02/09/22:

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 Grandma's House, 11:23pm EST/8:23pm PST

    I had so much fun today! Uncle Dirk, Jenny, and I went to explore the catacombs, and then we did some shopping at the nearby markets, got tipsy on Pisco Sours-- a Peru Libre aka a rum and coke, for my favorite uncle-- and had to wait for the driver at Uncle David's house, and I had. So much fun. After we were tipsy, we traipsed around Peru on these closed streets to better reach good photo backgrounds, and pretended we didn't speak Spanish when cops told us to leave. After some grumbling, they chalked us up to gringos, and didn't cause a fuss. As soon as we were clear, I burst into giggles. 

    Uncle David hadn't seen me in seventeen years. And originally thought I was Catherine. Based on his wedding pictures, I see where he got that idea. I look so different from six year old me, but Catherine back then looked like I do now. But still. Ugh. Uncle Dirk quickly explained, sotto voce, that we don't get along or talk-- after Uncle David was bewildered at my disgusted facial expression.

    His oldest son loves Flash, and Percy Jackson, like me, but he's shy, and I think my exuberant nature scared him. That's what Uncle Dirk and I agreed on, at any rate.

    Uncle David pointed out how much I smile, which was a weird compliment, I think, that I take as a backhanded compliment, because while I do have a very nice smile, he phrased it in a way that honed in on the differences between me and Dad. I smile as frequently as Dad frowns. And it made me think that maybe I trained myself to smile to put as much distance between us as possible. That as much as people want to say we look similar, we act very different. Maybe it's the trauma that made me the Mascot though. Who knows? Could be a combo.

    But I'm having fun, so I smile easy. It seems relatively simple to me. Uncle Dirk wants to take us all to dinner. I've been paying for most of my things, but I still worry about his finances, even if he isn't. His funds aren't infinite, and I don't want to be a mooch.

    Still, it was an offer, and the food here is too good to pass up. I readily agreed.

    Well, tomorrow is Chicama.

    Bye!

    That is the only entry date from 02/09. It was a very exhausting day, no doubt, filled with a lot of fun, and so the next part will merely be another photo dump. 

I don’t remember what Cathedral this was specifically but it was beautiful

We had ceviche for lunch! Yum

Me as a child at Uncle David’s wedding. In this picture, on the floor, from left to right: me, Catherine, Stephanie. Behind Stephanie is Mom. The guy all the way to the right is Uncle Dirk, 17 years ago. 

Uncle Dirk, me, and Jenny

Me and Jenny. I think we were drunk already. Look at my eyes lmfao



Another picture of Uncle David’s wedding. I’m not in this one but it’s notable because the guy all the way to the right is my dad, who normally doesn’t smile. After Uncle Dirk, Uncle David, and I were so surprised, we looked at Dad’s hand and realized, at the same time: “oh he’s drunk.”  That’s hilarious!

More architecture



Me as a child again. Don’t I look so uncomfortable? Why??

I look. So. Uncomfortable. Why???

WHAT IS THIS FACE. 


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