Proud of Fair Trade

Proud of Fair Trade, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

There are photographs that I have taken that I love and then there are those that I truly adore. This falls into the latter category.

These four women are some of the leaders of the Fair Trade organization, El Murcurio or "Murcury." I have talked about this group before, but this was my last encounter with them. During the year I went to their artisan workshop 3 or four times and was welcomed with open arms, but I will never forget this experience because I was translating. One of the group that was traveling with us asked them, "how has Fair Trade changed your life?" and their response has forever become a part of who I am.

"When we started, our husbands didn't want us to do this because they wanted us to be in the house cooking, but once they saw how much money we were making they changed their minds. We now have enough money to send our kids to school and to make our homes a little better. But we now, even more than the money, we have more faith in ourselves and more pride in who we are. That is how Fair Trade has changed us."

La Puerta

La Puerta, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

The afternoon commute

The afternoon commute, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

When we visited the Amazon, I was amazed at how many people were out on the river. I love this photograph because it really shows the normal life that existed in that region. I don't know much about this guy, but it just seems like he is enjoying is afternoon commute home after a day of work. It is something that looks so different than the hours spent in gridlock on I-5, but such a strong example of just life.

Menu

Menu, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

This is one of those photos that I almost forgot to take, which would have been tragic since the menú was a daily part of my life. In Peru, the menú is the normal lunch or dinner meal that everyone gets. It usually comes in 2 parts, an apatizer and then the main course. They were usually the common food for the part of the country that you were in and were 6 soles ($2) at most, usually cheaper. So, this sign shows what a normal person, who was eating on their lunch break in Iquitos would eat.

Inca Kola

Inca Kola, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

Inca Kola is the national pop of Peru. It used to be its own company and was one of the only national brands in the world that could stand up against coke in popularity. For a long time, no matter what kind of marketing or ads that Coke put in the country, it could not outsell Inca Kola. So, in order to fix this problem, Coke just bought it. Coke and Inca Kola are generally the only options at a restaurant. It is not unheard of for a Peruvian to say, "Quiero Inca, no queiro el imperio" or "I want Inca, I don't want the empire." Peruvians still hold on to Inca Kola as theirs and think of Coke as the carbonated Galactic Empire. It hard to describe the taste of Inca Kola. It kinda tastes like the child of bubble gum and cream soda, but extremely sweet. When I first got to Peru, I hated Inca, but by the end I found it tolerable and a good partner to ceviche because the sweetness of the drink really helped to balance the bitterness of the lemon cooked fish.