"The United States is my alcoholic brother". An expats thoughts on his homeland and a volunteers review

 “10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America” 

It’s a little long, but please give it a read! And if you really have some time to kill, read the comments, which are just as informative as the article. This weeks post is a response/ reflection of the article above. Disclaimer: I do not agree with all of what he says (I especially disagree with #5)

This is a great article that I think many Peace Corps Volunteers and expats can sympathize with. The author is reacting to his introspective assessment of his motherland, where he discovers that his rose colored glasses of patriotism and “We’re number 1!” mentality were tainted by the inundation of our own self-loving, fear mongering media. He realizes that we have become narrow-minded because we are so isolated from outside viewpoints (media, language, ideas).  He states “…we don’t really get perspective on what’s close to us until we spend time away from it.”

To me, this is the real meaning of the Peace Corp’s Goal #3: To share with your fellow Americans what you have seen and learned about the world outside of the 50 states; to bring back AND SHARE your changed perspective. Sharing the food, dance, music and photos from vacation hot spots are great, but any tourist can do that.

From my one-week back home last August, I was able to glimpse the oncoming frustration of reverse-culture shock. I’m not talking about strangers not staring at you anymore (wait, you don’t want to take a photo with me?), or old women not giving you a bag full of bananas or avocado just because you visited their house.  I’m talking about how tough it is to get people to understand your new world view, because they haven't had the chance to step outside of the bubble themselves. Sometimes you just want to shake someone saying WHY DONT YOU APPRECIATE DRINKING FOUNTAINS AND TOILET SEATS LIKE I DO! Haha, well those examples aren't exactly my point, but they dance around the topic.

Jamie was a GREAT listener!

I don’t pretend to be a very articulate writer, but luckily, I found other people who are! I was really impressed by the caliber of comments that this article provoked. Here are a few comments that express some of my issues with his opinions:

Recovering Hipster writes

“When you are a foreigner, people are either more forgiving of your “weirdness” because they expect it, or they’re just not thinking about how you conform to norms.

My guess is that this guy experienced the enhanced niceness that everyone expresses to foreigners – especially toward Americans, who have been saturating them with media and are therefore more fascinating than other foreigners – and perceived it as a sign of their culture.

Whenever I’ve traveled abroad, I’ve noticed that I get very, very comfortable with being a foreigner for that very reason I mentioned above: people are more forgiving and there’s a general level of awkwardness that’s to be expected, which has an overall dulling effect on any negative social experience.

It’s very easy to get addicted to that position of being a foreigner, and it’s easy to mistake that addiction for you fitting in better in a different culture.

There’s also the fact that other people often *do* look up to Americans, so they’re going to be at the very least interested in asking you questions, if not super friendly. To assume that others are nicer to you just because they’re nicer cultures is to get things a bit wrong.

If I was Peruvian, would they give me the time of day?

When I was in Brazil, everyone was pretty interested in talking to me. At first, I thought it was because I was special. Then, I thought it was because I was foreign. Then, I realized that it was because I was American. They had plenty of news stories and plenty of pop culture that they wanted to talk to me about. The same wouldn’t have been the case if I’d been an Uruguayan.

In the end, though, I came to recognize that their culture wasn’t inherently “nicer” or “more genuine” than mine.

In addition to all that, being a “professional traveler” does not put a person in touch with a culture as much as they’d think. You come to recognize how little you actually “get” a place when you go from being a traveler in a place to being a local who can’t necessarily afford to pack up and go on to the next place. Most places feel like a pair of open arms when arrive as a traveler. This does not signify a more open culture as much as it signifies the fact that you’re a traveling consumer.”

A great wake up call to the author comes from Tricia, who wrote

“…I started reading this article without looking at even the author’s name. Immediately I knew it was written by a straight white male. There’s this thing called “privilege” that some people have that makes them wholly unable to see something from a marginalized perspective. It is quite upsetting.
I have lived abroad as well, though not as extensively as the author. I have never been to Asia or Africa, though I’ve spent a lot of time in Latin America and Europe. I have been sexually assaulted much more frequently (despite more precautions taken) while abroad than in the States. Being a male has a lot to do with your presumed levels of safety while you’re out, not to mention comfort.

As guys, we don't have to worry about as many things and get to enjoy it all

 My male roommates when I lived in Nicaragua had all sorts of fun adventures with meeting strangers, staying out late, etc. I could not have a few drinks at a club without someone trying RELENTLESSLY to take me home. I was kissed, felt up, you name it, just for having the audacity to go to a club without a man. This has happened to me in countries in Europe, Latin America, and even here at home, but not nearly as frequently…”

Take some time to read some of the resulting discussions posted on the article, they really make you think. 

Another comment also made me curious:

“I would love to see similar articles by folks from other countries that emigrated outside their native lands, about their own countries. In my interactions with immigrants here in the USA, I hear many amusing observations about their own nations. It’s a sign of humility when you can recognize your own faults, admit that they’re silly and laugh about them [when they don't cause significant harm]. And if there’s one thing the global community of mankind can use, it’s less national pride, and more humility.”

So friends, let me hear your stories! I am really interested to hear if you have ever had a chance to look at our nation (or any other for that matter) after you have seen the way other places are run. (Please refrain from personal attacks)

God Bless the United States of America

Bamboo!

Quality control, this stuff is so tasty!

My journey to the world of bamboo came unexpectedly. It started with a visit to CepiCafe, a coffee co-operative in our department’s capital, Piura. My socio (community counterpart) was the president of the organization for 3 years, so we used his influence to learn about all of the work CapiCafe does to help the coffee producers improve their yield. We even got an impromptu tour of the panela factory!Next, we went next door to the father NGO of Cepicafe, called Progreso. My socio was interested in developing the use of bamboo in his community and introduced me to Rocio Leon, my new mejor amiga. She is the project coordinator of the NGO and is in charge of three different initiatives:

Rocio teaching about proper bamboo forest management

High school creations

Key chains!

S I bought a necklace and earring set from her.

When these have cushions on them, they are wrapped in local woven designs.

Bus stop designed and built by community

Healthy school project (Escuelas Saludables) –

Progresso, Cuerpo de Paz, y Emilio Espinoza (high school)

Eco-recreational high school center. Not in use, but to be developed soon!

Soccer field with 4 new bathrooms in the distance. We hope to build bamboo kiosks and bleachers.

The high school's "auditorium". Planning on building benches and adaptable shading structure. 

Municipality Tourism development- 

• Changing rooms – the main tourist destination is a group of waterfalls and pools called “Los Peroles”. Many tourists like to swim in them, but do not have anywhere to change their clothes. Our stalls will not only provide a place to change, but we may even build a lookout area on top of the stalls to offer a place to take in the amazing views of the waterfalls.

• Bathrooms – there are not any latrines near the waterfalls, which is a half an hour walk from the town center. In the future, we are talking about building a few bathroom or latrines to offer a restroom for the tourists. 

Regional Designs-

• Bus stops: The regional government has build one bus stop out of bamboo, but at certain times of the day, the seats are in the full force of the Piura sun. The have asked for me to help with a shading study for the following bus stops. I explained to them that each stop needs to be designed to the site (solar orientation, street orientation ect.) as opposed to designing something that looks nice. 

• Single family housing: The ministry de housing, construction, and sanitation from Lima asked Progresso to give them an affordable design for a single family house with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and dining room. I do not have a lot of time to develop the design, but after 3 days, I passed to them a model that is easy to build, with skylights for natural lighting and all the water services housed in one wall.

• It is important to have a design where the walls can be built on the ground, then lifted up into place, because the construction workers do not have much experience with the bamboo joints.

• Sierra Exportadora: A national based NGO also asked Progresso to help them out with some “face-lift” projects to promote tourism in Ayabaca, an area in the northern Andes of Piura that the regional government is developing. Basically they want to install veneer facades made out of bamboo to give the restaurants and the town a universal “eco-feel”.

• 

  Bamboo window frames look awesome during sunset

This past week I was in Lima for an English Teaching workshop that was hosted by the US Embassy. I took advantage of my time in Lima by visiting the architecture department of San Martin de Porres. There I met with two French architects, Yann and Faouzi, who have been working in Peru for the past 5 years.

French Architects Yann Barnet and Faouzi Jabrane. In front of a shading structure at San Martin de Pores, Lima, Peru

Transitional housing

2-story bamboo house

PS: Also working on an Eco-park! Its hard to remember it all. If I accomplish 30% of these dreams, I'll be very happy. PS: Also working on an Eco-park! Its hard to remember it all. If I accomplish 30% of these dreams, I'll be very happy. Noticias (News)1) Teaching villagers how to properly grow, cut and process bamboo2) Developing local small business through artisan workshops (jewelry, furniture)

3) Leading workshops with construction workers to teach them how to build with bamboo (nickname vegetable steel)So I have fallen in love with this line of work. To the point where I have almost signed up for so much that my Peace Corps work took a back seat for a little while. I have pulled back from my bamboo craze (a bit) and incorporated it in my PC projects. How so you ask? Well let me tell you!I am working with two high schools to implement treated water, soap in the bathrooms, and a number or other initiatives that the teachers and parents prioritized. In one high school, they want to develop a small business selling organic banana marmalade and chifles (fried banana chips). In order to develop the local market, we are going to build a bamboo kiosk, which they can sell their products during special events (holidays, soccer and volleyball games) and during the peak tourist season (June-September). The other high school wants to install a bamboo-shading device to cover their courtyard that they use for many different events (graduations, volleyball, school-wide presentations).In addition to shade, we hope to train the local carpenters how to build bamboo furniture so that we can have benches, chairs, and tables to facilitate a space the community can use throughout the year. The municipality has been searching for someone to help improve their tourism. After a few conversations with a motivated socio in the municipality, we are going to install various bamboo projects to promote their tourism.So clearly I am up to my ears with opportunities, BUT I have to turn a lot of them down because I am not volunteering my 2 years in Peru to be a free source of design services. I am having trouble saying no at the moment because I really want to improve my design skills, especially in regard to bamboo.
They were very receptive to my impromptu visit and reinforced my already budding appreciation for the “vegetative steel”. After a devastating earthquake in 2009, they offered their design services to the various NGOs that rushed to the disaster area of Ica, southern Peru.They designed a simple bamboo home that could be built with a tight budget and little technical training. They also designed a beautiful bamboo church, and a 2 story bamboo house, all of which I hope to visit in my next trip down to Lima.
I am very fortunate to work in an area that has so much support from an amazing NGO (Progresso), and I hope to have more photos and stories to share in the future!