So, they didn´t happen yesterday but today was great
I pulled up some old camp tricks and made some cool stiches
the others used the beads and did this cool circle thing that id never seen
Tomorrow is my last day at Remar and we´re gonna have a party with some cake and some high school musical songs, the kids are obsessed.
Oh and Nick Jonas is my boyfriend. Some still don´t believe me but I have a few of the younger ones convinced.
Iv been going to all the markets recently to pick up some peruvian goodies, who knew there could be so many different ways to make a hat?
I had a quechua lesson last night. Where vowels mean nothing and one word can have up to five different pronounciations, meaning five entirely different things.
Other then that my days have been pretty normal, Saturday is my last night and also a HUGE halloween party that the school organized. They rented out an entire club and theres gonna be a costume contest and everything. Im going to win.
Tomorrow Im taking my host family out for lunch as a sort of goodbye thank you meal
and Saturday during the day im going to Tipon to try some cuy before i leave. It must be done.
Ill be home so soon, I can´t believe its been a month. Cusco has become a place so familiar yet there is still so much I havn´t explored.
All of my friends from the school are traveling afterwards, Argentina, Chile, Ecquador. Iv decided backpacking is something that must be done in my life. But why stay in South America? I believe the world would be a bit more acceptable.
So ill work on that one for a bit.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Iv been Slacking.
My bad.
Last weekend was Machu Picchu.
Woke up a bit earlier then I should have and went for a walk before meeting the rest of my group (Allie and Paola) at the San Blas school.
From there we met our coordinator who gave us all of our tickets and important information and sent us on our way. An hour an a half in taxi (Michael Jackson blasting) and we made it to the train station. From there it was another hour and a half next to a very annoying British group, who put a lot of effort into making me feel bad for sitting in my assigned seat (window).
"You want to sit on the isle? So you can talk to your friends?"
"no, Im fine thank you"
"Okay, its just that you should sit here so its easier"
"no really. Im fine thank you."
"Sit here, so you dont have to talk over us."
"I wont talk, I would prefer to sit here."
"It would just be better."
Yeah right. For who?
But other then that it was a very pleasent ride, I got to listen to my ipod which i havn´t done in a very long time and got to watch the scenery change from vast mountain to the jungle, and feel the humidity through the open window.
The train stopped in Aguas Calientes which is named fairly respectively for its natural hot springs. We stayed in a hostel with clean sheets and a hot shower. Only one cockroach that we could see so we were pleased.
It started POURING on saturday, actual buckets falling from the sky, so we sook refuge in a cafe and had a cup of coffee. After walking around a bit and exploring the market we sat down for a three course dinner with fresh avocado and grilled alpaca. All of the food for a grand total of 15soles. 5 dollars.
It was an amazing atmosphere with live music (which I can share since I bought their CD)
and an open kitchen.
We crashed fairly early and woke up at a reasonable time of 5am.
Sunday morning we met our guide at the bus station and took another bus for about half an hour up to Machu Picchu. We got a glance on the ride up but we convinced ourselves it was painted into the bus windows. With the morning mist and rays of sunshine it was far too gorgeous to be real.
We made it to the top and our guide took us through a short canal to show us a typical house in this time and how they made their roofs. Then a few more steps in and we walked onto a terrace as all of Machu Picchu opened itself up to us. Going from this thin pathway into this open field only enhanced the experience that much more. From here we could see the structure of the entire city.
It really is an experience that is probably the most difficult to describe. You could see all of the work put into the city, you could see how it was still expanding, you could see the designs. Every house was built to fit the pattern of the city to form a circular structure similar to the snake, representing knowledge of the people.
There were different religious places specifically for sacrifices or rituals. There was the temple of the moon that was built differently then all the other buildings because it was circular. The rocks had been rounded to form this cilinder with its windows placed so specifically so when there is a full moon the entire temple is illuminated.
The rocks used in all of Machu Picchu are also a good percentage of quartz, so when there is a full moon the city is named The Silver City because all of the rocks glow.
Our guide took us around to the most important areas and explained their significance, then we were free to explore on our own.
We looked around for a bit longer and then decided to climb the mountain that you always see in pictures of Machu Picchu. It took us a good hour an a half of practically virtical climbing but once we made it was it worth it. We sat on a terrace overlooking all of Machu Picchu and had a picnick consisting of the mass quantity of snack foods purchaced the night before. I took a nap in the sun and we had some good conversations.
We eplored the ruins at the top of the mountain as well (that used to serve as a lookout tower for the soldiers of Machu Picchu) and then began our decent.
A dark storm cloud threatened us so we went a bit faster then we probably would have normally. Once at the bottom it began to drizzle so we caught the bus back to Aguas Calientes.
We had about 4 hours in Aguas Calientes before our train back so we sat and had an amazing lunch with the most spectacular chocolate pancakes to follow.
Definitely ate well this trip.
Then we sat for a bit, so tired we were actually just sitting, not even talking, and then we caught the train back.
we got off at the stop our ticket told us to and the same stop our coordinator had told us, but there was construction at the top of this station and so the bus we were supposed to catch would be picking up its passengers at the next stop.
Luckily we were not the only ones with this problem so we coordinated a group taxi and found our way back to Cusco.
Arriving around 1130 I took a personal taxi straight home and passed out after my host mom checked to make sure I wasnt a tomato or eaten alive by all the bugs.
(The sun is very strong in Machu Picchu and the bugs are everywhere, so its a good thing I bathed in spf and deet before hand.)
she was impressed.
Thats all for my Machu Picchu weekend, I hope pictures can help illustrate my time once I get those up.
Now we´re back into a normal week with school in the morning and Remar in the afternoon. Tomorrow we´re bringing beads and string to make bracelets so that will be messy and definitely a lot of fun.
As of now, I should be heading home because it is the mother of the mothers birthday and she is turning 90!
I bought her a cake and we´re going to have a little party.
Ill write tomorrow about the bracelets and Im sorry I dont have the effort to spell check this, I hope you can look past it.
Last weekend was Machu Picchu.
Woke up a bit earlier then I should have and went for a walk before meeting the rest of my group (Allie and Paola) at the San Blas school.
From there we met our coordinator who gave us all of our tickets and important information and sent us on our way. An hour an a half in taxi (Michael Jackson blasting) and we made it to the train station. From there it was another hour and a half next to a very annoying British group, who put a lot of effort into making me feel bad for sitting in my assigned seat (window).
"You want to sit on the isle? So you can talk to your friends?"
"no, Im fine thank you"
"Okay, its just that you should sit here so its easier"
"no really. Im fine thank you."
"Sit here, so you dont have to talk over us."
"I wont talk, I would prefer to sit here."
"It would just be better."
Yeah right. For who?
But other then that it was a very pleasent ride, I got to listen to my ipod which i havn´t done in a very long time and got to watch the scenery change from vast mountain to the jungle, and feel the humidity through the open window.
The train stopped in Aguas Calientes which is named fairly respectively for its natural hot springs. We stayed in a hostel with clean sheets and a hot shower. Only one cockroach that we could see so we were pleased.
It started POURING on saturday, actual buckets falling from the sky, so we sook refuge in a cafe and had a cup of coffee. After walking around a bit and exploring the market we sat down for a three course dinner with fresh avocado and grilled alpaca. All of the food for a grand total of 15soles. 5 dollars.
It was an amazing atmosphere with live music (which I can share since I bought their CD)
and an open kitchen.
We crashed fairly early and woke up at a reasonable time of 5am.
Sunday morning we met our guide at the bus station and took another bus for about half an hour up to Machu Picchu. We got a glance on the ride up but we convinced ourselves it was painted into the bus windows. With the morning mist and rays of sunshine it was far too gorgeous to be real.
We made it to the top and our guide took us through a short canal to show us a typical house in this time and how they made their roofs. Then a few more steps in and we walked onto a terrace as all of Machu Picchu opened itself up to us. Going from this thin pathway into this open field only enhanced the experience that much more. From here we could see the structure of the entire city.
It really is an experience that is probably the most difficult to describe. You could see all of the work put into the city, you could see how it was still expanding, you could see the designs. Every house was built to fit the pattern of the city to form a circular structure similar to the snake, representing knowledge of the people.
There were different religious places specifically for sacrifices or rituals. There was the temple of the moon that was built differently then all the other buildings because it was circular. The rocks had been rounded to form this cilinder with its windows placed so specifically so when there is a full moon the entire temple is illuminated.
The rocks used in all of Machu Picchu are also a good percentage of quartz, so when there is a full moon the city is named The Silver City because all of the rocks glow.
Our guide took us around to the most important areas and explained their significance, then we were free to explore on our own.
We looked around for a bit longer and then decided to climb the mountain that you always see in pictures of Machu Picchu. It took us a good hour an a half of practically virtical climbing but once we made it was it worth it. We sat on a terrace overlooking all of Machu Picchu and had a picnick consisting of the mass quantity of snack foods purchaced the night before. I took a nap in the sun and we had some good conversations.
We eplored the ruins at the top of the mountain as well (that used to serve as a lookout tower for the soldiers of Machu Picchu) and then began our decent.
A dark storm cloud threatened us so we went a bit faster then we probably would have normally. Once at the bottom it began to drizzle so we caught the bus back to Aguas Calientes.
We had about 4 hours in Aguas Calientes before our train back so we sat and had an amazing lunch with the most spectacular chocolate pancakes to follow.
Definitely ate well this trip.
Then we sat for a bit, so tired we were actually just sitting, not even talking, and then we caught the train back.
we got off at the stop our ticket told us to and the same stop our coordinator had told us, but there was construction at the top of this station and so the bus we were supposed to catch would be picking up its passengers at the next stop.
Luckily we were not the only ones with this problem so we coordinated a group taxi and found our way back to Cusco.
Arriving around 1130 I took a personal taxi straight home and passed out after my host mom checked to make sure I wasnt a tomato or eaten alive by all the bugs.
(The sun is very strong in Machu Picchu and the bugs are everywhere, so its a good thing I bathed in spf and deet before hand.)
she was impressed.
Thats all for my Machu Picchu weekend, I hope pictures can help illustrate my time once I get those up.
Now we´re back into a normal week with school in the morning and Remar in the afternoon. Tomorrow we´re bringing beads and string to make bracelets so that will be messy and definitely a lot of fun.
As of now, I should be heading home because it is the mother of the mothers birthday and she is turning 90!
I bought her a cake and we´re going to have a little party.
Ill write tomorrow about the bracelets and Im sorry I dont have the effort to spell check this, I hope you can look past it.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Keyboard.
Im happy I learned to type before I came to Peru because this key board has no letters. A bunch of black blocks. Luckily I do know, and the Latin American keyboard isnt tthhhaatttt different. I can still use cool things like Ñç`ºª ¬ and such.
Pizza went over very well. We got cheese and ham with some Lays to accompany. They were very happy with it but you should see how much these guys eat. It was a nice treat but afterwards the had another bowl of food with rice lentils and fried ancovies. Whatever theyre into.
Today we played jumprope with a cord I bought at the local harware market. (Theres a market here for everything.)
Tomorrow is Friday and then on Saturday WE GO TO MACHU PICCHU!
So that will be amazing.
As of right now, Im about to go meet some friends for dinner because this one girl is heading home tomorrow.
I found out that my last night here is Halloween and apparently the whole city lights up. Im really happy I get to see all that.
Thats all for now.
Pizza went over very well. We got cheese and ham with some Lays to accompany. They were very happy with it but you should see how much these guys eat. It was a nice treat but afterwards the had another bowl of food with rice lentils and fried ancovies. Whatever theyre into.
Today we played jumprope with a cord I bought at the local harware market. (Theres a market here for everything.)
Tomorrow is Friday and then on Saturday WE GO TO MACHU PICCHU!
So that will be amazing.
As of right now, Im about to go meet some friends for dinner because this one girl is heading home tomorrow.
I found out that my last night here is Halloween and apparently the whole city lights up. Im really happy I get to see all that.
Thats all for now.
Monday, October 19, 2009
3 minutes
And then I run out of Soles so lets get this done.
At Remar for the past week these girls have been playing with pieces of folded paper and a marble as substitutions for the game Jacks.
So I bought them a few sets with the actual bouncy ball and little plastic pieces for 1sole each.
They were SO happy it was great we played jacks for about two hours, they explained the rules to me. Who knew there were rules?
Im using and american keyboard and it makes my day when the question mark is right next to the shift and not at the top by the 0, cause thats such a stretch.
I have a new spanish teacher and shes amazing. I have two hours of private lessons a day and today we had them outside in the Plaza, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous.
After class I walked around for a bit before meeting Allie to go to Remar.
Today was not a very eventful day other then that and tomorrow will probably be the same, but Wednesday is going to be quite hectic since Allie and I decided to bring the kids pizza for lunch. You know you can buy 6 large pizzas here for 20 dollars?
Why would anybody live in America?
out of money. Hasta.
At Remar for the past week these girls have been playing with pieces of folded paper and a marble as substitutions for the game Jacks.
So I bought them a few sets with the actual bouncy ball and little plastic pieces for 1sole each.
They were SO happy it was great we played jacks for about two hours, they explained the rules to me. Who knew there were rules?
Im using and american keyboard and it makes my day when the question mark is right next to the shift and not at the top by the 0, cause thats such a stretch.
I have a new spanish teacher and shes amazing. I have two hours of private lessons a day and today we had them outside in the Plaza, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous.
After class I walked around for a bit before meeting Allie to go to Remar.
Today was not a very eventful day other then that and tomorrow will probably be the same, but Wednesday is going to be quite hectic since Allie and I decided to bring the kids pizza for lunch. You know you can buy 6 large pizzas here for 20 dollars?
Why would anybody live in America?
out of money. Hasta.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Cheese Burger
Its time I harden up.
Iv bought meals for quite a few homeless people here and street children and I can understand that but last night it went a bit far when I bought a cheese burger for a dog.
I was sitting on the steps of the cathedral and he came over all skinny and nice and I was petting him and I couldnt not.
He loved it very much and I feel it was worth it but still. really?
Today I got to go horseback riding up in the mountains and visit the ruins that I had already seen on the City Tour but it was really cool to see them from a diferent perspective as well.
One place we went that was new was the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Sun.
The Temple of the Moon was a temple for fertility and llama sacrifices. In the walls of the natural cave were carved three animals; The snake, the puma and the condor to represent the three worlds. Im not sure if I wrote about that before but they represent the underworld, this world, and the heavens respectively.
The carvings were a bit worn since I suppose its been a few years since they were placed but it was still very distinct. It was the most interesting since at first nobody really noticed it but once it was pointed out it was so obvious and the entire cave was covered with these animals. The greatest one, whos significance was not explained, but at the entrace to the cave was the head of an elephant and his tusks and snout were leveled to be stairs into the entrance. It was very Lion King.
After riding I took a four hour nap.
I miss my naps every day, though I suppose I can sleep when I get home.
I cant believe its already half over, it feels like I got here yesterday. Plus a bit more knowledge in the spanish area. I held a conversation for three hours today using the past present and future tenses with the horse guide since I was by myself and I was quite proud.
I bought Remar a few new things such as jacks for the kids and new brooms and detergent. All in all it cost 20$ and that was pretty cool, im sure theyll appreciate it on Monday.
I wish I could be home right now for Bebe but I hope he knows im there in spirit. Be sure to say some words for me when he goes next to hudson. I bet theyll have a lot of fun, im assuming he was pretty lonely.
Thats all for now. Alrighty.
Iv bought meals for quite a few homeless people here and street children and I can understand that but last night it went a bit far when I bought a cheese burger for a dog.
I was sitting on the steps of the cathedral and he came over all skinny and nice and I was petting him and I couldnt not.
He loved it very much and I feel it was worth it but still. really?
Today I got to go horseback riding up in the mountains and visit the ruins that I had already seen on the City Tour but it was really cool to see them from a diferent perspective as well.
One place we went that was new was the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Sun.
The Temple of the Moon was a temple for fertility and llama sacrifices. In the walls of the natural cave were carved three animals; The snake, the puma and the condor to represent the three worlds. Im not sure if I wrote about that before but they represent the underworld, this world, and the heavens respectively.
The carvings were a bit worn since I suppose its been a few years since they were placed but it was still very distinct. It was the most interesting since at first nobody really noticed it but once it was pointed out it was so obvious and the entire cave was covered with these animals. The greatest one, whos significance was not explained, but at the entrace to the cave was the head of an elephant and his tusks and snout were leveled to be stairs into the entrance. It was very Lion King.
After riding I took a four hour nap.
I miss my naps every day, though I suppose I can sleep when I get home.
I cant believe its already half over, it feels like I got here yesterday. Plus a bit more knowledge in the spanish area. I held a conversation for three hours today using the past present and future tenses with the horse guide since I was by myself and I was quite proud.
I bought Remar a few new things such as jacks for the kids and new brooms and detergent. All in all it cost 20$ and that was pretty cool, im sure theyll appreciate it on Monday.
I wish I could be home right now for Bebe but I hope he knows im there in spirit. Be sure to say some words for me when he goes next to hudson. I bet theyll have a lot of fun, im assuming he was pretty lonely.
Thats all for now. Alrighty.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Cashews
The most elusive nut in all of Cusco
I had a craving for some cashews and searched for three days
I finally found some Emerald Nut Cashews in a mega market for 35soles or about 15$
They were worth it.
On another note yesterday was so much fun at Remar
When I got there I was the only volunteer but it wasnt a problem and I helped serve lunch and read some books with the kids then all of a sudden a tranquil day turned into a party.
a news crew from some peruvian channel showed up because they were doing a documentary on Remar to give them exposure and raise money for their move (they recently bought a bigger house and are moving out next week)
so I get to be on peruvian TV woo!
And while all of this is going on the other volunteer shows up with cake because she said it looked pretty in the window. So everybody got cake!
then we all filed outside for a group picture and it was just a really great day.
To top it off in the night I had a traditional peruvian cooking lesson (chicken stir fry) Which I thought was really entertaining. But it was good company and good time
Then afterwards the call center stayed open later so I could talk to Sam for a while and i thanked them very much for that. Theyre getting to know me, its funny.
Im heading over to Remar now but thought id update here first since there was no internet in Cusco yesterday I was unable to do so.
I went into an internet cafe yesterday and asked to use the internet and the man responded no because there was no internet in cusco, but he was laughing so I thought he was joking but he wasnt. it was a very interesting interaction.
I also think something is either wrong with my email or nobody loves me enough to respond to my emails. So im gonna forward some sent messages again in hopes they go through.
feel free to email me too I feel so outta the loop
eva.rowe@yahoo.com
also send me your address and a postcard can be on its way
and for those who asked
Eva Rowe
The Velarde Rivas Doris Family
Unidad Vecinal Zarumilla 601
Cusco, Peru SA
I had a craving for some cashews and searched for three days
I finally found some Emerald Nut Cashews in a mega market for 35soles or about 15$
They were worth it.
On another note yesterday was so much fun at Remar
When I got there I was the only volunteer but it wasnt a problem and I helped serve lunch and read some books with the kids then all of a sudden a tranquil day turned into a party.
a news crew from some peruvian channel showed up because they were doing a documentary on Remar to give them exposure and raise money for their move (they recently bought a bigger house and are moving out next week)
so I get to be on peruvian TV woo!
And while all of this is going on the other volunteer shows up with cake because she said it looked pretty in the window. So everybody got cake!
then we all filed outside for a group picture and it was just a really great day.
To top it off in the night I had a traditional peruvian cooking lesson (chicken stir fry) Which I thought was really entertaining. But it was good company and good time
Then afterwards the call center stayed open later so I could talk to Sam for a while and i thanked them very much for that. Theyre getting to know me, its funny.
Im heading over to Remar now but thought id update here first since there was no internet in Cusco yesterday I was unable to do so.
I went into an internet cafe yesterday and asked to use the internet and the man responded no because there was no internet in cusco, but he was laughing so I thought he was joking but he wasnt. it was a very interesting interaction.
I also think something is either wrong with my email or nobody loves me enough to respond to my emails. So im gonna forward some sent messages again in hopes they go through.
feel free to email me too I feel so outta the loop
eva.rowe@yahoo.com
also send me your address and a postcard can be on its way
and for those who asked
Eva Rowe
The Velarde Rivas Doris Family
Unidad Vecinal Zarumilla 601
Cusco, Peru SA
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Remar
So yesterday was my first full day at Remar the orphanage
its about 25-30min by bus to the outskirts of town but I dont have to do the ride alone luckily I have Allie with me and today I am meeting another girl from the states who works there as well, so we can organize all going together
It was difficult being there because we are supposed to help the kids with their homework. I mean we could probably do the homework for them but to explain it is the difficult part. There are a few english books with things like opposites that we can help out with but thats about all we can do until they finish their homework. Once they finish though then we can play games like hide and seek or hand games with spanish songs we pretend to know.
Theres this one girl Flor who is my favorite so far, shes just very energetic and doesnt get annoyed with us when we dont understand what she says the first time. She has a friend too who is the same but I forget her name unfortunately.
Im on my way over there now right after I finish this I am meeting Allie and I think the other girl right outside this cafe at the fountain in the middle of the Plaza de Armas.
I got to take a hot shower today and wash my hair and do my laundry.
I didnt have spanish lessons this morning so I got to sleep in, I definitely slept for 14hours.
It was amazing.
time to go or ill be late. Send me emails Id love to know how everyone else is doing.
its about 25-30min by bus to the outskirts of town but I dont have to do the ride alone luckily I have Allie with me and today I am meeting another girl from the states who works there as well, so we can organize all going together
It was difficult being there because we are supposed to help the kids with their homework. I mean we could probably do the homework for them but to explain it is the difficult part. There are a few english books with things like opposites that we can help out with but thats about all we can do until they finish their homework. Once they finish though then we can play games like hide and seek or hand games with spanish songs we pretend to know.
Theres this one girl Flor who is my favorite so far, shes just very energetic and doesnt get annoyed with us when we dont understand what she says the first time. She has a friend too who is the same but I forget her name unfortunately.
Im on my way over there now right after I finish this I am meeting Allie and I think the other girl right outside this cafe at the fountain in the middle of the Plaza de Armas.
I got to take a hot shower today and wash my hair and do my laundry.
I didnt have spanish lessons this morning so I got to sleep in, I definitely slept for 14hours.
It was amazing.
time to go or ill be late. Send me emails Id love to know how everyone else is doing.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Weekend
So tomorrow when I wake up I will have officially been in Cusco for exactly a week. Feels like a year. This weekend was amazing, I had no idea how many students were enrolled in the school, since I only knew the kids from my class but I met a bunch of new people with whom I can practice spanish because most of us are on the same level.
On Saturday I got to sleep in but wound up waking up at 9 anyways. My host mother made me breakfast consisting of chicken thigh, rice and beans in a sort of red Indian sauce with peas. For some reason, though completely out of context, was one of the best breakfasts iv ever had.
At about 1 I walked down to the Plaza de Armas and met up with Allie and Paola (other united planet students) because we were signed up for an XTREME city tour. We were all very curious what this could have meant since we all thought it would only be a walking tour to see the churches and such. We piled into a van (not a VW) and drove first to a museum to view Incan time art and architecture. It was all so interesting but I kept being distracted by our tour guide who just kept talking and talking not even about what we were seeing. We were with other people from the Netherlands and Holland as well, but not from the school they simply signed up on their own.
One of the most interesting things I saw in this specific museum was something that would continue to reoccur throughout the entire tour. The exact measurements and placement of the stone for the Incan foundations. The trapezoid frame for their doors in anticipation of earthquakes and the symmetrical holes found all around the foundation for the placement of silver or gold plates, depending on the gender of the person residing there. After the museum, we took the van up the mountains to view other ruins that have only recently become controlled. Before these sites were protected by the government people would use the Incan cut stones for their own houses, since they were already so perfect.
The first site we went to, I apologize for not remembering the name but my receipt is in my room, was a sacrifice arena. There was the alter perfectly cut once again and proof that archaeologists only found last year, the bones of the llama and alpaca. Also a few human bones were found and its said that they stopped having human sacrifices once they found out that the llama and alpaca had a similar number of bones. So even though it wasn't practiced for long, there were also cuts into the wall about 3x3ft because once a human was sacrificed, they were mummified in the fetal position and placed into the walls of this structure. Just to paint a picture the structure was seriously a boulder that had been scooped out from the inside in the pattern of a snake.
After we traveled a bit farther to another ruin called Sacsayhuaman which I remember because with an accent it sounds similar to sexy woman, and most of the Europeans found this the most amusing aspect of the entire day. This place, was the most amazing thing iv ever seen. We didn't have much time because it began to sun pour but I felt something through the land that was indescribable. Our guide pointed out a piece of land that had been dug out and said that only 6 months ago archaeologists found more Incan foundations 20feet under the ground. Thinking about that I wondered for the rest of the day what I could be standing over. He then said something else that caused me to recluse into my own mind, that fossils of fish and shells had also been found in almost every single boulder used to create this structure. Its difficult to imagine when a land is completely covered by modern structures and concrete but in Cusco, it is surrounded by virgin mountains and you can see it, the divots and the waves from billions of years ago.
now I'm rambling but it was enchanting.
After the tour I went out for dinner with Paola and then headed home, stopping in the market to buy a teddy bear made out of alpaca wool and is now named Cusco or CoCo for short.
I met Allie later for second dinner cause her host parents were making cuy (Guinea pig) and my host parents dont make me dinner.
Then today, I woke up very early to walk to the Plaza de Armas again to meet up with my group for the ATVs. We rode for 5 hours and circled Cusco in the mountains. We rode through little villages in the mountains and I saw adobe fields and men and women alike creating the bricks. This was also really interesting to me because until today adobe was just a vocabulary word we needed to know for social studies in 9th grade. It was very cool to see these fields and the finished products. I tipped my bike and broke the clutch so I had to pay 30$ US for them to ship over a new one plus labor. I dont understand how this is possible.
And this weekend I was also very lucky to witness 5 weddings. Gorgeous dresses.
Today especially with the church music it was beautiful.
but now its time for tea with my family,
hasta
On Saturday I got to sleep in but wound up waking up at 9 anyways. My host mother made me breakfast consisting of chicken thigh, rice and beans in a sort of red Indian sauce with peas. For some reason, though completely out of context, was one of the best breakfasts iv ever had.
At about 1 I walked down to the Plaza de Armas and met up with Allie and Paola (other united planet students) because we were signed up for an XTREME city tour. We were all very curious what this could have meant since we all thought it would only be a walking tour to see the churches and such. We piled into a van (not a VW) and drove first to a museum to view Incan time art and architecture. It was all so interesting but I kept being distracted by our tour guide who just kept talking and talking not even about what we were seeing. We were with other people from the Netherlands and Holland as well, but not from the school they simply signed up on their own.
One of the most interesting things I saw in this specific museum was something that would continue to reoccur throughout the entire tour. The exact measurements and placement of the stone for the Incan foundations. The trapezoid frame for their doors in anticipation of earthquakes and the symmetrical holes found all around the foundation for the placement of silver or gold plates, depending on the gender of the person residing there. After the museum, we took the van up the mountains to view other ruins that have only recently become controlled. Before these sites were protected by the government people would use the Incan cut stones for their own houses, since they were already so perfect.
The first site we went to, I apologize for not remembering the name but my receipt is in my room, was a sacrifice arena. There was the alter perfectly cut once again and proof that archaeologists only found last year, the bones of the llama and alpaca. Also a few human bones were found and its said that they stopped having human sacrifices once they found out that the llama and alpaca had a similar number of bones. So even though it wasn't practiced for long, there were also cuts into the wall about 3x3ft because once a human was sacrificed, they were mummified in the fetal position and placed into the walls of this structure. Just to paint a picture the structure was seriously a boulder that had been scooped out from the inside in the pattern of a snake.
After we traveled a bit farther to another ruin called Sacsayhuaman which I remember because with an accent it sounds similar to sexy woman, and most of the Europeans found this the most amusing aspect of the entire day. This place, was the most amazing thing iv ever seen. We didn't have much time because it began to sun pour but I felt something through the land that was indescribable. Our guide pointed out a piece of land that had been dug out and said that only 6 months ago archaeologists found more Incan foundations 20feet under the ground. Thinking about that I wondered for the rest of the day what I could be standing over. He then said something else that caused me to recluse into my own mind, that fossils of fish and shells had also been found in almost every single boulder used to create this structure. Its difficult to imagine when a land is completely covered by modern structures and concrete but in Cusco, it is surrounded by virgin mountains and you can see it, the divots and the waves from billions of years ago.
now I'm rambling but it was enchanting.
After the tour I went out for dinner with Paola and then headed home, stopping in the market to buy a teddy bear made out of alpaca wool and is now named Cusco or CoCo for short.
I met Allie later for second dinner cause her host parents were making cuy (Guinea pig) and my host parents dont make me dinner.
Then today, I woke up very early to walk to the Plaza de Armas again to meet up with my group for the ATVs. We rode for 5 hours and circled Cusco in the mountains. We rode through little villages in the mountains and I saw adobe fields and men and women alike creating the bricks. This was also really interesting to me because until today adobe was just a vocabulary word we needed to know for social studies in 9th grade. It was very cool to see these fields and the finished products. I tipped my bike and broke the clutch so I had to pay 30$ US for them to ship over a new one plus labor. I dont understand how this is possible.
And this weekend I was also very lucky to witness 5 weddings. Gorgeous dresses.
Today especially with the church music it was beautiful.
but now its time for tea with my family,
hasta
Friday, October 9, 2009
todaytodaytoday
was definitely the longest day yet.
Yesterday was a holiday so the kids had off of school (not me) and there were parades all day. And night.
After a while I got to sleep but this morning was a bit difficult. I had class in the morning like usual but since it is Friday, the second half of my class consisted of "cultural immersion" so we went to a local market with our teacher and spoke with locals and with eachother, only in spanish of course.
The market was amazing, there were so many colors and smells. Mostly good by the bakery section and the textiles but not so much near the fish and meat. I bought a coin purse for 5soles because the smallest bill they have here is a ten, and i have yet to encounter much in daily life that costs over 10 soles and so my pockets are filled with change.
I made a new friend today. Her name is Maribell and she makes belts in the Plaza de San Blas outside of my school. She pedels her belts to people coming and going, I didnt have any money but she sat down next to me to continue working on a new one and we talked for a while.
After the market I met Sabrina (project coordinators assistant) and we went together to my work site. We took the bus which was a VW bus for about 20min to the outskirts of Cusco past the airport. For .60soles or about fifteen cents. The place where I am working is a house where children are placed by the government because their parents were found unfit. There are about 25 of them and one teenage mother with her baby. I got there right at the end of lunch time so Sabrina and I got to hang out with the children and help them straighten up their rooms while talking to them and learning names.
We left only an hour later because today was only a visit but I start on Monday and I really cant wait, all of the kids were so nice and so interested. Also they speak very simple spanish so I understood nearly everything which was quite refreshing and encouraging.
Once we took the bus back it dropped us at Av de Sol which is the main street in Cusco. I tried calling home and Sam but neither picked up. I paid 1.20soles anyways and found out that I had been given a fake coin. So thats down 5soles.
Now I am going to go back to my host family to change my clothes and have some tea.
Oh yeah. Apparently peruvians dont eat dinner? Lunch is very big and dinner consists of tea or sometimes a cup of soup. Well, I still like dinner. So after tea I am going to Bullfrogs which is a local restaurant to have "late lunch" with the rest of the school. Its an organized activity by the school to bring everybody closer so that should be nice as well.
I got to sit in the sun yesterday and just write aswell. It was really really amazing.
So thats that. Now its the weekend woo!
oh and im going ATVing on sunday with other students as well
It goes up the mountains and gives a full view of Cusco, so Im very excited for that.
hope new york is just as beautiful. Im upset im missing the leaves.
Yesterday was a holiday so the kids had off of school (not me) and there were parades all day. And night.
After a while I got to sleep but this morning was a bit difficult. I had class in the morning like usual but since it is Friday, the second half of my class consisted of "cultural immersion" so we went to a local market with our teacher and spoke with locals and with eachother, only in spanish of course.
The market was amazing, there were so many colors and smells. Mostly good by the bakery section and the textiles but not so much near the fish and meat. I bought a coin purse for 5soles because the smallest bill they have here is a ten, and i have yet to encounter much in daily life that costs over 10 soles and so my pockets are filled with change.
I made a new friend today. Her name is Maribell and she makes belts in the Plaza de San Blas outside of my school. She pedels her belts to people coming and going, I didnt have any money but she sat down next to me to continue working on a new one and we talked for a while.
After the market I met Sabrina (project coordinators assistant) and we went together to my work site. We took the bus which was a VW bus for about 20min to the outskirts of Cusco past the airport. For .60soles or about fifteen cents. The place where I am working is a house where children are placed by the government because their parents were found unfit. There are about 25 of them and one teenage mother with her baby. I got there right at the end of lunch time so Sabrina and I got to hang out with the children and help them straighten up their rooms while talking to them and learning names.
We left only an hour later because today was only a visit but I start on Monday and I really cant wait, all of the kids were so nice and so interested. Also they speak very simple spanish so I understood nearly everything which was quite refreshing and encouraging.
Once we took the bus back it dropped us at Av de Sol which is the main street in Cusco. I tried calling home and Sam but neither picked up. I paid 1.20soles anyways and found out that I had been given a fake coin. So thats down 5soles.
Now I am going to go back to my host family to change my clothes and have some tea.
Oh yeah. Apparently peruvians dont eat dinner? Lunch is very big and dinner consists of tea or sometimes a cup of soup. Well, I still like dinner. So after tea I am going to Bullfrogs which is a local restaurant to have "late lunch" with the rest of the school. Its an organized activity by the school to bring everybody closer so that should be nice as well.
I got to sit in the sun yesterday and just write aswell. It was really really amazing.
So thats that. Now its the weekend woo!
oh and im going ATVing on sunday with other students as well
It goes up the mountains and gives a full view of Cusco, so Im very excited for that.
hope new york is just as beautiful. Im upset im missing the leaves.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
5min
I have 5min to type this update because then
1.) i run out of soles
2.) I have to walk to the Plaza de Armas for my salsa lesson =)
It was organized for last night but then something happened I think that was explained to me very quickly so I couldnt catch all of it. But in the end it has been resceduled for tonight.
After salsa I also have a cooking lesson. Lets hope I learn something.
Tomorrow after school I am going to my site to do a visit and set up my hours with the coordinator. It is about a 15min drive so I will need to take a taxi or a bus everyday to get there.
Taxis cost about a dollar anywhere in Cusco so it shouldnt be much of a problem.
Iv been drinking SO much water. A bottle of water costs 30c back home or 1sole here.
so far this week I think Iv spent about 20$ total including food, internet cafes, a new bag, a new headband, and water. Its fantastic.
Our plumming has recently died in the house so to flush the toilet we have to fill a little bucket with water from a bigger bucket and dump it into the toilet so it flushes. Also we cant put the paper in the toilet but thats customary almost everywhere here. Even restaraunts and fancy hotels.
Ah showers. Well lets just say first shower back from Peru will beat the one back from the catskills by about 9834589347.
3min max and cold water only. Cold is being nice. Its mountain water. Its freezing.
but hey, its an experience.
woo!
okay times up. hasta!
1.) i run out of soles
2.) I have to walk to the Plaza de Armas for my salsa lesson =)
It was organized for last night but then something happened I think that was explained to me very quickly so I couldnt catch all of it. But in the end it has been resceduled for tonight.
After salsa I also have a cooking lesson. Lets hope I learn something.
Tomorrow after school I am going to my site to do a visit and set up my hours with the coordinator. It is about a 15min drive so I will need to take a taxi or a bus everyday to get there.
Taxis cost about a dollar anywhere in Cusco so it shouldnt be much of a problem.
Iv been drinking SO much water. A bottle of water costs 30c back home or 1sole here.
so far this week I think Iv spent about 20$ total including food, internet cafes, a new bag, a new headband, and water. Its fantastic.
Our plumming has recently died in the house so to flush the toilet we have to fill a little bucket with water from a bigger bucket and dump it into the toilet so it flushes. Also we cant put the paper in the toilet but thats customary almost everywhere here. Even restaraunts and fancy hotels.
Ah showers. Well lets just say first shower back from Peru will beat the one back from the catskills by about 9834589347.
3min max and cold water only. Cold is being nice. Its mountain water. Its freezing.
but hey, its an experience.
woo!
okay times up. hasta!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day Two
My first full day in Cusco.
I was woken up this morning at 6 because i needed to have enough time to welcome the day before my 8:30 spanish class. After I pleaded I got another hour.
My first class was from 8:30 to 12:50 and with two other students from Germany. I also met a girl from Canada who is my age and we are going to be working together in the same work space. My volunteer coordinator recently wrote me saying that my original work site now has too many volunteers so they are arranging for me to work with Allison (canada)
I can already feel my spanish getting better even though it is only the first day, lets see how it is by the end of the month.
Well not much else happened today. After my classes I walked to the city center with my host mom and walked around. She had to get home but I stayed and walked around some more looking in shops and simply looking.
there was some sort of protest going on in the San Blas Center but I couldnt figure out what it was. There was a baracade of police officers fully equiped and a lot of peruvians yelling. I tried asking but I guess im not at that level yet.
I have also never seen so many dogs on the street. There are all different types of breeds traveling in packs and at night they are all over the garbage. Their hair is wirey and scabed but they are so cute. I wouldnt touch one but they are fun to watch interact during my breaks from school when I sit in the court yard. For example today there was even a puppy, not more than a few weeks old. A german shepard too, just a warning mom I may not be the only one returning.
well Ill work on making these more interesting.
for now its dinna time
I was woken up this morning at 6 because i needed to have enough time to welcome the day before my 8:30 spanish class. After I pleaded I got another hour.
My first class was from 8:30 to 12:50 and with two other students from Germany. I also met a girl from Canada who is my age and we are going to be working together in the same work space. My volunteer coordinator recently wrote me saying that my original work site now has too many volunteers so they are arranging for me to work with Allison (canada)
I can already feel my spanish getting better even though it is only the first day, lets see how it is by the end of the month.
Well not much else happened today. After my classes I walked to the city center with my host mom and walked around. She had to get home but I stayed and walked around some more looking in shops and simply looking.
there was some sort of protest going on in the San Blas Center but I couldnt figure out what it was. There was a baracade of police officers fully equiped and a lot of peruvians yelling. I tried asking but I guess im not at that level yet.
I have also never seen so many dogs on the street. There are all different types of breeds traveling in packs and at night they are all over the garbage. Their hair is wirey and scabed but they are so cute. I wouldnt touch one but they are fun to watch interact during my breaks from school when I sit in the court yard. For example today there was even a puppy, not more than a few weeks old. A german shepard too, just a warning mom I may not be the only one returning.
well Ill work on making these more interesting.
for now its dinna time
Monday, October 5, 2009
First Day
I MADE IT!
and after exactly 21min and 25seconds I have reset my blog password and can begin to fill everybody in. I arrived in Lima this morning at 6:45 (local time = 1 hour behind new york), got my baggage and went through customs no problem. They had a system where you press a button and it randomly gives you a green or a red light to determine if your bags were subject to search.
After customs I stood in line for about an hour to recheck my bags and confirm my flight. Once I was all checked in I had about an hour in the Lima airport so I looked in a few shops and then decided, it was far too early to be shopping. I headed to my gate and saw a lot of people standing in line already boarding the plane so I would say that was a close call. I slept through the entire connecting flight and by entire I mean even through takeoff and landing, waking up only slightly to return my seat to the upright position.
Once arrived in Cusco I followed the crowds and picked up my baggage once again. Third on the belt so that wasw convienent. On my way out I was bombarded by "taxi senorita taxi taxi" but I kindly responded no gracias and continued on my way. Doris (my host mother) was waiting for me just outside the airport with a sign. So that was easy.
We took a taxi about 15min back to her house which is a single floor three bedrooms and in a gated community. She gave me a set of three keys and we spent about an hour on the locks themselves. The outter gate is simple, a normal key. Then there is the inner gate where you have to reach through the bars and unlock the top lock from inside and then use your key as a lever to push the lower lock while you pull the door. Finally the door to her house you need to push the key in all the way and turn 1/8 of a circle then pull it out halfway and continue the rest. I got it after a while.
Then she gave me some mate de coca and let me sleep for a good three hours. When I woke up I met her mother who is very nice but does not talk much. Doris made me lunch which was creme de pollo sopa and chicken cutlet with rice and tomatoes. I wasnt very hungry but I ate some because I didnt want to offend anybody. Twas delisioso. Then we walked about 15min to the San Blas Language School where I immediately had my first spanish course for two hours. I was so exhausted it was barely productive at all but we start again tomorrow at 8:30. I returned to the house and took yet another nap. Woke up once again and went out to dinner with the in country coordinator and two other volunteers. I had/have a pounding headache and I couldnt eat anything but I drank two liters of water and two more cups of mate de coca. And that was my first day. Not too exciting.
this post is very long. sorry. Its also for me looking back so I apologize if any of it isnt very interesting. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow. Now it is time for sleep once again and I have a feeling I will have no trouble with it.
adios
and after exactly 21min and 25seconds I have reset my blog password and can begin to fill everybody in. I arrived in Lima this morning at 6:45 (local time = 1 hour behind new york), got my baggage and went through customs no problem. They had a system where you press a button and it randomly gives you a green or a red light to determine if your bags were subject to search.
After customs I stood in line for about an hour to recheck my bags and confirm my flight. Once I was all checked in I had about an hour in the Lima airport so I looked in a few shops and then decided, it was far too early to be shopping. I headed to my gate and saw a lot of people standing in line already boarding the plane so I would say that was a close call. I slept through the entire connecting flight and by entire I mean even through takeoff and landing, waking up only slightly to return my seat to the upright position.
Once arrived in Cusco I followed the crowds and picked up my baggage once again. Third on the belt so that wasw convienent. On my way out I was bombarded by "taxi senorita taxi taxi" but I kindly responded no gracias and continued on my way. Doris (my host mother) was waiting for me just outside the airport with a sign. So that was easy.
We took a taxi about 15min back to her house which is a single floor three bedrooms and in a gated community. She gave me a set of three keys and we spent about an hour on the locks themselves. The outter gate is simple, a normal key. Then there is the inner gate where you have to reach through the bars and unlock the top lock from inside and then use your key as a lever to push the lower lock while you pull the door. Finally the door to her house you need to push the key in all the way and turn 1/8 of a circle then pull it out halfway and continue the rest. I got it after a while.
Then she gave me some mate de coca and let me sleep for a good three hours. When I woke up I met her mother who is very nice but does not talk much. Doris made me lunch which was creme de pollo sopa and chicken cutlet with rice and tomatoes. I wasnt very hungry but I ate some because I didnt want to offend anybody. Twas delisioso. Then we walked about 15min to the San Blas Language School where I immediately had my first spanish course for two hours. I was so exhausted it was barely productive at all but we start again tomorrow at 8:30. I returned to the house and took yet another nap. Woke up once again and went out to dinner with the in country coordinator and two other volunteers. I had/have a pounding headache and I couldnt eat anything but I drank two liters of water and two more cups of mate de coca. And that was my first day. Not too exciting.
this post is very long. sorry. Its also for me looking back so I apologize if any of it isnt very interesting. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow. Now it is time for sleep once again and I have a feeling I will have no trouble with it.
adios
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