The Park Family in Peru

 
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THOSE LITTLE CENT COINS?

One of the things I love about Peru is that each supermarket is a patron for an organziation. When you check out, the clerks ask you if you want to donate your cents (up to the 10¢ coin.) It shows up on your receipt that you donated 3¢ or whatever it was. Then the supermarket sponsors an organziaton that uses the money to help others.Some supermarkets are patrons for Operation Smile for cleft palates, Caritas which helps poor people, Un Techo Para Mi Pais-Peru's version of Habitat for Humanity, even the national library! Each month they post a sign with how much money their supermarket or chain donated. Literally thousands of dollares are raised each month to help others, all from people's tiny aluminum coins.

 

 

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Just three months before Peru's presidential elections are scheduled were the last of the candidates inscribed. Yesterday 7 more candidates decided to run for president for a total of 13. That's half as many as we had 5 years ago.

We have had very little political advertising or billboards as of yet. One of the main parties was even unsure about who they were going to propose. There are three women candidates, one of whom is the daughter of former president Fujimori who is now in jail. Another candidate is Toledo who was in office when we came to Peru. The presidency is one 5 year term. While you cannot run for two terms in a row, you can run again after a break. Pray for the right person to lead Peru.

Pray for our newly elected mayors who took office in January. Lima is so big that each area has its own mayor. Some came into financially healthy municipalities, others inherited great debt. 

STUFFED ANIMAL

I bought a stuffed animal for a friend of mine for Christmas. When I was taking off the tag, I noticed the warning notices were 5 pages long and were printed in 27 different languages! That's part of being in such an international community.
 


 

The custom here is for everyone to wear yellow on New Year's eve to bring luck in the new year. Mauro has a stand on the corner by the church which he stocks with all kinds of hats, leis, everything yellow, even underwear!

 

Tons of fireworks are going off outside tonight. The sky is lit up all around which we can watch from the balcony. Each neighborhood sets off their own along with private individuals. While technically, they aren't supposed to, no one stops them. Don't try to go to bed early!

 

At midnight, we have to eat 12 grapes, one on each stroke of midnight and make a wish with each one. Ours are blessings for all of you!






 







 

STREET NAMES

In the U.S. most street names seem to be rather short like--Main, Elm, Lime, etc. Here in Lima, many streets are named for people, usually military heros, including their titles. The street we live in is actually called "Avenida Mariscal Andres de la Santa Cruz"

 

No place is really safe from robbery, not even a church. We had a church full of people for the First Communion service. Unfortunately when Linda went forward to take a picture, she left her handbag on the pew. When she came back she found the two women who had been sitting next to her had left with her wallet and her reading glasses. In order to report the robbery, she had to go to the bank first to buy a form to take to the police. Because it was a holiday, the banks were closed until the next day. Thank goodness, I had a pair of reading glasses I could give her, she was able to call the bank and stop her card, and the office had a copy of her Peruvian identity card.