Whenever my (Argentine) boyfriend and I are in a situation where something goes incredibly awry, or just defies all expectations, one of us turns to the other and asks, “have you ever seen a map of the world?” This single line is enough to reference a conversation we once had, where he asked me this question, and I responded, “yes, of course. Why?” and he replied “so, where are we?” I think five different expressions must have flashed across my face, (surprise, disapproval, appreciation, etc), and I laughed and sighed at the same time, answering, “Peru.”
While this may seem like an unfortunate joke, it’s a riff on a sentiment many Lima residents express, especially those that are familiar with the way things work in other countries. One of my students explained how when his company was bought out by an international firm from Spain, they struggled for months before someone from the Spanish office figured out that here, ‘ahora’ (literal translation= now) means within two weeks, ‘ahorita’ means within a couple of days, and ‘ahoritita’ means within a couple of hours. When one of my students asked me what I found most difficult about Lima and I cited a lack of timeliness, I asked him whether it bothered him and he said, “you know, I’d say yes, but I’m Peruvian.”
A napping security guard
Of course, the expression “It’s Peru” (said in the same way one might say “that’s life!”) is used for more- it’s often invoked when talking about a problem that everyone knows about, everyone thinks should be fixed, but everyone acknowledges that it’s not going to change anytime soon. Or about a situation that’s just so unexpected, that all involved have the feeling that Peru is the only place where it could happen and the reaction would be so blase.
Today, another student who works in a bank told me about a man that had committed fraud against the bank’s customers. The bank’s lawyer threatened the fraudster with jail time and got a confession out of him. I asked “but why is it an empty threat? Shouldn’t he be going to prison?” to which my student explained that fraud is just a 2 – 3 year sentence, and prison sentences less than 3 years aren’t actually served, so nothing would happen to him. I started to say, “but, wait, I don’t understand,” and he cut me off, grinning, with the phrase “It’s Peru.”
It’s not an expression I choose to use often, but it’s definitely one I am always interested to hear. I’m sure this kind of expression is common in many parts of Latin America, but I’ve been surprised by how pervasive it is in Lima. It’s an explanation, and excuse, and an acceptance that things aren’t perfect and that’ll just have to do for now. No rush to fix, no worrying, just an understanding.
So, do other Latin American countries have similar expressions/outlooks, or is Peru alone in invoking it’s country’s name to explain so many things in such a tidy way?
Luba Guzei is currently an English teacher with Langrow in Lima, Peru.
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Hi Philip,
That’s interesting- I was in Ecuador and never heard that, though I was only traveling around for two weeks, so I didn’t have much prolonged contact with actual ecuadorians.
Ecuadorians seem share the same sentiment, although I can’t seem to think of a common expression that they use regularly apart from the old standby, ya mismo, which is casually used to mean later today, next week, next month or next year depending on the context.