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!