On our third day at Amauta, our culture class Professor planned a little trip to the cemetery for us. I really like her a lot because she doesn’t believe in shoving historical numbers and things down our throat, but rather she prefers to take us out of the classroom and see, in person, all the culture that surrounds us on the streets.
Our class and Karlayne took cabs to the cemetery so that we’d have more time to look around; the other group preferred to walk. We got to the cemetery and before entering, our Professor explained that in Peruvian culture, or South American culture in general, a cemetery is not really a place for mourning. The death of a loved one is often a celebration and welcoming into the afterlife.
We got to the cemetery and I went my own way, as I usually do when I’m really interested and want to explore on my own. The cemetery was absolutely gorgeous with all bodies lined up in rows and columns and decorative memorials on display for the living and dead to see. My Professor was right, the air didn’t reek of tears and pain but rather a happiness that jumped off the collages, pictures, and toys left for the dead.
I thought it was very interesting and almost eerie that they had so many baby plaques. I believe they had a specific location for children and a lot of those buried were only under 8 years old. My Professor told us that these displays usually last a couple of years and then the space is recycled to make room for others.
Although I did experience a happier atmosphere than in any US cemetery, I saw a couple of people revisiting their loved ones and cleaning up the plaques and memorials in a very solemn state. One woman was revisiting a grave who I believe belongs to her late husband. She cried a little and said some prayers but her stay was nothing too dramatic. I really want to come back during the day of the dead which is November 1st or 2nd, I can’t remember which date at the moment. Seeing all those beautiful memorials intricately decorated makes me curious for what the living prepare for the dead on that occasion.
After school Natalie, Rachel, and I went home for lunch. We had a chicken and rice meal (pollo y arroz) which is pretty typical in South America. We were all so tired and Natalie wasn’t feeling well so we decided to take a nap. Rachel and I didn’t sleep for long because we had to meet Leslie and Karlayne at the Mercado Molino to help Leslie find some sneakers and do a little shopping. We got there and there were hundreds and hundreds of shoes, gifts, toys (everything you can think of) concentrated into these little shops.
We shopped there for a little while and made our way to another food market where we saw, for the first time, raw and real meat. There were horse hooves covered in blood, coy, alpaca, and other meats I couldn’t, not did I want to, identify. Kim felt really queasy and eventually we all left, the majority of the group headed to Plaza de Armas to do some work before our movie night while I went back home because I had left my wallet and had no money on me.
That night we had an optional movie night at Amauta. The terrace is beautiful because it overlooks the city built on mountains but it was freezing. Luckily the people at Amauta brought out heat lamps which worked pretty well, except for the fact that it didn’t reach all the way down to my toes so my toes were pretty much numb the entire movie. We watched “Paloma dePapel” which is a movie about terrorism and the Shining Path in Peru. I loved the movie, it was very interesting and it exposed the kind of history I like to learn about. It’s a shame that a lot of people don’t know or aren’t informed of such tragic events that go on in other parts of the world.
Before coming on this trip I had no idea what Peru was all about. All I knew was Machu Picchu, one of the 7 world wonders, was located somewhere in the mountains. Never would I have guessed that for 20 years Peru struggled with terrorism, having to combat the Shining Path and the MRTA. I would have never known how vividly the people can recall random car bombs, a curfew, and an altogether suspension of their basic rights. The movie is definitely worth seeing; I would recommend it to anyone interested in history or human rights violations.
After the movie we all had dinner at this pizza place in the Plaza. I wasn’t very hungry so I split a pizza with Leslie which worked pretty well since the portions were of decent size. After dinner we went with Tyler to explore the city and find the local jazz place that was hosting a live band tribute to Nirvana and some other groups. We walked blocks up hill and I was almost ready to pass out by the time we got there. We ordered a few drinks and stayed until about 12am because Leslie, Rachel, and I were really tired and decided to call it a night early. The Peruvian band that covered Nirvana wasn’t half bad although the first 2 songs were a little off. The third song, though, was great and it’s no wonder why Tyler decided to stay at the pub by himself.
By the way here's the view we get from the classroom every day. You can see why it'd be so hard to concentrate:
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