Non-Philisophical People Beware

It´s funny how, really, we all live in our own little interpreted world. Our truth is the interpretation of our perceptions, not the perceptions themselves. Our ego is the tool that woks the perceptions into some sort of personalized reality.
Uhhhh, yeah, here´s a practical story to illustrate what I mean: Explaining the fact that I did not take Brian´s last name is not so easy here. People do not have the framework to conceptualize and understand the that fact that I chose not to take his name. This just does not fit. So, one day I was standing outside the primary school waiting for classes to start, and I overheard one of the teachers talking to Juan (because we live with Juan, he has become – rightly so – the Village Expert on people from the U.S.) The teacher asked, ¨Okay, tell me again, what´s Angela´s last name?¨ Juan replied, ¨Myers.¨ ¨And Brian,¨ the teacher inquired. ¨O´Malley,¨ answered Juan. This simple inquiry repeated for about three rounds. Confused the teacher asks, ¨I don´t understand, they´re married. What did she do when they got married?¨ Juan, trying to explain the inconceivable discrepancy, reasoned, ¨Well, it depends on what state you get married in over there.¨ Finally satisfied, the teacher was able to construct the reality of the situation, ¨Ahhhhhh, I get it, the custom is different for each state.¨ I had to chuckle, because Brian and I have explained the difference in our last names to Juan as a choice all people can make. But, because this does not figure into their common interpretations of reality, it never became totally understandable. They both had to think of it in some other way to be able to wrap their thoughts around the difference in our last names. It makes realize how much I also bend and distort everything I perceive here in order to make sense of things. I mean, I´m not Buddah – yet. I can´t quite transcend the experience of my own ego. Thus, for me, there is no such thing as an objective Peru or Peruvian culture. The observer always changes the system. Everything you hear from me is Peru in the eyes of me. What does this mean?? Clearly, you all need to come visit us so that you can make your own interpretations!!! Now you have the perfect vacation excuse!!