Well folks, I am officially back from my absolutely amazing trip in Peru! I couldn't just leave this blog hanging after my post about Lake Titicaca, so I'm writing these final posts about the last few days there and my whole experience in general. Sorry it's late.
It was a really weird feeling getting back to Cuzco after our Puno trip...it felt like home! All the familiar sights, sounds, smells...and the fact that everybody was speaking Spanish was even strangely comforting!! (I can at least understand some Spanish, whereas on the islands people speak Quechuan, which is entirely different.) Cuzco really had become our home away from home. the next morning, for instance, we were sitting down for breakfast when Yoni walked in the room, saw us, and flipped out - she gave us hugs and asked how our trip was and was just generally excited to see us! It was great :) I love that lady.
For our last couple days in the city, we walked around, took pictures, got some more ice cream, etc etc. We WERE going to go get cuy (fried guinea pig) with Matt, but our plans were foiled. We were planning to go up to the San Pedro market and get juice, and then ask Carmen the juice lady where in Cuzco is a cheap place to get cuy (because it's pretty dang expensive in Cuzco. lame.), but we found out that the market was closed for some big parade. Those Peruvians and their parties. Anywho, we decided to head up to the Plaza de Armas to see what all the ruckus was about, and were greeted by a throng of multi-colored dancing people. There were dozens of different groups of dancers making their way through the streets. We stayed up there for a while, watching and taking pictures, and generally just being tourists.
On our last morning, we packed up our bags, said goodbye to Matt, and spent the very last of our soles at the Artesenal. We then came back and had lunch with the remainder of our roomies, and then said goodbye to them as well. Yoni went out and got us a cab, we took pictures, and said our goodbyes. Right as we were pulling out of the parking lot, however, the cab driver stopped and motioned for Yoni to come over. They began talking furiously in Spanish, and Yoni got in the cab with us. We were pretty confused. The radio was on, and I could pick out the words "airport", "explosion", "evacuating passengers", and "bomb". Yoni looked all worried, and Kassie and I were getting a little freaked out. We finally got to the airport and got out of the taxi, and we saw that the gates to the airport were closed with a bunch of people surrounding it. Looking through the slits of the walls we could see all the passengers standing around in the parking lot, and they were all taking pictures of something, but we couldn't see what it was. So we were all confused and wondering what the heck was going on. Finally, an airport official wandered over and he spoke great English and he told us that there had been a protest at the airport earlier that day, and that afterwards they had found a bomb package (a grenade and a stick of dynamite, we found out after) in the restroom. So they evacuated the airport, and took the package right outside to this little grassy area to take care of it. So they kept scooting us farther and farther from the gate in case the bomb went off. After waiting for maybe 20 minutes, they finally told us we could go inside and that the problem was taken care of. Yoni walked us into the airport and hugged us goodbye. I absolutely love her for coming with us and making sure we were ok.
The rest of our trip home went without incident. (Though we're pretty sure we spotted a couple spies in the Lima airport.) We arrived in Salt Lake the next day, safe and sound! :)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Lake Titicaca Trip
For our last big trip, we decided to go to Lake Titicaca (please. no giggling.). Apparently it's the highest navigable lake in the world. Whatever that means.
So on Thursday night we left at about 9:30 and got on a bus and rode for six hours through the night. It was actually pretty decent, it was a double-decker bus with super comfy seats and I actually got some sleep! HOORAH! We got to our hotel in Puno at like 4 in the morning and got a couple hours of sleep before leaving again at 7. We headed down to the docks and got on our boat and rode out to the Uros islands, which are man-made floating islands. They were actually pretty cool...if you could get over the nagging thought that you might fall through the layers of weeds into the lake. Then we headed to another island (I forgot the name) where we met our host families, had lunch, and hiked up to some ruins at the top of the island where we watched the sunset and learned about the people on the island. After coming back down, we had dinner and then they had a fiesta with dancing and music and such. We didn't stay for too long though cause we were tired and cold. Yes I know. We're party poopers. Deal with it. But we stayed the night on the island with the family, so that counts for something.
In the mornin, we headed over to the neighboring island, Taquille, where we hiked to the main plaza and learned how to tell if people were single or married depending on the clothes they're wearing, which was interesting enough. We looked around the plaza for a while, had lunch, and then started the 3 hour boat ride back to Puno. And I got sunburned. (Lake T is even higher in altitude than Cuzco, so the sun is closer. This also means it's extremely cold when the sun goes down and it's harder to breathe. Two of my favorite things. Yay.) Anywho, we're chilling in Puno now waiting to get on a bus back to Cuzco. One day left...
So on Thursday night we left at about 9:30 and got on a bus and rode for six hours through the night. It was actually pretty decent, it was a double-decker bus with super comfy seats and I actually got some sleep! HOORAH! We got to our hotel in Puno at like 4 in the morning and got a couple hours of sleep before leaving again at 7. We headed down to the docks and got on our boat and rode out to the Uros islands, which are man-made floating islands. They were actually pretty cool...if you could get over the nagging thought that you might fall through the layers of weeds into the lake. Then we headed to another island (I forgot the name) where we met our host families, had lunch, and hiked up to some ruins at the top of the island where we watched the sunset and learned about the people on the island. After coming back down, we had dinner and then they had a fiesta with dancing and music and such. We didn't stay for too long though cause we were tired and cold. Yes I know. We're party poopers. Deal with it. But we stayed the night on the island with the family, so that counts for something.
In the mornin, we headed over to the neighboring island, Taquille, where we hiked to the main plaza and learned how to tell if people were single or married depending on the clothes they're wearing, which was interesting enough. We looked around the plaza for a while, had lunch, and then started the 3 hour boat ride back to Puno. And I got sunburned. (Lake T is even higher in altitude than Cuzco, so the sun is closer. This also means it's extremely cold when the sun goes down and it's harder to breathe. Two of my favorite things. Yay.) Anywho, we're chilling in Puno now waiting to get on a bus back to Cuzco. One day left...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
MAH BURFDAY (Part 2)
So I realized I didn't even write about what we did for my birthday! After the project in the morning, Kassie and I got our yummo Peruvian ice cream, and did some email and such at Maximo. As soon as we walked back out of the building, we looked at each other, and simultaneously said, "Ice cream?" So we went and got ice cream...again. Cause it was my birthday. And we wanted it. haha :) We headed back to Yoni's and hung out upstairs and played cards and listened to music and organized our room a little.
When we came down for dinner, we saw that the table was set with nice dishes and there was this GORGEOUS birthday cake they had made for me! (Funny fact: They had spelled my name "Haslay" cause they had no idea how to spell Ashley. I loved it.) Yoni and Diana made us my very favorite Peruvian dish, Aji de Gallina, for dinner. This happens to be Kassie's and Matt's favorite dish here as well so they lucked out. :) They had even bought a bottle of wine for the occasion, which Kassie and I obviously didn't enjoy, but the other volunteers were pretty stoked about it. So we ate our awesome dinner, Wendy took some pictures, and then they sang Happy Birthday to me in both English and Spanish. I blew out the candle, and it's their tradition for the birthday person to take a bite out of the cake, and then they try to smush the cake into their face when they bite into it. So I had cake face. And it was awesome. haha :) Jacqueline gave me a little magnet board and keychain from Australia, and gave a keychain to Kass as well. But it was a really fun night! Definitely a good birthday :)
When we came down for dinner, we saw that the table was set with nice dishes and there was this GORGEOUS birthday cake they had made for me! (Funny fact: They had spelled my name "Haslay" cause they had no idea how to spell Ashley. I loved it.) Yoni and Diana made us my very favorite Peruvian dish, Aji de Gallina, for dinner. This happens to be Kassie's and Matt's favorite dish here as well so they lucked out. :) They had even bought a bottle of wine for the occasion, which Kassie and I obviously didn't enjoy, but the other volunteers were pretty stoked about it. So we ate our awesome dinner, Wendy took some pictures, and then they sang Happy Birthday to me in both English and Spanish. I blew out the candle, and it's their tradition for the birthday person to take a bite out of the cake, and then they try to smush the cake into their face when they bite into it. So I had cake face. And it was awesome. haha :) Jacqueline gave me a little magnet board and keychain from Australia, and gave a keychain to Kass as well. But it was a really fun night! Definitely a good birthday :)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
May 17th...MAH BURFDAY
I honestly kept forgetting today was my birthday. Thank goodness for facebook, or I may not have remembered at all. haha :)
But today was our first real working day at our new project! And boy, did we work! It was pretty challenging both physically and emotionally, but I'm SO happy to be working there. I really am. The place is run by a few nuns and they have about 25 kids, and they desperately need help. The children range from years 3 to 18, and they are all very disabled both mentally and physically. They are all in wheelchairs, and none of them talk. There were only 2 or 3 nuns there who take care of all of them, and I have no idea how they do it without volunteers.
There are four volunteers there including Kass and I, the other two are named Jessica and John. The kids were all already up when we got there and in their wheelchairs, so we had to line them up outside the bathroom and change all of their diapers, which is a big ordeal, considering about half of them wear cloth diapers since they don't have enough of the disposable kind. We had to lift them out of their wheelchairs (some of them are pretty darn heavy), and take them to the changing table, where we changed them, changed their clothes, washed their faces, and brushed their hair. Then as soon as one child is done we stick them back into their wheelchair and take them into the therapy room, and then head back to start on the next one. After they were all done, we split up to do some different chores: Kassie mopped inside, Jessica went to go help with therapy, and John and I swept all the sidewalks and stairs outside.
We all then went into the therapy room to help out. There is only one physical therapist there, so they need our help with that as well. You have to get them all out of their chairs and onto the mats where they can be stretched and worked and played with. Then they have snack/breakfast, which means you have to feed them since only a couple can feed themselves, and then we get them all back into their chairs and wheel them back into the main building where they have lunch. We have to mash up their food and then feed them, and then when they're done we take them to the bathroom where we wipe off their faces and brush their teeth. We then took them into a different room, where we are done for the day. All of that takes place in four hours, and it's pretty crazy. It's a little out of my comfort zone, but I'm SO glad we're working there! They need us so badly.
It was also hard to watch some of the kids, since a few are very obviously in pain. One little girl named Sonia is autistic and has a spine condition, but she was also just diagnosed with a brain tumor and so she is constantly crying and banging her head against the floor or her fist because it hurts so bad. Jessica and I each spent a good half an hour just rubbing her back while she laid on the floor trying to comfort her and make her feel better. :( It's really sad because most of these kids were abandoned by their families or found on the streets, and their conditions are made worse by the fact that they don't get individual attention and care.
But today was our first real working day at our new project! And boy, did we work! It was pretty challenging both physically and emotionally, but I'm SO happy to be working there. I really am. The place is run by a few nuns and they have about 25 kids, and they desperately need help. The children range from years 3 to 18, and they are all very disabled both mentally and physically. They are all in wheelchairs, and none of them talk. There were only 2 or 3 nuns there who take care of all of them, and I have no idea how they do it without volunteers.
There are four volunteers there including Kass and I, the other two are named Jessica and John. The kids were all already up when we got there and in their wheelchairs, so we had to line them up outside the bathroom and change all of their diapers, which is a big ordeal, considering about half of them wear cloth diapers since they don't have enough of the disposable kind. We had to lift them out of their wheelchairs (some of them are pretty darn heavy), and take them to the changing table, where we changed them, changed their clothes, washed their faces, and brushed their hair. Then as soon as one child is done we stick them back into their wheelchair and take them into the therapy room, and then head back to start on the next one. After they were all done, we split up to do some different chores: Kassie mopped inside, Jessica went to go help with therapy, and John and I swept all the sidewalks and stairs outside.
We all then went into the therapy room to help out. There is only one physical therapist there, so they need our help with that as well. You have to get them all out of their chairs and onto the mats where they can be stretched and worked and played with. Then they have snack/breakfast, which means you have to feed them since only a couple can feed themselves, and then we get them all back into their chairs and wheel them back into the main building where they have lunch. We have to mash up their food and then feed them, and then when they're done we take them to the bathroom where we wipe off their faces and brush their teeth. We then took them into a different room, where we are done for the day. All of that takes place in four hours, and it's pretty crazy. It's a little out of my comfort zone, but I'm SO glad we're working there! They need us so badly.
It was also hard to watch some of the kids, since a few are very obviously in pain. One little girl named Sonia is autistic and has a spine condition, but she was also just diagnosed with a brain tumor and so she is constantly crying and banging her head against the floor or her fist because it hurts so bad. Jessica and I each spent a good half an hour just rubbing her back while she laid on the floor trying to comfort her and make her feel better. :( It's really sad because most of these kids were abandoned by their families or found on the streets, and their conditions are made worse by the fact that they don't get individual attention and care.
Monday, May 16, 2011
MACHU PICCHU
This was probably the coolest weekend I've ever had.
At 6:20 on Saturday morning, we were picked up by a representative from PATAS, who took us to the bus station just a couple blocks away. We got on the shuttle and rode for two hours through gorgeous countryside to Ollantaytambo. After arriving there, we got on a train (it was my first time on a real train!) and rode for another two hours to Aguas Calientes, where we would be spending the night. The train ride was actually really enjoyable, for a few reasons. One, the scenery outside was INCREDIBLE. We had huge windows as well as skylights so we just stared outside for a good part.
But the best part of the ride was the people sitting by us. In the trains there are tables between each two rows of chairs, so you are facing the people sitting across from you. The first people we met were this older couple named Bo and Sylvia. Sylvia was originally from Ecuador, and Bo from California. They had met in Ecuador and lived there together for some time before moving to Alaska. Bo's work has him moving all over the planet: Ecuador, India, Europe, and now in Alaska. Sylvia goes to school in the States for culinary arts and picks up recipes from wherever they go. It was really fun to talk to them and hear about the things they've accomplished. They seem so happy and know how to live life to the fullest and be succesful. Sitting next to them were two Peruvian girls; one spoke English, the other didn't. But when she asked us where we were from, and we said Utah, the English speaking girl freaked out and said she lives in Provo! And works in the Springville Walmart! SMALL WORLD!!! The Spanish-speaking girl lives in Lima but they've been friends all their lives. They're both members of the church and the one who lives in Lima served a mission in Chile. It was such an enjoyable ride and we were sad when it was over.
We arrived in Aguas Calientes and were taken to our hostel. We dropped our stuff off, and walked around the town for a while. I was surprised by how much I actually really liked Aguas Calientes. It wasn't too full of tourists and just a happy little town. (Dangit...I sounded like Bob Ross there.) Anywho. We decided to go up to the hot springs - which is what the town is named for - and spent a good couple hours up there. We came back, got dinner, watched a few hours of this hilarious reality show, met our guide, and then headed to bed. Sadly, Kass and I barely slept at all, before having to get up at 4:45 the next morning.
So we woke up, and headed down to the bus station where we waited in line and then hopped on a bus to take us to Machu Picchu. It was pretty short, only about 25 minutes, but when we got off, we had to wait in this HUGE line to get in the gates. Eventually we made it in, met up with our guide Miguel, and we were on our way! He took us around the ruins and explained a lot of history and cool significant places like temples and such. I'm really glad we had a guide just because it was really interesting to learn what things meant and what they were for instead of just walking around a bunch of rocks. Machu Picchu was definitely the coolest place I've ever seen. I can't even describe it. If you have the chance, GO THERE. After the tour, we had the day to explore for ourselves. We were going to hike Huayna Picchu, which is the famous mountain right behind the ruins, but Miguel told us he highly recommended to climb Machu Picchu Mountain instead, which is on the other side, and almost twice as high. There are only 400 people allowed to climb HP in a day, so it's hard to get onto and very crowded, but anyone can climb Machu Picchu Mountain. However, no one really knows about it so very few people do. We only saw maybe ten other people the whole time on our hike. It was an amazing hike, the trail was pretty and the views at the top were spectacular! You could see not just MP at the bottom, but a whole 360 degree view of the mountains and the Urubamba river. It was a steep hike, and lots of stairs, but definitely worth it. AND we didn't have to get up at 2 to get in line for Huayna Picchu. Bonus.
After hiking for 4 hours and getting back to Aguas Calientes, we were absolutely exhausted. So we grabbed some dinner and just sat at the train station, dreaming of hot showers and sleep. We got on the train at about 4:30, which we almost missed...scary...and started our way back home. We finally got home, Yoni warmed us up some leftovers, and we each took a hot shower (which, by the way, felt like heaven), and got right into bed. Best night's sleep ever.
At 6:20 on Saturday morning, we were picked up by a representative from PATAS, who took us to the bus station just a couple blocks away. We got on the shuttle and rode for two hours through gorgeous countryside to Ollantaytambo. After arriving there, we got on a train (it was my first time on a real train!) and rode for another two hours to Aguas Calientes, where we would be spending the night. The train ride was actually really enjoyable, for a few reasons. One, the scenery outside was INCREDIBLE. We had huge windows as well as skylights so we just stared outside for a good part.
But the best part of the ride was the people sitting by us. In the trains there are tables between each two rows of chairs, so you are facing the people sitting across from you. The first people we met were this older couple named Bo and Sylvia. Sylvia was originally from Ecuador, and Bo from California. They had met in Ecuador and lived there together for some time before moving to Alaska. Bo's work has him moving all over the planet: Ecuador, India, Europe, and now in Alaska. Sylvia goes to school in the States for culinary arts and picks up recipes from wherever they go. It was really fun to talk to them and hear about the things they've accomplished. They seem so happy and know how to live life to the fullest and be succesful. Sitting next to them were two Peruvian girls; one spoke English, the other didn't. But when she asked us where we were from, and we said Utah, the English speaking girl freaked out and said she lives in Provo! And works in the Springville Walmart! SMALL WORLD!!! The Spanish-speaking girl lives in Lima but they've been friends all their lives. They're both members of the church and the one who lives in Lima served a mission in Chile. It was such an enjoyable ride and we were sad when it was over.
We arrived in Aguas Calientes and were taken to our hostel. We dropped our stuff off, and walked around the town for a while. I was surprised by how much I actually really liked Aguas Calientes. It wasn't too full of tourists and just a happy little town. (Dangit...I sounded like Bob Ross there.) Anywho. We decided to go up to the hot springs - which is what the town is named for - and spent a good couple hours up there. We came back, got dinner, watched a few hours of this hilarious reality show, met our guide, and then headed to bed. Sadly, Kass and I barely slept at all, before having to get up at 4:45 the next morning.
So we woke up, and headed down to the bus station where we waited in line and then hopped on a bus to take us to Machu Picchu. It was pretty short, only about 25 minutes, but when we got off, we had to wait in this HUGE line to get in the gates. Eventually we made it in, met up with our guide Miguel, and we were on our way! He took us around the ruins and explained a lot of history and cool significant places like temples and such. I'm really glad we had a guide just because it was really interesting to learn what things meant and what they were for instead of just walking around a bunch of rocks. Machu Picchu was definitely the coolest place I've ever seen. I can't even describe it. If you have the chance, GO THERE. After the tour, we had the day to explore for ourselves. We were going to hike Huayna Picchu, which is the famous mountain right behind the ruins, but Miguel told us he highly recommended to climb Machu Picchu Mountain instead, which is on the other side, and almost twice as high. There are only 400 people allowed to climb HP in a day, so it's hard to get onto and very crowded, but anyone can climb Machu Picchu Mountain. However, no one really knows about it so very few people do. We only saw maybe ten other people the whole time on our hike. It was an amazing hike, the trail was pretty and the views at the top were spectacular! You could see not just MP at the bottom, but a whole 360 degree view of the mountains and the Urubamba river. It was a steep hike, and lots of stairs, but definitely worth it. AND we didn't have to get up at 2 to get in line for Huayna Picchu. Bonus.
After hiking for 4 hours and getting back to Aguas Calientes, we were absolutely exhausted. So we grabbed some dinner and just sat at the train station, dreaming of hot showers and sleep. We got on the train at about 4:30, which we almost missed...scary...and started our way back home. We finally got home, Yoni warmed us up some leftovers, and we each took a hot shower (which, by the way, felt like heaven), and got right into bed. Best night's sleep ever.
Friday, May 13, 2011
May 13th
This week has been pretty chill! It's crazy to think we only have a week left here...the past few days we've walked around Cuzco a bit more and just explored different areas and such. Today, for instance, we wanted to go to Moray (which are some really cool ruins) but we didn't have enough time so we just went to El Molino, which is the black market, instead. There's Molino 1 and Molino 2...we only went to the first one, but it was HUGE! Definitely a little overwhelming. But it was cool to walk around and see.
Important update: We are officially switching projects! The kids at Ayarmaca are SO cute and so much fun, and we really enjoyed being there, but we weren't really needed. We mostly just colored with them and played and whatevs. Which was all fun and whatnot, but we didn't come here to play. We may have helped out a little bit, but there wasn't really much we could do there. So we talked to our project advisors, and they said we could switch to a different project instead where we could be of more help, and we happily agreed! (I don't know why they didn't do this in the first place.) So Monday we will be heading to a clinic for disabled children (both mentally and physically) where we will be cleaning, feeding, changing, bathing, playing with, and just generally taking care of these kids. We have a couple other volunteer friends who are at the same place and they said it's pretty challenging, a lot of work, and a little heart-breaking, but you are definitely making a difference and it's so worth it. Which is what we're looking for! It will be pretty hard and sad to leave those adorable kids at Ayarmaca, I've definitely gotten attached to a few of them (especially little Yampol and Pamela!). We'll go say goodbye to them Monday morning before heading to our new project. But as sad as it will be to say goodbye to them, we're really looking forward to our next assignment and helping out! We're really excited!
In other news...we're starting our journey to Machu Picchu tomorrow morning!!! We'll be spending tomorrow night in Aguas Calientes and then going up to MP extremely EARLY the next morning. And by early I mean like 2 am. Oh yeah. Livin the dream. Can't wait!! :)
Important update: We are officially switching projects! The kids at Ayarmaca are SO cute and so much fun, and we really enjoyed being there, but we weren't really needed. We mostly just colored with them and played and whatevs. Which was all fun and whatnot, but we didn't come here to play. We may have helped out a little bit, but there wasn't really much we could do there. So we talked to our project advisors, and they said we could switch to a different project instead where we could be of more help, and we happily agreed! (I don't know why they didn't do this in the first place.) So Monday we will be heading to a clinic for disabled children (both mentally and physically) where we will be cleaning, feeding, changing, bathing, playing with, and just generally taking care of these kids. We have a couple other volunteer friends who are at the same place and they said it's pretty challenging, a lot of work, and a little heart-breaking, but you are definitely making a difference and it's so worth it. Which is what we're looking for! It will be pretty hard and sad to leave those adorable kids at Ayarmaca, I've definitely gotten attached to a few of them (especially little Yampol and Pamela!). We'll go say goodbye to them Monday morning before heading to our new project. But as sad as it will be to say goodbye to them, we're really looking forward to our next assignment and helping out! We're really excited!
In other news...we're starting our journey to Machu Picchu tomorrow morning!!! We'll be spending tomorrow night in Aguas Calientes and then going up to MP extremely EARLY the next morning. And by early I mean like 2 am. Oh yeah. Livin the dream. Can't wait!! :)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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.
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.
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