I'm feeling better today, as evidenced by the fact that I actually ate some breakfast (dry corn flakes, but still--every step counts!) and didn't feel quite so lethargic upon waking. I had an unexpectedly eventful morning, and I have some pictures to illustrate some of the things I saw.
Last night, I decided that I would attend the 11:30 AM mass (misa) at La Compania, a beautiful church located catty-corner to the Cusco Cathedral. Historical sources tell us that the intention of the builders of La Compania was to make it the grandest church in all of Cusco, but they were stopped by the Catholic authorities, who insisted that the cathedral receive top billing as grandest place of worship. I haven't been inside of the cathedral yet, but if facades say anything, I think the builders continued to do just what they intended despite the orders of the Catholic leaders. I'm not complaining. Seems to me that we got two beautiful churches out of the deal, so no problems here.
I arrived at the plaza a little early, and it was a good thing because there were a HUGE number of military officers lining every street of the square. While I later learned that there are demonstrations in the Plaza de las Armas every weekend, this was a particularly interesting demonstration because it had to do with the upcoming presidential elections. The main candidates are Colonel Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of prior Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who served from 1990 to 2000.. Activists had covered a prominent wall with articles and posters explaining the corruption behind Alberto Fujimori's presidency, which is now widely termed a dictatorship. The support in Cusco went largely to Humala, although Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru's Literary Nobel Laureate, compared the election to "choosing between AIDS and cancer." It will be interesting to see how the activism progresses up until June 5th, when the official election takes place! Here is a picture of a section of the "propaganda wall" I mentioned.
Once I got into the foyer of La Compoania and convinced the man with the mass programs that I wasn't a tourist, he gave me a very helpful little guide to the service, with many of the congregational responses emboldened for the quasi-fluent Spanish speakers such as myself. The church didn't fill up all too much for the service, but it was very beautiful, and there was a small but earnest choir leading the singing. I am sooort of contemplating joining, but I first need to investigate whether they use actual sheet music or just words. Classically trained snob that I am, I don't know how well I would do if I'm just given words without notes to accompany them. I also want to attend some of the other churches in the city and then decide where I'd like to go on a regular basis.
This is where I went to mass today:
I forgot until I arrived at church and read through the bulletin that today is Divine Mercy Sunday. To be fully honest, I don't really know what that day means or what exactly we're celebrating, but based on the readings, it's a celebration of Jesus' return to earth after his death, and the story of Doubting Thomas, and the importance of believing without always seeing what we think we need to see. As much as I sometimes complain about the repetition of Catholic mass and the fact that it sort of gives off the "rote memorization" feel, it's something that I truly, truly appreciate when I'm in another country that speaks another language. Even when I wasn't certain of what every word that I was saying meant, I could easily follow through the prayers, the scripture and Gospel readings, and the Eucharistic blessings without wondering what in the world was going on. It gives me new appreciation simply for the term "catholic," and its understood definition: "universal."
There was a particularly beautiful piece of scripture (1 Peter 1:6-7) that I would like to share. In Spanish, it reads, "Alegrense por ello, aunque de momento tengan que sufrir un poco, en pruebas diversas: asi la autenticidad de su fe--mas valiosa que el oro, el cual es perecedero a pesar de haber sido purificado en el fuego--llegara a ser alabanza y gloria y honor cuando se manifieste Jesucristo."
In English, it means, "On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns." Hearing these verses read was comforting, and helped to remind me that my small sufferings are nothing compared to the great joy that I will one day experience in heaven.
At the end of the mass, the children all gathered together and led a small procession through the main plaza of Cusco, the Plaza de las Armas. They were absolutely precious, and for their small numbers, they made quite a ruckus by playing flutes and drums and carrying two big renderings of the Virgin Mary. One of the little boys had such joy on his face that I just wanted to adopt him! Stereotypical statement: the kids in Peru are sooo much more adorable overall than kids in the US. Maybe it's just because they don't look as familiar, but they also just seem to be able to play and be at peace in such simple circumstances, while it seems like kids from the US are given 3,245 toys to keep them ever-occupied. It's so cool to watch kids find the same (perhaps more) fascination with a piece of wood or a water bottle, as they would with an action figure or a lego set. It makes me think that spoiling children only results in making them less appreciative of the simple beauty that exists in the everyday.
Anyway, this is a picture of the procession. The little boy in the navy blue suit is the one I want to adopt and take home with me!
After church, I walked home via the Avenida del Sol so that I could stop at an ATM and replenish my supply of soles. Since the exchange rate is so good here, I took out 200 soles, which is somewhere around 80 dollars. The machine gave me the soles, but in the form of one 100 sole note and two 50 sole notes. This remains rather a sizable problem for me because there are few stores and/or vendors in Cusco that have change for such large bills. (You'd think the ATM machine would be aware of this fact and give me smaller bills, but alas!). I felt guilty at one little shop because I had to give the woman 20 soles to buy two bottles of water, and it seemed that at first she wasn't sure that she could make the change. My latest genius plan is to go to the bank tomorrow and see if they'll give me some smaller bills. Otherwise, I really don't know how I'm going to buy anything!
I wasn't home for very long before it was time for Laura and me to leave for the soccer stadium. For S/15 (about $6), we got tickets to watch a game featuring Cusco's local futbol team versus a team from Caesar Vallejo, which I believe is several hours from here. As we walked into the stadium, there were officers checking the contents of our bags, and I was told that my water bottle was not permitted. I learned later that during the last game, people had been throwing bottles and food at the visiting team, so forbidding bottled water was a necessary precaution. The funny thing is, I had to buy a little plastic bag for 10 cents from a man standing nearby and then pour my water bottle into the bag! I started laughing as I did this, and he got a little defensive and said, "They do this in Madrid too!" I am willing to bet some money that that's not true, but whatever. My water, although it looks like there should be a goldfish swimming in it, is safe!
The soccer game itself was pretty fun to watch. There were a LOT of people there, and we all had to buy colorful ponchos because it began to rain for part of the game. The Cusco team had a mascot dressed as an Inca running around the field with them before the game started, and that was a riot. He unfortunately moved so much that I couldn't get a picture of him, but it was a sight to be had! Probably the funniest part of the game was how much the players from both teams dramatized their injuries in order to get free kicks. Every time someone was even lightly touched by another player, the touched player would practically flip over and writhe in pain until play had to stop and the player's team received a penalty kick. It got pretty ridiculous by the end. There was even a little golf cart that took at least two (maybe three?) players off of the field on stretchers. Remarkable how easy it was for the players to move themselves from the field to the stretcher...hmmm. Also entertaining was the man videotaping the game for the local news. He was pretty excited about having a group of white people sitting in one of the front rows, and he kept zooming in on our faces awkwardly as we chatted and watched the game. We were also asked two times to stand up and hold a Cusco soccer banner, so I'm pretty sure we're going to be local celebrities. :-)
Cusco won, 1-0. Here are some of the Cusco team members after the winning goal was scored.
After the game, we all split. I guess that Eliza went home, Lauren went somewhere with her Peruvian boyfriend/friend...I'm not sure. Kelsey went to hang out with some of the soccer players. She's a semester student enjoying her last few days in Cusco, and she apparently became something of a soccer groupie during her time here. Finally, Laura went to the ProWorld office to Skype a certain someone, namely her boyfriend Erich, whom she met here in Cusco!!! This was the most interesting part of Laura's love life story--she came to Peru, without any intention of meeting someone on a romantic level--and now has a boyfriend who lives in Iowa while she lives in New Jersey! From what I know of Laura, though, I think she'll make it work, and if the two of them end up in a long term relationship, they'll be one of the most well-traveled couples ever!
I walked home from the game by myself, and stopped on the way at a restaurant, where I decided to be somewhat brave and try myself a traditional Peruvian dish, called lomo saltado. It's basically beef stir-fried with vegetables and then served alongside french fries and sometimes rice. While I couldn't stomach the entire thing, I enjoyed a good bit of it, and I'm sitting here digesting and not feeling too nauseous. Perhaps a small food victory has been won this evening!
It's now 7:18, and I plan on getting a nice, warm shower, doing some reading and then heading to bed! Tomorrow is my first official day at the office, and I think things are going to get pretty busy pretty quickly from this point.
I will end with a photo that I took in honor of my mama dearest, recycling and earth-loving fiend. I saw this while walking home down the Avenida del Sol. The sign translates to, "Care for me. I want to grow like you. I am your friend. Thank you!"
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