Saturday, December 31, 2005
I want my sons to go to America
This morning Dominga Verera rang the door bell. A campesina (country lady) in her 50's, she arrived with her youngest of eight sons, Reinato, 14, to wash the clothes. She told me that she and her son came on a Combi from her home in the Sierra, about 8 KM from here. She has no husband, he abandoned her after Reinato was born. She supports her family by washing cloths, cleaning houses, sewing corn and raising sheep and chickens.
Dominga wants her sons to go to the US because "there is no work here." "Can I send them with you?", she asked. "Are there farms, there? Do they grow corn? Are there shepherds? They could be shepherds," she said. I explained to her that the most important thing for them to do is learn English. I said, "if an engineer goes to the US, but he doesn't speak English, he's going to work at Pizza Hut. But if he speaks English, he can accomplish many things."
I went up to the roof, and Dominga and Reinaldo were washing clothes. To clean the house and wash the clothes she charges 300 soles a month - about $88. For her work today, Mama Eddy was going to pay 6 soles - $1.75. I told her to pay at least ten soles.
I don't like to calculate the exchange rate because it depresses me. It is depressing to think that Dominga is going to be thrilled if we pay her an extra $1.20 (four soles more than she is expecting), but that is the way things are here. Our chofer, Jaime, for a whole day's work, was happy to accept 90 soles, $26 - and was delighted when I gave him an extra ten soles as a tip. I hope that Dominga's sons learn English and go to the US - at least then then will have a future.
