Sonnet 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
-William Shakespeare

What do Lima and Shakespeare have in common?  Apparently quite a bit.  There is a long literary tradition that depicts the city to be a woman.  Like the traditional feminine dichotomy of the virtuous and the impure, the city can be both sacred and sinful; urban centers have the capacity to shelter and protect (la Lima-madre), to deceive and betray (la Lima-Medusa), and to seduce and enchant (la Lima-Perricholi).  Lima la horrible by Sebastián Salazar Bondy paints a portrait of Lima the "ciudad-mujer"; Salazar Bondy's city is populated by a diverse cast of female personalities who embody the city itself: "Las figuraciones femeninas de la ciudad forman, pues, un retablo multiforme.  Está la Lima devota y voluptuosa, la Lima-Perricholi, la Lima-tapada, la Lima 'atonta'. la Lima devorada, la Lima-Medusa (Bondy)".  Lima, like all women, is a complex character, riddled with contradiction. 

Lima is a multi-faceted chameleon, and above all she is undeniably profane.  Like the mistress of Sonnet 130 Lima is no goddess, "when she walks, she treads on the ground"; she invokes daily critique, but nonetheless has the incredible capacity to inspire adoration.  Interaction with la Lima-mujer will never be distant or professional; it can only be personal.  And like the worst kind of relationship it is an emotional roller coaster; disorienting, because it is populated with almost daily change.  Its no exaggeration to say that Lima will drive you to the brink of insanity, but leave you groveling on both knees for more.  There is no way to love Lima except by hating her, and the more time you spend in her, the less you know about her.

I have been for almost five months now, and Lima still surprises me every day.  Here is what I have been up to lately:

Taking in "La sala erotica" (a room of erotic pre-Colombian ceramics at Museo Larco: http://www.museolarco.org/ ) with my grandmother.  Here is a sample of our conversation:  
"Mimi you have to see the next room.  Its full of surprises."
"Surprises for a woman like me?"
"No surpises for any kind of woman."

"Guess there really isn't anything new."

Rossana Díaz Costa, the professor of the IFSA Castellano class, just happens to be a director and writer.  Her movie will premier this August at a film festival in Lima, but the IFSA gang was lucky enough to get an advance screening of her film aka the "estreno mundial" of Viaje a Tombuctú (Trip to Timbuktu): http://www.tombuktufilms.com/inicio.html.  I am not exaggerating when I say that it is the best Peruvian film (except for Asu Madre-jokes) that I have seen to date.  Her film tells the story of two teenagers growing up in in Peru during the 80's; indirectly developing themes of immigration and terrorism.  Hopefully it'll make its way to the US because this film is seriously incredible.

Later that night we headed to Las Brisas de Titicaca, a peña in el Centro, that started as a place where immigrants from Puno could celebrate traditional music and dance and has grown to be a National Cultural Association and major tourist attraction that showcases music and dance from all over Peru: http://www.brisasdeltiticaca.com/.  The show lasted for about five hours (until 2:30 am); it included both performances by a group of professionals and the opportunity for the audience to get up and dance.


Like any night with the IFSA crew the evening was filled with both humor and surprises.  Mikey, who doesn't own a pair of pants in this country, wasn't allowed to enter the club without "formal attire".  Before we knew it he was changing into a pair of uniform pants that belonged to one of the waiters.  I had never seen him wear pants before, and I am not going to lie he looked pretty cute.

Andrés and I were the first gringoes on the dance floor.  Can you spot us in this snapshot of the big television screen?

The coastal dance of Peru: la marinera.  An elegant dance including symbolizing courtship and including handkerchiefs as props.  

The next day, Erin and I went to the Sunday farmer's market on the corner of La Vía Expressa and Ricardo Palma.  We purchased such delicacies as really really good chocalate, lucuma goat cheese, and super fresh vegetables.  We shared a bowl of steaming chupe de camarones served to us by the mothers of Surquillo.

Erin couldn't resist finding a friend in our lunch.

That night Erin, Adrienne, and I headed to el Centro for dinner and a show.  But first we had some serious ganas to go shopping (I was hoping to find a pirated copy of Game of Thrones, Erin needed a hat and gloves, and Adrienne was looking for fashion shades); naturally we ended up at Polvos where I purchased the first season of GOT and Asu Madre for 17 soles.  As we were leaving the view of the Vía Expressa was enchanting:

We finally found un bosque in Lima, a parillada en la Avenida Carabaya.  Erin is ready to enjoy some pollo a la brasa, chicha morada, and Pilsner.  

 My first time walking around the plaza de las armas at night.  Lima looked beautiful; although I think Lima might be the only place in the world where the days are grey and the nights are yellow.

But the evening's main event was a post modern production of Romeo y Julieta in the courtyard of the Convent of San Fransisco, a 16th century Spanish convent in the center of Lima.  And let me tell you this, no one does Shakespeare like Lima; think Pulp Fiction meets the Spanish Inquisition.  Bruno Odar's interpretation of this classic love story included intravenous drug use (#Juliet'ssuicide) and elusions to political violence.  But all joking aside it was an amazing production, and the theater was incomparable!  I don't think there has ever been a balcony scene quite like that; Romeo was literally climbing scaffolding for a good few minutes before he got to Juliet.  In addition, the cast included some very talented Peruvian actors including Al Fondo Hay Sitio's Bruno Odar and the enchanting model Andrea Luna.

The next day finals period started.  For real for real.  Hard to believe it, but five months have passed me by.  Now its time to finish final papers, tie up loose ends, and reflect on what this experience has and hasn't been.  Weird but true; the most important relationship that I have developed in the past five months is my tempestuous relationship with the city of Lima.  I never would have chosen to spend a semester in Lima, but I wanted to be in Peru...And the sad truth about a centralized country is that if you want to do pretty much anything, you have to do it in the capital.  If you want to be be somebody you have to be in Lima.  But that's not saying its going to be easy...  

Lima is the sort of place where will pay S/25 for a mani-pedi combination on Thursday afternoon, but don't expect your manicurist to butter you up.  When you tell her its your first time, she'll respond, "He notado esto.  Has caminado mucho" while she shaves four years of trail crew callouses off your feet with what looks like a potato peeler.  (Sorry I'm not sorry I'll never be a limeña-tapada.)  

If Lima gets the chance she won't just knock you down; she'll knock you clean off your feet.  Living in this city is war: a fight to get where you're going, a struggle to stay positive, or to not get lost in the crowd.  But Lima also takes care of her own; every time I think I've had enough, I find another Lima waiting, hiding around the next corner.  The secret is to keep looking, to keep exploring, porque hay sorpresas que esperan en cada esquina.     

Lima, my mistress, invokes the discourse of Sonnet 130; she suffers by comparison to any sort of ideal, but she inspires a "Love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare".  Life in this city isn't always pretty; in fact during the winter it rarely is, but it's undeniably rewarding.

So...Lima and Shakespeare, I guess maybe they do have a few things in common after all.