. They're black olives and they're used in the most regional food of the Amazon: the juane, a yummy concoction of rice, saffron, chicken, and an olive wrapped up in a banana leaf and then boiled.

Ah, birthdays. The low down of this rather fabulous birthday weekend:

Saturday was The Big Day (officially, in the books, of course) and I woke up feeling great. I chatted with April for a while (I heart Skype!) and then went back home to find the cebiche in the making. There was an empty space between our house and the next house, so they built another house (which takes about 5 days – literally put some big logs in the mud, add some crossbeams, throw on some thatch and some 2x8s for a floor, and you got yourself a house. And since it doesn’t yet have walls, it’s the perfect place for a party) and that’s where we put all the chairs. People started coming around 2pm and we sat outside, ate cebiche, listened to MY music (i.e. not tecno-cumbia) including jazz, bossa nova, some indie rock, etc. and just shot the bull and drank wine. It was delightfully relaxing, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was quite lovely. Monica, Lars, Mario Luis, César, Lilia, Veronica R., Matilde & Elvira, a few aunts, a few neighbors, Edward…I think that’s everyone plus the family, of course. It was so terrific. Just wonderful and intimate. Monica & Co. brought a cake, which was delightful. It was relaxing and sweet.

Later on, when it was just Monica, me, Dina, and Mario Sr., Monica, Kirle, and I headed out to Mario Luis’ where Lars was cooking pizza. The pizza was Chicago-style – thick crust and just delicious. We sat around and drank wine, shot the bull, and just generally relaxed. It made me feel like I was in Austin. Which was really needed, because I missed my friends (still miss my friends) very much.

Sunday rolled around and let me just tell you – FIESTA! People started showing up around 2 and we served a rather rich lunch. The first course was inchicapi, a sort of pureed plantain soup with chicken in it. The second was ají de gallina (hen chili), which is a sweet sauce made out of sweet peppers and poured over sliced potatoes, garnished with an olive, lettuce, and part of a hard boiled egg. I was expecting about 20 people. In total, I think there were about 50. It was tremendous. Dancing and drinking began around 4 and didn’t stop until 11pm. There was beer, wine, coptél (aguardiente, which is basically moonshine, with beaten eggs, milk, and a bit of coffee. Usually disgusting but this time surprisingly delicious), and martini with sprite (a yummy combo I learned about in Spain). Salsa, reggaeton, and tecno-cumbia reigned, but it was fun. Around 7 they brought out a beautiful (and delicious!) cake and sang happy birthday, which is usually followed by toasts from everyone and then some words by the birthday girl, but because there were so many people, just Mario Jr. toasted with a lovely (and thankfully short) blurb. I gave a short blurb, thanking everyone for coming, and for making my short seven weeks in Iquitos so wonderful. We ate cake and kept dancing. Those of you who know me, know that it’s often difficult for me to relax at my parties because I want to be sure that everyone is having a great time. The same was true at this party, until after the cake was served. Then I went a bit nuts. By 10:30 I went to bed, I was a smidge on the inebriated side of things. All in all, it was a wonderful day.

The Big Day

Fun Fact No. 24: You can tell everyone it’s your birthday because they really care. In the US, who cares (besides your friends and family) if it’s your birthday? Here, everyone wants to know when it is, from the taxi drivers to the waitresses. It’s a huge deal. I wonder if the life expectancy is lower, or if it’s just a good excuse to hug people or if birthdays just make people happy. Lord knows I love birthdays (my own and anyone else’s) so maybe it’s just a general love of birthdays.

Well, today’s the big day. 28 years old. Who knew I would make it this far? Now I’m REALLY in my late 20s. I’ve heard that the 30s blow the 20s out of the water, so here’s hoping, especially considering I only have two more years left. April said she was going to start calling me Granny Kathryn. I do have grey hairs, you know. There’s this little patch on the back of my head, but I’ve had it since I was 20. Ha! Anyway, I know how blessed I am. When I moved to Austin, I swore that I would

a) never complain about the heat (and sure enough, I really love it and it has prepared me well for the Amazon, which is not nearly as hot as Austin)

b) always give thanks for my city. Seriously, I’m completely in love with Austin, and I never, EVER take it for granted.

Something else I didn’t necessarily consciously decide, but I have been doing more often, is giving lots and lots of thanks for my wonderful friends. As most of you know, I have a very small family – it’s just me, my brother, and my Dad. I also have an aunt and uncle in New Jersey and that’s it. That’s all I got. And I’m not that close to my family, so my friends ARE my family. And I am so, SO fortunate to have the most wonderful friends in the world. If I were to start naming names now, this blog would be like 10 miles long and y’all would get bored. But if you’re reading this, most likely you’re one of the people I am fortunate enough to call my friend, and I love you very much. I take no one for granted, and I am lucky and blessed.

Today we’re having cebiche at home with my nearest and dearest here (Mario Luis, Lars, Cesar, Lilia, Monica, Charitin, and my family) and then tomorrow we’re having a big bash with everyone (including some of Grupo Explosión, which should be entertaining). Last night I went to Mario Luis & Lars’ house where the six of us (the aforementioned except for Charitin) sat around and shot the shit, in true Austin style. Then Mario Luis, Cesar, Monica and I went to grab a burger and wait (despite all-around exhaustion) for midnight to tick by. The night was cool and clear and at midnight, I got hugs and kisses from everyone, and I went home content and sleepy. I’ve received multiple text message birthday wishes, not to mention the emails, myspace comments, and lovely skype calls. Thank you (muchísimas gracias!) everyone! I love you and miss you! It has been – and will continue to be – a great birthday.

Politics & Home Owners

Fun Fact No. 23: Voting is mandatory. Yup, if you DON'T vote, you get a fine (about $33) and if you don't pay it, it's doubled and then you go to jail for a bit. If we had this law, maybe we wouldn't have so many bastards in office. Just a thought.

Fun Fact No. 24: There's a Sober Law during elections. All bars, restaurants, supermarkets, and clubs stop selling alcohol 48 hours before elections and alcohol may not be bought or consumed until 24 hours after elections. I guess it's to avoid riots, but you'd think it was like cutting off oxygen to these people. And of course, I'm going to go ahead and buy all my liquor for my birthday party tomorrow so I don't have to worry.

So the big election day is Sunday, November 19, the day after my birthday. And let me tell you, these people are SERIOUS about their elections. It's kind of funny. They have a million different parties and whomever runs advertises by taking some popular reggaeton song and changing the lyrics to fit their platforms. The city is one big, bompin' election campaign NOISE and it's only been escalating. Votes are bought by free concerts, raffles (where you can win a motorcycle), free alcohol, and free food. The key word is "free" which EVERYONE loves here. I can't even tell you how many candidates are running for Mayor of Iquitos and Mayor of Maynas (the province where we are). Interesting to say the least.

What have I been doing lately? Well, actually, I'm looking into how to start an NGO. There's this guy named Fernando Cordova who is one of the most driven people I have EVER met. He has studied the piano for about 20 years and is a self-taught cellist, violinist, violist, and bassist. He single-handedly began the first (and only) orchestra in Iquitos about 5 months ago at an all girls school. He raised money to buy instruments and he taught about 25 girls how to read music and play proficiently in less than 6 months. Holy crap! I really want to help him be able to study with actual musicians and to have actual musicians come to Peru to help do workshops and work with these kids. So the Mother Superior, Fernando, and I are putting our heads together to get something started. We need instruments, music, music stands, tuners, resin, endpin stops, teachers...not to mention just general administrative help. I think I'm biting off WAY more than I can chew, but we'll see. I am REALLY passionate about this, and I want to get it off the ground.

On another note, I am now a home owner here in Iquitos. I bought a house for $400. It has four walls, a roof, and a backyard. It's not for me, actually, and I'm being paid back. My friends Jorge and Delina from the village where I did my master's research, were in town recently, and stopped by to say hi. They started talking about their grand plan to get started in the city, and they've been working their butts off to get things going. They have a full-fledged mini-market in the village, and they have their own motor boat (serious status if you're from BFE Amazon). They wanted a homebase and they were a smidge short. I know, I know, friends and money never mix. But I've loaned them money before, and they have ALWAYS paid me back before the deadline, usually 2 months beforehand. I trust them implicitly, and anyway, since I'm not paying rent or anything, it's money well-spent. I feel kind of cool that i own a house though. I'll take a picture of it and post it later.

I haven't been able to do much research this week because of the campaigning madness. Every musician in town is crazy busy playing for campaign parties. It's nuts. I'm mostly just looking forward to my birthday. We're having cebiche on the Big Day at my house with my nearest and dearest (Mario Luis, Cesar, Lilia, Monica, Lars, Charitin, and the family) and then on Sunday, it's party-time. Everyone (I think about 30 people) are coming over. I'm excited. :)

Groupie

Fun Fact No. 22: River dolphins can eat you. Not really. But local legend has it that they eat men and rape women. They come in two different colors: pink and grey. They are called bufeos, and they're smaller than regular dolphins and have kind of hump noses. On my little trip yesterday, there were about three of them jumping in front of the boat for about 30 minutes.

So my research has officially begun. (Hooray!) Last Sunday (Nov. 5), I ate pizza with Mario Jr. and Cindy and then we went to dance a bit at COA, Club Oriente Amazonico. Grupo Explosion is the big band that plays at the Gran Complejo on Fridays and Saturdays and then they get the COA on Sundays. Because it's Sunday, however, they only play until 11pm instead of the usual 4am or so. After they played, I decided that that was my moment. I went up to the lead singer, a big (BIG) black guy (note: I mention his blackness because there are about 4 black people in Iquitos, and everyone knows each one of them, and it just so happens that they are all famous) and introduced myself, asking if I could come to rehearsals some time. His name is Eduardo and he gave me his number and told me to call him on Monday. I called him and he told me to call him on Tuesday. I thought I was getting the run-around until on Tuesday he came over to my house, picked me up and took me to the rehearsal space.

Let me talk about Grupo Explosion for a minute. They're the hottest band in Iquitos, and they play primarily tecno-cumbia and salsa. They do a lot of cover tunes (which include reggaeton, rock, and merengue numbers) but their specialty (as with any Amazonian and even Peruvian pop band) is tecno-cumbia and musica-chicha. They have four singers, four percussionists, two keyboardists (one plays "piano" sounds, and the other horns), one guitarist, one bassist, and 8 dancers. Now the dancers are often the main attraction because they're hot, they wear g-strings, and they can really move. As I discovered yesterday, they are actually good musicians if you can get over the annoying tecno-cumbia.

Anyway, I went to the rehearsal space and watched the dancers rehearse and then Eduardo took me back home and told me to call on Wednesday. I called and he said that they were super busy making a video and then they were going to travel to Tamsiyacu to perform there for one of the political candidates on Thursday night. I asked if I could go, and he said to ask the candidate, Shaluco. I went to Shaluco's headquarters and asked around, but he wasn't there. They sent me to his office downtown. I went there and he wasn't there either. He is running for mayor of the province, which is the highest post in the Loreto department, so I shouldn't complain because he's probably important. I spoke with one of his minions, and he said sure. Often being the tall, skinny white girl is a curse but in this case, it was a total blessing.

Eduardo picked me up at 7:30am on Thursday morning and we went down to the port where there was Shaluco's huge boat waiting for us. They loaded the instruments, amps, console, monitors, and extra generator in case the electricity went out in Tamsiyacu and by 9 we were on our way. I hung out with the dancers on the top level that didn't have cover. I accidentally fell asleep and I now have my first sunburn in Peru. I am a little lobster. Ick. Anyway, I tried to talk to the girls, but they are intense with SERIOUS attitude. They're all between the ages of 16 and 23 (far too young, in my opinion, to be baring all in front of loads of sexually charged males, but whatever) and it's like they're going on 30. I don't have the attitude, make-up, or boobs to be able to communicate with these girls. There's one who's nice to me when the others aren't around, but even "nice" is pushing it. And just think, I'll be spending the next 8 months with these people...

So we're about 3 hours into a 4 hour boat ride when the engine breaks. We're stuck on the Amazon, roasticating in the heat (shaded, of course) and I got to talk to one of the lead female singers, Ofelia. She's very different from the dancers and even the other singer. She's 37, has a daughter in college and is married. She's a pretty devout Catholic and she likes to read (relatively rare here). It was very easy to talk to her, and I learned a lot. I also got to spend time with Cesar the congero, who is from Lima and is a great percussionist. He's actually taken lessons with Giovanni Hidalgo. Whoa.

We get to Tamsiyacu, which is basically a mini-version of Iquitos. Which makes my whiteness stick out that much more. There wasn't any room for me at the inn (sound familiar?) but a very sweet woman let me stay at her house. We ate lunch, I bebopped around with the woman's kids, and then the girls got ready. At 6, the power was turned on and Shaluco showed up at 8:30. A million campaign speeches later, GE (Grupo Explosion, not General Electric) took the stage, which was set up in the middle of the street. The entire town was there (about 5,000 people)
and they didn't dance at all. They just stared. The thing is, GE's music dominates the airwaves but few people in this little town have ever seen them and they sure as heck haven't seen dancers like these. Because I'm "with the band" I got to be on stage to take pictures and small videos. I am seriously hooked up; Eduardo and I get along great and now I have a big IN. He even invited me to Lima in December for a show they have there. The other thing is, Shaluco is pretty much guaranteed the votes of this district only because he brought a famous band to town. He paid about $4,000 (S/. 12,000) to get GE out there, and it's interesting (to say the least) that people are going to vote for him because they got to see T & A.

I hit the sack at about 1am and Eduardo woke me up at 3:50am to grab a rapid boat, which only takes 1.5 hours to get back instead of 4. I got home at 6am and everyone was still sleeping. I hit the sack until about 10. Exhaustion, pure exhaustion.

Anyway, this is going to be one heck of an interesting project. But I had fun, and now I get to say that I'm an official groupie. I will NOT be sleeping with the stars, though. I'm not THAT into it.

Update

Fun Fact No. 21: No motorcycle gangs here. It seems like it, though. We pull up to a bar (on Mario's motorcycle, of course) and there's like 30 motorcycles out front. In the US, no way in hell would I go into a place that looked like that. But here, it's the main form of transportation and it's just regular people driving the bikes.

Well, just a quick update with random facts and figures of my life as of late. Last week, on Halloween, I went to mass in a main square for Our Lord of Miracles. There were about 2000 people there, and it was pretty fun. Then they took the statue and paraded it down and around the city from about 9pm to about 3am. I wasn't in the mood to bebop behind a statue, so I went to see Roberto Blades, Peru's Prince of Salsa. I went with Monica and my friends Charitin and Raul. When we were there, we met a guy from Lima who exports Peruvian olive oil. At first we thought he was cool, but then it turns out that he's a big snob. Seriously. And when he took me home, he tried to kiss me and lemme tell you, he almost got a penis pancake. This white girl DOES NOT play around. It was kind of traumatizing, but I got over it the next day. Alas...

Speaking of the next day, it was our friend Ruth's birthday so she invited us over for "lunch." This meant drinking, dancing, and occasionally eating from about 1pm til 8pm. Overkill, but fun.

Thursday there was a rainstorm. OK, it rains almost every day here, but this was a KILLER storm. Because we live in an open house on stilts over a lake, if the wind comes in the wrong way there is NOTHING that is going to keep it out. Pretty much everything in the kitchen (including knives) went flying. It was like Poltergeist, but just a natural phenomenon. It was a crazy storm that shook the house. But it was kind of fun - we couldn't leave the house so it was almost like a snow day, except it was rain. I was supposed to go to the library, but everything was canceled.

Friday was a pretty productive day. I really busted out a good amount on the revisions that I got from Joshua, and Friday night I went out for a quiet, relaxing evening with Cesar, Monica, and Lilia. Later we met up with Mario Jr. and our friend Cindy and kept just shooting the bull.

Saturday I played in a wedding. I know, can you believe it? I got paid 30 soles, which is about $9. I didn't do it for the money, obviously, but it was nice to have a little extra cash. 30 soles goes a long way here. Anyway, now that I've solidly established my reputation in this city as a flautist, I have six more gigs in the next 2 months including another couple weddings, a city-wide concert, a gradeschool concert, and a first communion. Who knew? Now I'm actually practicing. Whoa.

After the wedding I went to my friend Charitin's for a parillada. A parillada usually happens during the day here, but sometimes at night and it's when you sell tickets (for about $2.50) to come to your house to eat some yummy grilled chicken, drink beer, and shoot the bull. Parilladas are super fun and very communal, and it almost feels like a botellon in Spain. I had a great time. Afterwards, we went dancing with some friends and then grabbed another beer. Basically, I was out until 4am and need I remind you that I am too old for this crap??

Today I did my first Skype talk with Michael. It was so cool to hear his voice and know that he's in Argentina and I'm here! And then Julia called and all three of us were talking! How rad is that? I felt like I should bow down to the gods of technology. I'm freakishly awed by these kinds of things. Anyway, both are doing well, thanks for asking. Julia is working on grant applications and withstanding the impending Madison winter, and Michael is going to the music school every day and is practicing bandaneon like a madman.

That's all for now!

My Peeps.

Fun Fact No. 20: Peruvian names are WILD. Instead of Spain where everyone is Javier, Raul, Irene, or Monica, anything goes here. I just met a girl who spells her name the same way I do (!). I know people here named Warner, Wilder, Ever, Zeudy, Cariwey, Percy, Kevin, Charitin, and Wladislay (I spelled this correctly – I asked him to write it down for me). They just make stuff up. It’s kind of fun. My name doesn’t stick out as much as it did in Spain.

I’ve been blogging along for about a month without introducing you to everyone. OK, time to meet my gente (peeps), starting with the family I live with:

These are Mario Sr., Dina, and me. Dina is the one who had breast cancer and is now in remission back here in Iquitos. Mario Sr. is the forestry engineer at the UNAP, the public university here (Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana). Dina is funny, sarcastic, and loves to drink beer. Mario Sr. is cute, wise, and very loving.

This is Mario Jr. He’s next in line after Kirle (he’s 23 – there are only 10 months in between the two of them which is a story for another time), but most people think he’s the oldest because he’s tall (for a Peruvian anyway) and he single-handedly runs the lumber store and the family finances. He studies international business at the UNAP and he is also about to graduate (next August I think). Mario Jr.’s a big dancer (especially salsa) and a soccer player. He’s easygoing, smart, and easy to talk to. Plus he’s my main chauffeur – and he taught me how to ride his motorcycle.

Here is Kirle. She’s the oldest (she’s about to turn 24 in December) and she’s studying administration at UPI, the private university here (Universidad Privada de Iquitos). She’ll be graduating in May. Kirle loves to dance at home (she rarely goes out) and she’s in charge of all the girls who work at the house. I live in her bedroom and she shares another one with her brother. She has the greatest laugh EVER and she’s fun to talk to. Plus she loves Veronica Mars just as much as I do and we like to be silly together.

This is Veronica with her boyfriend John Carlos. Veronica used to be a twit but she’s changed radically from last year to now. She’s 19 going on 20 and she just graduated from high school. She helps out at the lumber store and helps take care of her grandpa who has Alzheimer’s. She’s a great swimmer (gorgeous freestyle) and an even better dancer, although she seldom goes out. She’s sarcastic and mischievous but she can be fun. She thinks I’m the weirdest person in the world, but I think that’s why we get along.

Here are César and Monica. César is a biologist from Chiclayo, a city on the coast, and he works for an NGO doing rural education about the environment. He’s very sweet and smart, and gentle. Monica is a forestry engineer from Córdoba, Spain who works for a Spanish NGO helping cut back on deforestation. She is pretty much like a long lost sister – I feel like I’ve known her for years and she’s the close girlfriend that I really needed here, since all my girls back home are…well…back home.

I’m missing pictures of Mario Luis, Lars, and Lilia, not to mention Zeudy and Charitin. As soon as I get off my duff and take more pictures, I’ll post them.

Hired Help

Fun Fact No. 19: Wine isn’t wine. What I mean is, they have this wine from Tarapoto, a city about an hour away in plane, but it’s SUPER sweet and refrigerated. It’s more like grape juice. One day I ordered regular wine at this pizza joint and everyone nearly threw up. They thought it was disgusting.

A cultural practice that I can’t seem to get accustomed to is hired help. My mama taught me (and my brother) to do it your own damn self. Therefore, I know how to

-clean the bathroom

-wash my clothes

-make my bed

-mop the floor

-vacuum, dust, polish

-make dinner

-wash the dishes

Etc.

Of course, there’s always the good ole South American machista who’ll demand that the woman do all the work (which was always bullshit in my house – dad cooked, mom washed dishes, mom swept, dad mopped, mom mowed the lawn, dad trimmed the trees, etc.).

And then there’s the family with whom I live. It’s a little tricky for me because I’m the guest AND part of the family. So they have a cook and all around skilled helper, Florinda. She’s basically part of the family, so no one ever EVER yells at her or orders her around. She is asked nicely to do things and she does them and then she gets paid (in salary and in her living situation – she lives right next door in a house that has been added on to ours). She has five kids, and the boys (Ever and Nay) work in the lumber storage and the daughter (MariCruz) and younger son (Pelachin) help cook, clean, wash, etc. Pelachin (11 years old) gets shit sometimes but not nearly as much as the other girls, Ana and Silvia. Ana is the goddaughter of Mario Jr. and Kirle. Her parents have been friends with Dina and Mario Sr. for years, and she is basically hired help. The girl does have attitude, granted, but Kirle yells at her around the clock. Silvia, whose relation to the family I have yet to determine, is another hired hand who gets yelled at pretty often but is a lot more agreeable than Ana. I’m not allowed to wash my dishes or serve myself food or anything like that. Which is weird for me – having grown up in a strictly middle class family, we have never had servants or maids or anything.

Here, I insist on washing my own clothes because I think it’s a bit degrading for someone else to wash your underwear (isn’t it?). Oh, and I guess I should also explain that we don’t have a washing machine – it’s wash it by hand or wear stinky clothes. I learned how to wash my clothes by hand in San Antonio de Pintuyacu a while ago. I’m pretty quick and I’m pretty good. I can get out most stains (and trust me, I’m the queen of random ketchup stains).

The thing is, I think one of the reasons I get along so well with this family is because we have a lot in common and we’re from similar economic backgrounds. They are strictly middle class here, and they don’t ask me every five minutes how much X cost because they really don’t care. They understand that a digital camera is expensive but they certainly don’t begrudge me having one. After all, Mario Jr. has a brand spanking new motorcycle and they have HBO (occasionally my salvation from crappy telenovelas).

Point being, I’m not so good at letting someone else clean up after me. It kind of freaks me out. I was talking with Monica about this the other day, and she agrees. But here, everyone has their thing that they do. I have often wondered how the Peruvian economy works because there are SO MANY random vendors of random stuff, and there’ll be like 40 of them in a row selling the same thing at the same price as the person next door. But somehow they make money and survive. I’m not sure how it all goes down, but I guess supply and demand really works here. And there are no chains in Iquitos besides TopyTop (a Peruvian clothing store a la Old Navy) and Chez Maggy (a pizza joint based in Cusco). No McDonalds, no Sears, no KFC or even the big national chains like Metro (a Walmart-esque joint) or Ripley’s (like Macy’s). I’m guessing that somehow the local economy keeps on top. Those big wigs have done their research, I’m sure, and if it would be lucrative, they probably would have been here by now. So I guess having Florinda and the girls and then all the boys that work the lumber store is a good thing – keeps that petty economy flowing. But it still weirds me out.