23:39 Tuesday 7 April 2009
My house in Lima
¡Cumpleaños Feliz! Well, Happy Birthday (they also call it a santo) to me today! Tonight was wonderful, and although I couldn’t be with my friends and family back in the US for the first time, my Multisa family made it very memorable. My host mom Austry, being the sweetheart that she is, wanted to have a birthday dinner for me, and when Maria Elena and Lucia (our ISA directors) found out it was my birthday, they convinced Austry to let all 15 of us come. We all sat together laughing and talking in the living room while chowing down on Domino’s pizza (just like my birthdays in the US!). I was really touched by the thoughtfulness of everyone, I received some gifts and then several of the boys made their grand entrance with a huge bouquet of flowers (one of everything, since they didn’t know which was my favorite). It was just nice to have everyone together and the cake was delicious, which we cut in traditional fashion- first a big circle in the center, then slices from the outside. I can’t believe that I’m no longer a teenager! Everyone teased me about how young I am compared to most on the trip but I feel old! Just kidding. Kind of.
Other noteworthy news: I started my first day of class yesterday with Art and Culture of Peru (in Spanish). I think it will be really interesting, we are doing several museum visits and covering a broad range of mediums and topics. Today I had International Trade and Negotiation Policy (in English) and it seems like it will also be interesting, especially learning from a Latin American perspective. The Universidad del Pacífico is the top school for economics and business in the country, and we can already tell that they will be a lot more demanding here. I start my Advanced Spanish class next week as well. More than one class and multiple project and papers? What is that about? Guess I’ll actually have to do studying and research and all that. I feel like I learn 24 hours a day outside the classroom, I don’t really need to be graded, do I?
On another note, today the former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, was convicted to a 25 year sentence in prison for murder and corruption charges. This court decision is monumental, because it is one of the first times a Latin American leader is being held accountable for his corrupt actions. While some applaud the justice of the decision, others, who are grateful to Fujimori for improving the economy and wiping out the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerillas in the 1990s, feel he doesn’t deserve it. One host mom actually cried when she found out, and there is now growing support for his daughter’s campaign for presidency since she has vowed to pardon him if elected. All in all, it’s a very complicated issue, you really should google some info about the Sendero Luminoso movement and how devastating it was to Peruvian society (along the same lines as the Dirty War in Argentina).
Well, for a birthday present to myself, tomorrow I’m off to the beach in the morning for a surfing lesson before classes! Coli
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