Lima City Center Tour and Late Night Cruisin'

It's been a great few days in Lima thus far. I've met a bunch of people in a very short time and have learned a lot in these few days. After resting on Wednesday following my exploration of Barranco late into Tuesday, I did a city center tour on Thursday. The city center is interesting - I visited a museum and learned about some ancient civilizations that resided in Peru. Then I went to Plaza de las Armas and the Palacio de Gobierno (the Peruvian White House). This is a cool part of town. There were tourists everywhere, which I hear is a good improvement for Peru. Lastly I visited the Monasterio de San Francisco, a large fascinating church where a group of Franciscans still live. There was this cool library we saw with books dating back centuries. They were all displayed without any sort of glass chambers which made me question the preservation, but I found it is interesting as a history person. There were also catacombs underneath the church which were sort of eerie. I had to duck the entire time as we went through a maze of rooms, where open crypts were filled with dirty bones and skulls. I found that a little creepy seeing some of the teeth still attached to the skulls. Bones were just stacked and lined in rows, representing countless unnamed people who were buried there over the centuries. When we left the church there was a small protest going on, and I stupidly started asking questions as we walked through the protest - one side citizens with signs and bullhorns, the other side police in army gear with guns and shields. I usually am not so oblivious like that, and my guide rightfully scolded me, haha.

My guide drove me around some of the other Lima neighborhoods after that, including San Isidro and Miraflores. San Isidro had a bunch of parks and European architecture. It felt like being transported to a small European village. They represent the legacy of colonialism, and were inhabited by the higher classes of course. Miraflores center has numerous huge Peruvian flags waving, countless cafes, restauarants and bars. A short drive brings one to Larco Mar, where the view of the ocean which leads to a giant cross which is lit at night. Peru is like 80% Catholic or something so that makes sense.

Later that evening I met quite a boisterous crew of Australians and New Zealanders in the hostel. They invited me to dinner which was nice. I also met two Peruvian guys who were friends of their group and took all of us out that night. We again drove into the city center and I was shocked by how desolate it was. For the center of such a huge city, there was basically noone out. There was also lots of trash blowing on the streets. I feel like Lima center has huge potential, and hopefully as it was in the past apparently, it can be revived into an area with interesting nightlife. I shouldn't speak as though that one night represents every weekend or anything so I'm posturing from a point of very little knowledge and experience here. We walked for awhile, passing the big statue of Francisco Pizarro on his horse and some other monuments. We then went to this bar in Miraflores for some pisco sours, and ended up at this club called Help. Inside there was a large flat-bed truck, with kids dancing drunkenly on the back of it, electronic music blaring; the place was pretty full. The majority of people looked pretty young to be honest. I just observed while we were there, mostly because I'm not quite sure how to dance to a slowed down version of "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse.

Yesterday was fun and chill. I met Julian and his high school friend, both pals of my friend JC from college, and they took me around for some snacks and drinks around Calle de las Pizzas in Miraflores. I had this out of control sandwich - pechuga con BBQ w/ lechuga, tomate y criolla. I haven't had a sandwich that good in years. I will always remember that sandwich, haha. Julian and his friend were great though and we had good conversation about their thoughts about Lima, and what going to school in the city was like. I definitely learned a ton. I'm excited to see some Afro-Peruvian Jazz tonight and plan my trip to Chincha. I still need to visit some penas as well. There's still a bunch to do!

Brazilian Goodbyes, Back to Reality, Ballin in Peru

This has been procrastination gone wild - probably the most egregious display of it seen in awhile. I was supposed to update my blog ages ago, but for many reasons never got around to it. What was comforting though was people checking up on me to see if I was still alive and well, which means people are following my journey. This means a lot to me!

Anyway, my time in Brazil ended quite abruptly, mostly because I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye. Taking capoeira classes, Afro-Brazilian dance classes, and trying to fit in so much before I had to leave meant that I was all over the place and didn't get to leave in a normal fashion. I didn't get to say goodbye to a lot of people, which was unfortunate. I had to settle for emails and facebook messages. But I did get to say bye to my new family and friends in Salvador. My friends Igor, Rodrigo, and Fabio threw me a going away party at Rodrigo's house in Calabar. I had the best time! We danced pagode and samba, ate feijao and carne asado, and drank Skol for hours. It was like a family barbecue basically. Parents, grandparents, cousins, little kids running all over the place, everyone dancing and singing and laughing sets the scene. I was so honored when Fabio and his family gave me a book and a necklace, and when people wished me goodbye. They gave me a chance to give my despedida (farewell speech) and I took the opportunity to tell them how amazing their hearts were, how remarkable I found such genuine human kindness and fellowship.  I was inspired especially by how important friendship is in Salvador - it's no joke. When my friends there would say "amizade por sempre" (friendship forever) or some other suggestion about how I touched their lives, they were speaking from the heart, as people there often do. I learned so much and I wish they knew how they made me feel such a part of their community from the first days when I arrived, not having a clue what was happening.

Another highlight of the Brazilian goodbye was finally seeing the candomble ceremony with Paula and my dear Maria. It was so interesting. We sat in a pretty plain white room. Chairs lined the perimeter of the room, and mostly older women filled the room. After much anticipation, the priests and priestesses came out dancing, everyone dressed in white gowns, shirts and pants. Some people had really elaborate outfits, undoubtedly invoking the presence of the candomble gods - Xango, etc. They processed dancing in a circle for about 45 minutes to continuous drum rhythms. They sweat a whole bunch, and some people were definitely more in a trance-like state than others. Movements were crisp and repetitive. One man, at the same beat would always bend down and kiss the ground (everyone did this at one point). They ranged in age from young 20 somethings to much older, like 70s and 80s. It was so cool, and I got to meet most of them afterward. At that point though, I only had a few hours left in Brazil and still hadn't packed. I almost went for acai, but had to give myself a reality check and go home.

It's a good thing I did because I was completely disorganized. I got to the airport just in time for my flight which was like 3am. I said goodbye to my host mom, one of the greatest women I've met, and my host sisters. Riding on the highway for a final time, I couldn't believe I was leaving. I had grown so comfortable and really felt at home. I was so thankful for the friends I made and all the experiences I had. I will definitely return - Carnaval next year maybe? World Cup 2014? I know I'll have a place to stay!

More to come later about some final thoughts on African culture in Brazil...

I returned home to reality for a few months to take the MCAT and basically get my application together for medical school. I got to see Kuumba in concert and catch up with some friends which was a lot of fun. I also planned the rest of my fellowship year, which I began once again this past Tuesday! Being home and checking in with everyone was cool. I felt really blessed though to have received this opportunity at this point in life. I truly think this time for self-reflection has helped me put my life in perspective and envision my future.

I arrived in Peru very late Monday night/Tues. morning. The drive was really nice as we drove along the curve of the ocean. Lima is quite beautiful at night. After sleeping a lot the next day, I unpacked and got my bearings. They told me it was Independence Day in Peru - July 28 - so most things were closed. I realized that when I took a little walk around Miraflores, the neighborhood where my hostel is located. Most places were closed and it was relatively quiet. I came back, did some reading, and ordered some pizza. While I ate dinner in the dining area, I met some cool kids staying in the hostel. They were all from San Francisco - two were Peruvian and another Pakistani guy Talib was, like me, traveling (he was just on vacation from his bank job though). It was Talib's birthday at midnight so they invited me to go celebrate with them. After watching some crappy Vh1 reality TV (Charm School is a ridiculous show) and being introduced to pisco - the national drink in Peru, tastes like brandy, very tasty! - we headed to Barranco, the artsy district neighboring Miraflores.

I was blown away by the number of people out. First, there are a seemingly unlimited number of bars, clubs and restaurants in the area. Most of them were packed because of the holiday. We went from place to place, and had a blast until about 4am. I tried a pisco sour which was just delicious (I was skeptical at first when told it had eggs white in it). We took in the view of the ocean for awhile from the cobblestone streets.  I also got to hear some traditional Afro-Peruvian music - this song called "El Alcatraz" Juan Carlos explained to me. Apparently men and women usually try to light each other on fire during the dance. I didn't see any lighters out and if someone put a flame near me there would've been a problem. But the music was great. The same thing happened in Brazil now that I think of it -- my first day I went to partying with people I had just met because of a holiday until like sunrise. Definitely a good tradition to keep up!

Today I tried to plan my trip a bit more during my time in Peru. Of course I have to see Machu Pichu, but I'm more excited learning about Afro-Peruvian culture here. Afro-Peruvians make up like 3% of the population here, so it's very different than Brazil. You don't see the influence everywhere, but it definitely is present. There's this place Chincha, south of Lima, I'm very excited to visit soon. And I've been trying to listen to artists like Susana Baca and groups like Peru Negro to hear some cajon and guitar. Tomorrow I plan to take a tour of the city center and then hit up the Jazz Zone for some "jazz afroperuano." I'm so excited to be back on my journeys! I'm trying my best to recall my somewhat lost Spanish and not confuse it with Portuguese. Hopefully I'll make some progress by the time I move on to Colombia in August!