Kristin

No sé que voy a escribir.... Hay tantos eventos estos días.

I don´t know where to start, I am experiencing a lot of things these days. My everyday is getting more and more peruvian, I don´t know how to show you all a complete picture of my everyday. Things are transformed into habits and I am getting used to the way things are.

Well, in Norway it seems Christmas is sneaking in. I heard rumours of snow and my boyfriend going skiing in Trondheim. ¡Que suerte para ustedes! At this site there is nothing that reminds me of Christmas- no snow, no Christmas songs, no nada. Yesterday we went out in the field to Santa Cruz, which is 4 hours from the peruvian coast. The climate was really comfortable, we had to drink tons of water as the sun burned. The landscape was more like jungle than mountains. Very beautiful. 

As there is nothing that reminds us of Christmas, IM and I created a Christmas calendar for the crew here in Chota. Now there are 24 gifts hanging on the wall (YES it is a bit late- I know its already the 3rd) ready to be opened. The days in the office are loooong, from 9-13 and after eating almuerzo, from 15-19! We asked our collegue Joel what he wanted for Christmas, and he answered "My job! It´s the most important thing I have. It makes me able to take care of my family, pay the rent and provide food to the table." It´s way hard to get a job here in Peru. You better cling on to the one you might happen to have. In Lima, the capital, there are medical doctors driving taxis for a living since there are no vacant positions. If you are lucky to have an education, it´s absolutely not for sure you will have a job afterwards. And also, as you are dependant on a job to such a degree, you are also very vulnerable to illness and things that might occur. The state does NOT take care of you if you have to go to the hospital, they can not pay for your family member´s funeral, they will not put you in a program to help you find a job. In Lima we went in the taxi of a taxidriver that was constantly crying because his wife was really sick and needed an operation he just couldn´t afford. He was pretty desperate and on the phone he begged the hospital a thousand times to show mercy and give him a little rebate on the inmensely large operation fee, so that he could afford it, after collecting money from family and friends.

In Norway we have a safety net which is unique. Primarily, you can choose an education which is free, the state GIVE you money to support you as a student. When I tell the peruvians this they won´t believe me. We also have a system of health and education which is marvellous compared to the ones of the peruvians. Our tax money actually reach out. In Santa Cruz we visited a kindergarten which is fully supported by CODE/Strommestiftelsen. I asked the teacher what would happen if they could only rely on the support from the state. "There wouldn´t have been chairs, no appropriate tables, no books or writing materials, hardly anything!" As it is today, the politicians put more money in their own pockets than they spend on health and education. It´s ridiculous to see how the resources are distributed. The peruvian don´t trust the politicians a single bit. All is promises that won´t be kept.