Hey, it’s Rose again under Macy’s name. Still no luck with my masterID.

I am an education major so I really had no idea what I was getting myself into by going to a newspaper building. I was pleasantly surprised and received a lot of information that I never knew I was interested in. The El COmerico building was beautiful and had a lot of history inside of it. The company started off as just a house but was torn down and the new building was build on top of the foundation. Most of the desks, railings and flooring were all vintage and never replaced. El Comercio was first published on November 9, 1841 and is owned by a family. It is the second oldest Latin American newspaper and oldest in Peru. The newspapers are printed at the most modern printing press. Not only does El Comercio publish their newspaper but they also have certain magazines as well. I was really interested in the competition between high school correspondents to have their very own articles published in one of the newspapers. They do this once a year, every year. For example they may have magazines involving babies, sports, pregnancy, etc. Although there was a six-year span of military control during the years of 1974 to 1980, there have been a total of nine presidents in 170 years. Pretty impressive.

Above is the plaque inside of the El Comercio building.

We got to tour the building, which was great. We got to go into the “Library”. This was one of my favorite parts because they had every single issue from the first paper published up until November of 2008. These copies were untouchable, but all accounted for. There were two other archives like this one was at the printing press and the other was family owned. There was a table that had four eagles as the legs and in the middle was the nest with eggs in it. This was very cool because this was where the main and most important meetings were held. We got to sit in the actual seats at the actual table. We felt very important.

Here we have some of the archives from 1967.

Here we are being “important” at the table with the four eagles and nest underneath in the middle.

While walking through the working areas I got to see how the offices were organized. There were different sections for photographers, writers, editors, etc. They were also organized by sections of the newspapers, classified, sports, world, etc. It was really interesting to see the staff at work. Also throughout the hallways were award winning photos. These photos were absolutely stunning. From sports to tragedy, whomever the photographer was, had captured more than just a photo. While passing one of these phenomenal photos, I noticed one that involved “Converstaions in ‘El Catedral’” I was very excited about this because I had read this famous Peruvian novel for this class, all 600 pages. Ha.

Below you can see me posing by it.

At the conclusion of the tour we received these amazing books, courtesy of El Comercio. The title is La Huella el Decano. There are great pictures and explanations of the history of El Comerico. This book is something that I will cherish forever. I will be able to use it in my future career as a teacher and I will also just have it as a reminder of my time spent here in Peru.

Above Anna and Andreas are reading through their new books.

January 5, 2009

Today we met with Peruvian journalist and blogger Marco Sifuentes. Marco is a well-known blogger throughout Lima, Peru. He currently has two different blogging sites, uterodemarita.com and utero.tv, which is his video blog. Marco talked to us about his career as a blogger and some of his experiences and stories with blogging. He also gave us advice on how to start our own blogs and some rules on ethics like what is appropriate to post and what kind of things are unethical to post.

Marco started his blog in 2005 and he posts three times daily on uterodemartia.com and about three times weekly on utero.tv. According to Marco, his blogs receive about 10,000 hits per day. Marco also talked to us about blogging in Peru and how Peru is the third largest blogging country in Latin America, including Mexico and not including Brazil. He said that most of his audience is either journalist who want to see what people are blogging about or other bloggers. He mentioned that his audience is mostly young adults.
I can say that I definitely learned a lot today from Marco. I learned that it is very important to consider your sources when gathering information. Also you must be aware of what you are blogging about and consider who your audience is and who is going to be reading your blog. Marco shared with us some of his experiences he has had while blogging like the time he blogged about a video that had been posted on youtube.com and how it caused commotion. All in all, today’s guest speaker proved to be very interesting and I definitely have a better understanding on blogging.

\

Hola!!! On day three here in Cusco, Peru we took a bus tour of the Sacred Valley and got to visit five different sites. We went to Pisac, Urubamba, Calca, Ollantaytambo, and Chincheros.
My first video is of the trade market we stopped at in Pisac. There we go to shop at the handcraft shops.

Next we visited Ollantaytambo, an Inca village, with terraces used for agricultural purposes. We got to hike up to the top and look down on the city. It is amazing how the Incas created and built these amazing structures without the use of modern technology. The last site that we visited was Chincheros. There we went to a women’s workshop where we saw a demonstration of how the local women make thread. Women from Cusco use llama or sheep wool to make the thread that they use to weave blankets and clothing such as hats and gloves. First they wash the wool and prepare to dye it. Then they dip the wool into hot water and dye it different colors. Once the wool is dyed they use a llama bone to weave different shapes and designs into the blanket. I really enjoyed the bus tour to the Sacred Valley because I learned so much about Incan culture, traditions, and their history. I was great to be able to see these amazing historical sites first hand. I hope you enjoy my videos!!!

Hi! It’s Rose blogging under Macy’s name. Unfortunately my masterID isn’t working here in Peru…

New Years was amazing in Cusco, but we had to get sleep in order to have enough rest for Machu Picchu!!! Shortly after the clock stroke midnight we went to the hotel and prepared ourselves for a life changing experience. Meet time in the lobby was 6 in the morning. We took a van to the train station and met our fearless tour guide Mario. Then off to Machu Picchu we went, which was a trek in itself. After a long four hours on the train, a horrifically close to the edge bus ride and a hike up crumbling steps, we had finally made it to the lucky city that is the home of the amazing Incan Ruins.

This is a photo that I took as soon as we arrived at the top of the mountain and had a clear shot of the city.

Above is the group with Machu Picchu in the background.

Being one of the Seven Wonders of the World and having been to three of them including Machu Picchu, I would have to say that this one is the most meaningful. There is a true feeling of historical presence when being at this Incan city. There are millions of facts and information that you can look up on the internet or in books that just aren’t the same as if you are able to visualize personally, Machu Picchu. Being able to see the mountain that the ruins were named after, Machu Picchu. The name of the actual city is actually unknown but because it is on the Mountain Machu Picchu, that’s how it got it’s name. Also the city was discovered less than 100 years ago in 1911 by and American explorer by the name of Hiram Bingham. Okay okay you can find those facts in books, but some other cool facts are that the city was made for the elite and their families to relax, sort of like a spa for the Incans. Also there is a rock that was placed on the top to represent the four directions North, South, East, and West. According to Mario if you rub your hand together and then put your hands up to the rock you can feel energy from the rock. I didn’t get to do this because I was the picture taker. You can see the picture of everyone else doing it in the picture below. I could go on and on about the interesting things that I have learned about Machu Picchu on the first day of the new year, but I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise and suspense for anyone who hasn’t been to this beautiful site yet.

Our Tour Guide Mario, was explaining the doorways to us, and showed us by drawing us a picture.

Above is the rock with the four directions, the girls actually felt the energy!

Through out the entire trip we have been pretty fortunate with the weather but there was a light mist on this day. The effect of the light fog and haze was breathtaking between the gigantic mountains and pre Columbian Incan city. Luckily I had my “vooortex” and everyone else has purchased more than colorful ponchos the day before.

There we are “the skittles” being goofy in our rain gear!

Spending our first day of the new year at Machu Picchu. Not bad huh?

New years eve in Cusco was unlike any new years I’ve ever experienced. There are several traditions that differ from that of U.S. traditions. For example the color yellow is seen through-out the streets and also worn because it symbolizes luck for the new year. Another tradition is that of grapes. Depending on your preference, for the last twelve minutes or twelves seconds of the year you eat the grapes for good luck as well and make a wish. Glasses displaying the year are one tradition that is universal. All-in-all the experience was indescribable. Even though it was raining the night was so much fun and amazing. As is tradition in Cusco, to welcome the new year every on got to run around the main square. here’s a clip from our run as well as the first moment of the year.

Fireworks were being launched by so many people and seeing the historical buildings in the backround was gorgeous. I can’t think of an experience close to this in the States and couldn’t think of a better way to kick off 2009.

Hola amigos!

Due to some technical problems and my late entry I have to blog under Leah’s account. No problem though, I’m sure we’ll have it fixed soon.

So, there is a video below that includes some of the various tours we have been on in the last few days. My favorite part about the video is the music, I bought it after a pizza dinner in the oldest restaurant in Cusco. A live band came in and they were just fantastic so I ended up buying one of their CD’s for 10 soles (about $3.33).

So what you’ll see in the video first is a clip from our bus tour at night in Lima. We of course sat on the top and saw some amazing sights. We had a few local visitors will us also. Maira-Ines’s brother, a friend and her cousin and a friend came with us. So those of us that spoke Spanish were able to practice and also getting a few tidbits from the locals. :)

The next clip start with our walking tour with Maria-Ines and her mother. It was fabulous. The imagine of the Virgin was inside one of the many churches we saw that day. Then, the grave sight that comes up is the grave of Saint Martin. He was the first African-American saint. We heard about many miracles that he performed and at the end of that part of the clip was where people who come to pray and worship him write their secret prayers on paper and put them in the class case.

The next clip is a live band that greeted us as we arrived in Cusco at 7 am. We rested in the morning and started a tour in the afternoon of the Sacred Valley. The clip is of our tour guide explaining the “chakana” which is the Incan’s version of a cross and the symbolism of the cross. It’s hard to see in his hand but here’s a link to see it’s shape (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tawa_chakana.svg). The top level is the sky (or the Christian version of heaven). The second level represents the world they lived in (here on Earth). And the third level is the underworld (also represented by an animal, the snake). The whole in the middle symbolizes power and unity. You can then see just a portion of our amazing view the walls the Incan’s built with stones that could be up to 7 meters high.

Hope you like the video and hope I can post from my own account next time!

In our first couple days in Peru, the International Media Class was exposed to a wide range of Peruvian art and music.

Here’s a video I shot of a Peruvian Pan Flute Band while eating lunch at “La Calle de las Pizzas” in Miraflores.

In Miraflores, art vendors lined the street to showcase as well as sell their work.

During the bus tour of Lima, we stopped at a local park that had several water fountains.

Fountain show with lights and music. Amazing to watch! Both visually and audibly creative!

One of the fountains was built as a challenge for those who dare enter. Once on the fountain, coordination and timing was necessary to make it through without getting soaking wet.

Here, the group walks through the tunnel of water, trying their best not to get wet.

Peru Tourism Video on YouTube.

Welcome to our blog. During the winter break we will travel to Peru and post our experiences in Cusco and Lima as we visit archaeological monuments like Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, Korikancha, historical places such as colonial cathedrals and buildings. We will also visit newsrooms and TV stations so you can talk to journalists and ask them about their profession.

We will try to post everyday (internet cafes permitting) and we will try to include as many videos and photos as we can.

So what do you think? What are your expectations? What do you want to do as soon as you get there? Are you nervous? Are you excited?! I know I am!!