Maribel proof-reads every post I write. Often
she will point out a technicality…usually a matter of minor detail that makes
what I’ve written not completely accurate. My response is that the general
reader does not need to know the nitty-gritty and in spelling out every detail
it will only needlessly lengthen the post and perhaps confuse the reader.
Still… I occasionally get emails and Maribel gets phone calls from Peruvian
readers who assume I’m not completely familiar with the subject matter (they’re
right) and offer corrections. I admit that often I use one term/word
interchangeably to simplify things. The following are some examples.
If I were to say, ‘the police were on the
scene’ I think that presents the image I’m trying to convey. Technically I could differentiate by saying
the national police were on
the scene. All official police officers are part of the national police force.
I could also say that Serenazgo
was on the scene. The men of Serenazgo are armed; wear uniforms, drive patrol
vehicles and to all intents and purposes perform many of the duties of the
national police but they are not police officers. They are hired by the city to
guard and protect people and property. Usually the two forces cooperate but
occasionally there can be friction as happened a couple of years ago in Chiclayo
when the national government in Lima accused Chiclayo’s mayor of
non-cooperation. I could stretch the definition of police even further and say
that SS was on the scene. SS
is a private security firm and is contracted by many private and public institutions
here in Chiclayo to provide security. They are recognized by their distinctive
yellow shirt, brown pants and boots uniform. In some cases they are armed. They
guard a specific building/location but also are a general deterrent and will
take action if a near-by situation calls for it. Lastly there is the
neighborhood vigilante. This
is a guy who is paid by neighborhood people to guard their homes and cars. He
patrols the neighborhood while often blowing a whistle to announce his
presence. Vigilantes do not get involved in confrontational situations, other
than blowing their whistle and contacting police. In other words, even though
they may be ‘on the scene’ don’t expect these guys to help you if you’re being
robbed or assaulted.
Another area I receive correction in is my
use of governmental terms, particularly as it refers to the educational system.
Let’s start at the top. All national schools, from kinder to university are
under the auspices of the Ministerio de Educacion located in Lima. Often I
write that a school is supported by the regional
government though that may not be the case. All or some of the support could be
coming from the Ministerio de Educacion (Ministry of Education); the Direccion
Regional de Educacion (Regional Direction of Education) located in the capital
of a region, or the Oficina de Cultura y Educacion de la Municipalidad (office
of Culture and Education in whatever municipality). For example, the village of
San Miguel is in the municipality of the city of Picsi, which is in the Region
of Lambayeque, which is under the auspices of the Ministry of Education in
Lima. Pronoei capullitos - the kinder schools that are not officially
recognized by the Ministry of Education in Lima are funded from a contingency
fund from the office of Culture and Education in the municipality.
Let me finish this with one more example. I
often use the words ‘caserio’ and ‘village’ interchangeably. There isn’t that
much difference between them. A caserio is smaller; usually a lot smaller and
poorer. We spell out the difference between the two on the home page of the Promesa Peru
webpage. I usually write ‘village’ because first-time readers won’t know
what a caserio is, and regular readers may have forgotten.
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