After school we all had lunch. Natalie, Rach, and I went back home for lunch since we had plans up until nighttime and probably wouldn’t have been able to make it home at a decent time for dinner. After lunch we had some spare time before we were to meet at the Museo Historico Regional so we took a cab out, Rach and Natalie going to the market and for me, back to school to try and get some work done and meet whoever was there.
I don’t remember exactly who was there or what but Karlayne and I went to McDonalds and bummed around there for a bit. Then we made our way to Museo Historico Regional where a group of us had already formed. We split into the two groups we were assigned for testing and went in.
I was in Group A although I wandered a lot so I really just explored the museum on my own. I thought that this was going to be another non-interactive, boring museum but it turns out it was actually enjoyable. We learned a lot about Garcilosa and the conquistadoras and what they did to the Peruvian people when they took over. A lot of the rebels suffered excruciating deaths and one of the famous pictures I remember is the picture of Tupac being tied to four different horses by the limbs. I believe after the horses pulled his body apart he was still alive so then afterwards he was decapitated. Don’t quote me on that, though.
Other parts of the museum I found interesting were a replica on the wall of a letter Tupac had written in jail in his own blood, and the a rushed, last part of the exhibit of modern art. The modern art depicted images of Peruvians with big feet and hands which Monica explained weren’t offensive but a celebration to all the hard work that Peruvians do. Their manual labor is very intense and the large hands and feet represent the cultivation and agricultural success that Peru has experienced over the years.
After the museum I stayed back for awhile to speak to Monica about my early flight information. She also had a group waiting to speak to her about the Inca Trail, I believe, and so while I waited Monica’s mother spoke to me about trying to marry a Spanish speaker, preferable Henry, our lawyer, to continue my Spanish speaking capabilities. I thought it was very funny although she seemed serious about the match making mission. Finally, Monica got to me and gave me the basic information and after, her, Jenny, Henry, and her Mom stayed awhile to talk a little bit more about their first impressions of me, etc. I rushed from the Museum to McDonald’s to meet everyone else and change some more of my dollars into soles for shopping and dinner the next day.
At 6:30pm we all went up to the school to watch “Tarata,” a Spanish film about terrorist attacks in Miraflores. The movie was excellent and I really enjoyed the theme, which was right in the realm of my interests. The mother in the movie played her role as “bitch (for lack of a better word)” perfectly and the actors/actresses really expressed the kind of fear, discrimination, and hatred that occurred in the 80s and 90s in Peru. I would recommend the film to anyone interested in the deep cultural history of Peru and the effects of terrorism on different classes of people.
After the movie we were all pretty tired and Karlayne decided to go home. I stayed to have dinner with the gang at a vegetarian restaurant where I enjoyed my garlic bread and guacamole and chips. Everyone else’s meals looked delicious but my stomach was hurting and I’m a carnivore so I prefer steaks and chicken. It was a decent meal nonetheless and after we all went home, dragging our heavy laundry bags with us.
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