Cute!

Fun Fact No. 55: Winter's upon us. Yup, with June underway, winter is finally here in the Amazon. It's chilly. And by that I mean about 69-72ºF. Yikes! I'm seriously freezing my "BLEEEEP" (for our sensitive readers) off.

Still happy! Still loving Iquitos.

It just occurred to me that I rarely actually write about my research. I think that's leftover from a self-consciousness about my work, my career, and my life. I need to get over it if this is really going to be something that I do for the rest of my life. In the meantime, today I was supposed to have an interview with a very famous promoter of cumbia groups in Peru. His name is Jairo and he's based in Lima. He has successfully promoted all the hottest groups, and has worked with the most famous names in the business. If you get promoted by Jairo, you WILL make it. Guaranteed! He's in Iquitos for a week with a nationally famous group, Grupo 5. And he's Explosion's promoter too. So he could have all kinds of juicy bits of info for me, but I cannot pin him down for the life of me! We have rescheduled an interview six times in the last three days. He makes me feel better by giving me promotional stuff (CDs, T-shirts, hats) but I really need this stinkin' interview! I think it'll be key for just about all of my research. Boo hiss!

One of my housemates, Sandrine (France) is single-handedly hosting a fair trade fair today and tomorrow in the main square. It's really impressive because she organized this whole thing from scratch, working with indigenous craftspeople and the regional government in order to demonstrate what fair trade is and how when it works, it helps just about everyone (except the evil intermediaries who like to screw the little guy. Sucks for them.). Anyway, the crafts that they're selling are beautiful woven baskets. What's most fun is that we all are helping Sandrine in any way we can. Since I've got transportation, I'm going to the radio stations to spread the word and posting posters in hard to reach places. Jorge and Sanni are organizing the tables, and everyone is passing out fliers. It's a great "we're a happy family" thing to do together.

And speaking of our happy family (Cesar, Graciela, Mario Luis, Jorge, Sanni, Monica, Martina, Sandrine, and me), we're planning a reunion trip to Spain / Morocco in Christmas 2008. I really hope it happens, because we're just too close to let these friendships die out. As everyone who has met these people will attest, they are phenomenal, and an integral part of my experience here in Iquitos. Without them, my sanity would have been lost long, long ago. Here's hoping we can keep this up!

On extremely, ridiculously happy notes (to add to my increasing happiness), Dan Sharp & Laura Wolford recently had their kiddo, Elio Lyle. I doubt there is a cuter baby in this world, considering it was made by the award-winning Cutest Couple. Welcome, kiddo, and I just can't WAIT to meet you! Head over to http://helloelio.blogspot.com/ to read all about it.

Learn.

Fun Fact No. 53: Funerals Texas-style. Sadly, a small airplane crashed the other day and 13 people died, including some major people in Iquitos’ current administration. Today was the funeral and pickup trucks packed with mourners standing or sitting on plastic lawn chairs in the beds head out to the cemetery today. All they needed was a Lonestar in hand and they would be Texans. Strange but true.

Fun Fact No. 54: Who needs prom? College graduation? Formal gown. Dude, way WAY over the top. And yet really, really fun. More below…

Do not despair, dear reader, for I will become better about regular blogging. I know that I’ve said that lots of times, but this time I promise because Elise told me that she looks to see if I’ve updated it every day, and I feel guilty so I will keep it up.

Speaking of Elise, Elise Pelletier and Patrick Carey were here for a week and it was just mah-vellous! We had a splendid time! (Since when do I use the word splendid? Hee hee…) They got here on Sunday, May 20 and stayed until the wee hours of Sunday, May 27. First of all, they couldn’t possibly be more easy going guests. And super enthusiastic about everything, even lazy days in the house napping and watching movies. Beyond that, we had adventures together that were just terrific. We started the week by listening to This American Life and then went to Zúngaro Cocha. Despite coming here for four years, I had never actually visited the floating city, Belén, when the water is high. Mario Luís called to say that he and his best friend who was visiting, Reena, were going to head out there. We joined them and went for a lovely canoe ride around Belén with really nice tour guides and it was pretty amazing. Perhaps the best part was when we passed one of the grade schools and the parents were waiting outside to pick up their kids in canoes. I just got a kick out of that! Pat is 6’4” and for the first time here in Iquitos, I wasn’t harassed once. You should see the look on the little guys’ faces when they see Pat. It was great fun. We ate cebiche and guava and tacacho and all the other necessary jungle foods and we bebopped around the market and ate ice cream and visited a little village. They took a quick jungle tour and saw caimans and monkeys and gigantic lily pads. We went to a vegetarian dinner party at Martina’s (the loud Italian) house and then kicked it with Explosión. All in all, it was a wonderful vacation right here in Iquitos.

On Friday night, Mario graduated from college with a degree in international business and tourism. The ceremony was quite boring, as per usual, but the party was something else. Here in Iquitos, graduating classes are small and tight and they organize their own parties to celebrate. I know everyone from Mario’s graduating class just because I’ve hung out with them tons since being here. The small (13-large) class of international business rented a really huge restaurant complete with a cheesy band, yummy dinner, and beer donated by the local brewery. Friends, family, girlfriends, and boyfriends (and the occasional gringa, constituting friend and family) were in attendance. And the graduates were dressed up to the nines! These girls were wearing formal, full-length gowns! I think I wore a dress for my college graduation only because it was hot and those damn nylon gowns are so sticky. Regardless, there was nonstop drinking and dancing until 4am. I’m getting too old for this crap, but I had a great time.

Yesterday César and Graciela got back after being out of town for some months, and we just sat around and drank tea and watched “Shrek 3.” I think now is the time to let you know that I’ve never been so happy here. My research is going well, I’ve shed unnecessary ties with crappy people, and I’m strengthening the friendships that I do have. The motorcycle issue remains unresolved, but other than that, things are just great. I was in such a rut for such a long time that I am thrilled to be back in the saddle and terrified that I’ll fall out again. Wednesday, May 23 was the six year anniversary of my mom’s death, which blew, as per usual, but at least I was better prepared than I would have been two months ago. I can’t believe it’s been six years. I feel like it’s been six months. Or less. It seems impossible to think that my mom hasn’t seen (well, I know she’s “seen” but it’s not the same) the things that I’ve been doing: selling my soul to the stationery biz, moving to Texas (an abominable sin in the book of any good New Englander), living in the Amazon, turning 28 (I find it hard to believe that I’m on the cusp of thirty. Wasn’t I seventeen yesterday???)…and so on and so forth. It really sucks when I meet someone with whom my mom would get along splendidly (there’s that word again!) or when I realize that the majority of people I do know don’t know my mom, whereas that was different six years ago. My mom and Michael O’Brien would be two peas in a pod, slinging cynical remarks and exchanging literary criticisms of one sort or another. My mom and April Prince would just chat the night away, learning about each others’ culture, far North and deep South. I think they would get a kick out of the opposite accent (my mom says cahhh instead of car, etc.). And Mom would be thrilled by Monica and her never-ending enthusiasm. Point being, I’d like to imagine that my mom would love everyone who is in my life right now. And they would love her right back. Anyone who’s met Phyllis Marie Ledoux has been infected by her insanely huge smile, wonderful patience, spontaneous silliness, big hugs and generally sweet nature. Plus she’s pretty much a genius.

After that long, long rant, I’ll share some wisdom my mom always shared with me and my brother:

Everyone knows something you don’t. LEARN from them.

Teeth & Death

Fun Fact No. 52: The only flowers you can give are red roses. Strange but true. If you bring a bouquet of anything but red roses to someone for a birthday or holiday or whatnot, it has to be red roses otherwise someone will think someone died. Any other flowers are for funerals. Imagine my surprise when I brought some beautiful mums to my friend's house for her birthday!


So yesterday afternoon I was on my way to Li The Korean Pianist's house (more about that in a minute) when I came upon a protest. Or so I thought. There are often protests blocking streets about fair wages or upcoming strikes or environmental causes, but I have never seen this: hundreds of children with signs that said the equivalent of "Brush Your Teeth Everyday to Keep the Plaque Away." What?? Accompanied by dentists in their white coats, this march blocked about 7 blocks of a major road. I couldn't get to rehearsal on time because of a Plaque Protest. Ha!

I met Li through one of my flute students who met her I'm not sure how. In Korea, Li was a professional pianist. Here, she's a housewife with a rather annoying child. Her husband is a doctor of internal medicine and works at a clinic on the highway. She brought no music with her and has no piano in her house...until now. We have a beautiful Yamaha keyboard that is just gorgeous with a great sound (for a keyboard...well, it cost $1000.) and it's usually at my friend Piedad's house. Piedad is going on vacation, so we offered it to her for a few weeks and DAMN can this woman play! So we're preparing a recital for the end of June. She's playing some Brahms and Mendelssohn, my student is busting out a Handel sonata, Fernando is doing some Mozart on his violin, and I think I'll be attacking the Poulenc sonata. It should be fun and it is terrific to play with her.

Research is for once going extremely well. Despite some scheduling setbacks with the two groups, I've had some great interviews lately and here is where my unpaid marketing gig for the
Edirol Roland-09 Recorder
comes in. Perhaps the best $400 investment I made for this trip. Records directly as Wav or Mp3 format and the quality is excellent, although the mic is hyper sensitive. No problem, because I have a cute little Sony mic that works quite well. I bought a 2gb memory card and I can download my interviews or concert recordings directly to my computer right after I'm finished and then I can burn a disc and give it right back to my interviewees. It's absolutely thrilling and I am so SO glad I broke the bank to buy it. Thanks to Chris Cornelius who recommended it to me and showed me how to work it.

On not so hot news, my friend's 6 month old nephew died of pneumonia last week. I've never been to a child's funeral before, and it was quite crushing. His big sister (about 7 years old) was completely destroyed and his dad couldn't make it because he had been traveling. The death was relatively sudden and the mom wanted the funeral as soon as possible, which I completely understand. However, while I met the kid only once, I still cry sometimes for him and his mom. Imagine losing a 6 month old kid. I just can't.

Strike!

Fun Fact No. 51: Gas is actually mixed with water. Can you believe that crap? So my carburator is completely blown because I went to a gas station where they "water it down." I'm so SO annoyed! Luckily, because of my newly found mechanic skills, I know how to install a new carburator, and so I'm good to go but at another S/. 40 later. Boo hiss.


Well, last Thursday and Friday, the whole region (Loreto) went on strike. It's the biggest region in Peru, making up 1/4th of the country, but the least populated, mostly because it's pretty much just Amazon jungle. Regardless, we went on strike for two reasons.

a) Teachers' salaries. Rural teachers' salaries were recently cut, and that sucks not just because they need salaries to survive, but also because it's a very, very difficult job to live in the middle of the jungle and teach 13 year olds how to read. It's tough and there are mosquitoes and not much food and small village politics. Cutting salaries for the hardest workers in the Amazon is definitely the quickest way to an illiterate region.

b) Taxes. The Loreto Department doesn't pay taxes because it's so isolated. Everything is more expensive here because it all has to be imported on plane or boat. There's no highway to get here, so there are no trucks or buses to bring in textiles, electronics, etc. and as a result the prices are higher. To make up for it, the government cut them a break and said they don't have to pay taxes. But now they're renegging and it don't look good, folks!

So anyway, regional strike means no flying (the planes can't land because people smash glass all over the runway), no transportation (because glass, burning trash, tree trunks, etc. are put in all the roads), and not much of anything to do unless you want to march with the strikers who occasionally get into altercations with the police, so I decided to pass. Thursday was perhaps the laziest day of my life complete with four movies, three naps, and lots of popcorn. Friday I decided to get active so I walked the 5 miles to my old house to watch some soccer games in the neighborhood and then I hopped a boat to Manacamiri, a cute little village on the Nanay River with a raft to jump off of and a lonely horse to ride around on. I got back to my old neighborhood and walked the 5 miles home, stopping to watch soccer games on the way. Since there's no traffic and the streets are already inaccessible, everyone just made goal posts with the trash and tree trunks and went to town. In those 5 miles between my two houses, there were 13 different soccer games. It was so much fun to watch!

Then the weekend. After two days of strikes, plus it was Labor day last Tuesday, Saturday felt like a Monday and I decided to get stuff done. I was very productive and FINALLY got an interview scheduled with the owner of Grupo Explosion. I'm excited about that, although nervous about the preparation. I also got in with a DJ at a popular radio station, so I'm pumped for that too. Other than that, I went dancing like a crazy fool on Saturday night and ate cebiche on Sunday. Elise and Pat are coming in 2 weeks so I'm looking for a fun jungle tour. I'm very excited to see them. I love that my friends get to come and see how and where I live. Hooray!

So long...

Fun Fact No. 49: Hiss! The best way to get someone´s attention here in Iquitos is to hiss at them or to whistle quite shrilly. I´m not a fan of the hissing because it´s kind of gross, but what can you do.

Here are pictures from Cusco. What a trip! Shun and Kami left yesterday morning to head back to Lima and that´s that. It was a great visit. We had loads of fun here in Iquitos and they got to do a jungle tour and we ate lots of good food and danced like crazy on Saturday night. They got along so SO well with all my friends and family here and it was great to see them learning new things and exploring the city. We had some adventures, too, but it was all fabulous!

Yesterday was a beautiful, lazy day. It was Labor Day, so everything was closed, and I just washed my laundry and went for a run. Speaking of running, I started running again about 2 weeks ago. Yowza! Am I out of shape! I ran about 3.5 miles and nearly died. Granted, it´s all hills, but I used to be able to whip through 7 miles in no time. But it´s wonderful to get going again. I missed it a lot. My middle finger is ever on the ready to extend should there be gross cat calls etc., but for the most part people leave me alone. The road is paved and long and hilly, and my goal is to be able to run the whole thing round trip before I leave Peru. I think it´s about 7 miles long, so I´m looking at 14 miles, but it is all hills. I think I can do it!

I´ve got three months left, and I had better make them count. It kind of gives me a panic attack that I haven´t gotten enough work done here, but at the same rate, I can´t trade in these experiences for anything, and Lord knows I´ve learned plenty, even if it´s not all directly related to a doctorate. Here´s hoping the rest goes smoothly...