Fun Fact No. 29: Peruvians (or at least the ones in the Amazon) love ceremony. If there is an opportunity for a speech (or 30) or a parade, rain or shine, these people are ON it! Often infuriating, but also endearing, ceremony is huge here.
Fun Fact No. 30: Hospitals in Iquitos don't provide sheets or toilet paper. Seems simple and very hospitally, right? Nope. Unless you want to sleep on a nasty mattress, bring your own sheets. If you want to go to the bathroom, bring your own damn TP. Good Lord, you would think a roll of toilet paper costs $376!
On Monday night, at around 10pm, a friend of mine here tried to commit suicide by eating rat poison (the brand is called Campeón, which means Champion. Ironic, right?). She's 21 years old, is a fourth year student in international business at the University, loves to dance, sing, and has a smile from ear to ear. Well, obviously, her smile might not always be for real, because she downed a good quantity of poison. According to the doctors, it wasn't enough to kill her, but certainly enough to make her seriously sick and to do permanent damage to her intestines and other organs. She was taken to the Regional Hospital after her dad took her to a local clinic and she'll be there for 3 days where she's under psychiatric supervision. We went to visit her yesterday in the hospital and considering the circumstances, she's doing well. She talks pretty openly about the whole thing, whereas my natural instinct is to make jokes and keep her laughing. She says she'll never do it again, but jeez, once you take rat poison you've gotta be hurting pretty badly, right? Her mom died about 3 years ago, and I guess she's been stressed out ever since with her dad and his new wife etc. etc. Sorry to start this blog off on a sad note.
Continuing on the depressing note, I met three Americans last night at the Texas restaurant. They are all really nice boys (2 from LA and 1 from Alabama), Mark, Scott, and Craig, and we had a great time just shooting the bull and relaxing. All of the sudden, Scott started telling me about his mom who died a little over a year ago. To start with, while these guys were really nice, they were also slightly frattier than I tend to get along with, so I was really surprised by Scott's candidness. I don't think I've ever spoken so openly about my mom's death with anyone, less a stranger who I've known for 15 minutes. But it was really nice. He was very open and was very intent on really talking about it, and it was actually pretty therapeutic. I used to always get peoples' email addresses when I traveled, afraid I would lose touch with them. And I usually did lose touch with them except for about 2 out of a hundred. Then I realized that maybe those people were meant to cross your path at that moment for just that moment, without need to try to maintain a friendship. I panicked the first few times I didn't get someone's email address, but now I'm much better about it. Scott is a prime example. I had a lovely time talking with him, and I'll never see him again in my life, and that's perfectly OK. Well, thanks Scott, I appreciate it. :)
On other notes, Lars leaves at the end of this week to do a Peru tour and then head back to Austin, which saddens me. Also, Lilia is heading back to Cusco at the end of this month, most likely to stay there. And Cesar is getting married at the end of this month, and although he'll be back, it'll be different. Our little group, Lars, Lilia, Mario Luis, Cesar, Monica and me is disintegrating and once again, I have to remind myself that everything happens for a reason and it's time for a new epoch here in Iquitos. Tonight we're going to have a combo bachelor party and going away party, cake and all, to celebrate the past two and a half months of fabulous friendship. And it really is friendship. Friendship happens a lot faster when you're in a crazy, foreign place and you kind of need to fill that space. It's been great.
A little sappy, this blog, but next time I'll tell you about the new choir I'm playing with, about how Meera is getting here in 2 weeks, my friend Tony may well do a Peruvian tour, and how I've been hired to do transcriptions. Crazy, right?
2 comments:
Oh my God. She is so lucky to have a friend like you. Bless you for being their for her.
By the way, I totally agree with you about crossing paths with people who have a profound effect on you, and never seeing them again. Fate has put a few people like that in my path recently... not to get all supernatural on you, but I think it's "meant."
Um, I think I meant "there," not "their."
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