Week 2

Hola!

Yep, as I said I'm horrible about being consistent with this sorry!

Last Thursday was my best day here by far. Two of the other volunteers and I went on a hike up past the White Christ, and came across a German couple that told us about a trail to the Temple of the Moon. We kept wandering along, and eventually just came across these old ruins nestled into rock faces. It was amazing - the previous views I had seen were of the city, but we were on the other face of the mountains, looking across rolling green stretches of Andes scattered with ruins, with very few people around. There is so much Incan history in Cusco that a group of sacrificial temples just beyond the outskirts of the city are not even a tourist attraction, which allows for a really peaceful visit. We got a tour from the local who explained some of the history, then hiked further and meditated for awhile in the sun on top of a mountain.
On the way down I stopped by my friend's hostal in San Blas and got my hair wrapped by an artist in the street, got to practice my Spanish with him for over an hour which was great. And then that evening the majority of the volunteers went out for a night of Karoake (sp?), which was quite interesting in itself - I even sang a song or two (Talking Heads and Garth Brooks(?!) With other people of course). I should probably be embarassed, but it was a lot of fun.

On the weekend I was a tourist, going on the Cusco City Tour and the Tour of Sacred Valley. The first tour I could have done without, as I discovered after that the majority of the sites were of Incan ruins I would have preferred to have hiked to, which would have been much more gratifying that have been shuttled around in a bus. Sacred Valley was beautiful - we saw a demonstration of how they clean, spin, dye using natural elements, and then weave the wool from the llamas to make their wares, which was really interesting. We went to 2 major sites of ruins, and stopped a delicious buffet restaurant on the way home (I ate Alpaca :/ I feel like a bad person but it was actually really delicious). It was a good day, but due to the flooding and a washed out bridge we didn't get to one of the other major sites which was disappointing. One thing I've learned though - if there's an earthquake I'm running directly to the nearest Incan structure - despite pillaging of the stones by the conquistadors, they have withstood the test of time and are incredible and sturdy. Not that I have an escape route or anything...

Besides that things have been relatively "routine", I've continued to have Spanish classes in the morning and to work at the same home in the afternoons. Next week I'm going to start doing the Construction project in the mornings though, and possibly continue at the home (the girls will start school, and I think that with my level of Spanish I may be able to help them with there homework, at least that way I'll feel like I'm actually contributing!) A few people from our volunteer house left and a lot more came in, so we are full capacity with 19 (16 of which are female). It seems like a good group, and it's nice knowing that none of them have done the excursions yet, so it will be easier to plan small trips (hopefully next weekend to Lake Titicaca!).

Some more good and bad:
Bad: Did I mention toilet paper can't go in the toilets? And on that note, I finally got sick (as expected), but it really wasn't that bad. My stomach hurt for two days, but I took medication I brought with me from the travel clinic and it cleared up. I didn't even have to miss any classes or volunteering.
The sun has been relatively scarce, but it's ok because it's incredibly strong - if I'm out in it for more than 10 minutes without sunblock I'm guaranteed to burn. Which has happened to my scalp numerous times, which is pretty hideous when it peels :( Next item I purchase is going to be a hat or bandana, I'm an idiot for not bringing any.
Two of my roommates are doing the medical volunteering - they were both scribes in a hospital at home prior to coming here, which essentially just entails following around an ER doctor and taking notes for him. Here, however, one has been doing transvaginal ultrasounds and the other taking out stiches. And did I mention that neither of them really speak Spanish? They've been learning those skills primarily through hand gestures and broken Spanglish. That coupled with their reports of the sanitation only reinforces my goal to stay out of the hospital here!

Good: I still have pretty much loved every single meal I've had here, including the ceviche they served for lunch. I've still pretty much only eaten at the house (except this weekend on the Sacred Valley tour - which just happened to be right before I got sick...I'm going to guess that that wasn't a coincidence), and they serve all sorts of different typical Peruvian dishes, they haven't made the same meal twice. Did I mention I love food?
Just in general I'm really happy I'm here. I love and miss everyone at home a lot, but I'm so grateful for this experience and the opportunity to be doing this. Still so excited for all of the other things I'm going to do, I'll keep you posted(eventually)!