Operation: Dominate the weekend. =] Part one...

DISCLAIMER: I AM A SLACKER. There, it's out there for all to see. I am a horrible excuse for a blogger and eternally sorry for disappointment I've caused...which will still continue...

My tandem is about to be here soon, so I'll only be able to post a part of what I had wanted to get up here. Bottom line, I procrastinated over the weekend by not writing each night, and letting laziness and tiredness after walking Machu Picchu rule my life. Instead of managing my time wisely, I let all of my blogging build up. And three days of a VERY PRODUCTIVE and long weekend requires a lot of time to write out the details. Time which I haven't set aside properly. So I'm sorry, but hopefully this is enough to tie you all over. =[

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Operation: Dominate the weekend. =]

Friday – 26th of Sept
My day started off even later than all of yours did back at home. Because I have no work on Fridays (the center is closed I suppose), I made sure to NOT set my alarm, and maximized my sleep time by waking up around 11 o’clock, 9 am back home. I was ready to head out of the house around 11:30, figuring I could go pick up something for a brunch, as I had missed the cutoff for breakfast at the house.

When I was getting ready to leave, Rae was also leaving, and after finding out that she was heading over to Máximo to pick up her tickets for Machu Picchu, I decided to go along with her. Unfortunately, when we got there, a meeting had just begun and we found out that it most likely would be done in no less than an hour.

Knowing that there would still be time to pick up the tickets later in the day, we decided to grab lunch together at the favorite I’m-craving-food-from-home joint Jack’s. We had quite a bit of a wait though, as it was lunch time and Jack’s is a staple for all tourists. But I can assure you that the wait was quite worth it when my Huevos Rancheros was brought out, along with my side of pesto and cheese bread. I always forget how huge the portions are at Jack’s (geared towards obese Americans I’m positive), and ended up boxing up the pesto and cheese bread for an afternoon snack. Still, we quite enjoyed ourselves at Jack’s, not leaving until 2:30. While we spent only about half of the time eating, we had a lot of fun gossiping and talking about anything and everything going on around Cusco and our respective homes.

When we left, we took a side street and ended up finding this awesome little book store, in which I found the Shangri-la of postcards. They also had tons and tons of books in both Spanish and English, and I decided then and there that I was motivated enough to pick up a couple of Spanish books. After all, I had already finished Wednesday Letters and Atonement, so I was at a lack of reading material. I figure if I can finish one complete Spanish book by the time I leave, I’ll be at an okay point in my Spanish level. After a careful mini browsing session, and choosing my favorite fifteen postcards, I picked up two books. The first is Veronica decide a morir by Paulo Coehlo, mostly because I had heard plenty of good things about it, and had enjoyed reading The Alchemist. The second I picked out was Los Miserables, or Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The story of Les Mis is one of my most favorite, and from the movie to the book to the musical, I know it like the back of my hand. Because of this, I feel a little more confident in my ability to knock this one out by the time I leave, since I’m diving into it with previous knowledge.

After the mini shopping break, it was time to get to Máximo for my class with Jorge. Somehow, we made it there with enough time for me to pick up my tickets from the PATAS office, and check my email quickly on the computer there. Class was fun as usual, and Jorge was surprised to see me, as he thought I had headed out on the trek with the rest of my house. I told them that while I had planned on wanting to do either the Lares or Salkantay trek, my timing had been off, and I had booked the Machu Picchu trip by train exactly one day before my house dad announced that he was planning a trek for anyone in our house. Class went by pretty swiftly, and Jorge reminded me to be safe up in Machu Picchu.

When class ended, I stayed around and used my computer on the top floor, attempting to upload a couple of pictures from the talent show the night before. It’s amazing how much slower the wifi is up on the main floor compared to the little office I normally sit in downstairs. The slow connection made uploading photos and editing my blog just that much more difficult, thus more frustrating for me. When the time rolled around for my tandem meeting, I went downstairs to meet my partner, and found out that he wouldn’t be able to make it because of some work thing. I’m a little bummed that this keeps getting shot down by one way or another, but I decided that it was for the best, because now I had free time to head over to the phone booth and call some family and friends back home.

I hogged the phone booth until just about 7 o’clock, and got home right as dinner was being placed on the table. Boy am I glad I made it home for dinner though, because we always seem to have the most amazing dinners on the days when Marco and Christian go on treks, possibly because there are fewer mouths to feed, and therefore more attention can be paid to each meal. For our soup, we had some elbow pasta in a broth, followed by broccoli and roasted tomatoes, along with a breaded porkchop for our main course. It was all topped off by the biggest alfajor I’ve had so far.

After dinner, Luke, Ben, Ciara and I made a mini trip over to CCC on a quest to buy heaps and heaps of whatever snacks we wanted. We even sat down for a bit at one of the juice places and had her make us a pitcher of banana pineapple juice. Just how amazing fresh squeezed juice can be here never ceases to amaze me, though my favorite still is the strawberry juice from Real McCoy’s, where we do our pub quizzes.

Once back at home, we cracked open our various chips and candies and cookies, and popped in Psych, the show from USA channel. I must say, I love that show more and more every time I watch it, because the dynamic between Gus and Sean (the two main characters) is always pretty funny and I can’t help but miss all the jokes of my friends back home. How many chips, chocolate cookies, and banana-pineapple drinks later, we all started heading up, and I quickly flushed out the idea of whether to try and pull an all nighter to make my 5:20 pick up the next day, but was ultimately dissuaded my parents who said that any sleep is still sleep. My only thing was that I know that I once I’m in deep sleep, I often get too comfortable in bed and can’t get out, which is why I was scared to sleep. But 2 am rolled in, and all of my clothes had been Permethrin sprayed (bug repellent), all of my toiletries had been packed, and I had nothing left to do, so I gave into sleep.

Saturday – 27th September

- rainstorm like whoa
- cool market
- oil painting, bag, album, earrings
- Spanish guide, not expected
- visit to thermal baths
- chez maggy
- local music
- front desk only let me use phone for five minutes, so I just walked out onto the street and used a pay phone
- about to buy sweet potato chips and chocolate covered cereal puffs but didn’t have money, so said I would come back but I didn’t
- didn’t shower because our room’s shower was not warm, and terrible water pressure
At 4:45 am, my alarm clock went off, and began the process known as “Morgan’s extremely long wake up process.” The alarm woke me out of my deep sleep, but that’s the first of two stages. I didn’t wake up until stage two, around 5 am, when Ebony said, “Hey, are you up?” Human contact is the usual stage two action, though a second alarm clock will do as well. After running to get my clothes that were hanging in the bathroom, and quickly stuffing them into my backpack, I ran downstairs to wait for Rae and Ebony. Todd was up for some strange reason, on MSN messenger talking to someone at home I suppose. He wished us a good trip, and we headed out for the beginning of our mini adventure.

Jonathan was there, enthusiastic as always, and had a taxi waiting to take us to the train station. The train station was only about a ten minute ride away from our house, but I saw all of these streets that I had never seen before. There was one street that was completely made up of Vegetarian stores. It always boggles me here how anyone can make money when all of the car part stores are on one street, the glass stores on another, bakeries on one more, and so on. What makes you so confident that out of the ten bakeries on the street, yours will be the one that the heavily-loaded tourist will choose? Still, the businesses seem to stay open, so I suppose they must have some sort of secretive insight.

Back to the train station, Jonathan pointed us to the station, and pushed us on our ways. Getting through security at the station wasn’t as difficult a process as I thought it would be. All that was needed was to show your ticket and your passport, and then you were clear to board.

The train itself was quite nice looking, painted in a bright royal blue with yellow detailing and lettering. This was my first train ride (because BART does not count), so I was excited for what was to come. We found our seats and hoped that the train would be somewhat empty so we could move around to a spot where we could all talk. No such luck, so though Ebony and I were seated together, Rae was placed with a group of elderly women from Birmingham, Alabama. Our joke the rest of the trip was wondering how the women fared at Machu Picchu, as they all needed assistance getting out of their chair on the train.

The train ride itself was quite long, and extremely hot. We had apparently been booked the “first class” of trains, which had glass windows everywhere so you could have a view of outside through the sides AND the roof. When we first boarded, I felt so glamorous and excited for this, but by the time we got there, I had wished we had been booked on the “lesser” of the two trains. Why? Because when you mix sun plus glass but passengers inside of glass, you can imagine a scene similar to ants being baked under a magnifying glass in your backyard. Still, I couldn’t complain, as we had breakfast served to us (bread, jam, a drink, and a meat and cheese plate), and supposedly got their faster than the other train. Of course, I don’t even want to think of how long it took the other train, as it took us from 6:05 in the morning to 12:30 for the ride of 50 miles or just a little more. No…not quite fast at all. Also, it was strange that as we were leaving Cusco, the train would move one direction, then stop, and head back the other direction. At first, it seemed to me that we were moving along the same track, and I was thinking that our “conductor/engineer” (?) was a little loco. However, my daddy explained later on that it was to transfer and switch the tracks each time, as there’s not enough space for all of the turns. It makes sense, and I accepted it, since obviously we had reached Aguas Calientes alright.

When we got off at Aguas Calientes, we found the representative from our hotel, Hotel La Cabaña almost immediately, but had to wait for an additional fifteen minutes as he attempted to find someone else who was to stay at our hotel, but ultimately didn’t show. He led us on a five minute walk to our hotel, which we definitely wouldn’t have found on our own. The lobby has a restaurant in it (which we never saw anyone eat in…), so even if you were looking carefully, you wouldn’t have pegged the place as a hotel.

The hotel was nice, with a rustic sort of feel. It’s the kind of place that you can bet people would pay hundreds of dollars per night for if it were in some resort type of location. However, here, the fact that the windows didn’t close was more of a cause for fright than reassurance that the place was so high class locks weren’t necessary. Still, it was a roof over our heads, a bed to sleep in, and a door that locked. Beggars can’t be choosers, and it was obvious that there were much worse places in town to stay.

We didn’t stay long after checking in because we were quite hungry, and wanted to head over to find a restaurant that Ciara had recommended to us. Karen, one of the other volunteers that lives in another house had come up to Machu Picchu as well, but was staying at a hostal close to our place. So we met up with her, and then went on our search for Indio Feliz. I feel bad for the poor kid who was trying to convince us to eat at hour hotel, until we asked him how to get to Indio Feliz, and he said,”Oh yeah, that is the best restaurant in town. Here’s how to get there.”

And even for the best restaurant in town, I only had to pay about fifty soles for a complete appetizer-main course-dessert meal plus my drink. So for a quick rundown of what I ate, since I know you all never get tired of hearing what I’m eating ;]:
- Appetizer: Quiche Lorraine (not as good as some I’ve had back home, but definitely still satisfying)
- Main Course: Mango Chicken (MMM!!! This place had small portions, but somehow it filled you right up.)
- Dessert: Pretty much the MAIN reason I knew I would love this place. Wait for it…APPLE PIE A LA MODE!!! Woo! It was the first time I had had ice cream since coming to Perú, and boy was it satisfying. I would’ve preferred Dutch Apple….but I’m not picky. =]

After Indio Feliz, we figured we’d roam Aguas Calientes, have a look at the shops and all of that. I saw a sign pointing towards their “market” and knew I had to go. So we all went up and had a good time roaming around the stands, checking out things that were different than what we could get back home in Cusco. My first purchase that sparked the mini spree was a leather bound photo album with some little Incan dude on the front. I know, my choice of words aren’t the most eloquent, but I can promise you it’s nice. I figure if I actually have a photo album designated for this trip, it’ll prompt me to print out my pictures and not just let them lay around in my documents folder. And all of you that know me know that once the first item is bought, there’s a high chance more money is to be spent in a very short time soon after. So as I roamed more stalls, one of the watercolor painting men stops me, and I actually stop to browse this time. He shows me a couple watercolors of Machu Picchu, and the scenes I like are in colors I don’t, and I’m ready to leave. But he tells me he has oil paintings as well, and I’m suckered in from there. The oil paintings are amazingly detailed, and he has a whole collection depicting Peruvian kids. It’s game over at this point, and I buy an oil painting of a little Peruvian girl with big ol saucer eyes for 90 soles. I reassure myself that it’ll amplify the artsiness of my dorm, and get over my somewhat large purchase. The final purchase of our market browsing was a set of silver condor earrings. For a quick second, I thought I had outgrown my earring obsession, but being here in Peru has only resparked it unfortunately. SIGH, there goes all my hard-earned money. ;]

Now we’ve all bought our respective items, and are ready to head out when we hear the rolling of thunder, and rain begins to POUR THE FREAK DOWN. Poor Rae only has on a tank top, and had left her jacket in the hotel room. So we try to wait it out in the market as El Niño or something quite close is going on, but there are no signs that the rain is about to let up. So we get suckered in by a lady from some cafe rightfully named "Cafe Turistica" and sit down for some small snacks as the rain goes on. I order a cup of "fresh orange juice NOT from the box" and somehow end up with a lemon pound cake. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the pound cake, but was kind of looking forward to the juice as well. By the time we're done with our snacks, the rain has let out, and we're able to make it back to our hotels dry, as if the storm had never happened.

By the time we get back to our hotel, it's close to when our guide is supposed to meet us, so we hang around in the lobby, watching a Spanish television series I had never heard of before, and never care to watch again. No Emmy nominations for this series... We're all excited to speak with our guide though, to know the details of the next day. PATAS had assured us that our guide would be better than that of any other agency, because they would be professionally trained, not a student, and fluent in English. I think I may need to help PATAS with their marketing...

TO BE CONTINUED. =]

P.S. Sorry I'm a horrible blogger and have to end it here. I hate disappointing people...=[

Quick update from Aguas Calientes.

Hey everyone! As I write, I´m sitting in an internet cafe here in Aguas Calientes before the big ol trek in about T-minus 7 hours. But I´d feel bad to leave the blog untouched all the way until Monday, so here are some highlights from Friday (yesterday) and tonight/today (Saturday).

Friday:
- Woke up at 11:30 because I didn´t have work. (Actually, I never have work on Fridays. How awesome is that?)
- Headed over to Máximo Nivel with Rae to pick up our tickets for Machu Picchu, but found out we had arrived while they were having their staff meeting, so would have to return later.
- Refusing to let that ruin our day, we went up to Jack´s Café and had the best brunch. EVER. Okay maybe not ever, but quite a delightful one in my time here so far. Huevos Rancheros with Orange/Pineapple juice blend, washed down with a cold Coke. =]
- Walked back from Jack´s and found this awesome little bookstore and proceeded to buy fifteen postcards. (Start expecting them in oh...a month? ;] I´ll send them out sometime this week now that I have them all.)
- From aforementioned bookstore, I purchased Veronica decide a morir by Paulo Coehlo and Los Miserables (Les Miserables) by Victor Hugo, both in Spanish. My goal is to finish one of them by the time I leave here, so I can say I can speak, write, AND read in Spanish. I figured with Les Mis, I can sort of cheat since I know the story like the back of my hand, or better.
- Had Spanish class with Jorge, where he expressed his shame for my forgetfulness in bringing a pair of high heels for dancing. That´s what completes the outfit! he told me...
- Missed tandem with my partner Renzo AGAIN. Really though, I need to find out what this dood does, because he never seems to be able to make it to meet me. =[
- The plus side of missing tandem was having uber amounts of time to call back home to Yvetters and Juan. Yes I hogged the phone booth at Máximo, but it´s okay, because no one needed it. Or was too shy to interrupt me.
- Had an awesome awesome awesome dinner made by Yoco. Elbow pasta noodle soup, followed by breaded porkchops with a side of broccoli and roasted tomatoes, and an alfajor for dessert. Seriously, I think people in our house should go on treks more often, so we can have better dinners. =]
- Sprayed my clothing with Permethrin to further scare any crazy bugs that wanna try to attack me here in Aguas Calientes.
- Finally slept around 2 ish, and woke up around 4:30.

Today:
- Frantically last minute packed after waking up, and headed over to the train station around 5:20.
- Rode train from 6:05 to about 12:30, and proceeded to fry like an ant under a magnifying glass in the train.
- Checked into hotel, and then headed to lunch at Indio Feliz, which is this amazing little French-Peruvian joint here in town.
- Visited the market and spent uber amounts of money. =] Purchases: an oil painting of a Peruvian child, a leather bound photo album that´ll prompt me to actually print my pictures, a little mini messenger bag that´ll fit my wallet, camera, and bug repellent tomorrow so I won´t have to carry a huge backpack, and some earrings.
- Rained on by some random huge thunderstorm and hid out in a cafe, where the lady swore to me she had churros when luring me in, but ended up giving me a lemon sponge cake once we had sat down.
- Went back to hotel to relax, and waited for our guide to explain about tomorrow.
- Had said explanation meeting, and realized how tight our schedule is.
- Went to dinner at Chez Maggy, and enjoyed some live music.
- Checked out the hot springs, but opted to not go in because it of the brown water, no matter how steaming it was. Still, the walk up there was awesome, and a nice preview of what tomorrow may bring.
- Called home and had phone card run out, and looked stupid trying to figure out how to use actual coins on the pay phone.

I´ll promise to deliver normal sized blogs on Monday, but for now I just wanted to do a mini check-in before I go recharge for Huaynapicchu. Miss you all, and wish you all could be with me as I TOTALLY DOMINATE Machu Picchu tomorrow. =] Gniites. xxoo

Singing and Dancing and Poetry, oh my!

To anyone younger than me, I’m sorry for being a horrible role model. Why am I such a bad person to follow? Because I slept for thirteen hours and woke up at 1:30 today, missing work. When I was at home I used to always say, “ I don’t understand how people can sleep until noon! That’s so crazy!” Yet here I have the sleeping habits of a bear in hibernation, and am usually the last in my room to wake up. It’s usually not too big of an issue though, because with three girls and only one bathroom, there’s bound to be a bathroom wait anyways.

But somehow, today I woke up to Liz swinging open my door and saying, “Woman! Are you awake yet?” I groggily responded that I was getting there, and would be down for lunch after I brushed my teeth. I walk down there and have everyone throw in their little jabs at my late arrival. “You should be ashamed of yourself!” “Enough sleep for you?” “I want what you had last night!” I just respectfully rolled my eyes at them, paid due respect to the better remarks, and then sat down. Lunch was fairly good today, some unknown soup followed by a paella/fried rice fusion of sorts. I got through about half of it before auctioning it off to the boys, and then headed up for a shower.

Remembering last minute that tonight was the talent show, I quickly French braided my hair (messily, but braided all the same) and hopped in to a lukewarm shower. When I got out, I then remembered that I had homework for Jorge, and quickly pulled out my space pen (thanks Auntie May!) and my notebook, and began to work. In about ten minutes, I had written out a one page essay comparing my life back home to my life here in Cusco, full of golden details (duh!), excitement, and slight exaggeration.

When it was finished, I quickly grabbed my bag and ran outside to grab a taxi. I got to class right on time, and prepared myself for another gossip session. Today’s topic? Boyfriends and clothes. Yes, my classes are completely serious… =]

I have to admit though, it’s awesome to have half a class of grammar, followed by half a class of gossiping (for the sake of conversation practice of course!). It’s a nice balance, and we always seem to run out of time at the juiciest moments. I’m determined to be NEARLY fluent when I return home to the states. After all, if I can’t bring a tan or lean muscles home with me, what else but fluency in Spanish do I have left? ;]

After class, I waited for my tandem, only to wait, and wait, and wait. It turns out he works at some big business here and was unable to get out of work on time. He showed around 4:30 or so though, and profusely apologized. We decided to bump up our tandem time from 4 to 5, so he’d have enough time after work, and I’d have time to relax after class. I stuck around until 6 though, using my laptop, catching up on emails, and attempting to blog. However, when I tried to blog, blogspot told me they were undergoing a scheduled maintenance and my blog could not be uploaded. I saved it though, and figured since it had already been drafted, I could just load it up at the house.

When six came, I headed upstairs to find the boys and go head on home. On the way back home, Simon remembered he needed a jacket for the Inca Trail trek, so we stopped into a few markets along our walk. He found his ideal jacket, only to be shut down because he’s just too tall and grande for Peruvian sizes. He still found some gifts for his girlfriend, so it wasn’t a total waste of a trip. It was a funny experience though, watching as the little Peruvian woman attempted to fit him into a medium, then an XXL, not able to find a nice balance in between.

After the mini shopping stop, I told them I wanted to stop by my favorite fried donut woman. I bought three for one sole, so took one for myself, and gave the other two to Matt and Simon. We attempted to ask for another plate, but the lady stared at us like we were crazy. We told ourselves she was just being eco-friendly, not wanting to contaminate the earth with more plastic plates.

We walk into the house and see that the furniture has been totally rearranged, and there are balloons along the windows. Ben had been hard at work to prepare for the talent show. Still, it wasn’t time for dinner, so I stayed downstairs and watched some more Season 1 Heroes.

When dinner finally came around, we were all more than happy since we could smell the aroma way early on. Our soup was a nice wanton soup type of thing, followed by a chicken stir fry of sorts with some bakchoi type green on the side. It was definitely a Chinese food themed night. I wasn’t very hungry though, and felt bad when Yoco came to ask me if it was okay or not. I told her it was delicious, but I was still recovering from my bout of sickness.

When everyone was finishing up with their dinner, they rolled out the big surprise, a cake for Yuen’s birthday. I actually wish I had taken a picture of it, because it was so surprising and thoughtful of them, and it looked all homemade and delicious. And it was. =] It was a yellow cake with a buttercream frosting, and large dashes of caramel here, there, and within the filling. They brought out a candle and all, and we sang for Yuen as he blew out his one candle. Then the cake was cut and a happy silence of mouths eating filled the room, until Marco brought out the special-occasion-only two liter of Coke. But the surprises did not stop there, and Marco brought out a gift for Yuen, a sweater from their Alpaca factory. Really though, sweetest family EVER.

After the gifts and cake were dealt out, we began to pump ourselves up for the talent show. It started no more than ten minutes after, because we were all impatient and would have fallen asleep otherwise. Ben opened with a nice introduction (seeing as this was HIS idea), and actually was picked first out of the hat. I think it’ll be best if I continue on with my description of the talent show in a line-up format, so here goes.
1) Ben – Sang original song “Miguel” on guitar. The boy can sing and play and write a hell of a song. The end.
2) Ebony – Ebony told us the history of the Gullah Islands, and then some legends she heard there from a local woman. It’s crazy, because I never knew the Gullah Islands were actually real, and thought it was only made up for the show “Gullah Gullah Island” with the huge frog thing. Anyone else remember it?
3) Todd – Todd is a “scribbler”, and read us one of his poems/writings that he wrote when he first arrived in Cusco. It was really moving, and we were all silent throughout. Yup, it was that good.
4) Matt – Read an original poem, “How do I love Perez house, let me count the ways.” Shoutouts to everyone in the house always ensures some extra points towards a win. Plus, rhyming Cusco with Cusco is a skill lol.
5) Ben and Jake – They sang the Norwegian and Swedish national anthems simultaneously to symbolize that it’s possible for Swedes and Norwegians to be friend. Very touching. ;]
6) Jake – Solo act this time, and sang two Swedish “snob” songs. Ben swears he was insulting us the entire time, but we’ll just have to believe otherwise.
7) Luke – Luke had two talents tonight. His first was freestyle dancing to LoveStoned by Justin Timberlake, which ended with him throwing his hat to Ben. =] The second was building a card house. I personally could not get over the dancing. =]
8) Simon – Juggled two balled up tube socks and an electric converter to “D.A.N.C.E” by Justice. Entertaining, and excellent song choice.
9) Raelene – Rae did Highland dancing (Scottish) for a long, long time when she was younger. Her schedule was pretty much like how mine is for Polynesians, with lots of competitions and performances. She’s even a certified professional teacher, so she showed us a bit of the dance, despite being nauseous. Twas so cool, and takes a whole lot of body control with all of the jumping.
10) Yuen – Yuen also shared with us two talents, because he didn’t have the right tools to juggle fire, which was his intended talent. First he showed us all how to fold a paper crane, and second, he did the Carlton dance from Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Ahhh, memories of the 90s.
11) Self – I went next and freestyled a hula dance to “Fields of Gold” by Keali’I Reichel, and then did a quick Tahitian solo to a Heiva I Reno beat. I don’t know how I didn’t collapse. Fa’arapu-ing full out at this altitude is death on a stick. Luckily, apparently not many of them have seen enough Hula/Tahitian to notice how tired I was and how sucky my technique was, so I was set. =]
12) Ciara – Ciara is huge on football (soccer) back home in New Zealand, so she juggled the ball for us. Way to show up the boys. =] We wanted her to do the Haka from the All Blacks (New Zealand’s rugby team), but apparently it’s disrespectful to do if you’re not Maori. =[ Shame, I really wanted to see it.
13) Liz and Ben – Liz and Ben sang an original duet written by Ben, while Ben played the guitar. It was about a love triangle between a boy, a girl, and the boy’s guitar. The boy only wants to play his guitar, because he always hears it calling to him, and the girl wants nothing more than to make music with the boy. So cute, and very Juno-status. Except better, because I witnessed it live. =]

Then it was time to tally the scores from our judges, Marco, Yoco, and Christian, and announce the winners. The deliberation wasn’t long, and we were all still talking when they ready for the results.
3rd – A tie between Luke’s freestyle dancing and Ben’s song “Miguel. The prize: Oodles and oodles of Peruvian candy.
2nd- Yuen for his Carlton dance and crane making. I personally think it was the Carlton dance that sealed the deal.
1st – Me. =] But it gets better. My prize? A bottle of Bacardi Limon. The irony of the night was that the baby of the house won the alcohol. Aren’t you ever so proud Mom and Dad? =]

Afterwards, we all decided to take a family picture since it’s the last time we’ll all be together. =[ Luke leaves on Saturday night for a week and half trip, and Ebony is gone on Monday. So here it is, the Extended Perez family. =]

Top Row (L-R): Christian (our awesome cook! and somehow related to Marco), Matt, Simon, Luke, Marco (my Peruvian dad).
2nd Row (L-R): Yoco (my Peruvian mom), Ebony, Liz, Me (not tippy-toeing to appear taller…), Raelene
3rd Row (L-R): Todd, Jake, Ciara (pronounced like Kiera)
Front: Yuen and Ben

Afterwards, we stayed up playing Twister, Rummikub, and Scrabble in Spanish. It was freaking hard, but totally awesome when you got a high-scoring word. Twister was hilarious, because it is the smallest mat ever, and six of us played. Not to mention that all other five people besides me are over 5’8. Yup, twas challenging.

When everyone started heading up to pack for the Machu Picchu trek, I stayed behind and decided to hog the phone for the night.

In the end, it was an amazingly fun night, and kind of sad to think that sooner than later, our family is going to be changing. =/ On a high note though, I miss you all, and you should know I’ll be donating the Bacardi Limon…to uhh…some needy bar…

A picture of our Spanish scrabble when we were worded out.


P.S. Ciara and I won, and "Guac" is now a Spanish word. =]

Baths and Burgers.

Hello everyone. Today was a crazy crazy crazy day.

It began as usual with work. I'll have to admit that work seemed pretty long today. As much as I love working with the kids, three hours seems so much longer with all of the screaming and crying and running. I can't imagine how bad my back will be by the time I leave here, as I give piggy back rides and play horsie every single day with these kiddos. Oh well, it's worth it to hear their giggles and "Otra vez!"s. It's not like we all don't know I didn't pack along some Icy Hot. =]

One of the little girls totally wet her whole body, so the mamitas to break out the bucket and give her a hosing down. It was so cute though, even though like any other baby, she screamed the entire time. I also took a lot of photos today as well, but still I remain too lazy to upload them, so I'll leave you with two. =]


Santé, my favorite little boy, Nicol, my favorite little girl, and a tired looking me. They´re cute though, so it was worth posting.

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When I saw Nicol in her Little Mermaid dress, I explained to her just how much I loved Ariel and knew I was meant to meet this little girl. =]

Sidenote: It is not uncommon to walk into our house and hear "Under the Sea" or any other Disney favorite (Usually from The Lion King or Aladdin) being bumped loudly on the speakers. Have I mentioned I feel at home?

After work was over, I decided to save some soles and walk back home. It was a really nice walk though, and I quite enjoyed myself. It wasn't too hot or sunny, so I took my leisurely time, knowing I had til 1:30 for lunch. I won´t lie, sometimes it takes me a good five minutes to contemplate whether I should walk home or not, but it usually ends one of three ways. I either:

a) Tell myself I need to lose weight because of this uber-carb diet the Peruvians love so much
b) Set a time limit for myself by saying, "If I´m not at "this point" by "this time", then I´ll take a taxi and somehow end up home by that time, or not even checkin the time, or
c) Take the taxi because I can´t take carrying my bags any longer or am just too lazy.

I´m happy to say that a majority of the time, (B) has been the prevailing option, so rest assured I´ll come back looking relatively the same. Or so we shall all hope.


When I got home, I made a call home to my mommy using the wonders of a phone card, and really enjoyed our catchup time. =] You don't realize how much you should be grateful for certain daily talks with people until you have to start thinking about time zones and phone cards.

Lunch was super delicious though, because we had this meatball soup thing, followed by a pork stew sort of dish over rice. It made me happy that I had decided to come home for lunch, since most of the time I debate about staying out, since I can portion control easier that way, and actually choose what I want. But today was a good meal. Still, I haven't been able to fully expand my stomach to peruvian size, so I gave the boys the rest of my food. They never seem to get too full. =]

Afterwards, Ciara, Matt and I headed over to CCC to look for shoes and Sour skittles. We got lost plenty of times, and still found no sour skittles. =[ Ciara and I had separated from Matt when he went looking for shoes, and then had to go look for him. But I looked at the time and saw that it was already 2:35, and I had class at 3, so I left and sprinted back to the house to get my backpack and grab a taxi. I DID however manage to get this awesome dessert there before I left, which is now one of my new favorites. It's a strawberry jello on the top layer and a creme brulee type custard on the bottom. All for 50 centimos! Or half a sole! Which is like...16 cents! I love it. =]

Of course, I don't know why I had worried about being late to class, because I still waited for ten to fifteen minutes after 3 until going into class. In that time, I was able to listen to my iPod, buy a Coke, use the restroom, study my notes from the last class, and sit around looking like a weirdo. Class was pretty good though, and I'm really begining to appreciate the personal attention of a private class. I get to practice my speaking more, and Jorge always makes the funniest questions. He's such a gossip lol.

Sidenotes:
1) I usually am a Sprite drinker, or will choose Pepsi over Coke if I have to. But here, the Coke is made with real sugar and not corn syrup, so for as long as I´m a Peruvian, I´m a Coke drinker. =] Oh yeah, their Sprite is disgustingly sweet. =[
2) "Chissmiss" means "to gossip" in Tagalog, so sorry to all of you that didn´t catch onto that. =]

Continuing on...

I stayed at Maximo for about and hour and a half after my class ended cause it was raining outside and I was wearing my capris and gladiator sandals. =/ In the mean time, I signed up for private classes for the rest of my time here, and also signed up for the Tandem program. The tandem program is when you meet up with a local who is trying to practie their English, and for half of the time, you speak to them in Spanish, and the other half, they´ll speak to you in English. It´s really the best way to get some practice in and help someone else out as well. Plus, you usually roam Cusco with your tandem partner, so you get chances to have someone help you practice it at the market, restaurants, and find out all of the hot local spots. =]

When it did clear up, I walked home by myself partially because it was still light out, but MOSTLY because I wanted to pick up another one of those delicious custard/jello cups. So I went back to CCC and was successful in my jello cup hunt. I also caved in and got this fried donut thing with honey on top. I can DEFINITELY get used to Peruvian desserts. Of course, we'll see how I feel in a few days since it is street food nonetheless. I suppose I don't learn from my mistakes very well. =[ Or at least when it involves food lol.

When I got home, I watched Heroes for a while with Ciara and Ebony, and was both happy and saddened at the fact of how good the first season was compared to the second. Then Ben announced that he was going to Bembo's tonight, and asked if I wanted to go with. Bembo's is the hamburger joint here that I had yet to try, so I decided to go. We left around 6:30, but somehow hit a HUGE traffic jam so we didn't get there until about 6:50. It was so funny watching our taxi driver, because he was so extremely annoyed with the traffic that he kept hitting his head on the steering wheel every other stop.

I must say, Bembo's was totally worth the money, and way better than the stupid McDonald's they put in the HISTORICAL Plaza de Armas. (Now I´m not some anti-McDonald´s person, and would never refuse some salted fries or their apple pies, but throwing one in the most historical part of the city just seems so wrong to me.) Ben also snapped a picture of me and the Bembo's mascot, so stay tuned for that pic sometime in the future. I look just like a little kid at Disneyland in it, that it would be blackmail potential if I had not okayed it. =] I ended up ordering a Hawaiian burger, which was totally delicious. Juicy burger, mayonnaise, pineapple, bacon, and cheese, with fries and coke and the side. Doesn't get much better than that. =]

Afterwards, we met up with Jake so he could buy his bus ticket to Bolivia. Ben and him are going there the first weekend of October for the two days to mostly collect another stamp in their passports. It was supposed to be a huger trip with more people from our house going, but us Americans are not allowed in Bolivia, and throwing one´s self into a dangerous country is just not common sense on ANY level.

When the tickets got settled, we headed over to Real McCoys, thinking we´d be late for the pub quiz. What a lie. Our two tables were still reserved, and we were the first ones there. And actually, the only ones there for a good thirty minutes. We were almost positive that we were about to pull a three person night for the quiz, but eventually people showed up. A strange thing though was the fact that they all of a sudden got a sponsor for the pub quiz and it suddenly is all official now, with a scoreboard and score collection after each round, plus specially organized answer sheets, with invitations to other fundraising events, and a volunteer slideshow running on the tv rather than the most current sports game.

So pub quiz was quite a depressing night. We were pretty much in the lead or head to head for the majority of the game, but we ultimately lost by 2 points. Coming in 2nd is quite depressing, because you become bitter about it. When you´re last, at least you know you had no chance. But 2nd? It´s like someone is telling you, "Awww, too bad, but you sucked JUST ENOUGH to not win." And the two questions that we missed that the winning team got?

1) What planet is Spock´s mom from in Star Trek?
2) Who created the Daleks in the series Doctor Who?

The answers:
1) Earth
2) Davross

At least I´ll know I´ll never forget these important scifi trivia. In fact, it´ll probably haunt me for the rest of my life. At the end of the night, we kept telling ourselves it was okay, because it was for the kids, but that just wasn´t doing it. So we decided to stay out and try and cheer ourselves up by discoteca hopping (again) and waiting to celebrate Yuen´s 27th birthday.

I´m not going to really write anything about the discotecas, because let´s face it, you all know the story pretty well right now. We dance, drink, get offered illegal substances, get hustled by little kids with puppets and gum, women with free massage coupons, and end up back at home in several different groups by about 2 o´clock. Some highlights though include:
- Having the Peruvian 16 year old that offered me free cocaine and his hand in marriage with promise to go back the US with me recognize me.
- Meeting an Irish guy with crutches because he broke his leg while drunk
- Dancing with some guy in a sailor hat and have him say Hola Chica, I´m from the United States. (I now know why americans are looked so poorly upon. Can we say sleazy?)
- Falling asleep to "By the Way" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

That was it for the night, so until the next blog.

P.S. Sorry for posting so late, I´ll explain it in the next blog. =]

Testosterone-driven. (Tuesday the 23rd)

I actually didn’t realize how testosterone-driven my day was until I tried to think of a clever title just now. And though it’s not all too clever, it is the truth.

I enjoyed myself today at work. The kids were great, and the time flew by extremely quickly. I also got a lot of pictures in today, and solidified a lot more names in my head. It is amazing how much the kids love the “fotas”. They absolutely go crazy to see themselves in playback It’s always “Una más!” with them. As for my tie in with my title, I had one girl, Lily, by my side the whole day, and a whole swarm of little boys. There’s this one little boy Sánte who seems older and likes to explain EVERYTHING to me. He is the most adorable thing ever, and I get most of my Spanish practice with him since he’s actually old enough to hold a conversation. The low-light of the day was that it turns out that the only size of diapers they already had at the center was the size I had bought, so one of the Mamitas asked me if I could try to exchange it for a bigger size.
So I left work, diapers in hand, and headed off to Maximo to meet up with the boys for ceviche. I dropped the diapers off in the PATAS office of Maximo, and went upstairs to find the boys. After everyone is out of class, we head over in two taxis to a Cebicheria that Jorge swears by. The group of Cebiche eaters is Jorge (my new teacher), Marco (another teacher at Maximo), Jake, Matt, Simon, Yuen, Tzvi and I. I was obviously outpowered by testosterone, but I guess I always seem to end up that way. For a good part of my life, a majority of my friends have been guys, with girls only as my closest friends.

The portions were humongous, and I was made fun of for not even being able to finish my half of the plate that Simon and I split. By the way, Cebiche is basically a raw fish dish (like my rhyme?). But unlike sushi which comes in tiny little rolls for 5 bucks a pair, Cebiche is a huge plate of what’s most likely the cut up pieces of a whole fish. We also ordered some fried calamari for the table, which was insanely beautiful. During lunch, we ran into class time, but Jorge and I decided that eating was more important, and we were speaking Spanish anyways. =]

We end lunch around 2:30, so Jorge and I head back to Maximo for the last thirty minutes of conversation. It was a good class, and I’ve noticed he likes to gossip a lot. He’s a funny teacher, and encourages you to speak as much as possible to increase fluency, so I really think I’m going to like my classes. Also, if you haven’t read the tidbit about my scandalous answer to which guys I like in my house, read two blogs below. =]

After class, I get home and watch some of The Dark Knight with Ciara and Luke. When Ebony gets home, I remember that she wanted to get a camera from El Molino, so I figure we can do both that and exchange my diapers.

Now I’m worried that they won’t exchange my diapers, because the plastic strap broke and ripped a hole in the top of the bag. Would they think I had taken some and was trying to con them? I could only hope for the best. So we wander through the market until I find the lady that sold me the diapers the day before. I tell her, I bought these yesterday, but I actually need to exchange it for a bigger size. She says of course, until she sees the hole. Oh no, she tells me, but I explain to her how the strap had broken. I repeatedly keep saying, “it’s all in there! Nothing wrong with them!”, and she grabs me the other size. Amazed I had even survived that situation, my happiness is enough for the rest of the day.

We wander around some more, and I see this awesome guy (awesome mostly because of what he was selling,) with a little box of sweets. I get closer and see churros, and tell Ebony I must absolutely get one, or I may cry. She tells me to do whatever I want, but she’s not as adventurous with street food as I am, and that I should still be watching what I eat after being sick. I agree with her, but explain my love of churros, and purchase one from the guy. The churros here are more lovely than back home, because here they have fillings. I got one with the typical “majar”, or caramel filling. Though I’m verging on a hyperbole here, I’d say it was my best use of one sole so far. As we’re leaving, we pass by some music places, and see an album by Juanes, the guy who our teacher had us listen to. We decide to look around at the music spot, and in the end, I walk away with The Best of Juanes, A collection of Cumbia (dancing music), RBD (because Pop is just uplifting in any language), and Hip Hop en Espanol for fifteen soles. And though I’m extremely happy with my purchases, I have yet to actually listen to any of them, beyond what I heard at the stand.

When I get back, Liz and I decide to pop in Love in the Time of Cholera, which is pretty good. Dinner comes along, and boy is it yummy. The soup is a wonderful chicken brothy thing that tastes like porridge, and for dinner we have a hamburger patty type thing with the best cooked broccoli and carrots on the side. Still, though it was delicious, I have a petite stomach (since when right?) and Simon ended up clearing my plate for me.

Now apparently every Tuesday, Marco and whatever boys in the house want to go, head over to the nearby “futbol pitch” and play. I decide to head over, because as much as I love our house, I also like to be out, and like to watch live sports. Because of this, I become mother hen and keeper of…everything that the boys can’t carry (iPods, watches, jackets, money, etc.).

The game lasts for an hour, and it was pretty raw. The other team was really good, and these Peruvians are small but FAST. By halftime, Ben, Simon and Matt have gone home because of injuries or alititude breathing issues. I stay though, because I wanna see the end of the game, though I know it’ll probably have the other team winning. When it’s over, Jake and I walk back home, while Yuen goes to buy a drink and Marco says he needs to stay behind.

We go back home and everyone is watching the Sex in the City movie, so we pop a squat as well and stay and watch. Now if you’re a big fan of the show, I apologize…but that movie was BEYOND cheesy and corny. There were moments when we all kept looking at each other like…WTF??? I know, I know, that wasn’t very eloquently put, but I’m just still boggled by the success of that movie. Or maybe my testosterone filled day had affected me and kept me from enjoying the brilliancy of my gender. Or something…

My night ended soon after, with a phone call back home and checking of my email between the movie and my sleep. Until tomorrow. =] xxoo

Just another manic Monday…

Actually, my Monday was quite relaxing, but I thought it fit nonetheless. So this morning I walk all the way to work (the first time yet) and am panting by the time I get there, only to be greeted by three or so kids. Because of this, the mamitas tell me after about an hour to head out because I wasn’t of much need. It’s only 10:45 ish at this point so I decide to roam the Plaza de Armas and surrounding streets. I find this awesome little supermarket to the left of the Plaza which I struggle to keep from going nuts at.

For some reason, just being in that mini supermarket made me suddenly crave the Instant Ramen cups they had, or tempted to buy a huge can of Milo mix. I ended up actually just getting some sunscreen, sour skittles, and Trolli strawberries, but it wasn’t easy to walk away with such a light purchase. Afterwards, I walked down the street where I saw all of the military hero statues, and just enjoyed the EXTREMELY nice day and EXTREMELY beautiful city.

I then realized that since I had all the time in the world, I should try and upload all of my pictures at Maximo Nivel. Of course once I get there, I remember that I still need to sign up for my additional Spanish classes. So I go up to the office and find out that because all of the other people in my class left Peru today, my class had been closed off. But it all worked out, and now I’ll be having private classes for one hour each day, versus two hour group classes. It’s funny though, because my teacher is Jorge, who’s my dancing buddy as well. =]

Since I was already at Maximo, I decided to upload all of my pictures off of my camera. It took a while, but I had all the time in the world, and had already told Marco I wouldn’t be home for lunch because I thought I was going to have an actual day of work. After I finished catching up on my blogging and picture uploading, I decided it was time for lunch and hit up Don Pancho and Don Esteban’s again. I decided to be fat and had a chocolate/strawberry cake with strawberry juice. Yes…not real food, but it was good and filling nonetheless.

Now this entire day, I had been on a mission for nail polish because it is incredibly disgusting how fast your nails get dirty here, and how much they refuse to stay clean. So I had dropped into every pharmacy and drugstore in search of the right color, only to be disappointed. There were a lot of pearly pinks and sparkly things, but I prefer my nail polish dark. So after lunch, I decided I would turn my baby-item-shopping (for my kids at work) and nail polish hunt into one venture and head off to El Molino.

Along the way, I thought of a lot of other things I wanted to get, and had developed a nice little shopping list by the time I got there. I needed Huggies diapers, baby wipes, nail polish, air freshener for my closet which I stored vomit-covered sheets in for two days, postcards to send home (sorry I still haven’t jumped on that!), some books to read, and Stand By Me (the movie) because I heard the song on my iPod and wanted to watch it, and toilet paper for our room which is always running out.

Well the experience was not as fun as the first time, but don’t worry, I know exactly why. The first time I went, I had no idea what to expect, and was only wearing my Columbia jacket with my money in the inside pocket. This time, I went straight after work, backpack in tow. Keep in mind my backpack had my Spanish class materials, plus my laptop and charger. It adds up when you’re walking around a nice and humid marketplace with 29340329047032947 smells going around. But I still stuck it out and came out pretty successful.

Now please bear with me for a quick second as I lay down a quick story. Remember how I mentioned wanting to watch Stand by Me? Well apparently it’s too old of a movie and not seemingly popular enough to exist in El Molino. I found this awesome stand where the people were extremely helpful, and had a special deal three for ten. (Of course in hindsight I realize I had lost a sole since they’re usually three soles each, but I’ll get over it.) So I see Love in the Time of Cholera, which I’ve been wanting to watch after reading 100 years of Solitude, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which everyone in my house kept telling me to watch). “Two DVDs down, only need Stand by Me to make the deal!” I thought to myself. So I try to ask them if they have the movie, but the connection just isn’t there. It’s from the early ninety’s, River Phoenix, Kiefer Sutherland, four boys on the cover, drama, but we just can’t get it. The fact I don’t know the name in Spanish isn’t helping. Then this one girl comes over (a volunteer from another house) and tells me that I should try and look it up on IMDB when I get home. At this point, I’m REALLY wanting my movie for some reason, so I find an internet café about a block away from El Molino, and pay a sole for thirty minutes of usage. I look it up, and get “Cuenta conmigo” as the Castellano title.

All happy with Spanish name in tow, I return to the stand and tell the guy the name. We then spend the next fifteen minutes trying to find the movie, still without any luck. I sadly tell him it’s alright, and he tells me to come back Friday and he’ll have it by then. After that, I tried EVERY SINGLE OTHER DVD STAND in El Molino, and no one even knew what the movie was. So I surrender for the day, and decide to pick up the heavy toiletry items (toilet paper, diapers, and baby wipes). I also finally found my nail polish in three surrounding “toiletry” stands, all for only three soles each, versus the thirty soles I almost paid for an OPI polish I didn’t even like. On the way out, I have to pass the gentleman who tried to find my Stand By Me for a good total of thirty minutes (before and after Spanish name). I decide to buy some DVDs anyways, getting Love in the Time of Cholera, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Forrest Gump.

So I get home near 4 o’clock ish, and decide to take a quick body shower. The water turned cold as soon as I got in, but I stuck it out anyways. I then fell asleep for a quick minute, and was awakened by a very loud rapping on my door from Ben around 5:30, telling me I was going to be the only one in the house because he was going to the gym. He reminds me to get as many girls as I can to go to trivia night, since we’re going battle of the sexes style. People start to file in back home over the next hour, and around 7 o’clock, we leave for Real McCoys.

Trivia night was pretty tough, and I’m sad to say that the girls lost 50 to 43. However, we fought with only four team members while the guys had the full team of 6. We actually scored more points per person when you think about it. ;] And yes, I’m making excuses. By the way, is it possible to cry in space? And would you say crying means that tears MUST leave your eyes?

We ended the night early after trivia night (first time for everything!) and headed back home. As we walked in, Colette was finishing up Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so we decide to start it over and watch it. Throughout the night, everyone started going up to sleep at different times (mostly the ones who had seen it before), and only Jake, Ciara and I were left. It ended around 12:45 am though, so we weren’t too bothered about finishing it. (I got criticized by my housemates for overanalyzing how together the hula dancers were in the movie. My bad. =] )

Well, that’s all I have for now. It’s been a tiring couple of nights for me, so please forgive my lag-i-ness. Miss you all. =]

Lo siento...

I´m uber sorry but I have no update yet. I´m only posting to make sure you all know I´m still okay haha. I just got home from class and I´m uber full from ceviche. =] Which was delicious by the way. It´s their main seafood dish for those of you that don´t know. Google it if you want specifics.

I promise I´ll post stories of today and yesterday (Monday and Tuesday) by tomorrow the latest.

A quick highlight though. Gustar is the verb ¨to like¨, but usually with romantic feelings if you´re talking about a person. So my teacher´s all like (in our private), which guys in your house do you like? I´m thinking he´s talking platonic relationship so I go "Oh todos son bueno!" Then he says "Que cochina!" (How dirty!) "Es como una novela!" Then he explains to me that the correct verb to use for friendly matters is "caer", or to fall. Like..."Oh I fell for this person." Basically, I got a good impression from them. So we laughed about how scandalous I was for "being in love" with ALL the guys in my house. He´s a hilarious teacher though, loves the chissmiss.

Anyways, tomorrow. I promise.

And for those of you who complimented my photos, thank you, but trust that it´s not my photography skills, and only Perú´s beauty which makes my photos seem so nice lol. =]

Hasta mañana.

Hola a todas y muchas fotas.

Hello everyone. Here's a warning that because of my sickness over the weekend, I understand I was late to posting and therefore have posted...about 3 blogs today. So you all should have fun catching up on those blogs, as I had fun typing them all up in bed. =]

But here are some pictures as well that I was finally able to upload.


My very first meal in Peru in the Lima airport. My Sigg bottle full of water, an Inca Kola, and an alfajor. =]

My bedroom. #201. Holler! =]

I can't tell you how happy I was when I found I would only ahve to share the bathroom with my roomates and not the whole hosue.

My shower which can provide the most awesome hot shower if you catch it at the right time.

Had to do the Myspace pic in the bathroom mirror. ;] I look tired after 25 hours of travelling. BLECH.

Marcelo, one of the little boys I work with.

Arianne, this precious little girl at work.

Nicol, the little girl I met that first day that I visited the center.

Arianne with her runny nose. =[

The little boys I work with trying to gather all of the plastic balls and practice their colors and counting.

The side of the mountain that says "Viva El Peru Glorioso. I don't know if the Hollywood sign has anything on this. =]

Catedral en La Plaza de Armas.

The beautiful archways all along the Plaza de Armas.

Cusco is pretty much always this beautiful and bright whenever it's not raining. I love it.

Palacio de Justicia. I'm assuming their City Hall maybe?

The Palacio de Justicia again.

Back ruins area of one of the catedrals.

Back of one of the catedrals. Have yet to visit any of them yet so I'm still not sure what each is called. =]

This awesome Chicharroneria on San Andres with a sign for Adobo!!! I swear, I felt so homesick when I saw this sign. Please send down some adobo, tocino, and filipino bbq. =[

The beginning of the march on Friday against the cut of milk rations.

Yasmin trying to carry a sign. =]

Arianne and her mom.

Yasmin and her mom.

The march on its way through the Plaza de Armas.

Hotel Madison! I took this one for you Maddie. Maybe we'll come back to Peru together and stay there. =]

Some of the boys of the house with their "Pro footballer faces" before trying to find a game. top row: Matt, Jake. Bottom row: Yuen, Ben.

A woman I saw this morning during the protest of the campesinos.

This little residential area a block from Avenida el Sol.

The architecture here is just so amazing. Another archway I saw and loved.

Military hero statues are quite popular here, and there's a whole street lined with them.

Some really extravagant house I saw that I think may or may not belong to some government official or some important person. After all, there were military personnel outside.

This cute little restaurant I saw with little Tiki umbrellas. I'll have to try it one day. =]

Hope you all enjoy my MANY posts. =] Til tomorrow. xxoo

Mi primero domingo. (My first Sunday.)

So I wake up this morning with 13 hours of sleep under my belt, and feeling pretty decent. I sit in bed for a while and contemplate two choices. Do I want to stay home and veg all day again, or do I want to try to go out? I end up deciding that I’ll be determined to feel better through self-hypnosis. My theory was, if I got ready like any other day, taking care to my image and hygiene as I normally would, and act as I would if I were feeling normal, then I would feel normal.

So after taking my time in getting ready, because though I was feeling better, it still took a bit longer tan normal, I went downstairs to find everyone recovering from the party the night before. We’ve all missed breakfast from sleeping in, and decide to head to Jack’s for breakfast. So about twenty minutes later we leave the house and begin on our way. Of course, Liz and I only took five minutes or so to get our stuff together, and ended up waiting on the boys to leave. Funny isn’t it, when the guys take longer than the girls. But Jake explained that that was a stereotype, and usually only applied to nighttime. Girls only take longer when getting ready for a night out, but the rest of the time, guys are allowed their longer preparation time. We decide to walk over to Jack’s, not really caring too much about time on a Sunday morning/afternoon. When we get there, we wait about ten minutes to get seated at two separate tables across the restaurant from each other. But really, this was about food and not socializing, so we had no qualms about the seating setup. I had my breakfast favorite: French Toast and a Strawberry/Lime Frappe. It was so amazingly delicious I was rejoicing silently about feeling better. Later on, we walked on over to the Plaza, deciding it’d be best to walk off the food rather than taxi it. We check the time, and Jake brings up that a football game is about to be on, so we head towards Real McCoys (the English Pub) to catch the game on their nice LCD. It’s a Chelsea vs. Man U game, which ends up in a draw, but was good to watch. During the game, Ben, Simon, Yuen and I play Rummikub, which is actually a pretty fun game. Of course, the game was always paused when we stopped to look up at the TV and forgot whose turn it was. After about three games, I moved on over to one of the bean bags and read a few women’s magazines which is a luxury to find here in Cusco. I felt a bit at home again, reading Cosmopolitan and some Australian magazine named Cleo, even though I’m in fact miles and miles away and reading in a pub on a beanbag. =]

When the game finished, we headed home, and dropped into CCC (the big market near our house) because the boys wanted to pick up a futbol. It was a pretty quick trip since everyone was so goal minded, and we were on our way soon again. But only a few blocks later, we wait because the boys drop by the field to see if they can play a game there later on in the day. Some kids say it should be no problem, so we go back home, they change, and we go out again to watch them play. Of course, we get to the place, and find out that the kids knew nothing, and the place isn’t open for a game at this time today. But some local who wanted in on the game takes us to another park where he says the boys can play. But that park is being used for volleyball at the moment, so we decide to give one last place a go. There’s already a game going on, but it won’t be hard to get in on the next game he says. So Liz and I park ourselves on a bench while the boys (Jake, Matt, Ben and Yuen) begin to eye the competition and stretch.

They played three games, and won the second, but lost the first and third. Of course, the locals had no sympathy at all and were trash talking like no other. Plus the rules here are crazy, like how the goalie can pretty much pick up the ball whenever he wants. Or how they’ll kick the ball out of bounds so ridiculously often just so they can throw it in for a better advantage. Maybe I’m a bit defensive, but the locals were rough, and I saw how crazy red and out of breath the boys were getting from the huge exertion at this altitude. Liz kept teasing me about how into the game I was getting, yelling out extremeties and what not. (I guess it is hereditary, Mommy!)

We went back home after they were done and sat around the couch and relaxed until dinner time. Dinner was pretty good, some chicken soup and fried rice (which I couldn’t finish because my appetite’s still not fully back) and some rice pudding for dessert (which I couldn’t have because I have to avoid dairy). We sit around the couch some more, listening to music and relaxing, and end up watching Goldeneye. It’s at least the second time for most of us, and a lot of us are a lot older now than we were when we first watched it, so we’re constantly laughing at the music choices and cheesy dialogue. We also spend a good deal of time reminiscing about the N64 game and how awesome it was to play in multiplayer. By the way, a little shoutout to the CBs (Chloe, Chris, Chad and Chase), if yall still have the game and the console, I’m so down to play when I get home. =]

Now, I’m ready to sleep so I can get ready for the beginning of a new week, which I’m expecting to be just as fun if not more than this past one.

Missing you all. xxoo

Mi primero Sabado. (My first Saturday.)

Mi primero sabado.

BLECH. Estoy enferma. Nunca tengo hambre y quiero dormir para siempre. (I’m sick. I’m never hungry and I want to sleep for forever.)

Long story short, my “adventurous” tasting of street food has landed me with stomach issues. I have officially been hit by the “Peruvian sickness”. Around 5 am this morning, it hit me and I was in and out of the bathroom a lot more than I would have liked to be. I tried to take a Cipro, but was so nauseous I ended up throwing up all over my bed due to my gag reflex. Because of this, I ended up going downstairs and spending most of the day down there with my microfleece blanket while I waited for my bed to dry. I spent a lot of time on that couch, and over the expanse of the day:
- Watched Charlie Bartlett
- Played the game Clue en español (Pienso que Señora Blanco lo hizo en la sala con la pistol.)
- Watched Memento (CRAZY MOVIE. Someone who likes to overanalyze films please send me and my friends a nice detailed summary of the movie because we were all just so “OMG WHAT?” when the movie ended.)
- Watched Family Guy episodes
I basically spent from 8:30 to 6 around the couch area, with a few trips to my room here and there.

The bummer is that I can’t make the Maximo Nivel party which was tonight because my stomach is just not up for it. No salsa-ing for me this time. Oh welps, there’s always next month. Sorry that today’s entry is quite boring, but try to understand that I’ve pretty much been vegging out and trying to hold in foods and liquids. See you next time (and hopefully I’ll be better by then!) =]

Mi primero viernes. (My first Friday.)

Today was the first actual day that I woke up pretty refreshed and somewhat on time. Made it down to breakfast with a good amount of time, and headed off to work with Liz, Ben , and Luke. We all caught a taxi and got dropped off at our respective spots.

I can assure you that when I woke up this morning, I did not know just how amazing work was going to be today. So I get there and see Natalie, the volunteer from Switzerland. She tells me that today was actually our day off. I was surprised and asked if there was any specific reason why. She explains to me that today there was going to be a march that a lot of the mothers and kids from our center were going to participate in. The protest is about the government’s plan to cut down the ration of milk given to families through whatever program they have here in Peru similar to Welfare. The ration has been 5 litres of milk per family, but the government is trying to cut it down to 3 litres. Natalie and I are both unsure of what the march is going to be like, and if we should participate or not, but we decide to stay around for a bit just to help the Mamitas out. All of the parents had been asked to bring in an empty bottle (either water or Inca Kola or any sort of recyclable bottle). We then filled them all up with milk so that the kids would have enough nutrients during the march. I have to say that it was absolutely amazing to see the kids with their parents. To see how much more relaxed they are, and their genuine smiles and giggles is just a treat that you only see when they’re around their parents. Another precious thing was that even though the march was supposed to mainly be for mothers and their children, there were a good deal of fathers there as well, and even an older brother who came to walk with his two younger brothers.

Once all of the parents that were expected to march had arrived, we left the center and began on our way to the beginning point of the march. Natalie and I still didn’t know if we should participate, but we figured our volunteer houses were in the same direction so we might as well walk with the mothers. Eventually, there’s a visible opening and all of our mothers rush in to fill the spot. Natalie and I go in as well, and are given signs to carry around. I was so proud of mine, which said “While the government gets fatter, our children are getting skinnier.” There were so many great signs out today, I was just overwhelmed by the massive amounts of participation. The march wasn’t very long, and began at the bottom of Avenida el Sol and travelled all the way up to the Plaza de Armas, which then cut into another side street and town square. At the end of the march, there were a lot of cameras there to cover the event. Because I was a participating Gringo, I was actually interviewed. (I know this because they yelled out Gringo! Gringo! Aqui!) So perhaps I’m on some news channel with a little fifteen second spot saying “Un mayoria de estas familias ya tienen vidas dificiles, pero nunca tienen quejas. Pero la primera prioridad de estos padres son sus niños, entonces cuando el gobierno deciden a hacer cosas que afectarán las saludas de estos niños, es obvio que habrá mucha ira y muchas protestas. Pero pienso que hay mucho esperanza con todas las personas que están aquí, y no puedo esperar para una solución.” (A majority of these families already have difficult lives, but they never have complaints. But the main priority of these parents are their children, so when the government decides to do things that will affect the health of these kids, it’s obvious that there will be a lot of anger and a lot of protest. But I think that there is a lot of hope with all the people that are here today, and I can’t wait for a solution.)

The protest only lasted until mid-day, so I had plenty of time to spare before going back home for lunch. By exploring a bit, I found a store called Topitop which has more…”Western” clothes if you will. They were also having a two for one jeans sale, so I decided to stop in. They were almost a cross between Express and H&M. I probably spent a good hour or so in there meticulously looking through every rack and trying on plenty of clothing. In the end, I was able to buy myself two pairs of jeans, a nice olive windjacket, some Bermuda shorts that double for clubbing and professional wear, and a couple of shirts. It was a bit of a spree yes, but I suppose I didn’t think of it until afterwards. And though I don’t regret any of my purchases, in hindsight, I feel a tad bit bad that after protesting against the government’s mistreatment of these families which have so little, I ended up spending a decent load of money on myself.

On the way home, I made a few more stops. I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up some cold medicine and vitamins, just because I felt a bit of a scratchy throat coming on. I wasn’t really too sure about the vitamins, but the lady behind the counter made a good sell and I couldn’t resist. I’m a bit of a chicken and have yet to try the vitamins cause they’re a bit horse-pill-y. After the pharmacy, I made a purchase of the most delicious pineapple. Granted it was out of a wheelbarrow, so we’ll see how this works out for me. After that, I dropped into one of the markets and picked myself up a navy visor beanie and some gold hoops with tiny llamas engraved. I only brought my diamond studs here, so I was beginning to feel not like myself without some hoops on. =].

After getting home for some lunch, Todd and I decided to head over to El Molino (their legal black market here, low priced electronics and everything else, yet they pay taxes haha) and go on a hunt for pillows and board games. You see, the pillows that we have here in the house are quite flat, and don’t do anything for the lungs or comfort of your neck. It was only about a five minute taxi ride away, so I knew there’d be enough time before heading over to class. It was such a crazy Mecca of items there, we had to try hard to keep blinders on for our pillows and board games. We first saw this lady with some pillows, but she was asking for forty soles, so we walked on. Soon afterwards, we saw Clue for fifteen soles and decided it’d be a pretty fun game to play in Spanish. And very shortly after that, we found another game stand that had Pictionary for twenty soles. I ultimately bartered it down to fifteen soles again so we were happy for our 5 dollar board games that we were sure everyone else would enjoy. Though the board games were an easy find, I can’t say the same for pillows. We passed such a large number of stands after the games that we were sure the reason the lady was charging forty soles was because she knew she was the only one. But low and behold, we found a stand that had pillows hanging off of hooks which just looked so amazingly comfortable. I asked the lady how much it would cost, and we were told that it would be eighteen soles for the large pillows. Eighteen was the most beautiful number in the world, so we immediately bought them. On the way out, we also stopped by one of the MANY DVD stands and picked up a few things. I picked up Charlie Bartlett, the supposed Ferris Bueller of my generation, figuring that even if it was bad, 1 dollar wouldn’t be too much of a waste of an investment. By the way, they have iPod nanos and classics for 160 soles (54 bucks or so) which I hear are pretty legit, so let me know if you need one or any sort of electronic in general. =]

We got home with the biggest grins on our faces, so proud of our accomplished mission. It was like we were going home after winning the game; it was that great of a feeling. I left pretty soon after that, because I wanted to stop by some side streets near Maximo to see if I could find myself a hair dryer. I’ve mostly been letting it dry by putting it into French braids or a bun, so I thought a cheap hairdryer might not be too bad of an investment. But my luck had it that the stores I was told were supposed to have these things were actually closed, and I went to class empty handed.

Class itself was pretty fun, since it was the last class with my teacher before she went on vacation, and my two other classmates are leaving on Monday. During break we actually had a really great conversation, because Mona is a 3rd year resident at UCLA specializing in Internal Medicine, while Erin is applying to Med school and is thinking of Child Psychiatry as well. It’s amazing how many people down here are in the med field and have so much to tell me about planning out my future. It’s an amazing amount of help that I would not have expected to find down here on my trip.

To finish off class, we listened to the song “La camisa negra” by Juanes, to practice our listening skills. We were given a lyrics sheet with blank spaces that we were supposed to fill in. It was pretty hilarious how off we were for some of the lines, but we just laughed it off. The song was pretty catchy, and quite depressing at the same time. It was about the guy only having a black shirt, because it symbolized the mourning of the death of their love. After class, I bumped into Simon who had just gotten back from his class field trip to the bar, and we walked home.

I met this kid Tzvi, who was visiting our place for the night because he was friends with Ben and they were jamming on their guitars. It was pretty funny just sitting around and hearing them adlib some stuff. Tzvi’s also eighteen and on a gap year, and actually from New York city. He’ll be going to Lewis & Clark in the fall, because he wanted a change from the city. He told me he’ll be sure to let me in on all of the best of New York City though, and maybe show me around when he’s back home and I’m there as well. Dinner came around, and we all ate, and then all got ready to go out. After all, it was Friday night. =] We ended up walking all the way from our house to San Blas, where there was this bar that’s owned by the family of one of the teachers at Maximo Nivel. We all went to the back patio area and had a good time lounging on the patio benches.

Afterwards, we decided to hit a few discotecas to go dancing. I’ll start off with a warning here that this was quite an interesting night. After the first club, Matt and I somehow got separated from the rest of the group, and it was only us two and Jorge (the Maximo teacher) and Jorge’s nephew travelling together. Now here comes the part that I warned about: it is ridiculous how readily available all sorts of drugs here are. I was offered free cocaine straight from the jungle three times, in the same club, on the same night. Of course I’ve seen my good share of documentaries, tv shows and movies, read my fair share of articles and books, and seen enough people affected by other addictions to know right from wrong. I profusely refused all offers, and when they wouldn’t back off, Matt just pretended to be my older brother who was very strict and keeping a watchful eye on me all night. I’m actually very proud of myself and my will power to refuse the drugs, but it’s still a sickening thought to me of all of the people that probably gave into the offer because they figured they were on vacation in another country and out to have a fun night. I’m just extremely grateful that I was raised to be strong enough to pass up the offer, and to be surrounded by friends and family who have the same strength as well.

Towards the end of the night, we were about to head into one more place, but there was an entrance fee of thirty soles that I was not down to pay. I kept saying, “I don’t care how popular this place is, I’m not paying thirty soles.” So we ended up taking a taxi home, and being greeted by everyone waiting for us in the living room, wondering what had happened to us.

Overall it was an amazing day, and a fun night, and a fantastic way to start off the weekend. Hasta mañana. xxoo

Mi primero jueves. (My first Thursday.)

I shall warn you all ahead that Thursday (today) was very much a day of recuperation after discoteca-hopping. I didn’t get much sleep the night before because we had gotten in at two, and then my roommate left around 5:30 in the morning, which is when I woke up. I pretty much stayed up at that point knowing I wouldn’t really be able to fall back asleep. I decided I would head downstairs and maybe watch some TV or listen to my iPod. However, depression of all depressions, I look and see this little sad face icon staring back at me. So I freak out and go onto the internet and try to figure out how to fix this, since my iPod keeps flashing “apple.com/support/iPod”. So I try to reset and restore and all of those wonderful things they suggest, all without success. Finally, I’m so frustrated that I unplug my ipod from the charger in the wall and it drops. At this point I’m thinking it doesn’t matter, my iPod’s already dead. But for some reason, that hard kick in the butt to my iPod reset it and everything’s all fine now. So future tip: IF YOUR IPOD ISN’T WORKING, JUST DROP IT. =] (And I actually looked it upon google and apparently the dropping helps reconnect some wires that might have become disconnected.)

As one may assume, after a night of partying, the breakfast table was quite quiet and not much conversation went on other than “Can you pass the…?” After breakfast, it was off to work, which wasn’t easy. The concept of bed was a much more appealing decision, but there’s no success without sacrifice…or something like that.

Work wasn’t bad, and much like the day before, except the kids were a bit rowdier than normal. I’m still trying to upload those pictures, so you all can see some of the kids that I work with. I always feel so unsure of how to address the children. Should I be firmer with them or should I be the compassionate one they can feel comfortable playing with? The Mamitas (main workers, heads of the daycare) are very loud and strict and firm 99% of the time and sometimes I’m not sure if the kids are all that deserving of the harsh tones. Trust me, there are times when it is well deserved, such as when they roll around pulling each other’s hairs and hitting with big blocks, but a majority of time, they just want attention.

Went back home after work because I was still tired out of my mind, and then took the hottest shower in the world which was possibly the best thing I’ve experienced in Cusco so far. A bit exaggerated yes…but not by much. =] I suppose I lucked out by taking a shower midday since hardly anyone was home. For lunch I just had a soup because my appetite wasn’t too big, and the soups here are so huge anyhow.

After lunch I heavily contemplated whether or not to go to Spanish class cause I just wanted that nap so badly. But the little Catholic girl felt guilty about skipping, and I kept telling myself I’d only be cheating myself if I didn’t go and improve my Spanish. So I ended up leaving around 2:30 to allow myself the most leisurely walk in the world. However, Ben and Luke were headed to the gym at the time, so we all caught a taxi together and I ended up having plenty of time to hang out on my laptop. Around 3:30, I remembered that I was on the hunt for tweezers because monsters were starting to grow above my eyes, so I headed up to the Inka Farma (Incan Pharmacy). Pretty much their Walgreens, just with a cooler name. And oh my, the pharmacies here operate on such an intense level. After choosing what you need, one of the workers will tell you how much it costs and write you out a little slip with the price. Then you have to head over to the cashier area to pay, where they stamp some official looking form which you then take to the “package pick up” area and are given your purchases after they stamp your official form AGAIN. So I bought my tweezers and some Nivea lotion, because the air here just dries out your skin like no other. (By the way, everyone who I told I was coming back tan and fit, I lied. I live solely on carbs here and salty soups that lock in the fat, and I have to sunscreen it up everyday to avoid intense sunburn since at 12,500 feet, the sun is pretty close.)

Class went pretty well, and I was pretty happy I went, since I truly believe that every conversation I have in Spanish pushes me just this much closer to fluency. Still, class wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so I have no special comments on it for today.

When class was done, I found Simon and Matt and we walked back home. I had my first anticucho which is their skewer that they sell on street corners here. Every book or guide will tell you not to eat the street food, but I figured I might as well get it in now after I just had the ice the night before. I’d rather get sick one time than two. =] (I know some of you may be cringing at my lack of following the travel safety rules, but I couldn’t resist the skewer! It made me miss Fil-am. =] Which by the way is better because it’s a lot less salty. Another fun fact, apparently the meat they use for the anticucho skewers here are beef heart. I’m adventurous, I know. =])
For dinner we had Pizza and garlic bread, a nice little taste of back home. And I hope no one takes this the wrong way…but Peruvian pizza is not much more than a Lunchables pizza. Not very crunchy or greasy enough to soothe the soul. =]

A little music session followed dinner where we just all explored each other’s iPods to see everyone else’s interests and played a couple of favorite songs on the speakers for two hours. Sleep followed VERY soon after. =]

Anyways, as I said, Thursday was a day of recuperation, and therefore not all too eventful. Still, I hope it’s enough of an update to keep you all satisfied. Til next time.
P.S. If you’re reading this Ms. Raeff, they say “Salud” here instead of “Jesus,” which is what I’m used to saying when someone sneezes. Therefore, everytime someone sneezes and I say “Jesus” in lieu of “Bless you”, everyone seems to think I’m overreacting to a sneeze. =]