I Have a Crush on the Governor of Guadalupe

Whoever coined the phrase that New York is the town that doesn´t sleep has clearly never been to Guadalupe, Peru (Pop 30,000). I landed here on Jan 31st for a 5 week intensive Spanish program. Since that faithful day, Í´ve spent uncountable nights awake in my bed listening to all night wedding parties, pondering the cross-cultural connotations of "neighborly conduct". Additionally, as part of an interesting form of a neighborhood watch program, a team of men spend each night roving the streets blowing ear piercing whistles with all their might.

I´m staying and studying with a wonderfully warm and generous family. The photo was taken of the street, directly outside the front door. Its a informal type of program that entails two hours of classes each day, coupled with being a part of the ongoing lives of this enormous, three-generation household. I´ve concluded that there is somewhere in the ballpark of 15 people that live here at least part of the time. Among these is Jose, my teacher and the grandfather of the household, who has been Mayor of Guadalupe twice but was ousted both times after accusations of being a communist. Jose´s son, Rafael, is currently the Governor of the district and is quite a looker. Unfortunately, he is also married so my chances of becoming involved in the politics of Peru in this intimate fashion are hopeless. Living in this high society households ensures we have water (albeit cold) everyday, whereas the rest of the city receives this utility for only one hour each morning.

The town itself is certainly off the tourist cicuit and consists of narrow shop-lined streets situated around a main plaza that seems to be the most happening place for couples, romance, and the few with cars to cruise the strip blasting Madonna´s "Like a Virgin" at top volumes. It also is the place to go for Guadalupe´s specialty combination, turkey sandwiches and coffee, which the family insists is the best in Peru, something people travel great distances to savor. Twice now, I´ve seen a man on a bicycle transporting live turkeys to the cafes...a giant, two-wheeled mass of feathers riding across the plaza.