May 11th: Halfway There...

Today marks the halfway point of our three week trip, so this post is dedicated a few of the things I have learned/noticed since being here.

Cars: Drivers here are absolutely bonkers. I don't even know how to describe it, except for the fact that I wouldn't last a minute driving around here. They somehow know how to get within half an inch (no exaggeration) of another car/building/person without hitting them. Taxis are our usual mode of transportation here, because they're all over the place and really cheap (only 2.50 soles, which is less than a dollar), and they're fast. However we also have taken many buses, which are even cheaper, but take longer, and they will cram as many people as possible onto them. You wouldn't believe how many people they can fit into one of those things. NOT for the claustrophobic.

Cheap: Everything here is SO cheap!! Oh my goodness. I love it. And if you go to the souvenir stores, its customary to bargain with them. So you can usually get down to half of their original price.

Fireworks: These crazy Peruvians LOVE their fireworks. Churches around here set them off every single day at the most random times, day or night.

Weather: I've already talked about this, but we still can't get used to the fact that it's pretty hot during the day, but as soon as the sun goes down, it gets ridiculously cold. Not a fan. Can't wait for my warm summery nights.

History: America seems so darn young and boring compared to here! Everywhere you turn there's some ancient cathedral or Incan ruin or whatever. The place is filled to the brim with history and traditions and it's really cool.

Smells: Cuzco smells funny. There's a lot of car exhaust and garbage and just general nastiness, and the air does not smell very pleasant, and it's usually pretty dusty as well.

Coca leaves: Coca tea (yes, "coca" as in "cocaine") and Coca leaves are extremely popular here and are believed to cure pretty much anything.

Kids: For some reason, all the kids here seem to be so calm and happy! I seriously haven't seen a kid this whole time that was being a brat. (Ok, actually there's one in the preschool that is a little bit of a teacher's pet, but still.) The babies are always tightly wrapped up in this brightly colored blanket thing on their mother's backs, and they never make a sound, and the little kids just tag along, not misbehaving or anything! I don't know what it is, but I think American kids need to follow their example. :)

Breathing: I've forgotten what it feels take to take a deep breath.

Toilet paper: I've already mentioned this, but it's really gross that we have to throw away our toilet paper instead of just throwing it in the toilet. Blech.

Availability of water: Though at our house we always have hot water for the shower, the water here is only on from 7 am to about 9:30 pm. And even then, it will shut off at random times and you have no idea when it will come back on. So taking a shower is always a risky experience, cause you don't want to be stuck in there with shampoo still in your hair if the water suddenly shuts off.

Food/Water: You have to be really careful what you eat and drink here. You can't eat stuff sold on the streets, no matter how good it looks, cause it's full of parasites and nastiness. You also have to make sure to either get bottled water or boil your water before you drink it. The house we're staying at has really good homemade Peruvian food though, and it's usually not TOO wild. (Though I'll be trying cuy and alpaca next week!)

Dogs: There are SO many stray dogs just running around all over the place...pretty mangy looking, but they basically just mind their own business, so that's good.

Accents: I love all the different accents of the volunteers here. Though the majority of the people are from either the U.S. or Canada, there are people from all over the world.

Being a white girl: I don't know what it is, but some people here act like they've never seen a white person before, even though Cuzco attracts quite a bit of tourists. Kassie and I get stared at, whistled at, and the like all the time.

No Trash Cans: Seriously. It's annoying. You have to search for them.