This past week, we had parciales (mid terms); I have never
been less prepared for important examinations in my life. My academic experience in Peru has been an
adjustment. First, there was the
language barrier; in most classes I found my Peruvian classmates harder to
understand than my professors. The
obvious exception being my Arqueology professor; he speaks “entre dientes” and
I still only catch one word in five.
Furthermore, the structure of Peruvian Universities is
completely different; by this I mean there is a general lack of structure. This is not to say its better or worse,
harder or easier; it’s just different.
In one of my classes we basically don’t have assigned readings (except
for three groups of articles that we need to read for our three
“controls”-reading quizzes) or homework.
My exams were all between 2 and 3 hours, and consisted of extremely open-ended
essay questions-a far cry from Collin’s epic take home exams.
In general, I have been struggling with focus and
motivation. I can’t shake the feeling of
being “en media de nada”. In abstract my
courses are interesting enough, but I am not studying the things that interest
me most; it almost makes me miss MatLab.
But that’s not to say that my experience in la Católica has
been a complete waste. I really like
Contemporary Peruvian Narrative; a class that focuses on the origins of the
literary style: “indigenismo” and its evolution through the work of Jose María
Arguedas and Mario Vargas Llosa. The
professor studied in the United States, and understands what it means to be an
“extranjero”; she is sympathetic to the foreign students without being
condescending.
The experience of being a racial or cultural minority is
intimately tied to the central theme of the course. Our midterm focused on Los Ríos Profundos by Arguedas.
This semi-biographical novel focuses on the development of Ernesto, an
adolescent misti who is trapped between two worlds. Through Ernesto, Arguedas questions the implications
of modernization for Andean culture, and contemplates the social changes
necessary to implement modernization without acculturation. (All the while giving some pretty spectacular
descriptions of nature and Inca stonework!)
I spent most of my time studying for Narrativa because it is
my only class that is worth the effort (“el unico que vale la pena”). Over the weekend I reviewed the readings and
course themes with a group of friends; while studying in my house we watched a
series of YouTube videos that more or less encapsulate the central themes of
the novel:
Diversity of Peru
“No, no hay país más diverso, más multiple en variedad
terrena y humana; todos los grados de calor y color, de amor y odio, de
urdimbres y sutilezas, de símbolos ultilizados e inspiradores.” –Jose María
Arguedas
The migrant experience
“La vasta discursividad arguediana examina casi siempre con
optimismo la fortaleza o la astucia (la ‘plasticidad cultural’ diría Rama) que
permite al hombre andino apropriarse selectivamente de atributos que le son
ajenos y enriquecer con ellos su experiencia del mundo.” –Antonio Cornejo Polar
The Nostalgia of the Foreigner
“Después de todo, migrar es algo así como nostalgia desde un
presente que es o debería ser pleno las muchas instancias y estancias que se
dejaron allá y entonces, un allá y un entonces que de pronto se descubre que
son el acá de la memoria insomne pero fragmentada y el ahora que tanto corre
como se ahonda, verticalmente, en un tiempo espeso que acumula sin sintetizar
las experiencias del ayer y de los espacios que se dejaron atrás y que siguen perturbano
con rabia o con ternura.” –Antonio Cornejo Polar
Acculturation vs. Adaptation-About the Mestizo Project
“Yo no soy un
aculturado; yo soy un peruano que orgullosamente, como un demonio feliz, habla
en Cristiano y en indio, en español y en quechua. Deseaba convertir esa realidad en lenguaje
artístico y tal parece, según cierto consenso más o menos general, que lo he
conseguido.” –Jose María Arguedas
The Importance of Language
“El problema era cómo cruzar esta distancia y llegar al
lector; mostrarle la sociedad andina de tal forma que pudiera ver al mismo
tiempo ‘su propio rostro’. Arguedas vio
que la dificultad técnica básica era el lenguaje. El lenguaje y la cultura son indivisibles, y
por lo tanto no era fácil que el español se convirtiera en un vehículo para la
cultura y la sensibilidad quechua.” –William Rowe
Social Change
“La chichera encarna la promesa de una cultura emergente…el
drama de la modernidad no se actúa solo en las grandes ciudades ni sus actores
pertenecen en exclusividad, a las capas ilustradas.” –Peter Elmore
But don’t worry we made room for fun as well; my study group
and I made time to go to la Noche en Blanco, an event in Barranco. La Plaza Central was transformed into a
concert venue for a series of concerts (Lucho Quequezana, DJ Hanna Has, and
Dengue Dengue Dengue) and the streets were filled with installations of
contemporary art and architecture. The
art was…interesting, and the butt of many jokes about the Post Modern World,
but the event was a great way to have fun and get culture on a Saturday
night.
La Casa Verde-coincidentally a book by Mario Vargas Llosa
Photo credit Kelly Carasco
When I was skimming through “separatas” (photocopies of various
chapters from the Handbook of South
American Archaeology of questionable legality) on the combi en route to my
exam I had an epiphany of sorts.
Supposedly I was reviewing for my archaeology exam, but the only things
that really interested me were the descriptions of geography of South America
and the geologic context for the archaeological sites. I got really excited when my archaeology
textbook recommended that I read Science
for more information about plant domestication. Guess I am lucky to be studying what I truly love back home in the
States.
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