Esta Sociedad

Having lived the majority of my adolescence in Guayaquil, Ecuador, I can confirm that nearly everything you think happens in Latin America, does. Most people do employ domestic workers (see Elizabeth Mendez Berry’s brilliant article in our October issue, “Maids of Honor”); people do get kidnapped; some kids do have bodyguards; girls do get plastic surgery when they’re 12; and yes, you can drink when you’re 2.

OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. It’s not better or worse, it’s just entirely different. I will say that I don’t think I could ever live there again full-time. Love, love, love going to visit, though. And you can’t take away how amazing the people, food, and culture in general is. Those are my roots and I’ll forever honor them.

A provocative new one-hour series on mun2 called Esta Sociedad (airing Thursdays at 10 pm EST) is all about high-society life in Lima, Peru. Kids having sex in their parent's homes and getting away with it; husbands cheating on wives with secretaries; dirty politicians getting away with corruption; maids snapping back at their patrones; cougars trying to find ways to spice up their marriages/sex lives. En fin, the works. It’s comedic, but real, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a glimpse of the antics that go down in certain social circles south of the border. On a separate note, I love the Peruvian accent!