Verdict on The Turf (the Bill Clinton bar): pretty cool, but not life-changing. A former Prime Minister of Australia made his way into the Guinness book of world records by chugging a yard of ale (2 1/2 pints) in 11 seconds! It was also mentioned in Jude the Obscure, a novel I read for my 19th Centure English Novel course a few semesters back. Anyway, I had an Olde Trip Ale that was quite good, but again, not life-changing. I’ve decided to keep track of all the beer or ale I consume, and Abigail has decided to keep track of each pastry. You should see that girl go after a chocolate croissant. One interesting thing we’ve found about this area is that everything closes really early. The Turf closed at about 11:30. Some hostel friends (note: when said aloud, that sounds like “hostile friends”) led us to the pub, and it was fun to chat with them for a bit. Francisco (Chile), Darren (South Africa) and Luigi (Italy) were our friendly guides last night.

After the pub, we made our way back to the hostel. We crawled in bed for some wondrous, snuggly sleep with the window open and rain pattering on the deck outside. Sounds ideal, right? It was. Even with a snorer in our room, it couldn’t steal from the magic of being in Oxford. I settled into a great, fluffy pillow. I read a bit. I waited. I settled again. I waited. I re-settled. I let my mind wander. I fidgeted. I listened to music (a bit of Brothers by the Black Keys, The Suburbs by Arcade Fire [thanks to Matt Carney], Bethel Live, Mouths Like Trumpets by Brad Kilman, and even a bit of Patty Griffin [“Rain,” which made me miss Jenny and Amanda]). I lay wide-eyed until after 3 a.m. If you don’t know me too well, this is beyond abnormal. I usually fall asleep mid-sentence, or in some weird position on a couch or chair before I can get to my bed. I never have trouble falling asleep. So, naturally, I was frustrated. It finally crossed my mind that maybe I was picking up on a spirit of restlessness over the hostel. Judging from the conversations I had had with hostel friends (who really aren’t too hostile), and that some of these sojourners wander for months in search of self and truth, it made sense. So, I interceded for the travelers, and prayed over the hostel we’re in now (which I’ve really enjoyed. It has a really great family atmosphere.), for peace and rest for them. I immediately fell asleep afterward. You’d think by now I’d recognize something like that a little earlier. I just hope I never waste that much sleep again.

Today, Abigail and I tried to out-tourist ourselves, so we headed to the incredible Ashmolean Museum. If you ever find yourself in Oxford, go there. It may have been my favorite thing so far. They had exhibits from Ancient Greece to Japan after 1850 to Italian Renaissance (I saw a chess set from the 1400s! Incredible!) to Modern Art (I saw a Vincent van Gogh and Manet! Be jealous, Dad, be verrry jealus.) We ran around “ooh”ing in the Egyptian exhibit. I began turning my broken record then as well, “This is incredible!” Once we got to the European Music and Tapestry room, however, I lost my faithful museo-companion. I flitted about from case to case, gasping and giggling anew at each instrument while Abigail sat unimpressed on a bench. Let me tell you what I saw, and hopefully you’ll understand a bit. I saw a performance violin from 1638. I saw 2 incredibly detailed, beautiful harpsichords (my most exciting moment). I saw a Strativari violin called “The Messiah.” I saw an English guitar inlaid with fine ivory detail from over 400 years ago. I feel justified in the freak-out.

After our extended visit (thanks, Abigail) to the Ashmolean, we made our way to Christ Church and the Alice in Wonderland shop. I labored over whether to buy an Oxford shirt (to tap into my Letters mojo) for at least 10 minutes, and finally left the shop 15 minutes later with a shirt and mug (classic). We then stopped into a local cafe in search of tea and a pastry for Abigail and a Peroni Lager for me. It was alright, but my favorite this trip has been the Alpine Lager at Ye Olde Swiss Cottage.

Tomorrow, we make our way through gorgeous English and Wales countryside to Ireland. After several failed travel plans, we’ve finally finnagled our way onto a train and ferry. Expect another long post, I suppose. Cheers!

I finished my last coursework at la Cato today just a few short hours ago. I guess it was actually my last course work of my undergraduate career. 🙂 I rewarded myself with some new reading and some sweets 🙂

After our oral exam, Calin and I ate lunch at “El Arbolito,” a yummy vegetarian restaurant near school. I had palta rellena and a fruit salad with yogurt. Delicious! Then, I went and dropped off some books at the library and turned in my 11 page final essay for Justicia. Before leaving campus, I stopped into the bookstore. Right when I walked in, I spotted some publications entitled, “Memoria: revista sobre cultura, democracia y derechos humanos” near the cash register. There were 7 volumes in total. I picked one up and thumbed through– it looked pretty interesting! But how was I supposed to choose which volume?!?!!? Well, I called my friend Emilio from Justicia class–I figured if anyone would know about these revistas (what I would consider an academic journal), it would be him! and sure enough! Emilio suggested volume no. 2! “Numero dos es bastante bueno!” I enjoyed having a phone conversation with a Peruvian without having to say “Qué?” o “Cómo?” even once! It made it even better that it was a great friend I’ve made while here. (I’m going to miss Emilio–I’ve seriously never met someone so genuinely kind-hearted! We plan on meeting up this weekend before I leave to say goodbye.) I started reading my newly purchased revista on the combi ride home. The first article is about a study conducted with people from four different locations in Peru about how they felt during the conflict. It is really really fascinating, and I’m so glad I purchased it because I’ve finished all my books and some borrowed ones!! Plus, it’s in Spanish, and it’s such a great feeling to be able to read-read Spanish now (without looking up things or translating back into English–seriously not translating back, I never thought the day would come!! 🙂 )

I’m sad my time here is winding down. I can’t BELIEVE I only have 5 more days left in Peru. Only 5 more days of being able to speak Spanish regularly, to look out on busy Lima, to ride dirty combis (said with love <3 ), and to visit with friends.

PS World Cup!!!!!!!!!!! finishes on the day we leave. We will have been lucky enough to experience the entire thing in fútbol-crazy Peru!

I've been so fortunate to have spent the past four months here. Lima will always hold a special place in my heart.

My time here in Lima is winding down. I can’t believe I only have two weeks left. This next week is finals week excluding Tuesday which is a holiday for the pope. I have tests Monday and Wednesday and a take-home test that will be handed out Thursday. Then on the Tuesday of my last week here, I have an oral exam and a paper to turn in (test would have been during finals week if not for the holiday.)

I’m not too stressed about my tests. If I study, I should be fine.

I’m looking forward to having a little free time after my tests are all finished. I’ll have about 5 free days in Lima to do some reflecting on my time here and go to places for my “lasts”. I think it’ll be nice to sit back and think about what this experience has meant to me, being able to evaluate it without worrying about the responsibilities of school and with the advantage of hindsight.

My restaurants/foods to try list consisted of:
Restuarants:
Rocoto Relleno–yet to be checked off.
Limeño Traditions–closed down
Don Rosalina–check! great Italian food
Como Agua Para Chocolate–check! great Mexican food
Mi Carcochita–good mexican–not as good as como agua (above)
La Rosa Nautica–check!!!! beautiful, amazing atmosphere, fantastic service, wide selection of food!
Foods:
cuy: check! unimpressed—boney, came with a face and paws, little meat
anticuchos–not yet
ceviche–check! really liked it–very unique flavor. not my favorite food, but a great experience!
pollo a la braza-check! just like any other roasted chicken i’ve ever had haha but they love it here.

Places to visit/ visit again and things to do before I leave:

–Park near my house–this is where I want to do some looking-back on my trip.
–Miraflores–Larco Mar/ beach
–Japanese Restaurant with friend from school
–Souvenir shopping
–hamburger near school again (There is a hamburger kiosk across the street from Católica. This guy’s hamburgers are famous with the students–they call him Tio Bigote. Mine was great, but not necessarily for the meat haha there is a lot of stuff on these burgers. I asked for a burger with cheese,but he handed me a burger with egg. I took it 🙂 There were swarms of people crowding the stand, and I knew I would never get another if I turned it down.)
–Center of Lima–museums and catacombs
–Museo Larco
–5 estaciones
–Tortas emily’s
–Hang out with my Peruvian friends

Arte por La Memoria

Last week during my Justicia class, a group from the organization “Arte por La Memoria” came and presented. We all waited outside while they set up. When we entered, a somber tone was set. We were asked to only sit in chairs with photographs. The group explained the organization´s objectives, showed a video, explained a beautiful display of artwork created by a group of women named Mama Quilla, and then lit candles for the altar colectivo.

Their objectives: (from their website :http://arteporlamemoria.wordpress.com/)
¿Qué queremos?
-Recuperar memoria (Recuperate memory)
-Evidenciar silencios cómplices (Demonstrate silent accomplices–I think this means give a voice to those who can’t tell their story through conventional means–like writing or even vocally b/c of language barrier,etc.)
-Reivindicar a las y los afectados (Vindicate the victims)
-Ser una forma de reparación simbólica para las y los afectados del conflicto. (Be a form of symbolic reparation for the victims of the conflict)
-Democratizar plataformas de exhibición y consumo de arte y lograr un trabajo articulado entre varios actores.
(Democratize platforms of exhibition and consumption of arte and acheive a work articulated between various actors)

Arpilleras Mama Quilla de Huaycán. This was one of the coolest works of art I have ever seen.

Arpilleras Mama Quilla de Huaycán. This was one of the coolest works of art I have ever seen.

The arpilleras de Mama Quilla de Huaycán (these decorated clothes tell the story of a population of people who migrated to the outskirts of Lima during the conflict) :
Top Left: How their small village was before the conflict arrived there.
Top Right: Their village after the Senderistas y Fuerzas Armadas arrived
Center Right: The villagers hiding in the hills.
Center Left: The village they set up on the outskirts of Lima: Huaycán
Bottom Left: But the conflict came to Huaycán too.
Bottom Right: Their march to the plaza de armas in Lima to demand water and electricity (which they received as a result).
Center Center: What the villagers hope for their town in the future. You can see children playing soccer.

The collective altar:
In my seat was the foto of Saul Cantoral Huamani (Lima) who was assasinated on February 13, 1989. I was the first one up at the altar. I set his foto on the table and lit a blue candle in his memory. One of the seats next to me was empty (student-wise), but sitting in the seat was the foto of Felix Huaman, a journalist–so I placed his foto on the table as well. I felt his memory should be honored too.

Altar Colectivo

Altar Colectivo


Cajamarca
Last weekend, Calin and I finally made it to Cajamarca.
We took a Tepsa bus. It is a 14 hour trip. We left Lima at 4:15 on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Cajamarca at 9am on Friday morning (took longer than normal–our bus was stopped several times along the way). Cajamarca is known for its delicious milk products and historical sites (Atahualpa–the last Inca was executed here). I must admit I liked the historical sites better than the food, although we did buy some yummy manjar blanco.
On Friday, we ate breakfast at the Tuna Cafe. I had a sunny-side up egg (result of inadequately explaining over-easy), bacon, and pineapple juice. We visited the Iglesia de Belén, ex-hospital for men, ex-hospital for women (made into a museum), and the cuarto de rescate (Atahualpa ransom room). We purchased the tickets for these 4 places in a bundle deal for only 2.5 soles a piece with our student discount. Then we payed 7 soles for a tour guide (worth it if only for a funny memory). After that tour, we visited a San Francisco church with catacombs and a museum outback. Then we tried our first cuy (guinea pig). I have to say I wasn’t too impressed and kind of grossed out haha. It came with a face, teeth, paws,a TON of bones, and little meat. After dinner, we headed for a musical we had seen advertised. Turned out it was at a high school 🙂 It was actually pretty good. They performed Oscar Wilde’s “The Ghost of Canterbury.” I loved loved loved the little kid ghosts.iglesia de belénpachacamacex-hospital de mujeresarrow headscuarto del rescatesan francisco churchgoing down to the catacombscatacombscatacombs 2little ghosts at the musicalOn Saturday, we visited the Baños del Inca–ancient thermal baths-about 10-15 minutes from Cajamarca. In addition to showing off the old, they now offer a heated pool, saunas, hot showers, massages,etc. We didn’t partake in the new–just checked out the incan baths 🙂 they were pretty cool. After returning to Cajamarca, we ate the menú at the Tuna Cafe: palta rellena, lomo saltado, a gross dessert haha, and chicha morada ( i liked it!). Then we trekked up to Santa Apolonia, the mirador, and the Incan seat.
banos del inca up to Santa Apoloniaoverlooking Cajamarcamiradorincan seat
We took a 6:30 bus back to Lima and arrived around 9 am on Sunday morning. It was all in all a great trip, and I’m so glad we FINALLY made it!

I know I promised a “food blog” from my Machu Picchu/Cusco trip. It will come!!!! But first I wanted to blog about some of the amazing experiences I’ve been having lately learning about Peru’s history.

My favorite course here at Católica is called “Justicia y Organismos Públicos” taught by Jo Marie Burt. Profesora Burt is a visiting professor from George Mason. In class, we’ve been studying transitional justice.
Transitional justice is a response to systematic or widespread violations of human rights. It seeks recognition for victims and to promote possibilities for peace, reconciliation and democracy. Transitional justice is not a special form of justice but justice adapted to societies transforming themselves after a period of pervasive human rights abuse.http://www.ictj.org/en/tj/

If you do not know much about this time period in Peru (as I didn’t when I first arrived), I highly highly recommend reading about. Here’s the wikipedia link–it really doesn’t do it justice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_conflict_in_Peru

I feel like basically, the easy/common thing to do is blame all the human rights violations on Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path–maoist, guerilla, terrorist group started by a professor at an Ayacuchan university named Abimael Guzman (their leader captured in 1992). The Senderistas wanted to take over the government and make a “New Democracy.” They went to the rural, indigenous areas to gain support, highlighting the failures of the current regime and boasting change for the better.) It is true that SL was responsible for many many many violations–massacres, disappearances, torture, sexual violations.. However, according to the CVR (the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Peru), the Senderistas were responsible for 54%, the MRTA (Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement) was responsible for 1.5%,and the Peruvian armed forces were responsible for 37%.

Some specific cases if you would like to learn more “Cantuta Massacre” “Barrios Altos Massacre” “Putis”–all committed by the armed forces. “Uchuraccay Massacre” where journalists were killed in Ayacucho. “Tarata Bombing” “Lucanmarca Massacre”Assassination of María Elena Moyano” carried out by the Shining Path. The Peruvian government was ill-prepared to fight the Senderos and their guerrilla war. The rural, indigenous, quechua speakers got the brunt of the impact. 79% of the victims were from rural areas (only 29% of Peru’s entire population lives in rural areas). 75% of the victims spoke Quechua or other native language as thir primary language (Only 16% or Peru’s population speaks a native language as their first.) These statistics show how lopsided the violations were. Statistics given in class–time period: 1980-2000.
69,000 deaths
14,000 forced disappearances,
600,000 displaced persons
4-5,000 arrests without justification

A couple of weeks ago, our professor was out of town. Instead of going to class, she asked us to visit Yuyanapaq, a photographic memorial to the victims of the armed conflict. Yuyanapaq means “para recordar” or “to remember” in Quechua. Here’s a link to a random blog I found that has pictures of the memorial-with captions from the blogger (I didn’t think to bring my camera):
http://c-monster.net/blog1/2009/06/08/yuyapanaq/

The memorial did an incredible job of making history come to life. Words cannot describe what an impact it had on me. And today, I was fortunate enough to receive a publication of the memorial that includes the majority, if not all, of the the pictures with captions. My teacher brought them to class!! Yuyanapaq is awesome–a great way to memorialize the conflict and its victims. The exhibit evokes many strong emotions and serves as a place for Peruvians to remember and contemplate their history–as well as for foreigners to learn about it. One photo in particular had a strong effect on me. It was a black and white of the Pan American Highway with tons of rocks on it and a combi off to the side. The rocks formed a roadblock for the combi and the senderos killed everyone on the combi. It struck me hard. I have traveled on the Pan American before in a combi just like the one depicted. The conflict during which this picture was taken ended a mere 10 years ago. It is still very fresh in the minds of those who lived through it. Yuyanpaq brought history to life for me and made it personal. I will never forget the atrocities that occurred here in Peru…ever.

On Saturday, June 5, Calin and I visited the Ojo Que Llora monument in Campo Marte (park in Lima). This is a monument by an artist named Lika Mutal, who was born in Holland but has lived in Peru for 40 years. Mutual inspiration for the monument was her visit to Yuyanapaq. The monument consists of a maze of around 47,000 stones that used to have the names of 27,000 victims on them (taken from an official list). Visitors are meant to follow the maze of stones from inside out until they come face to face with Mother Earth or Pachamama in the center. She is represented as an eye perpetually crying–a stream of water continually flows from this sculpture. The monument was funded by private donations. There is a huge debate about this monument–basically about how to distinguish “victims” from “perpetrators”. Many believe that among the rocks, are names of both. The monument was defaced once in 2007 when news of Fujimori´s extradition surfaced. The persons responsible for this attacked a guard at the monument, smashed several rocks, and left neon orange paint all over the monument. The sun and weather have washed away all the original names on the rocks (painted with permanent ink), and now the rocks are being inscribed and placed in a series of ceremonies.

The day after we visited “El Ojo que Llora,” I attended a group meeting for a project in Justicia class. Our group met with members of EPAF (Equipo Peruano de Antropología Forense).http://epafperu.org/ We discussed the case we´ve been researching–El Caso de Putis. This event occurred in December 1984 in the region of Huanta. In this region, there had been high sendero presence. Many of the people living in the region, had fled to the mountains and forests to hide in 1983. A military base was installed in 1984. The armed forces asked the villagers to come out of hiding, promising protection from the Senderos. When the villagers returned, the military led them to a site under the pretense of making a piscigranja or fish farm to aid in the redevelopment of their town. The men started digging, and when they had finished, the all of the villagers lined up around the holes for the fish farm. The military proceeded to shoot all 123 of them–men, women, and children (many many many innocent children–the youngest was only 1 year old). Basically the villagers had dug their own grave. The CVR–truth and justice commission of Peru–investigated this case and confirmed that these events occurred. They found two graves, one in 2001 and the other in 2003. These graves were not exhumed until 2008–24 years after the massacre had occurred. EPAF helped with the exhumation, conducting tests with DNA and identifying the bones, clothes, and other possessions within the graves. They also found bullets with the markings of the armed forces inside. The testimonies of the CVR and the evidence from the exhumation matched perfectly. (Exhumations are only allowed in Peru if the case is being brought to court) However, there is still no justice for the case of the Putis. To find out why my group believes why you can read our essay. (I will try to attach it later)

While talking to members of EPAF, we touched on the subject of memory. I gave the example of September 11: For my children, it will “just” another part of history. How will they understand the importance or impact of what happened? EPAF emphasized that this is the importance of their work–not only to help with exhumations and run tests and analyze data but ALSO to make sure people don´t forget.

I believe this is the importance of memorials like Yuyanapaq and El Ojo que Llora–to FORCE people to remember what happened so that it won´t happen again. I like the way a guest professor to our class put it best in these few statements (he was talking about film, but it still applies:) ) :

–>The images call us to reflect and analyze what we see.

–>They give new generations the possibility to have a memory so they can investigate the events so they can turn “myths” into history.

Well, it’s over.  It’s a sad fact for me to face, and it has yet to truly dawn on me I think.  Four months of my life I spent living the life and now it has come to pass.  Now it is nearly time to go back to the old routine.  I’ll have to trade in my Shawerma stands for pizza shops, Marshrutka taxis for Norman’s shuttle buses, and the language and culture I have come to love and respect for the ones I was born with.  It’s bittersweet.  I of course am looking forward to seeing the familiar and closes faces of those I left behind when I embarked on this small adventure, but it was sad to wave goodbye to the new friends I made with an uncertainty as to when I will see them again. And so I think back on all the good times we spent and find it hard to write any words that could capture the moments, but I figure using pictures kind of means I’m writing a thousand words at a time, so here are a few:

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Wow. I can’t believe my time here in Peru is winding down. I am almost 2/3 of the way done. A little more than 6 weeks to go.  That fact evokes a mixture of emotions–as ready as I am to come home, I still feel I have a lot more to accomplish here in Lima. There are still things to be seen, and I would love for my Spanish to get a little better. It has definitely become better, but not quite as much as I would’ve hoped for at this point.

Jon arrived in Lima at 2 am last Friday morning–delayed in Houston.  I took a safe taxi Taxi San Borja to and from the airport. You have to call this company well in advance to get a taxi, but late at night–especially since I was alone, it was definitely worth it.  The taxista was nice and showed me where to go to pick him up and then waited (for an hour due to customs and baggage claim) for me to return with Jon.  He took us to my host stay. We got about 3 hours of sleep and then the same taxista picked us up and took us back to the airport for our flight to Cusco.

Here’s the logistics of our trip:

Friday--Flight to Cusco left around 10, in Cusco around 11. We took Taca airlines.  Checked into our hostel, Wasichay in Cusco. It was a great location-and ok room for the price.

Saturday– Our travel agency Andina Travel picked us up at Wasichay at 6:50 am. We took a Perurail bus from Cusco to Piscacucho and then the Peru Rail train from Piscacucho to Aguas Calientes. We arrived in Aguas Calientes around 12:30 in the afternoon, and our hostel Pirwa Hostel (highly recommended by a friend of mine, and I loved it too) picked us up from the train station. Everything in Aguas Calientes is basically within walking distance so we walked to our hostel, left our backpacks, and then walked to the bus station. We took a 20 min bus up to Machu Picchu! and spent the afternoon there (about 3 1/2 hours). We didn’t use a guide–just walked around by ourself. I had a tour book especially for MP, but decided not to use it about 3o min in and just soaked up the beauty instead of figuring out what each rock was haha.

Sunday– We took the 10 am Peru Rail train and were back in Piscacucho at 11:30. Then we took a Peru Rail bus to Ollantambo. Then our travel agency sent a taxi to pick us up from Ollantambo and bring us back to Cusco. We didn’t get back until a little after 3 pm because the towns of Ollantambo and Urubamaba were celebrating a religious festival and the traffic near Urubamba was backed up.

Monday– We took a flight to Lima from Cusco at noon!

This was definitely a whirlwind go-go-go type of trip, but Jon only had 6 days in Peru-so it was necessary. And quite honestly, I felt like we got what we wanted out of the trip–great food, relaxation, and MACHU PICCHU!  There was probably a lot in Cusco to see that we didn’t, but I really don’t feel too bad about it……

I would defintely definitely recommend using Andina Travel. And ask for Erick! He speaks English, which is nice when planning a complicated schedule, and he was very quick to respond by email!  I booked our flights to Cusco, our Peru Rail train tickets, and our hostel in Aguas Calientes all on my own. Then I sent this information to Erick, and he handled coordinated transit bus/taxi pick ups, our entrances to Machu Picchu, the bus to Machu Picchu, and our hotel in Cusco.  As far as I could tell, I payed no extra than what I would’ve for these services had I done it all on my own–agency must get a discount. And it saved us a montón of time and stress. When the agency picked us up from our hostel in Cusco on Saturday morning, the lady had our train tickets, MP bus tickets, and MP entrance tickets all stapled together for each one of us and in a nice brown envelope. Also the only reason we had to do taxi and buses to and from Piscacucho was because of the January mudslide. Normally Peru Rail would take you straight from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, you would take the same bus from AC to MP and be done with it.  Apparently Peru Rail has been changing ticket details last minute frequently and having an agency who was used to this and adjusted according was awesome. Plus having the bus and entrance tickets to MP in hand was soooo convenient. No standing in long lines, figuring out where to the ticket offices are, etc.

When back from Cusco/Machu Picchu Jon and I rested/went to a movie– ROBIN HOOD!!!with Russell Crow and Cate Blanchett–so good! Then the next day, we went to Miraflores–Park of Love, beach, another movie DATE NIGHT with Steve Carell and Tina Fey–also good! and dinner at the Rosa Nautica. Then Wed (day he left) just rested and showed him around my neighborhood and took him to the 4 estaciones jugeria for dinner and banana milk (my new fav drink).

All in all it was a successful trip. It was hard to say goodbye again, but I’ll be back in 6 weeks!!!  Also the things he brought from home (my sister packed them) are really gonna make my time in Lima better–assorted teas from the candy basket, cinnamon disks, trail mix (goldfish, dried cranberries, mnms, and peanuts), warmer shoes, extra workout shirts, moisturizer, hot chocolate mix, new OU scholars tee, and LuLu (my stuffed bunny)!! My sister is amazing. I love and miss her so much.

I’m going to do a separate post about the food we ate while traveling and in Lima! The food was definitely Jon’s favorite part!!!! And I don’t blame him–we happened upon some great places with great dishes!!!!!

Weather

The seasons have begun to change here in Lima. It is now fall! When I first arrived, sandals and shorts were the appropriate attire. Now, layers are more efficient.  When the sun is out, it’s warm-ish. But there are stretches in the morning and definitely after sunset that are absolutely freezing!! The temperature might be 60, but it feels like 40 or below. And according to some (new!yay!) Peruvian friends and our host family, June will be colder.  So…I need to invest in a warmer jacket ( I only packed a light Columbia zip-up jacket) and some more comfortable closed-toe shoes! I don’t want to wear my tennis shoes everyday, and the couple pair of closed-toes I brought give me blisters easily!  My boyfriend is coming for a visit (he’ll be here Thursday ahhhh!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 ) and I’m going to ask him to bring my boots and also take home some sandals and other summerish clothes that I will no longer be needing.  I figure I’ll buy a warmer coat here, because I don’t want my peacoat making a trip to Lima.  I would hate for something to happen to it! Besides my Lima winter coat can also serve as a souvenir!

As a result of not initially being prepared, I have a bit of a cold.  I went to the pharmacy (boticas–they’re literally everywhere) and told them that I had a headache and a stuffy nose. They gave me a pill called “gripadyn” –not an antibiotic, because I asked– but no idea really what it was, although it did work wonders along with 4-5 pocket packs of kleenex! (Funny side story about the kleenex: I went to a corner store to buy some pocket packs, and I knew the word for kleenexes was “pañuelos”.  I had bought “pañuelos” in Mexico and had remembered the word from seeing it on the package.  However, I never realized I had only just read it and never said it out loud. So when I asked the lady at the counter for the kleenexes she had no idea what I was talking about.  I had to resort to the hand motion of blowing my nose :/ This was followed by a well-intentioned Spanish lesson.  She actually had me “repeat after me”.  She was like– “pan….repita! pan” ….”ñu”…”el”… “o” and I humored her and repeated 🙂 🙂  I kinda still have trouble saying it, and I think next time I will try saying “Kleenex” with a Castellano accent haha it works with things like oreos :))

Some linguistic tips for fall (in addition to the pañuelo lesson):

resfrío (cold)

gripe (literally flu– but I think here it is like a stomach bug? or sickness in general–b/c often they ask if I have gripe after I describe my cold symptoms…ok maybe this one wasn’t actually a tip, but rather something I’m trying to figure out..)

chompa (jacket)

abrígate! (keep warm or bundle up)

Food

I also found that I have a fish allergy.  Kind of weird since fish (both fresh and marine) has never made me sick before.  Well, remember how I got sick last Thursday and we didn’t end up going to Cajamarca as a result? We ate fish for lunch that day.  Well I chalked my sicknesss up to a motion-related one because everyone ate the same food and I was the only one who got sick.  However…. this Saturday we also ate fish for lunch. And sure enough, two hours later  I got sick in the same exact way (same headache, acid reflux, vomit-type).  I feel the fact that I ate fish both days is enough to consider these episodes noncoincidental… I am also allergic to betadine (contains an Iodine compound–I looked up the word Iodine and it’s “yodo” in Spanish.) From what I’ve been reading, marine fish can have a large amount of iodine or a protein similar to it in their muscles.  I don’t really know how I can be unallergic to iodized salt and other iodine-containing foods, but I am allergic to the iodine in the fish….. Maybe different forms of iodine.

Perhaps this is something I will learn in medical school. I’ve tried to search out the answer on the internet (google and such), but the answers are exteremely variable–seeing as how anyone can post their opinion on the web!  Well–if anyone reading this can enlighten me–I’d love your input! (Especially Lizz if you’re reading–maybe you can ask Dr. Ryals if he knows!) Also, I’m not sure exactly what kind of fish I ate (only that I ate the same kind both times) –my host family calls it “diamante” or diamond fish.

Time after Midterms

Besides the two relatively short bouts of sickness related to the diamond fish, my time since midterms has been thoroughly enjoyable.  I have caught up on blogging, reading, scholarship essay writing, working out, and a little sightseeing!

This past Thursday Calin and I went to the Center of Lima for our first time! Cindy and Serena (two other OU students studying at Católica) were nice enough to take us! We now know which combis to take from school and a little of our way around.  We walked through Plaza San Martín and the Plaza de Armas, ate lunch, and went up to the Mirador San Cristobal! It was a great trip. We only stayed a few hours because we had to get back for class, but hopefully we’ll go again soon and get to see more!

Calin and I also went into Wong for our first time. I am so so so excited about my first (good) purchase of turkey meat and cheese for sandwiches.  ( My first time was at Metro, and I was very disappointed). Calin and I have also tried out two Mexican restaurants: Mi Carcochito (last post) and Sí Señor.  We went to Sí Señor today in Miraflores.  I think it was my favorite of the two.  It had many more choices and almost all were Mexican (where as at Mi Carcochito the majority was Peruvian, but they offered tacos).  I ate tacos de carnita cancun or something along those lines. They were great, great, great flour tortillas with meat, pineapple, onions, peach, beans, and guacomole inside. Calin had enchiladas, which she said were really good.

List of restuarantes to try before I leave is now the following:

–>Rocoto Relleno

–>a cevicheria en Miraflores (which might be tricky now with my aversion to fish)

–>Don Rosalina

–>Como Agua Para Chocolate

–>Limeño Tradiciones

–>La Rosa Nautica ( Hopefully I get to check this one off when Jon comes!)

Midterms

I have yet to get all of my midterm grades, but hopefully I will this week. I did get my “Etnicidad, Identidad y Nación” grade back and it was an A! (which I was proud of because it was an essay test in Spanish).  I am still waiting on my “Seguridad Internacional” grade–it was also an essay test–, my “Justicia y Organismos Publicos” ensayo–5-7 page essay in English–, and my Quechua exam…..which practically everyone cheated on (not me-gracias to my morals and OU’s strict academic honesty policy). And the teacher is not going to make us retake it!  The teacher was not present at the exam–a proctor was, and everyone whipped out their notes claiming they were “like” dictionaries (b/c dictionaries were allowed, but not recommended). It was one of my most bizarre experiences here. I was livid about the whole situation, and from what I could tell it was not as big of a deal to the professor or the students. The profesora lightly scolded everyone the next class period, but that was that.

Oh well, what’s done is done haha–I need not stew about my Quechua test any longer, and I am  so excited for this week! I have four days of class, and then Jon will get here late Thursday night. And we will be off to Cuzco and Machu Picchu for the weekend! I hope that all goes smoothly! Wish us luck! And I will surely be returning with beautiful pictures and memories!

Now, for the top five things I like better about Europe than America 😉

1. Traveling
2. Biking
3. Trains
4. Proximity
5. Bubbly Water

Traveling
It is so interesting how you can travel to all these different countries in such a short time. They are so close to each other and relatively small (as compared to the size of America) that you could be in a couple of different countries in one day if you wanted to. I have not fully taken advantage of this opportunity yet but I plan to when I get some more free time.

Biking
One of my favorite things to do these days, especially since the weather is brightening up. If you saw me on the streets I probably look like a little kid. Maybe that’s how everyone here can tell who the Americans are, we either look like we are going to fall on our faces or have a huge grin.

Trains
Something that no one here finds great joy in, I love to ride the trains. It’s nice to just sit back and watch the scenery go by. You don’t have to worry about traffic or stoplights, bad drivers or drunk drivers, rain or snow; just enjoy the ride 🙂 It is a bit more expensive than I thought it would be though.

Proximity
This applies both to the countries and the set up of towns themselves. Cities are set up so that you can do all your general shopping in one area. Groceries, drug store, clothing etc just walk to one place and get it all done. Not only that it makes for a very nice Saturday of strolling around.

Bubbly water
Now in America I found this stuff quite disgusting. Maybe it is different here or maybe it just grew on me; I don’t know. Nevertheless, I really love this stuff and that is going to be quite bad when I go back to Oklahoma because not only can we not buy it in the big liter bottles like here but it is also very expensive.

Thanks for reading, hope to be posting more often.

Top Five Things I Miss about America

I must start by saying, my obvious first big miss is family and friends. I do not miss them in a sad way like I wish I were back home, but in a grateful way. Sometimes you need space and time away from people to realize how much they really mean to you. It is a wonderful feeling to know there are people in this world who love you and miss you as much as you do them.

That being said…

1. Prices
2. Shopping
3. OU
4. Going to the Movies/Out to Dinner
5. Ability to do Whatever I Want (?)

Prices
Things are so cheap in America. We really take for granted the prices we have. Did you know the concept of free refills is purely an American concept. You will pay over 2 US dollars for every small drink you drink. So gulp big Americans! That is a privilege, but maybe gulp diet we are still definitely the fat ones ;)Also, gas prices, never will I complain again.

Shopping
Highly correlated to prices, I didn’t even know if it deserved it’s own category but I decided it did because also in relation to shopping is transportation. Man, it is hard to carry a package of water on a bike. Initially though the category was created for clothing and accessory shopping… of course 🙂 Favorite stores I miss have got to be Ross and TJMAxx. Yes, I am one cheap shopper.

University of Oklahoma
The challenge… I crave the challenge. There are many difficult things in the Neths but school is not one of them. In no way do I mean to seem pompous or rude, school at OU and Price is just structured very differently and God knows I love an academic competition. On top of just the academics is the atmosphere. Here there is no college campus, there is just one building with all the classrooms. I like the feeling of walking around the campus from building to building bustling about all the backpacks. Even just sitting in the big couches at the Union or Price, feeling totally at home among your fellows with glowing laptop screens.

Dinner and Movies
A traditional American weekend event I believe. It was something I did not think I would really miss but I do. It is much cheaper to do this in America and for some reason it just feels different, like more of an event. Since it can be up to $16.50 USD to see a movie here it sure should feel like an event but it doesn’t. By the way that is what it cost to go see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. So yes, when I get back lets go to Alfredo’s get some good cheap Mexican food then off to Warren!

Control/Ability
I wasn’t sure how to title this but I put it under control or ability. What I am trying to say is, in Oklahoma if I want to do something I know how I can do it or find out how to do it. Here there are so many unknowns. It is exciting, don’t get me wrong, but it can be frustrating at times when you feel lost. I’m not the kind of person that really likes to be helped or ask for help so there can be a definite struggle with that sometimes.

Don’t worry Europeans, look forward to Flop Five… top five things I like better here than in America.

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