Goodbye Cuzco, Hello Vancouver

On my last two days in Cuzco I didn't do too much because I had just returned from Arequipa and most of the other volunteers were away in Machu Picchu. I spent Sunday packing up my things and then made one last visit to the Maximo offices to say goodbye to the staff. Once I returned to the house Gaby and Priscila were making dinner. At first I asked if I could watch and then when Priscila started to make dessert I asked if I could help. It seems that even in Peru I can't stay away from the kitchen! We made a Pisco Sour mousse and afterward I showed them my food blog, which can be found here, and pictures of my food on Facebook. They were both impressed and said they wished I could cook it for them.

In the evening Gaby invited me to accompany her to a crepes party at a cafe in San Blas Plaza called Pantastico. The cafe is owned by a couple with the man originating from Switzerland and the woman a local Peruvian. Gaby's boyfriend Henry works there as a baker and his specialty is oreo cheesecake. During the evening I was able to learn more about Gaby such as the fact that she's from Trujillo, a city in the north of Peru, and that she has been working as a cook at our volunteer house La Florida for five months now. Prior to getting the job she went to culinary school for two years. I also found out that she is the same age as me and has a sister who is one year younger than my brother. I had a great time at the crepes party and I think it was the perfect way to spend my last night in Cuzco, doing something I really enjoy. The crepes were made for us, though I got to flip some myself, and there were a variety of both sweet and savory fillings.

The next morning I woke up with a good feeling, ready to go home. Once I finished packing my suitcase I used Ariella's computer to upload the last of my pictures from my trip to Facebook. Unfortunately I had to use the "basic uploader" which could only handle five pictures at a time. Combined with the slow Peruvian internet it took me an hour and a half to upload fifty pictures; when I finally finished I felt a sense of relief. My last little "hoorah" in Cuzco involved going to El Molino with Merisa. It's a market that sells literally everything from DVDs, shoes, clothes, cameras, TVs...you name it, they have it. We also went souvenir shopping and I found it so much fun to bargain and haggle the prices, especially when it wasn't even for me. We ended up getting some great deals and were able to cross a lot of things off her list. When we returned to the house I ate lunch with the others, said my goodbyes, and then hailed a taxi for the airport.

At the airport I was pleased to see Melissa and Dustin on the same flight as me from Cuzco to Lima. Then in Lima I ran into Sheila whom I had met the night before at the crepes party. Apparently I must look like a very dangerous person to both the Peruvian and United States officials because I was "randomly" selected three times to have my bags thoroughly searched through. Once in Lima when I arrived, the second time prior to boarding my flight to San Francisco, and the last time while passing through US customs in San Francisco. It was annoying because each time I had to repack my bag and, being the organized person that I am, I had everything packed within bags in my luggage. Each time they ruffled through a bag I had to put everything back into it and then into my suitcase. Fortunately, I was quick about it and got used to the process after having to repeat it three times.

In the Lima airport I had a very long layover of eight hours but luckily I was able to spend it with Melissa, Dustin, and Sheila because they too had to wait until past midnight for their flights. I am so glad that I had all of them to keep me company because I don't know what I would have done for so long by myself in the airport. I was also lucky to have an empty seat next to me on the flight from Lima to San Francisco and was able to sleep most of the way.

Looking back over my trip I think that I spent the perfect amount of time in Peru. I was able to see everything that I wanted and at the same time I rarely found myself without something to do. I'm actually very proud of myself for writing in my journal each and everyday, even when I was too tired or the day hadn't been too exciting in my opinion. I think that knowing I had people back home reading about my adventures really motivated me to chronicle my trip and all of my experiences. Thank you to everyone who read my blog; I genuinely hoped it helped shed a new light on a different part of the world and inspired others to think about trying something new and outside their comfort zone.

City Tour and Arequipa

Thursday was my last day working at the clinic and at the end of my shift I said goodbye to Yovanna and Señora Alicia who told me that the doors of Cuzco are always open to me. In the afternoon Zack, Ariella, and I were supposed to go on the city tour together but Ariella came home late from the jungle and was too tired so she stayed home and rested. The tour itself was alright; we were the only English speaking people on the bus and the guide asked if he could run the tour in Spanish and answer any questions we may have had in the end. We both agreed but also noticed that when the guide started to talk for longer than five minutes we would tend to zone out because it requires active concentration on both our parts to think in Spanish. During the tour we visited Saqsayhuaman (pronounced "sexy woman"), Tambomachay, Pukapukara, and Q´enqo.

At the end of the tour I quickly said goodbye to Zack and then bolted out of the bus because I was running late for my bus to Arequipa and I still had to stop by the house to collect my things and eat dinner. During my taxi ride the driver made conversation with me by talking about the differences between Canada and Peru in population, size, and attitude toward marriage between Natives and local people. It was the most interesting taxi ride I have had to date and in the end he complimented me on my Spanish. After being in Cuzco for three weeks I have definitely noticed an improvement in my Spanish though I still have to use a lot of hand gesturing and random English words. Once I came home and finished getting ready Ariella and I left for the bus terminal for our ten hour overnight busride to Arequipa. The bus itself was pretty nice and the chairs leaned back 45° in our "economy class", in the downstairs area they leaned back even more to be almost like a full bed. I didn't mind our seats because there was no one in front or behind us so we had extra space to ourselves. In order to check-in for our busride we had to be fingerprinted and were briefly filmed by a security guard holding a camcorder. Originally I was worried about pickpocketers taking my things while I slept but I hugged my bag the whole way and I felt better knowing that Ariella was sitting next to me.

We arrived in Arequipa the next morning at 5:30 AM and by the time we were collected from the bus station and met up with the rest of the group it was 8 AM. We started our tour by driving to the small village of Chivay. On our bus we were once again the only English speaking tourists and the rest were mostly from Lima. The bus ride was quite long, about 4 hours, but we made a couple of stops along the way. Once we arrived in Chivay we were driven to our hostels and then got to relax for an hour before being taken to the hot springs. Unfortunately, Ariella wasn't feeling well so I went to the hot springs without her. The hot springs consisted of six different pools, some covered and some not, and a series of locker rooms and showers. Unlike the hot springs at Aguas Calientes, these pools had clear water and were not muddy and wierd looking. It was so cold outside that I thought for sure I would only stay in the covered part but it was actually more pleasant to be in the open air becaue the small amount of rain felt refreshing compared to the temperature of the hot springs.

Afterward I walked around the small market across from our hostel with one of the girls from our group, Eva. She told me that she is currently studing in Rome to be a mechanical engineer though she is originally from Lima. At dinner she also introdued me to her friend Yvette whose grandparents live in Arequipa and she has come to visit. Once again, I found myself glad that my Spanish has improved and I am now able to carry on conversations with people around me. It was too bad that Ariella wasn't feeling well and had to stay home because the dinner featured live music and folklore dancing. However because she wan't present I was forced to go a little outside of my comfort zone and actively socialize with the other Peruvian girls. I may not have been 100% comfortable with my Spanish but it was enough to make a memorable and enjoyable evening.

On Saturday morning we woke up early yet again to depart for Colca Canyon at 6 AM. The night before there had been some sort of parade going on when we went to bed consisting of lots of loud singing and banging on drums. It's a good thing we were so tried from the day before that we were able to fall asleep despite all the noise. Along the way to Colca Canyon we stopped by the small towns of Yanque and Maca and I was able to take a picture with a condor on my arm. Once we arrived in Colca Canyon we were able to watch the condors fly over the river and above the canyon. There were about 5-6 condors flying overhead and at one point, as I was sitting on the ledge observing them, one landed on a rock in front of me. We spent an hour and a half at the canyon before boarding the bus to return to Chivay for lunch and then back to Arequipa. During one of our "picture" stops I was able to try a cactus fruit which looked like a round kiwi but tasted very sour.

Back in Arequipa we had to wait for about four hours for our bus back to Cuzco. I was originally going to walk around with Eva but she had some sort of issues with her transport to Lima and had to go take care of it. Ariella still had a headache and wasn't feeling well enough to walk around but much to her excitement and surprise we found a Starbucks and she happily sat there with our things using the internet on her phone while I went shopping. To finish off our trip we ate dinner at a restaurant on a rooftop terrace overlooking the main square, also called Plaza d'Armas. It was so pleasant to sit over the city and watch the lights while eating out pizza. They even provided us with woolen ponchos to wear and there was live music. It was a great wasy to finish off the weekend, though I wish Ariella had felt better. I'm glad I got to meet Eva and have some interesting conversations with her. I can't believe my trip is almost over but I'm looking forward to coming home and getting back to the clean air of Vancouver, as well as some fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet and not just rice, bread, and potatoes.  

Taking in Some Ruins, Culture, and More Shopping

On Monday morning I left my house a little late and as I was walking toward the bus stop I saw my combi (the name for the public transportation around here) already there. I started to run toward the next stop and luckily there was a red light so I was able to outrun the combi and make it. At the clinic we were fairly busy because there were a lot of doctors working that day. I have come to notice by now that Yovanna, the technician I work with, and the clinic really try to stretch out every sole they spend on medical supplies. For example, rather than use cotton balls and gauze straight from the package, Yovanna showed me how to cut the existing materials and reroll/refold them to create a bigger quantity. I´m curious as to how much money this saves because it is definitely time intensive.

After placement that day, Zack and I decided to go to Tipon. He had gotten directions to the bus stop and we were both expecting to find a station similar to that of the buses for Pisac or Urubamba. In reality the stop was just like any other paradero for the combis and it took us about half and hour to find. It´s a good thing I had asked Yovanna about it prior to leaving the clinic in the morning because she explained where to look for it. Once we finally found the stop and got on the bus it took us about 45 minutes to get to Tipon. At first when we got to the ruins I looked around and thought for sure we would be done in 20 minutes, however as we started walking around we just kept going up the mountain and lost track of time. The only reason why we turned around was because we noticed that the sun was starting to set and we wanted to make sure we could find a taxi back down. It was so nice to walk around in the fresh open air and enjoy the quiet solitude of the ruins. There were few people which also gave it a different feel from the other more popular ruins such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo.

On Tuesday Zack and I created our own "Cuzco Culture Day" by visiting many of the museums that were included as part of our tourist ticket. After lunch we started off by going with Merisa to the Paccacutec statue and then we met up with my tandem partner Alexandra and hit up three different museums. I liked the historical regional museum the best because it had the most to look at and the captions were interesting to read. Both the contemporary art museum and the popular art museum didn't have much to offer but we felt compeled to go because it was included in our ticket. Once we finished with the museums Alexandra went with me to the bank so that I could take out more of the donation money I collected and buy more supplies. Since we knew it would be our last chance to see each other before I leave we said our goodbyes and she gave me a coin purse with a nice design of Machu Picchu stitched into it.

One of the staff at Maximo Nivel went shopping with me and we bought sanitary items and clothing for the children at the orphanages. I had also wanted to buy books but we ran out of time so today I went back to a bookstore with Merisa and her tandem partner Ángel. He was extremely helpful to have around because he works at Merisa's placement, Hogar San Pedro, which is an orphanage where they teach English. He knew exactly what types of books the children needed and and the different reading abilities that the books could cater to. Because I was paying in cash and buying such a large quantity, the bookstore gave me a discount in the end. Including the clothing, sanitary items, and books I spent 2500 soles which is roughly equivalent to $925 CAD.

I bought:

• 30 pairs of pants
• 30 shirts
• 12 sweaters
• 10 bottles of hand sanitizer
• 10 packages of baby wipes
• 4 boxes of kleenex
• 77 English books of various reading levels

I felt really good afterword and could tell that this particular purchase is going to make a difference because Ángel was so excited about it. As soon as we returned to the office he picked out the books he wanted most for Hogar San Pedro and the rest I left for the staff to distrubute amongst other placements. Since I will not be here once they deliver all of the clothes, books, and sanitary items, I asked for them to email me a list of where all of the things eventually end up. I am very grateful to all of the people who donated their money and trusted my judgement to spend it in the best possible way. I hope that I have made them proud and that the things I bought will be appreciated by those who recieve them.

I continued my cultural explorations of Cuzco after finishing all of my donation-related shopping by going to the Inca Museum and then watching a traditional Peruvian dance performance in the evening. The Inca Museum was interesting because it had a lot of artifacts that were discovered from various Inca regions in and around Cuzco. In the courtyard of the museum there were ladies who sat and wove traditional Inca textiles using large looms. The performance featured six couples dressed in colorful Peruvian clothing and dancing to music being played by a live band behind them. During one of the dances audience participation was encouraged and due to the fact that I was sitting in the aisle I got pulled up on stage to dance with one of the men.

After the show I met up with a bunch of people to try a local Peruvian delicacy called Cuy, which is a boiled and roasted guinea pig. The restaurant we went to, Don Carlos, was really nice and the waiter was very sweet and understanding when we took about 10 minutes for everyone to take pictures with the Cuy before he cut it up. As far as the taste goes, I didn't think it was too bad. The skin itself was very tough and chewy but the meat resembled that of dark chicken and surprisingly the meat from inside the head tasted best. I think the most off-putting part about it was the fact that we knew we were eating guinea pig and it was being served to us whole.

Machu Picchu

This weekend I finally went to go see Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world. I had to wake up early Saturday morning to be taken to the train station to catch our 6:40 AM train. I went on the trip with Zack and another volunteer I met on my first day named Susan, a nice lady who is a school teacher from New Hampshire and in her late 50s. We took the vistadome train which had windows all along the sides and ceiling and were served breakfast during our rides. Susan and I were seated together and we chatted all throughout the three and a half hour train ride about ourselves and what inspired each of us to come to Peru. Once we arrived and stepped off the train we realized how different Machu Picchu and the town of Aguas Calientes are from Cuzco. Because it is situated on the edge of the jungle the altitude is much lower and the air more humid than in Cuzco. it was quite hot by the time we arrived though it was only 10 AM.

We spent the afternoon walking around the town and and walked part of the road that the buses use to go up to Machu Picchu. We also went to go check out the hot springs but didn't actually swim in them because it was very hot outside and the water didn't look too appealing. Although the atmosphere was pleasant, I was glad that we weren't spending longer than two days in the town because apart from restaurants and hotels there was nothing else and it made for a very boring afternoon if you weren't going up to see the mountain. When we headed out for dinner we ran into Allison who had arrived the day prior and had just come down from the ruins. We had dinner together and I ordered Alpaca a la Parrilla (grilled Alpaca) and quite enjoyed it, noticing that it had a similar taste to steak. After dinner Susan and I kept Allisson company until she had to go board her train back to Cuzco and then we capped off the evening by meeting with our tour guide Miguel who briefly explained to us what time to meet him and what to bring with us the next day.

The next morning we woke up early once again to have breakfast and pack up our things before heading off to the bus station to stand in line and wait for a bus to take us up the mountain. I must admit that the hotel that we stayed in was extremely nice and I had probably the best night's sleep since I have arrived in Peru. Not only was there water, but Susan and I were each able to have two hot showers during our stay. By the time we took the bus up and got through the entry point it was 7:15 AM and we met up with Miguel and the rest of the group to being our tour. Miguel explained the history of Machu Picchu, meaning "old mountain" and said that it was founded sometime around 1430 and took about 70-80 years to build. When the Inca living there heard of the coming Spanish conquistadors from surrounding villages they fled to the jungle and established the city of Vilcabamba. Abandoned, Machu Picchu became overgrown with vegetation and was "lost" until 1911 when it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University. He hired a group of local workers and worked for four years to fully excavate the site. In the process they found many Inca artifacts which were taken back to Yale University in the USA and were supposed to be returned within 18 months. Only two months ago, celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu, some of the artifacts have been returned to Peru and the rest are expected to come by December. It is actually a very lucky thing for us today that the Spanish never found Machu Picchu otherwise it would be yet another site of ruins like Pisac and Ollantaytambo instead of an almost complete village.

We walked all along the village, through the main gate, the agricultural sector, the temple zone, the astronomical observatory and the temple of the three windows, the main square, the temple of the condor and past the ceremonial rock, and along the fountains and temple of the sun. I took so many pictures from so many different spots but I wonder how much I will remember as to the significance of each location once I return home. The tour finished around 10 AM and then we walked up to the hut take out "postcard" pictures. We then walked first to the Inca bridge and then to the sun gate. The sun gate provided a different view of Machu Picchu and Waynupicchu, which only 400 people a day are allowed to climb. The hike up the the sun gate was exhausting enough so I can't imagine how anyone could be crazy enough to want to climb up Waynupicchu at this altitude. Once we walked back down we had just enough time to sit and admire the view before returning to the bus station to catch our bus to the back to the train. I think that I spent the perfect amount of time up there, not too much and not too little, and got to see everything I wanted to see. On the way out we all stamped our passports and got maps of Machu Picchu. It was definitely a tiring weekend but it was well worth every penny I spent; I greatly enjoyed my time with both Zack and Susan and have no regrets about anything.

I took a great deal of photos and for anyone interested in seeing them, and others from the rest of my trip so far, they can be accessed by clicking here.

Sacred Valley and Horseback Riding

Due to the fact that July 28 is Peruvian Independence Day, Thursday and Friday were national holdiays and we all had the two days off of work. Yesterday was quite an exhausting day as Zack, Ariella, and I went on a tour of the Sacred Valley which went through Pisac, Urubamba (for lunch), Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. We left Cuzco at 9 AM and returned around 7:15 PM. Even though I had been to Pisac on Sunday, we actually went to a different part of the market during the tour and I bought myself a pair of earrings. We then went to the ruins and Pisac and climbed part of the way up. The Pisac ruins consist of a series of terraces (96 total) similar to those at Moray. The ruins looked very cool but I was glad that we walked only a small portion instead of the whole thing because it was quite sunny and hot while we were there.

After Pisac, we were taken to Urubamba for a buffet style lunch. There was a lot of food and I was finally able to try ceviche which made me really happy because I had been actively trying to do so for the past two days. I enjoyed it, though it was a little strong on the red onion flavor, but Zack didn't like it. Once we finished lunch we headed to the ruins at Ollaytaytambo. Once again there was a series of terraces which the guide, Carlos, explained were used by the Inca to create microclimates for agricultural purposes. The Inca used the terraces to domesticate wild crops harvested from the jungle. Although i have been in Cuzco for almost two weeks now, I still find myself getting easily winded when I exert myself due to the high altitude. Even when I walk to the clinic in the mornings, the slight uphill of the road causes me to have difficulty breathing. While climbing the ruins yesterday I realized that I'm not prepared to climb Machu Picchu this weekend. Our last stop was to Chinchero where we saw their Cathedral, with heavy Spanish influence, and browsed the markets. I really enjoyed the whole day and I'm glad that we were able to see so much.

Today I went horseback riding with my old housemates Ruby, Alisa, Melissa, Johanna (and her boyfriend Phil), and Cristina who is from Toronto and was teaching English with Johanna at her placement. The whole ride was about three hours long and we got off a couple of times to see the Temple of the Moon and also the inside of a cave. It was a very peaceful ride on my horse Patcha who was half Peruvian Paso and half Creole. One of the reasons why the ride was so enjoyable was because we were up above the city and air was nice nice and fresh, not filled with smog from all of the cars.

Afterward we all went to our respective houses before meeting up again for dinner at Patchapapa's restarant in San Blas Plaza. It was Johanna, Phil, and Cristina's last night as well as Melissa's birthday tomorrow so it was kind of a celebratory dinner in a way. I really loved getting to spend the day with my old housemates and I found out that I will most likely see Melissa and her boyfriend Dustin again because we are all booked on the same flight from Cuzco to Lima. That makes me glad because I believe they also have a long layover in Lima and we can spend it together.

Making Chocolate and Exploring Cuzco

My week started off great on Monday with my new job at the clinic. I now work in the outpatient portion of the clinic helping the technician Yovanna with charting, filing, registering patients, and the occasional injection or bandages. I like my new job because I finally feel like I am being useful because I am doing things that are very similar to what I used to do when I worked as a medical office assistant. On Monday I assisted Nely change the bandages for a woman who was in a car accident three months ago and is now completely paralyzed. Because she is bedridden and had been lying in the same position for so long the blood has stopped circulating to certain areas and she has developed tunneling ulcers. Although right now they are pretty bad looking, Nely explained to me that with proper care and cleaning the ulcers can eventually close over and heal. Unfortunately, the woman also had to receive a tracheotomy and will have to breathe through a tube in her throat for the rest of her life. It was very interesting, although somewhat terrifying, for me to observe but I'm glad that I had the opportunity to assist.

After the clinic Ashleigh, Neja, Ariella and I went to the Choco Museo for our chocolate making workshop. It was so much fun to get to learn about the entire process, from growth of the cocoa trees to fermenting the beans and then drying and roasting them to separate the husks from the cocoa nibs. It was also interesting to be able to try the chocolate in many different forms such as the nib before and after the roasting as well as tea made from the husks with some sugar added. We also tried hot chocolate in two ways: the first a spicy, traditional Aztec version with chili powder added and the second made the European way with milk, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. the Aztec hot chocolate was quite biter and, even though I like spiciness, it was not pleasant tasting. The second hot chocolate tasted much better in mine and everyone else's opinions. At the end we each got to make our own chocolates using trays that had molds for us to fill. I made several with almonds and peanuts, a few with oreos, cocoa nibs, and coffee beans, a couple with salt, and one with cinnamon powder.

The next day Ariella and I went all around the Plaza d'Armas and found out tour information regarding the Sacred Valley and Arequipa. There are so many different travel agencies that it's hard to know which one to go with, especially considering that they all seem to offer similar tours and prices. In the end we settled on two different agencies and booked our Sacred Valley tour for this Thursday and our trip to Arequipa for Friday and Saturday of next week.

Today Zack and I visited the Qoricancha Museum which is actually underground and houses Inca ceramics and mummies. It was both interesting and freaky to learn that apparently the Inca used special "pillows" and bandages to stretch out babies' skulls as soon as they were born as a sign of social status. After walking down Avenue de la Cultura back to the Plaza we wanted to try and find the Fallen Angel restaurant we had heard so much about. We didn't know exactly where it was but there was a man on stilts promoting a club and he said that he would show us the way. We were highly amused following him through the streets and were surprised at his ease in waking uphill along the cobblestones in stilts. When we finally got there I wanted a picture with him and instead of paying him the standard one sol, as is custom here, he asked me instead for payment in kisses so I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. We didn't actually end up eating at Fallen Angel because it was quite pricey but we went inside to check out the decor and it was extremely unusual.

Donations, Ruins, and the Market

This past weekend I finally traveled outside of the city and went to see some ruins and the famous market. Before my weekend trips, I went on Friday with the accountant at the clinic, Edgar, to buy supplies using the money I collected for donations. We were able to buy quite a lot and I spent almost 1000 soles, about $360 CAD. It was such a large amount to be donated that he was actually racking his brains trying to come up with more things to buy.

We bought:

• 302 diapers
• 2 large bottles of shampoo
• 3 locks
• 50 kgs of rice
• 15 kgs of macarroni
• 10 kgs of semola (wheat-type flour for soup)
• 20 packages of mazamorra morado (powder used to make purple corn jello)
• 12 packages of flan powder

I still have close to $1000 CAD left in donation money so I approached the staff and Maximo Nivel about possibly buying supplies for some of the orphanages or schools and they told me that they will see if there is the possibility of sending someone else out with me to buy more things sometime this week. I think that whatever money I am left with in the end I will donate to the humanitarian fund that Maximo has set up for some of their projects.

On Saturday I started off my day with a "nice" cold shower and then after lunch Thomas, Neja, Ashleigh, Vanessa and I went to see the ruins at Moray and the salt mines nearby. In order to get there we had to take a bus which was jam-packed full of people. Not only did they sell tickets for the seats, but they also sold tickets for the standing room in the aisle. Even though we had to wait for 40 minutes through three buses I think it was worth it because the bus ride was an hour long and I don't think I could have handled standing the whole time and holding onto my things as well as keeping my balance during all of the winding turns.

Once we got to Maras we hired a taxi driver on the side of the road to take us first to the ruins and then the salt mines. The ruins at Moray consist of a series of circles that were built at different levels by the Inca for agricultural purposes. Between each level there are stone steps attached to the wall and you have to climb down about 15-20 levels to get to the bottom. It was quite an impressive view but I think I was more in awe of the salt mines. They consist of a series of small pools which the Inca would fill with salt water from the surrounding streams and then collect the salt once the water evaporated. I dipped my finger in the stream and was surprised by the warmth of the water considering how high up in the mountains we were. I also licked my finger afterward and it was extremely salty!

Then on Sunday we headed out to the famous market at Pisac including everyone from the day before as well as some others in the house. Once again we had to take the bus to get there but we made sure that we had seats. We walked around the market for a bit and then went to a cafe and had lunch. I wish we had spent more time in the market, although I did buy some things, but most likely I will be returning on Thursday when I go on the Sacred Valley tour. Once we were ready to go home we couldn't find a taxi and we didn't want to have to stand in a bus however we ended up waiting for an hour and a half for an available van. It was ironic considering that we the entire time we spent standing in line waiting for a ride we could have spent standing on the bus already on our way home.

Weather, Water, and Pollution

Although I didn't have many expectations before coming here, I definitely did not anticipate the weather and the pollution. Due to the fact that it's winter, and we are in the mountains, it is extremely cold at night and in the mornings. I go to bed every night wearing multiple layers and under four thick blankets.

Also, there are no restrictions on car emissions and the streets are filled with black smoke. For someone like me, who has only ever known the clean air of Vancouver and Seattle, this has been a very difficult adjustment. I constantly find myself coughing and my eyes watering from all of the smog.

Lastly, even though I knew prior to my arrival that the water conditions are not great in Peru, I had no idea how much it would affect me on a daily basis. Not only are we recommended against drinking tap water but the water is also heated via electricity. This means that hot water is extremely scarce and more often than not I find myself taking cold showers. In fact all of the water, both hot and cold, is shut off at night at around 10 PM and for the past three nights I have had to use the drinking water that they boil for us, poured into a cup, to wash my face and brush my teeth.

Some Drama and Then Some Calm

Wow...so much has happened since I last posted although it's actually only been two days. On Tuesday I started off the day by going to the clinic and meeting with Señora Alicia. This clinic has several parts to it but the part where I volunteer is with the children who have cerebral palsy. She told me that this week I will be working in the "school" portion of the clinic and introduced me to the teacher who explained that the activity of the day was to draw maps of Peru. However once we started she said that she had to step out for a moment and never returned! Occasionally she would pop in to get something from her desk but then she would leave again. Although nurses would come and go to take the kids to their daily physical therapy exercises I was basically alone the whole time which was extremely difficult because I had no way of communicating with the kids since most of them could not speak. At the end of my shift I expressed my concerns to Señora Alicia and she said that the next day I would work in the hospital instead.

Later on in the day I met with my tandem exchange partner, Alexandra, for the first time. She is currently studying English at Maximo Nivel. We talked for a bit and then we decided to go walk around Plaza d'Armas where we were joined by her cousin Magaly. Once I returned to the office I went to my Spanish class which was interesting but unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it because I was feeling feverish. When I finished class I was informed by the office staff that my host family had been caught "breaking the rules" and housing people outside of the volunteers and the knowledge of Maximo Nivel. The other volunteers had been moved out of the house and in the afternoon and I was told to pack up my things so that I could be moved out as well.

I now live in a volunteer house, La Florida, with several others, some of whom I met at my orientation. Although I enjoyed the authentic aspect of staying with a Peruvian family, I think that living at this house is for the best. The next morning I did not go to the clinic because I was sick and instead stayed home and rested. In the afternoon I went with Ariella and Neja, the two girls from my Spanish class, as well as Thomas and Ashleigh, who I met at the house, to some of the markets on the way to Maximo Nivel. Ashleigh is actually from Winnipeg and has one year left to study before becoming a nurse. Thomas is from Indiana and he is the same age as me. While at the market I bought myself some hand-woven colorful wool socks to keep me warm during the freezing Cuzco nights.

After Spanish class, Ariella and I met up with Alexandra and we walked to the Plaza de San Francisco. We were pretty hungry so we went into a restaurant and I had a delicious soup with noodles, beef, a poached egg, and a bunch of spices. Once we returned to the house everyone was pretty tired so we all stayed in and had a movie night.

Meeting People, Making Friends, and Finding My Way

After getting some rest on Sunday I was able to meet the other volunteers who are staying in the house as well as get better aquainted with the family I was placed with. The couple's names are Ivan and Liz and they have two sons: Patrick, who is the same age as my brother and almost 15, and Gabo who is 12. They also have a Scottish terrier named Roni. The other volunteers at the house are Melissa, Johanna (from New York), Johanna (from Australia), and Ruby.

On Monday morning Melissa walked with me from the house to the Maximo Nivel headquarters and showed me the landmarks to look for along the way so that I don't get lost. Once there, I had my orientation along with some other volunteers who arrived this weekend. Two other girls, Ariella and Neja, were placed in the same Spanish class as me and we will be attending it every day for this first week.

After the orientation I had some time before I was set to go visit my project site so Neja and I briefly walked around the famous central courtyard Plaza del Armas. Once I returned to the office one of the staff escorted me to the clinic San Juan de Dios where I will be volunteering in the mornings. I met with the director, Señora Alicia, and she briefly showed me where I will be working. I didn't have much time to look around because I had to return to Maximo Nivel for my afternoon Spanish class with my teacher Dante.

By the time my class was over it was already dark and I was tired from my long day so I decided to catch a taxi back to the house. I hailed a cab and read off the address but I noticed that once we got to one of the landmarks Melissa had pointed out to me, the statue of Pachacutec, the driver started going in a different direction. I kept trying to read off the address and when he finally stopped I realized that he had taken me to the correct address, but I had it written down incorrectly. I quickly asked him to take me back to Maximo Nivel and at the office they realized their mistake in giving me the wrong address in my package. I was then given the right address and caught another taxi back to the house. Even though I ended up paying triple the cab fare it only came out to 10 soles which is equivalent to $3.85.

Even though I was tired when I got home I still went out that night with the other volunteers from the house. It was fun to recount my taxi story and get to know them a little better. Tomorrow we plan on going out to watch the soccer game: Peru vs. Paraguay for the Copa America 2011 games.

Flights and Arrival

It seems as though its been a while since I traveled internationally from YYR airport because everything is backwards. The order of things used to be customs then security but now its reversed and there is a baggage check at the beginning. Oh well no matter...it just meant that I was able to spend an extra 30 seconds saying goodbye to my mom. I was very excited about this trip but once I arrived in San Fransisco it started to hit me how extremely long my day would be.

My flight to Lima was pleasant and it made me realize the difference in experiences when traveling internationally compared to domestic (and US-Canada flights are in the latter category). On domestic flights, the seats are narrow, the entertainment is limited (if at all) and usually not free, and there is a minimal beverage service with an option of buying food...though I wonder if the beverages will continue to be served for free much longer given the state of the economy. However international flights provide meals, vast entertainment, blankets and pillows, and larger seats. Of course I only speak from the experience of three such flights, but I have had wonderful service on each and it made the process of flying such great distances more enjoyable.

Once I arrived in Lima, at about midnight local time, I went through customs and then re-checked my baggage for Cuzco. My next flight was five hours away but unfortunately the domestic security was not due to open for another hour so I had to sit and wait in the food court, which was surprisingly busy given the time, and then I was able to go through security and get to my gate.

My flight to Cuzco, the last leg of my long, long day, took only an hour and I was seated next to a local Peruvian woman who looked to be in her 60s. She spoke only Spanish and I think she was trying to tell me that it was first time flying. My Spanish is a little rusty but judging from the fact that I had to help her put on the seatbelt I think I understood her correctly. Once I arrived I was greated at the airport by representatives from Maximo Nivel...I must admit it's a cool feeling walking out and seeing someone waiting for you holding a sign with your name on it. I was taken to their headquarters, given a brief tour, and then taken to my family house where I immediately went to bed.

Next time: Meeting my family, other volunteers, and the project where I will be working.

Getting Ready

Considering that I am about to leave in two days, I thought that today I should actually start to physically pack my things so that I'm not scrambling around at the last minute trying to find miscellaneous items. Although I'm only now beginning to pack I have been slowly getting ready over the past few weeks in other ways. For example, I made sure to visit the travel clinic and received all necessary immunizations and some medications that might be useful once I arrive. Also, I spent some time with my friend and her mother who traveled to Peru last summer and was able to gather some helpful tips from them. They were extremely informative and told me about several places to see, types of food to try, and which some things to avoid. In addition, I did some research of my own and noted popular attractions that I can go to during the week in the evening time after I finish working each day.

As I reflect on my preparations I think I am most amazed by how technologically dependent I am. Indeed I find it ironic that I am traveling to Cuzco, a city known for its ancient Inca ruins, yet I am coming equipped with a digital camera, iPhone with translation apps, Kindle for some light reading, and movies to watch on the plane. The amount of cords/chargers/devices that I am bringing is no small matter but I know that I will need and use each and every single one while I am away. In fact, in order to be able to continue blogging while I'm in Cuzco I am depending on having regular access to a computer with an internet connection. Although I don't see myself being chained to the computer and delivering daily updates, I do hope to at least post something every 3-4 days. Still, just to be on the safe side and make sure I don't forget interesting details in between posts I have packed a small journal that I can write in during the day.

I know myself and I know that I like to be prepared. However I also realize that I am going to an unfamiliar place and will be in new situations on a daily basis. My plan is to just roll with the punches and try not to over-think too much so that I can enjoy my trip to the fullest. Safety is of course my top priority, but I also want to make sure that I have a gratifying, fun, and memorable experience.

The Background Story

Wow...I can't believe that next Saturday I will be on my way to Cuzco, Peru! The idea to go to Peru came to me last summer after my friend told me about her trip to Vietnam. She raved about her experience and, being a lover of travel, I decided to look into it for myself. I had heard of several volunteer organizations in the past but being able to listen to her experience firsthand was really convincing and made me research the Global Volunteer Network further. Once I read about their program in Peru I was convinced that it was for me and I made it my goal to earn enough money throughout the school year to be able to go in the summer.

Fast forward one year and here I am, getting ready to leave in just over a week. Although I worked hard to make my Peruvian dream come to fruition, I would not have been able to do it without the support of my family, friends, and community. With the help of a scholarship from my synagogue, Temple Shalom, and an award from the BC Children's Hospital Auxiliary, where I volunteer, I was able to pay for the cost of the program. Also, I managed to raise $1350 in donations to spend on supplies for the clinic that I will be working in once I arrive in Cuzco.

As I start to pack and prepare for my trip I can't help but feel extremely appreciative for all of the support that I have received. I know that there are many people who are proud of what I am about to do and have complimented me on my desire to go and help others. I am thankful for their generosity and encouragement and I hope that this experience turns out to be as great as I imagine it will be.