21 diciembre 2006
salud, dignidad, justicia
but the best part of it al is that a coworker made me a mix cd, and it has the song that i've been searching for. mi corazon. i love it.
me gusta la montanas, me gusta tu
me gusta nlirh.
also, kelsey is moving to lima soon. she'll really be on lima time. maybe once i pay off some debt, i'll join her there. we can live a like a little rez outpost in south america.
me gusta miraflores, me gustas tu
me gusta zapallal, me gusta peru
mi corazon es un combi de america del sur
y tu eres tomando un taxi
22 octubre 2006
soy una gringa de nuevo
so some people might be deterred by this, but it just makes me want to go back. watch some futbol there and drink some cerveza at the bar. i'm not daring enough to do it alone, but maybe i can talk others into it sometime.
anyway, it really brought lima time back and made me miss it.
10 agosto 2006
its been a while...
now, on to more important things...
today, the rest of my family left on their vacation. i was left alone in the big house with just the cat and lizard to keep me company. so, tonight i fell back on my second family.
its funny, last time i hung out with the kids, they called me. this time i called their niece, and just happened to find myself invited to a family get together.
and i never really thought of them as family before, but i realized as i walked in the door, really, i've known this family aunts, uncles, grandparents, kids, parents, etc. since i was 5. i know there will be a certain point in the evening when the two young cousins will wander off to call boys. and then kerry will say something misogynist and bill will start arguing conservative politics. and stace & i will play off each others' gender theory in an attempt to raise some consciousness, but really, its just the cheap beer talking.
and i feel comfortable. and its almost like home.
in other news, tomorrow i leave for chicago, then the wedding in muncie. then the iowa state fair. hopefully. transportation has yet to be arranged.
but the closet is finally cleaned. i have a sizeable paycheck on the way (but still not the paycheck the engineering co. still owes me), and i'm about to have a good week.
just remember the two most important rules:
-don't ruin anyone's fair fun
-what stays on the road, stays on the road (yes, that's how its supposed to be written)
that pretty much covers it all. meet me at the racing corner tap sunday night. i'll buy you a boilermaker.
29 julio 2006
dios mio
i was left alone last night with no car. i was seriously considering calling b.s., but then k&k called looking for my parents. when i told them they were gone for the weekend they offered to bring over beer in exchange for hot tub time. it sounded like a fair deal.
afterwards we ended up going to pit row where i recognized almost no one. except my sophomore homecoming dance date, who just passed his plumber's licensing exam.
today, i start working with my sister. this should be interesting....
25 julio 2006
time and space
que tiene mas? claro que tiene mas!
I was thinking about the lack of existence of space in the terms we so often think of it, as I was saying goodbye to my family via the telephone on Saturday. There I was, misty eyed, saying goodbye to my parents and sister before leaving for 5 weeks. Except that I live more than 1000 miles away from them to begin with. We may be in the same country, but we do not occupy the same space. We do not really have intersecting lives, except on those occasions where one is visiting the other. But the invisible borders make all the difference. Mostly because it would be far more expensive to call them from here. So, it is the implications of differential space, not the space itself that makes all the difference.
I was also thinking about this as I was waiting for the PATH back to jersey after exchanging moneys. I was certain that if I tried hard enough, I would still be in bed that morning. And every time I drifted off to sleep on the plane, I was no longer mid flight to South America. And this is all corroborated by the existence of pizza hut and mcdonalds and bk, chilis and tgi Fridays, dunkin doughnuts, united colors of beneton, keneth cole new york, and payless shoes in lima. and even la bamba on the radio. Or Grey’s anatomy on tv. As much as I hate to admit it, diLeonard was right. When you’re standing in the middle of GAP and you can’t remember whether you’re in Des Moines or Calcutta space no longer has the meaning it once did and by extension, I wonder what this is doing to culture.
Not to say that culture has to be “traditional” (Traditional as mutton sandwiches at McDonalds, I say), but difference is the key to finding beauty in life. So, it worries me a little.
22 julio 2006
mañana salgo
we went on a driving tour of the city. it was great. most of the places i had seen already, but it was good to put it all in perspective. plus there were a few things i hadn't seen. i wish i had time to go back and explore more....no such luck.
we also had some Chifa, which was quite good, but makes me want to nap now.
i may be leaving, but never fear, when i get to the states, i'll put all the pictures in the blog. plus, starting wednesday, i'll technically be back on Lima time. Gotta love the midwest.
y ahora, necessito una siesta.
21 julio 2006
transportation (¡Ari!)
last friday in Zapallal I was riding around a lot with Jose the dentist in the afternoon. His car was a total rez car. the whole control panel was missing and in its place he had precariously placed pictures of his family. only they would fly around every time he turned a corner. he needed tape. to add to the rez-ness, it also only started about half the time. he had to tinker in the engine about 5 times that afternoon.
lunch stand in zapallal (not where we ate though)
on wednesday, coming back from Miraflores, I got the front seat in the combi. and it was great. it was one of the bigger ones too, not the vw bus size. first of all, it was nice to have a seat belt with all the quick stopping. and there was more room, the seat was comfortable, and it was nice to have a different perspective.
un combi en calle jose prado (not my picture,
obviously-check the date)
this morning i was up before simon, and talked to juana while i ate breakfast. she asked when i was leaving and told me i had to return muy rapido. and she gave me a hug. it was great.
not sure what i'm doing today. simon mentioned some spanish school bus trip thing, but its $25, not S./25, which seems like a bit much to me. i'm not sure what the whole story about it is though.
i can't believe this is almost over. i wish i could stay...
17 julio 2006
hace quatro semanas
then yesterday, we went with the family to the Virgen del Carmen fiesta. It was great. The priest was late, so it started late, and it was a little cold (it was outside), but after the mass (i think it was a mass??? i don't know anything about catholicism though), there was a dance troupe, which was pretty impressive. They did a dance which satyrically reenacts the conquest of the spanish over peru. I was told that the dance has been done since this time. There was also food and dancing by the general crowd, which was of the -form a big circle, hold hands, and move to the rhythm- sort of dancing. which was fine. i can handle that. but twice someone drug me into the circle for a one on one sort of dance, which wasn't too difficult. more of the same. but i don't like being the center of attention in that sort of setting....
but it was fun. and we got to see carmen again. (not the Virgen del Carmen, different one). and most of the rest of the family. it was good for picture taking too.
14 julio 2006
un dia muy largo
i tend to make stupid mistakes like use the wrong form or a past tense or say juego instead of jugo. pero esta bien.
getting home was a bit of a chore. the meeting started and ended very late. then there was much much traffic. and then the dentist had to get some dentures from his assistant at her home, but we had to wait in the car for 20 minutes for some reason. this was never explained to me. at least in a language i could understand. at one point i was sure that this was eventually going to result in my murder and burial in the hills outside of the city. but eventually, we got the dentures, got to his office in Pueblo Libre, he got me a cab, and I arrived home about 7:45. however, somewhere in this process, a pen exploded in my bag and got on my camera. fortunately, the lens cap was on. but still, i need to find a way to clean it.
the good parts of the day were being in Zapallal, getting free lunch, and the dentist gave me 3 things. toothpaste, a toothbrush, and chocolate. how's that for a combination. i should have had him clean my teeth....
and now, i'm tired. its friday night, but i'll probably just watch law & order in spanish or something and fall asleep fairly soon.
its my last full weekend here. i'm starting to get a little sad about it....
13 julio 2006
viernes....
some old man tried to set me up with his son, who lives in Atlanta today. I didn't really know how to react. i just laughed. he also told me that women are much stronger than men, because they can give birth. i'm not sure what marrying his son had to do with that. well, i can see the obvious connection, but you know what i mean.
i also was given coffee this morning, at the university, and didn't really want to drink it. blch. but i loaded three heaping teaspoons of sugar into it and it was drinkable. sorta. now i'm wired, and jittery. but i still am tired and want to take a nap. how is that possible?
well, that's all for now.
11 julio 2006
hoy no es el dia
so, i'm off to miraflores.
i'm not a big fan of pineapple juice. its too strong for me i guess, but i had the fresh real stuff this morning, and it was quite wonderful. unfortunately, ever since, i've felt like i'm going to throw up. this is in addition to my other lovely (but common) stomach condition of South America. what a day...
10 julio 2006
hoy es el dia
but things quickly changed. i got on brilliantly with the 4 brits i met today. they were 4 different incarnations of rhino's dream girl, except they lack specs appeal. but all the same, a good group.
we all went to an impoverished town outside of Lima. we toured
at the maternal health center in zapallal
but enough. the other highlight of the day was lunch. deep fried cauliflower. now, i've never been the hugest fan of cauliflower, but in its deep fried form, it resembles something one could get at the Veggie Table at the Iowa State Fair. and as if that weren't enough, it was garnished with tomatoes and avacado. pure heaven.
what a day
09 julio 2006
el ultimo partido
we went to Jockey Plaza (a mall) to watch the final game on a giant wall of tv screens in the food court. i had some fries and a coke from Bembos while we were there. It didn't get too crazy, but its amazing how the world stops (almost literally) for the world cup final.
tomorrow i go to an impoverished community with the doctors. it should be interesting. from the pictures, it reminds me a bit of the rez. only with even more language barriers. but i'm going with a group of students from england, so at least it won't be like friday, trying to explain my project through broken spanish, to native french speakers.
and cuzco is officially out. i'd like to go, but time, money and motivation are all conspiring against me. next time.
i guess that's about it. only 2 more weeks here. which isn't that short of a time, but i wish it was a bit longer. fortunately, when i return to the states...i have the fair to look forward to.
06 julio 2006
¡finalamente!
also Irish & I went to a dance class. salsa. good times. stupid young kid from jersey, who i tried to make jersey conversation with, but he blew me off as if i didn't know what i was talking about. he was talking big about how he´d already traveled around peru, he was just here, this time to learn spanish. then he said he had lots of quinces to go to. then his dad picked him up. stupid kid.
there was also a german girl who had been traveling in south america since february. and i ask myself, ¿who are these people? how does one have the time/money to travel for a year. mostly the money i guess. i know what the answer is. i have friends who do it. but i have loans to pay off and credit cards that need payments, and well, i know have a grand total of about $900 in savings (and that's only because my last paycheck hadn't come by the time i left the US). i guess though, i'm glad to know that, at least for some people, there is an escape from the system. and god, i'm lucky to even be doing this for 5 weeks. i just wish i was one of the luckiest that could do it for a year. maybe if i wasn't paying rent in the goddamn most expensive place on earth...well, next to tokyo i guess.
anyway, i was also thinking about the rez tonight, and how i'm never sure i'll find a place that has that magic for me. or maybe i just haven't given this place enough time. or maybe it was just the vodka. and the bilagaana clan. so, here's a shoutout to all my mailmen. i miss you. and maybe next year...the rez.
ok, enough nostalgic waxing. today was good both for morale and research. Peru!
for now, dinner.
05 julio 2006
el dia de indepencia
so, i feel a bit better about things, but i'm not really sure what to do with my day today. maybe take a long walk around la molina.
yesterday, i was actually quite productive. i spent a lot of time with my old friend, the pain paper. i took ol' campbell's advice, and changed some things. still needs more work, but i feel like its in better shape.
last night, in celebration of 4th of July (more an excuse really), Irish and I decided to take advantage of Pizza Hut's 2 for 1 deal. Unfortunately, it was only after arriving at Pizza Hut that we discovered it was only on family size pies. but we got two anyway. Pizza Hut here is very nice. lots of ambiance. dim lighting, real tables, and they even have a wine list. but it smells the same and still has the familiar building shape. we got the pizzas to go, but they gave us free sodas while we waited.
it made me tired early though, and i went to bed at 10. happy independence day, indeed.
02 julio 2006
disco y museo
i danced with many a latin boy, but none were as good of teachers and juan and cesar. it made me miss the carbondale days a bit. but not enough to go back. one boy even tried to have me put his email address in his phone, but i kept screwing it up. he ended up with the wrong thing without knowing. oh well...
i also attempted to pass on the fake pound into high five, but i don't think he'll remember to do it again. its weird, kinda fun, but kinda annoying to the the blanca.
today, i caught sight of a Ross dress for less bag. I assume its from the family's trip to AZ, and i am very jealous. i miss the trips with bii jih bah.
today, i went to the museo de archeologia, antropologia, y historia, and itw as fun. i really like Pueblo Libre, the section of town where it is. Muy bien.
its been two weeks here, and i'm getting a little homesick. but i should start "working/researching" tomorrow, so hopefully that will keep me busy.
30 junio 2006
perros peruanos sin pelo
i went to huaca pucllana, an archaeological site in miraflores today. and had a rather amazing tour guide. she even gave me her email address. and i got my picture taken with a peruvian hairless dog. the site was pretty cool. its been worked on since 1981, and was a sacred site for the Pullana. they sacrificed women, apparently because they were the best the society had to offer. the guia said this was a sign that it was a matriarchial society, which i'm not sure i buy, but then again, i'm always skeptical of archaeology, especially when it comes to gender issues. how's that for binford's black box. ¿how's that for cocktail party conversation balkansky?
anyway, i really enjoyed the site and went to a craft market afterwards. oh, also i saw my first alpaca in person today. pretty exciting. i don't think i've ever actually seen one. though there is that alpaca farm near don's tree farm, and i may have seen one there, but these were my first peruvian alpacas. yes, so back to the market. bought some tiny cheap things for gifts (but if the recipients happen to be reading this, i mean they were very expensive and nice). i almost bought a scarf but backed out. i also almost bought something for mi madre, but also backed out of that. anyway, i know where it is now, so when i'm really in the spending mood, i know where to go.
that's about it, the afternoon was nothing special, but who knows what tonight has in store for me.
29 junio 2006
la musica preferida
during the day i watched a travel show on N Geo about Lima (rather ironic i suppose) They featured a drink called leche de tigre (yes, tigermilk B&S fans) which was some sort of bright orange juice, aji, cilantro, and some sort of booze. i'd try it just for its name.... later, i was watching the OC (in ingles) with carmen, and aeroplane over the sea by NMH was featured several times in the episode. weird.
anyway, i was planning on going to a museo today, but i think it might be closed because its a national holiday. it appears to be St. Peter day. i don't really know...perhaps i should ask.
anyway, its been a very boring week, which has depressed me a bit, but next week should be better, as long as this dr. thing eventually works out. it'll give me something to do. i suppose i should have been a bit more proactive, but oh well...what's done is done.
and the whole drama in JC seems to be alright. or maybe r just wasn't concerned about it last night. anyway, i've quit freaking out about it, because my personal pre-lawyer, the lambe, assured me there was nothing to worry about. haha...i know 2 Pats studying for the bar right now. maybe that's not that funny at all.
maybe that means its time to stop writing.
27 junio 2006
muchas topicas
here, not so much.
being in traffic is like an overcrowed bumper car course. i always feel about a cm away from an accident. though i haven´t actually seen an accident happen yet. perhaps limans (?) are the greatest drivers (and most aggressive) on earth. and if you need to cross the street, you better make damn sure you´re not competing with a vehicle, no matter what the light says.
in related news, i don´t think cuzco is going to happen for me. i am a poor girl. in being fiscally responsible, i think its best to leave that for next summer, perhaps??? someday, someone will give me a grant and i won´t have to worry about this sort of thing. clinton said he´d never speak to me again if i didn´t go to maccu picchu. maybe i will enjoy his silence.
i was thinking yesterday that i hadn´t been really impressed yet by peruvian food. and then, as if it had been forshadowing in a crappy pre-teen novel, we had arroz con pollo (huevo para mi) for lunch and it was excellent. although the caramel pudding we had last week was quite noteworthy as well.
i finally bought a card for the phone and some more postcards today. these postcards were even more expensive $2 a piece. so, if i promised you a postcard, i might not follow through. lo siento. i still love you and am thinking about you.
time to watch some futbol. anyone know what the outcome of brasil & my boys from ghana was? i can guess.....
26 junio 2006
nell, la tourista
Today, I learned 2 important lessons about my spanish skills...
I am proficient enough to buy things in a non-tourist store...ask for help finding things, tell them what i like/need, etc. However, I am not proficient enough to figure out how to stop talking to a very nice guy who wants to tell me everything he knows about el Parque del Amor at 9:15 am. esta bien.
So, yes, I bought something a bit expensive, but pretty cool. Its a gift for someone, I´m not sure who yet. Maybe I´ll keep it. But its perfecto for someone. And I bought the most appropriate postcard ever for Kolter.
I had my second Inka Cola today. I´ve decided that on its own its too sweet, and the caffiene made me a bit loopy, but mixed with crappy bourbon, it´d be just perfect. "A gentleman and inka cola for the lady please."
I took a ton of pictures, but for now, i´m using other peoples´ pics on the web. i´ll replace them with my own later.
here is el parque del amor
25 junio 2006
hace una semana, hoy.
The Dr. I´m working with is in the US until next week, so I´m not really sure what I´m doing this week. I´d take another week of Spanish classes, but I don´t really have the money for it. Which is too bad, because I could certainly use it.
Carmen went home yesterday, so there was no discotheque. Which is probably good, because I hear they are very smoky, and probably no good for my throat. We´re still supposed to go next weekend though, so I guess I will probably get the opportunity...
I´m amused that there are both drinks and a bakery called "Bimbo" here. ...I´m going to buy postcards later today. That will give me something to do this evening....lots of writing. Not that I really have much to write about. But, I guess, subconsciously, I have 3 goals here: 1. make the espanol passable, 2. make some friends/connections so I´ll know people when I hopefully come back, and 3. learn something about pain. Plus there´s the added bonus no. 4, see the tourist stuff. and I´ve done a little of each. So I guess things are progressing. And it can´t happen all at once. The rez taught me that. You always need more time than you think you will.
There was an interesting interview with an anthropologist from Columbia in the Lima paper today, and I think I actually understood most of it. It was short, but I´m learning!
24 junio 2006
la primera fin de semana
i met a bunch of carmen´s friends last night, and they were all very nice 17-19 year old kids. i got to practice my spanish which is always helpful. i opted out of going to a party with them, because of the throat, but i´m not sure it would have been my scene anyway. before they left, i think every one of the guys asked if i had a novio. i told them they were much too joven for me.
this morning i was reading through a bunch of ims i saved from when i was in carbondale, and i have to say that my life, despite its ups and downs is about 1000% better now. in jc or lima. i´m pretty proud of myself for getting out of there and making changes, and generally getting things in order. and it was not at all a regression. it was a big step forward. a step into a holding pattern, but sometimes staying still the the easiest way to move backwards. at least when you´re treading water, you stay afloat. and get some exercise too. enough metaphor.
its the weekend. i need to get ahold of some postcards. if you want one, make sure to email me your address if i don´t have it already.
still no word from the good dr. i need to get a card for my phone so i can call him. if anything though, i´m taking Dwights age old advice: "be savy" yes, the throat situation has provided excellent opportunity for autoethnography. its always reflexive you know...
22 junio 2006
Ghana gano´!
All I got to see of the game was the coin toss, because I had class, but I´m very proud of those Ghanians, and wish I could call Ponger to discuss.
Too bad for los Estados Unidos.
throat update: It was bad last night. I had a fever, and my ear started hurting. Today it was worse in the morning, so Carlos bought me some sort of blue pills (4 of them) and I took the first around 5:30. 2 hours plus a nap and some te´ have worked a little. hopefully tomorrow will be a new day. it´d be great if i felt better by the weekend and could be a real tourist.
However, we went to the museo de la nacion today and it was pretty cool. lots of pre-Incan pottery. Not as erotic as the stuff at AMNH, but still good. and La Pachamama was mentioned several times which made me give a silent mental shoutout to my bilagaanas. I took 2 pictures, but I still can´t find a way to get them on this computer, so you will have to wait.
Tomorrow is my last day of spanish class. I need about 3 more months, but its definitely helped. I just need to try to speak to people more instead of chickening out (like sending Carlos for the meds-but i didn´t want to screw with my salud). Which reminds me. I have homework to do.
Hasta luego.
21 junio 2006
poca enferma
espanol classes are going well. not as well as i{d hoped, but i can{t complain. the people are nice, i enjoy the classes, etc.
not much else to report. i{ve also watched a fair amount of world cup action, and even though i had absolutely no faith in the us team before, now that i{m abroad, i feel inclined to hope they make it to the next round. we{ll see though. whoa....i finally found the '. I´m so happy. anyway, tomorrow´s the big day for group E.
I guess that´s about it. I feel fairly confident in my abilities on the combi (bus) but wouldn´t know what to do on a different line.
hopefully next time i write i´ll be in better health and have something exciting to tell. its been sunny the last few days but still chilly. i should have brought my scarf.
19 junio 2006
que malo
its strange to miss people you don{t see anyway. but the possibility of talking to them on the phone is what i miss. so, in essence, it is the invisible, truly nonexistant borders rather than space that keeps us apart.
also, on space. there are pizza huts, mcdonalds, dunkin doughnuts, united colors of beneton, keneth cole new york, radio shaks and la bamba on the radio. almost like home.
also, today in my spanish class, i met a woman who grew up in murphysboro! her parents live on 127 s. yes, a mere 2 miles from my old little house in the country. small world.
el sol escuela de espanol
more when i figure out how to transfer files (& pictures).
adios
18 junio 2006
soy en lima!
the plane had "Darcys Wild Life" as one of its shows.
there are both a TGI Fridays and Chilis in Lima.
I ate ceviche con pescado. Fue ok.
Ill write more about confirmations on postremodernist ideas about space later.
hasta luego
17 junio 2006
adios estados unidos
16 junio 2006
cosas ultimas
once, early in the year we were discussing thesis topics and i mentioned being interested in the gentrification of jersey city, as viewed through interactions with 111 1st street. anyway, he told me that often we do things because they are convenient due to our current circumstances (he even mentioned marriage as an example...forshadowing his own problems, perhaps?). he then advised that i do something because i really wanted to and was interested, not because it was easy, convenient or "made sense." and i have certainly taken that advice, though probably not in the way he intended.
so, mccall, not that i doubted it, but in addition to your wonderful words of wisdom ("where the edge is", "post-cadillac", "some would call me a postmodernist, but i would argue no such thing exists.") you give good advice too.
manana es mi dia ultimo en los estados unidos.
adios!
14 junio 2006
el dia ultima
around 10:30 this morning, i got very nauseous and was fairly certain i was going to throw up. this is approximately what i would have looked like had someone walked into the bathroom. cold floors feel good.especially in offices with very little a.c. fortunately, some ginger ale and crackers took care of the nausea around 11:30. i don't think its nerves, but i haven't eaten any strange food lately. hmmm....
my list of things to do before leaving grows shorter and shorter, and i scheduled my airport shuttle today. 2am is my pickup time. ay yay yay.... but i'm probably better able to handle that than 3 or 4 am, so i guess its alright. just a few more errands to do, making some passport copies at work and then i'm set. its getting scary, but very exciting.
so long estados unidos. hasta luego!
13 junio 2006
menos de una semana
the subletter moved in last night. he seems nice. i feel good about everything. except he told me a story about a friend of his in Chile who had someone slip cocaine in his bag and he ended up in jail for 3 months. but i'm a paranoid person. i think it'll be alright.
i've been forcing myself to use the conjugation trainer at work. if you've never seen it, its an awesome thing....www.spaleon.com. highly recommended, but now my brain is fried, and its over an hour til lunch. at which time i must call marcy about the comcast job and take all my change to the commerce penny arcade. i'm glad i'm taking thurs & fri off, because i have too much to do. laundry, copies, paying bills, arranging transportation...
oy! and did i mention what an idiot i am? a 6 am international flight at an airport that takes 2 hours to get to? that's just stupid.
09 junio 2006
tengo nerviosa ahora
oy, and so much to do. packing, copying, exchanging money, cashing in change, getting things ready for when i get back. another interview with amnh. though i'm sure they'll rescind any offers they might make when i tell them where i'll be in july.
anyway, i found out that when i arrive, there will also be an irish girl (woman?) staying with the family. this makes me happy because hopefully she'll have been there for a bit and take me under her wing. not that i want someone directing me where to go, but someone who knows the bus already would be helpful. partners in crime are always a good thing. especially when they're new acquaintences.
not that my bii jih bah will ever be replaced. but its good to have someone.
07 junio 2006
mi apartamento
i'm back in contact with dr. salazar
my mom is bringing me a big travel bag
my room is clean
the only things left to do are:
exchange money
make copies of the passport
cash in my change
pack
figure out how i'm getting to the aeropuerto
ah! i can't believe this is happening!
i can't believe i made it happen!
06 junio 2006
menos de dos semanas
~ Will Kommen
At the party in Brooklyn friday night, I discovered that about 50% of the attendees had been to Peru at one time or another. It seems to be a popular destination. Which disappoints me a little. I'd rather be off the beaten path. But perhaps I just run with a rather Latin Americanist crowd.
What did give me a bit of pleasure though, was their shock at both my length of stay and choice to go alone. In many ways, I wish I had a companion. It would make me less nervous, more confident, perhaps even more excited. I keep thinking about the rez and how it was the people rather than the place that was so special. But at the same time, I think this is something I have to do alone. I will learn more, gain more, and do more. I'm doing it the right way, I think.
Some very old travel journal I once had listed a quote on the top of a page, which I tore out, and recently re-discovered. It said something like "When looking for travel companions, i often forget what a good friend i have in myself."
I don't know if I mentioned it, but I misplaced my watch about a week ago. It made me very nervous to travel. It is my traveling watch, which I've had since I went to Austria at 15. Well, after a week of fretting, last night I found that it had fallen into one of my shoes. It is back on my wrist and i'm very relieved.
My mother is coming for a visit tomorrow. Its sort of the last hurrah before I leave. The clock is ticking. I'm ready (even if my Spanish is not).
31 mayo 2006
arqueología de los Moche en Peru
The great mystery surrounding it all is that this woman was found laid to rest at the top of a sacrificial mound, adorned with beads, tattoos, and accompanied by a variety of ceremonial looking ceramic objects. But previously, it was thought that only men were rulers among the Moche, and the fact that she was a young woman and had given birth to at least one child (yeah for pelvic notching!), seems to be really throwing them off.
Now, sure there might be a simple explanation. Perhaps she was the daughter of a high priest, or wife of a ruler. Perhaps she was just a very skilled artisan. But I like a more complicated, gender-theory-laden approach, similar to that which was applied to Tomb 7 of the Monte Alban site in Oaxaca, Mexico by Rosemary Joyce, et al. (Joyce, Rosemary A., Maria J. Rodriguez-Shadow, Patricia Plunket, Marcus Winter, Cira Martinez Lopez. 1994. On Engendering Monte Alban Tomb 7. Current Anthropology 35:284-287). Though it seems that this particular burial was much easier to sex than those in Tomb 7, sexing is different from gendering. I’m intrigued to know if the things found in the woman’s burial are similar to objects found in men’s burials. Bascially, as usual, I’m interested in a more gender-theory type approach. But that’s probably not practical, and as I once wrote in a finely titled paper, “While correcting past androcentrism, and taking exploitation into account are important, unbiased interpretation should be the primary concern. Sacrificing impartiality for a particular theoretical stance will only be counterproductive for both ideology and the discipline of archaeology.” Now I feel like Hill, quoting myself and all.
30 mayo 2006
indigenistas de norte y sur america
25 mayo 2006
mi amigo nuevo, juan
Anyway, in a strange twist of fate, Juan is perhaps going to the rez this summer. He said he wanted to visit an Indian reservation in Arizona, so of course, I quickly chimed in NAVAJO! NAVAJO!
(Nava-who? Nava-what? Navajo!)
Now I’m jealous that he might be going to the rez. But I’ll be back. I promise, I will be back to the rez. Soon, hopefully (that’s what I always say).
24 mayo 2006
mi casa por uno tiempo corto
The larger green area is La Molina in respect to the rest of the city of Lima. The bluish colored district is Miraflores, which is where most of the tourist attractions are. The gold spot below that is Barranco, the "bohemian" neighborhood known for artists and writers. Honestly, the rest of it I have yet to identify and stereotype. As I figure it all out though, I'll let you know...
23 mayo 2006
una website se encontre' hoy
now, if i could just get all the subletting stuff and money issues together, i'd be set.
22 mayo 2006
preparaciones
I figured i'd better start this up. I think the trip will make more sense in context, as most things do.
I've been trying to figure out budget things, but I won't bore you with details....
Also, I had my first little freak out about dying in Peru and never seeing my family again and all that sort of thing. Which I certainly don't think will happen. But I guess its always a fear.
And hopefully this guy I've been talking to will work out as far as subletting goes. That'll be a big load off my mind. So, the nervous, anxious, worried anticipation begins. Hasta luego.