Last night was miserable trying to sleep because of my cough. I was up at all hours of the night sipping on hot tea to try to stop coughing and sometimes coughing so hard that I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. I bought some medicine today but I don’t know if it will work or if I will just have to let this run its course. I get a roommate this weekend though and I will have to start sharing a room with someone again when I get back from Arequipa, so I need to get rid of it by then so I don’t keep her up all night too!
Today I went to the rest of the places on my tourist card that I could since some of the other ruins were too far away and would require another day trip. First, I saw the Pachacuteq monument in the center of town. He was an Incan warrior who now is honored by a large statue on top of a brick cylinder that you can go walk up inside and see a great view of Cusco. On the way up there were pictures of other Incan warriors and some artifacts from Incan times.
After, I went to three different museums. I couldn’t take pictures in the first two museums, but the first was so lame and the second was so bizarre that I don’t think I would have even wanted the pictures for my memory or to show any of you either. I guess I am not really the museum type person because I was extremely confused and didn’t see the “art” in much of what I was looking at. I probably only spent around 20 minutes in each museum because that was about all I could stand of how weird some of the things were and their lack of any sort of creativeness in my eyes.
The first place I visited was the Museo de Sitio del Qoricancha which was extremely boring. I could tell the few things they did have were replicas and the rest of the small museum was just pictures with descriptions. There was one interesting part however that described how some of the ancient children were born with deformed heads and in order to fix them they would wrap straps around tightly to bring them back to shape. Also, back in those times in order to relieve extreme headaches due to fluid in the brain, doctors would drill holes in people’s skulls to release the tension only under general anesthesia. It said that only 65% would survive the procedure.
The next museum I went to was the Museo de Arte Popular which was filled with the creepiest figurines you could imagine. There were probably 30 cases in a small room each filled with different representations of Cusqueno life. The slightly normal ones were models of the city, many Jesus’ and Saints, Condors, and Peruvian people doing their various daily jobs. Others that were very disturbing and I might have actually wanted to take pictures of just to show and then delete were a doctor pulling a baby out of a woman’s stomach, a baby suckling off its mother, a bloody battle with body parts spread around the Plaza, and many others that I have already displaced from my mind.
The last museum I went to was the Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporaneo which was full of paintings. Those downstairs were awful to say the least. In my opinion it looked like a child took a paint brush and scribbled 5 colors of paint on a canvas and called it art. In the middle of the museum was a beautiful outdoor fountain that I asked a couple to take a picture of me in front of. I was much more pleased with the art in the center and the upstairs of the museum. They were actually paintings of things not just splashes of colors. I enjoyed the paintings of Peruvian people in their indigenous dress and there was one of the old highland beer called “Chicha” that I have yet to try and I am not sure if I will due to how it is made. The people chew on corn and then spit out the juice into a large bucket which they let sit out to ferment and then that is made into the drink. My favorite of course was one painting called “Perros y Gatos” (dogs and cats) of some dogs knocking the cat’s milk off a table.
When I finished with the museums it was time to go to Colibri to see my kiddies! On the way I saw a site that left me completely stunned and at a loss for words in that moment. In the middle of Avenida Sol, the main street of Cusco, there was a little boy, probably around age 4 or 5, squatting with his pants pulled all the way down taking a poop in the sewer. I stood there in shock with my mouth wide open with three other tourists. That was definitely something you only see in a third world country!
I went to placement and helped my favorite little girls with their homework. They are practicing their cursive handwriting right now and have to draw pictures along with the words they write which helps me learn the words when I don’t know them. Some of the volunteers said they might be interested in going to Pisco with me and tomorrow Laura and I are going to check into some more bus company prices before we have our first day of tandem Spanish at 3:00.
After Colibri I walked home to Laura’s house near San Pedro which is much different than where I live. It was cool to see where some of the other volunteers live and what it would be like to be staying in a dorm style rather than a home stay. Their place had 4 floors and each room was shared by 3 people. They had a total of 15 people there from all over the world: Germany, Australia, Canada, USA, and Ireland. I think it would be fun to live there and to be able to walk everywhere rather than have to always take a taxi like us since we live far from downtown.
We are watching Vicky, Christina, Barcelona now which I have never seen before so I am off! I hope I can sleep tonight and that the medicine works! We want to see the Cocoa museum sometime this week and are still trying to figure out when we will go rafting. Thursday is Corpus Christi, a big Christian holiday here brought over by the Spaniards. There is supposed to be a big celebration in the cathedrals in the morning and parties all day afterward around the Plaza. It should be really cool to see such a great cultural event! SO for now, adios amigos!
-Hillary-
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Ruins
For not having any plans this weekend, it ending up being a very nice and relaxing couple of days. It has been pretty quiet with the four others gone and only 4 of us left now, but we learned today that we are getting 3 new housemates next weekend: 2 girls and a boy.
Yesterday, Saturday, the three of us that were here did absolutely nothing! We slept in late since we were all out late on Friday night for the last night celebrations. We ate lunch, lounged around the house, watched some movies, took an afternoon nap, ate dinner, and turned in early to bed.
Today was much more exciting however and I felt a lot less lazy since I actually changed out of my pajamas and left the house! Claire, Michael and I went out after lunch to find out about the soccer game and were upset to discover that we had already missed it as it was an afternoon game at 1:30. We decided to walk around the Plaza and San Blas since we were already downtown and I ended up running into Mario and his friend who walked around with us. There was a procession of the saints happening at the large cathedral in town when we walked up that at first we mistook for a wedding or a funeral. There were many people gathered around playing music, dancing in costumes and about a dozen men were holding up a statue on poles.
After some looking around at the few shops that were open since many close early on Sundays, we went into Jack’s Café, an American owned restaurant with American food. I got a tasty strawberry milkshake for only S6 which is about $2.
I have to visit the rest of the sites on my tourist card I bought last weekend when we went to Machu Pichu by tomorrow, so I decided to part from the group and do some site seeing on my own for the rest of the day. I took a taxi up the mountain above Cusco to another ruin on my card called “Q’enqo.” It was nothing too spectacular and was pretty small with just some caves and a bunch of rocks that I didn’t understand since I didn’t have a guide to tell me the history of the site. I just walked through it and took some pictures and was on my way to the next ruin.
Saqsayhuman was a ruin we passed by on the bus on our trip last weekend but I was able to actually walk through it today and get some great pictures. It was very beautiful and large with many areas of rocks, caves, stairs, terraces, etc. Again, I did not have a guide with me so I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I’m assuming it was another Inca city by the similar architecture and its proximity to Cusco. In the fields of Saqsayhuman and surrounding, Peruvians of all ages, children to adults, were playing soccer on their day of rest. Numerous families were out with their dogs and women brought their lambs and alpacas to graze the fields for grass. I wanted to join in a game with the kids but I was stupidly wearing sandals and I was also carrying a lot of money that I didn’t want to set down unattended.
I walked up another mountain nearby to Cristo Blanco which was built above the city in 1944. It is a large white Jesus Christ statue that is illuminated at night and you can see from all over Cusco. On the way up the bugs were terrible and I had to swat them away from my face just to see! On top of the mountain you could see all of Cusco; it was truly magnificent! There was a little man playing the flute dressed in traditional clothing. I sat up there for about twenty minutes talking with two guys from Spain and embracing the view of such an amazing city. They said the walk down was only 20 minutes, but in sandals I wasn’t going to try it. I took a taxi down to the plaza for S7.
I had an hour to kill before I went to watch a dance show on my tourist card so I decided to find out about going to the city of Pisco which is directly west on the coast and features a marine life reserve called Paracas. I found a bus company that goes there for $68 and takes 14 hours so I might try to see if any other volunteers want to make a weekend out of it with me before I leave in July to see some really neat animals that I won’t get to see on my jungle trip. I went to a few shops, bought a fake North Face jacket for $20 since it is freezing here at night and I am running low on warm clothing, bought a cute yarn bracelet with alpacas on it, and finally a present for my brother Andrew.
At 6:45 I headed for a show at the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo on the main street, Avenida Sol. It featured native music, dancing and costumes for an hour. I really enjoyed seeing it even though most of the moves were fairly simple. The costumes and music made it all come together really nicely and the women were very pretty with their long braided black hair. They had some of the costumes on display from all the regions of Peru to see up close. They were extremely elaborate all with different accessories and hats.
I just got home and had pesto pasta for dinner and I think I will go to bed early so I can finish the rest of the things on my card tomorrow before work. I have a few more museums to see and an Incan man monument.
Michael and I are going on a 3 night tour to Arequipa this weekend which is supposed to be beautiful and look like a European city since many of the buildings there are made with white brick from the volcano nearby. Also on the tour we get to see the deepest canyon in the world called Colca Canyon where the condors fly.
I am STILL sick though and this cough and runny nose will not go away. My house mom made me some special tea last night but it didn’t work and I was up all night coughing and have been all day too. I am a bit homesick because I miss my mom and dad and I wish I could give my dog Tito a big hug every time I see a stray puppy.
I hope all of you are doing well back home and enjoying the summer weather! Adios!
-Hillary-
Yesterday, Saturday, the three of us that were here did absolutely nothing! We slept in late since we were all out late on Friday night for the last night celebrations. We ate lunch, lounged around the house, watched some movies, took an afternoon nap, ate dinner, and turned in early to bed.
Today was much more exciting however and I felt a lot less lazy since I actually changed out of my pajamas and left the house! Claire, Michael and I went out after lunch to find out about the soccer game and were upset to discover that we had already missed it as it was an afternoon game at 1:30. We decided to walk around the Plaza and San Blas since we were already downtown and I ended up running into Mario and his friend who walked around with us. There was a procession of the saints happening at the large cathedral in town when we walked up that at first we mistook for a wedding or a funeral. There were many people gathered around playing music, dancing in costumes and about a dozen men were holding up a statue on poles.
After some looking around at the few shops that were open since many close early on Sundays, we went into Jack’s Café, an American owned restaurant with American food. I got a tasty strawberry milkshake for only S6 which is about $2.
I have to visit the rest of the sites on my tourist card I bought last weekend when we went to Machu Pichu by tomorrow, so I decided to part from the group and do some site seeing on my own for the rest of the day. I took a taxi up the mountain above Cusco to another ruin on my card called “Q’enqo.” It was nothing too spectacular and was pretty small with just some caves and a bunch of rocks that I didn’t understand since I didn’t have a guide to tell me the history of the site. I just walked through it and took some pictures and was on my way to the next ruin.
Saqsayhuman was a ruin we passed by on the bus on our trip last weekend but I was able to actually walk through it today and get some great pictures. It was very beautiful and large with many areas of rocks, caves, stairs, terraces, etc. Again, I did not have a guide with me so I didn’t know what any of it meant, but I’m assuming it was another Inca city by the similar architecture and its proximity to Cusco. In the fields of Saqsayhuman and surrounding, Peruvians of all ages, children to adults, were playing soccer on their day of rest. Numerous families were out with their dogs and women brought their lambs and alpacas to graze the fields for grass. I wanted to join in a game with the kids but I was stupidly wearing sandals and I was also carrying a lot of money that I didn’t want to set down unattended.
I walked up another mountain nearby to Cristo Blanco which was built above the city in 1944. It is a large white Jesus Christ statue that is illuminated at night and you can see from all over Cusco. On the way up the bugs were terrible and I had to swat them away from my face just to see! On top of the mountain you could see all of Cusco; it was truly magnificent! There was a little man playing the flute dressed in traditional clothing. I sat up there for about twenty minutes talking with two guys from Spain and embracing the view of such an amazing city. They said the walk down was only 20 minutes, but in sandals I wasn’t going to try it. I took a taxi down to the plaza for S7.
I had an hour to kill before I went to watch a dance show on my tourist card so I decided to find out about going to the city of Pisco which is directly west on the coast and features a marine life reserve called Paracas. I found a bus company that goes there for $68 and takes 14 hours so I might try to see if any other volunteers want to make a weekend out of it with me before I leave in July to see some really neat animals that I won’t get to see on my jungle trip. I went to a few shops, bought a fake North Face jacket for $20 since it is freezing here at night and I am running low on warm clothing, bought a cute yarn bracelet with alpacas on it, and finally a present for my brother Andrew.
At 6:45 I headed for a show at the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo on the main street, Avenida Sol. It featured native music, dancing and costumes for an hour. I really enjoyed seeing it even though most of the moves were fairly simple. The costumes and music made it all come together really nicely and the women were very pretty with their long braided black hair. They had some of the costumes on display from all the regions of Peru to see up close. They were extremely elaborate all with different accessories and hats.
I just got home and had pesto pasta for dinner and I think I will go to bed early so I can finish the rest of the things on my card tomorrow before work. I have a few more museums to see and an Incan man monument.
Michael and I are going on a 3 night tour to Arequipa this weekend which is supposed to be beautiful and look like a European city since many of the buildings there are made with white brick from the volcano nearby. Also on the tour we get to see the deepest canyon in the world called Colca Canyon where the condors fly.
I am STILL sick though and this cough and runny nose will not go away. My house mom made me some special tea last night but it didn’t work and I was up all night coughing and have been all day too. I am a bit homesick because I miss my mom and dad and I wish I could give my dog Tito a big hug every time I see a stray puppy.
I hope all of you are doing well back home and enjoying the summer weather! Adios!
-Hillary-
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Cusco Cold and Cuy
I am just now writing another entry because I have been sick all week! I felt miserable Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and had to stay home in bed from work. I had what the Maximo Nivel staff call the “Cusco Cold” that many travelers get after being here for a week or so. I had a terrible headache, stomach ache, sore throat, congestion and a cough that is still lingering on. On Thursday I was finally able to get out of bed and return to work and it felt good to leave the house for once in 3 days because I felt like I was missing out on my time here in Peru. I missed the kids and I could tell they missed me too because as soon as I walked in 3 of them ran up and gave me a big hug and asked where I was. Yesterday Laura from Australia and I decided that we wanted to do more volunteering because we were bored with just Colibri in the afternoons, so we are going to sign up to teach English in the mornings at a girl’s school too. We also have tandem Spanish in the afternoons starting Tuesday where we spend a half hour practicing Spanish with a Peruvian and then spend another half hour helping them practice English.
I did go out to dinner with everyone Tuesday night as planned when they ordered Cuy. I had intended to order it as well, but I figured on an upset stomach it probably wasn’t the best idea. I was happy I made that decision because when they brought out the poor guinea pig on the plate I was immediately turned off at its little fried legs and teeth stuck into a bell pepper. I did have a small taste just to say I did it. It was similar to pulled pork in texture but had a much different taste that was slightly sour. There really wasn’t much meat on such a small animal and the boys that ordered it had trouble getting around the small bones to get to the meat.
Since I was sick, we did not go rafting on Wednesday was planned, and have postponed it to next weekend with a much bigger group of volunteers which should be a lot of fun.
Four of my housemates left today: Lindsay and Ariana from Canada who I became very close to and would like to visit and remain friends with, Xian who I will probably stay friends with now since we go to USC together and Shirin. We went out for their last night here last night to our usual spot, Cross Keys and then for some dancing at Mama Africa and Ukukus. Mario came with us with some of his friends and it was a very fun night out with the big group for the last time. It is sad to see them go but it will be exciting to get new housemates next week, although one of those will be a new roommate which I am nervous for!
This is supposed to be the dry season, but it has rained basically everyday for the past week and thunder stormed even the past couple days.
This is my first weekend without any plans so I really don’t know what to do with myself! The girls are gone, Claire is in the jungle for the weekend and the boys aren’t as fun and don’t want to do things that I do, altough we might try to go paragliding together today if we figure out where it is. I might go do some more shopping or exploring on my own… don’t worry mom and dad I will go during daylight! I noticed that the streets are much busier on the weekends when the children are not in school and are roaming the streets in packs for make money and the vendors set up shop just about anywhere to sell their products. Laura told me that they have pirated movies in the markets here that are still in theaters in the US for 3 soles, which is like a dollar American! My house mom owns the Peruvian movie “La Teta Asustada” which was nominated for best foreign film at this year’s Oscars but it does not have subtitles so I would like to find that movie as well in the market. Sunday night we are going to a soccer game which will be cool because it is so popular here. I am still looking into when I will go to Puno and Lake Titicaca and since I am here for so long I might even make it a longer weekend and check out La Paz, Bolivia while I am over that way. I will have to find other volunteers who want to do this trip with me. So for now, that is all I have to update on. Next week should be more eventful since I won’t have to waste half of it in bed. Hope you are all enjoying summer back home… it is COLD here! No sun tan for me :-( Adios amigos!
-Hillary-
I did go out to dinner with everyone Tuesday night as planned when they ordered Cuy. I had intended to order it as well, but I figured on an upset stomach it probably wasn’t the best idea. I was happy I made that decision because when they brought out the poor guinea pig on the plate I was immediately turned off at its little fried legs and teeth stuck into a bell pepper. I did have a small taste just to say I did it. It was similar to pulled pork in texture but had a much different taste that was slightly sour. There really wasn’t much meat on such a small animal and the boys that ordered it had trouble getting around the small bones to get to the meat.
Since I was sick, we did not go rafting on Wednesday was planned, and have postponed it to next weekend with a much bigger group of volunteers which should be a lot of fun.
Four of my housemates left today: Lindsay and Ariana from Canada who I became very close to and would like to visit and remain friends with, Xian who I will probably stay friends with now since we go to USC together and Shirin. We went out for their last night here last night to our usual spot, Cross Keys and then for some dancing at Mama Africa and Ukukus. Mario came with us with some of his friends and it was a very fun night out with the big group for the last time. It is sad to see them go but it will be exciting to get new housemates next week, although one of those will be a new roommate which I am nervous for!
This is supposed to be the dry season, but it has rained basically everyday for the past week and thunder stormed even the past couple days.
This is my first weekend without any plans so I really don’t know what to do with myself! The girls are gone, Claire is in the jungle for the weekend and the boys aren’t as fun and don’t want to do things that I do, altough we might try to go paragliding together today if we figure out where it is. I might go do some more shopping or exploring on my own… don’t worry mom and dad I will go during daylight! I noticed that the streets are much busier on the weekends when the children are not in school and are roaming the streets in packs for make money and the vendors set up shop just about anywhere to sell their products. Laura told me that they have pirated movies in the markets here that are still in theaters in the US for 3 soles, which is like a dollar American! My house mom owns the Peruvian movie “La Teta Asustada” which was nominated for best foreign film at this year’s Oscars but it does not have subtitles so I would like to find that movie as well in the market. Sunday night we are going to a soccer game which will be cool because it is so popular here. I am still looking into when I will go to Puno and Lake Titicaca and since I am here for so long I might even make it a longer weekend and check out La Paz, Bolivia while I am over that way. I will have to find other volunteers who want to do this trip with me. So for now, that is all I have to update on. Next week should be more eventful since I won’t have to waste half of it in bed. Hope you are all enjoying summer back home… it is COLD here! No sun tan for me :-( Adios amigos!
-Hillary-
Monday, May 24, 2010
Mercado, Montanas and Mucho Aguas
What a past couple of amazing days! The weekend started off on Friday with some shopping and a little party with other volunteers followed by our incredible trip to ancient ruins which we just returned from at 2 am this morning. There is much to write about so bear with me in this long entry. Pictures are up on facebook and I will try to get some on here when I figure it out.
Friday- The Market: San Pedro and Fiesta
After lunch some of the housemates and I decided to go check out a local market near downtown. It would have been a vegetarian’s nightmare (like my best friend Kristi who recently took meat out of her diet). There was row after row of dead carcuses lying out on tables with no sense of cleanliness whatsoever. The flies were rampant and the smell was unbearable by the end of our time there. There were full pigs, pig heads, full chickens, chicken feet, turkeys, frogs, beef slabs, etc. Nothing was on ice and no one wore gloves and it was one of the most disgusting sites of my life, but of course I took many pictures. There were other areas with fresh produce however that looked slightly appetizing and bag after bag of rice, grains, and corn. I would never eat anything from the markets for fear of how it is washed and maintained, but there were some exotic looking fruits and the corn kernels were larger than I’ve ever seen that some volunteers take a risk with. There were other shops as well in the enormous market that was busy with locals and tourists that sold clothing and little souvenir type things. Sweaters are a big deal here and almost every vendor will try to sell you one, wool or alpaca. After we had enough of the stench and the hagglers the others walked to Spanish class and I went to my placement at Colibri. Friday was the last day for the Israel couple so the kids sang them a Peruvian song and gave them a small present. We got a new volunteer also named Ani who is from NYC but goes to school at the other USC in CA. She speaks Spanish very well and we practice with each other and the kids. After work I went shopping with Mario and got some great deals on more gifts for the family that I am very excited to bring home for them!
Friday night we went to one of the Maximo Nivel staff’s bars in San Blas which is an adorable little area also near downtown. The bar was small but it was jam packed with volunteers from all over the world so it was fun to meet people from places I never have before. After, that we went dancing at a place called Mama Africa where I made friends with a stray dog… yes I know it is the animal lover in me that can’t walk away from the thousands of homeless dogs that fill this country but they are so cute and I feel so bad for them. I bought him some bread and held him even though he was filthy and matted. Sometimes I wonder why I am not studying to do something in the future with animals because my friends at home and even my new ones here think I am crazy when I pet the most random things on the street. I hate to see all the starving dogs, but the starving kids in Colibri and all over Peru are more important of course.
Saturday: Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo
We had to be downtown Cusco at 8:45 am on Saturday morning to get our bus to begin our weekend journey northeast. There was another Canadian girl named Lionel on our bus but the rest seemed to speak only Spanish. As we drove out of town down and around the windy mountain roads we passed Saqsayhuaman (literally pronounced sexy woman,) another old ruin close to the ancient Inca capital city of Cusco. The drive was absolutely stunning and I can’t even put into words the sights that I saw through my bus window. Mountains galore, some with snow on the top because of the high altitude, country sides scattered with livestock, Peruvian people in the small villages in their indigenous multi-colored clothes, rivers with rapids, and much more that only a visit to this glorious country would allow you to understand. We stopped along the way at a small market where some alpacas and their owner were waiting for tourists to pay to have their picture taken. Of course as soon as I saw them I ran off the bus and didn’t even care about the market and spent all twenty minutes there with the animals. Alpacas and llamas are part of the camel family so while I was taking a picture one of them spit in my ear. How sanitary right?! I excused him and decided it was okay as long as he let me take him for a ride around the parking lot. The owner said however that he doesn’t ride his alpacas because they are not strong enough, so sorry Kristi, I think it is impossible for the million dollar picture to happen… I know, I was devastated too. Next to them were a family with one lamb and I paid to take a picture with them as well. The people here will do anything for a quick buck even if it means subjecting their children or themselves to utter embarrassment. It was devastating to see a mother standing there all day with her two young daughters in tow dressed in full Inca clothing in the grueling sun just hoping that some tourist like me will be a loser enough to pay for a picture with a dumb lamb. The exploitation occurs in the city as well when mothers make their children work on the streets to sell gum, candy, food, water, etc. until all hours of the night. That is what Colibri is for: to take those children out of that negative environment that is doing them absolutely no good and put them into an environment with adults who care about them and won’t use them to make some money. We got back on the bus and continued to the bigger ruins.
When we arrived in the Sacred Valley we were greeted yet again by vendors trying to sell the same things but at much higher prices due to be isolation they live in away from the city. Our tour guide walked us through the ruins and explained the history of each section. One part that was especially interesting to me was in one of the houses there was an indent in the wall where mummified people would be placed in order for the Condor (their national bird) to come down and eat the insides and then take them to the sky to be closer to the Gods. The Incas believed that the Condors would carry the spirits to the Gods and so they would offer the dead to them in hope that they would take them to Heaven. There were also small inserts in the ground where the Incas bred guinea pigs, called Cuy, to eat. Our guide said that today there are still over 200 Andean villages living high in the Andes of Peru that speak only the indigenous language of Quechua and live in a traditional manner. We stopped for some lunch next in Urubamba, another small village on the way northeast.
The next stop on our journey was the city of Ollanta where the other ruins were located. We happened to arrive on a good weekend because it was the first day of a three day festival that only occurs in that village and one other. There were people dressed in colorful costumes, adorned with masks and flutes dancing down the streets and there was music all throughout the city. We walked up the second ruins which were much higher; 242 stairs to be exact. My asthma was okay at this point and I was not feeling any altitude sickness at all, just getting a bit sore from all the stairs. This ruin, Ollantaytambo, featured the same terraces built to prevent flooding and at the top there was a large stone used as a calendar by the Incas by looking at the shadows from the sun and moon. At the bottom was an area of fountains and one in particular that the people were required to bathe in for purity before going to the big cities like Pisac or Cusco. We had to walk from there to another bus station what took us to the Inca rail run by Peru Rail trains. We drove again through very curvy roads right near the edge and in the dark at this point so it made me a little nervous, but it was nothing compared to what I was about to experience the next day. There were random houses along the way and I could not comprehend how those people possibly lived like that: in such poverty and despair. They were so far from any major city and sometimes even small villages and their homes were usually small areas surrounded by brick and a cheap roof overhead. I felt such isolation for them and I wondered how they educated their children, got food and clean water, got health care, etc. or if they simply just don’t. I wonder if they simply just live off the land and hope to get by. The train left the next small city we were brought to around 7:45 pm but by that time we all felt like it should’ve been midnight. We were so exhausted from a long day of walking and being under the sun that as soon as our bums hit the seats, we were out. The ride to the small city under Machu Pichu called Aguas Calientes (meaning hot water due to its hot water springs) is supposed to be beautiful, but due to it already being dark out we could not see a thing. The ride took about an hour and a half and it felt like I had been transported into a whole new world when I walked off the train. There were enormous mountains all around us and a beautiful river flowing through the new city we were in. We were met by a staff member of our hostel who walked us to where we would stay for the night. The city was full of restaurants offering all day happy hour and pizza and hostels due to it being the dropping point for Machu Pichu, a tourist attraction for people all over the world. The hostel was pretty nice for a hotel. The girls slept in a room all the way upstairs while the boys were right near the lobby. We spoke with our guide before bed who told us the plans for the following day at Machu Pichu and we got to bed right away knowing it would be another long day ahead.
Saturday: THE BIG DAY!
We got to the bus stop at 4:45 am in order to get the 5:30 bus so we could be one of the 400 allowed to go up Waynapichu. Waynapichu is the highest mountain in Machu Pichu (if you have seen pictures, it is the large one in back) and there are two time slots of 7 am and 10 am that only allow 200 people for each to preserve the small rugged trail. Machu Pichu is another site that cannot be described. Walking in through the gate and first seeing the amazing view was breathtaking. I didn’t even get out my camera for a good 4 minutes because I just stood there in awe at how beautiful everything was and how lucky I was to be seeing it in real life. We got our stamps that permitted us on the 7 am hike and after a few pictures with the sun rising behind the ruins we headed for our trek up the giant mountain. The walk up took us about an hour and I needed to stop quite often because my breathing was giving me trouble. The increasing altitude as we climbed, along with my asthma, along with probably not being in the best shape that I could be, made for a very difficult climb to the top. I did not want to give up though and it really helped to have the encouragement of my new friends pushing me to continue because I knew, and we all knew, it would be worth it once we got there. The steps were very narrow and steep and not every set had a railing or rope. At some points we had to use the rocks to hold on to knowing that we didn’t have on any harnesses and one slip up could mean a fall to death. I tried not to look down too much because it was a straight drop into a valley and it scared me to think that we were on such unstable and old architecture. I huffed and puffed and at one point almost cried because I was so tired and winded from walking but I made it to the top and was glowing with excitement when I did. It was such an accomplishment that I never thought I could do and I am so proud of myself for pushing through it and making it up there. When we arrived there were many others who were hanging around and taking pictures and resting from the long hike. The view was unbelievable. I felt like I was in a movie when I peered out over the edges and saw Machu Pichu now look like a tiny little figure in the distance. Pictures, pictures and more pictures were taken because I want to let everyone know that I really did it! It was a wonderful experience and one that I will never forget and definitely never let anyone else forget because it was such a hard and tiring hike. We thought the way back down would be easier, but for 2 of the housemates who are afraid of heights, it was worse going down. You had to watch your feet at all times to make sure they were placed perfectly on each step or you could risk slipping and falling off the edge. We made it back down in about 45 minutes and wanted to fall to the ground because our legs were shaking with fatigue.
We headed out of the gate for some overpriced lunch and relaxed for probably an hour and I stretched out all my muscles and joints so they would not tighten up on me. After “lunch” (it was only about 11 am by the end but it felt like 6 at night) we went back in to explore MP and take some pictures of the roaming llamas and such. More remarkably built ancient homes caught my eye and I loved looking at how elaborate they had been even back so long ago. There was an immense water streaming system throughout the whole ancient city as well that I could not believe they were able to think up and realize how to make work with no education and little tools.
We headed back to Aguas Calientes, about a twenty minute drive down the mountain, around 2 pm and decided to go in the hot springs to heal our achey bodies. None of us brought our bathing suits so we went in clothes from the previous day. The water felt great and helped relieve some of the pain and soreness of our bodies, but the view of European men in their Speedos brought a new pain and soreness to my eyes. We tried to bathe in the showers there since we had to check out of our hostel, but the water smelled and was dirty, so even after using soap we still didn’t feel very clean. We got dressed and headed out for dinner where something very funny happened that had everyone around us starring. There were two restaurants side by side and both wanted us to eat there so they were yelling back and forth what they would give us if we went to their restaurant for dinner: “free nachos!” “free beer!” “meals only 20 soles!” “free Pisco Sours!” It went on and on for several minutes until we finally decided on the one that offered all of that combined. Xian ordered alpaca since meals were so cheap and I tried some. It was very good and tasted sort of like a mixture between steak and lamb. I had a great chicken dinner with rice and took them up on their free Cusquena beer offer. The beer is similar to a Bud Light and is popular all over Peru. After dinner we still had 3 hours to kill until our train left so we walked around Aguas a little more and then settled in at a coffee/internet café for a couple hours to chat with some other travelers waiting for thir 9:45 train. There was Sam from San Luis Obisbo, CA and two younger girls from Canada we had met on Friday at the volunteer party. Our whole ride home last night was just awful not only because of the bumpy roads and terrible drivers, but also because I started to get sick. It began with a sore throat that I thought might just be from breathing heavily on the mountain and taking in the dirty and less oxygenated air, but as the night progressed and we went from train to bus to bus I got steadily worse to where I am right now: laying in bed with a cough, headache, sore throat and stuffy nose. I might just be worn out from the weekend, but I am sipping lemon tea from Totti and I have taken medicine in hopes of a speedy recovery for our tasting of Cuy tomorrow night and rafting on Wednesday. Wish me luck and until then, hasta luego and adios amigos!
-Hillary-
Friday- The Market: San Pedro and Fiesta
After lunch some of the housemates and I decided to go check out a local market near downtown. It would have been a vegetarian’s nightmare (like my best friend Kristi who recently took meat out of her diet). There was row after row of dead carcuses lying out on tables with no sense of cleanliness whatsoever. The flies were rampant and the smell was unbearable by the end of our time there. There were full pigs, pig heads, full chickens, chicken feet, turkeys, frogs, beef slabs, etc. Nothing was on ice and no one wore gloves and it was one of the most disgusting sites of my life, but of course I took many pictures. There were other areas with fresh produce however that looked slightly appetizing and bag after bag of rice, grains, and corn. I would never eat anything from the markets for fear of how it is washed and maintained, but there were some exotic looking fruits and the corn kernels were larger than I’ve ever seen that some volunteers take a risk with. There were other shops as well in the enormous market that was busy with locals and tourists that sold clothing and little souvenir type things. Sweaters are a big deal here and almost every vendor will try to sell you one, wool or alpaca. After we had enough of the stench and the hagglers the others walked to Spanish class and I went to my placement at Colibri. Friday was the last day for the Israel couple so the kids sang them a Peruvian song and gave them a small present. We got a new volunteer also named Ani who is from NYC but goes to school at the other USC in CA. She speaks Spanish very well and we practice with each other and the kids. After work I went shopping with Mario and got some great deals on more gifts for the family that I am very excited to bring home for them!
Friday night we went to one of the Maximo Nivel staff’s bars in San Blas which is an adorable little area also near downtown. The bar was small but it was jam packed with volunteers from all over the world so it was fun to meet people from places I never have before. After, that we went dancing at a place called Mama Africa where I made friends with a stray dog… yes I know it is the animal lover in me that can’t walk away from the thousands of homeless dogs that fill this country but they are so cute and I feel so bad for them. I bought him some bread and held him even though he was filthy and matted. Sometimes I wonder why I am not studying to do something in the future with animals because my friends at home and even my new ones here think I am crazy when I pet the most random things on the street. I hate to see all the starving dogs, but the starving kids in Colibri and all over Peru are more important of course.
Saturday: Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo
We had to be downtown Cusco at 8:45 am on Saturday morning to get our bus to begin our weekend journey northeast. There was another Canadian girl named Lionel on our bus but the rest seemed to speak only Spanish. As we drove out of town down and around the windy mountain roads we passed Saqsayhuaman (literally pronounced sexy woman,) another old ruin close to the ancient Inca capital city of Cusco. The drive was absolutely stunning and I can’t even put into words the sights that I saw through my bus window. Mountains galore, some with snow on the top because of the high altitude, country sides scattered with livestock, Peruvian people in the small villages in their indigenous multi-colored clothes, rivers with rapids, and much more that only a visit to this glorious country would allow you to understand. We stopped along the way at a small market where some alpacas and their owner were waiting for tourists to pay to have their picture taken. Of course as soon as I saw them I ran off the bus and didn’t even care about the market and spent all twenty minutes there with the animals. Alpacas and llamas are part of the camel family so while I was taking a picture one of them spit in my ear. How sanitary right?! I excused him and decided it was okay as long as he let me take him for a ride around the parking lot. The owner said however that he doesn’t ride his alpacas because they are not strong enough, so sorry Kristi, I think it is impossible for the million dollar picture to happen… I know, I was devastated too. Next to them were a family with one lamb and I paid to take a picture with them as well. The people here will do anything for a quick buck even if it means subjecting their children or themselves to utter embarrassment. It was devastating to see a mother standing there all day with her two young daughters in tow dressed in full Inca clothing in the grueling sun just hoping that some tourist like me will be a loser enough to pay for a picture with a dumb lamb. The exploitation occurs in the city as well when mothers make their children work on the streets to sell gum, candy, food, water, etc. until all hours of the night. That is what Colibri is for: to take those children out of that negative environment that is doing them absolutely no good and put them into an environment with adults who care about them and won’t use them to make some money. We got back on the bus and continued to the bigger ruins.
When we arrived in the Sacred Valley we were greeted yet again by vendors trying to sell the same things but at much higher prices due to be isolation they live in away from the city. Our tour guide walked us through the ruins and explained the history of each section. One part that was especially interesting to me was in one of the houses there was an indent in the wall where mummified people would be placed in order for the Condor (their national bird) to come down and eat the insides and then take them to the sky to be closer to the Gods. The Incas believed that the Condors would carry the spirits to the Gods and so they would offer the dead to them in hope that they would take them to Heaven. There were also small inserts in the ground where the Incas bred guinea pigs, called Cuy, to eat. Our guide said that today there are still over 200 Andean villages living high in the Andes of Peru that speak only the indigenous language of Quechua and live in a traditional manner. We stopped for some lunch next in Urubamba, another small village on the way northeast.
The next stop on our journey was the city of Ollanta where the other ruins were located. We happened to arrive on a good weekend because it was the first day of a three day festival that only occurs in that village and one other. There were people dressed in colorful costumes, adorned with masks and flutes dancing down the streets and there was music all throughout the city. We walked up the second ruins which were much higher; 242 stairs to be exact. My asthma was okay at this point and I was not feeling any altitude sickness at all, just getting a bit sore from all the stairs. This ruin, Ollantaytambo, featured the same terraces built to prevent flooding and at the top there was a large stone used as a calendar by the Incas by looking at the shadows from the sun and moon. At the bottom was an area of fountains and one in particular that the people were required to bathe in for purity before going to the big cities like Pisac or Cusco. We had to walk from there to another bus station what took us to the Inca rail run by Peru Rail trains. We drove again through very curvy roads right near the edge and in the dark at this point so it made me a little nervous, but it was nothing compared to what I was about to experience the next day. There were random houses along the way and I could not comprehend how those people possibly lived like that: in such poverty and despair. They were so far from any major city and sometimes even small villages and their homes were usually small areas surrounded by brick and a cheap roof overhead. I felt such isolation for them and I wondered how they educated their children, got food and clean water, got health care, etc. or if they simply just don’t. I wonder if they simply just live off the land and hope to get by. The train left the next small city we were brought to around 7:45 pm but by that time we all felt like it should’ve been midnight. We were so exhausted from a long day of walking and being under the sun that as soon as our bums hit the seats, we were out. The ride to the small city under Machu Pichu called Aguas Calientes (meaning hot water due to its hot water springs) is supposed to be beautiful, but due to it already being dark out we could not see a thing. The ride took about an hour and a half and it felt like I had been transported into a whole new world when I walked off the train. There were enormous mountains all around us and a beautiful river flowing through the new city we were in. We were met by a staff member of our hostel who walked us to where we would stay for the night. The city was full of restaurants offering all day happy hour and pizza and hostels due to it being the dropping point for Machu Pichu, a tourist attraction for people all over the world. The hostel was pretty nice for a hotel. The girls slept in a room all the way upstairs while the boys were right near the lobby. We spoke with our guide before bed who told us the plans for the following day at Machu Pichu and we got to bed right away knowing it would be another long day ahead.
Saturday: THE BIG DAY!
We got to the bus stop at 4:45 am in order to get the 5:30 bus so we could be one of the 400 allowed to go up Waynapichu. Waynapichu is the highest mountain in Machu Pichu (if you have seen pictures, it is the large one in back) and there are two time slots of 7 am and 10 am that only allow 200 people for each to preserve the small rugged trail. Machu Pichu is another site that cannot be described. Walking in through the gate and first seeing the amazing view was breathtaking. I didn’t even get out my camera for a good 4 minutes because I just stood there in awe at how beautiful everything was and how lucky I was to be seeing it in real life. We got our stamps that permitted us on the 7 am hike and after a few pictures with the sun rising behind the ruins we headed for our trek up the giant mountain. The walk up took us about an hour and I needed to stop quite often because my breathing was giving me trouble. The increasing altitude as we climbed, along with my asthma, along with probably not being in the best shape that I could be, made for a very difficult climb to the top. I did not want to give up though and it really helped to have the encouragement of my new friends pushing me to continue because I knew, and we all knew, it would be worth it once we got there. The steps were very narrow and steep and not every set had a railing or rope. At some points we had to use the rocks to hold on to knowing that we didn’t have on any harnesses and one slip up could mean a fall to death. I tried not to look down too much because it was a straight drop into a valley and it scared me to think that we were on such unstable and old architecture. I huffed and puffed and at one point almost cried because I was so tired and winded from walking but I made it to the top and was glowing with excitement when I did. It was such an accomplishment that I never thought I could do and I am so proud of myself for pushing through it and making it up there. When we arrived there were many others who were hanging around and taking pictures and resting from the long hike. The view was unbelievable. I felt like I was in a movie when I peered out over the edges and saw Machu Pichu now look like a tiny little figure in the distance. Pictures, pictures and more pictures were taken because I want to let everyone know that I really did it! It was a wonderful experience and one that I will never forget and definitely never let anyone else forget because it was such a hard and tiring hike. We thought the way back down would be easier, but for 2 of the housemates who are afraid of heights, it was worse going down. You had to watch your feet at all times to make sure they were placed perfectly on each step or you could risk slipping and falling off the edge. We made it back down in about 45 minutes and wanted to fall to the ground because our legs were shaking with fatigue.
We headed out of the gate for some overpriced lunch and relaxed for probably an hour and I stretched out all my muscles and joints so they would not tighten up on me. After “lunch” (it was only about 11 am by the end but it felt like 6 at night) we went back in to explore MP and take some pictures of the roaming llamas and such. More remarkably built ancient homes caught my eye and I loved looking at how elaborate they had been even back so long ago. There was an immense water streaming system throughout the whole ancient city as well that I could not believe they were able to think up and realize how to make work with no education and little tools.
We headed back to Aguas Calientes, about a twenty minute drive down the mountain, around 2 pm and decided to go in the hot springs to heal our achey bodies. None of us brought our bathing suits so we went in clothes from the previous day. The water felt great and helped relieve some of the pain and soreness of our bodies, but the view of European men in their Speedos brought a new pain and soreness to my eyes. We tried to bathe in the showers there since we had to check out of our hostel, but the water smelled and was dirty, so even after using soap we still didn’t feel very clean. We got dressed and headed out for dinner where something very funny happened that had everyone around us starring. There were two restaurants side by side and both wanted us to eat there so they were yelling back and forth what they would give us if we went to their restaurant for dinner: “free nachos!” “free beer!” “meals only 20 soles!” “free Pisco Sours!” It went on and on for several minutes until we finally decided on the one that offered all of that combined. Xian ordered alpaca since meals were so cheap and I tried some. It was very good and tasted sort of like a mixture between steak and lamb. I had a great chicken dinner with rice and took them up on their free Cusquena beer offer. The beer is similar to a Bud Light and is popular all over Peru. After dinner we still had 3 hours to kill until our train left so we walked around Aguas a little more and then settled in at a coffee/internet café for a couple hours to chat with some other travelers waiting for thir 9:45 train. There was Sam from San Luis Obisbo, CA and two younger girls from Canada we had met on Friday at the volunteer party. Our whole ride home last night was just awful not only because of the bumpy roads and terrible drivers, but also because I started to get sick. It began with a sore throat that I thought might just be from breathing heavily on the mountain and taking in the dirty and less oxygenated air, but as the night progressed and we went from train to bus to bus I got steadily worse to where I am right now: laying in bed with a cough, headache, sore throat and stuffy nose. I might just be worn out from the weekend, but I am sipping lemon tea from Totti and I have taken medicine in hopes of a speedy recovery for our tasting of Cuy tomorrow night and rafting on Wednesday. Wish me luck and until then, hasta luego and adios amigos!
-Hillary-
Friday, May 21, 2010
Colibri Children are my favorite
I am having trouble posting pictures on here, but for those of you with facebook, they are all posted on there and I will continue to try to figure out how to get them on here for others.
Tuesday during the day I went shopping with my housemate Michael and bought a few gifts for the family. Things are surprisingly cheap here for it being such a large tourist area and the vendors are easy to bargain with. I still have much more to buy but I got some good prices and figured I would get them now before I run out of money! We went to a market called El Molino that was more like an outdoor shopping mall and then after went downtown to the many shops there.
Later in the day I went to Colibri for work and met more of the volunteers that I will be with this summer: Annie from Washington, Helen from Oregon, Laura from Australia and some others whose names I don’t remember from Holland, Germany and Israel. I have to walk up extremely steep alleys from the main Plaza to get to work where I am welcomed by the kids screaming “amiga, amiga!” and running up to give me hugs. The older ones give me the customary kiss on the cheek that is a common greeting in Latin America. The kids are so much fun and brighten my day when I see their smiling faces. I do homework with them first and then we play games, draw and goof around. Around 6 or 6:30 pm they are fed a cup of warm milk and rice called “luncha.” Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the park which was a long walk up even steeper cobblestone stairs. I saw two llamas on the way and the streets were scattered with numerous stray dogs of course. The kids played on the swings, monkey bars, see-saws, and slides and insisted on me taking pictures of them doing everything. My favorite little boy is Juan who is 4 years old. He pees his pants daily and then wants me to hold him, carry him everywhere and sit on my lap at all times. Normally I would be grossed out but I can’t resist his adorable little face when he puts his arms up and says “arriba” which means up. I want to take every kid home and feed them, bathe them, brush their teeth and give them new, clean clothes. Every child is unique in his/her own way and it makes me so happy to get to know each and every one and spend time being a positive influence in their lives. I have been speaking only Spanish here and I have gotten a lot more confident with it just in the 5 days I have been here. The only time I speak English is with the other volunteers but even then most of them are taking Spanish classes and want me to help them practice. Last night we all went out dancing at a bar called Ukukus that was mostly locals and played Latin music. It was a lot of fun and I ended up meeting a nice Peruvian guy named Mario who I danced with most of the night. He showed me how to salsa and today he met me after work and we went for a walk around Cusco. Today at Colibri the boys were crazy and were jumping all over me the entire time! Juan wanted me to spin him around and his friend Jose was throwing himself on my shoulders and flipping over me. Then Liza wanted to braid my hair and I helped a group of kids put together a Disney princess puzzle that entailed searching through a huge cardboard box of pieces from probably 10 different puzzles.
We go to the Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu this weekend which I am very excited for. Next week we are going to try to go white water rafting one day, then next weekend possibly Lake Titicaca and Puno on the border of Bolivia. Later in June is my Amazon tour with two other volunteers. Adios!
-Hillary-
Tuesday during the day I went shopping with my housemate Michael and bought a few gifts for the family. Things are surprisingly cheap here for it being such a large tourist area and the vendors are easy to bargain with. I still have much more to buy but I got some good prices and figured I would get them now before I run out of money! We went to a market called El Molino that was more like an outdoor shopping mall and then after went downtown to the many shops there.
Later in the day I went to Colibri for work and met more of the volunteers that I will be with this summer: Annie from Washington, Helen from Oregon, Laura from Australia and some others whose names I don’t remember from Holland, Germany and Israel. I have to walk up extremely steep alleys from the main Plaza to get to work where I am welcomed by the kids screaming “amiga, amiga!” and running up to give me hugs. The older ones give me the customary kiss on the cheek that is a common greeting in Latin America. The kids are so much fun and brighten my day when I see their smiling faces. I do homework with them first and then we play games, draw and goof around. Around 6 or 6:30 pm they are fed a cup of warm milk and rice called “luncha.” Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the park which was a long walk up even steeper cobblestone stairs. I saw two llamas on the way and the streets were scattered with numerous stray dogs of course. The kids played on the swings, monkey bars, see-saws, and slides and insisted on me taking pictures of them doing everything. My favorite little boy is Juan who is 4 years old. He pees his pants daily and then wants me to hold him, carry him everywhere and sit on my lap at all times. Normally I would be grossed out but I can’t resist his adorable little face when he puts his arms up and says “arriba” which means up. I want to take every kid home and feed them, bathe them, brush their teeth and give them new, clean clothes. Every child is unique in his/her own way and it makes me so happy to get to know each and every one and spend time being a positive influence in their lives. I have been speaking only Spanish here and I have gotten a lot more confident with it just in the 5 days I have been here. The only time I speak English is with the other volunteers but even then most of them are taking Spanish classes and want me to help them practice. Last night we all went out dancing at a bar called Ukukus that was mostly locals and played Latin music. It was a lot of fun and I ended up meeting a nice Peruvian guy named Mario who I danced with most of the night. He showed me how to salsa and today he met me after work and we went for a walk around Cusco. Today at Colibri the boys were crazy and were jumping all over me the entire time! Juan wanted me to spin him around and his friend Jose was throwing himself on my shoulders and flipping over me. Then Liza wanted to braid my hair and I helped a group of kids put together a Disney princess puzzle that entailed searching through a huge cardboard box of pieces from probably 10 different puzzles.
We go to the Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu this weekend which I am very excited for. Next week we are going to try to go white water rafting one day, then next weekend possibly Lake Titicaca and Puno on the border of Bolivia. Later in June is my Amazon tour with two other volunteers. Adios!
-Hillary-
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Here in Cusco!
I have arrived in Cusco, Peru and absolutely LOVE it! This entry will probably be one of the longest ones to start off my trip since I have been so busy meeting everyone and getting acquainted with the city that I haven’t written since I got here. I arrived at 8:30 on Sunday morning and used my Spanish to have a nice man help me with my two large bags. As I walked outside of the airport I felt the intense South American sun on my face and immediately pulled out my sunglasses. Máximo Nivel, the organization based in Peru that does my placements, was waiting for me just outside and got me right into a taxi with a short little guy named Brian who escorted me to get checked in and then on to my home-stay. We drove about ten minutes and were already in the heart of Cusco which was a vibrant city bustling with people of all sorts: businessmen, indigenous women dressed in many colors with a lamb or llama in tow, children in uniforms, beggars, and many fellow gringos from all over the world. Next, we pulled up to my home for the next 2 months and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it had a front gate. I was even more surprised when I walked in to see a beautiful home equipped with a large TV, hard wood floors, and multiple sun rooms. I met my host mother, Patricia Tejada, who is just perfect. She is very pretty and friendly and I felt right at home as soon as I walked in and she gave me an embracing hug. We have an adorable maid too named Totti who only speaks Spanish. I was excited to learn that there would be 8 of us living in her duplex type home along with her two sons, Diego and Lorenzo. My roommate, Lindsay from Ottawa, and I have already bonded and I really like her and her friend Ariana who works with her back home. Down the hallway is Michael from Newfoundland who talks kind of funny and they all (the Canadians) say “aye” and “aboot” ALL the time! Upstairs is Connor also from somewhere in Canada, Claire from North Carolina, Shirin from somewhere in Canada too and Xian (pronounced Shen) from South Carolina who actually goes to USC Med School! What a small world, AYE?
Sunday was pretty relaxed since we were all (Lindsay, Ariana, Michael, Xian and I) tired from just arriving. The others upstairs have been here for a couple weeks already. Lindsay and I took a nap until around 1 and then all of them decided to head into town but I stayed back to talk to my entire family, except Andrew and Marcie who live in CT, on the webcam with Skype. It was weird to be talking through just a computer connection cord so far away. I showed them the mountains in the background and assured them that I had gotten here safe. I had some tomato soup and bread for a light lunch and then unpacked and played with Patricia’s daughter’s 2 adorable Chihuahuas (which left yesterday though) Patricia has a cat named Cookie that we all make fun of because it smells, has scabs and meows all the time. It’s an orange tabby and is slightly cute, but it’s one of those cats that you don’t really want to touch you. Connor and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. The area is very calm and I like it a lot and feel very safe here. I am in part of Cusco called Wanchaq that has a lot of high rise apartment like homes and not many houses. There are soccer fields all around filled with young kids laughing and playing. The Peruvian children are darling. They have this face that you can’t resist and I really enjoy speaking Spanish with them because I don’t get as nervous to be always correct as I feel with adults. I told Patricia however that I only wanted to speak Spanish with her and to not let me try to speak English even if I don’t know how to say something. When we got back we had dinner which was unlike most things I have eaten before. It was potatoes, goat cheese and eggs made into some sort of patty along with some other vegetables. I enjoy her cooking though and it will be nice to eat things different than back in the US to really feel part of the Peruvian culture. Another thing different than in the US is that since indoor plumbing is so bad we cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet! Instead it has to go in the trash bin, which you can only imagine how bad the bathroom starts to smell after a couple days without taking out the trash. We all went to bed pretty early Sunday night after cold showers (which I have heard is the norm) since we had orientation fairly early the next day at Máximo. Lindsay, Ariana and I all had orientation at 10:15 am. It was hard to get used to the rock hard bed that sinks in the middle I have to sleep in and it get so cold here that I slept in a sweatshirt, sweatpants and socks along with three comforters. We intended on sleeping in until about 9:30 and getting up to get ready real quick, grab breakfast and then a taxi and go. This was not the case. Around 7 am the numerous stray dogs that roam the streets everywhere here start to howl, someone was hammering on the roof and Patricia’s granddaughters were running through the house yelling “mama, mama.” At orientation they talked to us about safety, health, house rules, how to contact them, places to go in Cusco, etc and then I was given my placement. I will be working during my time here in an after-school program called Colibri to give street children constructive time during their day to do homework, read, play games, and even get a small meal that is likely to be their only for the day. We walked around Cusco during the day and I took a picture with two baby lambs, one of which had on a hat! I decided to do my Machu Pichu tour with my housemates instead this weekend for a much cheaper price and we decided that we would climb Wanapichu too, which is the highest point at the ruins and only 460 are allowed up a day. Claire, Michael and Xian and I went to eat lunch at a little restaurant down “Gringo Alley” as the locals call it. Around 5 pm I went to see my placement with a fellow Michigander who now lives here in Cusco named Byrnna. It is near the Plaza de Armas in downtown, but it involves me walking up two very steep alleys to get to a small room on the side of a mountain. Once I arrived I was welcomed with open arms from all the children who literally sat on my lap and kissed my cheek (a Hispanic custom) within 5 minutes of arriving. The room smelled like urine and the children were filthy. It broke my heart to see this but empowered me to do all that I can while I am here. I laughed and played with two little girls around age 7 who insisted I take their picture. I had to take a taxi home by myself which I was a little nervous about since it was already dark, (it gets dark here at 5:30 pm) but I made sure to speak Spanish with the driver the whole time home to make it less awkward. It is about a ten minute drive and it costs about 3-4 soles which is around a dollar to get from my house to downtown. When I got home I was exhausted from a long day of walking around Cusco in the high altitude, however I still have not, and hope not to not feel any effects of being at such a high elevation. I have gotten a few little headaches, but nothing debilitating like they had suggested might happen. Dinner last night was chicken and potatoes and then we all went back downtown around 9 pm to meet up with other volunteers: Brendon from Saskatchewan who I have been talking with for the past couple months, Udi from Minnesota, Kim from the UK, Brooke from Colorado, Brittany from Canada, Mina from Canada, and Sabrina from Boston. We went to a pub called The Cross Keys for some happy hours drinks and it was so fun to sit around three tables and talk all about where we are from and bond with people from so many different places. We got home around 11:30 and Lindsay and I stayed up for probably another hour talking in bed about life in Canada and life in the US. So far my time here has been great and I look forward to what lies ahead. I am going to go out to the bank now to exchange some money and then head to the supermarket for some snacks before I have to go to work at the orphanage at 4. Adios and hasta luego!
-Hillary-
Sunday was pretty relaxed since we were all (Lindsay, Ariana, Michael, Xian and I) tired from just arriving. The others upstairs have been here for a couple weeks already. Lindsay and I took a nap until around 1 and then all of them decided to head into town but I stayed back to talk to my entire family, except Andrew and Marcie who live in CT, on the webcam with Skype. It was weird to be talking through just a computer connection cord so far away. I showed them the mountains in the background and assured them that I had gotten here safe. I had some tomato soup and bread for a light lunch and then unpacked and played with Patricia’s daughter’s 2 adorable Chihuahuas (which left yesterday though) Patricia has a cat named Cookie that we all make fun of because it smells, has scabs and meows all the time. It’s an orange tabby and is slightly cute, but it’s one of those cats that you don’t really want to touch you. Connor and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. The area is very calm and I like it a lot and feel very safe here. I am in part of Cusco called Wanchaq that has a lot of high rise apartment like homes and not many houses. There are soccer fields all around filled with young kids laughing and playing. The Peruvian children are darling. They have this face that you can’t resist and I really enjoy speaking Spanish with them because I don’t get as nervous to be always correct as I feel with adults. I told Patricia however that I only wanted to speak Spanish with her and to not let me try to speak English even if I don’t know how to say something. When we got back we had dinner which was unlike most things I have eaten before. It was potatoes, goat cheese and eggs made into some sort of patty along with some other vegetables. I enjoy her cooking though and it will be nice to eat things different than back in the US to really feel part of the Peruvian culture. Another thing different than in the US is that since indoor plumbing is so bad we cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet! Instead it has to go in the trash bin, which you can only imagine how bad the bathroom starts to smell after a couple days without taking out the trash. We all went to bed pretty early Sunday night after cold showers (which I have heard is the norm) since we had orientation fairly early the next day at Máximo. Lindsay, Ariana and I all had orientation at 10:15 am. It was hard to get used to the rock hard bed that sinks in the middle I have to sleep in and it get so cold here that I slept in a sweatshirt, sweatpants and socks along with three comforters. We intended on sleeping in until about 9:30 and getting up to get ready real quick, grab breakfast and then a taxi and go. This was not the case. Around 7 am the numerous stray dogs that roam the streets everywhere here start to howl, someone was hammering on the roof and Patricia’s granddaughters were running through the house yelling “mama, mama.” At orientation they talked to us about safety, health, house rules, how to contact them, places to go in Cusco, etc and then I was given my placement. I will be working during my time here in an after-school program called Colibri to give street children constructive time during their day to do homework, read, play games, and even get a small meal that is likely to be their only for the day. We walked around Cusco during the day and I took a picture with two baby lambs, one of which had on a hat! I decided to do my Machu Pichu tour with my housemates instead this weekend for a much cheaper price and we decided that we would climb Wanapichu too, which is the highest point at the ruins and only 460 are allowed up a day. Claire, Michael and Xian and I went to eat lunch at a little restaurant down “Gringo Alley” as the locals call it. Around 5 pm I went to see my placement with a fellow Michigander who now lives here in Cusco named Byrnna. It is near the Plaza de Armas in downtown, but it involves me walking up two very steep alleys to get to a small room on the side of a mountain. Once I arrived I was welcomed with open arms from all the children who literally sat on my lap and kissed my cheek (a Hispanic custom) within 5 minutes of arriving. The room smelled like urine and the children were filthy. It broke my heart to see this but empowered me to do all that I can while I am here. I laughed and played with two little girls around age 7 who insisted I take their picture. I had to take a taxi home by myself which I was a little nervous about since it was already dark, (it gets dark here at 5:30 pm) but I made sure to speak Spanish with the driver the whole time home to make it less awkward. It is about a ten minute drive and it costs about 3-4 soles which is around a dollar to get from my house to downtown. When I got home I was exhausted from a long day of walking around Cusco in the high altitude, however I still have not, and hope not to not feel any effects of being at such a high elevation. I have gotten a few little headaches, but nothing debilitating like they had suggested might happen. Dinner last night was chicken and potatoes and then we all went back downtown around 9 pm to meet up with other volunteers: Brendon from Saskatchewan who I have been talking with for the past couple months, Udi from Minnesota, Kim from the UK, Brooke from Colorado, Brittany from Canada, Mina from Canada, and Sabrina from Boston. We went to a pub called The Cross Keys for some happy hours drinks and it was so fun to sit around three tables and talk all about where we are from and bond with people from so many different places. We got home around 11:30 and Lindsay and I stayed up for probably another hour talking in bed about life in Canada and life in the US. So far my time here has been great and I look forward to what lies ahead. I am going to go out to the bank now to exchange some money and then head to the supermarket for some snacks before I have to go to work at the orphanage at 4. Adios and hasta luego!
-Hillary-
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Anxious in the Airport!
My first blog entry will begin today as I sit in the Charlotte airport waiting for 2 hours to board my next plane to Miami. From there I will continue to Lima on an overnight flight and finally arrive in Cusco, Peru around 8:30 tomorrow morning where I will be met by a staff person holding my name like you see in the movies. I am feeling an array of emotions from excitement to nervousness and even sadness from when I left my mom and dad this afternoon at the Detroit airport. I miss them already and my doggie, Tito, as well who I won’t have to snuggle with. I am happy that I got to see some Michigan friends this week before I left. It really meant a lot for Jessica, Amanda and Val to come over to see me off and catch up before my trip. I am glad that I will actually be able to stay in contact with everyone through usage of the internet down there. Who knows how speedy it will be, but at least it is something. I also have an international plan on my phone to talk to my parents because there is no way I could go without talking to my mom everyday like I am accustomed to. Okay maybe I won’t talk to her every day, but I would go crazy not being able to talk to my best friend and tell her about everything going on on the other side of the hemisphere.
For those of you who don’t know exactly what I am doing this trip for, I will start off by explaining. This is not through school and I am not taking any classes while in Peru. Instead, I will be volunteering my time Monday through Friday for 8 weeks to work in an orphanage through a program I found online based out of New Zealand. I got a scholarship through my school however that is paying for half of my trip provided that when I return I give ten talks about my time abroad and what I did and learned. Some have asked why I wanted to volunteer and this is my answer: I believe that if you are going to travel to another country for a long period of time, why not do it to benefit the citizens of that country, not yourself? They are hosting you and allowing you to come into their country, so a way of giving back to them and thanking them for me is working with the poor population that really needs the help and is often ignored by the rich upper class and the government. Also, I plan on going to graduate school for social work after I graduate from USC next May and this will look great on a resume as opposed to simply just studying abroad. With volunteering, I will get to use my minor of Spanish and be immersed in Peru much deeper than I would have been had I just gone to take classes. I will be working side by side with the people that I aspire to help with my future career and I could not ask for a better opportunity than this one. I am taking a hold of my life at this time and doing exactly what it is that I have dreamed to do and that is help less fortunate people who cannot escape the poverty that claims most of Latin America. I am just one person, but I hope that my efforts this summer will make a difference, even if it’s just in one child’s life. I will be teaching English, playing with the kids, doing arts and crafts, helping with chores and cooking, doing some small construction projects like painting, etc. On the weekends I will be free to travel with other volunteers to the many beautiful sites in Peru. I have a tour to Aguas Calientes and Machu Pichu scheduled for May 30 and a three day, two night tour to the Amazon scheduled for later in June with two Canadians I have been in contact with for the past couple months. I hope to do some other touring as well to Lake Titicaca and possibly even some white water rafting. Cusco is at about 11,000 feet above sea level in the middle of the Andes, so it is going to be a much different climate than I am used to. Family, friends and doctors have been worried that with my asthma I might have an even harder time adjusting than the average person because there is a significant decrease in oxygen that high up, but that is why I have packed about 5 inhalers and my mom has made sure to send me with a full pharmacy in case anything were to happen while I am away. We spent the last week since I got home from school shopping for weird things I will likely never use after this trip like lice spray for my hair and headbands, bug spray for my clothing and sleeping bag, extremely high SPF sunscreen since I am at such a high elevation, and lots of mosquito spray with deet to fight off the rest of the nasty insects that are down there. I am traveling with two very large suitcases that are packed to the brim along with two carry-on bags in order to fit all of my stuff. Due to Cusco’s unique setting, it is warm during the day and very cold at night, so I had to pack clothes for everything! I have stuff from shorts all the way to flannel pajama pants. Peru is also a Catholic, conservative country that is still very set in their traditional gender roles. Because of this I had to pack clothing that would cover up everything. That means one piece bathing suits, no low cut tops, longer shorts, etc. I am hoping some studly Peruvian man will help me carry my heavy baggage once I get there because I am going to look pretty silly trying to lug it all around! However I am going to be very cautious when it comes to trusting people especially since I am a single, American, blonde, female traveling alone. It would be very easy to prey on me and on the way home I am going to be like a hawk over my bags so that no stupid little smugglers try to put crap in my bags and end up making my stay for 10-15 years longer than I wanted. Life is going to be extremely altered for this little American girl who is used to having the ‘normal’ things daily. Until July 10th, I will be hand-washing my clothes in a creek, sleeping in an insect repelled sleeping bag, drinking only bottled water, wearing hiking boots, and speaking only Spanish, but I am so excited to jump right in to such a rich and historical culture and learn about Peru’s past, present and future. I am hoping to learn and grow from this trip as a person and academically in order to bring my experiences back to tell about. Once I arrive, I will have tomorrow (Sunday) to get acclimated to the altitude and then I have orientation on Monday where I get my orphanage placement and learn everything I will need to know for my stay. I am sure I will take pictures as soon as I arrive and post them here and on facebook so you all can see them. I will write all about Cusco once I arrive and get settled in and meet all the other people I will be living and working with for the next two months! Hopefully I will get to ride an alpaca down a mountain the first day for my best friend Kristi and I can fulfill her image of me in Peru and post a picture for her. So amigos, for now: Adios America and Hola Peru!
-Hillary-
For those of you who don’t know exactly what I am doing this trip for, I will start off by explaining. This is not through school and I am not taking any classes while in Peru. Instead, I will be volunteering my time Monday through Friday for 8 weeks to work in an orphanage through a program I found online based out of New Zealand. I got a scholarship through my school however that is paying for half of my trip provided that when I return I give ten talks about my time abroad and what I did and learned. Some have asked why I wanted to volunteer and this is my answer: I believe that if you are going to travel to another country for a long period of time, why not do it to benefit the citizens of that country, not yourself? They are hosting you and allowing you to come into their country, so a way of giving back to them and thanking them for me is working with the poor population that really needs the help and is often ignored by the rich upper class and the government. Also, I plan on going to graduate school for social work after I graduate from USC next May and this will look great on a resume as opposed to simply just studying abroad. With volunteering, I will get to use my minor of Spanish and be immersed in Peru much deeper than I would have been had I just gone to take classes. I will be working side by side with the people that I aspire to help with my future career and I could not ask for a better opportunity than this one. I am taking a hold of my life at this time and doing exactly what it is that I have dreamed to do and that is help less fortunate people who cannot escape the poverty that claims most of Latin America. I am just one person, but I hope that my efforts this summer will make a difference, even if it’s just in one child’s life. I will be teaching English, playing with the kids, doing arts and crafts, helping with chores and cooking, doing some small construction projects like painting, etc. On the weekends I will be free to travel with other volunteers to the many beautiful sites in Peru. I have a tour to Aguas Calientes and Machu Pichu scheduled for May 30 and a three day, two night tour to the Amazon scheduled for later in June with two Canadians I have been in contact with for the past couple months. I hope to do some other touring as well to Lake Titicaca and possibly even some white water rafting. Cusco is at about 11,000 feet above sea level in the middle of the Andes, so it is going to be a much different climate than I am used to. Family, friends and doctors have been worried that with my asthma I might have an even harder time adjusting than the average person because there is a significant decrease in oxygen that high up, but that is why I have packed about 5 inhalers and my mom has made sure to send me with a full pharmacy in case anything were to happen while I am away. We spent the last week since I got home from school shopping for weird things I will likely never use after this trip like lice spray for my hair and headbands, bug spray for my clothing and sleeping bag, extremely high SPF sunscreen since I am at such a high elevation, and lots of mosquito spray with deet to fight off the rest of the nasty insects that are down there. I am traveling with two very large suitcases that are packed to the brim along with two carry-on bags in order to fit all of my stuff. Due to Cusco’s unique setting, it is warm during the day and very cold at night, so I had to pack clothes for everything! I have stuff from shorts all the way to flannel pajama pants. Peru is also a Catholic, conservative country that is still very set in their traditional gender roles. Because of this I had to pack clothing that would cover up everything. That means one piece bathing suits, no low cut tops, longer shorts, etc. I am hoping some studly Peruvian man will help me carry my heavy baggage once I get there because I am going to look pretty silly trying to lug it all around! However I am going to be very cautious when it comes to trusting people especially since I am a single, American, blonde, female traveling alone. It would be very easy to prey on me and on the way home I am going to be like a hawk over my bags so that no stupid little smugglers try to put crap in my bags and end up making my stay for 10-15 years longer than I wanted. Life is going to be extremely altered for this little American girl who is used to having the ‘normal’ things daily. Until July 10th, I will be hand-washing my clothes in a creek, sleeping in an insect repelled sleeping bag, drinking only bottled water, wearing hiking boots, and speaking only Spanish, but I am so excited to jump right in to such a rich and historical culture and learn about Peru’s past, present and future. I am hoping to learn and grow from this trip as a person and academically in order to bring my experiences back to tell about. Once I arrive, I will have tomorrow (Sunday) to get acclimated to the altitude and then I have orientation on Monday where I get my orphanage placement and learn everything I will need to know for my stay. I am sure I will take pictures as soon as I arrive and post them here and on facebook so you all can see them. I will write all about Cusco once I arrive and get settled in and meet all the other people I will be living and working with for the next two months! Hopefully I will get to ride an alpaca down a mountain the first day for my best friend Kristi and I can fulfill her image of me in Peru and post a picture for her. So amigos, for now: Adios America and Hola Peru!
-Hillary-
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