Amigos and Bricheras
Posted on 20. Apr, 2008 by Colin in peru
Amigos
My old boss in the States, who’s seen much of South America, told me “Latinos are very curious about America and Americans,” and that he enjoyed “semi rock-star status” in a lot of places. I got this impression in Brazil and definitely here in Peru. It’s not just the women. It’s everybody.
I drink with co-workers at the soccer games on Saturday afternoons. When walking to the bathroom or for more beer, I’ll sometimes pass a group of campesinos– people from the country. Not knowing me from Adam doesn’t stop them from calling to me, “Hallo… Hoe ard jou?” Some want to practice their English. Yesterday, one guy kept saying “Whas thay probe-laim?” I don’t think he knew what that meant but I replied there was no problem. I was having a good time. One guy at the games stopped me and gave me a full beer, then cheered me on while I slammed the whole thing (620 mL, or 21 oz).
Then there’s what happened Friday night. I left a brichera at Déjà Vu for a lower-profile bar with cheap beer. I found a tiny place around the corner and ordered an Arequipeña. Before the beer was on the table, three guys at another table raised their glasses. My beer arrived and I toasted them back. They gestured me over. I went over to find a shot of pisco waiting for me. I got trashed with them even after I’d spent all my money.
Then they bought me food on the street. We walked back to my apartment and I grabbed a bottle of rum and we drank it in the courtyard of my building. They wanted to take me somewhere in the country today, but I told them I had to kill my hangover and do laundry (and write blogs that I don’t get paid for).
I knew Carlos and I’d be buddies my first week. He’s tall, athletic, and fun (we have a lot in common). He’s always teasing and tormenting the girls in the office. My first week, Lucia was asking me what kind of music I like, which groups, and other kinds of get-to-know-you questions. She sits across an aisle so all nine people in our office could hear us. Carlos interrupted her, commanding the attention of the whole office, to tell me “Ella te quiere comer.” She wants to eat you up. Everybody laughed and she was embarrassed. But that was the moment I knew Carlos and I were going to be buddies.
The next week, I ate lunch alone at a menu in the neighborhood. It cost five soles, or $1.86. Always frugal, I wondered if there were cheaper places around. I asked if these places were safe for me to eat with my weak gringo stomach, to which there was a resounding and unanimous “NO.” Furthermore, they claimed that eating at that specific menu on a regular basis isn’t safe either. Carlos offered to take me to eat lunch with him at his apartment every day.
He has an empleada (employee) who comes to his house every day to clean, wash dishes, do his laundry, iron his shirts, and cook his food. So lunch is ready every day when we arrive. We’ve eaten lunch together ever since and all the girls in the office groaned when they found out he and I would be hanging out a lot.
Bricheras
Carlos is helping me with the scoop on Arequipa. He was the first to teach me the word, “brichera.” He told me a brichera, a slang term exclusive to Peru, is a girl who only likes gringos. I asked him if it was a bad word. He said it wasn’t bad. My Spanish isn’t advanced enough to articulate “negative connotation,” but I definitely asked him if it was bad and he definitely said it was not. As soon as I got back to the office, I looked it up on Urban Dictionary. This is their definition:
1. Brichera – A Peruvian slang word. A brichera is a young girl or women, from roughly the ages of 15-30. There are two types of bricheras, both are really just prostitutes but ones that dont charge for sex. The first are women that are looking to meet foreign men in the hopes of dating or marriage or even a quick fling, in hopes to leave there lives and country, and the second type, women that search for foreign men hoping to exchange sex for small gifts or a trip to the supermarket. This second type of brichera is risky, because this type does not reliably use contraception and therefore are at higher risk for transmitting STD (Sexual Transmited Diseases).Bricheras will tell the tourists stories of there love, and lies, but the moment the tourist leaves she will be having sex or anal sex with another tourist tell him the same stories. There are no pretty bricheras, just easy dirty lying ones.
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She is a real fucking brichera, a total whore.
This is obviously ridiculous and was probably written (poorly) by a gringo who got his feelings hurt or a jealous Peruvian. However, it seems there’s something negative to the term after all. The next day I showed the definition to Carlos and a couple girls. The truth is somewhere in between Carlos’ and Urban Dictionary’s definitions. While it does not imply STD / promiscuous anal sex / lying whore, it does carry the negative connotation of a girl who is trying to climb the social ladder or gain financially from relationships with gringos. Apparently, there are enough of them to warrant their own slang term. In retrospect, I think Carlos told me they weren’t bad because he doesn’t want me to miss any adventures while I’m here. He has a pregnant girlfriend and maybe wants to get some vicarious enjoyment through me.
Carlos told me the main brichera bar downtown is Déjà Vu. I had no plans Friday night. I could’ve lined something up with somebody, but I actually wanted to go out alone. I’d mentally prepared myself before moving down here to go out alone and make new friends. And given that I haven’t gotten laid in a while, why not make an appearance at Déjà Vu to feel the vibe?
Inside Déjà Vu, there was a small bar with only two available barstools. I sat at one at the same time a slim, beautiful Peruvian girl was taking the other one. She ordered a pisco sour, I ordered a beer and we just sat next to each other for a few minutes.
We exchanged a few glances and I asked “¿Como estás?” This started off our 15 – 20 minute conversation. In that time, I learned that Roxana is a 29 year-old kindergarten teacher. She never has luck with guys. She told me she likes big, muscular men. She told me I’m sweet. She grabbed / squeezed / felt my arm five or six times. She felt my cheek twice. And as more time passed, the more uncomfortable I got. Like Tupac said, “I don’t want it if it’s that EASY!” I got her phone number – I guess to be polite – and told her I only came out for one drink. Then I headed to the tiny place where I met those crazy guys.
A popular reggaeton song that makes all the girls dance. Guajiros “Veo Veo”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0zGrJh8TKRA
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