One week into Peru and the differences between Ecuador and Peru became more obvious. Some differences were due to the fact that we were in a major city that was more modern with diverse people, styles and culture. Every day five roommates and I would ride a bus from our hole in the wall house to the heart of the gorgeous city. It took a while to acquire enough street cred to look cool on the combis (buses) but enough practice we blended in with the locals. This included comfortably standing butt-to-butt with a stranger on the crowded night buses. Spanish classes were intense but fruitful and I was a one of the lucky few to not get homework. On the weekend, we celebrated Halloween (or “The Harvest Festival” as the devil was not welcome) with the girls from the Christian affilliated home for girls. It was an awesome party with a dance contest, salsa music, games and too much candy. The next day, Nov. 1st, we visited the cemetery with Maria as our guide to see the celebrations of the Dia de los muertos. We saw mariachi bands being paid to play the dead’s favorite songs, food, and flowers. We also learned that for the cheapest grave, which actually more resembles a giant craft supply organizer, about eight coffin sized drawers tall and ten wide, can actually only be rented for 100 years, due to lack of space. Overall it was a very interesting experience and Arequipa ” The lion of the south” will be missed.
