The Limit is the Sky

Hi friends! Since my last post, I’ve spoken to Dean Karlan, visited pre-Incan ruins, and become an expert chocolate maker (okay, “expert” might be a bit of an exaggeration). Life in Peru is getting to feel pretty normal, which is simultaneously good and bad. It’s nice to feel settled and comfortable in my surroundings, but I have to constantly remind myself that I’m in Peru. Lima is, more than anything else, a city. Yes, it’s in South America; yes, the people here all speak Spanish and the average height seems to be about 4’ 8”; yes, there are mountains and the ocean and a desert all within an hour drive; but most of the time, I don’t feel like I’m in Latin America. A lot of that is because I work in the Embassy, the point of which is to serve as U.S. soil in Peru, and where all the interns (who are pretty much the only people I hang out with) are very American, but it’s something I’m trying to be mindful of. So, the remainder of this blog post will be centered around the things that have only been able to happen because I’m in Peru.

Attending World Bank/IMF Meetings

To be perfectly clear, the word “meeting” doesn’t really do these gatherings justice. I was not sitting at a conference table with Christine Lagarde or Jim Yong Kim. The World Bank and IMF have annual meetings every year, and this year they’ll be held in Lima. The main event won’t be until October, but in the months leading up to the big meeting, the multilaterals (with the government of Peru) have been putting on conferences to discuss issues of importance. Some of the recent events have included “Economic Perspectives: The Americas,” “After the Commodity Boom,” and “Growing Challenges for Growth and Stability in a Changing Global Environment.”

Two weeks ago, the World Bank and IMF hosted the Conference on Financial Inclusion, which brought policymakers from Peru and surrounding countries, as well as experts from around the globe, to Lima for two days. The first day was a general overview of the definitions, goals, and rationale behind financial inclusion, and the second was a specific discussion of where Peru is, where it can go, and how it can get there. I won’t bore you with the details (but please let me know if you want to have a discussion about it – super interesting and not as black and white as it seems on the surface), but will simply say that it was one of the best things I could have done in my first few weeks at work. It made me so excited to be involved with some of the policymaking here in Peru, and to continue to follow the work of the people who spoke at the conference – they’re doing some really cool things.

The highlight, for me, was talking to Dean Karlan (see my previous post for my fangirl explanation of who he is) about a proposed new housing policy here in Peru. He offered great comments on the program’s similarity to things that have been done elsewhere, its feasibility here, and the underlying idea behind it. He also gave good advice about restaurants in Lima and asked about my life! SO COOL!

The legendary Dean Karlan

Visiting Pre-Incan Ruins

Monday through Friday, pretty much all we do is work and sit in traffic. On the weekends, though, we’ve been really good about getting out and exploring! Last weekend, we visited Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Incan temple where the Lima people, and later the Huari people, worshipped the ocean god. We got to take a tour of the grounds, which are huge, and were built by hand beginning around the year 200! There are some facts in the captions below, if you’re interested, or feel free to check out the Wikipedia page or official website for more information!

Whenever the Lima people began construction on a new temple (like the one we visited), they would sacrifice a clay pot painted with some sea creature. The Lima's most important god was the ocean, so sea creatures (especially sharks) were a way to represent him in art. One of the ways the ocean demonstrated his power was by "swallowing" the sun (another god) at the end of every day. The guy on the far left is performing an inauguration ceremony, and after he prays, he'll hurl that stone into the pot behind me, thus demonstrating the sacrifice.

Each of the bricks is made of mud, ground rocks, and seashells (which are apparently quite strong). They created the mixture by stomping on it with their feet for hours, then molding it into bricks by hand, and arranging them in this "bookshelf" pattern. Each layer was built one at a time, and the entire structure here in Lima took over 300 years to complete! We were all amazed to think about dedicating your entire life to something that would never be completed while you had any chance of seeing it. The bookshelf pattern, with gaps between the rocks, has allowed the structure to stay standing for 1800 years, despite the frequent (and often severe) earthquakes that hit Lima.

Llamas/alpacas! The temple even has a hybrid!

The Huari buried their dead in tombs like this one, inside the walls and floors.

Huaca Pucllana is a very recent discovery, and was buried underneath a giant pile of dirt until a few decades ago! Now, archaeologists are doing a lot of work to unearth the temple and preserve it. This path leads to a restricted area where they're working; our tour guide estimated that it would take another 30 years to finish uncovering all of the temple.

Eating the BEST Food 

Pretty much everyone I talked to before I left told me that Lima has the best food in South America, and I cannot say that I disagree with them. From ceviche lunches at Segundo Muelle (a ceviche restaurant near the Embassy that is amazing), to making our own chocolate at Choco Museo, to buying alfajores and Choko Soda every time they cross my path, to the amazing, beautiful, wonderful French fries made of Huayna potatoes (can’t tell you what they are, but they look cool and taste great) at La Lucha, to the endless amounts of fresh, delicious fruit here on the coast, it’s safe to say I’m getting spoiled by the food here.

This is called canchita - it's basically half-popped popcorn with just the right amount of salt on it. They serve it here before ceviche, and it is addictive and delicious and wonderful! Luckily, there are recipes for it online, so I'll be able to make it at home.

Choco Museo store, where they sell everything from chocolate bars to chocolate-scented shampoo to chocolate-flavored condoms. All organic, too!

Fellow interns/chocolate-lovers

My chocolate setting in its molds! I added Quinoa Pop, a local cereal here, peanuts, sea salt, ground coffee, and gummy bears in various combinations. Delicious!

The pod where cocoa beans are found! We went through the process of making chocolate from tree to bar, and it takes a lot more time and effort than I thought it did! We learned that the average person in the U.S. eats 55 chocolate bars per year, while the average person in Switzerland eats 119! One bar takes about 3 of these pods, although they grow much bigger in Africa and other places throughout Latin America.

Choko Soda, our favorite treat! These cost about 50 cents per packet, and are basically soda crackers dipped in chocolate. Something about them, though, makes them AMAZING.

Maracuyá (a type of passionfruit), my obsession

Huayna Papas from La Lucha, our favorite sandwich place. They're amazing, and grown right here in Peru!

Attending a Peruvian Drag Queen Show

I have no pictures, and not a whole lot of explanation for this one. It was really cool, although it put my Spanish skills to the test more than anything has so far!

Watching Fútbol in the Town Square

Peru is participating in the Copa America right now, a sort of Latin American mini-World Cup, and it’s been really fun to watch! We’re not a great soccer team, but we’re doing really surprisingly well in the tournament so far, and there are always people watching when Peru is playing. Today, Peru played in its last game of the first round, against Colombia, and we watched on jumbo screens in the Plaza de Armas in downtown Lima. It was so fun, and Peru didn’t lose! They didn’t win, either, but the tie game gave them enough points to move on to the Knockout Round, which is very exciting! Their next game will be on Thursday against Bolivia – two of my favorite countries (if you’re just tuning in, feel free to read some of my Bolivia blog #selfpromotion) playing one of my favorite sports to watch!

Halftime show, with the jumbo screen showing a waving Peruvian flag, and some drummers/dancers trying to get the crowd excited! Note: Peruvians aren't very excitable people. 

Me and Chelsea (and Lucas in the background) showing our love for our host country!

Keep me posted on fun developments, friends, and I hope you’re having a great summer! Happy birthday to my little, Allie, and happy Father’s Day to my dad!

*Note: The title of this post is one of the many funny translations I've seen while here. I'm keeping a list, so expect more of these in the future!

First Days in Lima

Well, it’s been over a week since I landed in Lima, and it already feels like home (at least for the summer)!  Lima is unlike anywhere else I’ve been in South America; it’s definitely a major city, with all the amenities (department stores, Starbucks, plenty of people) and the drawbacks (terrible traffic at all hours of the day, the worst pollution in South America, plenty of people). Peru is an upper middle income country, according to the World Bank, and Lima was the seat of the Spanish Empire in South America (colonial legacies last a long time down here in the Southern Hemisphere), so I guess none of this should have been too surprising. This summer is looking really exciting!

View of the Andes from the plane

Work

As you lovely readers know, I’m here in Peru as an intern for the U.S. Embassy, in their Economics section. It’s an amazing experience. After a grand total of 8 days at the Embassy, I can already tell that I’m going to have to do some serious self-evaluation when thinking about my future. Basically, Embassies are staffed by Foreign Service Officers (FSOs), who are chosen by a very competitive test/essay/interview process. FSOs rotate around different Embassies or other positions within the State Department, usually spending 3 years at each post. Each Embassy is divided into Sections (Economics, Politics, Consular, etc. – the sections present at a given Embassy will vary depending on the context within that country and on the character of its relationship with the U.S.), which are staffed by FSOs and local staff. I’ll leave it at that, but let me know if you have questions about how it all works!

In the Econ section, the content of our work really varies based on what’s going on in or around Peru. In a nutshell, our job is to keep track of economic issues that are relevant to policymakers in Washington. So far, I’ve done research on rent-to-buy housing schemes, the American Chamber of Commerce, exchange rates, and the Spanish translations for different cuts of beef (not as easy as you’d think). I’m ridiculously (nerdily) excited about a conference I’ll be going to tomorrow, which will bring policymakers and researchers to Lima to talk about financial inclusion in Peru. Along with a lot of important Peruvian officials, Dean Karlan will be in attendance!!! Dean Karlan founded Innovations for Poverty Action, which does exactly the kind of work that I want to do in the future, and recently co-wrote a book called More than Good Enough (excerpt here), which uses behavioral economics to analyze and develop effective microeconomic development projects. I’m already starstruck, and the conference hasn’t even started!

Live

Being a government entity, the Embassy doesn’t pay its interns. However, they do provide housing for us, as well as a shuttle to and from work every day. Right now, there are seven summer interns (with one more on the way); three of us are in one apartment, and three are in another. Enrique, who’s working in the Foreign Commercial Service, lives with a host family and dog, so I’m pretty jealous. However, our apartment is not bad at all.

The place

The intern apartments are on the Malecon (a street that borders the ocean) overlooking the the water, and are about a 45 minute drive to the Embassy.

View from the Malecon

Another view 

 It’s also about a 10 minute walk to Larcomar, a massive open-air structure that houses a wide variety of things: Chili’s, Juan Valdez Café, Banana Republic, Radio Shack, a movie theater, and Wong, a grocery store. It’s really convenient, and a nice little taste of America if we’re ever feeling overwhelmed.

All the wonderful fruit that you could ever want!

Every type of potato, including Mr. Potato Head

In terms of neighborhoods, we’re located in Miraflores, which is one of Lima’s nicest areas, and is full of restaurants, parks, and fun little touristy things. We’re also next to Barranco, which is often called the “bohemian” or “arts” district of Lima, and has lots of cool bars, lounges, and art to check out. There’s definitely going to be no shortage of things to do here.

Play

While we do spend quite a bit of time at work (or traveling to/from work), we’ve also managed to find time to go exploring a bit! Here are some pictures from the various tourism that’s been going on:

This is a beach right by our apartment, where Jonah (a roommate) went surfing one morning, and I sat and hung out with the people who rent out the boards.

Peruvian beer in an American sports bar where we watched the Cavs defeat Golden State

Almost Paris

A very old wall

Where the government does their work, in the center of Lima

Our tour guide from the catacombs under the Convent of San Francisco

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

Mucho Gusto, Panamá

Hello from Lima! It’s been a very exciting few days since I last wrote. It’s actually probably been more than a few, since I am working with very limited Wi-Fi access. Our apartment in Miraflores is amazing, but we haven’t gotten the internet hooked up yet. For a while, I was able to go to Larcomar, a shopping center about a 10 minute walk down the Malecon (the street that runs along the coast), but they only offer free Wi-Fi up to a certain monthly limit. So, for now, I am restricted to using the Wi-Fi provided by cafes. It’s been really nice, though, not to be able to access Facebook or Netflix, especially because it’s allowed me to make some good progress on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal (it’s just as good in Spanish!).

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going to venture away from the airport in Panama and explore the city for a few hours. Well, “explore” is a generous word for what I did, but it was still a great experience. To ensure that I was able to get back to the airport in time for my early flight the next morning, and to help ease my grandmother’s fears about taxi drivers in Central America, I arranged for transportation from my hotel. It was actually the same price that a cab would have cost, and I got to have a guy meet me with a little sign at the airport, so I think it was definitely worth it! My flight got in around 9 pm, and it was about a 30 minute drive to Casco Viejo (interchangeably called Casco Antiguo), the historic part of Panama City. It’s a beautiful place, right along the water and full of colonial architecture and flowers (if you’ve been to the walled city within Cartagena, it’s pretty similar, although without the walls). I was staying at Casa Nuratti, a really cool hotel known for its rooftop bar. It felt more like a hostel than any hotel I’ve been to before; it was full of young travelers and had a lot of communal spaces with a very low-key vibe. I dropped off my bags, changed my shoes (I wore my hiking boots on the planes to save suitcase space and to make sure they are nice and broken in for my treks in August), and went out to wander around for a bit.

My cute little nook!

Spotted while wandering

Around 10:30, I went up to the hotel bar, which was really cute, full of twinkle lights and cushioned benches, and had a gorgeous view. I’ve never walked into a bar by myself before, and it was a bit intimidating, but I picked up a margarita and grabbed a seat across from two other Americans (a guy and a girl) who seemed to be deep in conversation. After looking through all the pictures on my phone a few times (there was no Wi-Fi at the bar, which is definitely reasonable but makes being alone much more intimidating – feel free to comment on what this says about today’s society), I was pretty bored. My margarita, however, was still half full, so I sat and looked around for a while. Lucky for me, the girl (hi went down to her room to check on something, so then the guy (hi Skylar!) and I were both sitting awkwardly by ourselves. Lucky for me, Skylar is a friendly and socially competent person, so he said something that broke the ice, and the three of us (when Tine returned) talked for a while.

Eventually, we decided to go to a different bar, so we picked up Tine’s friend and travel companion Megan and ventured out into the city. We went to another rooftop bar first, where we just sat and talked for a while, and then walked downstairs to a bar called ZAZA, which is THE BEST CLUB I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. It was very classy, with sleek black decorations, an outdoor patio (which looks just like the one at Red Maple, for my Baltimore readers), and an exclusive VIP area upstairs. The best part by far, however, was the equations that were written all over the walls. I have never before danced to Spanish music while looking at the Fibonacci Sequence, but this place made it happen. We talked to quite a few other travelers, and danced until the bar closed at 4 am. I took a very quick cat nap in my hotel room, and then packed up to head back to the airport.

Just the Mona Lisa watching over the bar

In case you forgot the 20th digit of pi

!!!!!

All in all, I loved my time in Panama. I definitely didn’t do any of the typical tourist stuff (the Canal, the rainforest, etc.), but I learned about a lot of it from my American buddies, and it seems like a great place to go on vacation!

This post has already gotten quite long, so I’ll save Peru news for another day. If you’re reading this, I probably miss you a lot! I hope June is off to an absolutely wonderful start for all of you, hasta luego!