PERU, OH PERU!!! By: Nathalie

Peru is a poor country just like Bolivia. Peru is impoverished because in the 1960’s there was a lot of unemployment and rapid inflation (costs go up). In 1968 a military government took charge of everything Peru had. The military government gave part ownership to the employees of farms and factories. In 1980 a civilian government began increasing private ownership of businesses. The government thought that it might solve some of the economic problems including rapid inflation (costs go up) and high unemployment. At the beginning, the government was slow carrying out its policies. But in the 1990’s the government put down a “high card” to increasing private enterprise, and the inflation was now under control. But unemployment and other economic problems (continued throughout all of Peru). The economy was eating Peru alive (World Book).
Nowadays Peru has gotten out of high unemployment and rapid inflation, and many people have jobs like fishing. Peru ranks among the leading countries in the fish industry. Every year Peru fishes many anchovies, sardines, tuna and other ocean fish. The most kind of fishes caught are sardines. Dried Peruvian sardines and anchovies are sold in the many places in Peru for livestock feed. Anchovies are also used to make anchovy flour (Encyclopedia World Book).
Mining also is a big job in Peru. These are mined in the highlands. Peru also produces lots of iron ore, lead and petroleum. The richest iron mines lie in the far south coast. The north coast and the jungle are rich in petroleum deposits. The highlands are rich in most importantly ………….gold deposits.
Lastly, another Peruvian resource is Guano! Almost 40 small islands off the Peruvian Coast have many big and large deposits of guano (bird droppings). It makes a very good fertilizer. Companies from the Government mine the guano and sell it to many farmers or people who grow food on their land. Guano helps your Fruits and
Vegetables grow juicy and delicious (World Book)!

Also, the people care a lot about their music! It’s their lives because Peru has had music since the Incas had lived there. In those days the Incas danced to different rhythms than now. Here are some of the kinds of dances there are in Peru: La Marinera, Tondero, Huylas, Peru Negro, La Diablada, La Polka, and etc. The dances in Peru are very interesting and exotic (World Book).

Other than music Peru is very proud of their food. Furthermore, there are many kinds of foods like: spicy, mild, sour or even sweet food. But there is not one country that can cook food like Peru does! Now I’ll name you some of the foods there: Ceviche, Papa La Huancaina, Pachamanka, Rocoto Relleno, Tamales Peruanos, Papa Rellena, Pastel de Choclo, Timpo, Rache and Arroz con Pollo y etc (World Book).
On the one hand they speak interesting languages. In Peru they speak 4 languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara and one that I don’t know the name of. Spanish is the most common language in Peru, many Peruvians still have not learned to speak English very well. About 3% of the Peruvians speak English and Spanish. English in Peru is like trying to learn to speak Japanese in America. On the other hand they also speak Quechua. Quechua is also a very common language in Peru. Many people speak to each other in Quechua very quickly. When my mom does not want me to understand something she says she starts to talk in Quechua with my aunts and while they talk Quechua I just try to listen and understand a little bit.

Many people believe that the first people to live in Peru were the Indians that came from North America about 12,000 years ago. The Indians learned to farm. They raised and took care of the Llama and grew potatoes wildly in the highlands. Potatoes became very important in Peru long before they were known in the world.
The Inca, who built Peru’s last Indian Civilization, were conquered by the Spaniards in the late 1530’s. The ruins of Machu-Pichu probably once an Inca’s Royal Estate stand near Cusco.

Furthermore there was a War of Independence in the 1800’s between the Peruvians and the Spaniards. In the War of Independence the heroes of Peru’s Independence from Spain were Jose de san Martin of Argentina and Simon Bolivar of Venezuela. Both of them wanted to end European rule through all of South America and Peru became their target. Most Peruvians took little or no part in the Independence Movement. The Indians expected to gain a little if Peru became independent. San Martin and his army invaded Peru in 1820, he declared Peru independent in 1821, although much of Peru was under control. Boliviar and his army went into Peru in 1823. In 1824, Antonio Jose de Sucra, one of Boliviar’s generals, defeated a large Spanish-Force in Ayacucho in South-Central Peru. The only things left of the Spanish were their troops held only in the city of Callao. They finally surrendered in 1826. Although Peru had been saved and was now free Spain, still did not recognize Peru’s Independence until 1879.

In 1992 my mother Sabina Dary, immigrated from Peru to the United States of America. Her journey was long but worth it! My mother was so surprised when she got here because everything was so……………clean, not like Peru where everything is either broken or dirty, but when my mom took her first steps in the United States of America she felt as happy as a monkey winning the banana lottery!!! She couldn’t believe she had actually gotten this far! Before 1992 my mom was working at the age of 12!

Now, how would you feel if you had to Wake up at 4:00am every day to work and then walk 2 miles to get to school? You would probably feel tired right, but my mom did that until the age of 30 when she said: “NO MORE WORK” and that is when my mom decided to go to the U.S at the age of 30. After she got to the U.S she decided to go to the so called “airport mini mall” so when she got to the mini mall she got hypnotized by the smells of food, she just couldn’t contain herself she rushed in line waiting anxiously!!!

After my mother ate she went to go get her baggage at the baggage claim. After she got her bags she went to a hotel and checked in for the very first time, when she got her room key she went to her room to go take a nap. When she woke up she decided to check to see if she had gotten all her luggage from the airport, but noticed that one of the suitcases wasn’t there! But that wasn’t any old suitcase with clothes in it, it was the suitcase with the presents for the family that gave my mom her VISA.(not the credit card) My mom ran to the airport faster than a cheetah in an Olympic race trying to win the gold!! When she got there she went directly to the baggage claim, and relieved my mom found the suitcase with all the presents in it!!

After the big race to getting the piece of luggage it was about 2:00pm when she got back she decided to go down to the BEACH in Miami, Florida and just relax and think about the future in front of her!!

In conclusion, my mom decided to stay because that was what she came for. Also, my mom wanted to learn English, so after 6 months my mom finally got accepted at “CARLOS ROSARIO ENGLISH SCHOOL.” It took my mom that long because she needed to find a job to keep a living and to pay her apartment rent. When my mom was 34 years old she met my dad, Bradley Dary at a party and they both fell in love!! At the age of 36 years old my mom had me in 1998. That is another reason why my mom decided to stay in the U.S, because she thought that I needed a good education and my mom did not want me to go to Peru and only learn more Spanish and Quechua. So she decided to stay!! My mom has been living in the U.S for more than 20 years and she will never leave. (only for vacation and stuff like that).