What´s Popular in Peru

Music:
1. ¨Calle Ocho¨ by Pitbull - This song was popular in the States this summer and it has followed me here. Everytime you go dancing, expect to hear this song at least once. And the people DO count with the song: ¨One, two, three, four, uno, do, tre, cuatro¨. It´s so popular, our dance teachers taught us a dance to it so we could look cooler at the clubs...I guess.
2. Anything from the 80s - My mom listens to the 80s station. Then I get in the schoolbus and crazy Rosita is jamming to the 80s. Most taxi drivers tune their radios to this station. These songs play in a lot of restaurants and shopping centers. I just don´t get it.
3. ¨A Pedir Su Mano¨ by Juan Luis Guerra - Go listen to it! It´ll make you either happy, want to dance or both. I actually knew this song before Peru and had it in my iTunes. Little did I know it would be played at every wedding reception across the road from my house and at every club.
4. Michael Jackson - enough said

Clothes:
1. Heels - The girls (like the guys) here are short. So, these help a lot. Boots are REALLY in style, too. Black or brown, ankle or knee-high...you have to have some.
2. Jeans - The jeans here for girls are TIGHT and all decorated. The pockets either have shiny thread or beading. They are low, too. Combined with the heels, gals always look ready to go clubbing here. I´ve never seen the locals wearing shorts, even though it´s over 70 degrees everyday. Capris aren´t popular either. Or khakis. There´s not much diversity. It´s so funny to compare Davidson fashion in the fall or spring to here.
3. Hats - The older, indigenous women can be seen with a little hat on their head. Young guys like to wear ball caps a lot. A Yankees cap would probs be cool.
4. Jackets - For the girls, their jackets, like their jeans, are tight. A lot of times, they´re pleather with a thick elastic band around the waist. Think biker jackets. For guys, zip-up hoodies are in.

Hair:
1. Girls - long. Sometimes streaked with bleach to make them stand out in a crowd.
2. Guys - sheesh. Sometimes a mullet, sometimes buzzed, sometimes longish (me likey), sometimes fairly normal.

Transportation:
I´m sure they don´t have car commercials on TV because hardly anyone drives. Taxi and combis (lil buses packed with people for only 25 cents) are the way to go. I personally take taxis because I can go about anywhere I need to on $1 (American). If someone DOES have a car, it´s a CAR. Tiny and foreign. I´ve seen very few trucks. I had to explain for 10 minutes to my host mom what a SVU is, so they def don´t have those.

Food:
1. ICE CREAM - This stuff is EVERYWHERE. Which means I´m always tempted, dang it! At every street corner and even in-between, there are at least 3 different brands of ice cream vendors with their little carts and umbrella. Sometimes, there is a queso helado stand. This stuff is AMAZING. Kinda like snow cream with cinnamon on top. Oh, and there are also ice cream stores if you missed the roadside vendor. And every little grocery store (and there´s at least 2 on every block) has a cart full of ice cream. I´m really in trouble here...
2. Chicken - There are so many places the vend and sell chicken! The streets here tend to have themes: the eyeglasses shop road, the shoe store road...the chicken restaurant road. And there are a BUNCH of these! The family restaurants here are always chicken-themed, too. Norkey´s, down the road, has a huge slide inside for children and a chicken mascot. Too weird.
3. Yellow - Whether it´s rice, potatoes, chicken, bananas, or just a sauce, there´s a good chance that each meal will have something yellow.
4. Milk - It´s from the Gloria brand, it´s in a box and not refrigerated before opening. Only afterward.
5. Fresh bread - It truly is fresh, every day from the corner store, so I´ve been spoilt.

That´s all I can think of for now. Now that homework I have to do... :)