Get Out the Vote!

Despite my grumblings about the Lima mayoral elections, I believe that civic engagement and participation is an important part of any democratic government. Yes, I actually believe this and no I didn't copy the sentence from my sixth grade social studies book. There are many ways that one can participate in a democracy, but none more fundamental than casting a vote. Unfortunately, many people do not vote thus rendering the democracy less democratic. I am happy to report, however, that the ONPE organization in Lima has undertaken an effort to increase voter turnout. On Saturday while walking with a friend through Barranco, we saw an ONPE parade reminding people to vote on October 3rd. I have also noticed the appearance of the following posters around town announcing that "Peruvians will make very important decisions, come to vote!"



I like this poster for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it lets the public know that no one should feel excluded from voting. Do you wear hearing aids? No problem, come vote! Are you afraid that you might get turned away for using crutches? Don't worry, your kind is welcome too. What about hip little people, can they cast a ballot? Of course they can! Stubby-fingered folks are forbidden though, right? No way, come vote sausage mitts! Women, men, even hockey fans are all encouraged to turn out October 3rd to take part in democracy. I also appreciate that this poster clearly implies who is not allowed to vote, either for legal or common sense reasons. You are out of luck if you are a:

a. child
b. bald person
c. cyclops

In the spirit of civic participation I attended a mayoral debate for the Pachacamac district of Lima. For those who are unfamiliar with Pachacamac, it is a heavily agrarian and relatively poor district in the southernmost part of Lima. Rather than the skyscrapers and expressways of Miraflores you are likely to see sprawling farms and dirt roads. GEA had organized the debate and our fearless leader (Optimus Prime?!) Anna Zucchetti acted as the moderator. I figured that since I can't legally vote I might as well learn about the system. About 20 folks from GEA arrived around 4:30 at the Granjita Feliz or "Happy Little Farm" in Pachacamac to help setup for the debate. This venue is both a working farm and a restaurant which can be rented out for large events. Because most of the preparation had already been taken care of, I took the opportunity to visit with some of the animals of the Granjita Feliz. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Granjita Feliz had more animals than the farms I was accustomed to in the US. In addition to the garden variety pigs, chicken, ducks, llamas, cows, ponies, and rabbits, I visited with an alpaca, two tortoises, a falcon, some peacocks, a very dirty sheep, and some goats. I probably took more pictures than I really needed to, but I always get these bizarre ideas that when animals look at me they have very human thoughts. For instance, this sheep:



might be thinking to herself "You know, I don't care what Bernie says. This new weather stripping is going to save us a bundle off our heating bills come winter." Anyone else ever feel that way? No? No one? Alright, well after taking some unnecessary pictures, Edgar, Fabiola, and I set up a registration table at the entrance to the farm to take down the attendees information. I was impressed to see that approximately 100 people attended, and despite my flippancy about voting diversity earlier in the entry, it was very touching to see the spectrum of people who turned out to hear the candidates speak. Granted, only a small percentage of the population of Pachacamac attended, but all sorts of different people clearly had interest in participating in the matters of their town. Unfortunately, my duties prevented me from hearing the candidates, but during the registration lulls I was able to talk Lima politics with my aforementioned registration team as well as Diego, Franco, and periodically Wallys (doesn't that sound like some bizarre sequel to "Suddenly Susan?"). I have only been following the elections obliquely and was not able to offer any incredibly insightful commentary, but listening to the political discourse of a young and progressive group (typical of GEA) made me feel nearly as engaged as during the 2008 US presidential elections. It's always refreshing to see people passionate about the future of their city, country, or world, and it's not as noticeable in the corporate environment. Then the argument turned to Saturday's game between two Lima soccer teams, Allianza and Universitario, and all hope of any further civic engagement went down the tubes like so much guinea pig gas.

More photos in the Flickr account!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, Most of Them Are "Yuck"

Living in Lima during the mayoral elections has certainly been stimulating. The director of GEA spoke in a televised debate, there are vigorous political discussions in the office and on the street, and one can truly sense a palpable buzz about the elections. Despite these positive aspects of the elections there is a major negative which seems to override them all. There are posters, banners, fliers, flags, billboards, leaflets, pamphlets, and murals everywhere. You may be saying to yourself, "Did I leave the oven on? Also, did I remember to let Barry, my long-haired dachshund, into the yard while I pick up more spackle at the Home Depot?" You might also be saying to yourself, "Lima only has one mayor, and there can't be more than a handful of candidates. I wonder why Andrew is so put out by all this. Well, I'm not going to worry over it since I remembered to pick up that spackle I needed." True, Lima only has one mayor. However, every district in Lima also has a mayor. And oh yeah, there are FORTY THREE districts in Lima. Therefore, each district is swamped by publicity for both the districtal candidate and the Lima candidate. Compounding this problem is the fact that each race has approximately 10 candidates running for mayor. The bottom line is everyone in this fair city is constantly and relentlessly bombarded by candidates' faces and messages. I have had difficulty taking decent pictures in Lima because there are so many billboards, banners, posters, etc. all over the place. Now I try to be a tolerant guy, but these ads really bother me. Not only are they in my face all the time, but many of them have major problems in the ad itself. Of the worst offenders, I find that the ads fall into two broad categories:

- Fire your photographer

- Fire whoever thought that ad was a good idea

For your viewing pleasure (or slow death, I guess we'll see which it is by the end) I am presenting the worst campaign ads I could find from Miraflores and Barranco, 2 of the 43 districts in Lima (just imagine how many other brilliant pieces are floating around out there). I will not critique an ad based on a candidate's appearance unless the appearance is marred by poor photographic choices. I'll let you decide who needs to be fired for each of the following ads. Enjoy!



Now Enrique, I know the campaign trail tires you out, but could we choose a picture that doesn't make it look like your pacemaker just gave out while microwaving yourself a Hot Pocket? Maybe try smiling just a little. No? Alright, well at least choose the picture where the flash isn't reflected in your glasses! Let's move onto to a candidate who has a little more enthusiasm and pep.



Whoa! Maybe a little bit too much pep. I appreciate the positivity, but I don't know that I would feel comfortable voting for a mayor who dips past the second button and flashes his gold chain. Oh yeah, the thumbs up isn't exactly winning me over either.



No Manolo, adding Lourdes with her thumbs up doesn't help. I have noticed that Lourdes (Lima candidate) seems to really dig the whole thumbs up look.





Remember folks, there are 43 districts that Lourdes can rock the thumbs up with different district candidates. No, I don't think it's a good idea either. How about another really enthusiastic candidate?



I can only hear Andrade saying "Uh hyuh hyuh!" in a laughing Goofy voice or "4 out of 5 dentists recommend ______." Clearly, too much enthusiasm can be off-putting, but so can a dazed and confused stare.



I have no doubt that Cesar is a great guy and a qualified candidate, but how "cerca de la gente" can you really be when you're blazed out of your mind while listening to the Allman Brothers Band? Granted, Cesar certainly isn't as bad as our next goombas.



Wow, where do I start? Starting from the left: no you are not modeling for the new Stetson fragrance campaign. Middle: you're alright, but that smile is really creeping me out. Right: um, I would consider seeing a doctor before running for Vice Mayor. Want to try again, fellas?



Swing and a miss. By the way, Fernando, you now look like the Emperor from Star Wars. Just so you know, the Dark Side doesn't win. I would watch out for Jedis strolling around your campaign headquarters. Let's see what else is out there.



Another winner. First, I would suggest, Hiler, that you stop storing acorns in your mouth while taking pictures for your campaign. Also, looking at the camera seems to help. Jorge, Andy Gibb called. He wants his haircut back. Don't worry folks, Hiler gave it another shot...



...and came up with possibly the most patronizing pose this side of Iquitos. Why not add some vague campaign promises to your poster? Oh wait, I see that you have. Translated, he promises "Now, yes!" and "Barranco for everyone!" Now that's a mayor with a vision! What's that, you want more thumbs ups? I think I might know just the people for that.



Thumbs ups for everyone!! Let's take a look at one of the more creative ad tactics. Implicit endorsement by...



The President of the United States of America!



I'm sure President Obama would be thrilled to find out that Dr. Dave is using his likeness to tell people to vote for him. Oh yeah, and to help stop diabetes and anemia. Now the next ad actually has a great picture. I think Guillermo really nailed this shot.




His party logo, on the other hand, I'm not quite so keen on. I really think someone should stop that green blob monster from absorbing a helpless baby. I don't know about you, but I am outraged that Guillermo is letting such an atrocity occur right next to him. Oh, I hear Enrique (from the beginning of the entry) wants to submit another entry.



Well I'm not sure who that other guy is in the photo, but can I vote for him instead? Alright, I'll give you one last chance.



I'm speechless, Enrique. You seem just as baffled as me. This is what I'm dealing with, folks. If you think the endless lead up to the 2008 presidential election was painful, just browse through these photos one more time. And remember, I showed you photos from 2 districts our of FORTY THREE! I'm sick of it all, and I think I just won't vote in the upcoming election. Until a candidate delivers on his/her promises of expanded wig shop zoning and less stringent roof leashing laws, you can count me out.

Untitled

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of breaths we take away." - Carleton greeting card



















RIP
Handlestache
February 26, 2010 - September 18, 2010

Reader Mail - Round Three

The highlight of my day was hearing "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" by Shania Twain while doing curls (for the girls!) at the Master Gym. This was the highlight, mind you, so I think I'll address other topics for this entry. I was swamped at work during August, and I unfortunately left the piles of readers' questions and queries unattended. To the thousands of curious fans out there I send my sincerest apologies, and I hope that my responses today will help to make up for my negligence. On that note, let's dive in to some questions!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Christine,

Let your mind start a journey,
Through a strange new world,
Leave all thoughts
Of the world you knew before,
Let your soul take you where you long to be,
Only then can you belong to me.

Erik
Paris Opera House
Paris, France


Erik,

Despite the fact that you addressed me as Christine, you didn't actually have a question in your email (sent from 'Misunderstood_Opera_Lover@gmail.com'), and you seem to have quoted lyrics verbatim from "The Music of the Night" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's delightful Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera," I will endeavor to respond to you. While I don't believe the final 4 lines are applicable to my situation, your suggestion to let my mind start a journey through a strange new world certainly rings true. I wouldn't say Lima qualifies as a strange new world, but there are certainly lots of interesting things I have seen and have mentioned in this blog. And as you probably know, I rarely refuse an opportunity to discuss more surprising aspects of living in Peru.
- When I ran the half marathon I saw a runner participating with his Dachshund. The little fella might have had tremendous endurance, but that seems cruel to me. Also, they gave out bananas at some of hydration points along the route. Because the trash cans were placed on the far side of the road, many people ended up throwing their banana peels right on the road way. Good intentions, but I'm not convinced that was the best idea.
- Croissants are gigantic in the bakeries here. Take a croissant, double it, double it again, and you have a "cachito," the Peruvian equivalent of a croissant. I like croissants as much as the next guy (unless we're talking about a French guy, and trust me, I have experience talking about them), but a quad-croissant just strikes me as too much of a good thing.
- In the Metro supermarket here I can find roughly 15 varieties of hot dog. When Peruvians make fun of American food and say all we eat is hamburgers and hot dogs, I promptly pull out my travel mirror and ask them to look into it. He/she then thanks me for the service of my mirror, and we go our separate ways.
- There are mountains and mountains of limes, but not a lemon in sight.
Thanks for the letter, Erik, and I will forgive your etiquette transgressions because I enjoy "The Phantom of the Opera" so much.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew,

Now that you have traveled outside of Lima and seen some other parts of Peru, have you caught the travel bug? Are you planning many more trips in the future?

Cordially,
Phyllis
Manteca, CA


Phyllis,

First, let me say how sad I am that Manteca no longer has the wonderful water slide park I enjoyed so much as a child. Though I know you feel the pain much more acutely, I want to let you know that we mourn together. Secondly, in response to your question, I would venture to say that I haven't caught the travel bug entirely, and I'm taking some antibiotics just to make sure. For the remaining 2.5 months I have a 2 week vacation in October planned with my friend Julie from high school. We will be exploring the southern parts of Peru including: Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Urubamba, and Machu Picchu. Besides that big expedition, I would like to do 2 or 3 additional weekend trips to the rain forest (Iquitos), a beach to the north (Trujillo possibly), and the mountainous region to the northeast of Lima (Huaraz). I don't know if I will be able to fit it all in, but from hearing other travelers' stories here in the hostel I realize that it's impossible to see everything. There is so much to do in Peru, and South America, that I don't want to spread myself too thin trying to see it all. Speaking of spreading things thin, my dear mother kindly found me two bottles of Vegemite which are now en route to Lima. I tell you, that devilish spread is instantly addictive (I am confident that only Australians readers would agree with me while everyone else probably things I'm dealing with less than a full deck.). On the weekends when I won't be traveling I will continue to enjoy the sights and amazing tastes here in Lima. Even though there is a lot I want to see in rest of Peru I still have many outstanding visits (yes, mostly to restaurants) to make here in Lima. Thanks for the letter, Phyllis.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew,

You have now been in Peru, speaking Spanish I presume, for over three months. Are you fluent? Can you carry on a conversation with anyone you encounter? Do you find Shakira and Penelope Cruz more attractive? Should I buy term life insurance?


Thank you,
Wilson
La Crosse, Wisconsin


Wilson,

Thanks for taking the time to write in. I know very little about Wisconsin so I looked up some information about the state. Turns out the state fossil is the Trilobite. That tidbit just might come in handy some day. In regard to your questions, I wouldn't call myself fluent. Far from it, actually. However, I find that I am able to easily carry on conversations with most people, express my feelings and thoughts accurately, and speak without hesitation or anxiety. I know that I have many grammatical errors in my speech, but fortunately the Peruvians understand me and I am able to understand them. The most noticeable difference for me is that I can switch to Spanish and pick up a conversation without thinking consciously about it. It's very rewarding to be able to transition smoothly into another language, and I hope to brush up on my Italian (maybe spend some time there too) so I can get to the same point with that language as well. I find Shakira and Penelop Cruz just as attractive as before I left. Emmy Rossum, on the other hand, has rapidly ascended the Andrew Popularity Chart during my stay here. And I don't precisely know how term life insurance differs from regular life insurance, but I prefer not to take chances. So yes, you should buy term life insurance. Possibly the Gerber Grow-Up Plan as well. Good stuff, Wilson.
~~~~~~~~~~~
On a serious and factual note, I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support of my writing in this blog. All your feedback has been terrific and tremendously motivating. I hope to keep the content interesting, and if there is anything you'd like to see please let me know.