week1—a Goblin but no longer; experiences of first days—
My first few days in Peru have been long and eventful. As many of you know or might’ve heard, I was feeling quite sicky-icky for the first bit of our trip. I fell asleep on the waiting seats at the LUM and eventually made my way to the table outside the small bookstore at the reception area. Thanks to those who, (perhaps unknowingly), passed by me at the table and said hi, it was in those moment where I felt like the troll under the bridge, or the treebender deep in the forest, asking those who seek passage through to answer a riddle or be eaten.
You’ll be (hopefully) glad to know that I am feeling much better—not feeling like a goblin at all. Thanks to those who checked in with me and sent me pictures of my much-missed adventures at the erotic art museum—it is nice to know that you all so quickly understood that these gestures are the way into my heart. (The gestures being sending me pictures of ancient ceramic erotic art <3).
My day at the central square was hands-down my favourite day so far.
The Vargas Llosa library was super fascinating despite the fact it was short-lived, (we got kicked out). There, I stumbled upon a Martín Chambi photography book and Jon helped to inform us of some very interesting context and depth that added to the already fascinating photos.
Later, when we went further into the museum, Jon—the ever-so eager tour guide he is—went on to give us an impromptu and informal class about the artifacts and objects displayed. There was a book on the ground, a copy of a book with biblically-inspired cartoons that is in Denmark (and most likely should not be), and books in glass displays. Overall, many books. I would describe these books in more detail, however, I do not want to explain Jon’s entire syllabus here.
My most fascinating find at the museum were these few zines that boasted a sampling of sketches, drawings, essays, and poetry. Thanks to Daniel to translating the poetry and reciting it to us, it was a very pleasant experience. According to Daniel, these zines were published in the 50’s and reinvigorated the life of the avant-garde movement at the time. The art-style was especially interesting to me, it was scratchy, raw, and it played with depth in such a natural and primordial way.
(^^this is the poem Daniel recited to us)
Going to the monastery was probably my favourite part of the day. I think I’ve been feeling a bit out of my depth while in Peru, and so it was nice to explore a place where I do have a bit more knowledge: religion! Specifically, Christianity! And Catholicism by proxy! Though Christianity and Catholicism probably came to Latin America through strenuously colonial means, it was nice to know what was going on, (in an oddly terrible yet relieved way). When we walked into one of the many grand rooms, I recognized the scenes of Jesus and his last few days before he was crucified and resurrected, (without looking at the placecards!).
The catacombs were perhaps another segment that were a bit more ethically ambiguous to explore, especially as a foreigner and tourist. There was one area of the catacombs that was quite a distance down but visible from where we were. It was bones and skulls arranged in a spiral manner, this was not originally intended, as the tour guide told us that it was taken and re-arranged by the archeologists that were there many years later. There was no physical glass barrier and so, as people will do, there was coins and cash thrown down there. Many layers of awful and disrespect lied there, I myself am complicit in this I believe.
My question for you all then, is this:
What about Lima has caught your eye or attention? (Good or bad, anything). For me, it’s the layout of the houses, specifically the intricacy of the doors, garage doors, as well as the amount of balconies and the plant-life on them!
5 replies on “week1—a Goblin but no longer; experiences of first days—”
Hey Jasmine:)
Great post! I did not see the catacombs in person but I was show a picture about the rearranged bones in a circle and I instantly shared the notion of disrespect that you mentioned. Those peoples remains were violated and continue to be. With regard to observations around the city, when I go out running in the morning, I notice the people cleaning (sweeping & mopping) the concrete such as pathways and driveways. Most are wearing city employee uniforms so I assume they fund this. I also noticed this practice daily in the city of Barcelona last summer, but only on the wealthier side of the city. I wonder if this practice is meant the residents or the tourists.
Hi Jasmine! I also really enjoyed exploring the square, and I am SUPER happy that you are feeling better! Although you were not able to attend the museum with most of us, I really appreciated how many people informed you of what we witnessed and experienced and shared our own thoughts on the art and tour. It was very wholesome and although I know you were really excited about going, I think your interest in erotic art and the subsequent recap of the exhibit helped bring lots of people together so thank you for your interest 🙂 Regarding what has caught my eye in Lima, I am fascinated by the creative ways people earn an income and how hard they work. For example, when we were strolling down the streets near the square, I saw many people dressed as figures and statues. Although this is common in other places of the world, I had not witnessed it before and I was surprised to see that many of the workers would have their young children strapped to their back or sitting nearby while they sold their goods or were dressed in their costumes. Daniel explained the precarious employment situation in Peru which informed my understanding of the prominence of these occupations. I’m glad we got to explore the streets together!
Hello! I asked one of the Peruvians here about the street cleaners, and from what I gathered they are funded by the municipality. Apparently, the residents of San Isidro pay higher taxes so we can assume that a portion of those taxes are going to these cleaners that maintain the area. I was also curious about the cleaners because when I was driving back from the airport, I noticed that the streets in other neighbourhoods were much less tidy. I assumed the entirety of Lima was one municipality as it is a city. However, Lima is broken up to numerous districts that have their own mayor, and thus, different social services it appears.
It’s been quite intense, it’s true! The catacombs thing seemed especially strange to me and I think we shared some ethical reservations. I love that you liked the poems (I did my best to translate those magnificent poems, I appreciate your understanding!)
Glad you are no longer feeling sicky-icky anymore. I must say I am sad I was not there to hear San Daniel’s poetry translations or Jon’s tour. I appreciate you sharing all these photos from your experiences this week so I can live vicariously through them. Hopefully the photos of the erotic ceramics suffice as a fair trade.