Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Diana P. Olano

Late last year, President Alan Garcia declared 2008 as the "Year of the World Summits in Peru". What the Chief of State was referring to were the two global conferences Peru would play host to later this year: The Vth European Union-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit to be held in May and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum to be held in November. The fact that these two significant meetings are taking place here signify new political and economic recognition and possibilities for Peru that could lead the country on a path away from its third-world country status and towards success in the technologically advanced and prosperous first-world.

The economic world has its eyes on Peru. Bouncing back from an agricultural nightmare in 1998 thanks to the affects of El Niño and President Alejandro Toledo's policy to decrease government expenditure which made foreign investment significantly slow down, Peru is on the brink of an economic metamorphosis. Its economy has grown on average 5.7% annually, for the past five years and has surpassed the global average in business, fiscal, monetary, financial and government freedom. With local and foreign investments expected to reach $50 billion by the end of 2010 in this country that is a main exporter gold, for example, investors here and around the world are taking a gander at this little engine that can.

By Diana P. Olano

In Peru, women have had the right to vote for about five decades. This Andean country was second to last in Latin America--Paraguay being the final one--in allowing woman the right to cast a vote in presidential elections. Incredibly recent, yes. So much so that many of our female elders here can likely easily recollect this time in Peruvian history; when the feminist revolution, that had reached other parts of the world decades before, had finally reached their shores. However long it took, Peruvian women should be proud and grateful that the day finally came in 1955. That was the first in a number of women's rights advancements Peru has seen. The fight, however, began long before...

By Phil Pittman

Since 2006, a unique initiative between children from Australia and Peru has taken place. The project “Our World through Children’s Eyes,” is a cross-cultural and conservation art project linking children from small villages in Peru with children from outback bush schools in Australia. The program focuses on educating children about the environment through the medium of art. It commenced in 2001 with a traveling exhibition of international children’s artwork at rural schools in Australia and has now developed into a more personalized program with children getting to know stories about the artists and their communities in both countries.

By Diana P. Olano

February in Peru means one thing: Carnavales. The festival season occurring before lent usually involves street parties, concerts and water fights galore. Cities like Lima see more of the latter, with friends or strangers trying to get you with water balloons every Sunday that month. However, a lesser-known tradition that is spreading in popularity throughout the country is the "Yunsa", also known as "cortamonte".

By Diana P. Olano

I don’t know about our readers, but I have my limits on public displays of affection (PDAs), whether I'm witnessing them or partaking in them. In the suburban county of Westchester, New York where I grew up, the most affectionate act a couple would ever do is kiss. And usually, the kiss was pretty lame; a chicken peck, at best. The most common PDA I'm used to seeing is a couple holding hands. Actually, it was the most common PDA I was used to seeing.

By Elise van der Heijden

Many visitors to the Cusco and Sacred Valley areas have been struck by the lack of basic services that many of the smaller communities suffer; lack of sanitation, a diet that lacks balance, little or no education, and most of all the feeling of having few opportunities to progress in the future. Many of these visitors have come back with good intentions and set up NGO’s, each with their own vision and method, to try and make life better for some of the wonderful people of the Andes.

By Diana P. Olano

Peru's rainforest residents are not happy. Leaders from the regions of Ucayali, Loreto and San Martín will meet mid-February to decide their official stand on and when to protest a new law President Garcia has cooked up. If approved by congress, Law Nº 840/2006-PE, also known as "La Ley de la Selva" (The Law of the Rainforest), would supposedly guarantee jobs for those living in the area, but in turn, rob them of their right of possession of land.

By Diana P. Olano

I’m not sure how much television our readers watch, but I’m sure most, if not all of you have seen the Pilsen Trujillo beer commercial featuring one of Peru’s traditional dances, the Marinera Norteña. The beer, which like the dance is a symbol of the Northern Peruvian city of Trujillo, is this year’s official sponsor of the National Marinera Trujillo Competition held every January.