Batman

2-20-11

Lazy Sunday! Aren’t those the best kind? I stayed up way to late talking to Celia and asking her about her experience with the program. She seemed really surprised about some of the ways in which it’s degraded, but she offered me some good advice. It was also just nice to talk to someone who knows about the program but isn’t actively involved in it right now. My host mom and I woke up super early and went to Quechua mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral at 6 AM. We saw our whole class there. It was half in Quechua and half in Spanish and the Spanish parts bothered me. It actually made me think about Forster’s Reformation class because the church doors were wide open, making the inside freezing and drafty, people would come in and out, the Mass was in a language I absolutely didn’t understand (like Latin), and they were renovating so I sat underneath huge criss-crossed timber poles. It was a beneficial experience for me, even though I do not believe. Some parts made you really emotional, like when the priest is yelling at you aka preaching! Whoo! My host mom bought three beautiful pink gladiolas outside of the church and when asked why three, she said that they represented the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

I meant to go hiking today with Matt and Lauren, but I did not get nearly enough sleep. In addition, I’m hesitant to exert myself here owing to my first reaction to it. Instead, I packed for the trip, had a nice breakfast, rested, and watched a bollywood movie! It was great! But you know me…Kites was filmed in NM, so it was like a combination of my two favorite things haha. After lunch I checked my email, etc. and found so many people on Skype! I guess Sunday afternoon is the prime time to talk to people in Europe! It was nice to talk to Pia- It’s been a while!

In the late afternoon I decided that I should take advantage of my last day in Cusco for a while, so I took a combi to Avenida del Sol to find a book to read for the trip. I’d yet to take a combi by myself before, but it was totally fine! I took the route called Batman, which I find humorous. I got out near Qoricancha and considered going in because I’ve been meaning to, but it was closed on Sunday. Actually, many things were closed today. Celia told me what to look out for in order to locate this bookshop, but I somehow couldn’t find it! So, instead, I walked to the end of Avenida del Sol to look at the Artisanal Market that people keep telling me about. My room is pretty cold because they don’t heat their houses here, so I was on the lookout for alpaca slippers. Success! They’re so soft! However, I know for a fact that I paid too much. It was a little boy selling them to me and I was on my own…both factors that lead me to just accept the price. I’ve been trying to change my outlook a bit. For instance, when in a big group of gringos and you get attacked my vendors, it’s easy to brush them off, ignore them, or be rude. I don’t want to be that way! So I tested it since I was alone and just chatted and was as nice as can be to all the vendors who approached me. I felt much better about it. So when I found the slippers, I was not about to haggle. Even so, they weren’t even 10 dollars. Maybe they should have been 3 dollars… but oh well! After I paid my 25 soles I left to go get a combi back home. Good thing I checked my purse because it turned out that I was short 20 cents for a combi and the only other money I had was a 100 soles note. I don’t know why banks give out such large notes! They’re useless! No one will accept them or change them out for smaller bills! It’s a pain! Anyway, since I hadn’t haggled I went back to the little boy and explained my situation, asking him if he could lower the price of my slippers by a sol so that I could take the combi home. He didn’t even question it at all, he just graciously handed me a sol. That would never happen in the US. I feel like here in Peru there is more of a sense of community and sharing, and a price doesn’t have to be set if it can help you in some way other than greed. I really appreciated it little boy.

I’m really going to miss my host family over the next two weeks. They keep telling me how quiet the house will be and who will fill my empty room? They jest, but they are so very kind. My host mom told me that though I miss carnaval and Sebas’ baptism because of this trip, when I return we have to play bingo, make tacos, take a picture, and go dancing at this event in which couples dance around a tree, each couple helping to chop down the tree. Apparently the couple that succeeds in making the tree fall has to return the next year to lead the proceedings. My host mom was like “hey, you might be back next year!” I really will miss them, they’re wonderful people.

xo Claire

Ukuku y Huaraca

2-19-11

As today was a Saturday, I enjoyed sleeping in late. I ate a delicious avocado for breakfast, then sat around reading/attempting to figure out Cels before I leave on Monday. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it before then.. but I don’t return until March! Maybe I should bring my computer after all….I can’t decide. Lugging it around can be such a hassle, though. Only time will tell what I do. I ran (sortof) with Olivia before lunch, ate, and then afterward my host mom and I boarded a combi (El Zorro is the bus we take) to the Mercado Central. We hunted around and finally found a woman selling the ukuku demon mask that I have to buy for this trip in the right size and for a decent price. I bought one with a green face and rainbow stripes! I asked her for a mirror to see what it looked like and I nearly scared myself! It’s like a balaclava in that it covers your whole head except for you mouth and eyes, but with horns, a goatee, Cs for ears, and a curly-Q moustache embroidered on. Then we also bought the slingshot, otherwise known as Huaraca, which seems like it could do serious damage if used the wrong way! I met up with Lauren, Allina, and Olivia in the Plaza and my host mom returned home, then from there the four of us headed to the Café recommended to us, Café Ayllu. Full from our cafecitos and postres (I had a cachito which is like a conelike puff pastry filled with dulce de leche), we wandered around a bit, just walking the streets for the next several hours. This is exactly what I’ve wanted to do this whole time! We browsed tiny shops with wonderful scarves (so colorful!) and Peruvian hats, blankets, etc… really anything you could want. I’ll have to return later to get presents for people. I haven’t forgotten that I need to get you a hat Bradley! I bought an excellent present for Julie (Solomon) actually. Julie, think along the lines of the cowbell. It’s fantastic! I hope I’m not giving too much away.

It rained in the afternoon, as always, and we sheltered in this bookstore. We tried to find another with at least a couple books in English, but our search failed. When I got home my mom had made picarones, which are a bit like fry bread and meant to be eaten with a honey-like substance. I decided that since we have to wake up so early for Mass tomorrow, that I would stay in tonight. I asked a couple people if they’d like to watch movies tonight and they’re coming to my house in a bit. I hope that they like my selection of four movies, and if not, that they brought their own! I guess we’ll all watch in the rather awkward living room next to my room. Oh well, it’ll be fun cause I generally just enjoy being around people.

xo Claire

Trip Preparation

2-18-11

Luckily, they gave us the afternoon off today. I think it’s only fair, since Calca took up all of Saturday and we’re about to embark on a 16-day trip with only one free day. We finished Quechua, so in the morning we had FSS with Donaldo and Sonia ( Field Study Seminar aka preparation for ISP). We spent a lot of time defining globalization and then drawing maps of Cusco, as we know it. After misspending most of the morning in similar fashion, they tried to fit an explanation of our upcoming trip in about 15 minutes. That didn’t work and they ended up keeping us for an hour extra, so people got crankier and crankier. We tried to divide the group into those who stay up in the higher altitudes herding alpacas in Colca, and those who stay on farms. It took so long! And we still don’t even know what villages we’ll be in. oy.

I came home to each a yummy lunch of chicken and rice of some sort with the whole family, then I headed out with Olivia and her host mom, Yolanda, to go buy some things on our packing list. Yolanda took us to Calle Nuevo, which is more like a road with some shops along the side than a market. I doubled my scarf collection here. Whoops! I just love colors! One scarf is sort of a 70’s greenish color and when I asked the shopkeeper to bring down that one she gave me the most incredulous look, as if you say “that is the most hideous color you could have chosen.” Oh well, I like it! So yeah, I bought three scarves that are all super colorful, a sweater, and socks for Colca. They require us to obtain a creepy demon mask and a slingshot for our theater workshop on Lima….I imagine that will be interesting. Two weeks is a long time! Colca will be freezing, but Lima will be sweltering, so I’ll probably just end up bringing all of my clothes. I’m going with my host mom tomorrow to find said items. I’m really loving my host family. They often leave me to my own devices, but I feel like we always have good, honest, comfortable, and long conversations at the dinner table. Breakfast is usually quiet and lunch chaotic, but I appreciate what each person gives. At dinner my host mom gave me a present! She gave me a little clay shot glass with Incan designs that says “Feliz Año Nuevo 2011 Cusco, Peru.” I asked my host dad, Victor, about the varieties of spellings for Cusco and found out that the English speaking world has got it all wrong!!! “Qosqo” is the name in Quechua, “Cusco” the name is Spanish, and “Cuzco” (with the Z) is a kind of dog!! Sorry Cusqueños!

After we got back from shopping (we took the combis again) we got together with a couple of other girls and just spent several hours talking. It was a really nice feeling and we all got to know each other a lot better.

After dinner I had a jolly skype with Nate, then met up with some Santa Ursula folks to go out. I’m really not a big drinker so this going out all the time thing is fairly new for me. We went to a bar called Amaru, where I ordered the most disgusting drink of all time. I should stray from the standbys- it never works. It was like an extraordinarily alcoholic glass of Listerine! But then we went to another place upstairs with a great atmosphere, then we went dancing as we always do. I actually had a really great time! I think it was partly because nearly the entire group was there and I hate it when smaller cliques form and you get stuck with the same group of people when everyone here is so great! Oh, the other night when we danced we met a couple very tall British men here on gap year. Rachel befriended them, but I couldn’t even hear a single word they said. How people meet people in clubs I just don’t know. Don’t get it!

Kia’s been telling me that on the walk to school every afternoon she stops and gets a Princesa ice cream bar. I tried it today, and it was amazing! A little Reese’s-esque. Oh, that reminds me. There are many words here that I’ve never learned before. For example, in school I always learned that peanut is “cacahuate,” however, here they say “maní.” Similarly, “aguacate” is “palta,” “bufanda” is “chalina” and so on.

Good night,

xo Claire

Qorqa & Salsa

2-17-11

I can’t believe how quickly February passes before my eyes! Yesterday I freaked out a little about my ISP (Independent Study Project for the last month which culminates in a 40+ page Spanish paper) and asked to talk to Donaldo about it. The truth is that I don’t know what I want to study yet! I enjoy researching and learning about things in depth, but I grow tired of subjects pretty quickly, so I want to find something that I truly enjoy. He essentially told me to chill out and come back to him when I had an idea. Oh well, not much help. We then asked Sonia where Colca Canyon was on the map (near Chivay), and she proceeded to tell us about our upcoming trip in detail. Apparently the drive to Puno aka Town near Lake Titicaca is about 6-7 hours and we’re not going to feel so great because we’ll be ascending to significantly higher altitudes. Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest freshwater lake, no? I think it is. We spend one night in Puno, one night on the reed island of Taquile, on night in Puno, and then we drive to Chivay where we then disperse with our rural home stay families to their small towns. We have the option of living with a family at a higher altitude and herding alpaca/llama, or farming at a lower altitude. Either way it’s going to be absolutely freezing! I need to get some more sweaters! We’ll be there for five days, and then we congregate and travel on to the south, to Arequipa. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru. It’s where Farina’s husband will be for the next month. I believe she said that he works at a mine there, but I think he’s an administrator of some sort. In Arequipa we present our findings from our Colca Canyon stay (one of the deepest canyons in the world – double the depth of the Grand Canyon), spend a couple days there, then fly on to Lima. I believe this is something like a 13 day trip. I asked Sonia if we had any free time, especially since Calca was like a trap, but she said we only have one free day for that whole time. Hopefully we’ll have a bit of free time each day, but not much. I’m a bit disappointed that we’re spending so little time at Lake Titicaca because Marina said it was amazing, and even Sonia said it wasn’t enough time, but it’s pretty amazing that we get to go to these amazing places in the first place. I’ve just got to buy knick-knacks while I’m there!

Anyways, on to what actually transpired today. We woke up early and boarded a bus to Qorqa at 7:30. The drive took about an hour on very high and thin roads. I could not drive here and I would NEVER drive a bus here. It scares me just to look out of the window. It was the same to Machu Picchu! You look out your window and see that the tires are 6 inches away from falling down into a precipice. No thanks!! We really psyched ourselves for the exam because it turned out to be super simple. We met a family in Qorqa (Rosa, Andres, Sintia, and Katarina Vargas) and then we stood in a line and each asked a question from our exam sheet, then filling in their response. Sintia, the little girl who all of us thought was male, had a pet baby goat that she carried around for a bit. Wish I had a photo! It was so cute! Rosa and Andres walked us down an old Incan road (Kapac Nan in Quechua) that led down to their chacras. They also raise cuy, which they showed us. Whoa! The trek down was intense, but the return journey was worse! You wouldn’t think that altitude would so drastically change your endurance, but it does! We had some free time and played a game of soccer and I felt winded almost immediately! Oh! We played in these beautiful fields right next to a coursing river and at one point the ball strayed too close to the water. Jake, in a successful attempt to save the ball from being lost to the river, ran and dove to get the ball. However, he didn’t think this through and thrust himself straight into the water up til his chest. Saved the ball though!

We got back to Cusco around 1:15 and I headed straight home for lunch. In the afternoon we had a lecture about Climate Change and how it disturbs Andean life. The lecturer didn’t really say anything I didn’t already know, but for some reason I found it attention-grabbing. We then went to Molino again and I bought some movies! I don’t think I can go there without buying movies. I love movies! At dinner my family was super astonished and worried about my sunburn. I put sunscreen on my face, but not my chest! They insisted putting sliced cucumbers on my burned skin to cool it. It felt nice, but I therefore spent quite a lot of time at the dinner table leaning backwards with cucumbers on my chest. Funny image, no?

After dinner I played with Sebas, as per usual. He’s learning so many words! When I first got here he only said “Aca!” (Peruvian equivalent of aqui, or here) but today he said a whole three-word sentence! He’s a sweety. He gave me kisses on my cheek when we were playing. The other day we had a blackout for about 10 minutes and at the time I was playing in the living room with Sebas. As soon as the light went out I felt baby arms running towards me to give me a hug. He was scared and he ran towards me! Yep, he’s in love with me.

Several of us went to the center to go salsa dancing later. I don’t think I’ve touched on this, but being obviously foreign makes you a huge target in the center of town. Everywhere really, I guess. At night in the center we can’t get out of a cab with having a mob of male promoters for clubs come swarm and bother us. Often they manhandle you, trying to drag you to their club, or they yell or shove cards at you until you take them. I yelled at one guy tonight to leave me alone after I’d said no about four times, and he just yelled right back at me! I counted and at El Molino today we were whistled at four times. It’s not enjoyable!

Good night! (haha, at first I wrote Goon night!)

xo Claire

Piracy

2-16-11

I think my mom forgot my request for smaller breakfasts because today was one of the largest yet! I don’t know how they do it. Today was the last day of Quechua! Thank god…although tomorrow we are going to the town of Ccorcca (or Qorqa) to interview Quechua speakers as our final exam. That seems super extreme to me, considering the fact that we’ve taken this exam for so little time. As for the varied spelling, that goes for just about everything. Quechua is not really a written language, therefore there is far too much flexibility in spelling. The double C version is the Spanish adaptation and the Q spelling is the Quechua. The same goes for Cusco/Qosqo and Cuy/Qowi. As for Cuzco with a Z…I have no idea. They split up our group of 25 into three smaller classes for Quechua and apparently the three different teachers teach us very different things. For example, we all learned this song called Taq’llaquy and evidently every single class learned a different tune for the very same words. What?

As it was a Wednesday, about six of us took a combi into the center to go eat lunch together. We witnessed a bit strike in front of a government building on the Avenida del Sol, and then a resulting parading demonstration that wound its way around the Plaza de Armas. We weren’t quite sure what they were protesting, but they kept shouting “Provincia de Espinar.” That, coupled with the fact that some wore miners hats, leads me to believe that they represented a miners’ union in Espinar? We decided that we missed American food, so we went to an Irish Pub called Paddy’s in the Plaza to eat some burgers. Every single person who came in the doors was obviously foreign! Oh well, we were among them. Good thing lunch is three hours long because we always need that much time! The combi took a really long time, then the restaurant too. Last time we also found it difficult to find a taxi willing to drive to Magisterio. What a pain.

The American ethnomusicologist who accompanied us to Calca, Holly Wissler, gave our lecture today about her three-year stay with the Q’ero people, one of the remaining traditional Andean peoples. She made a documentary about her studies and her Doctoral Thesis, which she showed. I find it hard to focus in the afternoons, especially when it is rainy and grey outside. That, in addition to sitting still to a three-hour lecture in another language does not always make me the most attentive listener. I asked her why Q’ero, as well as other indigenous women, sing entirely from their throats instead of using their diaphragm, but she couldn’t really answer. It strikes me as strange that they sing so eerily high-pitched, but it must just be traditional to sing that way.

At dinner I asked my host sister Farina about a few of the nicknames within the family. The younger Victor, the godson of Farina and Edward, is often called El Negrito. He isn’t particularly darker than the rest of the family, so I didn’t understand. In addition, they call Iris La Chinita… maybe she looks slightly Asian? In Quechua I thought about it and considered that El Negrito might just come from Quechua, in which “yanachay,” meaning “mi negrito” is a way to say “enamorado.” That’s just me guessing though.

After dinner a couple of us went to Allina’s to study for the exam tomorrow. I’m not sure I made progress, but I feel as if I have as good a grasp on Quechua as anyone else. I think I’ll do just fine tomorrow. Then I went home to watch a pirated movie from El Molino, only to discover that instead of my movie, they’d given me that Sylvester Stallone action movie (is it called the Invincibles? Not sure) in Spanish. Oh well, that’s what you get when you deal with piracy, I suppose.

Good night!

xo Claire

Quechua Review

2-15-11

I thought I might update you all on every day things that are unique, but not always worthy of mentioning.

1) There are stray dogs all over the place. I want to pet them all the time, although I don’t because they are dirty and might bite my hand off!

2) My family makes their own cheese that tastes just fine, but it makes a squeaky noise against your teeth when you eat it!

3) Peruvians are cold, always.

4) Peruvian cuisine is, apparently, the up and coming world cuisine. I don’t know if it will actually catch on and I know I’m really missing Mexican food, but Lima is the gastronomic capital of South America. Lots of fusion.

5) Cusqueños don’t so much have an accent as an influence from Quechua. They add diminutives to everything. Like instead of calling me Clara, they call me Clarita. This is from Quechua, in which you add –acha to the end of almost everything.

a. Here’s and example. Baby = bebe = wawa. However, in Quechua they would say mi bebito = wawachay. –y= mi, -cha = ito. It’s confusing. Believe me, I know. I have an exam on this stuff on Thursday!

6) Evidently campesinos that predominantly speak Quechua confuse the u sound for the o sound, and vice versa.

7) They think that Posole originated in Peru and was known as Patasca.

8) Various words in English originate from Quechua, such as Condor, Jerky, Alpaca, etc… I used to know more :(

9) Lots of words in Quechua reflect actual sounds in nature. For example, the verb ‘to disinflate’ is Chhasay. Sound it out, it sounds like it’s slowly disinflating.

I can’t think of any more off the top of my head at the moment. Today was pretty standard: got up, breakfast with my host mom, walk to school, Quechua class, lunch, and a lecture in the afternoon… Only before going home for lunch we all went to a park nearby to play a game of soccer. My host mom took all my dirty clothes to wash, including all the pants I own, so today was a skirt day. Therefore, I, sadly, could not play soccer. The lecturer today spoke about globalization and gastronomy, a subject I was very interested in. However, the lecture consisted of far too much boasting and self-promotion, and not that much actual information about Peruvian Cuisine. I did enjoy it and she did a fairly good job... it just paled in comparison to yesterday’s lecture. Many of us freaked out about the fact that we have a Quechua exam on Thursday and don’t actually know the language, so after class we went to a café to study. I don’t think a single person has a handle on this language. We’ve only been taking it for what, a week and a half? On Sunday I’m going to a Mass said entirely in Quechua with my host mom and we’re supposed to sing along to various songs, but I sincerely doubt I will remember all of these complex words!

At dinner I had a really nice conversation with Farina and Iris, then I set off to study Quechua some more, but it’s going to take lots of work! Learning a language through the scope of one other than your mother tongue is difficult enough…

Let me give you a preview of the complexity of Quechua (this is good study practice too!)

I am 21 years old = Noqa (I) Iskay(2) Chunka(10) Hukniyoq(1+ possessive) watayoq(years + possessive) kan(I have).

Hayk’a watayoqmi machula? = How old is the grandfather?

->Payqa(or Machulaqa) pusaq(8) chunka(10) Iskayniyoq(2+ possessive)

watayoqmi(years + possessive). = He/ The Grandfather is 82 years old.

They are professors of Guaraní = Paykuna Guaraní yachacheqkuna kanku.

Where is your father from? = Maymantan taytayki?

-My father is from Sacramento = Taytayqa Sacramentomantan.

This is my family = Kaymi aylluy

What is your name? = Iman sutiyki?

-My name is Claire = Sutiyqa Claran.

-My name is Victor = Sutiyqa Victormi.

Conjugations for the verb Phaway = correr = to run

Noqa Phawani – I run

Qan Phawanki – you run

Pay Phawan – he runs

Noqayku Phawayku – we run (exclusive)

Noqanchis Phawanchis – we run (inclusive)

Qankuna Phawankichis – you all run (like vosotros)

Paykuna Phawanku – they run

Allillanchu? = ¿Estás bien? – They use it like “hello”

-Allillanmi = Sí, estoy bien.

Imaynallan Kashanki? = ¿Cómo estás?

-Allillanmi Kashani, qanri? = Yo estoy bien, y tú?

Noqapas allillanmi kashani = Yo también estoy bien.

Iman sutiyki? = ¿Cómo se llama? Or literally, ¿Qué es tu nombre?

-Sutiyqa Claran = Me llamo Claire (Clara)

Maymantan kanki? = ¿De dónde eres?

-Noqaqa Qosqomanta kani = Yo so de Cusco.

1 – Huk

2 – Iskay

3 – Kinsa/Kimsa

4 – Tawa

5 – Pisqa

6 – Soqta

7 – Qanchis

8 – Pusaq

9 – Esqon/Isqon

10 – Chunka

I apologize to all of you who might read this, but this is degenerating into a review of my kindergarten-esque Quechua notes. I might continue, but you can stop reading at any time.

Head – Uma Hair - Chukcha

Face – Uya Forehead – Mat’i

Eye – Ñawi Tooth - Kiru

Nose – Senqa Belly - Wiksa

Mouth – Simi Finger – Ruk’ana (or Makiruk’ana)

Ear – Ninri Shoulder - Rikra

Heart – Sonqa Back - Wasa

Hand – Maki Toe – Chakiruk’ana

Foot – Chaki

Thigh – Chaka

I dance and sing = Yo canto y bailo = Noqa takini, tusini ima.

Yes = Arí No = Manan

Thank you = Añay

¿Cómo? = Imayna Also = pas

¿Qué? = Iman Kusa = good, ok

¿Dónde? = May Ayllu = family

Que te vayas bien no más = Sumaqlla (a goodbye)

Me voy = Risaq Hasta que encontramos = Tupananchiskama

-wan = with -wanwan = and

Snake = Mach’aqway Cat = Michi

Frog = K’ayra Bear = Ukuku

Alpaca = Paqocha

Maypin wasichayki? = ¿Dónde está tu casita?

-Albuquerquepin = Está en ABQ.

Maypin Tiyanki? = ¿Dónde vives?

-Albuquerquepin tiyani = Vivo en ABQ.

Ok, that’s enough studying for me for now and I’m sure I lost most of you long ago. Good night and I hope I hear from you soon! Miss you!

xo Claire

El Viento Me Hizo Daño

2-14-11

Today was interesting and enlightening in a variety of ways. Let me explain. I woke up early to go running with Olivia. It’s difficult to run at high altitudes, heck, that’s why the African Olympians train at Academy’s track right? Well Cusco is about double the altitude of Albuquerque. So Olivia and I ran for a little while, then returned home to get ready to go to school. When I got home I showered, but I started feeling worse and worse, to the point that I could barely stand. I trembled, my heart raced, and I felt nauseous and incredibly cold. After the shower I decided that I probably shouldn’t go to school and I told my host mom that I didn’t feel well. Almost immediately she diagnosed me, saying “el viento te hace daño.” My western mind would not accept that as an explanation and so I kept asking them to explain, but perhaps I was too delirious to understand. She, however, seemed to know exactly what I needed to get better and knew all my symptons without my even having to tell her. She got some pure alcohol, poured some into her hands, rubbed them together, then made me smell the alcohol fumes repeatedly. This made me cough, as you can imagine. Then my host dad came and rubbed some herbs on my forehead. He later told me that they burned the herbs later and they made a terrible racket, popping about as they burned. Herbs should not do that, right? My host mom made me some mate de coca, and then I went to sleep for the next five hours. The weird thing is that I felt totally fine when I woke up, so their explanation seemed to make sense, even if I was unfamiliar with it. Oddly enough, their remedies did make me feel better.

Later they explained a little more that I cannot go directly from being warm in my bed to cold outside, then return to that warmth in the shower. They thought the changes in temperature were too jarring for my body.

My host mom finally woke me up at two so that I could eat lunch and go to school for the afternoon. I really did feel much better after sleeping, having a hot water bottle at my feet, as well as expelling whatever was bad from my stomach. Ugh, being sick sucks! But my family really surpassed itself taking care of me. For lunch my host mom gave me only bland foods that my stomach could handle, as well as celery tea. I’ve never had celery tea before, but it tastes much like celery soup, only tea-like. She said it was good for my stomach, and it really did calm it down. And now I know the word for celery in Spanish, which I did not this morning (apio). I’m astonished at how much better I felt.

I left for the afternoon session of class and tried to explain to my classmates as best I could what had happened to me, even though I was befuddled as well. I missed Quechua, but I’m not too sad about that. I did, however, make it for the most interesting lecture so far. The speaker, or expositor as they say in Spanish, was Jake’s host uncle and I’d met him before. The reading last night was interesting, but not nearly as interesting as his lecture. He spoke to us about Paqos (or Andean Shaman) and Andean Religiosity. There isn’t so much an Andean religion anymore so much as a worldview. The odd thing about Incan religion and Catholicism is that they mesh really well, which has lead to a syncretic religion that manages to balance God/Huaricocha, the Virgin Mary/Pachamama, and the saints and angels/ apus. Today we learned that apus are sort of like natural spirits that live everywhere. Every mountain has an apu, every river has one, etc… He also spoke about the three worlds of Andean belief. I forget their names at the moment, but Catholics again took them and interpreted them to mean heaven, earth, and hell. However, the three worlds are different. There aren’t so much supernatural powers in every world, rather normal men and women like us. The swiss lady spoke to us about pre-incan art and how the art reflects the balance of all three worlds within the same being. That explains it, kind of. If you have more positive, light energy you belong more to the upper world, just as heavy energy will sink you towards the lower world. I am probably failing to describe this adequately, but I found it fascinating.

Then during break Donaldo asked the speaker, Juan Murillo, to explain to me what my family meant when they said that the wind did me harm and if he could help me at all. He was more than willing. He took me into Sonia’s office and made me hold a glass of water. He then put his hands around mine and said some words, all the while warming my cold hands. Then he put his hands on top on my head, speaking in Quechua and occasionally blowing the top of my head. Then he was done and told me I was better. Before that he’d explain that the wind was the spirit of a saqo, sort the spirit of a giant that was trapped on earth and tried to take the health of others so that it could once again live. He told me that was what had happened to me this morning but his ritual had taken that spirit from me. I don’t know how much of this I believe, but it is hard to stay disbelieving when so many truly believe in this worldview and they appear to gain results.

My host sister, Iris the chemist, told me later at dinner that she spent time in a village near Trujillo doing research and the altitude and cold affected her to the point that she could not hold on to any strength, warmth, nor could she stand. The Paqo of the village did a similar ritual and within twenty minutes she could stand and walk, feeling warm once again. She, as a scientist, and me as a westerner were both skeptical, but astonished at the results. Can you help but believe?

xo Claire

ps- Happy Valentine’s Day! ¡Feliz Día de la Amistad!

El Molino

2-13-11

I took it pretty easy today. I spent the morning catching up on emails etc, then after lunch I met up with Rachel to go to the Molino market. I needed to buy a sleeping bag for Colca and she’d lost her jacket, so needed to replace it. Yesterday Kia, Olivia, and McClain all said they’d wanted to go, but we couldn’t manage to get a hold of any of them. They’d run out of minutes on their phone! However, McClain lives right next door so we decided to just knock on her door. Her host mom wanted to go to the market too, so all four of us headed out. El Molino is huge! I can see why they say not to bring bags or valuables because it would be easy to steal in such close quarters. Walking around all the tight hallways and tiny stalls I felt lost for most of the time we were there. I found a sleeping bag and we found everything we needed, then browsed the movies. This place is what McClain called “grey market,” meaning that you cannot be sure if the products are real, counterfeit, legal, or stolen. The movies, however, are certainly pirated. We bought a couple and then headed home.

I can’t remember exactly what else I did today, but it was pretty boring. I played with Sebas for a long time and learned that he calls me “Lala” because he cannot say “Clara.” Evidently the whole time I was gone he kept trying to find me and to appease him, the family just told him that I was in the bathroom. I guess a one and a half year old now thinks that I spent two straight days in the bathroom. Ha.

Well, just a Sunday I suppose. Off to school tomorrow.

xo Claire

Worst Music Teacher in the World

2-11-11 & 2-12-11

Oy vey Calca. Imagine being trapped among 24 other very grumpy students that are repeatedly forced to do infantile assignments for 48 hours, and that was my weekend at Calca. Once the cranky spell has been cast, especially among that many people, it is very difficult to escape. Calca is a small and beautiful town fairly close to Urubamba that is shaded by enormously tall mountains. It was beautiful and the days were lovely outside and in the town, however we were not allowed to spend our time either outside nor in the town. Calca could have been especially fun because yesterday was Carnaval and instead of masks like in Venice or crazy parades in Brazil, Peru celebrates Carnaval with what are essentially waterballoon fights. Alas, we were stuck with Valerio, perhaps the worst music teacher I have ever encountered. I did Allstate Chorus for seven years, so I definitely know what it’s like to come in on day one not knowing a song and leaving at the end of day two having memorized and perfected that song so such a degree that day three sees a performance in front of hundreds of people. Valerio could maybe use a lesson in that. Basically we had to learn about two songs on the Zamponia, or the panpipes, and a couple that we just sang. They were like 12 measure songs! Alma described him as “dense,” and I cannot disagree. Perhaps this is overly mean seeing as he and his family welcomed us into their home for two days and tried to share this knowledge, he just went about it all the wrong way. First of all, he expected up to learn a song simply by giving us a paper with letter names on the page. He got annoyed with us when we got the melody wrong, but how were we supposed to know note values when there were none on the page? Stupid Llaullina, I hope I never hear that song again.

Then his wife, the swiss lady who gave us a lecture the other day, advised us on pre-colombian art and the three worlds, then had us make our own artwork… This basically meant that we just did watercolors for hours at a time. That was alright, much better than music. In retrospect it doesn’t sound so bad, but we all felt so overwhelmingly frustrated that this was considered an academic class, that we’d be graded on this, and that we had to give up a precious weekend day, one of the only free times we get during the day to explore, to do this meaningless art and music that could have easily only lasted one day. I apologize for my complaining.

If I had to guess, I would just say that this Calca trip brought to a head all of the frustrations we feel with this program. Our Academic Director even prefers to speak to us in English! Aren’t we supposed to be exercising our Spanish? And isn’t the Academic Director the primary person who should enforce that? Many of us feel trapped and frustrated and this trip made everyone face it. Poor Donaldo- he was very patient to deal with all of us. Ursula and Sonia we supposed to come too, but for some reason they didn’ come and Donaldo had to deal with all of us on his own. I think he totally understood our boredom and annoyance. I was annoyed that Sonia didn’t come because I need to talk to her! I have yet to go to a bank here, I still have enough left from what I withdrew in the Miami Airport. However, when we were in Aguascalientes I asked Sonia if she had change for my large bill (100 soles) since most small little shops would not be able to change that. So here some my problem. The other day at karaoke I handed the bartended my 50 soles note and she refused it, saying it was a fake. Another guy looked at it, then later on I had my host mom look at it and she confirmed that it was a fake. 50 soles is only about 20 dollars, but for here that is a lot of money that would last you a long time. The fact that I have yet to go to a bank pinpoints the fact that the only way I got this fake money was through Sonia. That seems unacceptable to me that an Academic Director gives her students false currency. I know it was not intentional, but she is Peruvian, I’m not. I’ve been here two weeks, there’s no way I can recognize fake currency. She, however, should be able to, especially since my host mom looked at it for about 20 seconds and could tell it was fake. So all weekend I wanted to talk to Sonia about this, but she never showed up.

Oh god I’m sorry that I’m making all of you guys listen to me complain. Parts of the weekend were pretty good. For instance, Kia, Matt (Mateocha), and I did some serious bonding. Kia, Allina, and I roomed together at our hostal and we discussed for a really long time the things that we like, dislike, about ourselves, our stories… I really enjoyed getting to know them better. Matt’s pretty hilarious! I figured out how to play Seven Nation Army on the zamponia during one of our breaks and Matt got a drum, so we broke it down! Ha. Oh! We tried alpaca! I’ve heard it’s delicious, even if this particular one was not, so I think I need to give it another try.

We got home around 9:30, I had tea with my host mom and had a nice talk with her, then I met up with some girls to go out. By the end of the night I had about 60 cent to my name since I used to think I had 56 soles but then suddenly it was only 6 soles. That’s not much. Anyway, it was fun and I came home and read the book Olivia lent me then went to sleep. Oh! Every morning when I make my bed I laugh about my blanket. I’ll include a picture so you can see. It’s pretty crazy.

Anyways, today will be better, we’re going to a big market called El Molino, and I’m sure that on Monday all of us will express our thoughts about the trip to Sonia, Ursula, and Donaldo. Hopefully our next trip will be better.

xo Claire

Photos

Allina, Rachel, Olivia, Kia, and I

Dogs in Calca

My neighborhood

Sebas!

Argentine Street Performers (Sorry, bad photo)

Thizz Face

2-10-11

So let’s see. This morning I noticed that my host mom was literally giving me double the amount of food and I asked why. Her explanation was that I don’t eat again until one. Does the rest of the family have some other meal during the day that I don’t know about? I don’t understand this. It was raining most of the day boooo. Instead of having Quechua all morning we mostly watched a movie, although it was in Quechua. Called Kukuli, it is about the story of the Oso Raptor, a bear that kidnaps an indigenous and naïve girl that comes into the city. I asked my family if they knew the story or movie (they didn’t). It’s from the 60s. We protested heavily about some parts, epecially the fact that the main protagonist, Kukuli, appears to be raped twice then killed. However, after the first raping she prances away hand in hand with the guy and then talks about how they will marry. I’m sorry, what? We asked our Quechua teacher about this, and she didn’t seem to have a problem with it. She said that Andean culture is very macho and women are viewed solely for their role in bed. Again I’m sorry, what?? No. No. I have a problem with that. That was rape, Kukuli. Then we had an hour or so of Quechua class to discuss and mostly we voiced our confusion and incomprehension of this macho culture. No no.

For lunch my host mom made her version of chifa, or Chinese food… that was interesting. It was a welcome change, but certainly not Chinese. Imagine very bland Chinese stirfry made with spaghetti noodles and you’ll be on the right track. However, I love asian food of most sorts so I was pleased. The afternoon class was not a lecture today, but our second Field Study Seminar, or FSS class, which is our preparation for the final month’s mega research project. I don’t know what to study! My idea is way to broad – I need to focus in on something, but I don’t yet know what.

We wanted to go to an awesome market after class called El Molino, but Sonia said it’s not safe after dark, nor with bags. Alas, another day. This whole security issue is a real drag. So instead Kia, Olivia, Allina, and I went to a café to chat for a while. We decided to keep it only to Spanish cause that’s really what we should be doing all along. After that I went home and chatted with my family for a while telling them about my day and the story of the movie, as well as stories from my childhood like La Llorona and The Day it Snowed Tortillas. They hadn’t heard them before so even if I didn’t tell them with the most finesse, they seemed amused. My host mom told me a story first in Spanish, then Quechua, about a Rat and a Fox that gets tricked into believing that the sky is raining fire. For some reason I thought I’d heard it before, but I can’t be sure. She and Julissa also told me a couple riddles in Quechua, but I didn’t know the word for riddle in Spanish for there was a bit of confusion as well.

Oh my gosh, after that I played with Sebas. What a Ham. Also a very demanding toddler. I like to play with him but once I start her doesn’t let me leave! After finally extracting myself I packed up, then met up with Kia to go sing Karaoke. Ha! Second time in my life, but this time there was no Dreadlock Holiday nor Return of the Mac. Shame! Those need to come back into my life. This place had a bazillion Spanish songs though. The reason behind the title post is that Kia taught me the Thizz dance and apparently I’m really good at the face. Well, we all know that I’m awesome at ugly faces. Too bad it’s not a bankable talent. Anyway, fun times were had by all, which was most of the group. Tomorrow I’ve gotta wake up super early to go to Calca! We’re not supposed to bring computers so I won’t be writing for a while. We’ll be gone for two days, but I’ll summarize the stay once I get back.

Tupanachiskama (Until we see each other next)

xo Claire

El Encuentro

2-9-11

The days are starting to blur together are bit. That must be a product of going to mostly the same places every day where I see the same people. That’s what home is like for me, so hopefully this means that I’m feeling more comfortable here. This morning we had Quechua, but I really couldn’t tell you what I learned because I forgot it nearly immediately. Quechua… struggles! Olivia, Rachel, and I took a Combibus into the centro after class. I’d never taken the Combi before and I didn’t want to try it out alone, but it’s basically just a big van that you pile into and it works just the same way as a bus. It’s only 60 cents! What a deal. The guy who opens and closes the door trying to get people to come into the bus has quite the dangerous job; he’s always half hanging out of a moving vehicle! Olivia said it’s way worse in Senegal. Maybe I’m just not used to that sort of thing. Once we got into the center Rachel split off to go do some errands she had to do and Rachel and I just wandered around looking for a place to eat. It was really nice and freeing to not go home for lunch, to do my own thing for once! I remembered that Celia had told me about a vegetarian restaurant called El Encuentro that I’d stumbled upon one day and figured that’d be perfect since Olivia is a vegetarian. We nearly didn’t make it, however, because we came across a Japanese restaurant and really wanted sushi. Unfortunately, for some reason it’s closed for the next week so Encuentro it was!

It’s a bit of a walk, but we made it. Good thing we went there! We spent lots of time looking at the menu having the hardest time deciding what to order. Everything looked so good! We’re also not used to ordering our own food. We just eat what people give us to eat, I suppose. They had a salad there and I risked it! Yum! After our delicious lunch we wandered around in search of a chocolate shop that she’d heard of. We never found it, so instead we got some cappuccino soft serve and sat in El Parque San Francisco eating and talking. Lovely! Good thing lunch is three hours long, because we needed most of it!

After lunch we had our third lecture of the week, and this one was a doozy. I enjoy history, obviously, but some lecturers really fall short. This guy seemed to expect us to have a foundational knowledge of the Incan, then parroquial, city system of Cusco. He kept throwing in tons of Quechua words we didn’t know… it was a mess and most everyone felt lost. I found it interesting… up til a point. Lots of coffee during break to stay awake! Today, like usual, it rained really hard just as we were getting out of class. Bad timing! After class a bunch of us went to a café nearby that offers wifi and I discovered that I can skype from my Itouch! Very exciting.

When I finally got home we all ate dinner, but the only way Sebas would eat his food and stay still was if I promised him to dance after dinner. Then began about an hour of playing with my favorite one year old. He’s the most jealous little guy! Victor, my host dad, would tell Sebas that he was going to dance with me whenever Sebas got disinterested and started to do his own thing. Sebas would nearly cry, drop what he was doing, and come stand by me for about 10 seconds, then continue his own thing. We only did a couple things, but we did each tons of time. 1) Play on kiddy cars, one of which he had me drive. 2) Steal the pillows from the couch, place them on the ground, then sit on them, 3) or dance. Of the three I think he liked dancing the least! Oh well, he’s a good little kid and I’m glad that I have someone to play with! Even if the only way to let me stop without him crying is to pretend to go to the bathroom and tell him that he can’t follow.

After that I finally put up some pictures and wall things that I brought from home onto my walls. It cheered up my room. The walls were too bare. I changed my sheets and discovered that I do not, in fact have a mattress, rather a series of pillows. Hm. Next, I had a series of nice skype chats with friends and family that I hadn’t talked to in a while. Overall a good day.

xo Claire

Home Sick

2-8-11

I’ve kept it together this whole time, but last night something broke and I suddenly felt really sad and homesick. It’s the little things I miss. I think part of it is that since I have this blog my friends know about every little thing I do and can conceptualize what my experience is like, while I know absolutely nothing about them. It’s been so long since I’ve talked to most people! I didn’t think that I could use the internet at any time because I have to go upstairs and wake them up in order to use it, but today my host sister (thank god) told me that I can use it anytime. I’ve been wondering lately when I’ll ever get to talk to my sister since our time zones are so far apart. My host mom suggested that one night when I go out and get back at like 2 that I should just stay up and talk to her, which would be about 8 AM. This sounds like a good idea to me. Get prepared Julie. Hope you like early morning weekend skype calls. Before lunch I broke down again and felt really sad and Olivia proposed that we set up a day each week where we all go to the center during lunch and eat lunch together, away from our families. Then if it becomes a regular thing we don’t have to ask permission to miss lunch every time. Good idea!

SIT changed several things about the program for this semester and I’m not sure that they were good changes. It used to be that classes were held in the center of town and you were given a stipend for lunch so you could go eat out with friends instead of being obligated to come all the way home, which was about a 15 minute taxi ride, or 45 minute walk, away. Having class there would mean that you could go explore on your own and enjoy the city, whereas I feel trapped in this little neighborhood a lot of the time. The fact that I’m obviously foreign and thus obviously wealthier than most Peruvians makes me a target and it makes it a lot harder for me to have the freedom to do what I want to do. I do not enjoy that lack of freedom and the feeling of entrapment, nor am I accustomed to it.

After lunch we heard our second lecture, today about precolombian art, specifically the pumaruni (puma man) deity that appears in the art of multiple civilizations over the course of thousands of years. Our lecturer today was Swiss and had a silly accent in Spanish, but she did a good job. I also learned that when my host mom said that she didn’t have a washer it didn’t mean that I have to go find a Laundromat, which I did, but that she would wash my clothes by hand. I don’t know how comfortable I feel about this. I don’t even have my own mother wash my clothes by hand.. I do. But it’s getting dire and I need clean clothes!

After class a bunch of us went to the Plaza de Armas to go explore, which I was happy about. On the way home we were impeded by a large parade for Keiko Fujimori, or just Keiko, a candidate for president in the next election. I hope she doesn’t win. I don’t know her exact politics, but she is the daughter of the former President Fujimori who is currently serving thirty years in prison for human rights abuses etc… I can’t imagine that her politics are so different from her father’s. Anyways, it was nice to get out of Santa Ursula and see the actual city. After lunch in general I started feeling better. I also had a really good dinner with my host parents and we laughed and talked about various things. They wanted to see photos of my family etc., so I showed them. They thought Julie was me! Apparently the hilarious grandparents don’t actually live here, but were just visiting for the baptism. I’m a little sad, but it makes it a little less strange. Apparently other people don’t live with families that are nearly so large! But anyway, we went to the centro and walked around. Casey was on the hunt for an ice cream sandwich, but for the most part we just wandered. We came across some Argentinian street performers on the street with scary mannequins and they were great! But then again, I’m a sucker for most street performers. They definitely didn’t need the money, they were probably going to just go buy a beer afterwards. Alma wanted to stay and talk to them to ask where in Argentina they were from and then they just flirted away! Alma called one guy a Chaullero, or something along those lines, to which he took offense. I think she said it means that he is overly flirtacious or cheesy? Not sure if that’s even how you spell it.

Then I went home to eat dinner (aka dessert), as I said, then went to see Olivia and Allina. We had planned to watch a movie, and so we did! Luckily we all enjoy dumb comedies. Olivia lives with Celia’s old family, so it was strange to go there and think, “Whoa, I know someone who lived here, even though this house is totally foreign to me.” Strange, I know. The day certainly improved and I’m feeling much better than I did earlier today. I don’t think I need to put these limitations on myself. I should, however, do the reading!

Paqarinkama.

xo Claire

ps- Of the two useless languages that I’ve picked up a bit of, Basque and Quechua, I definitely prefer Basque. Sorry Quechua, I’m just never going to excel at speaking or remembering how to pronounce you.

School Days

2-7-11

First of all, I really miss salads. That’s a strange thing to miss, isn’t it? We’re not supposed to eat the peels of fruits here, like unpeeled apples are a no go, and neither are we supposed to eat lettuce. In the US salad makes up a major part of my diet, about twice a day you can guess that I’ll eat salad. Meat isn’t so much a part of my diet. I’m really missing those vegetables cause they’re all being replaced with carbs! For instance, my breakfast this morning was positively massive and I had to tell my host mom not to make so much for me again. I feel obligated to eat it and I don’t want to leave a plate full of food, but I’m going to gain a bazillion pounds if she feeds me like that every day. You can’t have corn, rice, and potatoes, plus meat. That is not a balanced diet. I don’t get how they aren’t super fat! Also, they put enormous amounts of sugar in their drinks and I can’t help but wonder if diabetes might be a problem here. I think I remember learning that it is in Nicaragua.

Quechua in the morning again, then another enormous meal. Whoo! Corn kernels here are so big here that you don’t eat corn on the cob with your mouth, rather you pick off kernel by kernel and place it in your mouth. Strange. The mugs we painted in Urubamba finally arrived today. They sort of smelled/tasted like chemicals from whatever sealant they used, but hopefully it will fade quickly. Did I ever explain the way that they drink coffee here? I think so, but if not, you add super concentrated coffee to a cup of hot water, then proceed from there. Usually to add a ton of sugar.

This afternoon was our first lecture for Indigenous Peoples and Globalization and for the first time I was here I felt like I was really at school again. Only in Spanish. I’m not sure how well I understand lectures when they are in Spanish and it really doesn’t help when the lecturer’s handwriting on the board is illegible. As Alma and I headed back to school after lunch I thought that I should get a rainjacket from my room, but I didn’t. Mistake! There was another torrential downpour that began just as class ended for the day. We waited around for it to stop, but the aftermath was just as bad! Streets aka rivers!

I came home to eat a “dinner” of crepes. Iris’ friend, who is evidently one of the Maggies’ host sister and also a Mormon (which seems unusual here), came to dinner along with a Venezuelan friend. They had a long discussion about religion and about Hugo Chavez and how although many people don’t like Chavez, he keeps winning because he betters the lives of the Venezuelan poor. Maybe Peru could take a page out of his book. 1-5 people in Peru live in poverty. I don’t think many Americans could conceptualize that statistic. It’s a grinding poverty with little hope for betterment unless you leave your family, village, culture, dress, and language, head for the city, and hope that you can make it. Many don’t. Also, children start working from about the age of seven, hawking goods on the streets. That’s another sight that’s very different from the US. Those kids don’t have much choice; it’s the culture of the place and they have to make a living and make money for food somehow. Those kids can’t grow up to lead very good lives though, unfortunately.

For no particular reason today was a rough day. Maybe I’m finally feeling homesick, but I felt off all day long. I feel as if I will be so far behind on things I usually follow in the US. Not even important things, but little references that other people will know that I won’t. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that the next time I go to Conn I will be a Senior. This isn’t a very accurate account of my life here because I don’t bad talk people or say what I really think of them, neither do I dwell on the bad parts of my experience. I don’t want to document what is bad, but it’s not all roses here. This semester is very different and plenty of what happens is ambiguous or bad even.

Well I have lots of reading to do, as well as Quechua conjugations! Chau. Paqarinkama (Hasta mañana en Quechua)

xo Claire

ps- Apparently it is winter here in Cusco, even though it’s summer in Lima. And when it’s summer here, it’s winter in Lima? That seems to go against my understanding of the season switch with the hemispheres, but I asked my host family and they said yep, that was right. Bizarre. I’m still figuring out this whole host family thing. It’s a strange to straddle family and boarder, trying to be both.

Church and the Superbowl

2-6-11

Today felt like three separate days. First I woke up at 6:15 to go to church with the whole family. They said that once a month they drive about an hour to go to church, or as they said, temple, at a place called Huanaco. At least I think it was Huanaco. Anyways, I got up after very little and piled into the car with the whole family. I slept both on the way there and the way back (Edward teased me about that) but at least that made the churchgoing itself less sleepy. It was sort of what I expected church to be. Of course they sang a song about giving as men went down the aisles collecting money. The most interesting part was a song in Quechua. I sort of wished that they’d sung a song in Latin cause then I’d probably know it from all those years in chorus. No such luck- all in Spanish or Quechua. Lots of cars were crowded around the entrance of the church, many covered in yellow balloons and ribbons. I asked and my host mom explained that before you drive your car for the first time you often get it blessed by a priest. If my Latin American religion class gave me any perspective on this, then I’d say that this is an example of the physicality of religion here, how it connects to everyday life. I’m not sure you’d see such demand for blessings, as almost a magical protection, in the US! Maybe for Roman Catholics in the US, but even so it’s just not the same. We sat and ate bread (pancito), panettone, and hot chocolate in the car and then headed back home. I experienced most all of this in a daze and stayed silent for most of it, and of course slept on the way back. It’s beautiful how the clouds creep so low and cover the mountains in the early morning here.

We got back at 11:30 and I went straight to bed again, only to wake up at 1:30, in time for lunch. What an odd day! After a huge lunch, as usual, I played around with Sebas for a good bit. He’s so cute! I wish that they hadn’t cute his hair into a mullet though, he was so much cuter before. I’ve only heard him cry once in all the time I’ve been here and it was when he fell and hit his head on the ground. That was yesterday after the baptism and I remember liking the Grandpa’s reaction, which was to take Sebas’ plastic hammer and hitting the ground where Sebas had fallen. He punished the ground for Sebas, and remarkably, seeing him do that did make Sebas stop crying. Love that grandpa. Angel, who is two, came over and played with Sebas and me for a while and I tried to teach Sebas some animal names. He’s got “vaca” down, but others need work.

Then I sat down to write Celia back and found her online! I told her about my experience so far and found out that Olivia has the same host family she had! Apparently if Olivia offers to cook, she will be loved forever. Then I skyped with Julie!! She said that she reads this, and I’m glad that somebody does! That’s the whole reason I do it! Hi Jage! I miss you! I was super excited to talk to her, it’s been too long.

As I skyped with Jage, Jake called me asking if I wanted to go watch the Superbowl. I didn’t even know it was today or who was playing, but I said sure. So at 6 I met him and Justin at his house in los Sauces. The three of us, plus Jake’s host brother Luis, got in a taxi to Luis’ uncle’s house in La Rapa to watch the game. Rugby certainly helped my comprehension of football, but it is still such an odd game to me. This is probably the one and only time in my life that I watch the Superbowl in Spanish. Justin’s from Pittsburgh so we rooted for the Steelers but, alas, the Packers won.

Everyone seems much more worried about my safety than I am. I don’t really have a problem going places by myself. However, Luis wouldn’t let me walk home by myself from the bridge, even though it’s only about four blocks and I walk it all the time. The reason, I learned, is that I pass a Juvenile Correction Center along that four block walk. I don’t want any of you who read this to worry about me, I’ll be fine, I just probably shouldn’t share that tidbit with my mom! I’m careful and it looks like a safely built place.

xo Claire

First Weekend with the Family

2-5-11

Today was a Saturday, so I tested out how late I could sleep in. My room is right next door to the kitchen so I woke up really early, around 6, when they started to bustle around. However, I didn’t get showered, dressed, and ready to eat til 10. I still feel like that’s pretty early. I’ve felt sort of paranoid about the whole family aspect of this, and to what extent should I bind myself to their rules. They’re very nice and lenient so far, and McClain told me something that made me feel much more comfortable. She said that no one else who we pay room and board to would have so much say over our daily lives, so why should they? Obviously I will still be respectful, but I think I should give myself the freedom to do what I want to do.

That being said, after breakfast and helping to peel some enormous beans, I took a taxi to the center to meet a couple of people at the market. Then it started to rain sooooooo hard! The thunder scared me! I’m pretty used to thunder, but wow! The streets were rivers! They weren’t kidding about this rainy season stuff. I was totally unprepared and got soaked, as it took a long time to get in touch with and then meet up with the people that were going to be at the market. In fact, by the time I finally found them I had to go home to eat lunch! A bunch of us left, in the rain, to get a taxi home. Because of the rain almost all taxis were full so it was difficult. Olivia seemed impressed that I’d done all that on my own, but I suppose that I might as well be independent if we’re going to be here for so long. That, however, seemed to backfire today.

I went home to eat lunch with my family, then at three we went to the church to attend the Baptism of Victor. I found it quite hilarious that when all eleven or so of us were piled into the huge van on the way to the church "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green was playing on the radio. They don't bleep it out here at all! I also think I'm the only one in the car who understood what was being said. I’m not sure what relation Victor is to the family, but now Farina and Edward (parents of Sebas) are his godparents. I hope they don’t make me go to church because I nearly fell asleep many many times throughout the ceremony. It’s hard enough to pay attention, but when you have to listen to a foreign language it’s much harder! After the baptism we came home to talk and eat lunch. Then we proceeded, the whole family plus about eight extra family members, to sit in the living room for about the next five hours and occasionally drinking this sickly sweet red wine or pisco sours. I think I prefer Caipirinhas to pisco sours.

Lunch was interesting though, even if I was very bored. I was overwhelmed by people so didn’t speak much, but I did try the food they gave me. Cuy! I tried cuy! Cuy is guinea pig and one of the oldest domesticated animals in the world. It sort of just tasted like chicken’s dark meat. The crispy skin got to me a bit. On my plate my host mom had also put a sausage, so I asked about it. She explained that it was a sausage made out of the kidneys and heart of that same guinea pig. I ate one bite of it to be nice, but though the flavor was ok, I couldn’t eat any more. Not only have I now had cuy, but also heart and kidney!

During those long hours my host dad, Victor, told me that tomorrow we are going to leave early in the morning to go to a temple. I wasn’t going to go out since I had to get up early, but after sooo many hours with the family, I needed to get out. Missed connections and communications, as well as me being dumb, led to a delayed start. However, we finally went dancing and eventually found this place called InkaTeam, which was nice. Unfortunately, I now have to wake up in three hours.

Good night!

xo Claire

Quechua - Classes Begin

2-4-11

I really like my host family so far! It turns out that I am the fifth student they’ve hosted through SIT, so they’re old pros. They already plan to host a sixth student. Margarita, the mom, told me that she prefers female students since most of the household is female. It also turns out that all the people I met earlier live here! I’m alone on this floor, but on the second floor Margarita and Victor, their three daughters, three grandparents, and one of the daughter’s husband and son. Then on the third floor they showed me that they have eight dogs! Iris, the daughter who has talked to me most so far, couldn’t even remember all the doggy names, so I doubt that I’ll learn them. I know Lula is yellow and has a doggy sweater. She said they’re waiting to cut the dogs’ hair and bathe them after the rainy season so they don’t get dirty again and waste the effort…but the rainy season doesn’t end for a long long time.

Yesterday after I wrote my post I went to the market, which is one of the largest supermarkets in the city, with Sebastian (known as Sebas), Iris, Margarita, and Victor. We went to buy bread for dinner. I was a little worried about dinner since lunch was enormous, but dinner consisted of tea and some bread. More like a nighttime snack. We bundled Sebas up and put him into his stroller. He’s full of smiles and laughter at home, but on the street he’s super serious. His dad laughed about that when I told him later. He’s quite the character for a one year old! At dinner, two of the grandparents, who I think I’m really going to like, tried to teach me a bit of Quechua. I think I immediately forgot it. The grandma, who is blind, is very funny and she wanted me to teach her an English curse word in exchange for a Quechua curse word. I laughed and told her not at the dinner table! Then I played with Sebas for a very long time. He had just gone to a birthday party a couple days ago and loved the piñata they had there. So now his drum is a “piñata” and you have to lift and shake it, then tell him to collect the candies. He then goes from person to person sharing his “candies”. I love little kids! Sebas dragged me into the other room where they were peeling corn to make a corn cake tomorrow. I’ve never even considered peeling corn before! However, corn kernels here are much much much larger, as well as white, so I guess why not peel them. Choclo is corn on the cob, Maiz is the dried kernels.

This morning went just fine. I ate breakfast with my host mom, then she walked me over to the school. I figured out how they drink their coffee! The key is to have a glass of hot water to which you add just a little bit of the coffee concentrate. This tasted much better! I put Nesquik in my coffee and my host mom had never tried it, but she sampled mine and seemed to think it was a good combo after all. We took our Spanish placement exam in the morning and had to return in the afternoon to take the oral exam. At lunchtime a bunch more family came because they are cutting Sebas’ hair for the first time. He’s only one and a half, so I suppose the first time they cut it is monumental. Yesterday when we went to Mega (a grocery store) Iris told me about cutting hair, but for some reason I think I got caballo and cabello mixed up and thought that she was going to cut a horse’s hair! I think she was referring to Sebas!

I don’t know how you spell this, but “I love you” is pronounced Muna Kwikiy. The hilarious grandma taught me that yesterday. In the afternoon I took my oral Spanish exam, which went pretty well, and after that we started our Quechua lessons. Whoa is this language different! The sounds necessary to pronounce words are just sooo different from English. Q is very much in the back of the throat, Hs are sort of an exaggerated expiration of air, and a consonant then apostrophe, like Q’, requires a glottal stop. It’s beautiful, but hard. I don’t know how much I’ll actually pick up. Classes went a bit longer today than normal, til 6, and after that a bunch of us went to Claro so that they could buy cell phones. I already had one that Celia gave me, but now almost everyone has the updated version of my very simple phone. I taught them how to use it. After that I went home for dinner, which consisted of coffee and un postre, which was the pastel de choclo that I helped them start yesterday. It was sweet and delicious! After such an enormous lunch I couldn’t have handled more!

At the dinner table I learned all about Julissa’s, my host sister, work. She works in the center of town and so far as I understand she works with a company that tests the ability of teachers all over the country. Important job! I showed off all the Quechua I’d learned to the grandmothers and they were quite impressed. After that Iris showed me how to use the internet, which is really easy, and I skyped with Nate. It had been a while! Then I went out with the whole group to the centro to go dance and have a good time. First we went to Muse too, which I recognized from earlier with Maggie. It’s nice to recognize where we go! It was fun! But I think that next time we need to go in smaller groups….we were far too obvious. Anyways, today was a great day! My host mom said that tomorrow we will eat cuy! Wish me luck with that…

Hasta Mañana

xo Claire

Some Machu Picchu Pictures!

Host Families

2-3-11

Last night, after having a wonderful conversation with Olivia and seeing if we could name all 44 presidents (we only got about 31), Donaldo told me that he would change my host family. He never spoke to me about it again so, therefore, I began the day with a fluttering bunch of butterflies in my stomach which became more agitated throughout the day.

I’ve heard that even though Peru produces really good coffee, most Peruvians instead use Nescafe or similar instant coffee mixes. I noticed Sr. Wili making coffee in the pot today so I thought I’d give it a try. Whoa! Strongest coffee I’ve ever tasted! I’ve never seen coffee so thick! I got half a cup then put in a half cup of milk to mellow it out, but that didn’t work out quite how I expected it to. Usually when you add milk the coffee lightens in color. Not this coffee! Maybe I’ll just stick to Coca Tea.

Today was our last at El Huerto Paraíso and as we said goodbye to Señor Wili, his wife, and daughters, I felt really sad. I hope that I see them again; they were incredibly kind and treated us wonderfully. He asked us all to write recommendations for his hotel on TripAdvisor so that more people will come and I most certainly will! It’s the least I can do for them. The little girls wanted to take pictures with everyone so their mom indulged them and patiently took photo after photo with us gringos. Then we had to pack up our bus and head to Cusco to meet our host families!

I sat next to Matt on the bus ride back and we had a nice chat. I’m slowly but surely having long conversations with everyone in the group. I’ve made quite a bit of progress considering how large our group is. In fact, today Sonia said that this is the largest group SIT Peru has ever had. I suppose someone is advertizing well.

We arrived in a part of Cusco that I did not recognize from my earlier time here. It isn’t in the city center and lacks the colonial feel of the center. However, it feels somewhat residential and safe. We arrived to a big hall next to a little kids park (with a big slide painted like a snake!) and got out to meet our families waiting inside! Right before getting off the bus Donaldo finally told me to go find Ursula to find out the identity of my new family. I met Margarita, Iris, and Sebastian, a one and a half year old giggly little boy. He’s a cutie! I hope to play with him a lot. Today he refused to give me a kiss, but he will soon! We set off pretty soon after meeting and eating some tamale-esque things, and they took me home. They live in the neighborhood of Santa Ursula and tomorrow Margarita will walk me to school in the morning so that I know how to get there. As of right now I have no idea how to get to school! We came home to find quite a few people waiting for us. Margarita’s husband Victor met us outside and helped me with my bag, then we all went inside to eat lunch. Sebastian’s mom and dad were there, as well as two older ladies and a younger woman. I was overwhelmed and can’t quite remember all their names at the moment. I can’t yet figure out how many of those people actually live in this house… All of us ate what is becoming a typical lunch of corn soup, potatoes, corn, and chicken, then they let me unpack and set up my room. The walls are very bare, so I’m glad I had the foresight to bring a couple things to put on the walls. Makes it more homey! I do have internet in my house, but only in the living room. That’s probably better though because I don’t want to spend all my time in Peru on the internet!

I’ve heard that a big complaint Peruvians have about American host students is about water and electricity usage. I don’t want to overuse! I shall do my best not to. Lately, I mostly just get on my computer to write this blog and check in with people occasionally, although I haven’t started classes yet, so things might change. Tomorrow we start Quechua! I think we are also taking a Spanish Exam to see what our level is. Hope I do well! This semester might be stressful because not only do I have to figure out and complete a month-long independent project and huge paper, but I also have to figure out CELS! Oh boy. I am the only one on this floor, the rest is the kitchen, dining room, and living room. I have yet to see the rest of the house, but hopefully I don’t find that segregation lonely. I certainly do have privacy.

Even so, I’m really really pleased with how easily I am able to communicate most things with my host family. They are great and I hope to learn a lot from them!

We’ll see how it goes from here!

xo Claire

Machu Picchu!!

2-2-11

Machu Picchu today! Today was amazing! We got up at 4:30 and took a car to the train station, the train to Aguascalientes, and a bus to the bottom of Machu Picchu. Then we proceeded to walk along with a guide for an hour and a half (or so) and learn some of the history of Machu Picchu. First of all, Machu (in Quechua) means old and Picchu means mountain. Therefore we don’t know the name of the settlement, rather the name of the mountain itself. The mountain next door is called Huana Picchu, which means Young Mountain. We arrived at around 8:30 in the morning when the surrounding mountains were still hidden by clouds. February is the rainy season, so it was cold and wet, but as the sun rose it got super hot! I’m glad that we started early. (Sidenote- there were baby llamas! Only three weeks old!) We walked all around, and after the tour ended we climbed up to the house on the very top! However, apparently Donaldo took a group up (running!) even higher to go meditate and go where very few go. I was jealous! We kept trying to find Donaldo but he was always too far ahead of us, waving from afar. Mostly we just looked around at the majesty around us! The river that runs below Machu Picchu is one of the sources of the Amazon. Our guide told us that Machu Picchu is unaffected by earthquakes because the whole mountain underneath has to move, not just the settlement. Ummm Hiram Bingham did not in fact “discover” it because there were two families that lived up there at the time that showed him around! I took about 150 photos! I will certainly put some up when I have better internet access able to handle that.

In short, Machu Picchu was incredible and my favorite part of being there was watching the clouds move and change around us. I also loved thinking about how the place came to be built! Incan building, especially for temples, was sooo precise! There are exact levels and degrees to each wall and one temple had an amazing amplification effect. Ask me about it!

However, there was so much else that happened today! The train in the morning only played three songs on repeat. Panpipe versions of Love Hurts, Killing Me Softly, and some other song. Horrible! They’re still stuck in my head. The train back was much better! I sat with Maggie (S) and Alma and we probably laughed for two hours straight! We told embarrassing stories, like I told them about the Thanksgiving Elevator Catastrophe, and Maggie told us about an horrific sunburn and the hilarious story that accompanied it. THEN the people working on the train began to put on quite the show! One guy dressed up in a scary jester-y outfit and danced around making others join him. Kia and Alma were forced into it! Then the other two people put on a fashion show down the aisles of the train of various alpaca sweaters. We were so puzzled and then we all just found it spectacularly funny. Then at dinner I had a wonderful conversation with Olivia, who I hadn’t really talked to yet, and we related really well. Overall a great day! Then after dinner we played a fun game of Charades around the fire and the two little girls joined in (they are so cute!) I feel like I’ve rushed through the summary of the day, but it was amazing. I really enjoyed myself and I hope that I continue to have a great time!

Ps- I have to switch host families apparently cause my first one had cats! And I’m allergic! Shoot!

xo Claire