Higher Education

Look at this! So many blog posts! I'm so proud of myself.

Anyways, today marks the end of my first week of higher education, aka The U. I am now attending la Universidad Privada de Tacna! Whoohoo! Go UPT! (I don't think there's a mascot.)

That's my building! There are about 8 others, for all the other types of careers. 

I started classes on Monday, for Tourism. Since I'll only be in Tacna for a few more weeks, I'm attending as an "alumna libre", which basically means I can do whatever I want. So I get to choose my classes, which is really cool. Basically, the university has two shifts, the morning shift and the evening one. I'm generally in the morning one, but because I'm an alumna libre I also have a few classes in the evening, and I get to miss the boring morning classes like Management and Technicalities of Lodging. Honestly, I don't care at all about how to book a tour group in the Holiday Inn. Instead I'm taking cooking, which is awesome because we get to eat everything at the end, and Destinos Turisticos (tourist destinations), which is awesome because I get to go on a lot of trips.

On Monday I showed up without a schedule and without knowing where I had to go. Luckily, one of my classmates from colegio is also in Tourism, and so she just took me around with her for the rest of the day. I met all the people in her class, and just kind of sat there in the lessons. But they were actually pretty interesting, and everyone was really nice, so I came back on Tuesday super pumped up and ready to learn. But on Tuesday morning the faculty director wasn't there, so I didn't get to pick my classes, which meant I just followed Aracelli around again. Still, it was fun, and after we got out at 1 I went to go pick my classes. That night I had cooking for the first time. I showed up, met everyone in the class, and then left half an hour later after the girl who was supposed to bring the ingredients never showed up. But if she had shown up, I know we would have made something delicious. On Wednesday morning I woke up, excited for my first real day of classes. And then I spent the rest of the morning in bed, sick. Not even two whole days back in school and I got sick. I don't think that bodes well for when I return to South Salem High School - I'll probably just have to show up to school in a bubble. That night I was better, so I headed out to Destinos Turisticos, where I learned about the trip we would be going on the next day, to a place along the coast called Morosamba (or something like that.) It was free, so the next day I found myself catching a five am bus with my other classmates and heading towards the beach.

At the beach, we ended up walking for some time along the Inca Trail, yes, the exact same trail that leads to Cusco and Machu Picchu! The Incas covered their empire with this trail. Everything was interconnected and parts of the trail still survive today, in relatively good condition. The Trail eventually brought us to an ancient solar clock the Incans had built as well. At that site, which was right next to the sea (it was maybe 20 feet away) an Aymaran ceremony was being preformed. This past Thursday, as you might know, marked the change from summer into autumn, which is an important day for many cultures. In the Aymara culture, they celebrated the gift of water, and thanked the Pachamama for all of the blessings that had been bestowed. There's more to it, but that's the basics, and that's why we were at the sea. For the ceremony, a fire was prepared, but not lit, and a cardboard box was set to the side, filled with flowers and surrounded by coca leaves, animal fat, special herbs, and all other sorts of items. We stood in a circle, alternating men and women, while a few people explained what was going to happen and let us in prayers of thanksgiving. Eventually we all went around, one by one, and took a handful of coca leaves. Setting a pinch of the herbs on top, and sticking them there with animal fat, we each had a minute to send up our own prayer of thanksgiving and happiness. When each person finished praying, they tossed their coca leaves, herbs, and animal fat into the box on top of all the flowers. We went around another time, and were each handed a sea shell filled with wine. One by one, we sprinkled some into the box, some on top of the fire wood, and then tossed what was still left to a side of the soon-to-be fire. Apparently it hadn't always been wine that was used, it had been animal blood. From a freshly slaughtered young llama. I'm very glad they switched to wine. After that, we danced around the site twice, still as a circle, while the people who knew what they were doing sang a song in Aymara. Aymara is a really interesting and complicated-sounding language. I'd love to learn it though. Then, with the ritual being over, the festivities started. As people from the municipalidad broke out the food, a woman dressed in traditional clothing who had been a part of the ceremony came over to each one of us and put fresh flowers on our heads, while reciting a prayer in Aymara. As we shared crackers, chicha morada, and flat Coca Cola, they all thanked us for coming out and told us to remember our deep cultural roots. Then we loaded up the bus, and we were back home in time for lunch. All in all, it was a really interesting ceremony, and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it. It was an incredible way to see part of Peru's rich living history. It's sad that these older cultures are slowly fading away, but some people are working very hard to try to save them, and I think that they're slowly making a difference.

The ritual was kind of like this. Except not at all. But the flag and the fire is right, and everything was laid out on a blanket like that. Google didn't really have any super helpful images. Sorry. 

That night, after having missed all of my morning classes, I went back to the U for Destinos Turisticos, once again. We discussed the ceremony and some of Peru (Ica! I've been there!) and then I headed back home and collapsed into bed. This morning I woke up and went to my very first day of actually scheduled classes: Administration, Methodology, and Bartending/the science of Mixology. I also got my very first piece of homework - an essay for Administration. All in all, it was a good day. Tonight Peru plays Chile, which is bound to be an exciting match. (Yay rivalry!) My dad and brother have set up the TV, surrounded it with chairs, and are grilling giant hunks of meat and sticking six-packs in the fridge for when all the friends and relatives come over tonight. They're planning on painting their faces. It's going to get pretty crazy.

They're getting ready! The TV is on the wall behind my dad, and there's a giant Peruvian flag hung up too.
Photo credit: Carlos Sandoval

Some might be wondering how I can be attending university - how do I understand what's going on? Well, I'm pretty much fluent in, and completely accustomed to living my life completely in Spanish now, which is awesome. But it does mean that my English is slipping a bit. I think mostly in Spanish now, so I have to translate what I want to say in English from Spanish. This can cause a bit of confusion when skyping with friends or family, as sometimes I'll slip up and start to answer in Spanish. But hey, variety is the spice of life! It might cause a few problems in school when I go back to IB classes though... For example, I forgot how to spell mattresses yesterday. There are just too many t's and s's in that word. Someone should really get around to changing that.

Why don't we just call it an m? Then there aren't any t's or s's to deal with. Who's with me?

Seriously guys, let me know about the mattress thing. I feel like we could totally get a movement started. #mattress. Would that work?

Chau for now,
Emily