Corpus Cristi

Thursday was Corpus Cristi, which meant no school! It also meant loads of festivities going on in the Plaza de Armas and other plazas in town. There was a lot of processions and marching of saints around the square. I'm pretty sure everyone in Cusco was there. More than once, the three of us linked arms and were carried away by the crowd. We didn't really have much choice about which direction we were going, we were just not trying to lose one another. Luckily, we purchased brightly colored paper hats. There were people selling them everywhere, and they were just so ridiculous looking, we couldn't resist. We bought hats, and posed for pictures. I felt like such a tourist, but we were having a great time. After the picture, a student spotted me. It was a good thing she did, because she apparently thought we were having class that evening. That's when I realized I was still wearing the paper hat. Oh, well. Those hats turned out to be a very wise investment for 5o centimos. The sun was pretty harsh.

The traditional dish of Corpus Cristi is chiriuchu, but that includes guinea pig, so I of course declined. (But British Rob- as opposed to American Rob- saved a tiny claw for us. So sweet.) Walking around, there were all these tables stacked with roasted, whole guinea pigs. And today, on my way to school, I noticed plenty of vendors selling leftovers. Yum. Instead of cold cuy, I opted for coconut milk straight out of the coconut. Much better.

In the evening, we joined several other teachers for a sunset picnic on the hill overlooking the city. After a while, American Rob whipped out a frisbee, and eventually Peter managed to give himself a bloody nose. He bled through a tissue in no time, so I did the only other thing I knew to do- I shoved a tampon up his nose. He resisted a bit at first, but finally relented. Good thing, too, that wasn't an ordinary bloody nose. (Must be the altitude). Later he thanked me for saving him from bleeding to death. Glad I could help.