Jeffrey M. Wallis

River Heights, Utah
Sophomore, Anthropology
Utah State University

"You will never get the personal attention or learning opportunities anywhere but the ethnographic field school."

Desde Huanchaco al Mundo
Jeffrey M. Wallis

Introduction

I had known for quite some time that I wanted to research the educational system here and also that I wanted to know a little about how people in Huanchaco learn English. I had talked with my professor about maybe researching the people who left Huanchaco to go work on the cruise lines. It wasn’t until I was sitting in a bus station in Trujillo that the inspiration came to me. For any employment and especially for a job on a ship there are many skills that must be acquired in order to get hired or survive in the work environment. However with every job there is something that you must or must not have that acts as a sort of gatekeeper to weed out those that have no chance of being taught the necessary skills in a short enough amount of time to make it worth the company’s effort. Also with every transition in a persons life there is a key motive behind that transition. Something that acts as a catapult launching the person through decisions and acts that may seem at the time extreme. What are the push and pull factors involved in making the decision to go work on the cruise-lines? What obstacles stand in the way once the decision has been made? What are the positive and negative repercussions of leaving Huanchaco to work on the ships?

I realize that in any transition or career change that there are hundreds of decisions to be made. Each decision leads to more choices. I have focused my research on the learning of English as a decision, a key, and also an obstacle in the process of being hired.

Background

When I was in high school I studied Spanish for three years. I didn’t learn much. I knew a few greetings and a few conjugations but for the most part I didn’t know much at all. I went to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) when I was nineteen years old and studied Spanish extensively during the ten weeks I was there. I thought I had a decent base in Spanish but then I went to Argentina directly after the MTC, I could understand nothing of what was being said to me. I could respond even less than that. It took about three months of talking and interacting with people for eight to ten hours a day before I felt like I could understand everything that was going on in a conversation. I still had a lot of trouble with speaking and with the accent. It wasn’t until I had been out six months that I felt I could communicate fluently. Of course I am still learning Spanish and expanding my vocabulary and knowledge of the grammar.

I learned Spanish by first studying in public schools, then a quick course in a private institution and then in the country by the school of hard knocks. I am interested to see if the same can be done by a Huanchaquero. When I arrived here in Huanchaco I was very interested to find out if there was a way to learn a second language in a country that doesn’t get much exposure to that language.

Huanchaco is a fishing village on the coast of Peru about 8 hours north of Lima and just 8 kilometers from the northern capital of Trujillo that has become a tourist attraction over the last decade or so because of its tranquil setting, good surfing and unique cultural heritage of caballito de totora fishing. It attracts tourists of two different types. One is the surfer who comes for the great waves and atmosphere of Huanchaco. The other is the tourist (from weekend travelers to anthropologists) that comes to Huanchaco due to the intriguing nature of the local fishing methods. The economy of Huanchaco has changed over the last few decades. Subsistence fishing has declined and tourism doesn't yield much money for service providers in the off-season. Since about 1987, there has been a large increase in the number of Huanchaqueros leaving to work on major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Costa (an Italian line). This out-migration could produce yet another economic gain that could possibly damage the fishing tradition of Huanchaco.

As I began to talk to people in town it became apparent that the main reason one to learn English in Huanchaco was to leave and to work on the cruise lines. Furthermore, is the life on the cruise ship enough like being immersed in a country to really pick up a good understanding of a language? These are the questions that fascinated me as I began my research project.

Methodology

When I got to Huanchaco I had in mind that I was going to learn how to do participant observation. What I didn’t realize is how much is actually involved in participant observation. My idea was more of the interviewing and observing. Then as the class moved on, I realized that just by living here and talking with people in the every day situations in which I was participating, I would be gaining the most useful information just by being myself. This first became clear to me when I was sitting at the restaurant Don Pepe. I was just sitting talking to some of the people who were hanging out there and telling them what I was thinking about for my research project. It became apparent very quickly that they all knew people who were going to work on cruise ships and would be happy to introduce me to them. I began networking through them and also through other American students who had participated in last year's ethnographic field school and one in particular who had just finished working as Resident Director of an Intensive Spanish Language Program in Trujillo. He was a big help because he knew all sorts of people at the University and introduced me to Liz (the Spanish language instructor in this program). Prior to her position teaching at the university, Liz had also worked as a wine stewardess and language instructor on a cruise ship. She had even more connections for me and I quickly found myself with more informants than I knew what to do with. Among my other informants were Julio, a young man from the nearby port-town of Salaverry who was currently studying English in the hopes of being able to work for a major cruise-line, Morella, a 23 year old woman from Huanchaco with similar aspirations, and Alejandro, a Huanchaquero in the first stages of preparation for entry into this career path. I decided with the short amount of time I had for this paper that I would select a few informants from each of the different areas and work with them.

I interviewed my informants both formally and informally. I found the informal interviews were very rich in some of the things that you wouldn’t normally find out. Because a relationship of trust had already been built I was privy to information that otherwise might not of come to the surface. The formal interviews were also helpful in the sense that I had formed questions and could gather a lot of information in a short period of time. It was also very helpful to tape those interviews and transcribe them later.

Discussion

Push and pull factors

The decision to leave Huanchaco and work on the cruise-lines is a big decision that is influenced by many push factors. The economic situation in Peru is one of the most obvious ones. On a cruise-line, one can make an average of 800 dollars a month plus tips during the seven to twelve month contract. This is several times the average salary in Huanchaco, where more than 60% of the population are unemployed or underemployed, where the minimum wage for those working in the formal sector is just over 100 dollars a month and where those working in the informal sector have no guarantees of even that minimum income. I asked Morella, who is planning on leaving soon, why she had made the decision. She said, “la decisión mía es por qué, acá la situación económica en el Perú no es buena” [I made the decision because the economic situation is not good here in Peru]. This is a very general statement. The economic situation isn’t good compared to the money one can make on the cruise-lines. With the job Morella is seeking on the ships she will make three to four times the amount of money she could make here.

Another of the push factors is the difficulty of finding work in Peru. Morella mentioned that it is very hard to find good work here unless you know someone. If you don’t have good connections it is very difficult. The chance to earn a lot of money and send it home to the family is a very strong factor in making the decision to go.

A pull factor that aids in the decision to go is the desire for independence. Because of the family situation already spoken of, the decision to leave can be a way out from under the parent’s wing. There is a sense of adventure in leaving home and going to far off places and learning new things. Liz told me that there are two main reasons why these kids leave. She said, “One reason is the money, and the second is that they are young and want a big exciting change in their lives.”

There is one more push factor I would like to mention—the English language. These men and women live in a tourist town. They are around English all the time. They study it in their schools and take private lessons as well. In there eyes it is a door opener to many opportunities not just the cruise-lines. Those who have a good base in English find themselves pulled toward the cruise-lines where their English skills will help them better their economic situation.

English language learning and cruise-line opportunities

However, the learning of English can also be a stumbling block for a lot of students. Learning another language can be a very difficult thing. There are many ways to learn. There are many schools. There are many teachers. Each has a different style of teaching. The style of teaching English in the public schools has changed over time. It used to be that the verb “to be” was taught the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth year in school. According to the students in Liz's class, that emphasis has changed in recent years. Now these students say that they get a good broad base of English. But, whenever I talk to students on the street that are supposedly getting this good base the only thing they can say is “What is your name” or “where you from”. Some supplemental education is needed before they will have the language fluency to pass the two interviews that they will have before getting hired.

The good news is that because people have been leaving to work on the cruise-lines since 1987 there are plenty who have returned and are now offering classes in English. The down side is that like everything else in the process this costs money.

There are ways around this. One can get hired on as a helper or a cleaner on a cruise-ship without knowing much English. Those who choose this route hope that they can start in these lower-paying jobs and work their way up the ladder over the course of time. Liz calls these cruise-line jobs “black jobs”. They require ten hours work each day and those who perform them only earn 350 dollars a month. To earn a bit more (about 600 dollars a month), cruise-line workers can clean bathrooms. However working ten hours a day and then cleaning eighteen bathrooms (the norm for this position) is more than a little strenuous.

Liz was actually a teacher on board the ships. She said, “I didn’t teach grammar lessons because it is different trying to learn in a short time on a cruise ship than years of classes.” Instead, Liz would teach them phrases in English that pertained to their current situation. Because there was such a short amount of time to learn she would give them a good base in their particular jobs. The wine stewardess for example would learn to give compliments and except them as well. The cabin stewardesses would label their cabins to learn all the objects that pertain to a cabin. While it is possible to do this, if one can learn English and get hired to one of the less strenuous and better paying jobs, life on the ship is more enjoyable.

English isn’t the only language that is useful on the cruise ships. Liz speaks Italian, Portuguese, German, English and more. Cruise ships take many passengers from all over the world. The more language one knows the better the chances of getting hired.

The hiring process

Once the decision has been made and the process begins many people encounter obstacles that impede the path to a career in the cruise-lines. For some they are obstacles but for some, the lucky few, they are just steps.

The financial obstacle seems to be the one obstacle that affects just about everybody. In order to make money you have to spend money. There are many things in the process of getting hired on that require funds. The four courses required cost three hundred dollars to take. They are taken in Lima so a trip to Lima must also be paid for. For most cruise lines it is required that the person applying buy a “Libreta de Embarque” which costs two hundred and forty-seven dollars. Many of the companies require that one buys an open plane ticket home so that if there are any problems then they can be sent home directly. When all is said and done the average cost of all the things necessary is between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars depending on the cruise-line.

There are many things that have to be done in Lima, the courses that are given at the port Callao for example. There are four courses. The first is “Supervivencia en el Mar” [Ocean Survival], the second is “Lucha Contra Incendios” [Fire Fighting], the third is “Primeros Auxilios” [First Aid], and the fourth is “Responsibilidad Social” [Social Responsibility]. These are required courses and they cost $300. The visa is another story. It is a long process and isn’t guaranteed that one will receive a visa.

The interviews take place first in Trujillo and if you pass that interview you get to go to Lima for another interview. In the interview in Lima you have to present all your documents, your references, e-mail, telephone number, and a signed document from the person who recommended you promising that you will not defect. They are really worried about people leaving the boats and staying in the countries that they are visiting. On certain cruise-lines if you have family living in the United States they will not hire you. One of my informants had to lie because he did have family in the states.

One more obstacle is the age limit. Each line has a different age limit. It also varies for men and women as well. The usual age limit for women is from nineteen to twenty-nine years old and for men it is twenty-one to thirty years old. However, there are exceptions. For example one man is going to work as a machine technician. He is over the age limit but for technicians and engine mechanics they can be older. Also if you know someone that can get you an interview often times you can get by the age limits.

The experience required depends on what jobs you are going to be performing. For cabin stewardesses they like people that have experience working in hotels or hostels. For bar tenders and cooks they should have experience in bars and restaurants. Mechanics should have experience working on ships as well as appliances found on a cruise-liner.

One must have completed all of the health examinations. They are required to have full physical exams including chest x-rays. They must have dental exams. They must test negative for HIV, and have all of their international vaccinations.

All of these steps include many trips to Lima, much time and stress, and above all a lot of money. There is also one more obstacle and that is corruption. Years ago the ambassador here in Trujillo that was in charge of selecting applicants to go to Lima was taking bribes. If one didn’t give a little extra under the table then there was no second interview in Lima. The cruise-line caught wind of this and so the bribes were given more creatively such as a bottle of whisky. Now it seems that things are on the up and up, however there will always be hidden costs.

Repercussions of cruise-line employment

Just like with every employment there are positive and negative repercussions. The obvious positive repercussion often times can blind a person and not allow that person to see the whole picture. For example the thoughts of making anywhere between three and eight times the money one currently is able to make may be so overwhelming that the negative repercussions and even some of the positive repercussions are hidden. In this case, the obvious positive repercussion is money. Much much more money than can currently be made in Huanchaco, where the average salary of a fisherman is less than 100 dollars per month, of a public-school teacher less than 200 dollars a month, and of a young college professor less than 400 dollars a month.

One of the hidden benefits is that after the stint on the cruise ship ends, and it does end, there are many opportunities to teach the skills learned on the ships. The Marine Training School for example teaches the necessary skills needed on the ships. Not only that, but there are many private lessons in English being given in Trujillo as well as Huanchaco. As Liz always tells her students, “Tienes doble vision con otra idioma” [You have double vision with another language]. Not only can one make a bundle of money working on the cruise-lines, but also it will serve as a springboard into many careers for the rest of ones life.

Another benefit is the learning of other languages as well. As I said before Liz speaks many languages. Because of this skill she has been able to vacation to many wonderful places all over the world. She has been able to talk to many different people that otherwise she could not have communicated with on the same level of understanding.

This brings us to another great benefit of working on a ship. Because the ship ports at many different destinations there is always the chance to go and visit many places. This offers an extreme amount of adventure and can help break up those long days aboard.

Not only can you take great little site seeing trips while on board, but also the work period is only eight months. This means that for four months out of the year one can visit home and relax for a good length of time.

I would imagine that this break is necessary because one of the hidden negative repercussions is that while working only eight hours a day, one never really leaves the work place. For every night at port there are three to four nights at sea. That can get really monotonous.

One of the most gratifying feelings of the job is the opportunity to help the family back home. Because food and lodging is paid for almost all the money earned can go into the bank or to loved ones at home. Sending money home is the most expressed desire of all of my informants. It is a big sacrifice and they do it because they love their families. Like Morella said, she is doing it for her father, mother, and especially for her brother.

It is a sacrifice because the hours on the boat are very long. They work anywhere from eight to eleven hours a day on the ships and then they don’t get to go home. They stay in the work environment. It can be very stressful because of the language barriers and the differences in the customs of all the different nationalities.

Another repercussion of working on the ships is the back stabbing that goes on. Many of the older employees are very protective of their jobs and don’t like the idea of younger employees moving up in the company. They feel threatened and so they retaliate and it makes life quite miserable on the newcomers. Liz told me of an experience where she had to decline a job because she didn’t like the politics that were going on. She felt that if she were to take the job that she would have to compromise her moral standards. She wouldn’t be able to accomplish the tasks she would be required to do because she didn’t feel right about stabbing people in the back.

All of these things and many more are part of the life of a cruise-line worker from Huanchaco. I can’t even begin to touch on all the aspects of the decision-making, process, life, culture, and life after the cruise ships.

Conclusion

I feel that the time I had here was insufficient to appropriately address the topic of push and pull factors contributing to the decision to leave Huanchaco to work on cruise-lines. However I did gain a greater understanding for why people leave and how it is they make the decision.

A follow up investigation on what people do after they work on the cruise lines and return to Peru would give some very interesting insights into how the economy of Peru is effected by those who work on the ships.

The learning of English is clearly a big factor in the decision making as well as in the acquisition of employment. Because of this a deeper study of the educational system with a focus on the English course would yield many results as to the question of how big a factor it really is.

Future research on this topic should include more detailed ethnographic descriptions of people just beginning the decision-making process, of those who have made the decision and who are preparing to embark on this career-path, and of those who have returned home after working for a time on the cruise-ships. Additionally, better understanding of the hiring process would be gained by going through the process oneself and a future researcher might consider this as a "way-in" to learning about this important topic. Additionally, one question I am left with after completing this research is "why Huanchaco?" Why are recruiters focusing on Huanchaco specifically or is the recruiting to work on cruise-lines occurring more generally throughout port-towns in Peru? Finally, the question remains: what are the long-term consequences of out-migration by the youth of Huanchaco for the future of this fishing village? These questions remain to be addressed by future researchers, but with this paper I am happy to have been able to provide a brief introduction to this fascinating topic.

Agradecimientos

Me gustaria dar las gracias a mis amigos que me ayudaron un montón con este tema. La verdad es que nunca de esto seria possible sin la gente tan buena de Huanchaco y Trujillo. Quiro dar gracias a Morella, Julio, Elizabeth, Richard, Chicho, Patricia, Corey, Chad, y especialment a Bonnie por toda la ayuda y la amistad. Estoy agradecido por el tiempo que tomaron a ayudarme y por la buena experiencia que he tenido aca. Muchas gracias!