An American in Lima » expat life

Klonopin For Sale

Barbara — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:40:12 +0000

Klonopin For Sale, I get emails from time to time from people abroad who want to know about resettling in Peru. Buy Klonopin online no prescription, Is the job market in Peru good, they want to know? (Tough for a foreigner, buy Klonopin from canada, Order Klonopin online c.o.d, unless you're okay with teaching English at /hour.) Can an American buy property in Lima? (Yes.) Is it true that if you put ,000 in a Peruvian bank, buy Klonopin from mexico, Buy cheap Klonopin, you can get a resident visa. (Not!) Do I think it's a good idea for a retiree to go in on a scheme with his guru to buy land in Tarapoto and build a vegetarian co-op/ashram on it, order Klonopin from mexican pharmacy. Klonopin from canadian pharmacy, (Well, I met two U.S, Klonopin over the counter. Klonopin for sale, citizens who lost ,000 that way in 2007 because the seller didn't have legal title to the land....)

Welcome to Peru, purchase Klonopin online. This poor guy is being examined by a worker for INTERPOL, who will X-ray his mouth so that, should the man's corpse go missing one day, it can be identified by the national police, Klonopin For Sale. Order Klonopin, One of the odd humiliations you have to put up with to get a resident visa in Peru.

I sometimes respond with information I've gained from my own bungling journeys through the labyrinth of Peruvian bureaucracy. Other times, where can i find Klonopin online, Where can i buy cheapest Klonopin online, I do a quick Google search and hazard a guess, crossing my fingers that I haven't led someone astray, online buying Klonopin. Buy Klonopin from canada, Really, though, buy Klonopin without a prescription, Order Klonopin no prescription, what people need in these cases is los datos -- the low-down. Now, I think, Klonopin samples, Buy cheap Klonopin no rx, I can point them to it.

Next time someone writes to me with residency and work-permit questions, buy Klonopin online no prescription, Rx free Klonopin, I'm going to recommend them to The Ultimate Peru List. Klonopin For Sale, The word "list" suggests that the site just provides names, addresses and links, but really, it is a comprehensive how-to guide to living, working and surviving in this country as a foreigner.

Updated in December 2008, Klonopin price, Buy no prescription Klonopin online, the UPL provides clearly written, accurate information on how to navigate more than 50 real-life situations/potential nightmares, buy Klonopin without prescription, Order Klonopin online c.o.d, including:

Finding teaching jobs in Peru;

Shipping your stuff to Peru;

Renewing your tourist visa;

Obtaining a resident work visa;

Having a baby in Peru;

Setting up a Peruvian bank account.

And lots, lots more, buy generic Klonopin, Buy Klonopin online cod, folks.

I'm happy to be a shill for The Ultimate Peru List because, between you and me, australia, uk, us, usa, canada, mexico, india, craiglist, ebay, Where can i order Klonopin without prescription, I do not have the time or patience to gather all this valuable dato for the benefit of other potential ex-pats. Peru is a complicated place in which to put down roots, online buy Klonopin without a prescription, and lately when some innocent soul without job prospects or family connections asks me, Should I move to Peru. I tend to answer cautiously.

But for the nitty gritty questions -- I refer those to the UPL.

The hard-working person I can thank for making this American in Lima's blogging life easier is UPL author Sharon de Hinojosa, a longtime EFL teacher in Peru and a veteran contributor to web sites about Peru and teaching English abroad. The UPL evolved over years from articles she wrote for other sites, as Sharon describes:

I originally created The Ultimate Peru List, or UPL for short, on Dave's ESL Cafe as a result of the emails I received, Klonopin For Sale. Later, it became stickies on Expat Peru, Living in Peru, and ELT World.

Although I don't pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it's pretty comprehensive. I have decided not to thoroughly address some issues, such as Tourism and History. In these cases, I have given some basic information and websites which should help.

Browse through the Ultimate Peru List and let the readers of this blog know what you think.

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part II

Barbara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:53:04 +0000

By Barbara R. Drake On Sunday I posted Part I of "Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru?" (click here for link). I floated the idea, proposed to me by a Scandinavian expat who's lived in the United States as well, that because Peru and the United States are so dissimilar, it's difficult to evaluate which country's lifestyle is better. In her words, Peru and the United States are "different realities." A Peruvian in New Jersey comments that he agrees with the Scandinavian expat: "For forty years I have been trying to explain the Peruvian culture to Americans." He points out that the metaphysician Carlos Castaneda, who wrote the bestseller "A Separate Reality," was himself Peruvian. (Actually, much of Castaneda's life and authenticity as an anthropologist are under debate; his 12 books, however, are still damned good reads!) Castaneda's Don Juan books explore Native American thought systems and practices that appear "illogical" (some might say "magical") from the standpoint of mainstream, Western society. This illogic is an aspect of Peruvian life that I find deeply intriguing. However, before I write about the singular, otherworldly differences between the two countries, I'd like to list a few of the more tangible contrasts: living standards and economic prospects. Weighing some of those factors, it might be possible for an American to decide in favor of or against the expat life in Peru. PERU – YA, ES DIFFERENTE Could the average American adapt easily to life in Peru, I've been asked? Consider these obvious differences:

You have to speak another language (Spanish);
You must use a different measuring system (metric) and currency (Peruvian sol);
You must adapt to a reversal in seasons (winter in Peru is summer in the U.S. and vice versa), which can be disconcerting;
You're south of the equator so water flushes down the toilet in the opposite direction; the night sky is peppered with unfamiliar constellations.

Then there are the glaring gaps in sanitation and basic infrastructure in Peru:

You can't drink the tap water (most people buy filtered water);
Many people in rural Peru have no running water at all;
Roads in the capital and the countryside are full of holes, and;
There is no separate traffic police (hence people drive chaotically).

Some of these differences are so radical, they would convince many Americans to stay put in the U.S., even with foreclosures signs springing up all over the country. DE-COUPLING FROM CONSUMERISM Another shock for Americans (good or bad, depending on your perspective) is Peru's relative isolation from consumer culture. There are far fewer stores in Peru, with a vastly reduced array of buying options. Lots of what you do see sold in department stores like Saga Falabella or Ripley is cheap stuff imported from China, but sold at two to three times what you'd pay for it in the U.S. For an American citizen accustomed to zipping from Bloomingdales to Target to Tuesday Morning, the comparative lack of good shopping can induce frustration and even anger. This might sound like a superficial complaint, but it's remarkable, as an American expat, to discover how much we Americans take for granted being able to walk into a store and find whatever we are looking for. Try looking in Peru for a replacement for your broken coffee pot – you'll be told it will take "two to three months" to arrive in the store (as I was told by Hiraoke in August). On the plus side, as El Fotógrafo likes to point out, you tend to spend a lot less money in Peru because you often can't find what you are looking for. In the end, you may improvise a solution from what you already have in your home. MORE POVERTY THAN THE U.S., BUT PERU'S POVERTY MAY BE DECREASING, WHILE THAT IN U.S. IS INCREASING On the face of it, Peru would seem to be a worse place to live because it has a higher poverty level (39% in 2008) than does the United States (12.5% in 2007, according to U.S. Census). Poverty is especially acute in remote rural areas of Peru, where subsistence farming of potatoes and maize is the norm and adverse climatic events associated with global warming have made crops less plentiful. However, when you compare historical trends, poverty in the United States is on the rise while in Peru it has decreased in the last decade. In recent years the number of U.S. households classified as "poor" has risen substantially, with millions of working and middle class Americans slipping into poverty. The Census Bureau reported in August that the official poverty rate in the United States rose in 2007 to 12.5 percent, compared to 12.3 percent the previous year. According to the bureau's American Community Survey, last year 37.3 million Americans were living below the income level, which, according to the U.S. government, signifies poverty. This is an increase of 800,000, or 2 percent, over the official U.S. poverty level for 2006. According to official government figures in Peru (which may or may not be accurate), poverty has been reduced substantially in the past decade. In 2004, it was slightly under 50 percent, in 2006 it was at 45 percent, and in 2008 it is at 39 percent. Alan García's government has pledged to reduce poverty to less than 10 percent in eight years, a projection that analysts and many Peruvians view with extreme skepticism. MIDDLE CLASS IN PERU VS. UNITED STATES While it is unlikely that Peru will hoist millions of its poorest citizens out of poverty in the next ten years, the country already is seeing a rise in the number of people classified as "middle class." While it is difficult to find hard figures, especially since many Peruvians underreport their incomes to avoid paying quarterly taxes, a rising middle class is apparent in Lima and smaller cities. A 2003 working paper from The Food Industry Center, University of Missouri, co-authored by Benjamin Senauer and Linda Goetz, identifies a growing middle-class market in Lima, with 20% of the city's households falling into the middle or upper-class category. In the early 2000s, an annual income of ,000 was required for an emerging middle-class lifestyle in Lima, say Senauer and Goetz. The growth in Peru's middle class was reflected in the passage of the 2007 US-Peru "free trade" agreement. This legislation was orchestrated to enable U.S. companies to sell to Peru's "rapidly growing" middle class, according to a Dec. 2007 press release from USDA acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner. SO WHAT'S GOING ON? As these figures suggest, people in the United States enjoy a better infrastructure, more material goods and less nationwide poverty. However, prosperity for ordinary Americans is contracting radically, something that hasn't been seen on this scale since the Great Depression. Peru, on the other hand, is expanding economically, and its middle class is rising. You don't need as much money here to live a middle-class lifestyle, and that can be attractive for expats with money to start their own business or with good job prospects (teaching, US Embassy jobs). If you are willing to learn Spanish and can put up with the traffic and the grey Lima skies, Peru might be an option if you are eager to leave the United States.

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part I

Barbara — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:40:12 +0000

Welcome to Peru, purchase Klonopin online. This poor guy is being examined by a worker for INTERPOL, who will X-ray his mouth so that, should the man's corpse go missing one day, it can be identified by the national police, Klonopin For Sale. Order Klonopin, One of the odd humiliations you have to put up with to get a resident visa in Peru.

Finding teaching jobs in Peru;

Shipping your stuff to Peru;

Renewing your tourist visa;

Obtaining a resident work visa;

Having a baby in Peru;

Setting up a Peruvian bank account.

And lots, lots more, buy generic Klonopin, Buy Klonopin online cod, folks.

But for the nitty gritty questions -- I refer those to the UPL.

I originally created The Ultimate Peru List, or UPL for short, on Dave's ESL Cafe as a result of the emails I received, Klonopin For Sale. Later, it became stickies on Expat Peru, Living in Peru, and ELT World.

Although I don't pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it's pretty comprehensive. I have decided not to thoroughly address some issues, such as Tourism and History. In these cases, I have given some basic information and websites which should help.

Browse through the Ultimate Peru List and let the readers of this blog know what you think.

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part II

Barbara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:53:04 +0000

You have to speak another language (Spanish);
You must use a different measuring system (metric) and currency (Peruvian sol);
You must adapt to a reversal in seasons (winter in Peru is summer in the U.S. and vice versa), which can be disconcerting;
You're south of the equator so water flushes down the toilet in the opposite direction; the night sky is peppered with unfamiliar constellations.

Then there are the glaring gaps in sanitation and basic infrastructure in Peru:

You can't drink the tap water (most people buy filtered water);
Many people in rural Peru have no running water at all;
Roads in the capital and the countryside are full of holes, and;
There is no separate traffic police (hence people drive chaotically).

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part I

Barbara — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:40:12 +0000

Klonopin For Sale, I get emails from time to time from people abroad who want to know about resettling in Peru. Buy Klonopin online no prescription, Is the job market in Peru good, they want to know? (Tough for a foreigner, buy Klonopin from canada, Order Klonopin online c.o.d, unless you're okay with teaching English at $5/hour.) Can an American buy property in Lima? (Yes.) Is it true that if you put $20,000 in a Peruvian bank, buy Klonopin from mexico, Buy cheap Klonopin, you can get a resident visa. (Not!) Do I think it's a good idea for a retiree to go in on a scheme with his guru to buy land in Tarapoto and build a vegetarian co-op/ashram on it, order Klonopin from mexican pharmacy. Klonopin from canadian pharmacy, (Well, I met two U.S, Klonopin over the counter. Klonopin for sale, citizens who lost $60,000 that way in 2007 because the seller didn't have legal title to the land....)

Welcome to Peru, purchase Klonopin online. This poor guy is being examined by a worker for INTERPOL, who will X-ray his mouth so that, should the man's corpse go missing one day, it can be identified by the national police, Klonopin For Sale. Order Klonopin, One of the odd humiliations you have to put up with to get a resident visa in Peru.

Finding teaching jobs in Peru;

Shipping your stuff to Peru;

Renewing your tourist visa;

Obtaining a resident work visa;

Having a baby in Peru;

Setting up a Peruvian bank account.

And lots, lots more, buy generic Klonopin, Buy Klonopin online cod, folks.

But for the nitty gritty questions -- I refer those to the UPL.

I originally created The Ultimate Peru List, or UPL for short, on Dave's ESL Cafe as a result of the emails I received, Klonopin For Sale. Later, it became stickies on Expat Peru, Living in Peru, and ELT World.

Although I don't pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it's pretty comprehensive. I have decided not to thoroughly address some issues, such as Tourism and History. In these cases, I have given some basic information and websites which should help.

Browse through the Ultimate Peru List and let the readers of this blog know what you think.

An American in Lima » expat life

Barbara — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:40:12 +0000

Welcome to Peru, purchase Klonopin online. This poor guy is being examined by a worker for INTERPOL, who will X-ray his mouth so that, should the man's corpse go missing one day, it can be identified by the national police, Klonopin For Sale. Order Klonopin, One of the odd humiliations you have to put up with to get a resident visa in Peru.

Finding teaching jobs in Peru;

Shipping your stuff to Peru;

Renewing your tourist visa;

Obtaining a resident work visa;

Having a baby in Peru;

Setting up a Peruvian bank account.

And lots, lots more, buy generic Klonopin, Buy Klonopin online cod, folks.

But for the nitty gritty questions -- I refer those to the UPL.

I originally created The Ultimate Peru List, or UPL for short, on Dave's ESL Cafe as a result of the emails I received, Klonopin For Sale. Later, it became stickies on Expat Peru, Living in Peru, and ELT World.

Although I don't pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it's pretty comprehensive. I have decided not to thoroughly address some issues, such as Tourism and History. In these cases, I have given some basic information and websites which should help.

Browse through the Ultimate Peru List and let the readers of this blog know what you think.

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part II

Barbara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:53:04 +0000

You have to speak another language (Spanish);
You must use a different measuring system (metric) and currency (Peruvian sol);
You must adapt to a reversal in seasons (winter in Peru is summer in the U.S. and vice versa), which can be disconcerting;
You're south of the equator so water flushes down the toilet in the opposite direction; the night sky is peppered with unfamiliar constellations.

Then there are the glaring gaps in sanitation and basic infrastructure in Peru:

You can't drink the tap water (most people buy filtered water);
Many people in rural Peru have no running water at all;
Roads in the capital and the countryside are full of holes, and;
There is no separate traffic police (hence people drive chaotically).

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part I

Barbara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:53:04 +0000

You have to speak another language (Spanish);
You must use a different measuring system (metric) and currency (Peruvian sol);
You must adapt to a reversal in seasons (winter in Peru is summer in the U.S. and vice versa), which can be disconcerting;
You're south of the equator so water flushes down the toilet in the opposite direction; the night sky is peppered with unfamiliar constellations.

Then there are the glaring gaps in sanitation and basic infrastructure in Peru:

You can't drink the tap water (most people buy filtered water);
Many people in rural Peru have no running water at all;
Roads in the capital and the countryside are full of holes, and;
There is no separate traffic police (hence people drive chaotically).

Some of these differences are so radical, they would convince many Americans to stay put in the U.S., even with foreclosures signs springing up all over the country. DE-COUPLING FROM CONSUMERISM Another shock for Americans (good or bad, depending on your perspective) is Peru's relative isolation from consumer culture. There are far fewer stores in Peru, with a vastly reduced array of buying options. Lots of what you do see sold in department stores like Saga Falabella or Ripley is cheap stuff imported from China, but sold at two to three times what you'd pay for it in the U.S. For an American citizen accustomed to zipping from Bloomingdales to Target to Tuesday Morning, the comparative lack of good shopping can induce frustration and even anger. This might sound like a superficial complaint, but it's remarkable, as an American expat, to discover how much we Americans take for granted being able to walk into a store and find whatever we are looking for. Try looking in Peru for a replacement for your broken coffee pot – you'll be told it will take "two to three months" to arrive in the store (as I was told by Hiraoke in August). On the plus side, as El Fotógrafo likes to point out, you tend to spend a lot less money in Peru because you often can't find what you are looking for. In the end, you may improvise a solution from what you already have in your home. MORE POVERTY THAN THE U.S., BUT PERU'S POVERTY MAY BE DECREASING, WHILE THAT IN U.S. IS INCREASING On the face of it, Peru would seem to be a worse place to live because it has a higher poverty level (39% in 2008) than does the United States (12.5% in 2007, according to U.S. Census). Poverty is especially acute in remote rural areas of Peru, where subsistence farming of potatoes and maize is the norm and adverse climatic events associated with global warming have made crops less plentiful. However, when you compare historical trends, poverty in the United States is on the rise while in Peru it has decreased in the last decade. In recent years the number of U.S. households classified as "poor" has risen substantially, with millions of working and middle class Americans slipping into poverty. The Census Bureau reported in August that the official poverty rate in the United States rose in 2007 to 12.5 percent, compared to 12.3 percent the previous year. According to the bureau's American Community Survey, last year 37.3 million Americans were living below the income level, which, according to the U.S. government, signifies poverty. This is an increase of 800,000, or 2 percent, over the official U.S. poverty level for 2006. According to official government figures in Peru (which may or may not be accurate), poverty has been reduced substantially in the past decade. In 2004, it was slightly under 50 percent, in 2006 it was at 45 percent, and in 2008 it is at 39 percent. Alan García's government has pledged to reduce poverty to less than 10 percent in eight years, a projection that analysts and many Peruvians view with extreme skepticism. MIDDLE CLASS IN PERU VS. UNITED STATES While it is unlikely that Peru will hoist millions of its poorest citizens out of poverty in the next ten years, the country already is seeing a rise in the number of people classified as "middle class." While it is difficult to find hard figures, especially since many Peruvians underreport their incomes to avoid paying quarterly taxes, a rising middle class is apparent in Lima and smaller cities. A 2003 working paper from The Food Industry Center, University of Missouri, co-authored by Benjamin Senauer and Linda Goetz, identifies a growing middle-class market in Lima, with 20% of the city's households falling into the middle or upper-class category. In the early 2000s, an annual income of $6,000 was required for an emerging middle-class lifestyle in Lima, say Senauer and Goetz. The growth in Peru's middle class was reflected in the passage of the 2007 US-Peru "free trade" agreement. This legislation was orchestrated to enable U.S. companies to sell to Peru's "rapidly growing" middle class, according to a Dec. 2007 press release from USDA acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner. SO WHAT'S GOING ON? As these figures suggest, people in the United States enjoy a better infrastructure, more material goods and less nationwide poverty. However, prosperity for ordinary Americans is contracting radically, something that hasn't been seen on this scale since the Great Depression. Peru, on the other hand, is expanding economically, and its middle class is rising. You don't need as much money here to live a middle-class lifestyle, and that can be attractive for expats with money to start their own business or with good job prospects (teaching, US Embassy jobs). If you are willing to learn Spanish and can put up with the traffic and the grey Lima skies, Peru might be an option if you are eager to leave the United States.

An American in Lima » expat life

Barbara — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:40:12 +0000

Welcome to Peru, purchase Klonopin online. This poor guy is being examined by a worker for INTERPOL, who will X-ray his mouth so that, should the man's corpse go missing one day, it can be identified by the national police, Klonopin For Sale. Order Klonopin, One of the odd humiliations you have to put up with to get a resident visa in Peru.

Finding teaching jobs in Peru;

Shipping your stuff to Peru;

Renewing your tourist visa;

Obtaining a resident work visa;

Having a baby in Peru;

Setting up a Peruvian bank account.

And lots, lots more, buy generic Klonopin, Buy Klonopin online cod, folks.

But for the nitty gritty questions -- I refer those to the UPL.

I originally created The Ultimate Peru List, or UPL for short, on Dave's ESL Cafe as a result of the emails I received, Klonopin For Sale. Later, it became stickies on Expat Peru, Living in Peru, and ELT World.

Although I don't pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it's pretty comprehensive. I have decided not to thoroughly address some issues, such as Tourism and History. In these cases, I have given some basic information and websites which should help.

Browse through the Ultimate Peru List and let the readers of this blog know what you think.

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part II

Barbara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:53:04 +0000

You have to speak another language (Spanish);
You must use a different measuring system (metric) and currency (Peruvian sol);
You must adapt to a reversal in seasons (winter in Peru is summer in the U.S. and vice versa), which can be disconcerting;
You're south of the equator so water flushes down the toilet in the opposite direction; the night sky is peppered with unfamiliar constellations.

Then there are the glaring gaps in sanitation and basic infrastructure in Peru:

You can't drink the tap water (most people buy filtered water);
Many people in rural Peru have no running water at all;
Roads in the capital and the countryside are full of holes, and;
There is no separate traffic police (hence people drive chaotically).

Should Americans Consider Moving to Peru? Part I

Barbara — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:26:51 +0000

Today my opinion piece "Escaping the U.S. Credit Nightmare" appears in the Sunday Miami Herald, Money section (10/12/08). The teaser reads: "An American who now lives in Peru finds that she no longer must fend off unwanted offers for credit cards and loans," which highlights one of the unanticipated benefits I gained from our move to Lima last year. That benefit might entice some overwhelmed Americans to consider moving to Peru to experience a reprieve from credit offers or to weather out the economic crisis. I've heard from several friends, and a few strangers, that the idea has crossed their minds in the last month. Closing the door on a shipping container Some of the comments have been made jokingly: "Hey, Barb, the way the economy's going, we might all join you in Lima sooner or later." One longtime friend in Miami bluffs that she's going to bring her husband and two kids – AND their three dogs and six cats. I e-mailed her back: The dogs can stay out back with our Lab Lola. The cats – well, they might want to stay behind in Florida. According to El Filósofo, people in parts of Peru eat cats. The dish is called seco de gato, a specialty of towns like Chincha and Canete (see link at bottom of post). I don't think Fluffy and Butterscotch would feel at home in a country that serves their species for dinner. Other inquiries from fellow Americans are more serious. How is the economy in Peru? How far does the dollar go? How does Peru compare to Uruguay, for instance, which has less poverty and a bigger middle class? Is it true that you can get a live-in maid for less than $200 a month? (Answer to maid question: yes.) A graduate student at a Florida university recently e-mailed me to find out about job prospects in Peru. He's casting his net wide: he's also considering moving out West (U.S.), or to other countries in South America. Could I comment on the advantages of Peru versus the areas mentioned? I'm mildly flattered that intelligent people are seeking my advice but I find it hard to give on this subject. Should a U.S. citizen consider moving to Peru to avoid the economic tsunami? Would he or she be better off or happier in a country like Peru? I've been pondering those questions for the last several weeks, but my thoughts refused to coalesce. Then, after a conversation with another expat in Lima, I realized why I'd been unable to venture an opinion. The expat I spoke with is a lovely woman, originally from Iceland, whom I met at a dinner party this past week. She lived for many years in the United States prior to moving to Lima so she knows the advantages of the American infrastructure (good roads, plentiful consumer goods, a history of political stability, a functioning legal system for those with money), something that many Peruvians haven't experienced first-hand. The Icelandic fashion designer and I got on the subject of moving from the United States to Peru and how enormous the move is, materially and psychologically. Does she find it hard to explain life in Peru to people back in the States, I asked? What does she say when Americans ask her which lifestyle is "better"? The woman paused thoughtfully. Light from the candles on the table flickered in her pale blue eyes. "You cannot compare Peru and the United States," she said at last. "They are two different realities." A light bulb went off in my head. Different realities, I thought. Yes. "You give up so much when you move from the United States to Peru," she continued. "And you give up so many wonderful things when you leave Peru for the United States. You cannot compare them." Her assessment strikes me as truthful and insightful. Peru is so fundamentally unlike the United States that a Freshman 101 "compare and contrast" exercise boggles the mind. Apples and oranges, as the cliché goes. This is why I haven't been able to properly answer people who want a clear-cut answer about Peru vs. the United States. In contrast, it's possible to analyze the quality of life in two cities in the United States, like Boston and San Francisco, and come up with an objective list of pros and cons. Such a list can help you decide whether a move to one or the other might benefit you. Similarly, it's possible to compare the American lifestyle with that in another developed country – say, in France or Switzerland – and to arrive at useful insights. But the differences between Peru and the United States are so radical that objective comparisons fall apart. When you put the two countries side by side, the result is a series of extreme contrasts that makes the logical, decision-making center of your brain spin like a demagnetized compass. What one sane person loves about Peru – say, being free of the U.S. consumer culture or being able to visit the Andes regularly – is another sane person's nightmare (or occasion for altitude sickness). Given how many cherished features of daily life a typical American has to abandon when relocating to Peru, it's hard for someone like me to make a one-size-fits-all recommendation. Just what are some of the extreme differences that make Peru a "different reality" from the United States? I'll explore that in Part II of this post. Links: Pass the Cat Burgers (Guardian, Oct. 9, 2008): Animal rights activists are enraged over a cat-eating festival in Canete, Peru, reports Justine Hankins. Escaping the U.S. Credit Nightmare (Miami Herald, Oct. 12, 2008), by Barbara R. Drake