Host Families

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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