{ Monthly Archives }
January 2006
*oh, sugar*
The $109/per adult and $54/per kid price that I thought we would be paying Aerocondor for our trip to Cajamarca (to stay free at the spa hotel I won the weekend voucher for) has suddenly turned into a one-way fare. So it’s actually $581.92 for us to fly there and back. Or we could bus it for about $30/person, but it’s 13 hours… with a 2-year old.
So what do we do? Well, it’s obvious what we have to do; it just totally sucks. It would be a fantastic trip, but even without hotel costs, $600 in plane fare for a weekend trip is a little much. Especially because we really do want to see Islas Ballestas and do the boat trip with Will, and that will cost a few hundred bucks in hotel and touring costs.
Baby Update
Some questions from Eli made me review my pregnancy calendar(s) and re-connect with this pregnancy a bit. I thought I was 27 weeks this week; really, I’m 26. Out of 5 online pregnancy calendars, my due dates were May 4, 5, 6, 6, and 7. So I’ll go with the mode: May 6th. I feel that if the baby decides to be “early,” she’ll be born on April 29th (my mother’s birthday) and if she wants to be “on time” she’ll be born May 5th (Paul’s birthday). (I put the time-related words in quotation because really, any of those dates are fine… our ability to predict gestation by date is limited and shouldn’t be rigidly followed as gospel.)
Any guesses on when this kid will introduce herself to the world?
So, week 26. Here is what I’ve got going on:
– I’m growing a baby that: weighs just under 2 pounds, can open and close her eyes, kicks like a maniac at all hours, can suck her thumb, and is firmly planted on my bladder.
– My 26 week tummy is *significantly* larger than any of these women. (What can I say? I’m short. There isn’t a lot of torso room. I simply have to stretch.)
Saturday will be my first day of the third trimester. (This may have been my problem, I was remembering week 28 at the start of third trimester, but the calendars reminded me that it actually starts at 27.) I am definitely feeling like I’m starting the third trimester. I feel good… but am more tired, finding it more difficult to sleep without belly and leg support, starting to waddle… typical pregnancy stuff!
Anyone seen it?
Video: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
“Since World War Two we’ve managed to create history’s first truly global empire. This has been done by the corporatocracy, which are a few men and women who run our major corporations and in doing so also run the U.S. government and many other governments around the world.” — John Perkins
Description:
From 1971 to 1981, John Perkins worked as a chief economist for Chas. T. Main, a Massachusetts-based international strategic consulting firm. During this time Mr. Perkins said his job was to trick developing countries into taking enormous loans from the World Bank in order to construct or repair their domestic infrastructure. These loans were given with the understanding that these countries would then use those loans to pay U.S. corportations to complete these constructing and engineering projects. The author writes that when these developing countries were eventually unable to pay off these sizable debts, the United States, World Bank, or IMF would step in and control the country’s security arrangements and budgetary structure.
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I have a couple of thoughts:
1. I’d like to see it, it’s certainly my field to a “T”
2. The word “trick” is a bit generous (and arrogant). I’d suggest “coerce,” “bribe,” “compel,” “strong-arm,” “pressurize,” “domineer,” or “intimidate.”
3. What, like it’s not transparent that we’re still doing this?
4. Rings of confession from another greedy and trite person seeking 9th hour redemption.
Random Stuff about Life in Lima
Some interesting and random things…
– Toliet paper trash should be deposited in waste baskets found beside every toilet, not flushed. This is generally because the water pressure can’t quite manage the delicate tissue. We adhere pretty easily to this having been made accustomed during our stays in Honduras. We’re so used to it that we forget to tell other people (I think we finally got around to telling Gwen around day 3 of her visit!)
– Inca Cola is the local carbonated beverage of choice. It is an electric yellow color and smells and tastes exactly like Bazooka bubblegum. Most folks I know drink the “light” variety, but I haven’t yet gained the courage.
– Instead, we drink regular Coke. Never in the States would I dream about drinking a regular Coke. Ick. But here, Coke “light” is made without nutrasweet and (in my opinion) is sort of blah. And for some reason, when abroad, I crave Coke. A RPCV I know swears that a Coke each day will kill bad stuff in your stomache and keep you well. I’m working on that theory.
– Fresh milk is sold “en bolsa” (in bags) and most people buy milk which is ultra-pasterized and does not need to be refridgerated. If you order milk in a restaurant, it will come hot. Milk is also sweetened, so even skim milk has a sweet flavor. This is *very* hard for me. We’ve tried about 5 varieties of milk and nothing comes close to fresh skim, my milk of choice. So my dairy intake is greatly reduced here; I’m a picky milk drinker. (Actually, this has been the case with every country I’ve ever been in, so it’s no great surprise.)
– Will loves the milk, although he isn’t so keen on warm milk.
– Diapers are basically the same as those in the States, with some minor differences — not as much focus on recognizable characters and varieties that come individually wrapped. However, sizes basically end with XXG, which is Will’s size. XXG is also only available in one brand of diaper (Huggies). Considering that he is a size 4 (of 6) in the States and is only about 30 pounds (quite small compared to the gigantic kids we grow in the States) that says something about child size and age at potty training!
– We’ve fallen in love with quinoa. It’s a protein-rich grain that grows in the Sierra. Awesome.
– We have a water delivery service that works 7 days a week and delivers the water within an hour of your call. Each new bottle is 14 soles (a little less than $4) and we take about a bottle a week. The service now knows us by name and recognizes us within a few seconds of the call; we no longer need to give our address, bottle type, or other information to have a delivery.
– I have text messaging on my local cell phone and I hate it.
– Will goes to the park every morning with Josefina. Early Sunday morning, he asked “Where’s ‘Ina?” (He calls Josefina “Ina”.) And then said, “Va al parque” — it took us a minute to register that he was requesting a park trip in spanish. We are very proud that he is using spanish more and more with us.
– We still do not have the courage to go full turkey and only use spanish at home. I think that I am still lacking in the skills to do this well, yet it is the thing that would probably help me the most.
– There are two clowning schools that teach juggling within a short walk from the house. It is one of the reasons that, when we come back, we want to find a place to live in this neighborhood!
– There is an ice-rink in our district (Miraflores) although we do not know (and sort of doubt) that they have a hockey team.
One of Paul’s great night shots. This is the Malecon, the main road that runs through Miraflores along the cliffside of the ocean. The fancy Marriot is to the left (they have a neat pool that overlooks the ocean, but want $15/day per adult for non-guest use) and Larcomar is to the right past the street vender.
