Semana Santa

I woke up Thursday morning and I was in the shittiest mood of all time. My host sister Karin, told me to come to the plaza at 9 am to taste some “platos tipicos” and I did not want to go. Sometimes I wake up here and I just feel cold, alone, depressed. Sleeping fully clothed with socks on and waking up in a foreign country can be exhausting. Knowing I need to walk downstairs, speak Spanish, eat something strange, and then go to my job where I feel mildly useless does not breed strength and inner peace. But nevertheless, I dragged my sorry ass out of bed and headed downstairs. 

I knew whatever was happening at 9am wouldn’t start until 10 (la hora peruana), so I arrived at 9:30 at the plaza. I showed up and saw my host sister Karin, and she told me to talk with the director of Vaso de Leche, so I went over to her. She explained to me that I would be judging a food competition, the 14 neighborhoods of Apata were competing to see who could make the most delicious and nutritious locally sourced traditional food of the region. I was one of three judges; along with a nurse named Alexis and a chef named Janeth, who were both from Huancayo. The food was simple and divine, and it honestly gave me a whole new respect for the food of Junín. I tried causa de trucha (trout layered in a potato lasagna), fried trout with quinoa, refresco de aguaymanto, ají de cuy (guinea pig), gelantina de cushuro (which is a type of flavorless bacteria that grows in ponds), and a bunch of wild berries and fruits that grow in the sierras topped with fresh honey. I was in heaven. The competition turned my entire mood around, and I had such a good time with the two other judges, we all friended each other on Facebook after.

I find that when I am in my worst moods, and then forced to be social, it usually improves my mood. I still haven’t mastered showing any bit of my personality or humor in Spanish, but as the years go by here, I’ll improve. Can’t get any worse, right? 

On Friday, I watched the llama race in Apata, the llamas were adorned with colorful ribbons and bows, and the herders wore all-white knitted clothing head to toe

. Then I headed off to Tarma to spend some time with my friends. Kim’s mom made us an apple pie Polish-style. It was perfect, so good; I haven’t had an apple pie in who knows how long. We saw the flower carpets, drank some calientitos (alcoholic tea), and just relaxed. Seeing the other volunteers is always the best time of my month, just feeling like a normal young person for once. When I returned to Apata, I was getting sicker by the minute and spent most of Saturday and Sunday rotting in my bed, binge-watching Griselda on Netflix and reading A Little Life. I still haven’t recovered from this cold and it’s Wednesday now. I need to start zeroing in on my job and getting ready to teach in the schools this week. Overall, Semana Santa has bee my favorite holiday so far.