Customs

This is mostly for Mom and Dad because they are planning a trip to Peru and there are some interesting customs you might not anticipate before coming. First and foremost, the standard greeting in Peru is a kiss on the cheek, generally the right cheek. It’s a bit of an acquired skill – awkward kisses and head bobs are bound to happen, although my helpful tip of right cheek (not given to me…) should eliminate some of those moments. This is only for new friends by the way – do not kiss employees of restaurants or people selling things. Pretty self-explanatory but you never know. Also, when you enter a room you need to greet EVERYONE in the room or it is considered rude. Even if there are  10 people in the room, it’s customary. Same with leaving – you say goodbye (adios, nos vemos, ciao…all are acceptable – tambien con un beso) to everybody. This applies to conversations in town and such too – even if you talk to someone for 30 seconds (NOT likely) you need to greet them and then give them a kiss again when you leave. Oh, por los hombres, it’s a handshake if between two men.

With food, lunch is the biggest meal of the day, followed by breakfast and then dinner which is usually pretty small. Lunch usually consists of a soup, a main course, some sort of side dish, frequently a dessert, and a drink after (not during). And you will hear "provecho" or "buen provecho" ALL the time - it basically means have a good meal but can also be used as a sort of goodbye, enjoy, have a nice time... It’s pretty normal to take a long drink after most meals like a mate (tea), hot milk, or sometimes coffee. Also, it is one hundred percent acceptable to begin eating once you are served, its considered kind of weird if you just sit there waiting (also, note: no conversation is really off-limits and the concept of political correctness doesn’t exist here – don’t take things offensively because they are not meant to be offensive at all [other note - physical appearance can become your nickname; if a Peruvian calls you chinita, gordita, flacita, lindita, etc...not meant to be offensive and is extremely common]).

            Although I’ve probably already made this clear, family relationships and relationships in general are extremely important to Peruvians, and honestly what is more deserving of importance? People make friends easily and maintain them for a long time, and its very common for people to stop by their friends’ houses or workplaces to chat and fill each other in. I really love this aspect of the culture - I have long felt that the people in your life are the most important parts of it, and it seems like I have landed in a place where everybody feels the same way. It’s really very wonderful.

Que mas....transportation-wise most people walk everywhere because Urubamba is so small but if you don't want to walk you can take a moto-taxi which is basically a motorized bicycle with a little cab attached on the back. You can even find some with decorations or weird things like blacklights in them - one of the local mototaxis is Batman-themed even. 

            There are plenty of other little anomalies Americans might not immediately understand, but I think to try and explain them all would be a little absurd. In general, family is very important, odd little societal rules are not, and if you are ten minutes late to something, it’s not the end of the world. 

I'm starting in the schools tomorrow! Went by today to meet the kids and they seemed really excited which is more than I was expecting. Also got to play a little voleíbol with some of the girls - super fun. After going to the schools I had a long lunch with my host family, went on a hike/run with Kach, and am now relaxing for a little bit before dinner. La vida es buena. 

Provecho

Hannah