So today we flew to Cusco!! I was so excited I could barely sleep; thus, waking up at 3:45am this morning was a little tough haha. We got to the airport a little early, so Sam and I went and got McDonald's (yes, I know, ME EATING MCDONALDS). It was the Peruvian version, and it came with free coffee, so it wasn't SO bad. The flight into Cusco was wonderful, Peruvian Airlines was sooo classy... we even got breakfast for a one-hour flight!
When we got into Cuzco, I was a little skeptical at first; as with most airports, it was located in the outskirts/projects of the city, so that was my first impression. However, once we got more into the city, my mind was quickly changed: Cuzco is AMAZING. There's cobblestones streets, ancient temples and churches, parks everywhere and just so much HISTORY in a city that's more than 1000 years old. It's a place I would probably need a week to fully explore.
However, I only had a day, and didn't want to push myself so hard that I'd get altitude sickness (it was already hard to breath at 14,000ft), so Sam and I just kinda took it easy all day. We went exploring for a while and found this awesome mercado, where we proceeded to buy lots of authentic Peruvian gifts at dirt-cheap prices. Then we found this little whole-in-the-wall restaurant where we were able to get a whole FEAST for 7 soles, which is like $2.50. Whoops for trying to eat light to not get sick? Hahaha. Then Marion took us to this really cool presentation about different Peruvian instruments, and we even got to play them!
By far, however, the best part of my night was my SHOWER. Living in a typical Peruvian home for a month, I have become accustomed to lukewarm, low-pressure 5-minute showers. However, the shower at this hotel is GLORIOUS. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a shower more in my life.... sooooooooooo nice.
Now I'm kinda just winding down my day... Machu Picchu tomorrow night!!! SO EXCITED!! (And Sam is excited for "the b-thing" tomorrow morning... which means breakfast. I've forbidden her from saying the word anymore lol).
Driving
Traffic rules do not exist. Red lights? Optional. Stop signs? There are none. Speeding? Go ahead, as long as the micros don't cut you off. If there's one thing limenos do consistently when it comes to driving, it's honking their horns. At cars, at people, at NOTHING.... it doesn't matter. I've seen drivers conduct horn musicals just for the hell of it. Yes, nothing says "home" to a limeno than the sound of honking automobiles.
Eating
Peruvians are viciously proud of their food. In a recent study, when asked what Peruvians were most proud of about their country, the number one response was their cuisine. Number 2 was Machu Picchu. Compare this to, say, Canada's answer of health care and education, and once can see that Peruvians take their meals very seriously. And they should. In the month that I have been here, I've only encountered one dish that I haven't liked -- and I've had something different to eat pretty much everyday. Who knows why this is -- maybe it's the magical combination of having access to food from the ocean, rainforest, and mountains -- but all I know is it's DELICIOUS.
"Third-Worldness" Many people I've talked to have this conception that Peru is entirely a third-world country -- and, in some respects, it is -- but that does not in any way mean that I do not have access to most, if not all, of the resources I have back home. Lima is a huge, bustling city with all of the amenities an American city has: department stores, restaurants, libraries, art markets, parks, and even a Starbucks and McDonalds here and there (although Walmart has not yet reached here). Thus, there's everything you could possibly need here, if you know where to look... although it IS quite hard to find pants and shoes for a person 6'0"...
Time Unlike Americans, Peruvians are, for the most part, pretty lax when it comes to time. No one ever freaks out when someone is a couple of minutes late to something; they live by the phrase "better to be late than not be here at all." Even most of the professors at my university don't show up to class until 15 minutes after the class is scheduled to start. Likewise, if you schedule a fiesta for 21:00 (they use military time here), don't expect anyone to show up until at least 22:30, and expect to get weird looks if you show up at 21:00. Even their word for "now", ahora, translates as "to the hour"; thus, you have an hour window to show up "on time." This cultural difference can be a little hard to deal with at times, being conditioned in a society that lives and dies by the clock, but at the same time it is strangely liberating. It all contributes to the Peruvian psyche: everyone is much more relaxed, not having to worry so much about being late.
How Peruvians View Lima If you ask a random Peruvian on the street what they think of their city, most likely they will respond "Nuestra ciudad...es fea, pero tratamos de mejorarla." Translated: "Our city is ugly, but we try to make it better." Indeed, there are many parts of Lima that could be considered "ugly" upon first glance: in the poorer sections especially there are some slums, beaten-up sidewalks, junked cars, and just overall grayness that matches the weather almost 300 days a year. But the real beauty in Lima, at least to me, lies in the hope of it's people. Flowers and palm trees are everywhere; most streets pass by 5-6 parks in any given direction; and all around, at almost every corner, you can see a Peruvian fixing a broken bench, or planting some flowers, or painting over graffiti. In a country where almost a third of the entire population lives in one place, it's astonishing just how colorful, vibrant, and happy the city can be once the sun shines. And when it does, you'd be shocked to see just how many Peruvians some out to enjoy the light and natural beauty they themselves placed there. Even in the slums, the "ugliest" parts of Lima, there are meticulously cared-for gardens in front of the broken-down buildings people call home. So is it ugly? It all depends on if you're on the gray or not. Because there's certainly things you can miss when all you're used to, when all you're able to see, is blandness.
Racism? Surprisingly, I have found that here in Peru, there is no "racism" as defined in the US. This is because Latin Americans in general, and Peruvians in particular, are very proud of their "mestizo" heritage; they believe that having a mixed background allows for a stronger people because of the inherited experiences of all the cultures. However, this does not mean that the European ideal of white supremacy is completely eliminated here, or that every region in Peru has equal standing. Indeed, Peru has "racism" in the form of language. If you speak Quechua, for example, you are generally viewed as being lower-class because it is the most popular idiom of the Andes, where people are generally poor. In fact, most Peruvians who move to Lima to try and make better lives for themselves usually try to hide where they are from because they want to be viewed as equals to those who speak Castillian. Likewise, being able to speak English is a sign that you were wealthy enough to afford a good education, and thus are of a higher social status.
Here's some basic, photographic interpretations of what I have seen and done my first month here.
I flew over here first class... ...then got delayed, missed my connecting flight, was stranded in Miami and was shoved into a crowded, uncomfortable plane to Lima.
Then I took a taxi to the hotel...
Buuuut I didn't get to sleep AT ALL because orientation was starting!! Eventually, though, I met my host mom and moved into my amazing apartment in Miraflores overlooking the ocean!!!
Since then I've seen the world's tallest fountain
the prettiest city parks I have ever seen
went on 2 bus tours of Lima
visited the Plaza de Armas
had daily adventures in the local transportation
in order to get to my school, which is beautiful!! (Though not as pretty as Richmond in my opinion)
...Not really. BUT I need to have one for my class here, so whatevs. Plus I know the 3 people that are reading this probably have some vague, remote interest in seeing how my Peru adventures are going, so I shouldn't disappoint. =)
