Going out with a BANG

Our trip to Puno was possibly the best way to end our six weeks in Perú. On the way there we made a few stops in small towns to see a site or two, but the REAL site to see was Lake Titicaca once we got there. We took a boat for 3.5 hours on the crystal clear lake to the island of Amantani, a place that cannot be described in words. To start, the island is made up of 10 communities, all of which function on a system of reciprocity (called ayllu or ayni in Quechua). In other words, the people on this island go about their daily lives WITHOUT the use of money and everything is done by the exchanging of favors. Electricity is minimal, however the home we stayed in was rather nice and the four of us had a BLAST sharing a room together for the night.

 That night we (meaning all the gringos on the island) dressed up in our host parents' clothing and had a festive celebration with dancing and lots of pictures. This was one of the most fun things I think I've done since my arrival in Perú. You'd be surprised at how warm their clothes are - and how the skirt made me have a DONK like JLO. Jaja.

Aside from that, we went on a strenuous hike with a view that was more than rewarding at the top. We could even see the snowcapped mountains of Bolivia from the island. Cool, right?

On our way back to Puno from Amantani, we stopped at Uros, a group of islands that are made of NOTHING more than reeds. The fact that people live on these islands and have to reconstruct them every 25 years is inconceivable to me, but pretty neat, too.

We spent the majority of our last day in Cusco doing some shopping and soaking up what we could of the city. Though I'm extremely ready to come home, I can still say that I'll miss Perú, my host family in particular. Our goodbye was a little sad, and I can only hope that I'll somehow see them again someday or at least stay in touch. It's weird to think I may never come back here...

Anyway, this summer has been absolutely incredible and one that I will never forget. The word "travel" has taken on a whole other meaning now that my perspective on the world has changed drastically. That alone makes this kind of experience rewarding.

Learn a lot. Live a lot. See a lot. That pretty much sums it up.

Winding Down!

Happy 23rd Anniversary to my awesome parents! Love you both, mucho.

My group gave our (almost) final presentation on Wednesday about the presidency of Alberto Fujimori, which then progressed into a debate about the very controversial politician. Later that night we went out to a bar/restaurant and just hung out for several hours while we watched a soccer game on TV. Doctora (thankfully) gave us class off on Thursday and Friday to start our final research projects.  My group and I went to the Cusco library on Thursday and searched through its newspaper archives on the presidential campaigns of Ollanta Humala (president-to-be) from 2006 and 2011. We stayed there for about three hours and then went around the center of the city taking pictures of political grafitti and doing a little shopping on the way.

Friday we went on an adventure searching for people to interview for our project. Between the policeman, taxi driver, and a lawyer from the regional government office, we got some pretty good information about the campaigns.  We took a detour for a few hours to a HUGE artisan market where we all found some nice gifts for friends and family. I’ve been searching everywhere for souvenir spoons, but they’re all SUPER expensive because they’re made of pure silver ($30+ per spoon, which I don’t have). I’m determined to find some cheaper ones though before I leave. Gotta keep my collection growing to carry on Mema’s tradition. :) That night a few of us went to hear a Cuban tribute band while a few others went dancing.

Today wasn’t super exciting – just met with my group again to organize all of our information and start writing our final report (which is getting pretty lengthy…). Surprisingly, however, we had a good time hanging out together despite the fact that we were pounding out facts and essays.  After being super productive, Casey and I decided it was THE night to make “American” food for our host family. What could be more American than FUDGE BROWNIES?!  Our younger sisters were really excited for us to make them something, so we really wanted to give them something good. The only problem was that we found out their oven doesn’t work AFTER we bought the ingredients… so we had to go use a public oven several blocks away to HALF cook them. We brought them back to the house and decided to “nuke” them, which wasn’t the best idea because they turned into bricks. Despite the fact that we needed a hammer to cut them, we had a blast cracking up with our family over our FAIL. I definitely won’t forget tonight for a long time, jaja.

Anyway, this could be my last post before I’m home in NINE days! We’re presenting our final “committee” research projects on Monday and then leaving for Puno on Tuesday morning. We’ll be staying with a family one night that speaks NO Spanish, only Quechua, so that should be interesting. In addition, the fact that having a FLOOR in these houses will be a “luxury” will also be interesting, along with no hot water. Nevertheless, I’m excited to REALLY be out of my comfort zone for once. We’ll be back on Friday, have all day Saturday to do whatever (ahem, shopping), then to the airport on Sunday! I can’t believe how fast this trip has gone by, but I’m excited to finally get home and relax for the rest of my summer.  ¡Hasta pronto! 

Random, but I thought it was cool. :)

This picture has nothing to do with this post, but I thought it was funny, jaja.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

A change of perspective...

The other day we went to the Cathedral of Cusco that's in the center of the city. I'm sad to say that I left feeling very uncomfortable and turned off. To start, tourists have to pay to enter, and once inside all you see is GOLD. The amount of gold in this place is ridiculous, to the point of being very gaudy and extremely idolatrous. Though I'm not Catholic, it's very apparent that Catholicism here is extremely different than it is at home in that there is a HEAVY emphasis on idols (physical figures of saints and various deviations of the Virgen Mary). Needless to say, the visit to the cathedral was very eye-opening and really made me grateful for my church back home.

In class on Friday we had a debate, which was very heated and therefore extremely fun and interesting. Debates in Spanish are usually pretty intimidating, but once we start everyone gets really into it. A few days before we had to give 1+ hour presentations in groups, which was definitely a challenge but very enlightening. You can definitely learn a lot of Spanish when put in these academic situations!

Yesterday we went to Pisac again to see the parade and celebrations of La Virgen del Carmen, a different variant of the Virgen Mary. Apparently this saint receives as much emphasis (if not more) than Christ, which is disheartening. I'm learning a lot about my own faith from seeing how things are here. A lot of the reason for the stark differences between here and the States is a result of the syncretism of ancient Incan beliefs with those that were taught by the Spanish in the 16th century during the conquest. One big possibility for the emphasis on saint figures is the fact that the Incas worshiped huacas, or anything that they saw as sacred (mountains, people, pretty views, waterfalls, etc.). It's likely that these huacas were replaced by physical figures of saints by the Spanish to convert them to Christianity.

Aside from experiencing these differences, we also got to walk around the TINY town for a while and do some extensive shopping. I finally feel like I got some nice gifts for my family, and I'm very excited about that. :)

I leave 2 weeks from today! How crazy is that? It's strange that it feels like time has trickled and flown by at the same time. I like it here, but I'm also super excited to be home again. Dualidad? Sí.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through ME." - John 14:6

Machu Picchu y más

(More pictures on facebook)

Saturday - FREE DAY! I relaxed by myself for a while in the morning until lunch, then decided to get out for a bit. I stopped by Totta (a yummy cake place 5 feet from my house... dangerous) and picked up two slices on my way to Mitch's house. We ate our cake in the park on swings like little kids, then decided to go exploring. We walked around for about an hour, then decided to take a taxi to Mercado Molino. Though this place was a little sketch, its awesomeness was worth it. We bought 4 (NEW!) movies for about $4, which was really exciting. I thought about Sketchy and how many movies she could buy here... jaja. Gold mine. :)

Sunday - MACHU PICCHU (which means "Old Mountain" in Quechua). Prior to this trip, one of my goals was to visit all 50 states before I die. On top of that, I've decided I'd also like to visit all 7 wonders of the world (there are several lists, but I'm referring to the one with the pyramids, the Great Wall, etc.). I'm proud to say I can now cross one off the list! Despite the fact it was a super tourist trap because of the 100th anniversary of the "scientific" discovery, the scenery was unlike anything I've ever seen. The Incas built this city around 1300A.D. and it was discovered (by white people) in 1911. A man named Hiram Bingham from Yale found this motherload of ancient history and brought back thousands of artifacts to the States. They were just returned to Peru this year...

Today - Parque de la Papa (The Potato Park). Sound exciting? I'm sure it doesn't. The part about actual potato farming wasn't the most interesting thing I've ever heard, but having ALPACA for lunch was definitely interesting... I've discovered that I'm not gastronomically adventurous when it comes to meat, though the alpaca wasn't too bad. After that, however, we went on an EXTREME hike. I'm sorry to keep mentioning the altitude, but this was 15,000 feet above sea level! That's almost 3 miles, which puts Denver, "the mile high city," to shame. Needless to say, I was extremely winded after 4 hours with minimal oxygen. But the exercise was nice for once!

I'll admit that I wasn't totally in love with Peru when I first got here, but like Mexico, it's definitely started to grow on me. I guess you could say I'm definitely starting to feel "cultured." :)

"Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light, yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night? None can fathom..."  - Indescribable, Chris Tomlin

Twinkle, Twinkle

Hola, mi loyal peeps! Two nights ago we went to the Cusco Planetarium. If you're thinking we had a quasi-Fernbank experience, I must assure you that it was far better. We met in front of the cathedral at 6:45 (since it gets dark here at ripe 6:00pm...) and hopped on a bus that took us to the top of the mountains. After a lengthy explanation of incan astrology, we finally got to take a look at the sky through some crazy telescopes. It was extremely cold, even with my alpaca sweater, so they gave us blankets to wrap up in along with hot tea that's typically drunk at high altitudes. (Keep in mind, we're at approximately 12,000 feet above seal level.) In addition to the many SHOOTING STARS that we saw, we got to see constellations that can't be seen from the United States. Pretty cool stuff, right? My favorite part was being able to see the craters on the moon and the rings around Saturn, along with its two moons. I've never been one to take much interest in astronomy, but the Atlanta sky just can't compare to the one here.

The moon literally looked like this, though I obviously didn't take this picture.

Yesterday was a surprise free day because it was the 100th Anniversary of the scientific discovery of Machu Picchu!! We walked around a bit while two students gave presentations, and then went to a fantastic bakery (where I shared 2 pieces of cake...) before heading to the school to discuss our excursion to Machu Picchu. We're going on Sunday, and I can't wait!! I might have an entire album dedicated to this maravilla. :)

Long Time No Blog

Sorry it’s been so long (and that this post is so long…)! Today is our first free day since we’ve been here, so I’ve been going, going, going constantly.  If we’re not sitting in a FREEZING cold classroom or making video documentaries, we’re spending the whole day on a bus visiting Incan ruins or walking through the center of the city doing interviews and taking pictures. It’s all been a blast so far, but it’s definitely taking a lot of my energy. I’m also BEYOND excited that my 36-hour stomach virus is now gone!

The sites here really are quite astounding. Though Cusco is definitely less developed than Mexico City, it’s very interesting to see a different part of Latin America. The contrast of vast open fields against skyscraping mountain chains (some snowcapped!) never fails to leave me speechless. In some ways, the mountains and climate here remind of Alaska. On the other hand, clay-shingled rooftops and cobblestone streets are not exactly Alaskan. We recently found out that there’s not a single movie theater in Cusco, so I guess Harry Potter 7, Part 2 will have to wait…

Our visits to all of the ruins have so far been my favorite part of this trip. Though hiking at 11,200 feet above sea level is more than exhausting, the sites are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The Incans definitely put some of Georgia Tech’s engineering to shame. Yesterday we went to Urubamba, Moray, and Chinchero.

Urubamba – Ceramics. This guy said it can take up to 45 days to make a simple coffee mug! Granted, he makes the clay himself from sand and water, handcrafts the shape without any machinery, and paints with all-natural plant pigments.

Moray – Agriculture. The Incans used to plant their crops at the bottom of these circular terraces, then gradually move them up the levels until they could eventually survive at the highest altitude. (Side note: In Peru, there are over 3,800 varieties of potatoes, one of which is called moraylla. This potato is only eaten during the winter because it’s intentionally dried out and frozen at high altitudes, creating a freezer-burned flavor that Peruvians particularly like. I haven’t gotten to that point yet…)

Chinchero – Textiles. We learned the entire process that still continues today. The process goes as follows: shear the alpaca, clean the wool with soap made from a cousin of the yucca plant, spin the wool into yarn/thread, dye the yarn in a mixture of lime juice, salt, and plant extract, WEAVE. Some of these textiles take up to 100 days per piece to complete. That’s pretty eye-opening when you’re used to assuming that clothes come in a package off a conveyor belt. This really is a different world.  The one thing I couldn’t get past was the fact that these women were sitting outside in freezing temperatures wearing skirts and no shoes. We were all pretty sure our toes were becoming frost-bitten, so most of us bought a pair of alpaca slippers. My best investment so far.

 The name I chose for this blog is definitely starting to ring true. I’m without a doubt learning the importance of Embracing Uncertainty. Everything about this trip is somewhat of a surprise and a learning experience on many levels. Life without hot showers, central heating, and internet is definitely making me appreciate everything I have at home so much more. My eyes have been opened to the fact that living in the United States is almost like living in a bubble, blind to the way other people around the world live every day.

Mom, Dad, Steve: I miss you all so much. All my love.

 “Into marvelous light I’m running, out of darkness, out of shame. By the cross You are the truth, You are the light, You are the way.”

¡Qué chévere!

Yesterday we visited 5 sites of ruins, all of which were very different and uniquely fascinating.  I’ll spare you the details and post a few pictures.

Qorikancha

Q’enqo (“the labyrinth”)

Pura Pukara

Tambomachay – “Bath of the Inca” (where Mia, Allison, and I did our interview)

 Saqsaywaman (pronounced something like “sexy woman”)

Afterward we went to a store where they sold all kinds of sweatshirts, sweaters, gloves, hats, etc. made from alpaca or vicuña.  They were of all different textures, colors, and patterns, and look very Peruvian. I definitely plan on buying a sweatshirt, especially since I packed poorly… plus they are just really chévere! :)

Our group arrived in Cusco at possibly the best time of the year.  This entire week has been jam-packed full of festivals and parades, with masses of people at the center of the city to celebrate it all. Today was Corpus Christi (which means “the body of Christ” in Latin and always falls 60 days after Easter), which celebrates the reinvigoration of Catholic traditions and values that were compromised during the Reformation. This holiday in Cusco marks La Entrada de los Santos (“the entrance of the saints”) in La Plaza de Armas in which floats carrying saint figures pass through the plaza into the cathedral.  Half of the class had the assignment of interviewing people in the plaza about Corpus Christi and its significance in Cusco.  These interviews were very fun and extremely eye-opening to say the least.  We ended up talking to a few cusqueños for nearly half an hour, learning about all of the holiday’s traditions and its importance to the people here.  There were definitely some very heart-felt conversations, including one in which I had to explain the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism.  (Many of the people here have never heard of Protestantism because EVERYONE is Catholic.  In their eyes, you’re either Catholic or atheist.)  This video report project, in my opinion, was the epitome of what studying abroad should look like because we really are learning outside the classroom.  Tomorrow, the other half of the class will be doing the same project for Inti Raymi (which means “Party of the Sun” in Quechua), one of the largest celebrations in Perú.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”   -Romans 12:2

First Days in Cusco, Perú

NOTE: I do not have internet in my house and therefore my blog posts will be much more sporadic. There is internet at the school, but I'm not here enough to consistently update or respond to e-mails. I will try my best however to stay in touch! I'm having difficulties with uploading pictures... :(

We spent a LOT of time in the airport. I left Atlanta at 5:30pm and arrived in Lima at 12:00 (6 hour flight with a one-hour time change). I met up with Allison, Nicole, Leslie, Mia, and Mitch, and the 6 of us sat at a café for about 4 hours before checking in for our connecting flight. I left Lima at 6:00am and arrived in Cusco around 8:00am. Allison and Nicole arrived about the same time as me, and together we left the airport to meet up with our families. The airport lost my suitcase… the one that had ALL of my stuff in it. Mala suerte?

I was very excited to meet my host mom and the rest of my family. Señora Sonia picked me up and took me to their house, only to find that she had lost her keys. So we went across the street to a juguería (juice shop… with literally about 50 varieties of juice) where she ordered me papaya juice and a chicken sandwich while she went to find someone to open the door. Long story short, I ended up waiting there for over an hour feeling sick to my stomach and extreeeemely tired. 

We finally got in the house after basically breaking in through a glass window above the door frame. I immediately went to sleep and woke up 3 hours later around 1:30. Señora Sonia made me lunch (fried chicken, rice, and french fries) during which I met her two daughters (Chabeli, 15 and Lissa, 14) and husband (Juan) after they arrived home from school and work. I reallyyy like my Peruvian family. I already feel comfortable with them. After lunch we went back to the airport to retrieve my lost luggage, but the airline counter was closed when we got there. We went back the next morning at 6:00am and, thankfully, it was there! By the way, it's veryyy cold here...

When we returned I again fell asleep for a few hours. Traveling from Atlanta to Cusco is quite a process and very exhausting, so it took me a day or so to get back on schedule. I woke up and tried to find an internet connection with no luck. Apparently all internet in the entire city was down, which worried me because I couldn’t comunicate with anyone in the group or e-mail my mom to let her know I got here okay. I ended up going to a pay phone to call my parents, which was such a relief. It felt like it had been days since I’d seen or heard from them. I’m crossing my fingers that I can get skype to work here. If not, this could be a longgg 6 weeks.

June is apparently one of the most celebrated months in Perú, with various holidays and festivities throughout the month. Great time to arrive, right?! We had a delicious dinner and then went to La Plaza de Armas to see fireworks and a small concert. There were soo many people there! Thursday is the celebration of Corpus Cristi and Friday is a Peruvian holiday called Inti Raymi. Both involve various parades and parties that last throughout the whole night. I'll probably go to watch for a bit, but I definitely won't be losing any sleep, jaja.

Everything is going pretty well and I like it here so far. From what I can tell it’s very different from Mexico City, but the change is nice. It’s very colonial here and the mountaneous view from my window is spectacular. Pictures coming soon. Yesterday was our first day of class at El Centro Tinku with Juan Carlos, which went pretty well. Afterward we went walking around the center of the city taking pictures of the festivities going on. I took some videos which I'll TRY to post later. I’m excited for my roommate Casey to get here and experience all this with me! :) 

Today we're going to visit some Incan ruins. Should be quite an adventure! 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." - Proverbs 16:3

Home Sweet Home

I spent my last day in D.F. shopping with Emnet, Drew, and Jenny and doing a little grading. It was a good day overall, though somewhat sad at the thought of not returning to Mexico for a while. Doctora took us all out to a fabulous dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse later that night. We left feeling very stuffed, but happy. :) After dinner I went to Emnet's apartment to hang out with Alexi and Roxanne and say our goodbyes. I can't believe I won't see them for another 8 weeks! :( 


 I got into ATL today around noon. I was exhausted because I woke up at 5am and only got about 3 hours of sleep. Carrying my set of talavera plates through the airport wasn't super fun, but I was relieved to get them home still in one piece. :) Although I'm already missing my LBAT friends, I'm glad to be home, see a few old friends, and relax for a few days before leaving again. This is definitely a busy summer!


Things I missed about home:


- My mamaaa
- Air conditioning
- Flushing the toilet paper
- Ice cubes
- Clean feet
- Rainstorms
- My bed
- Roxyyy


Things I'll miss about Mexico:


- The markets
- JENNY
- Fruit off the street for about $1
- Riding the metro
- Rancho Los Amigos!
- Oaxaca cheese
- Watching movies on the roof
- Being called "Güera"
- Lime ice cream
- Mexican hospitality
- Gary, our taxi driver
- Morning chats with the guard at the school
- 40 cent pastries
- Shopping with Doctora
- Manzana Lift
- Coffee from OXXO
- Huevos a la mexicana... yum
- Elder's café... Coffee Land.
- Learning jokes from Mexican students
- Filled churros
- My awesome apartment
- Emphasis on family
- Sleepovers with Emnet
- Wandering around the city with no intentions

Interior of our apartment

Rooftop where we watched movies

Exterior of our apartment

Jenny, Me, Emnet, Doctora, and Drew on my last night 

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." - 1 Timothy 4:4-5

SONTECOMAPAN

Great weekend to end my trip to Mexico. :) We spent 3 days in Sontecomapan (an island near Veracruz) at Rancho Los Amigos - one of the coolest and most enjoyable places I've ever been (www.losamigos.com.mx). Though it was SUPER hot and humid (yes, worse than Atlanta), I had a great time being adventurous and nature-y with my LBAT peeps. I'll explain further:


No technology. Our entertainment consisted of reading in hammocks, kayaking, hiking, swimming, etc. Though the heat was nearly unbearable for me, all these activites were still a blast. No computer or phone for a while was liberating.

Camp style. We stayed in little cabins and all shared a community bathroom. The occasional frog joined us... No air conditioning (obviously), no makeup, no complaints. We even woke up at 5:30am one morning to see the sunrise. Sadly, it was overcast and we couldn't really see anything...

Fresh food. Every meal we ate was made completely fresh, from mangos picked from the island's orchard to fish caught straight from the lagoon. It's always refreshing to know that your food has literally no perservatives.

Culture. We got to experience El Temazcal, an ancient Mexican ritual of natural cleansing by means of an outdoor sauna. We sat on the sand in what looks like an igloo made out of bamboo, surrounding a pit where burning volcanic rocks were placed and then covered with water to create a vapor. I'm sure you're thinking that sounds relaxing, but it was actually quite exhausting after 45 minutes inside. However, we distracted ourselves by singing numerous ancient Aztec songs and "shouting out" our anger. Quite the experience, I must say. Aside from the Temazcal, we were also presented with another Mexican ritual: dancing however you'd like... while blindfolded. I will admit that I peeked out from under my blindfold almost the entire time to avoid bumping into the other 15 people. (I'm a bad enough dancer as it is WITHOUT a blindfold...) It was pretty fun, though I still don't completely understand the concept. No inhibitions, maybe? We'll go with that.

Only 2 more days until I'm home again! I've had so much fun being here again this summer, but I'm so excited to see my family and unwind for a few days. Then it's off to Peru! :)


"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5