Please don’t step on the pigeons

Actually I don’t think it’s possible to step on a pigeon. They may not be the smartest bird around but they’re really fast and awfully good at getting out of harm’s way.

The pigeons I’m talking about were our informal dining companions at a Miraflores restaurant in Lima. Miraflores is an upscale section of Lima, with modern skyscraper offices and apartments; the Larcomar Mall overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and 5 star hotels and restaurants. There are sections of Miraflores that are not so fashionable…like the restaurant we and the pigeons were eating lunch in. I’m not talking about a quaint sidewalk café. These pigeons were inside the building, happily availing themselves of the crumbs dropped by careless diners while avoiding the comings and goings of waiters and customers. Sitting at a table aware that there were pigeons underneath I tried not to move my feet, keeping them firmly planted on the floor but soon learned from watching other customers that there was no need to be concerned.

During our meal my attention was drawn from the pigeons to an animated discussion at the cash register between a waiter and a dissatisfied customer; both of them older men. The exchange went something like this:

Customer – “The piece of fish you gave me was small. I will pay only 8 soles ($2.34)”

Waiter – “You will pay 11 soles ($3.23) which is the price on the menu, not what you want to pay!”

Customer – “I would pay 11 soles for a real meal, not what you gave me!”  

Waiter – “Where can you get fish for only 11 soles?!”

Customer – “Not here!…the piece you gave me was smaller than this crumpled up napkin!”

Waiter – “Senor you exaggerate!”

Customer – “Argh!!” This utterance is usually accompanied by a gesture of disgust which the customer performed flawlessly. The hand, starting at about waste high is rapidly raised with a half circular motion to slightly over head height, with the back of the hand being displayed to the object of disgust.

Waiter - “Argh!!” The waiter did a commendable job with the same gesture.

Customer - “Argh!!” The customer threw 11 soles on the counter and while turning to leave executed the dismissive gesture, which is pretty much the opposite of the disgust gesture. Starting above the head, the hand is rapidly lowered with a half circular motion to waist height, with the palm facing the object being dismissed.

Waiter – (shouting at the rapidly disappearing customer) “Senor please!...a little respect!!”

Pigeons and customers ignored the whole thing. I enjoy people watching, always trying to understand why we act as we do and found it fascinating.

During our five days in Lima we also ate at some non-pigeon restaurants. Rigoletto’s in Miraflores is one of them. It is ranked #17 of some 1400 restaurants rated by Trip Advisor and lives up to its billing (interestingly it is 3 blocks from the pigeon restaurant). Ambience, service and food were excellent. What made it even better was the pleasant conversation we had with M and Z, whom we met for the first time. (Let me explain why I am using initials instead of names. The internet is a great communication tool but it also has become a playground for psychopaths who get their jollies by harassing people. I don’t want my friends to have to put up with that crap.)  

It was a near perfect lunch, and I say near perfect only because of one nit-picky point. The waiter put my napkin on my lap. Don’t put my napkin on my lap. If I want my napkin on my lap I’ll put it there. If you put my napkin on my lap you’re telling me that I look like some sort of bozo who’s going to spill stuff on himself. I don’t spill stuff on myself. I may drop a fork, or spray my companions with food because I tend to talk while chewing but I don’t spill stuff.  I may also knock over a glass but to cover up I pretend I did it deliberately to show my extreme displeasure with something. When the waiter comes to clean up I say, “Garcon…look at the color of those peas! They’re too green and spoil the appearance of the salad!” or, “Don’t ever put beets in my salad! People who like beets probably like sucking blood in Transylvania!” I don’t know if my act fools anyone but I feel that it may somewhat deflect the focus from my ineptitude.

One day we ate at the Salòn China restaurant in China Town. It is a very large, pleasant appearing restaurant with a dozen white-shirted waiters at your elbow with anything you need. The unlimited refills of chicha morada were welcome on this hot afternoon. For lunch we chose the buffet. Both of us had two full plates and commented on the quality of taste and appearance of every offering. The next day Maribel had an extreme headache with nausea. I had diarrhea. Not saying our problems were due to the restaurant; not saying they weren’t. Whatever the cause, that day was un dia perdido.

We did more than just eat at restaurants. For example, we almost saw the exhibits in the national museum in San Borja. You know that sinking feeling you get when you’re approaching a major attraction like a theme park or museum, and you don’t see any people going in or coming out?  I knew there was no point to walking up the stairs to the main entrance but we did it anyway. The security guard told us there were no lights and wouldn’t be for the next two days. As an alternative activity we phoned some friends and asked if they’d like to join us for lunch at the Plaza San Miguel where we hadn’t been in a couple of years, but were told that the mall is undergoing major renovations and is “…not a good place to be right now.” We salvaged the day by going to some friend’s apartment in the afternoon and watched the Packers defeat the Redskins. After the game we looked at photos of their recent trip to England.

Other friends we visited were D and G. D is a mining engineer and G is a clinical psychologist. We’ve known them for several years and always enjoy being with them. They’re the kind of people you can discuss politics, religion and family secrets with without having to worry about offending, being offended or judged.

With the exception of the lost day it was a nice visit. Hopefully next time around the national museum will have lights and we can see what we missed.

Promesa Peru 2015 Financial Report

During the year 2015 Promesa Peru took part in thirteen activities. They were:

Month/Activity                                                                              Cost   

February – Pinglo family school supplies                             $36.88

April – Conchucos pronoei school equipment                    662.95

April – Conchucos primary school equipment                   553.97

June – Santos Vera pronoei equipment                                 208.60

July – Las Salinas pronoei school equipment                      147.45

July – Los Riojas pronoei school equipment                       354.42

July – Los Riojas primary school equipment                       552.87

August – Los Reynoza primary school equipment            796.48

September – Sapamè primary school equipment              364.47

September – Las Salinas primary school equipment        145.54

October – La Raya primary school anniversary                 126.04

December - Las Salinas chocolatada                                        259.43

December – Los Reynoza chocolatada                                   310.35

                                                            Total cost      $4519.45

Donation information

Source                                                                                           Amount

Public donations                                                                         $4682.81

Promesa Peru board member donations                              200.00

                                  

                                                           Total donations                 $4882.81

                                                           Beginning balance                 142.21

                                                           Total cost                                4519.45

                                            Ending balance                $505.57

The ending balance is largely comprised of donations made toward the Posope Alto pronoei project that was postponed to March of 2016.

In-kind donations amounted to less than $100 consisting of food and clothing given to the Maria Idrogo family.

Our thanks to those who contributed to a successful 2015. We hope we can count on your support for what looks to be a very busy 2016.

                                                         

Promesa Peru 2015 Year in Review

It doesn’t seem possible that we’re looking at 2015 in the rear-view mirror. To our group it feels like we were putting our plans together just a few weeks ago. Those plans called for us to do eight projects at an estimated cost of $3400. We felt that eight projects; one every six weeks plus a chocolatada in December was as much as we could handle and still have personal time for ourselves. We were less sure we could raise the money to support the plan. As it turned out we sponsored thirteen activities; nine school equipment projects, a school anniversary celebration, two chocolatadas, and provided school supplies to a needy family. There were times in the 2^nd quarter when we felt a bit overwhelmed but it was manageable. The cost of these projects was $4519.45. They were:

February – Pinglo family school supplies

April – Conchucos pronoei school equipment

April – Conchucos primary school equipment

June – Santos Vera pronoei school equipment

July – Las Salinas pronoei school equipment

July – Los Riojas pronoei school equipment

July – Los Riojas primary school equipment

August – Los Reynoza primary school equipment

September – Sapamè primary school equipment

September – Las Salinas primary school equipment

October – La Raya primary school anniversary celebration

December - Las Salinas chocolatada

December – Los Reynoza chocolatada

Included in ‘school equipment’ are chairs, tables, storage shelves, white boards, propane gas stoves with gas tanks, teaching aids, and for the students cups, plates, school supplies and uniforms. Beginning in 2016 any chairs we provide will be wood instead of plastic. The cost will be about $18 per chair as opposed to $4 for plastic but we’ve seen too many plastic chairs collapse and break. Wood chairs are safer, last longer and can be repaired by parent’s association members.

All but two of our projects were in the Tùcume District. We would have preferred to work in the Tumàn District because poverty is more extreme there and it is closer to Chiclayo which saves time and reduces transportation cost but because of the lack of financial support from either the sugar cane cooperative or the Tumàn Education Office the school year was a shambles. Teachers were not paid; school supplies were not furnished and school maintenance was ignored. This post contains a more detailed explanation of the issue. It has been reported recently that both parties have reached agreement on financial responsibility for the education sector. Hopefully schools can open for the new term in March under near-normal conditions.

We visited five village schools that we declined to get involved with, either because we didn’t see evidence of the community trying to help themselves or in our opinion their need wasn’t urgent compared to other villages. Sometimes a situation is borderline and it’s difficult to say no but our time and financial resources are limited. We’re happy and satisfied with those projects we did sponsor but would have liked to have found something out of the ordinary such as the Alice Cool library project in 2014. Maybe this year will give us something new to work with.

We started the year slowly because of the unexpected turmoil in the Tumàn District, not completing our first school project until April. The year 2016 looks to be different. We already have requests to visit four schools starting in January when registrations begin plus a backlog of two schools we didn’t get to in 2015. The psychology department of the University of Sipàn has student teams working with schools in the region and they have begun referring needy schools to us. And if the situation is indeed back to normal in the Tumàn District we anticipate many calls from school directors there.

We provided educational assistance for 196 students this past year. In every classroom we visited we made a brief speech directed at the kids. We talked about why Promesa Peru is helping to provide the opportunity to study; that their education is important for them, their families and for the development of Peru. We tell them that every parent wants their child to have a better life than they have (any parents present always emphatically nod their heads), and education is the only route to that better life. We ask them to promise to stay away from crime and drugs; telling them that education builds futures...crime and drugs destroys them. We’re always hopeful that the message gets through to at least some of them.

If we’re going to continue to spread that message we’re going to need help. As already mentioned indications are that it could be a very busy 2016 if we have financial support. Donations can be made anytime for any amount at the Promesa Peru webpage. 

The thirteen activities we sponsored in 2015 were made possible by Chris Raupe, Clif Brown, the Alice Cool Foundation and others. Thank you. Because of you those 196 students have a better chance at a brighter future.

A Grand Chocolatada

Though Juanita Amenero moved to Los Angeles California 30 years ago with her family she never forgot her Chiclayo roots. The family prospered in Los Angeles and every year without fail she financed a chocolatada for her old neighborhood. Juanita passed away in 2014 and now her sons are carrying on the tradition.

There is an incredible amount of work that goes into organizing a chocolatada for 300 kids in a Chiclayo neighborhood, beginning with the permit needed to close and erect a structure on a city street. Then there’s chair rental, entertainment contracts, soliciting donations and dozens of other details. This chocolatada was held last Sunday.

Fortunately there are dozens of volunteers from the neighborhood who have participated in past chocolatadas and know the routine for distributing food, chocolate milk and toys. They also do a great job of controlling 300 kids. Just trying to keep the kids in their seats is a monumental task. With the exception of nursing mothers adults are prohibited.

The Juanita Amenero Foundation was created both as a memorial to Juanita and for a mechanism to continue her philanthropy. Ricardo Amenero (pictured) and his brother Victor, both living in Los Angeles are two of the principals and though they spend several thousand dollars to sponsor the December chocolatada their main focus as was their mother’s is to help needy families. Every year six families are selected to receive what amounts to nearly total support for a year. Children’s school expenses are covered. They are given clothing when needed and on the 20^th of every month food is delivered to their door. But before receiving aid the families are asked to promise in front of witnesses that they will not sell or do anything other than use personally what they are given. Maribel was asked to be a witness to the oath-taking. The foundation also awarded $600 in scholarships though we don’t know the particulars.

To finance their activities the foundation relies on the generosity of a substantial Peruvian population in the greater Los Angeles area. Various kinds of fund raisers are held throughout the year, and there are a significant number of people who donate monthly to the fund.

We were impressed by what we saw and learned. During a discussion with Ricardo we talked about possible synergies between Promesa Peru and the Juanita Amenero Foundation and agreed to stay in contact.

Come See Our Tree

In the late 1940s there was a Christmas tradition in our extended family. I don’t know that the tradition ever had a name but the theme was ‘come see our tree.’ It involved maybe 8 to 10 families. Each family would extend an invitation to see their tree; always between Christmas and New Year. Conflicting dates/times would be resolved and a visitation schedule would evolve. Sometimes there were two or three visits on the same day.

What would happen is everyone would meet at the appointed time for example at Aunt Annie’s and Uncle Ollie’s house. Christmas cookies and beverages were provided by the hosts. While the guests were munching cookies the hosts would show their tree and the presents they’d received. Oohs and ahhs were mandatory. Aunt Annie was really good at withering looks of disapproval if the proper appreciation was not forthcoming. My dad referred to her as “any face” because of the countless expressions she had in her arsenal. They and everyone from that generation are gone so I can say that without offending anyone.

The trees were fresh; bought at one of the many lots that sprang up on Milwaukee’s south-side, so each tree was unique. I vividly remember walking up and down the rows of trees, hoping my dad would buy one so we could leave. There was always a chill and dampness in those lots that didn’t seem natural to me. It was kind of spooky. If mom was with us I could count on this verbal exchange between them - “Hank, don’t tie that tree on the car top. It’ll fall off.” Dad would reply, “Dorothy, it’s going on top! I don’t want those damn needles in the trunk!” It always went on top and never fell off.

You could sort of gauge a family’s financial condition by the type and height of their tree…the taller the tree the more it cost. A 6’ Scotch pine was the cheapest and that’s what most of us had. If you had an 8’ Douglas fir…well, you were the cat’s meow. There were no artificial trees that I remember. You could buy a spray to ‘flock’ your tree but no one in our family did it. That was for snooty rich people earning $2.00 an hour or more and living in $30,000 houses. Tree decorations were usually a mix of boughten and home-made ornaments, many of the later being generations old. Christmas cookies were home-baked, and here too it was proper form to compliment the hostess. For Christmas drinks there was beer and soda with ginger ale being a favorite, but also a cocktail. Brandy alexanders and strawberry daiquiris were favorites of the ladies while the men usually opted for ‘a shot ‘n beer.’ For us kids the cookies and soda were the best part of those visits. They wouldn’t let us play with the new toys under the tree. After two hours or so we’d leave and regroup at Aunt Helen’s and Uncle Tony’s house where the whole scenario would be repeated.

The presents under the trees were usually socks, ties or underwear for the men (gee…thanks a lot! I really needed this!). The kids would have a few modest toys; dolls for the girls and cowboy stuff for the boys. The women usually were given jewelry but occasionally a man would buy a new stove or set of pots and pans for his wife “for her kitchen.” The other women would turn green with envy. All the jewelry giving guys knew that during the drive home they’d be hearing some version of, “…I hope you saw what Bill gave Evelyn?” How times have changed!

Those Christmas visits provided a lot of enjoyment, and helped to refresh family bonds. They also provided fodder for critiques afterward. When my mother and her sister got together I’d hear comments like: “…and that necklace Frank gave Judy that she was making such a fuss about? Well I know I saw it at the five-and-dime two weeks ago.” or, “Marge used too much sugar in her cookies again. Why doesn’t somebody tell her?” and, “don’t tell me Alice baked those cookies. I know bakery cookies when I see them!” There were occasional comments about someone’s cocktail, “…there wasn’t much brandy in Carl’s brandy alexanders but I suppose they need their money for other things; he’s not working steady you know.” They had to know that others were likely making similar comments about them and that was probably their justification. Except for grandmas and grandpas. You never back-bit a grandma or grandpa. It just wasn’t done. If something wasn’t quite right at their house during the Christmas visit you excused it because of their age and respect due them. Everybody else was fair game. Including me. We were at Aunt Helen and Uncle Huntz’s house. They had Grandpa Graf root beer which was my favorite soda. I asked for a second bottle and was told by Uncle Huntz that I’d already had one bottle. I blurted out, “but you had three beers!” Word got back to my mother that Aunt Helen said I was ill-behaved. Well la-di-da!

Though the men complained about having to wear a tie I think all of us; adults and kids looked forward to ‘come see our tree’. The holiday season wouldn’t have seemed complete without it. I miss that tradition and the heady aroma of pine resin. That kind of thing isn’t done here in Chiclayo. Some families put up a few lights but I don’t see many trees, though there is a wide variety sold in stores. Families here do get together for Christmas and New Year dinner but it’s not a ‘come see our tree’ type thing. Maribel says that in the past it was common for people to erect large nativity scenes in their homes. Neighborhood kids would know who had a nativity and would go to the house and sing Christmas carols. The owner of the house would give the kids candy and chocolate milk.

We put up a tree this year. It’s artificial but it looks okay. I doubt if you can buy a real tree in this desert. The ornaments are mostly recently purchased but there are some that are personalized, like my old military dog tags, two Moroccan coin spoons, a mini-ball from the Gettysburg battlefield and an original nail from President Andrew Jackson’s hermitage home. And an acorn from Wisconsin. Don’t ask why we hung those things on our tree…we don’t know.

I’ll tell you what…in an attempt to start a Christmas visit tradition here in Chiclayo we invite you to come see our tree! We’ve got panetòn, beer and wine, and I’ll try to make a drinkable Señor Sipàn cocktail. How does that sound? There is one stipulation though. If you do come, please don’t talk about us afterwards….unless it’s complimentary.

About Frank ‘n me ‘n Birthdays

Yesterday me and Frank Sinatra celebrated our birthdays. Frank was 100, or would have been if he hadn’t died in 1998. But when you’re a somebody like Frank it doesn’t matter if you’re dead…people continue to celebrate your birthday. Family, Friends and wannabes show up at some posh location decked out in their finest hoping to be seen on the next day’s news. And they don’t have to pony up for presents.

I was 75 yesterday. I didn’t think I’d make it this far. When I was a kid life expectancy was 67 years. You retired at 65 and died two years later, hopefully having enjoyed the allotted 730 days of your golden years. Now life expectancy is 79. That raises a question…which mortality table applies to me? If I go by the 1940 table I’ve lived eight years longer than average. Based on the 2014 table I’ve can expect maybe four or more years before my ticket to the white light express gets punched. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I’m still on the right side of the grass and enjoying life and that’s what counts.

the Tom Filipowicz Combo 

Frank and I have more in common than just birthdates. Frank was a singer. I was a singer. Frank earned a lot of money and won many awards for his singing. I did not. In the late 1950s and early 60s I had a band called the Tom Filipowicz Combo. There were four of us. I was the vocalist. We performed for weddings, birthdays, graduations and other activities, earning not much more than expense money. I added a female vocalist to the group who turned out to be pretty good, and shortly after that two of the guys suggested we go to Vegas and take a shot at breaking into the big time. I chickened out. They went, and one-by-one became disillusioned and went on to other things, except for Terry (playing the guitar) who stayed in Vegas and lived out his life as a session musician. Those were different times. The band and my voice are long gone, though I can still occasionally be heard in the shower belting out, ’…and that’s why the lady is a tramp!’

as Herr Schultz in Cabaret singing the pineapple song

Frank was an actor. I was an actor. Frank earned a lot of money and won many awards for his acting. I did not. I was okay as a community actor; at least the local reviewers thought so. My favorite role was that of the defense attorney Sir Wilfrid Robarts in Agatha Christie’s…’The Witness for the Prosecution.’ My favorite production was ‘Cabaret’ staged by the Actors Repertory Theater. I portrayed Herr Schultz. The male and female leads were New York professionals as was the director. The rest of us were locals. We did 17 evening shows and two matinees – each performance to a packed house. That was my first paid acting gig. I still have a copy of the first check somewhere. My acting in Cabaret led to some paid script writing and acting for in-house promotions for a Green Bay television station for about a year, but that was the extent of my paid entertainment career. Thankfully I never gave up my day job. For the next few years I acted in and directed more plays at the community level than I can remember, but it gradually reached a point where it wasn't fun anymore, so that facet of my life ended. 

There were gala celebrations for Frank in many major cities in the USA and around the planet plus an all-star television special, but the “really big shew” as Ed Sullivan used to say was at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. Frank Sinatra Jr. and everyone who is anyone was there. Afterwards they probably dined on exotic dishes like Coquilles Saint-Jacques followed by bùche for desert and drank Dom Perignon at $400 a bottle.

My birthday party was at a back table in Chili’s restaurant in the Chiclayo mall. We dined on exotic dishes with names like ‘big mouth burger’ and ‘chicken fried chicken’ and drank Peruvian beer at $2 a pop. Okay…so it wasn’t the Saban Theater and there were no television cameras or tuxedos or fancy foods, but friends being together sharing convivial conversation and laughter aren’t the exclusive domain of high-rollers at celebrity parties, and we had our share of both.

   

In the evening there was another celebration, this time with family at a restaurant on the sixth floor of the Saranga Hotel. These are some of the same folks I celebrated my sixty-fifth birthday with, except for my niece CJ who is seven. At that time I had known them and Maribel for only four days, being on my first trip to Peru.

After returning home Maribel commented that “the whole day flowed like a river.” It really did. This was one of my more enjoyable birthdays. It was a relaxing day spent with friends and family. I couldn't ask for more.

Maybe in five years I’ll write another post about our birthdays when Frank is 105 and I’m 80. I’ll bet Frank’s party won’t be nearly as spectacular as the one this year. Reaching 105 is no big deal if you’re dead. It’s automatic…everyone does it. Turning 80 will be a milestone for me and I’ll be ready for another party. But this time no Chili’s restaurant. I’m thinking that the San Martin Ballroom at the JW Marriott Hotel in Lima Peru will be the place to be Saturday evening, December 12, 2020. Watch your email for the invitation.

A Special Christmas Card

Last week at the chocolatada in Los Reynoza we were given a Christmas card. It was hand-made by Chiara…a young German woman who has been assisting the teachers at the school since last July. She will be returning to Germany at the end of this month. 

Things were a bit hectic at the time Chiara gave us the card so we didn’t look at it until we returned home. After reading it Maribel commented that the card really belongs to the people who funded our involvement with the school. She’s right. Please take a moment to read it.

Our primary purpose is to help with the education process, and according to Chiara what we’re doing…what you’re doing is working. And so to Chris Raupe, Clif Brown, the Alice Cool Foundation and others who helped us not only with Los Reynoza but many other schools throughout the year, this one's for you.