A Reflection, now that I'm back...

Okay so this is way overdue...but I felt as though I needed to wrap up this blog with some kind of reflection of my time here. Now that I have had time to adapt back into my "home" culture in Boston, I have a new perspective on everything in my life...I'll try to explain.

When I left Peru, I didn’t feel ready to go home. After 6 months of being away, you'd think I'd be dying to get back home to hot showers, "normal" food, and English being the primary language. Not me. It was weird because I talked to a few other students who had been traveling/working abroad from NEU and they all seemed “ready” to return to the “real world”. For me, I felt the opposite. While I was excited to see friends and family, I felt like I was leaving a big part of me behind in South America. I grew up so much while I was there and overcame some of the biggest challenges I feel I have ever encountered. Everything from arriving in Argentina with basically no Spanish, to traveling by myself, making friends in two foreign countries, and adapting to two extremely different cultures…it’s been one hell of an adventure…something I’ll never forget. Everyone says it’s time for me to get “back to reality” but the truth is I can’t wait to get back there… I have never felt so comfortable as I did while I lived there. Everyday I learned something new, whether it was new phrases/words, something about the culture, or something in dance (just a few examples).

I learned how to slow down. I arrived in Argentina a huge planner, someone who needed to have things organized, a routine. I realized pretty quickly that that just wasn’t going to fly in South America. I learned to be okay with waiting for the bus for awhile (sometimes even an hour) and for leaving extra time to get to places on time. I learned that it’s okay to take a nap everyday in the afternoon, because it makes you enjoy the day, and you feel refreshed to enjoy the second half of it.

I learned to live in the moment. Instead of constantly trying to get something checked off my checklist (I don’t even think I had a checklist in Argentina, besides going to class and my volunteer job and practicing Spanish), I learned to play things by ear. I learned to enjoy the moments where I could develop a relationship with my host family. Mother-daughter talks with Adrianna (my host mom) over mate and empanadas, or hearing Pepe give me advice on latino boys on the days he gave me a ride to work. I miss family dinners, with Mike, my American host brother from North Carolina, my host parents, and our host sister, Jimena. Sitting around the table, laughing about the day, Mike and I practicing our Spanish as best we could, and debating controversial topics. I miss living spontaneously. Leaving to go out on a run, dropping in on my friend who worked in the convenient store up the street, and accepting an invitation to go swim on his lunch break. I miss having time to sit in a café with my British friends, Roxy and Lucy after working in the orphanage, and talking about how lucky we were to have this awesome opportunity in a foreign country. I also miss spending my days off wandering around Cuzco with my friends, seeing where the day would lead us. All those small things are memories I'll never forget. 

I learned that you might touch people’s lives without even realizing that you made a difference. I know there are so many people I met while I was abroad, including my host family, my local friends, friends from other countries, other American students, random people I met along the way when I was traveling… I have such distinct memories with them all that it’s impossible to write them all down. Thank God for pictures that spark the memories and the funny stories that have happened along the way. I learned to try to be positive about every situation, even though that always didn’t work out :) I learned to deal with all types of people…and learned to deal with conflict (traveling with friends definitely brings up a bit of tension/conflict…)

I learned to let myself grow. I realized that feeling uncomfortable in a situation is okay, because it allows you to learn. I had been in a comfort zone, and a bubble since I was younger… being around the same types of people, doing the same types of things. It wasn’t a bad thing, it was just all I had ever known. Especially growing up in a town like Groton that doesn’t have much diversity. Although I believe it was for the best at the time, because I wasn’t ready to comprehend and handle diversity as well as I can at this age. Moving to Florida last year for my other co-op put me out of my comfort zone in a way that definitely prepared me for going abroad, but my semester abroad has given me the confidence that nothing is impossible, no matter how far out of your comfort zone you might feel.

 
I also miss the cultures. It is normal for people with reverse culture shock to become critical of their home culture, which I have definitely noticed significantly since I came home. I respect that the culture of the United States is different, but it is so hard for me to come back to this country when I am so used to meeting strangers on the street, becoming friends with my laundry lady, and having daily conversations with the locals that work in the market or in the corner stores. This isn’t uncommon in these cultures, it is normal for them to talk to strangers, and to inquire about their lives, family, and travel. In our culture, if you say hi to a stranger on the street, people are usually (not always) confused or think it’s strange. In Boston, everyone is on a mission, on their way to class, to work, or to get their errands done. People don’t stop to talk for longer then a few minutes (to people that they know) because that’s our culture – we have to be somewhere on time and stick to our schedules.

 
I miss walking 40 minutes to work in Cuzco, and enjoying the view of the Andes mountains. I miss walking through the plazas, and seeing all the people, both tourists and locals. I never walked with headphones on (for both the reasons that I didn’t want my ipod stolen, and I didn’t want to cut myself off from the world). It was refreshing. In Boston I have the habit of wearing my Ipod to class or to work…but now it doesn’t bother me to walk and just enjoy the sights and sounds around me. I know it sounds corny, but it’s the truth.

 
I also had my passion for dance re-fired when I was in Peru. It started when I learned how to dance salsa, and it became almost like an addiction..I went and danced salsa every night, and it made me miss dancing at Northeastern. I was inspired to start taking my passion more seriously, and even to start creating and choreographing (still working on that part…step by step). It seems like so many of us get caught up in the mainstream life of going to college (sometimes not even studying something we like), finding a job right out of college that we “fit” into, and continues from there…for some people I think this is fine. But I think for some people they don’t realize that they never did self-discovery, and by the time they turn 30 or 40 they look back and wonder how they ever got to where they are… Maybe I’m crazy but I don’t want to be one of those people. I realize that I’m not always going to be able to do what I want to do in life…sometimes you have to bite the bullet and make sacrifices to follow your dreams and your interests… but I never want to get stuck in a rut in something I don’t like doing.

I have met too many people in my life who have told me to “live in reality” and that my thoughts or dreams weren’t realistic. Maybe it isn’t realistic, but let me worry about that. I would rather have something to work towards, then to accept so-called “reality” and be miserable the rest of my life…

I feel as though I have more to write, but this will have to do for now. Fall semester has started so I’m back on a time-restrictive schedule that doesn’t allow much time for relaxation/things not school or work related :)

Thanks for reading...

Lake Titicaca

So I thought before too much time passes, I’d wrap up the rest of my trip with another blog post or two. In my last blog post I had said that my mom and I were on our way to Lake Titicaca… it sits about 3,800m above sealevel , about 400m above Cuzco, which is getting pretty high. The temperature of course was also colder because of the altitude. We spent the first night relaxing in a nice hotel in Puno, and I was so grateful for a hot shower and a nice warm bed to sleep in after 3 months of practically no hot water, and no heat in my house. It was a nice change :) We woke up at 6am to have breakfast and our tour guide, Guido, picked us up and we headed to the harbor. The lake was absolutely beautiful. It was like looking out at the ocean. It was a beautiful morning with clear skies, just like every morning I have seen in Cuzco since I’ve arrived. We boarded our boat with our tour, and in about a half hour we arrived at the “floating islands”.



People live on these man made floating islands that are made from the roots of the reeds that grow in the water…literally the island is floating on this stuff. Every 2 weeks they have to put more reeds on the surface of their “island” to keep their ground (of other reeds) from getting too wet from the water coming up from below. It’s a crazy concept, but these people make it work, and they really live there! It was really cool to see. They still dress in customary clothes and practice their old traditions, but they still have a tv which amazes me, since the families of 4 to 5 live in a tiny house. The house is essentially ONE room, where they only spend their time sleeping or relaxing. The rest of their day is spent outside. I couldn’t believe it! My mom brought lots of beanie babies from home so she was handing them out to the kids who were more than happy to have a new toy to play with :) They were adorable!

After that, we got back on our boat and had about a 3 hour boat ride to the Island of Tequile. I slept for most of the ride, but after we got past the harbor it was almost like being on the ocean the lake was so huge. It’s the highest navigable lake in the world. Once we got to the island, we went to meet our family who was going to be hosting us for the evening. The guy who owns the house that we stayed in, is actually a world known weaver. In the house lived the world known weaver and his wife, their son, his wife, and a daughter. They cooked an amazing trout dish for lunch which was incredible!

Afterwards we took a short nap (because let’s be serious, we’re in South America and you can’t go a day without napping). After finishing the nap, we walked to the “downtown” of the island with Guido, and it was a ghost town. It was basically a plaza and there were about 5 locals sitting, weaving, and eating home made popcorn. There was one store open that sold chocolate and that kind of thing…but nothing else. It was so crazy! We hung out with the locals and with our tour guide for awhile until it was time to walk back to the house. The house was very typical, it had no heat, and there were lots of animals in the yard. My mom was complaining of the cold, but to me it was what I’ve dealt with for months so I guess you could say I’m accustomed to it. We had a nice tea to warm up (it wasn’t coco tea but something else I can’t remember the name of) and soon after that it was time for dinner. South American life seems to revolve around sleeping and eating, but I’m totally okay with that. They made a pasta dish, and afterwards they performed some traditional dances for us. They even made us get up and dance with them! Afterwards we attempted to sleep, but my mom was so cold she insisted sleeping in my bed (we had about 4 layers of clothes and our boots on and were still cold… it’s crazy how these people survive).

The next day we woke up early again (as always) for breakfast, then went downtown. There were more people because the market was open, so my mom and I looked at the handcrafted products that were made by the residents of the island. We bought a pair of gloves and a hat for pretty cheap… afterwards we just hung out until we had an early lunch (trout again, I never get sick of the stuff). The restaurants there are just like they are in Cuzco. You don’t order, but you get bread and ahi (a spicy type of salsa type of thing), a soup, main course (trout) and then a tea after to settle your stomach. Oh god do I miss the food from South America…
We then took a boat back to Puno, where we spent the night again. We had to wake up at 4am the next day to make it to our flight from Puno to Cuzco…We arrived in Cuzco around 8:15am, and after checking into our next flight, I picked up my luggage from my host family in Cusco and said my goodbyes. I can't believe my time here is over..

hasta luego<3

Mugged by a Cab? & Agnes' Arrival

It’s been forever since I updated and I have no idea where to start. Right now my mom is here with me in Peru and it’s been an experience for sure. The last few weeks have flown by. I finished up my job at the hospital, and all in all I have seen 7 live births. It was incredible and I am so lucky that I had this experience to work in the hospital. The last couple weeks I’ve been saying a lot of goodbyes too… to other travelers that finally began to get on their way after staying in Cuzco for weeks. Goodbyes are so difficult for me and they don’t get any easier I have realized…I’m hoping to stay in touch with everyone but it always makes me sad to think that I probably won’t ever see them again. Oh well, that’s life…

I grew really close with the Kusi Kay guys the last couple weeks. They became truer than any of the other friends I had made before, and it became apparent with how much they looked after me and treated me like I was part of their family. Hanging out with them was great because I got to eat some of the best food for cheap (around 6 soles each meal… $2, can’t beat that). One thing I’ll never forget is going to get breakfast in the Mercado San Pedro … me and the Peruvians, going and sitting at a booth with the same lady cooking us breakfast: coffee with a sandwich made with Peruvian bread, cheese and a fried egg. Mmmm… the lady thought it was so funny that it was this group of Peruvian guys and this white American girl. I love being the minority and being with them though…makes me feel like I’m really learning about the culture here.

The night before my mom arrived in Cuzco, I had a decently scary experience that shook me up pretty good. I was walking back to the boys’ place after dinner (which was pretty early) and I was walking with a backpack for the first time. I was bringing my laptop to their place so they could transfer music and photos to their USB’s. This was the first time my laptop has ever left my host family’s house (when I use the internet I normally just go to an internet café since my family doesn’t have internet). Anyways, we were walking down their street when a taxi pulled down the street and started going pretty fast. I stepped to the side of the street to get out of the way, but kept walking and the next thing I knew I was on the ground in the middle of the street. I thought I had been hit by the taxi because I honestly didn’t even know what had happened…but my friends that were walking behind me said that someone had reached out of the taxi and grabbed my backpack in hopes to rob me. When my backpack didn’t slip off, they let go and I fell into the street really hard. The guys tried to get the license plate of the taxi but it was going so fast that they couldn’t… I’m really surprised I didn’t break any bones. I landed completely on my right arm, and I couldn’t move my elbow and arm for a few days because the tendon was so sore, and the knee of my jeans got ripped from the impact. Luckily I still have my laptop, although the corner of it is cracked from the fall also. It was scary that someone would do that to me even with 3 other guys around me… I guess you just never know…

Tuesday, my mom arrived in Cuzco. Of course from the beginning it was pretty much a comedy act. I couldn’t find her hotel because I couldn’t remember the name of it, couldn’t open my email to get the name, and when I finally found her hotel, the person in reception told me that she had left to walk around to see the plaza. There was a festival going on so I decided to just wait for her in the hotel room. The woman at reception gave me the key and I went upstairs to take a short nap while I waited. About 30 minutes later, an old man walks into the room and sees me sleeping in HIS bed. The lady at reception had given me the wrong key…ahhh dios mio SO embarrassing! My mom was back at this point and was just laughing…oh god. We spent the day walking around Cuzco and I showed her some of my normal places that I go. That night we went and saw the Kusi Kay production to see my friends perform. Of course since most of the guys in the show know me, I was picked as the “guinea pig” for practically ALL of the audience participation parts of the show. One part of it I was pulled up on stage in front of everyone and had to be a bull. They tied a tail on me and everything, and the funniest part is I could see my friends backstage laughing at me as I was made a fool in front of the audience. It was funny though…the show was awesome, way better than the first time I saw it. My mom really enjoyed it too. Afterwards my mom took me  out to dinner, and then I took her back to the hotel since she was too tired to go out to salsa.

On Wednesday, my mom and I went on a halfday tour of some of the nearby ruins of Cuzco. It was the first “touristy” thing I’ve done in Peru and I really didn’t like it. I’m so used to hanging out with the locals and doing things that sitting in a tour bus and listening to a guide really was boring for me. My mom seemed to like it though… that night she had a salsa lesson with my friend Franschesco, and then afterwards I took her to Inkateam to meet more of my friends and to dance more salsa. She had a blast, and even stayed and danced when they started playing club and hiphop music. She has really loosened up over the last year which is nice…everyone kept asking if she was my sister, and I know she loved the attention. Although by midnight she was definitely ready to hit the hay…


Thursday was the famous Inti Raymi festival of Cuzco. The lady that has been doing my laundry in Cuzco had invited my mom and I to join her family for a picnic and to watch the procession up at the inka ruins up in Sacyswoman. It was an awesome experience. We met at her house first thing in the morning, and then trekked up for almost 2 hours to the site. It was so steep leaving the city of Cuzco, especially carrying all the food, and helping with the kids. All together, it was my mom,  my friend, her 3 daughters (all under the age of 10), her neice (8 month old baby), and her mother (70 years old). I’m not sure why we didn’t just take a cab but walking up there was part of the experience. I thought my mom was going to die hahah but it was a different cultural experience for her since we were the only tourists there. We sat on a rock/cliff to watch the festival, crunched in with so many people. We ate bbq chicken and potatoes with our hands, and tried to watch the procession of “the Inka”. We got back down to the city around 5pm, and by then we were completely exhausted by a long day walking up the mountain, and the sitting in the sun. But it was so worth it. I wouldn’t trade an experience like this for any tour…

The traditional processional

so many people gathered for Inti Raymi

Friday we left at 4:30am for Machu Picchu. We took a 2 hour bus to the train station, then an hour an a half train to Aguas Calientes. From there we got on another half hour bus to the base of Machu Picchu. It was incredible! We took a 2 ½ hour tour, and then had the rest of the day to wander around and just enjoy the beauty of the site.

Saturday morning we woke up at 4am to make it to the busstop at 4:30am so we could get into Waynu Piccu (the big mountain that is seen in the pictures of Macchu Picchu). They only let in 400 people per day, so we had to get there early. We were probably in the first 10 people to get let in to climb Waynu Picchu, and I took about 35-40 minutes to get up to the top. My mom was behind with another girl we had made friends with, and they had a bit more trouble because of the thin air (I’m more used to it from living in Cuzco). It was a tough climb for sure, but the views on the way up were very inspiring. When I got to the top there were only about 8 or 9 other people up there, and it felt like I was sitting on top of the world. I can’t even describe the feeling. I just sat up there and took it all in for about 2 hours…but the more people that arrived at the top, the less enchanting it was, but nevertheless was gorgeous. My mom was panicking about the height and worrying about us sitting on the cliffs, but it was definitely an adrenaline rush. After we came down the mountain, we walked back through Machu Picchu and then got lunch. Our train left at around 4pm to get back to Cuzco, but about an hour into the train ride, we had to switch trains because another train had been derailed in the train tracks. Dusk had already fallen, and we had to walk ¼ mile to the other train without any lights… I felt so bad for people with suitcases or people that had trouble walking…The people on the other train had to switch to our train too, so there were tons of people, confused, pissed, and cold trying to find their way to the opposite trains… what a disaster. Once we made it on the train station, the busses to Cuzco took FOREVER because people were doing construction on the roads. We finally got back at around 10pm…6 hours later, 3 hours extra of travel time. So frustrating, especially after being exhausted from hiking all day…but my mom and I managed to find humor in it, as always.

Now we are on our way to Puno, and Lake Titicaca. I can’t believe that in just a few short days I will be home…

“Pequeno camino…vamos?” – 20km Hike, no big deal...

This past weekend was the most exhausting one I’ve had so far. On Friday night we were out all night because it was my friend Kasha’s last night in Cuzco. She’s from Poland, but has been living here for years, so it was a pretty big deal that she was leaving. With that said, we were out all night into the morning, and I spent all day Saturday trying to get my chores and things done on 3 hours of sleep. I was planning to use Saturday night to relax and stay in with a few friends so I wasn’t too worried about being tired.

Anyways, I showed up to my friends' place around after dinner, almost falling asleep already. The boys then tell me that they were thinking of going hiking to a mountain called Ausangate to see snow for their first time. I was only half listening and with them speaking in Spanish I was really getting only 25% of the info they were giving me. They said it would be cold and I’d need to wear layers if I wanted to come. I have no idea why I agreed to go, but I figured it was just a little hike and might be a fun adventure (little did I know what I was getting myself into…)

An hour later, we packed into a taxi (9 of us in a 5 person taxi with all our bags of clothes) and headed 10 minutes away to a terminal. There we split into two taxis. At this point it was around 12:30am. On the road, the cab driver told us that it would take about 2 to 2 ½ hours to arrive at the basecamp. This is when I realized I probably made a huge mistake by coming. I pretended like it was no big deal but I was freaking out about what I was getting myself into.. Dios mio… anyways, I passed out in the car for a few minutes at a time, but it was tough because the roads were so curvy going around and up over the mountains.

We arrived at the base around 3am. And it was freeeezing. I had 3 hoodies on, jeans, sweatpants, and uggs (most clothing borrowed from my friends since I wasn’t prepared for this journey). We had some hot drink before we started the walk, and the walk was tough. Although it wasn’t too steep at first, the altitude was really tough for me to breathe. We started at around 4,000m above sealevel, which is at least 500m above Cuzco. It was completely dark out so we had flashlights, and I was scared half to death because I could hear a rushing river running along side where we were walking, but I couldn’t see it. At some points the cliffs were pretty steep too and we had to all hold hands to ensure that we wouldn’t slip (water was running over the path in some parts).

This is when I realized that the hike that we were on is actually a customary trek that Catholic Peruvians do every year. Ausangate is the highest mountain the region and the site of the traditional festival Q’oriti, which takes place after Corpus Cristi (I’ll talk about this festival later). The mountains are known both in the Catholic religion and in Quechan legend as being very sacred. For the months of May and June locals make the 10km trek to the church by the mountain of Ausangate, where they scrape the ice and bring it back to their towns as holy water. I guess I should have been paying more attention so I could have down my research beforehand. On the way up, there were 8 crosses marked along the path. The more we walked, the more people we saw walking in the dark with us. People of all ages, old, young, people on horses and mules, but no tourists. I think I was the only white person there haha… but what’s new.

At about 5km I was feeling pretty tired and weak, but we stopped to drink some mate de cocoa and rest for a bit. We continued to walk for another hour and a half and finally reached the church at 8km. At this point the sun had risen. There were also small booths selling things, Peruvian women cooking and selling soups and other meals out of the cauldrons, and tons of people huddled around together with blankets trying to keep warm in the high, freezing, winter air. We went into the church, and warmed our hands over a bunch of candles. Then we waited in line to get to the front of the church where we were able to say personal prayers right in front of a monument (I’m not sure the real significance of this monument but I’m trying to find out more). This is when I realized that my friends have really strong background and faith in Catholicism which kind of caught me by surprise, but I guess you can’t judge anyone before you know them.

After saying our prayers (aside from my other prayers i prayed to have the strength to make it back alive...) and leaving the freezing cold church, we tried to warm up in the sun for a bit. We ate some amazing soup, sitting on a log outside the church. I felt truly Peruvian hahah… after finishing the soup, my friends wanted to hike the next 2km up to the snow glacier. I wanted to die just looking at it because it was so steep, but I didn’t want to look weak so I sucked it up and off we went. The climb was way worse then just getting to the church. I had to stop every 5 minutes just to catch my breath… I can’t imagine what it must feel like to have asthma. We finally made it to the glacier and my friends were so excited to see snow for their first time. They wanted to take a million pictures…it’s crazy just because I’ve seen snow so many times and I never thought it was that awesome, but to them it was the coolest thing. We climbed around for a bit, then stuck our feet in the freezing cold river to help our swollen feet.

We started the trek back down the mountain, and I figured 10 km downhill wouldn’t be too bad because it wasn’t climbing uphill. It was faster, but so painful for me. My knees and legs were killing me from the constant pounding of walking down hill and by the bottom I was almost in tears because my knee was bothering me so badly. But I felt really proud of myself…and my friends told me they were surprised I survived (thanks guys…) We jumped on a bus to get back to Cuzco and there wasn’t enough seats so I sat on the floor basically… my seat folded down but at every bus stop I had to fold it up so people could get on and off the bus. So much for being able to nap on the way back… It took us 3 ½ hours to get back. I was so painfully tired at this point. We stopped and had the best meal around 4pm for about $6 (pork, salad, potato..mm), and then I slept for 13 hours until I went to work on Monday morning. When I woke up on Monday I could barely move I was so sore, but it was an awesome experience that I’ll never forget (and probably never do again…but that’s besides the point)

Only a few more weeks left… :(
xo

More Babies & Life in Cusco

Never thought I’d say it, but after all the homesickness I experienced when I first got here, I am finally feeling like I’m going to really miss this place. It’s become home, and I love how I’m used to things here. There has been some new volunteers coming from Canada and England, and they have been asking me for help and advice since most of them don’t know Spanish yet. This makes me feel really good that they want advice and I like taking people under my wing when they are new to this city.




Things are pretty much the same. I saw another birth at work a few days ago, which was incredible. I watched the entire process, from the woman in active labor all up to the actual birth. The last few minutes before the baby was born, the doctor had me do an ultrasound and listen for the baby’s heartbeat which was incredible. I couldn’t believe they let me do it! After the baby was born, I helped take the measurements and then dressed the baby all by myself. I was so scared to break it because it was so small and fragile but it’s getting easier. IT’s so crazy to look at the babies and know that they have been inside their mom for 9 months… it’s just hard to describe when you actually see it happening.



This past weekend I got my camera and phone stolen. It’s my fault because I left my stuff out with my friends’ jackets… I normally have my phone on me and hardly ever have my camera but I completely spaced about having my electronics in my bag. I’m more bummed about my camera than anything…but I’m just lucky that I wasn’t mugged. It could be worse. I didn’t have my keys though so luckily I was able to sleep at a friend’s house that night since I couldn’t go back to my house. I guess getting robbed was bound to happen since it’s so common and I’ve been in South America for 5 months now. Mmm moving on.

On a different note, I have noticed myself changing so much during the course of my time here in South America. When I finish my trip I will write a blog on that, but i can’t believe how much more independent I feel. Before this trip, I wasn’t very confident in going anywhere by myself (especially into the poorer parts of Cuzco for example) or showing up to a salsa class at a club without a friend. Now I’m used to eating dinner by myself if my friends are working, walking to work in a poor area by myself, and learning to enjoy the solitude of not always being surrounded by friends. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I am always with my friends, but I’m starting to appreciate the time I do have by myself. Gives me time to relax and reflect on the things going on in my life.

In 3 weeks my mom will be here to go traveling, and in 4 weeks I will be back in Boston. I can’t believe it… not sure if another post will be up before I’m back in the states, but we will see.

Hasta luego! <3 span="">

"With that accent you gotta be from the US..." - Congress de Salsa: Lima

Almost 2 weeks ago I went to Lima (the capital of Peru) for a salsa congress with a bunch of my friends from Cuzco. It was funny because the majority of them going were guys and I’d never seen guys so excited about something aside from football or something at home. Some people flew (1 hour by plane) and some of us took the bus. I took the bus on Friday night and it was 21 hours…but it actually was better than I thought. Our bus was about $20 bucks and was not great. I almost didn’t even go because I was so sick when I woke up on Friday. I was so stuffed up I could barely breathe and couldn’t stop coughing…but I pushed myself to go and I’m so glad I did. The busride to Lima was crazy with the roads. The roads twisted and turned all through the mountain range for about 10 hours (a bit tough to sleep because you are constantly rocking side to side) and we were so close to the cliffs that I thought we were going die. I give the busdriver so much credit for driving this route. About 12 hours into the ride, the roads evened out a bit, and we drove through the desert a bit, and then finally we reached the coast, and drove up the coast the rest of the way to Lima. So we pretty much saw every type of landscape on the way. We were a bit late reaching Lima (we are always running late so this wasn’t a surprise). We had to rush to shower and eat before the congress started. Luckily because it’s South America, the congress started an hour late.


One of the master classes

Let me just explain quick what this “congress” business is. Basically a salsa congress is when some of the best salsa dancers gather to give classes to the public, put on a performance, and then have a party afterwards. I’ve been to master ballet classes before, where famous people have come from Russia to teach in Boston, but I never in my life thought I’d go to a salsa master class. The first class we took was with Shaka Brown, who is actually from Miami. He was an incredible teacher! The boys (my salsa teachers) were all so excited to see him in person, it was like Christmas for them. They were all videotaping and stuff during the class and it was so funny because I wasn’t starstruck because I had never heard of him before. At the end of the class he was trying to fix his camera so I offered to help (we have the same crap camera that always breaks haha) and he goes “with that accent you gotta be American...where are you from?” So I told him I was from Mass and he said he could tell by my Boston accent. This made me laugh since I do not have a Boston accent compared to a bunch of my friends (Jen Nicosia haha) back home. He told me that he was glad I was there because he wasn’t the only American. I thought my guy friends were going to strangle me for having a conversation with their idol… it was hilarious.


Shaka Brown and I at the "afterparty"

That night, we all got dressed up in our best clothes and went to the show. The dancers were incredible! They also had some local salsa groups from Peru perform. We also saw an amazing 13 year old dance, Johan. I’ve never seen a kid move like that in my life! After the show, they opened up the dance floor and had a party until 3am. It was fun to meet other people from all over Peru who came together for the congress. I also met one of the managers of the congress, who’s from NYC. We got talking and he said that they are looking for interns to help with planning events and marketing if I ever want to do that (co op opportunity 2011?? That would be AWESOME) except I’m so pissed at myself because I lost his business card! So I’m going to try to look him up again so I can have another contact in the US for job opportunities.


Riwfka, Joyce and I dressed up for the showcase.

It was fun to spend the night dancing with all my salsa teachers, although it was a bit nerve wracking at first since there were so many advanced dancers. But whatever, gotta start somewhere I guess. After the party, we went to another club but I was exhausted since I had just arrived in Lima that afternoon after a day in a bus…

Sunday, we took another two master classes with Shaka Brown, one with partners and one without. There were only about 20 of us in the class, and 10 of us were from Cuzco so we got some more personal attention and corrections so that was really nice. Afterwards, we showered and got ready and went to the afterparty, which was smaller because it was a Sunday night. There was a live band though, and we still had a blast. Shaka Brown asked me to dance (he comes up to me and says “hey Boston girl, you wanna dance?”) We talked while we danced about his background in dance, and my background in ballet and stuff. I admitted to him that I didn’t know who he was before the congress and he told me it was better that way because he hated when people treated him different when they know that he’s a world famous salsa teacher. I also met Johan, the 13 year old dancer, who was trying to hit on me which was hysterical. He told me he was 15 (nice try buddy, when you’re famous everyone knows your age..) and he told me he thought I was 16 years old. Nice job stroking my ego and thinking I’m a sophomore in highschool… it was funny though. He danced with me also but he threw so much breakdancing into it that I looked like a retard compared to him…haha oh well. After the party, the dance floor cleared and Shaka Brown demanded that I show him some “ballet stuff”. So we had a turning contest which was funny…my friends took videos. I told him he’s gotta come up to Boston to teach a class and he said he’d look into it. I couldn’t believe how down to earth he was! It was refreshing..especially since most dancers get very cocky when they are professionals.


The girls and Shaka Brown

After the party, we got invited to an afterparty at a dance studio of Deklan, the best chorographer in Lima, who is good friends with my friend Franschesco. There was some stupid drama with our other guy friends and they didn’t want to go anywhere with the famous guys. They wouldn’t say why, but Franshesco said he thought it was because they were so used to being the “best dancers” (in Cuzco they are) but in Lima they were small fish in a big pond. Oh well, we went to the dance studio and danced more and I talked a bunch with Deklan, who told me the whole story of how he got his dance studio up and running (he’s only 25 and has one of the best studios around which is pretty impressive in the dance world). He taught me how to do a couple partner stunts too which was fun :) . We were there until 6am and then finally left. Life here is exhausting but it was worth it…


Deklan, Joyce and I in Deklan's studio

Monday was pretty uneventful, Frank and I had dinner at TGIFridays with Franschesco and Joyce before we caught our bus home. Lima was so different compared to Cuzco because it was so much more westernized. They had so many American restaurants and stores, and in Cuzco they don't have any commercialized stuff like that. Our bus home was 10 more soles then the bus to Lima and was a piece of crap. It smelled, my seat didn’t recline, and in general was just dirty. AND it took 23 hours to get home. I thought I was going to die..I was so uncomfortable the entire time. I was so happy to get back to Cuzco. Overall, the traveling was definitely worth it to have the experience of attending a congress. Hopefully I can keep up my networking for the future.


TGIFridays - a taste of the US in Lima

Chau <3

Everyday Life in Cuzco

Ah time is flying by! As of today, I have 5 weeks left in Cuzco. I can’t believe it! I’ve been in Cuzco almost 6 weeks already… I wish time went by slower although I am excited to see everyone back home. I’ll try to remember what has been going on the last couple weeks…

After I got back from my cousin’s wedding in Florida I came down with a pretty bad cold that has been hard to shake. The cold nights here don’t really help…I can’t believe how drastically the weather changes from the daytime to the night. I am still working in the hospital, and liking it so much more than working in the “daycare” kindergarten. I just switched my job a few weeks ago to working in the obstetrician area which is so interesting. Luckily there is another American volunteer who has experience with this stuff so she has been able to explain all about babies and birth since I had absolutely no clue. I saw my first live birth the other day, and it was incredible! I almost missed it but I ran in just as they pulled the baby out. It was crazy to see! I have also seen a procedure done where they had to stitch up one of the mothers (I won’t get too graphic but let’s just say I’m going to have to get used to seeing so much blood). I also learned how to help the mothers breastfeed for the first time. The babies are adorable :) Sometimes the job can be slow when no one is in the labor room or delivery room, but I don’t mind. I also helped Rachel (another American volunteer) clean the umbilical cords of all the newborns which was also interesting, and I was taught how to use the ultrasound machine. I can’t believe the stuff they are letting me do here! It’s nuts.


Holding one of the newborn babies that I helped deliver :) Hospital Belempapa '10

As for life outside of work, I got a new “host brother” 2 weeks ago. His name is Hector and he’s from Wales and knows absolutely no Spanish. This has been a huge encouragement for my Spanish because he counts on me a lot for my translating, and it’s proving that I actually have learned something in the past 4 months I’ve had abroad. I took him out his first weekend here, and I didn’t realize he had a money belt on with everything including his passport, money, credit cards, iphone, and I don’t even know what else. Somehow all of his stuff got stolen and we aren’t sure where it happened…I felt so bad that I hadn’t asked why he had a money belt with him…when I go out I bring about 15 soles with me and my cellphone…oh well, water under the bridge. Another 50 year old woman from Spain also moved into my room which has been interesting. The Spanish accent is much different from what I’m used to but I’m getting used to it. It’s kind of annoying having an older roommate though because I usually come in late and have to keep the lights off while I try to get ready to sleep but oh well…


My new host brother, Hector, and I.

I’ve also been going to salsa every night at this club called InkaTeam. Because I’ve now been going for over a month, I’m getting to know everyone there and it’s starting to feel like a second home. I’m learning so much and I never get sick of it. It’s so nice to be around people who have a passion for dance like I do, especially when we are able to do it every night. It’s definitely something I’m going to miss once I come home… one of the nights there wasn’t many people in the club after salsa, so some of the breakdancers started doing some of their crazy trick stuff in the middle of the floor. After they were done, my friends Frank and Coco made me do my fuette turns and had everyone count to see how many I could do. It’s funny how impressed they are with easy things like ballet turns, but they can do all these crazy salsa and breakdancing tricks…


Pablo and Suzie doing some tricks at InkaTeam

I have also been helping Frank out with his salsa classes. Whenever he teaches group classes with the guys, he always needs more partners for the guys so I don’t mind going. It’s good practice for me, and Frank gives me tips along the way and I don’t need to pay for class which is nice. I also want to continue taking a few more private classes, but for now this is okay. Plus I’m getting to meet more tourists so it’s nice. Mostly everyone is from Israel like I said, so I’m even learning alittle Hebrew hahah…



a bunch of us out for a night of salsa

Last week I went to “la Molina” with Frank, which is the biggest market in Cuzco. It has literally everything you can think of and people are trying to sell their stuff or services in stalls. Frank was picking up clothes that were being sewn and fixed, and of course they were about 7 hours late with it being done (so typical in South America) so we had plenty of time to walk around and check out everything from clothes, shoes, TV’s, dvds, music, electronics, food, juice…everything. It wasn’t in the touristy section of Cuzco though so it was mostly locals there. There’s also another Mercado (market) close to the plaza that has more food, fruits, and juices. I went there with Hector and Ronnie last weekend and we stopped and drank juice that was made fresh to order in front of us. I had peach and it was delicioussss. We also went on a short city tour and saw a couple of things but it was kind of a waste of time. Oh well… I’m hoping to get some more touring and traveling in, but it’s hard because I don’t have too many people to travel with since most of my friends are locals and have to work.

alright, im going to post some other stuff separately so these entries aren't unbearably long to read... chau <3

Farmacia & Salsa

So I guess I’ve started to settle in a bit here. It seemed like it happened overnight, but after I got over being sick this weekend I felt more comfortable here. Monday I went for my last day at Wawawasi Kindergarten (the kindergarten part is a lie, it’s a daycare like I said). The place was driving me nuts, so I suggested a switch in jobs. I told them I would do ANYTHING besides going to Wawawasi again.

Tuesday my coordinator brought me to a hospital that’s about 40 minutes walking from my house. The walk there is beautiful. At least the first part of it… it’s so bizarre how I’m walking in a touristy area where there are “gringos” and tourists everywhere, and literally 5 minutes later when I turn down another street I am the only white girl walking in a wicked poor area of the city. I want to take pictures, but everyone tells me to leave my camera at home because it will probably get stolen. In the hospital, I think I’m going to be rotating weeks between the different stations. It’s a tiny hospital considering the amount of people in Cuzco, and this hospital caters to the poorest of the poor. The first week I've been working in the Pharmacy unit with the only other pharmacist that the hospital has employed. It was hard, but I’m catching on. Not only do I not know anything about pharmacy in general, but everything is obviously in Spanish. So at first I was kind of laughing to myself at how ridiculous it was for me to be in this job, but I guess they need all the help they can get (even from a communication/business major hah). I basically helped with paperwork, talked to the patients and helped to explain that the doctors couldn’t see anyone else today, and handed out medicine (yikes, I am not licensed for this job). I couldn’t believe how cheap the services and medicines are for them, especially if they have “seguro” which is the equivalent to insurance.


Frida & I working in the pharmacy.

About an hour into my first day, the woman who was training me, Frida, said she was leaving for 5 minutes and to “man the window”. A woman holding her 2 year old son came up to the window, and immediately starting saying “ayudame ayudame..” which means HELP ME. She started crying and someone grabbed her kid from her (I was inside the office which has bars on it so people can’t steal the medicines). The next second, she was fainting and I ran out of the office to find Frida. She was talking with someone in the hallway, and didn’t understand that I needed her help now. Thank God the emergency room was right there and an English speaking volunteer understood me and got help for the woman. Of course this would happen to me the first time I’m left alone in the office. After having a minor heart attack, I learned how to do most of the paperwork in the office, and I’m starting to be able to read certain medications, and how to count them out for people. It’s crazy how they barely need any ID to pick up all their medication. After work, I had to buy a labcoat to wear for work, so now I look all official. I never ever imagined myself working in a hospital, but I guess I’m getting an experience of a lifetime here.

The week passed really quickly at the hospital, I like working there SO much better. The women I work with really want me to practice, so they are helping me with explaining prescriptions to the other patients and to answer questions. It’s getting a bit easier, but hard when people speak Quetcha to me (the other language here in Peru, the language of the Inkas). When there aren’t tons of patients, I get to small talk with the other pharmacy people, or work on vocabulary or whatever I want. It’s laid back most of the time which is a nice change from the daycare.

Another thing that made the week go by much faster was starting to go to Salsa. At this club about 15 minutes walking from my house, theres a club called InkaTeam that has salsa classes for free every night from 9pm-11pm for the tourists. I went on Tuesday for the first time, and started talking with one of the teachers (Franschesco) who told me he also gave free lessons. Before the lesson, Franschesco asked me a favor, and asked if we could quickly run downtown to get these free tickets to a dance show that his friends were performing in. Of course I couldn’t resist since I love watching anything dance-related, so we literally ran downtown to get two of the first 50 free tickets being given out. The lesson went really well, and even just one lesson helped me so much because I got 1 on 1 attention for an hour and a half. After my lesson, we went to the show with his friend Christian, and the show reminded me of Circus de Ole (which I also saw for free working at Disney, que suerte!!). The show was a bit obscure, like the show in Florida, but it was based on the Inka theme which was cool. It was fun, and it was a good opportunity to get to know some locals for the first time.


Franschesco and I at InkaTeam

Over the weekend, Franschesco started introducing me to his friends, and he has a lot since he teaches so much salsa. After he and his friends teach the salsa classes at the club, they all go out to other salsa clubs which has been giving me lots of practice. Although it is embarrassing sometimes when they look like professionals and I’m the only rookie. Haha but whatever, we have fun nonetheless. IT’s nice to hang out with other dancers too, especially guys, because in the states I don’t have too many guy friends that know/like to dance. It’s crazy how fast you can feel close to people when you share the same passion. Being here is making me miss dancing and performing in Boston though, and I miss dancing other forms like hiphop/ballet/jazz but soon enough I will be back in Boston with NLDC :)


My newfound "Inkateam" family.

On Sunday night, Franschesco and Christian brought me to some get together at Christian’s military base. It was mostly older sergeants and stuff, but Christian had to make an appearance so we went. Of course I was the only “gringo” (white) girl there, and because of this every old sergeant (seriously some of them were really old) all wanted to dance salsa with me. Most of them were drunk too which made it a bit dangerous haha but the rest of the younger guys at the party (cadets and soldiers) found it amusing. Definitely an experience I didn’t think I’d have in Peru. But at least now I can say that I met some legit military from this country.


Christian & I dancing Salsa

As for salsa, it’s been going really well. I can’t believe how crazy the club is every night of the week. They are open until 6am every night, and the other night I was out until 3am (you can never keep track of the time when you’re too busy with the salsa) and even more people were still coming in. I finally learned one of the group salsa dances, which looks a lot more complicated then it actually is. Since I’ve been going for almost a week, people are beginning to recognize my face and ask me to dance. A few of my guy friends are crazy dancers and have been trying to teach me stunts which is pretty ridiculous but fun. One of Franschescos friends is nuts and flipped me backwards and hit my head on the staircase in the bar... and then acted like it was my fault. Oh peruvians... haha


a big group of us - combined foreigners and locals all out for a night of salsa!

This weekend I was in Florida for my cousins wedding. My dad found a relatively cheap flight over to FL so I was able to go! I was so excited. I surprised my cousin because she thought I wouldn't be able to make it! It was an amazing weekend, and now I'm flying back to Peru tonight. I'm excited to go back and see my friends and I'm glad I'm starting to settle in to my new home there.

That's all for now...chau :)

Vida Peru

OKAY so on to my new experience in Peru. Like I said in the beginning, it is extremely different, but having been in Bolivia briefly, I was a little bit more prepared. I had a 3 ½ hour flight to Lima, went through customs with my bags, paid $25 american for my bags being too heavy (which I’m not sure how that’s possible because I had less stuff then when I flew over to South America and didn’t pay a penny…who knows). I had an hour flight to Cuzco, and when I arrived I could tell the air was thinner just as I was trying to haul my bags outside the airport. It was a tiny airport, but no one was there to pick me up, and the only phone number I had for contact was for the Lima coordinator (go figure). Finally some guy came up and said “Kristina?” and I just prayed that he wasn’t going to kidnap me. He told me his name was Ronnie, and was the brother of my host mom. He took me to my house, and I was greeted by tons of stairs made of rock and about 6 family members. I could barely make it up the stairs without feeling like I was going to pass out with the thin air.


my house in Calle Lucrepata, Cuzco

They gave me cocoa tea to battle altitude sickness (cocoa leaves are illegal in the states), and I unpacked all my stuff. The house is very different here and difficult to explain. I live with grandparents, parents, a 7 year old son, and a 20 year old girl who I think is the sister of my host dad, but it’s really confusing. We also have about 2-4 dogs depending on the day (2 of them sometimes stay on the street, and sometimes they stay in the patio). I have a pretty huge room here with two beds in it, a couch, and chairs which is nice for living space. Every room in the “house” is separate and is all connected by the outside patio. The patio is where the sink is and where all the laundry is hung. I’m still getting used to the fact that I have to go outside my room just to use the bathroom, although there isn’t much difference because the temperature in my room is the same as outside (realllyyy cold at night here, I’m living in the Andes, remember?). I’ve only killed one huge spider in my room so far, I’m hoping I won’t see the rest… (I’ve come to learn that ignorance is bliss when it comes to the bugs sharing my room with me). My bed has literally about 6 thick blankets on it, and I still sleep in sweats, socks, long sleeves, hoodie, and a scarf. I feel like I’m living in my room in Boston (during the winter of course). My house is literally on a mountain, so when you are on the patio you are able to see some of the Andes Mountains which is really cool, especially in the morning when the sun is rising.


The view from my street.

Right now it is the Fall Season in Cuzco, so that means that during the day if it’s sunny, it is really hot during the day from 11am to 5pm (about 70-85 degrees depending on the day) and at night it usually drops below freezing. Stupid me, I brought about 2 hoodies, and don’t even have a winter jacket. I’m going to have to look into having my parents send me stuff because it’s only going to get colder as we enter the Winter season here very shortly…

Sunday, Ronnie took me on a walking tour of some of the city. The city is MUCH smaller than Cordoba. I am able to walk to the main square in probably 10-15 minutes, even though I don’t live in the touristy part. Although I like being able to walk everywhere, I miss Cordoba and how it was a bigger city to explore. But I’m trying not to compare… In one plaza, I was sitting on a bench with Ronnie and I saw Justin, my friend from Northeastern University. He also has been co-oping in Argentina/Peru but we had never met up. It was good to see a familiar face. Later in the day, I talked to my host grandparents and got to know them a bit. They are harder to understand in their Spanish because they speak very softly but I was so grateful that I had gone to Argentina before to learn Spanish or else I would be in a lot of trouble communicating. They have a harder time understanding me then my host parents in Argentina did, I’m not sure why but hopefully it improves. I’m having a hard time changing from my accent in Cordoba also. In Cordoba they use the term “vos” instead of “tu” (for “you”), which is a hard habit to break. They also pronounce “Y” and “ll” as a “shh” sound instead of “yuh” like they do in Cuzco. Also very hard to change, but everyone asks if I’m from Cordoba which makes me laugh because Cordobese people are known for this ridiculous sounding accent.


In the Plaza de Armas

Monday, some lady (yes, some lady, I’m getting used to just going with the flow because everything is always so disorganized) picked me up at my house and took me to my first day at the Kindergarten. The kindergarten is only about 5 or 6 blocks from the touristy area, but it’s in the ghetto. It’s crazy how the city changes so quickly from where all the tourists are, to where the “rest” of the people live. The Kindergarten is at the top of an apartment building, where they have about 40 kids in 3 small rooms. This job is really going to challenge my patience. It is much different from working in the orphanage, and after the first three days I had a major headache. The kids are adorable, but extremely hard to contain, and the teachers are always telling me to keep the kids in their rooms which is impossible because the rooms don’t even have doors! I literally have to block off the entrances with chairs. Thank God I know some Spanish or I would be really stuck. My second day at the Kindergarten, 3 other volunteers from the US came in, and they will be here for a week. They didn’t know any Spanish, and I felt so bad for them when they were trying to control the kids. The kids in my room are ages 1 to 2 years old. Basically the whole place is a day-care for the kids of the parents who have to work on the streets selling things to get by. I’m there from 8:30am to 1-1:30pm everyday, which doesn’t seem like a long day, but believe me with 40 kids screaming and crying all day I am so exhausted I have to take a siesta afterwards. I’m in the process of trying to change my job because I don’t get a lot of practice using my Spanish with the babies since they can’t talk. I’m hoping I can work with older kids but we will see what happens…


a little boy at the preschool I worked at.

Wednesday I went out with the 20 year old that lives in my house, Yvonne. We met up with Justin (from Northeastern) and went place to place getting free drinks. It’s crazy how in Cuzco they offer free drinks everywhere just to get people to come into their bars and clubs. In Argentina we had to at least pay for drinks, if not entrance fees too in some places. It was good to catch up with Justin and meet some of his friends although most of them are leaving Peru soon.


Justin, Yovanna & I out in Cuzco

Thursday night I met up with Kim and her friends (Kim is a friend of Holly’s who is has been in Peru since January) and they showed me some good places to go out to. At midnight I had my first “legal” drink at InkaTeam. It was fun but didn’t feel too different since I have been able to drink legally since January in South America.


Friday on my 21st birthday, I woke up early and went whitewater rafting with 2 volunteers from my job, Kristen and Alex, and 3 other volunteers from another location. It was a beautiful day and we had an awesome time! Our guide was really funny and spoke some English which was good, but when he found out I was learning Spanish he refused to speak to me in English haha. It was good practice though! We spent 4 hours out on the river, and the water was freezing! We jumped off a cliff into the water during one of our breaks, and then at the end we jumped off a bridge into the water which was fun but so cold! It was a great way to spend my birthday. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and we had some 3 & 4 level rapids which was exciting. That night, Kristen and I got dinner at an Italian restaurant and we tried our first Pisco Sours (the drink of Cuzco). It wasn’t bad but not my favorite. Afterwards I went out for a bit but was so exhausted from rafting all day that I didn’t make it much past 2am. All in all, the birthday was good, but I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone from home in July :).


A few of us jumping off a bridge during our lunch break.

So that’s pretty much what’s going on here, I am getting used to not having internet in my house and using internet cafes which is kind of a pain, but is doable. I am also getting smarter about showering (only doing it during the daytime hours, since a hot shower is rare, and being outside with wet hair during the night is asking to die of pneumonia)...oh and sometimes there isnt any water at all, not even cold water. I'm also getting use to not drinking the water, and not getting lost in the bad areas of Cuzco. Although I don’t really look Argentine, I could pass for one if I had to (some of them have light hair and light eyes like me) but here in Peru there is no way I can pass for a Peruvian. Because of this I have to be really careful ;) Tomorrow I’m heading off to “el campo” with Yvonne to see her house which is in the country. This week went by really slow, but I’m sure once I get used to things here, things will be pick up…

Hasta luegooo

El Fin de Argentina :(

So I’m finally in Peru and I’ve got very mixed feelings about it. I’m excited to explore a new country and have a new experience, but the truth is it was much harder to leave Argentina then I ever imagined. My time there went so fast I can’t even believe it. I remember my first day there like it was yesterday. After I returned from Mendoza, I had about a week and a half left. I spent it enjoying my time left with the orphans, and with my family and friends. I can’t believe how accustomed I had become to the way of life here. From riding the busses, talking to the taxi drivers like I’d known them (they are friendly, unlike the ones in Boston I’ve had that don’t even talk to you), to asking how to find things in stores or asking directions, I am not the same timid girl I was when I arrived in January. I remember my first weeks in Argentina I was too nervous to even ask for a drink at a kiosk or to pick up empanadas to go for lunch. Even if I screw up with my Spanish it doesn’t phase me anymore because the people here are (usually) extremely forgiving.

Leaving the kids at the orphanage literally broke my heart in two. I knew it would be hard, but I had no idea what I was in for. The kids that I work with in the “casa de Amarillo” (the yellow house) are all ages 4-6 years, and they made me a mural with their handprints on it. It was so cute. They also sang me a farewell song which I luckily have on video (let’s hope my laptop doesn’t crash from so many pictures/videos from this trip). It was also hard for me to leave some of the older kids. After they had bullied me for the first couple weeks, we had actually built relationships through jokes and sarcasm as I built up on my Spanish vocabulary. I was told that the older kids have a hard time when volunteers leave because they have more of a vivid memory of the time shared then the younger ones.



I had one close friendship with a 16-year old named Belen. Belen has some really serious attitude problems, but somehow we built a friendship through boy talk (it always works to start a conversation), and I listened to her tell me stories about school and the drama going on. The last few days before I had to say goodbye, she began to ignore me completely. The women working in the house told me that it was because I was leaving and that she was just really hurt that I was leaving her. I felt awful. :( On my last day I was just about to leave and I lost it (I had lasted the entire day without crying) and Belen asked me what happened, the first thing she had said to me in days. She ended up walking me to the bus stop with my 2 English friends (Roxy & Lucy) and gave me a note and a painting. The note told me that she hopes that God watches out for me now & forever, and that I was the best friend she ever had and that she would always miss me. Although it was really hard to leave, I was glad that I had made connections with the kids, and impacted their life in a small way, especially Belen. She’s definitely one of the ones I will never forget.


Belen & I

The Wednesday before I had to leave, my host parents had a goodbye dinner for me (and early Birthday dinner). Matias, Mike, Nati and Pat were there which was really nice. Adri (my host mom) made “Disco Pollo” which is an Argentine tradition. It’s basically chicken cooked outside on an open fire with rice, vegetables, and lots of spices. It was deliciousss! It was nice to have one more dinner as a family (we ate lots of meals together, my host parents, Mike, Jimena & I. I’m really going to miss our dinner conversations, especially when Mike and I became able to contribute to the conversation in Spanish.


Mike & I, and our host family :)

On Thursday, a bunch of us went out to learn Salsa at a club. It was really fun! Matias was also teaching a bunch of us since he’s grown up with it. We also got to watch a salsa competition at the end which was amazing! It was good to go out with everyone one last time, but really hard to say goodbye. Friday I spent the day getting my things together and then with my local Argentine friends at Matias’s house. It was terrible saying goodbye. I haven’t cried that much in awhile but I think I was tired too which didn’t help. Before I left on Saturday morning, Adrianna (my host mom) gave me a note and a rosary. The note was lots of motherly advice in Spanish, and she told me I’m always welcome to stay in their house if I can come back. She also said that when I have kids someday, they have grandparents in Argentina :) . I know 3 months doesn’t seem like a long time to feel that close to people, but I really felt like I was leaving my family and friends in the USA behind (and thinking I was never going to see them again). I’m just grateful that I have such an awesome experience to be upset about leaving (if that makes any sense).

Okay now onto the beginning of Peru…