I guess I should start this blog somewhere last week when mom dad and I went to La Paz Bolivia- It it pretty hard to do so considering the recent events that have ensued. But, I will save the best for last.
On my last day in Cusco I lost my Peruvian cell phone (Unfortunate event 1) We left for some traveling around Lake Titicaca and Bolivia last Saturday July 30th. After saying a temporary goodbye to my host parents I headed to the hotel that my parents were staying in in Cusco for an early morning bus departure. Next morning we woke up and got on the bust at 7 am. The first bus ride was pretty great. We had lots of stops at inka ruins along the way and I got to pet some more Peruvian livestock- this time I became friends with a sweet cow. We arrived in Puno (right on Lake Titicaca) around 3 pm. We checked into our hotel and also checked out the Farmacia for some meds- we weren't feeling to hot. Just coughing alot a little feverish not too bad. We got codene cough syrup though so we were excited for some sleep! Next morning we went on our tour of Lake Titicaca. It was very beautiful and we got to visit the floating islands- I even played volleyball with a little native girl. They build the islands using reeds that grow in the lake- its pretty incredible. Then we headed out to a further non-floating island for a small hike with amazing views. About half way up to the top there is a small market area. Here I changed lenses to creep some pictures of the natives with my telephoto. When I pulled it out of my bag it was covered in something sticky... I was confused- Then I realized that all of our cough syrup was now all over my bag. The lid didn't close correctly (U.E. #2) I managed to save everything though including my phone which was very sticky for a few days and laid my bag in the Sun to dry. We returned in the evening and by this time we were feeling a litte more under the weather so we returned for more magic syrup and were given a "natural alternative" which didn't do anything.
Next morning was our 7 hour bus ride to La Paz. We stopped in Copa Cabanna which is a cute town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. When we got to La Paz we were a coughing choir. Feeling really sick and decided to stay in for the night and get some sleep. We woke up Tuesday feeling like death. We stayed in bed all day except for a couple hours when we went to find the Subway- (its been sooooo long). After Subway we were out of energy and back to sleep it was. Ice cream for dinner to soothe the throats. Wednesday we were feeling a little better and dad had scheduled a hike in the Andes. This hike was really beautiful and I enjoyed it alot! We were all really tired though so we went very slow. The hike back to the van felt like walking on glass to me. I lost all my energy, couldn't stop coughing and blowing my nose and just downright painful to put one food in front of the other.
When we got back to the hotel after I showered I came down with a high fever and on came the body aches. Friday moring we had a 13 hour bus ride back to Cusco. ROOOUUUGHHHHH! The border crossing was literally hell on earth. The bus had to push vendors out of the way just to get down the street. There were people EVERYWHERE it was apparently market day- I don't know what all those people were doing there but wow. And somewhere around here I pulled/ bruised a muscle right in front of my heart from coughing. Half the way through the border crossing I thought I was dying of a heart attack. But we made it and crashed in Cusco so we could head out Saturday afternoon.
After a tearful goodbye with Katy and Katalina and wonderful Chifa (Chinese Peruvian fusion food) we headed to the airport. Our flight from Cusco to Lima went smoothly.
We arrived in Lima around 5 and weren't allowed to check in until 2 hours before our flight so 7pm. Which was a little annoying but it was okay we just sat in the corner and coughed some more. Once 7pm came around we got into the "passengers with online check-in" line because we had our boarding passes NOPE- go in the other line- these aren't right (anger scale: 0.5) So we get into line. And here marks the beginning of the most waiting I've done in my life. We waited to get our boarding passes for 2.5 hours because they asked each person about 3284728379 questions and generally move extremely slow. So we then go to the gate, board our airplane and settle in for our 5 hour flight. About 15 minutes later captain comes on and says "We're just finishing some maintenance checks and should be leaving in about 5 minutes". 30 Minutes later "Well- were having a technical difficulty we'll keep you updated". Multiple announcements and 4 hours later we are finally aloud to deboard the plane (anger scale: 9 U.E#3).
At this point I cracked like a spring chick. People probably thought I was crazy but I had had little sleep, I'm coughing and have snot coming out of every hole on my face, I want to go home after being goine for 7 weeks now and every time I cough I feel like I'm having a heart attack. Now we wait just "a moment longer" for our canceled out immigration cards so we can re-enter Peru) an hour later were headed back to the desk outside of security. Here we wait from 3 am until we finally get our to our hotel at 6:30am. That was 45 minutes from the hotel.
So we rest all day and eat some soup, have a good free dinner at the hotel and jump back in the bus at 8pm. Dad says "everybody got your passports!?!" I look in my purse and don't see mine, I have a flashback to the room and it being on the desk so I jump out to check. When I get to the room its not there- must be in my things somewhere. After running down 5 flights of stairs I jump back in the van and find it in my purse, great! I set it beside me to put in my pocket. Then we pick up another really nice guy from KY and talk a bit about his travels, get to the airport and jump out of the taxi, get in the line at American Airlines again and I go to take out my passport. I have a heart attack and keep digging, keep digging. Its not here-its gotta be here I just had it. But its not- (UE # 4) So I frantically run outside and see if the van is still there- yes it looks like it is. I run to the "green taxi" desk that we used our vouchers from . They remind me to "calmate and tranquilla" and I'm doing my best to speak Spanish and not loose my cool. 30 minutes later while outside calling- I lose my cool. I made so many deals with God- I was literally on my knees begging. The guy told me in Spanish that I believe in God and it will be okay. Its now 10 pm and my flight is scheduled to leave at 12:30. My green taxi friend is attempting to call the 25 vans that were working tonight "Cristian, Luis, Salazar.." and keeps calling most of the names fade out but Salazar still hasn't answered.
We went to the bus lot in far away creepy land of the airport, we ran, we walked, I cried alot more and prayed alot more. 2 hours later Salazar answers (its now 11:30). He has my passport and will be at the airport in "5 minutes". I know- after all this that 5 minutes means about 30 minutes Peruvian time. I kept telling them to fire him, but I didn't know the word in Spanish so I just kept doing the "cut throat" move- they probably thought I was the most psycho American ever.
10 minutes later I have my passport and I am Olympic sprinting to the front doors of the airport. I jump in line- we get our boarding passes, she says we have plenty of time. (I thanked God by the way- many times, I have some promises also). So we run through the airport through security. Come up over the handicap ramps and oh.... everyones still sitting outside the plane. We wait.. the captain who we're all on a first name basis with now tells us they should be finishing up with the new part to fix the fuel leak in the right engine. He says he wont wait longer than an hour. But, time keeps passing and its 2:45. The maintenance team has tried the test 3 times and it failed all three. But they wont cancel our flight- this is what got me. They know the flight isn't leaving but they wont cancel it. We're all just sitting ducks once again second night- no sleep. The captain and crew leave. 30 minutes later they announce it it canceled. Then we have to wait for our freshly second time stamped "canceled" immigration cards to return. We wait another hour and a half. Then race down through baggage claim and all the stuff. I could pretty much work here now, I know the entire lay out and passages. But I'd probably hate my life if I did because this airport is LOCO! So we go, once again back to the counter. And wait another hour for the mercy of the American Airlines ladies and overbearing idiotic unhelpful machisimo boss man to reschedule us. After we get rescheduled we go over to the TACA desk- with our new flight plan we'll be home at 7pm. Great! Not to shabby. Welp here it comes- unfortunate event 7328570293 they over booked our flight. So we angrily return to the the desk (level 10) and ask not to be placed on standby thank you. Its now 6 am.
And from there on out and a few more dumb mistakes from the counter followed by immediately leaving after every thing was done we have flights from Lima to Miami at 12:30 pm land and reboard to Atlanta- getting to Altanta at 12:30 and renting a car, driving home we will be home tomorrow morning around 4am. IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED. Which I've learned means nothing.
I know this blog is extremely long and the time estimates may seem off- but coming up on 48 hours I think lines at Carowinds will seem like a joke. And if I never see another cue line or Lima airport again I will be one happy girl.
Wish me luck that I see you stateside. Until then- count your blessings and when 5 minutes to 4 hours seems like a big deal I'm going to remember this experience.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Lessons Learned
Going into this trip I knew I would learn alot of things. When my study abroad office described the emotional roller coaster that studying abroad is they couldn't have been more right. The first 2 weeks are vacation- everything is exciting and new, you are so open to new experiences, friends and fun. About the third week in you miss home and will do almost anything to talk to friends from home and feel normalcy- eat Mcdonalds, lay in bed and watch netflix and speak your native language. This was my first time out of North America and the longest I've spent away from home. But I have to say I'm so incredibly thankful for this experience as it has taught me much more than I could've imagined. So- here are some lessons I've learned
1. The US is a place ruled by many laws and amenities that most of us don't even think about or appreciate on a daily basis. People selling things on the street (especially food) without a permit and a DEHEC inspection, women with lambs charging for you to take pictures with them, dogs running through the streets in packs, police officers fighting against crime (no matter how small) and walls thick enough to provide privacy.
2. Other countries have incredibly unique and beautiful cultures. I have to say that one of the best experiences I have had here was for a photography project called "a day in the life". I followed a woman named Valentina who was a housekeeper at the "Casa Grande" where Mike and I stayed for a few nights. I don't think I've ever met a more admirable woman in my life. Most people in the US with blue collar jobs find it hard to smile and laugh. While trying to take Valentina's picture it was near impossible to not catch her laughing or cracking a joke. She and her friend invited me to lunch with them and on the way she gave a homeless man food. I was in tears. How could someone who probably makes less than $20 usd a day be so humble and selfless? I don't think I'll forget the joy this project brought to my life and the lesson of appreciating the small things.
3. Patience. Patience. Patience. Waiting for a bus or taxi. Hoping you'll have internet, water, and lights when you get home. Being served at a restuarant after waiting an hour and a half for food. Not letting your host family/ little sister get the best of you. In photography we learned to be patient for a good shot- usually you just want to jump on it and take a million pictures of an interesting subject but not before you change your white balance, ISO number, check your shutter speed and depth of field and make sure there aren't people picking their nose in the foreground. Also- being patient when everything you planned is closed or the information you were given was not accurate. When in Aguas Calientes (outside of Machu Picchu) we expected to visit natural hot springs- they smelled like chicken broth and wearing a bikini was asking for alot of strange looks, also the hiking trail we wanted to take had been under construction for over a year apparently. It takes the patience of a saint to not loose youre cool in situations like this.
4. Hard work. Cusquenans are some of the hardest working people I've seen. There is no high class in Cusco. My host parents are probably middle to high class and have a small 3 bedroom apartment 2 km from the city center. They have a kitchen similar to one you'd find in a nice hotel in the US but have nice things here. I was incredibly lucky to have a wonderful family and nice place to live. We have a maid named Marina who is constantly running about and accepting orders with a smile. We became quite good friends, I will miss her. When I leave my house here I pass many shops owned by locals, people on the streets selling candy and drinks to make a living, I take a taxi or bus that cost less than $1.50 no matter the distance or price of gas. At my small university the professors strive to make connections with students and are truly great teachers. The maid at school smiles and asks what you're doing. In La Plaza de Armas there are more vendors selling "gratis massajes", inviting you to their club, braiding bracelets, artists basically giving away their hard work and blind men playing flutes. Being solicited to by things gets very frustrating and I snapped a few times but thinking back on it I would do the same thing to feed my children.
5. Good friends and good times. Our session at USIL had less than 15 students in it. A diverse group that somehow blended almost seamlessly. I'm so thankful to have met these people. From mornings in the school court yard to 4am trips to get some drunchies- I will miss our group like crazy.
Its crazy how after a month away from home I feel like I know myself so much more. Limits and boundries, likes and dislikes, patience and the value of "fast" friends. Me va a extrañar Cusco, Peru- la gente, los lugares, la comida, y la cultura.
Tomorrow I leave for Puno and Lake Titicaca then La Paz Bolivia. Hopefully I will be able to blog once or twice more before leaving but if not- see you in America.
1. The US is a place ruled by many laws and amenities that most of us don't even think about or appreciate on a daily basis. People selling things on the street (especially food) without a permit and a DEHEC inspection, women with lambs charging for you to take pictures with them, dogs running through the streets in packs, police officers fighting against crime (no matter how small) and walls thick enough to provide privacy.
2. Other countries have incredibly unique and beautiful cultures. I have to say that one of the best experiences I have had here was for a photography project called "a day in the life". I followed a woman named Valentina who was a housekeeper at the "Casa Grande" where Mike and I stayed for a few nights. I don't think I've ever met a more admirable woman in my life. Most people in the US with blue collar jobs find it hard to smile and laugh. While trying to take Valentina's picture it was near impossible to not catch her laughing or cracking a joke. She and her friend invited me to lunch with them and on the way she gave a homeless man food. I was in tears. How could someone who probably makes less than $20 usd a day be so humble and selfless? I don't think I'll forget the joy this project brought to my life and the lesson of appreciating the small things.
3. Patience. Patience. Patience. Waiting for a bus or taxi. Hoping you'll have internet, water, and lights when you get home. Being served at a restuarant after waiting an hour and a half for food. Not letting your host family/ little sister get the best of you. In photography we learned to be patient for a good shot- usually you just want to jump on it and take a million pictures of an interesting subject but not before you change your white balance, ISO number, check your shutter speed and depth of field and make sure there aren't people picking their nose in the foreground. Also- being patient when everything you planned is closed or the information you were given was not accurate. When in Aguas Calientes (outside of Machu Picchu) we expected to visit natural hot springs- they smelled like chicken broth and wearing a bikini was asking for alot of strange looks, also the hiking trail we wanted to take had been under construction for over a year apparently. It takes the patience of a saint to not loose youre cool in situations like this.
4. Hard work. Cusquenans are some of the hardest working people I've seen. There is no high class in Cusco. My host parents are probably middle to high class and have a small 3 bedroom apartment 2 km from the city center. They have a kitchen similar to one you'd find in a nice hotel in the US but have nice things here. I was incredibly lucky to have a wonderful family and nice place to live. We have a maid named Marina who is constantly running about and accepting orders with a smile. We became quite good friends, I will miss her. When I leave my house here I pass many shops owned by locals, people on the streets selling candy and drinks to make a living, I take a taxi or bus that cost less than $1.50 no matter the distance or price of gas. At my small university the professors strive to make connections with students and are truly great teachers. The maid at school smiles and asks what you're doing. In La Plaza de Armas there are more vendors selling "gratis massajes", inviting you to their club, braiding bracelets, artists basically giving away their hard work and blind men playing flutes. Being solicited to by things gets very frustrating and I snapped a few times but thinking back on it I would do the same thing to feed my children.
5. Good friends and good times. Our session at USIL had less than 15 students in it. A diverse group that somehow blended almost seamlessly. I'm so thankful to have met these people. From mornings in the school court yard to 4am trips to get some drunchies- I will miss our group like crazy.
Its crazy how after a month away from home I feel like I know myself so much more. Limits and boundries, likes and dislikes, patience and the value of "fast" friends. Me va a extrañar Cusco, Peru- la gente, los lugares, la comida, y la cultura.
Tomorrow I leave for Puno and Lake Titicaca then La Paz Bolivia. Hopefully I will be able to blog once or twice more before leaving but if not- see you in America.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Inferma de Casa
So I'm not positive that the title of this blog is correct- but it's supposed to be "homesick". These last couple days have been particularly rough. Lets go through some things I'm really missing right now: being understood (speaking Spanish doesn't get any easier really), highly processed foods: the oreos here are extremely tastey but I could def go for some Chicfila/Zaxbys, my parents: they get here a week from Saturday! friends (of course) and most of all having time to myself by myself.
Living with a host family has been a very enlightening experience. I love my host parents very much. They're very open minded and nice. Parenting in Cusco is SOOO different from the US. There isn't really a "respect your elders" or respect anyone for that matter mentality. Here, in my house, my three year old little host sister rules the house. This concept has been the most difficult for me to grasp. I'm not sure if you read my post about finding out that my host family had kids- but I was really excited. I have been really let down by the relationship that I have with my host sister here. I'm not really sure what is going on in that little mind of hers but I'm pretty sure she's trying to play alpha female with me all the time? But I am totally fine with her being the queen of home. Last night I went with my host dad to his sister-in-laws birthday party. The minute I walked in the door Cata started saying "ella habla ingles, ella habla ingles" (in a taunting way). I hadn't ever met this part of the family and I have to admit I was sincerely embrassed. This morning she told me I couldn't have juice? One morning I woke up and said "good morning" and got a "NO!" yelled in my face. Normally I could ignore all this and tune it out except for the fact that my host parents have never once called her down for it. In the US if you disrespect someone like that you are sure to get a quick smack on the rear- at least where I'm from. ANYWAYS- this whole situation is very frustrating.
On to other new things- we didn't end up going to Colo de Mono- the people were so disorganized. So that was sad, but instead we explored the city and did the Cusco Bar Crawl. It was alot of fun! And we found some new places that we didn't know existed. Sarah and I met some people from Holland and went to a burger place with them till 4:30 am. It was an interesting night.
Last night we went out for a "short night" and ended up coming home at 2.. They don't really go in early here. I'm really thankful that I have fun friends here- we all get along really well!
I'm sure by the end of next week I'll never want to leave. Just missing some comforts for now.
See you after I've experienced the "energy" at MP!
Living with a host family has been a very enlightening experience. I love my host parents very much. They're very open minded and nice. Parenting in Cusco is SOOO different from the US. There isn't really a "respect your elders" or respect anyone for that matter mentality. Here, in my house, my three year old little host sister rules the house. This concept has been the most difficult for me to grasp. I'm not sure if you read my post about finding out that my host family had kids- but I was really excited. I have been really let down by the relationship that I have with my host sister here. I'm not really sure what is going on in that little mind of hers but I'm pretty sure she's trying to play alpha female with me all the time? But I am totally fine with her being the queen of home. Last night I went with my host dad to his sister-in-laws birthday party. The minute I walked in the door Cata started saying "ella habla ingles, ella habla ingles" (in a taunting way). I hadn't ever met this part of the family and I have to admit I was sincerely embrassed. This morning she told me I couldn't have juice? One morning I woke up and said "good morning" and got a "NO!" yelled in my face. Normally I could ignore all this and tune it out except for the fact that my host parents have never once called her down for it. In the US if you disrespect someone like that you are sure to get a quick smack on the rear- at least where I'm from. ANYWAYS- this whole situation is very frustrating.
On to other new things- we didn't end up going to Colo de Mono- the people were so disorganized. So that was sad, but instead we explored the city and did the Cusco Bar Crawl. It was alot of fun! And we found some new places that we didn't know existed. Sarah and I met some people from Holland and went to a burger place with them till 4:30 am. It was an interesting night.
Last night we went out for a "short night" and ended up coming home at 2.. They don't really go in early here. I'm really thankful that I have fun friends here- we all get along really well!
I'm sure by the end of next week I'll never want to leave. Just missing some comforts for now.
See you after I've experienced the "energy" at MP!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Bienvenidos a mi Vida
Some recent news here: The mining strikes have calmed down alot! Things have been pretty intense here though lately just because June is the month for celebrations in Cusco. Recently in photography we've learned ALOT- Its hard to even explain. Spanish is going well.. I had a slump this week but I think I'm back on the upturn. Except for my trip to a small grocery store about 30 minutes ago when I tried to ask what time do you close- "A que tiempo cierra?" and I got a point to a blank wall and "no mami" by the 13 year old behind the counter. So I left and went to "Mega" instead to purchase my mac and cheese. Which is SOOO delicious by the way!
Anyways, yesterday we went to Corpus Christi. This event was pretty much insane. We got there around 9am. This holiday includes a mass that lasts about 2 hours (depending on the speed of the speakers) then a parade that goes probably until 8pm. The original history behind Corpus Christi was that the Inka people combined their religion with the Catholic religion that the Spaniards brought. So I wish I would've known this for my Anthro class last semeseter- would've gotten that question right on the test. Ha! I digress. So during the insane fesitity men from ages 6 to 70 partake in moving the extremly heavy saints out of their home in the Cathedral and around la Plaza de Armas. This entire process takes about 10 hours. During the moving of the saints then men are mostly drunk. As for the little guys they move the tables that hold the multiple ton saints while they are making the procession around La plaza. The whole experience of being right up on all the men carrying the saints was unnerving. Everyone is pushing and shoving and it just gets really old really fast. I did not enjoy this very much. And now- looking back at my pictures it was a 7 hour day for about 5 good pictures. Photogrpahy is work.
Other new info- I got my face painted the other night at Mama Africa- it looked awesome but didn't get a picture of it. About half of our group is going to Puno tonight on a night bus which is the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. I would've gone but I'm going with my parents at the very begining of July :) My other "parents," homestay parents are in Arequipa this weekend for a concerto. Tonight I'm having mi amigas over for a movie night. We're planning on going to "Cola de Mono" tomorrow which means the tail of the monkey. It is the tallest zipline in South America. But I'm not sure if we are actually able to go because the travel agency had weird hours today. Anyways I really hope we can. I'm planning on going with my photography professor to a market about 2 hours outside the city on Sunday which I'm really excited about because its supposed to be very traditional. It takes so much to know the "real" Cusco.
Last weekend we went to the most beautiful place on the planet! The Sacred Valley. We ate lunch like kings (literally). My favorite part was Ollaytantambo. This is the place where three valleys converge- the valley leading to the rainforest, the valley leading to Cusco and to Macchu Picchu. This was a very important trading ground for the Inka. We also went to 3 other places- Urybamba, Calca, Moray and Pisac. All of these words are Quechua along with the name of my "neighborhood" Quispicanchis. Yeah- that was pretty rough in the taxi the first few times. But now I almost have it. Annnnd we're moving up the street next week- haha. Gonna try and add some pictures! PS- Booked my second trip to Macchu Picchu within 1 week of eachother. Looks like I'll be an expert!
Anyways, yesterday we went to Corpus Christi. This event was pretty much insane. We got there around 9am. This holiday includes a mass that lasts about 2 hours (depending on the speed of the speakers) then a parade that goes probably until 8pm. The original history behind Corpus Christi was that the Inka people combined their religion with the Catholic religion that the Spaniards brought. So I wish I would've known this for my Anthro class last semeseter- would've gotten that question right on the test. Ha! I digress. So during the insane fesitity men from ages 6 to 70 partake in moving the extremly heavy saints out of their home in the Cathedral and around la Plaza de Armas. This entire process takes about 10 hours. During the moving of the saints then men are mostly drunk. As for the little guys they move the tables that hold the multiple ton saints while they are making the procession around La plaza. The whole experience of being right up on all the men carrying the saints was unnerving. Everyone is pushing and shoving and it just gets really old really fast. I did not enjoy this very much. And now- looking back at my pictures it was a 7 hour day for about 5 good pictures. Photogrpahy is work.
Cute little Chica
Other new info- I got my face painted the other night at Mama Africa- it looked awesome but didn't get a picture of it. About half of our group is going to Puno tonight on a night bus which is the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. I would've gone but I'm going with my parents at the very begining of July :) My other "parents," homestay parents are in Arequipa this weekend for a concerto. Tonight I'm having mi amigas over for a movie night. We're planning on going to "Cola de Mono" tomorrow which means the tail of the monkey. It is the tallest zipline in South America. But I'm not sure if we are actually able to go because the travel agency had weird hours today. Anyways I really hope we can. I'm planning on going with my photography professor to a market about 2 hours outside the city on Sunday which I'm really excited about because its supposed to be very traditional. It takes so much to know the "real" Cusco.
Last weekend we went to the most beautiful place on the planet! The Sacred Valley. We ate lunch like kings (literally). My favorite part was Ollaytantambo. This is the place where three valleys converge- the valley leading to the rainforest, the valley leading to Cusco and to Macchu Picchu. This was a very important trading ground for the Inka. We also went to 3 other places- Urybamba, Calca, Moray and Pisac. All of these words are Quechua along with the name of my "neighborhood" Quispicanchis. Yeah- that was pretty rough in the taxi the first few times. But now I almost have it. Annnnd we're moving up the street next week- haha. Gonna try and add some pictures! PS- Booked my second trip to Macchu Picchu within 1 week of eachother. Looks like I'll be an expert!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
que paso?
Lately I´ve been super tired! I think the altitude has finally caught up with me. Other than that classes have been going well. Spanish is pretty easy but getting harder so thats good. Yesterday our professor danced salsa and merenge with us in class so that was pretty cool. We ususally joke alot in class and make up interseting stories in spanish to practice more and say different stuff. Photography has been going good as well, we´ve learned about the history of photography, light and aperature. Today we´re going to learn about shutter speed and telephoto lenses. We´re going to San Pedro market to take pictures in class. I´m excited and ready to get out of our freezing cold classroom. June is the coldest month of the year in Cusco. What a brilliant idea it was to move from the summer to winter. But its alot of fun! I´m about to go to a store called topitopi to try to find some long sleeve shirts. I packed a ton but then took them out last minute thinking I wouldn´t need them. WRONG. The days are warm in the sun but as soon as you enter a classroom or out of the sun it gets really cold. My fingers are pretty cold right now, actually. Anyways- this weekend I have lots of posssible plans. Tomorrow we have our first quiz in Spanish and are going out for celebratory Pisco Sours despues. Then there are a couple of other different plans possibly a piñata, but most definatly going out dancing. This has been a REALLY long week. I miss my family and friends alot but am so thankful that I have this opportunity and I´m so thankful that I have internet and can communicate frequently.
I don´t know if any of you have heard about the "state of emergency" that Peru is in right now. There is a fight between the city of Cusco and the surrounding cities on the issue of mining. The city benefits from mining but there are lots of environmental effects of mining to the people. My mom her is an environmental lawyer, so she deals alot with these problems everyday. She showed me yesterday that she rides a bike to work because its more environmentally sound. :) this makes me really happy. She also constantly reminds me that everything we eat is "organica". I do have to hoard pizza pringles, skittles and ritz con queso in my room though. Haha- you do what you have to do. Another possibility for this weekend on Sabado is to be a model for a photography class (wearing peruvian wedding dresses) or going to the ChocoMuseo. Im pretty excited about the chocolate museum and wedding dresses, so we´ll see how it goes. Anyways- not much else going on. Wish me luck on my first quiz! Caio!
I don´t know if any of you have heard about the "state of emergency" that Peru is in right now. There is a fight between the city of Cusco and the surrounding cities on the issue of mining. The city benefits from mining but there are lots of environmental effects of mining to the people. My mom her is an environmental lawyer, so she deals alot with these problems everyday. She showed me yesterday that she rides a bike to work because its more environmentally sound. :) this makes me really happy. She also constantly reminds me that everything we eat is "organica". I do have to hoard pizza pringles, skittles and ritz con queso in my room though. Haha- you do what you have to do. Another possibility for this weekend on Sabado is to be a model for a photography class (wearing peruvian wedding dresses) or going to the ChocoMuseo. Im pretty excited about the chocolate museum and wedding dresses, so we´ll see how it goes. Anyways- not much else going on. Wish me luck on my first quiz! Caio!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
So heres what I've been up to-
I took my spanish placement test and sucked it up pretty bad and got into basic spanish. But we're going all the way back to the begining- No joke the alphabet. Its just me and one other girl in the class. Our professor is really cool but I've heard he flirts alot with his students. I don't have photography classes on Friday. But am excited to start them on Monday! Tonight I have a meeting with the other 3 people in homestay. Which I'm pretty sure involves more pizza (yum). The other night I had pizza with my family and we had some very interesting conversations- one about marriage. My homestay dad told me to wait as along as possible to get married and advance my career and my mom told me no, to have babies young so my body stays normal. This conversation was made possible by lots and lots of motions and sound effects. And we talked about some other things. They served me argentinian wine. Everything that my mom feeds me she tells me "organica" shes a lawyer for nature as far as I can understand and she loves her job. My dad works for his family business and isn't at work on a regimented schedule which is good because he can usually help me.
My home stay parents are seriously the best parents I've ever witnessed. When Catalina gets grouchy or upset or anything they seriously drop everything and talk to her and play with her and are so patient and caring. They've never lost their patience I don't think. Its an "early childhood education" dream. My mom asked us to go to an exercise dance class with her. It was SOO much fun, very similar to Zumba but alot more booty shaking. After 45 minutes of non stop dancing we did 15 minutes of abs. I definatly feel it today.
Last night we went out for the first time. La plaza de armas is the place to be! There are tons of bars and discotecas. As soon as you get out of the taxi people run up at you and start trying to bring you to their bar. They like beg you and bribe you with free drinks and go crazy. They don't leave you alone until you go into somewhere. They usually say something like "I love you American girl, come with me". Its quite entertaining. We first went into what we thought was called "Mama Africa's" but after ordering our drinks and sitting down we realized it was Mushrooms. It was a really fun, chill bar but we looked like total tourists when we first went it. Its a group of like 10 of us and we were all standing around speaking English to eachother. Hopefully we can assimilate more as we learn the ways and how to not look like total "gringos". There were tons of people in all the bars from other countries- I met some from England and South Africa. After Mushrooms we went upstairs and found "Mama Africas" it was packed! We immediantly started dancing it was so much fun. But we had to be careful because alot of the men were very pushy and kept trying to do a whole lot more than just dance. It was so helpful to have guys in our group cause we could use them to escape most situations. After we left Mama Africas we went to another bar that I don't know the name of. Somehow we immediantly got put up on the bar to dance. It was alot of fun! There were SOOOO many people. The bar tenders kept pulling us down behind the bar and giving us shots. It was very interesting. We stayed here until about 3 am and got a cab home.
Today I woke up and ate breakfast at like 9 and then went back to sleep until 12. We were supposed to go to lunch with Gustavo's parents and a famous priest? But it got pushed back. While in the car I asked my mom if she liked getting manicures. She said yes and we went to get one right then. hah it was interesting. They took alot of time with my cuticles and I'm pretty sure I wont have anymore for about a year. It was a little painful. But they also give a really long, nice hand massage so it was worth it. All for 15 soles. Which is about 5 us dollars. Then we went to a chicken restaurant to meet with Gustavo's padres and the priest. It was a nice lunch but I couldn't really get in on the converstaion. Now I'm just hanging out in my room about to go to this meeting!
Here are some pictures from the last couple days:
I took my spanish placement test and sucked it up pretty bad and got into basic spanish. But we're going all the way back to the begining- No joke the alphabet. Its just me and one other girl in the class. Our professor is really cool but I've heard he flirts alot with his students. I don't have photography classes on Friday. But am excited to start them on Monday! Tonight I have a meeting with the other 3 people in homestay. Which I'm pretty sure involves more pizza (yum). The other night I had pizza with my family and we had some very interesting conversations- one about marriage. My homestay dad told me to wait as along as possible to get married and advance my career and my mom told me no, to have babies young so my body stays normal. This conversation was made possible by lots and lots of motions and sound effects. And we talked about some other things. They served me argentinian wine. Everything that my mom feeds me she tells me "organica" shes a lawyer for nature as far as I can understand and she loves her job. My dad works for his family business and isn't at work on a regimented schedule which is good because he can usually help me.
My home stay parents are seriously the best parents I've ever witnessed. When Catalina gets grouchy or upset or anything they seriously drop everything and talk to her and play with her and are so patient and caring. They've never lost their patience I don't think. Its an "early childhood education" dream. My mom asked us to go to an exercise dance class with her. It was SOO much fun, very similar to Zumba but alot more booty shaking. After 45 minutes of non stop dancing we did 15 minutes of abs. I definatly feel it today.
Last night we went out for the first time. La plaza de armas is the place to be! There are tons of bars and discotecas. As soon as you get out of the taxi people run up at you and start trying to bring you to their bar. They like beg you and bribe you with free drinks and go crazy. They don't leave you alone until you go into somewhere. They usually say something like "I love you American girl, come with me". Its quite entertaining. We first went into what we thought was called "Mama Africa's" but after ordering our drinks and sitting down we realized it was Mushrooms. It was a really fun, chill bar but we looked like total tourists when we first went it. Its a group of like 10 of us and we were all standing around speaking English to eachother. Hopefully we can assimilate more as we learn the ways and how to not look like total "gringos". There were tons of people in all the bars from other countries- I met some from England and South Africa. After Mushrooms we went upstairs and found "Mama Africas" it was packed! We immediantly started dancing it was so much fun. But we had to be careful because alot of the men were very pushy and kept trying to do a whole lot more than just dance. It was so helpful to have guys in our group cause we could use them to escape most situations. After we left Mama Africas we went to another bar that I don't know the name of. Somehow we immediantly got put up on the bar to dance. It was alot of fun! There were SOOOO many people. The bar tenders kept pulling us down behind the bar and giving us shots. It was very interesting. We stayed here until about 3 am and got a cab home.
Today I woke up and ate breakfast at like 9 and then went back to sleep until 12. We were supposed to go to lunch with Gustavo's parents and a famous priest? But it got pushed back. While in the car I asked my mom if she liked getting manicures. She said yes and we went to get one right then. hah it was interesting. They took alot of time with my cuticles and I'm pretty sure I wont have anymore for about a year. It was a little painful. But they also give a really long, nice hand massage so it was worth it. All for 15 soles. Which is about 5 us dollars. Then we went to a chicken restaurant to meet with Gustavo's padres and the priest. It was a nice lunch but I couldn't really get in on the converstaion. Now I'm just hanging out in my room about to go to this meeting!
Here are some pictures from the last couple days:
Friday, May 25, 2012
Today I:
-Had my first day of Spanish Class
-Had my first pisco sour (really yummy drink)
-Held a baby lamb
-Petted an alpaca
-Bought an alpaca sweater :)
-Spoke some bad spanish and some good spanish
-and am now going to an exersize dance class with my homestay mom and sister
-and then----headed out to my first night out in Peru!!!!!
Pictures to come!
-Had my first day of Spanish Class
-Had my first pisco sour (really yummy drink)
-Held a baby lamb
-Petted an alpaca
-Bought an alpaca sweater :)
-Spoke some bad spanish and some good spanish
-and am now going to an exersize dance class with my homestay mom and sister
-and then----headed out to my first night out in Peru!!!!!
Pictures to come!
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