MBA Study Abroad Trip to Peru

For more information contact Polly Chandler, 603-283-2424, pchandler@antioch.edu. You can also download the complete Peru packet including complete itinerary.

When most people think of Peru, the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu often comes to mind. Since its "rediscovery" by Yale archeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911, this pre-Columbian ruin has become synonymous with Peru. Few countries are similarly encapsulated within a single image to such a degree.

While the mysteriousness of ancient civilizations will forever intrigue visitors, Peru's connections to the past overshadow the significant interest generated by the country's recent economic progress. This diverse nation of 28 million people has quietly positioned itself as the hidden commercial gem of Latin America-a diverse, export-driven economy characterized by open markets and fiscal prudence.

Positive economic growth towards a stable, competitive market continues to transform Peru into a dynamic environment for U.S. investment. From the capital city of Lima to the remote Amazon jungle, this interdisciplinary course will introduce participants to the challenges and possibilities for creating new models for sustainable economies in Peru. Questions to explore include: What practices provide long-term economic empowerment and prosperity to local communities? What structures ensure benefits to the common good, be they local ownership, cultural preservation, or healthy environmental practices?

Partnership

We are traveling with Crooked Trails. They will be arranging our tour, accommodations, contacts, and translators. Tammy Leland will be our guide and she has spent over 15 years working, living and learning in Peru. Crooked Trails has an impressive reputation of leading groups on social responsibility tours. The contacts they have and history with businesses in Peru will make for a very unique experience.

PO Box 94034
Seattle, WA 98124
(206) 383-9828
www.crookedtrails.com

Accommodations

We will be staying in Lima at a guesthouse in the heart of Miraflores near the ocean. After traveling to the Amazon, we will be staying at a 30 room ecolodge owned jointly by Rainforest Expeditions and the Local Community of Infierno. Accommodations are all 3-star in Lima. Clean, beautiful, traditional style, most have private baths. The hotel is centrally located. Accommodations in the jungle are 3 or 4 people in each room with a bed for each person covered by a mosquito net. 4-star, environmentally awarded (super eco conscious) lodge.

Background

Geography

Peru, often referred to as the "land of the Incas", is the third largest country in South America and lies entirely within the tropics. Its northernmost point is just a few kilometers below the equator, and its southern most point is just over 18 degrees south. Geographically, Peru consists of three regions-a narrow coastal belt, followed to the east by the wide Andes mountain range, which, further east, drops to the Amazon basin.

The Andes, the second greatest mountain chain in the world after the Himalayas, rise rapidly up from the coast. It is a young range of mountains, still in the process of being uplifted as the Nazca plate slides under the South American plate. It is a rugged and difficult landscape with jagged ranges separated by extremely deep canyons and is home to half of the country population. Huascaran, at 21, 658 feet above sea level, is Peru's highest mountain and the world's highest mountain in the tropics.

Climate

Peru's climate has two seasons-wet and dry. We will be visiting Peru during their winter months, which is their dry season. Winter daytime temperatures fall between 65 and 80 degrees.

The People of Peru

Peru's population is over 26 million, almost half of which is concentrated in the narrow coastal desert. The other half of the population is found in the highlands-mostly rural Indians who practice subsistence agriculture. Most of Peru, however, lies in the Amazon basin east of the Andes and is home to only 5% of the population.

About 45% of the population is Indian (indigenas). Most are Quechua-speaking and are living in the highlands. A few speak Aymara and live on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

In Chinchero, the people are Quechua-speaking indigenous Indians that practice subsistence farming. The heritage of the Andean Indians is best seen in the many folk art forms that are still common today. The most obvious of these art forms is music, dance and crafts. Traditional Andean music is popularly called musica folklorica and contains a variety of wind instruments. There are many different forms of wind instruments, based on regional differences. The most representative are the quenas and the zamponas. Perhaps the best-known example of Andean music is "El Condor Pasa", adapted by Paul Simon.

Handicrafts made in the Andes are based on pre-Columbian necessities, such as weaving, pottery and metallurgy. Today, the woven cloth can still be seen in the traditional ponchos, belts and other clothes worn by the Andean people.

Travel Etiquette

Peru's tourism industry has been growing in recent years and is now a significant part of the economy. The Andean Indians have little choice over how their region develops for tourism and are often exploited by western tour companies, local tour agencies and tourists.

If we travel seeking only to be thrilled and entertained, removed from our mundane lives for just a few weeks as if in some kind of fantasy, we will experience little and do much harm. If, on the other hand, we travel with respect and openness, desiring to learn, adapt and share at every opportunity not only will we travel lightly but we will return home so much richer, with understanding of a way of life that has many lessons for the western world.

Cultural Impact

Interacting with Peruvians and Andean Indians It is inevitable that you'll leave some impression of your culture by visiting more remote regions of Peru. Instead of just consuming the country, Crooked Trails always likes to give something back. Tourists are in a powerful position to present a more balanced picture of life in the West and you are the ones who should actively speak out when you see something being done for the benefit of tourists, which is obviously harmful or degrading to the local environment or culture. However, unless you make an effort to communicate, all that the Indians will see is yet another rich tourist on holiday - probably an inaccurate picture of someone not particularly well off by Western standards, who has worked extremely hard to pay for a trip out to Peru and who cares for and admires the country and its people.

You will get the most out of your visit if you allow lots of time to learn and try to be constantly aware. Try to learn a few words of Quechua before you go as this will be greatly appreciated and will underline the importance of their language. When telling somebody about your home country talk about the problems as well as the good things. The Indians get a rose tinted image of the West through the media so it is important to present a balanced view of what life is really like in a developed country. Most Indians have no idea about the environmental and social costs of living in the West, and the extent of poverty, homelessness, alienation and mental illness. Things that the Indians take for granted, Westerners actively seek out and pay more for: such as local, organic food and methods of natural health care. Unlike Andean Indians, few westerners are privileged enough to own their own land and even fewer produce their own food. If you are asked how much you earn, put it in context by explaining that almost half of your income goes on paying for somewhere to live, say how much a week's supply of groceries will cost or how much it would cost to travel a short distance on a local bus.

Interaction with the Indians should be a two-way process. There is much they can teach the West about community, local self-reliance and ways of living simpler, less intrusive and more compassionate lives.

Encourage local pride
Express an interest in all things Andean and explain why you've come all this way and spent all that money to come to their country. Try to eat local food, adapt to local practices and use local services so that you can experience the culture at first hand.

Dress and behave modestly
Too many trekkers unwittingly insult the Andean Indians by the way they are dressed, although complaints are never heard because they are too polite. Clothing in the highland region is fairly sedate. Men don't wear shorts and women don't wear shorts or tank tops. When trekking, shorts are okay on the popular trek on the Inca Trail, but not in the villages. Men should always wear a shirt, going bare-chested is not appreciated. Women should wear loose trousers or skirts below the knee and tops that cover their shoulders, stomach and back.

Respect local etiquette
Peruvians have different ways of doing things and by following these simple guidelines you will avoid causing offence. The most useful word to learn is "Buenas Dias", which can be used to greet people in the morning or to say hello. As you trek through villages you will be greeted by most in this manner and it is polite to do likewise. Generally speaking, Peruvians are more formal than North Americans. Women meeting for the first time will always offer each other a kiss on the cheek, and men if they know the woman will do the same thing. This is not a come-on, so don't be offended! Indians, on the other hand, don't kiss, and their handshakes, when offered, are a light touch rather than a firm grip.

Peruvians are also used to less personal space. Conversations tend to take place face to face, streets and public transport are very crowded, and houses have little individual space.

If you ask someone if they would like to have a meal or a drink with you, you are expected to pay for it. In the villages, the people will often ask you about your lifestyle and how much money you make. They are amazed by your apparent incredible wealth. You can tone it down a bit by telling them how much things cost in your country such as housing, transportation and food. Another popular topic is family. Women can expect to be asked how many children they have. Family life is important in Peru.

When calling someone over to you, don't crook your finger up and beckon. This is considered very rude. A better way to call someone over is to give a flat, downward swipe of the open hand.

Andean Indians have used coca leaves for centuries. The most frequent use is by chewing. Although, this gives them some relief from hunger and fatigue, it is by no means equivalent to using cocaine. Cocaine is illegal, but coca use is legal and normal among Andean Indians.

When offered local alcohol, such as the local chicha (a fermented corn drink) or stronger liquor, it is customary to spill a few drops on the ground for Pachamama.

Respect religious customs
When visiting sacred sites, it is particularly important that you wear appropriate clothes, don't smoke and don't sit on, or stand above any sacred objects.

Religious festivals are sacred occasions and you will upset many local people if you wander around taking photographs while the dances or ceremonies are going on.

Respect people's privacy
Peruvians get just as annoyed by people peering into their lives as you do. Always put yourself in his or her position, especially before taking someone's photograph. It is a common courtesy to ask for permission before taking a shot and if they don't want their photo taken, please respect this. Many of the Andean people believe that by taking their photograph, you are virtually stealing their soul. Don't pay people for posing for you.

Be modest with your wealth
However poor you think you are at home, by Indian standards you are very wealthy. Don't flaunt this wealth by showing off your hi-tech equipment. Leaving it lying around unattended is further proof that you could easily afford to replace it.

Discourage begging
Begging in Peru started as a children's game to see if they could get some chocolate or school pen from the always-obliging tourists. However, it has developed into a far more serious problem by fostering an attitude of dependency among the young. Don't give anything to people who ask for it, after all, giving sweets to children in a country which has few dentists is not an act of charity; if you want to give money it's best to ask the advice of one of the excellent NGOs we work with in Peru as to whom it should be given.