Lets talk about corruption:

My host cousin is a great student. She scored the highest in her class in secondary school, she got great scores on her university exam, is a swimmer, in great physical condition, bright, and picks up things ver fast. She wanted to go to military school and become a police officer, which in peru is a big deal. HOWEVER, the system is so corrupt, that in order to enter, you have to bribe the addmissions office $4000 just to enter. And from there, every year is one continuous bribe. Jokers and lazy jerks will enter the academy, not learn anything, and become a corrupt police officer after 5 years. Meanwhile, the top of the class is rejected for being smart but poor.

I would say about 50% of the time I get into a public transport vehicle, the cops stop us for nothing, and the driver gets out to pay the police man 5 to 10 soles every time. I asked my family and friends how much a bribe from a gringo costs, and they said 30 to 40 soles. Hope we dont get stopped on the road. If we dont pay, they take you to the police station or try to take your licence.

In Santa Cruz, there is a road that gets washed out from time to time by extreme rains in the mountains that come down to the coast. The municipality recieved millions on millions of soles to build a better road, and a higher bridge. The municipality, and the construction company forged all of the documents, took pictures at a fake ceremony, and sent it into the reginal and natinal goverment. With a little more bribing, the project was overlooked, and the bridge was never built.

Districts will overturn goverments every four years at elections because of corruption. No projects ever get build or are planned in that time. And if the municipality plans a project, it often doesnt finish before they are kicked out of office, or they just stash the money and the people of the district cant do anything about it. What is worse, is that when a new municipality and a new government comes in, EVERYONE is fired. The engineers, the secretaries, the drivers, the night watch guard. And the municipality hires all new, corrupt people. Often their friends and family. So whatever projet the former municipality was planning is thrown out, and all that work is lost.

Candidates for mayor or president will promise anything to get elected, and will end up doing less than 20% of what they say. I happen to be in an election year, in which election are in 3 months. I hope the same government stays in office, because some of the work I have been doing with them will be lost!! But That is the way the game is played in peru. Its not fair, its not just, but it is what it is.

Happy travels,

Teigan