People, places, things… and cultural differences.

Lima is a fairly large city, with the population ranging somewhere from 7 to 9 million people. The other day I heard someone at school say there are 12 million people living in Lima, so who knows. By American standards most of the people are poor, myself included. For example, I work at a school, which is considered to be one of the wealthier schools in Lima and Peru, but by US standards I make less than the minimum wage. However, I understand I'm living in a completely different culture, so making those types of comparisons may not be fair.

For instance - tipping. At a restaurant, if I've had a good meal with excellent service then I think at least a 15 percent tip is in order. This is probably due to the fact that I was a waiter in college and maybe I'm somehow making up for all those horrible tips I've received over the years. Whatever the reason, my tipping strategy in Peru is considered to be "showing off" or too "American" because my concept of tipping is completely different from that of Peruvians. This might be a gross generalization, but in Peru it is normal to tip about 2 or 3 percent.

I’ve also found that I’m forced into giving a tip at times, even when I don’t feel it’s necessary. For example, if I happen to be driving (or riding in a car with Lucia… or someone from work) we can stop at most stoplights and find street performers. Simply put, these are people that do semi-impressive stunts while the light is red – juggling, acrobatics, flame throwers, or just simply a good ole’ cartwheel… or on a good day, somersaults. They have timed their “performance” just right so that they have enough time to impress the audience of impatient drivers as well as walk around to collect a tip for the forced entertainment.

Another example, which can be found all over the world and is not limited to Lima, is when people come up to your car and just start washing your windshield. First of all, you don’t want them touching your car, and second, the towel they’re using is so dirty that the result is actually worse than when they first started. And if you’re really lucky, he’ll be cleaning your window with today’s newspaper, seriously. I can’t help but laugh when that happens… I think I’ll start carrying a towel, newspaper, or used handkerchief around with me; and when I’m walking to and from work I’ll earn a few extra bucks washing the windshields of all the cars on my route. (By the way, just thinking out loud here; handkerchiefs - your snot is transferred from your nose to your pocket. Think about it… if you or someone you know suffers from this bizarre practice, please know that you’re not alone and there is help out there for you).

And finally, the most unnecessary of all tip-mongers: the “parking-spot-towel-waving-man”. This man’s sole purpose is to wave you into an open parking spot while whistling, waving a dirty towel at you, and holding his hand out for a tip. Oh, yes, he also guides you while exiting the spot as if he’s your driver’s-ed instructor. If I happen to have something then yes, maybe I’ll tip him. But come on man; he’s like that guy at your work that’s always walking around and you have no idea what he does there – he's just there. He’s that guy, but worse, he’s asking for money.

I guess if I think about it, dealing with these sort of things isn't too much to ask of someone, right? Maybe I should have been a parking-spot-towel-waving-man in college instead of a waiter. I would probably have a greater appreciation for the trade, in all it's intricacies, and as a result tip the men who so kindly guide me into the blatantly obvious, open parking spot. I'll think about it.

-BJM