The World is Flat, no?!

Peace Corps gives you lots of time to think. While I prefer to be busy, there are those days when I’m waiting for a meeting to start or waiting for the combi to leave…so basically, I do a lot of waiting. And while I’m waiting I think about what’s for lunch (rice and papas again!?), what’s on my ever-growing to-do list, and most recently how globalization is infiltrating Peru.

I recently started reading a book called “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman, a Christmas gift given by my dad back in 2007. Obviously, it’s 2010 now, so it’s taken me a while to get to it, but I’m glad I waited because now I get to see these changes that Friedman talks about firsthand.

For instance, I live in a village of about 4,000 people and while I live in a house made of mud and straw and USED to have a dirt floor, I still have electricity, occasionally water (cold, not hot), access to the internet (slow, but still functioning) and cell phone service most of the time (a love-hate relationship really). When talking to the older folks in town, they tell me that things were different back then. Not in the sense that they had to walk barefoot 20 miles in the snow uphill (they still do that, just no snow), but that until 7 years ago they didn’t have light, and up to 3 years ago they didn’t have cell phone service or internet. And back before there were cars, people had to walk to Bambamarca and even to the coast (a good week journey) to bring back supplies.

Now, I don’t have to walk to Bamba if I don’t want to, but instead catch one of the various camionetas that go up and down my mountain all day long. While I could be waiting up to 2 hours for one to appear, I still have the option of saving my legs and waiting for one rather than walk down. I constantly see older women dressed in their traditional skirts, cardigans, and straw hats carrying their babies on their back while talking on their cell phone or kids at school asking me if I could sing “My Heart Will Go On” for them or ask me if I know Michael Jackson. And none of this would be possible without globalization having open doors and technology, so that my little village high up in the mountains could watch the World Cup on their TVs.

It’s a weird mix though, this “old world meets new world” business. While I think globalization has its perks, as it brings the internet, something that every child should have access to. It also has its downsides. What happens to this new generation that is growing up with internet and viewing the western world through their TVs? What happens to their culture? When kids have more access to the world around them, does that mean that they lose their culture? And is it possible to keep both; receive more education through the internet while keeping traditional values? At this point, I’m really not sure, but it’s something to ponder in my downtime.

Why going all philosophical you ask? Well most recently, a number of incidents have occurred so that currently I have no phone. And no phone means no access to the outside world. No access to the outside world means Annie has more alone time to think.

This no phone situation has also made me ponder what it would be like to be in the Peace Corps back in the early 60’s and 70’s. Back when you were really were cut off with the outside world and living among the natives. I’ve heard stories of people back then in Peru when they were literally dropped off in their village and left to do whatever they wanted for the next two years. Things have changed a lot since then, as we are now required to turn in reports, receive visits from Peace Corps personnel, attend week-long meetings every couple months, and are not allowed to drive along with a whole list of things we aren’t allowed to do.

So the question is then, would I survive back then in the Peace Corps? I think I could, but it would definitely be a different experience than I’m having now. I enjoy my creature comforts. I enjoy talking to my “site mate” at least 5 times a day, and I enjoy catching up on things happening in the U.S. online (Orlando Bloom is getting hitched!), and I enjoy that I can call my family and friends through Skype, even though their voices may sound like robots.

So I guess the moral of this blog is this: Peace Corps, if you are reading this, please give me my new phone ASAP!!!!