Disclaimer: Take all of the following with a grain of salt.

A couple weeks ago I told you the story of the newspapers: Peruvians would take the free newspapers and do all kinds of things with them (see earlier post if you're thoroughly confused). As I started to ponder this cultural difference, I began to observe even more things that interested me. In the name of Valentine's Day, I continue to offer up some ideas/observations concerning Peruvian culture and North American culture.

First, as the title suggests, take this entry with a grain of salt; I write hopefully to entertain (in this entry at least--you'll know when I'm being serious in other posts :).

If anyone knows me even an ounce, you know that I sometimes have a thing for...men with Latin roots. I blame this on my dad. Why, you ask? Well, I suppose because I use the excuse that sometimes girls recognize and value traits in certain young men that remind them of their own father's qualities.

Draw your own conclusions, but you can imagine the chatter between Marta and myself. If we're feeling giggly/girly, we usually start quizzing one another on the attractiveness of some dude. Marta's theory is that she grew up looking at these guys, and because I didn't, I find them more attractive. Who knows. The point is, we have very different "gustos" (taste), and we laugh a lot over this hot topic.

Telenovelas. I haven't got much to say on this topic, other than that it is a culture in itself. I know I've been here awhile when I actually ask Marta to watch a telenovela with me. Shocking, I know (My current favorite is "Dos Caras," a Brazilian novela dubbed in Spanish). My favorite thing about watching these soap operas with Peruvians is that they talk back to the television as if their life depended on the dramatic goings-on of Thalia in "Maria de la no-se-que."

Did you know that passing out condoms in Lima, Peru for Valentine's Day can be turned into a mega-event in which people dance around in costumes of the already-mentioned-objects that I don't want to write again? Oh yes, it's true. I was watching the news the other evening and was floored to see this spectacle in a neighborhood of Lima called Barranco. It was apparently a party, and people receiving aforementioned things seemed quite pleased. I unfortunately have pictures of the television, and I also got a good laugh. Alright, enough on that incident.

Moving on, a small factoid: Some peruvian women start peeling on their faces as a result of pregnancy. The reason I know this: Marta and I went to the beach, and she came back "negra" (black) from all the sun. Her friends at University began to tease her about being pregnant. I asked her why. She replied, as if this was the most normal thing in the world, "Because I'm peeling on my cheeks." Huh??? It took a lot of prompting and pondering on my part, but I finally got an explanation, and it's nothing more than some Latina women peel underneath their eyes/in the cheek region while with child. Hmmm....I have still yet to really understand why. I have some ideas floating around, but no real scientific answer. I'll keep you posted with my findings.

I love Peru. Much love and many laughs. :)