Feliz Cumpleanos

Thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday this weekend. It was kind of nice to have my first real legitimate weekend though I ended up working on saturday but I still had Friday and Sunday off. I spent friday downtown with emily, patrick, and james (3 friends from the institute) and we made our way to the plaza de las armas to see President Garcia get inagurated. However, we soon found out that you needed a ticket to get in but as with most things, there are exceptions, and having a blond american with you is one such exception. So we were at the plaza de las armas, living it up with mostly Garcia supporters but all of whom shared a general disidain for peruvian politics. Anyways, it turns out there is no piblic speech and in fact all we really saw him do was walk to his residence, though that turned out to be no easy task. What James called "Organized Chaos" I call a fight between 30 of Garcia´s security personnel. Basically in the rush to make a little passage way lined by rock hard dudes so as to protect the president, they looked as though they were in the mosh pit of a metallica concert. I would later find out that they were actually protecting him from an imminent threat in the form of a scrawny peruvian trying to give Garcia a "Homenaje a Jesus" DVD. I kid you not, that is what he wsa trying to give the president and he chose to run at him during his inaguration to give it to him.

The day ended on a high note with Chifa (peruvian version of chinese food) in chinatown and a soccer game in the park with my new kicks. I really will upload a picture of my new soccer shoes, they are no vapors but nice nonetheless. Later went out to eat with a couple friends and then watched a peruvian movie before going to sleep. I should elaborate that my actually birthday celebration was Thursday night as there was one person leaving that night. It was at this middle eastern place and we feasted on baclawa and shwerma to our hearts content.

Saturday went into work in the morning and then headed out to the Museo de la Nacion in the afternoon. They had a photography exhibit on the Senderoso movement there that was really good and I managed to stay there until it closed at six. I am going to have to go back to that museum because I only managed to see one exhibit and it is actually more well known for its inca exhibit. Then I walked around Barranco for a bit, Barranco is pretty much the equivalent of the Mission in San Francisco kind of an artsy sort of place with lots of displaced artists. This is where this awesome theater is at. That night I saw the movie "sick" which is the story of Bob Flanagan a Cystic Fibrosis survivor who lived until the ager of 45 or so and basically to deal with the pain of the disease became a professional masequist. One of the most graphic movies Ive ever seen, I dont know if Ill ever be able to get out of my head, the image of a nail being hammered into a penis.

Sunday was also rather subdued, went for a run in the morning and went out with Patrick and James to have brunch at Mango´s a local restaurant with a renowned Buffet. Though a bit pricy for peruvian standards (35 soles or 10 bucks), it was worth every penny. We got there at 10:20 and didnt leave until 1:30. The meal was absolutely amazing and even better was the view. They had a patio that overlooked the pacific ocean and it was up on a cliff so you had an amazing view of everything. To top it off, it was a beautiful day and I just sat outside with a T shirt. The buffet was absolutely amazing with all sorts of juices and foods such as torta de papa, Lomo Saltado, Chicharron, and even Tamales. I ended up stealing a few yogurts and tamales on top of the 7 or 8 plates that I ate. It was amazing. Later went to the art museum which yielded one of the worst cultural tours I think Ive ever taken, but then again what can you expect when entry and a tour costs you 30 cents. Topped the day off with a soccer game at CLub deportivo San Borja where I managed to rediscover form and score a few and also stayed and juggled with some dudes who were much better then me. The day wound down with another peruvian movie (Dias de Santiago) and then here I am today, supposedly working. I need to start planning how I am gonna revisit all my houses so they can sign HIPPA (thank you UAB). Warm wishes to all.