The subjunctive man. It is a form of Spanish that is not so hard to conjugate, but it is just hard to understand when and how to use it. In English, we really do not have it or use it in any meaningful way, and so it is hard for me to really grasp and comprehend it at times. I think instead of going to my usual afternoon class, I will return to the class I have in the mornings to do a little extra practice with the subjunctive. It is something that the Peruvians, and many other Spanish speaking countries, like to use a lot. So, I figure if I can understand it better, I will be able to communicate more effectively with the people.
On my walk home from school for lunch, I finally decided that I should blog about a couple of the epidemics I find that are here in Cusco, and really all of Peru. First is the car exhaust. Coming from the US and Missouri, where there are really are not too many problems with car exhaust/smog, it is hard for me to bear this environment. I feel like I am someone that cars deeply for the environment and its enduring health. I want to see the rain forests and glaciers that exist now be around for many, many years to come. So it is almost painful for me to see all of this car exhaust released into the air, when I know that the conditions here can be better. I know that if Peru would put in place stricter regulations on car emissions and impose fines on those that do not uphold those regulations, the air would be cleaner and the government would collect money from fines that could be used to help fund more programs. I am not only thinking of the environment here, but also of the people. I walk around and have cough attacks on my way to and from school sometimes because the smoke irritates my lungs. I know that the people that live here and breathe in this air constantly have a decreased lung capacity and are more likely to develop respiratory problems at some point in their lives because of the unbelievable amount of air pollution here.
The second epidemic is stray dogs. Everywhere you look whether it be Cusco, Lima, Paracas, etc. there are stray dogs EVERYWHERE. I see them sleeping on sidewalks as I walk to classes and running across streets through heavy traffic. Peruvians seem to have gotten used to this and allowed it to become a norm, but it is truly a sad situation. I see dogs that are limping around because they have hurt, sprained, or broken legs. I see dogs that have to literally tear open a bag of trash so that they can eat food. Dogs here have sex all over the city, wherever they want and then have a litter of puppies that will be born into a world of pure survival. They will never know love. They will only know the pains of the world. I just cannot believe that there is no movement here to spay and/or neuter dogs or cats. It seems as if they allow them to just live their lives and introduce more babies into the world of whom will only add to the problem. This is something that really concerns me, and I feel that it really is an easy fix. It is something that does not take a lot of time or money to do, and it will lead to cleaner cities, and a better standard of life for both the people (since there would not be as many disease ridden dogs around town) and the dogs. To go along with that point, there really are not any public trashcans here. Because of the lack of trashcans, people just throw trash into the street or over fences, or wherever they can find a place for it. Again, something that I think is such an easy fix, and if the problem is the cost of paying someone to go around and clean them out every once in a while, I think that is a cost that is necessary. Plus, it might provide jobs for some of the population that are unemployed right now.
The rest of the day with classes and all was good. We went over more subjunctive and then, when classes were over, we all went out to the market. I was so happy when I went to the ATM and was able to pull out money with my credit card. I understand that there will be fees and interest and all that stuff on my withdrawal, but it was so nice to actually know that I have money now and can really spend it if I need to! I chose to look around, and I feel that I bought some pretty good gifts. I went to one little shop in the market and some of the items caught my eye. There was a little girl there while her mother was across the aisle, and I asked her what she thought would be a good gift and what she liked. We had a nice little conversation in Spanish, and with her help, I feel like I walked away with some good gifts at a very good price! The rest of the time there was spent trying to find the other people in the group, and when we all had left, I walked home and finally uploaded my pictures from Ollantaytambo and Machupicchu. When that was over, I started on my homework (really early for me...I was proud of myself), and then went down to dinner. The rest of the night will be spent talking to Amy and getting excited for a movie in our morning class tomorrow! I just might go out and get some candies and a drink before class tomorrow morning! Yay!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 14, 2011 (Day 20)
Tonight we had our service dinner, and we had the opportunity to all come together and discuss our feelings thus far. It started off with Sarah asking us some questions about how we felt about the clean burning stoves project and many other things, and the answers and emotions started to flow. I, myself, was not able to really describe some of my feelings toward the project because the other group members were basically saying everything that was on my mind. But, I guess since I did not share too much at the feast (chicken, french fries, and vegetables), I should go ahead and spew my views here.
Overall, I feel so grateful for this experience to go out and help other people. There is just something about helping other people that gives you such a unique feeling of happiness. This sort of happiness cannot be made or bought or come from anything other than the knowledge that you truly helped someone and changed their life or touched them in a way that both of you will remember for the rest of your lives. It seems to lift your heart and make it warm while at the same time able to give you the chills and provide goosebumps all over your body. These are all things that I felt while I was out there helping families in the rural area of Peru enjoy a home without smoke and the constant threat of disease and sickness. I was able to connect with them on a much deeper level than I am able to connect with someone over the Internet or the phone or even face-to-face, because we shared such an incredible experience with one another. Believe me when I say that it really is an experience we shared together, because not only was I so grateful and fulfilled building the stoves for them, but they were even more overjoyed. They usually live such a tranquil life, but if we ever needed anything such as a brick or more barro, or anything, they were lighting fast to get it for us. Their expressions and willingness to do whatever we needed really showed me what happiness is and how even when they do not have much, they can still be truly happy.
That little topic led to a discussion about our lives here in Peru compared to our lives in the US. Here, life is much simpler. It is predicated on living life how you want it and enjoying it, while in the US it is all about working a job you might not like for 40 hours a week, so that on the weekends you can have some money to go out and have fun. Here, they have fun with life all of the time. They are not as serious as people are back in the US. The past 2 days, I have literally started busting out laughing in class from Angie's weird sayings and faces while stopping class entirely because I was laughing so hard. I thought that the professor would be a little upset that I had stopped class in the middle of our lesson, but she was actually laughing with me (as was the class), but the point is that she didn't mind. She went with the flow, and I feel that is kind of what the people here do. However, it is not so in the US. There, it is all about what car you have, what clothes you wear, where you live, etc., but people do not care about that here. In fact, most people do not really even own or use a personal car. Most people here, and in the rural areas, do not care what they wear most of the time. They are just happy to have and be able to wear clothes that protect them from the weather and sun. Life is much simpler here, and I feel that is such a great lesson for people in the US to learn. Obviously, there are people in the US that do that already, but the vast majority of Americans feel this tie or bond with material things that is so engrained in the culture and lifestyle that it is hard for me to even comprehend. I do not want to make Peru sound like it is a place that has low standards or anything like that, but they are a people and it is a place where they are able to work with less and still enjoy a happy lifestyle.
It was interesting because when Sarah talked about her personal connections with some of the children in the town, she told us that she had (jokingly) offered to take them with us back to the US. However, with each and every child in the rural community where there are no bathrooms or any true form of transportation other than your own two feet, they all said "no". They were content. They accepted and cherished a simple life in the country where family, friends, and the community come above all else. They want to live in a place where there are no computers or television and only radio because their value systems are different than ours. They are able to connect with one another on a deeper level than people in the US are because when they ask how you are, they really mean it. When they smile, they are truly happy. When someone needs something or is unable to do something, the people in the community help out without feeling the frustration of losing some of their own time from something else. Everything there was more sincere, and I could really feel that.
I am not proposing that everyone should be, or try to become like Peruvians. All I wish is that we were able to take a step back from our privileged lives in the US to understand that we are able to live in a society that has so much more than most other countries around the world. We enjoy so many things that most other people around the world can only dream of. However, most of those other people, such as those in Peru, are able to find a level of happiness and content that people in the US can only dream of. It really shows you that sometimes less is more and time spent with other people without technology can make a difference.
I apologize for the long blog tonight, but I felt compelled to share these things so that maybe the reader would be able to do what I have been able to do. Just take a step back from your busy life and understand that you can be happy without a lot of the things that you feel like you needed at one point in time. I have found that time away from the television and working with other people to better their lives has in fact bettered mine. This is why I love helping people. This is why I have been able to achieve such content here. This is why I chose to come to Peru.
Overall, I feel so grateful for this experience to go out and help other people. There is just something about helping other people that gives you such a unique feeling of happiness. This sort of happiness cannot be made or bought or come from anything other than the knowledge that you truly helped someone and changed their life or touched them in a way that both of you will remember for the rest of your lives. It seems to lift your heart and make it warm while at the same time able to give you the chills and provide goosebumps all over your body. These are all things that I felt while I was out there helping families in the rural area of Peru enjoy a home without smoke and the constant threat of disease and sickness. I was able to connect with them on a much deeper level than I am able to connect with someone over the Internet or the phone or even face-to-face, because we shared such an incredible experience with one another. Believe me when I say that it really is an experience we shared together, because not only was I so grateful and fulfilled building the stoves for them, but they were even more overjoyed. They usually live such a tranquil life, but if we ever needed anything such as a brick or more barro, or anything, they were lighting fast to get it for us. Their expressions and willingness to do whatever we needed really showed me what happiness is and how even when they do not have much, they can still be truly happy.
That little topic led to a discussion about our lives here in Peru compared to our lives in the US. Here, life is much simpler. It is predicated on living life how you want it and enjoying it, while in the US it is all about working a job you might not like for 40 hours a week, so that on the weekends you can have some money to go out and have fun. Here, they have fun with life all of the time. They are not as serious as people are back in the US. The past 2 days, I have literally started busting out laughing in class from Angie's weird sayings and faces while stopping class entirely because I was laughing so hard. I thought that the professor would be a little upset that I had stopped class in the middle of our lesson, but she was actually laughing with me (as was the class), but the point is that she didn't mind. She went with the flow, and I feel that is kind of what the people here do. However, it is not so in the US. There, it is all about what car you have, what clothes you wear, where you live, etc., but people do not care about that here. In fact, most people do not really even own or use a personal car. Most people here, and in the rural areas, do not care what they wear most of the time. They are just happy to have and be able to wear clothes that protect them from the weather and sun. Life is much simpler here, and I feel that is such a great lesson for people in the US to learn. Obviously, there are people in the US that do that already, but the vast majority of Americans feel this tie or bond with material things that is so engrained in the culture and lifestyle that it is hard for me to even comprehend. I do not want to make Peru sound like it is a place that has low standards or anything like that, but they are a people and it is a place where they are able to work with less and still enjoy a happy lifestyle.
It was interesting because when Sarah talked about her personal connections with some of the children in the town, she told us that she had (jokingly) offered to take them with us back to the US. However, with each and every child in the rural community where there are no bathrooms or any true form of transportation other than your own two feet, they all said "no". They were content. They accepted and cherished a simple life in the country where family, friends, and the community come above all else. They want to live in a place where there are no computers or television and only radio because their value systems are different than ours. They are able to connect with one another on a deeper level than people in the US are because when they ask how you are, they really mean it. When they smile, they are truly happy. When someone needs something or is unable to do something, the people in the community help out without feeling the frustration of losing some of their own time from something else. Everything there was more sincere, and I could really feel that.
I am not proposing that everyone should be, or try to become like Peruvians. All I wish is that we were able to take a step back from our privileged lives in the US to understand that we are able to live in a society that has so much more than most other countries around the world. We enjoy so many things that most other people around the world can only dream of. However, most of those other people, such as those in Peru, are able to find a level of happiness and content that people in the US can only dream of. It really shows you that sometimes less is more and time spent with other people without technology can make a difference.
I apologize for the long blog tonight, but I felt compelled to share these things so that maybe the reader would be able to do what I have been able to do. Just take a step back from your busy life and understand that you can be happy without a lot of the things that you feel like you needed at one point in time. I have found that time away from the television and working with other people to better their lives has in fact bettered mine. This is why I love helping people. This is why I have been able to achieve such content here. This is why I chose to come to Peru.
June 13, 2011 (Day 19)
It was one of those days that nothing spectacular happened. I went to classes, ate lunch with the family, and came home to rest up. Having to go to classes today, the day after traveling all over Machupicchu and back to Cusco, was tough. We were all tired. I could feel us all kind of dragging to and from school as well as in class. It was hard to concentrate when we had all enjoyed such a rewarding and amazing experience, and the next day had to sit in classes for upwards of 5 hours. It is such a different pace and emotion going from there to here, and it it was hard for me to change that quickly.
Some of the group chose to go out to a little cafe/bar in town called "Indigo" to do some work and blog on the Wi-Fi there. I, on the other hand, wanted to stay in and rest up so that I had enough energy to put towards school tomorrow. I didn't feel on top of my game today, and I feel like sometimes the professors can tell. However, to remedy that, I will get a decent amount of sleep tonight so that I am ready to go tomorrow.
June 12, 2011 (Day 18)
Machupicchu. That is all I need to say about today. It was the reason we all woke up at 4 in the morning and it was the reason that we all were awake enough to stumble onto a bus at 5:30 in the morning. The bus ride up the mountain was very nice. It only took about 25 or 30 minutes, but it was enough time to gather myself together and try to prepare myself for what were to experience. As we exited the bus, we all ran into the massive line that was collecting at the entrance gate, and some of us pushed our way to the counter where we got our stamp to climb Waynapicchu.
When we made our way through the entrance gate, and up some of the terraces, all of Machupicchu came into sight. It was such a beautiful thing that I have trouble finding words to describe it. I have seen so many pictures of it, being in Peru, but nothing can compare to the real thing. Whenever I saw it with Waynupicchu behind it along with the valleys surrounding it, I could understand why the Inca believed there were gods in the mountains and basically everywhere. It took my breath away seeing parts of the landscape covered with the clouds of the morning, causing it to take on some type of mysterious aura. It felt so mystifying and strange, almost as if there really were the ancient Incan gods there.
After touring Machupicchu and listening to some of the interesting facts about it from our tour guide, Evelyn, we made our way to the entrance to Waynupicchu. Upon arriving and passing through the gate, we were forced to sign out name, age, gender, etc. in a book they had. So, in case we did not come back, they knew who to look for. After seeing this and realizing how dangerous this climb would be, I made each of the 5 people with me on the trip put up their right hand, and swear to me to be safe and responsible and to come down alive. I did not want to have anyone take this lightly because I understand how strong nature can be, and if you do not respect it or if you take it lightly, you might not come out on top.
The climb, as I had imagined, was difficult. The steps to reach the top were not only very steep, basically straight up, but also carved out of the mountain and stone. At times, they were very small and others large as well as very crooked at some points along the way. Luckily, there were ropes to hold onto at certain points to help you climb, or else it would have been much, much more difficult. To oppose that point, though, was the lack of rope for a good portion of the climb. This meant that if you were not careful, you could potentially fall off the side of the trail and to your death. It was all too real of a possibility. I knew that if I was not taking this climb seriously, I might not make it back down. After about an hour and a half, we reached the ruins at the top of the mountain, but now came the challenge of VERY small steps going to the top. Literally, these stairs were no more than 6 to 8 inches long and very steep. Having someone with vertigo in our group, Kacie, made the situation a little more complex, but we assured her that we would help her up, and more importantly, back down. The view from the top was marvelous. Standing on top of the rocks there was such a liberating experience. Knowing I had made it to the top and being able to see the view and take in as much as I did was something that I will not forget easily. However, the euphoria did not last too long as we now had to make our way back down the very small steps and later, the rest of the mountain. The way down did not really take too much time after we made our way out of the ruins, and after helping Kacie calm down a little on the way back to the larger steps and ropes.
After returning to Machupicchu, I wanted to continue my adventures by finding and walking to the Sun Gate that was, supposedly, another hour walk from where we were standing. I could see the location of the Sun Gate as well as the trail that led to it, but the only problem was that I couldn't find the source of the trail. I looked along with Sarah to find it, but all we could find was the trail to the Inca Bridge. Thinking that it might lead us the trail of the Sun Gate, we followed it only to be led to a gate that did not allow us to pass any further. It was a little bit of a downer, but we were able to see more beautiful scenery as well as walk on another trail just as, or even more, dangerous as the one up Waynupicchu.
Upon arriving back to Machupicchu and, more specifically, the urban area there, we saw Cecilia and Monica literally running. We flagged them down to ask them what they were doing, but they gave us no response which led me to tail them to figure out what had happened. Apparently Kacie was coming down some stairs and began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. When she finally, and barely, reached the base of the stairs, she sat on the ground to recollect herself. Being diabetic, she took her blood sugar levels and they were dangerously low. The unfortunate fact of it all is that she did not pack well enough for the trip, and only had a couple of chocolate bars to help raise her blood sugar. She knew this would not be enough and asked if Cecilia and Monica would go get her a soda. The only problem was they had to run back down the the entrance gate to Machupicchu, out to a restaurant nearby, buy the expensive soda, and then convince two guards at the gate to allow them to enter with the soda (they only really allow water inside). After doing all of these things, they ran back to Kacie (that is when we saw them), and she quickly gulped it down. When all of that had calmed down, we all returned to the entrance to meet up with our tour guide, but we noticed that Angie was not with us. She was off drawing sketches of the landscape and the beauty that is Machupicchu, and so we all figured she was doing that and lost track of time. Both our professor and guide went in to look for her. Finally, our professor found her sitting at where we had started our tour instead of being at the entrance gate. Oh well, that is Angie for you :)
The rest of the day seemed like a blur, which was surprising because at this point in the day it was only abut 12:30 in the afternoon. We all boarded a bus back to Aguas Calientes, ate lunch at a very tasty buffet with live music from a band that just came in off of the street (I love that about Peru), and then went to the market. I didn't buy anything because I am trying to hold onto the 50 soles I have left until I can get a PIN for my credit card. Sadly, my debit card is lost and has been for about a week or so now. Sad day.
The train ride back to Ollantaytambo was actually quite fantastic. For most of the ride, I talked to Evelyn about Peru and being a tour guide and how she is learning English and French, and how she learns so much from the groups she gives tours too. I could relate to her being a tour guide because that is what I am at the University of Missouri. The things she told me made sense. Suddenly, in the middle of the train ride, music started playing and a man, dressed up in some colorful attire and a funny mask, started dancing throughout the train and puling up passengers to dance with him. After that craziness was over, the train workers then began a fashion show for us and modeled some of the traditional clothing of Peru. The male model might not have scored beauty points, but he certainly tried to work what he had...very entertaining.
When we arrived in Ollantaytambo, we boarded our van and began the drive back to Cusco. After only going for about 3 minutes or so, we were stopped by a large parade of people in the street singing and dancing and playing music for one of their many festivals. It seems like they are always celebrating or partying for something. It really was amazing to see all of their traditional dresses and their spirit through the whole thing. It was almost contagious. I wanted to exit the van and go out and party with them. Sadly, they passed by and we went on our way. Being out in the country gave me the opportunity to stare out the window and look at the stars for once in a very long time. It almost brought me to tears seeing them all, and thinking back to my boyish wonder about stars and space. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of innocence where the stars and space seemed like such an abstract idea that would never be understood. However, after going through Earth Science and many other science classes, I know about stars. I know how they begin, form, and die. I know about the concept of a universe and a galaxy. It seems that now, I am able to put everything into context and understand it all, but I still yearn to return back to those days when I couldn't. Those days when space seemed so untouchable and distant. I still remember looking through my little telescope I got for Christmas when I was younger at Mars and the moon wondering if there was life out there, and if we would ever find them. I took comfort in knowing that Amy was looking at the same sky and the same stars as I was. In this way, I felt connected to her. I felt almost as if we were together again, and again, I was almost brought to tears.
Peru is an amazing place, but at times, I feel so distant and removed from my family and friends. I feel almost as if I were lost and all I need is for Amy to find me and tell me everything will be okay. I know I do not have much time left here and that I will wish it wouldn't have to end, but it is just hard being away from someone you love so much and share everything with. I feel almost like I am cheating by doing all of these things and seeing everything here without her. I hope that one day, we can return here together and do all of these things over again so that I can see her eyes and face light up as it does when she is so incredibly happy. I think that is what I miss most about home.
When we made our way through the entrance gate, and up some of the terraces, all of Machupicchu came into sight. It was such a beautiful thing that I have trouble finding words to describe it. I have seen so many pictures of it, being in Peru, but nothing can compare to the real thing. Whenever I saw it with Waynupicchu behind it along with the valleys surrounding it, I could understand why the Inca believed there were gods in the mountains and basically everywhere. It took my breath away seeing parts of the landscape covered with the clouds of the morning, causing it to take on some type of mysterious aura. It felt so mystifying and strange, almost as if there really were the ancient Incan gods there.
After touring Machupicchu and listening to some of the interesting facts about it from our tour guide, Evelyn, we made our way to the entrance to Waynupicchu. Upon arriving and passing through the gate, we were forced to sign out name, age, gender, etc. in a book they had. So, in case we did not come back, they knew who to look for. After seeing this and realizing how dangerous this climb would be, I made each of the 5 people with me on the trip put up their right hand, and swear to me to be safe and responsible and to come down alive. I did not want to have anyone take this lightly because I understand how strong nature can be, and if you do not respect it or if you take it lightly, you might not come out on top.
The climb, as I had imagined, was difficult. The steps to reach the top were not only very steep, basically straight up, but also carved out of the mountain and stone. At times, they were very small and others large as well as very crooked at some points along the way. Luckily, there were ropes to hold onto at certain points to help you climb, or else it would have been much, much more difficult. To oppose that point, though, was the lack of rope for a good portion of the climb. This meant that if you were not careful, you could potentially fall off the side of the trail and to your death. It was all too real of a possibility. I knew that if I was not taking this climb seriously, I might not make it back down. After about an hour and a half, we reached the ruins at the top of the mountain, but now came the challenge of VERY small steps going to the top. Literally, these stairs were no more than 6 to 8 inches long and very steep. Having someone with vertigo in our group, Kacie, made the situation a little more complex, but we assured her that we would help her up, and more importantly, back down. The view from the top was marvelous. Standing on top of the rocks there was such a liberating experience. Knowing I had made it to the top and being able to see the view and take in as much as I did was something that I will not forget easily. However, the euphoria did not last too long as we now had to make our way back down the very small steps and later, the rest of the mountain. The way down did not really take too much time after we made our way out of the ruins, and after helping Kacie calm down a little on the way back to the larger steps and ropes.
After returning to Machupicchu, I wanted to continue my adventures by finding and walking to the Sun Gate that was, supposedly, another hour walk from where we were standing. I could see the location of the Sun Gate as well as the trail that led to it, but the only problem was that I couldn't find the source of the trail. I looked along with Sarah to find it, but all we could find was the trail to the Inca Bridge. Thinking that it might lead us the trail of the Sun Gate, we followed it only to be led to a gate that did not allow us to pass any further. It was a little bit of a downer, but we were able to see more beautiful scenery as well as walk on another trail just as, or even more, dangerous as the one up Waynupicchu.
Upon arriving back to Machupicchu and, more specifically, the urban area there, we saw Cecilia and Monica literally running. We flagged them down to ask them what they were doing, but they gave us no response which led me to tail them to figure out what had happened. Apparently Kacie was coming down some stairs and began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. When she finally, and barely, reached the base of the stairs, she sat on the ground to recollect herself. Being diabetic, she took her blood sugar levels and they were dangerously low. The unfortunate fact of it all is that she did not pack well enough for the trip, and only had a couple of chocolate bars to help raise her blood sugar. She knew this would not be enough and asked if Cecilia and Monica would go get her a soda. The only problem was they had to run back down the the entrance gate to Machupicchu, out to a restaurant nearby, buy the expensive soda, and then convince two guards at the gate to allow them to enter with the soda (they only really allow water inside). After doing all of these things, they ran back to Kacie (that is when we saw them), and she quickly gulped it down. When all of that had calmed down, we all returned to the entrance to meet up with our tour guide, but we noticed that Angie was not with us. She was off drawing sketches of the landscape and the beauty that is Machupicchu, and so we all figured she was doing that and lost track of time. Both our professor and guide went in to look for her. Finally, our professor found her sitting at where we had started our tour instead of being at the entrance gate. Oh well, that is Angie for you :)
The rest of the day seemed like a blur, which was surprising because at this point in the day it was only abut 12:30 in the afternoon. We all boarded a bus back to Aguas Calientes, ate lunch at a very tasty buffet with live music from a band that just came in off of the street (I love that about Peru), and then went to the market. I didn't buy anything because I am trying to hold onto the 50 soles I have left until I can get a PIN for my credit card. Sadly, my debit card is lost and has been for about a week or so now. Sad day.
The train ride back to Ollantaytambo was actually quite fantastic. For most of the ride, I talked to Evelyn about Peru and being a tour guide and how she is learning English and French, and how she learns so much from the groups she gives tours too. I could relate to her being a tour guide because that is what I am at the University of Missouri. The things she told me made sense. Suddenly, in the middle of the train ride, music started playing and a man, dressed up in some colorful attire and a funny mask, started dancing throughout the train and puling up passengers to dance with him. After that craziness was over, the train workers then began a fashion show for us and modeled some of the traditional clothing of Peru. The male model might not have scored beauty points, but he certainly tried to work what he had...very entertaining.
When we arrived in Ollantaytambo, we boarded our van and began the drive back to Cusco. After only going for about 3 minutes or so, we were stopped by a large parade of people in the street singing and dancing and playing music for one of their many festivals. It seems like they are always celebrating or partying for something. It really was amazing to see all of their traditional dresses and their spirit through the whole thing. It was almost contagious. I wanted to exit the van and go out and party with them. Sadly, they passed by and we went on our way. Being out in the country gave me the opportunity to stare out the window and look at the stars for once in a very long time. It almost brought me to tears seeing them all, and thinking back to my boyish wonder about stars and space. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of innocence where the stars and space seemed like such an abstract idea that would never be understood. However, after going through Earth Science and many other science classes, I know about stars. I know how they begin, form, and die. I know about the concept of a universe and a galaxy. It seems that now, I am able to put everything into context and understand it all, but I still yearn to return back to those days when I couldn't. Those days when space seemed so untouchable and distant. I still remember looking through my little telescope I got for Christmas when I was younger at Mars and the moon wondering if there was life out there, and if we would ever find them. I took comfort in knowing that Amy was looking at the same sky and the same stars as I was. In this way, I felt connected to her. I felt almost as if we were together again, and again, I was almost brought to tears.
Peru is an amazing place, but at times, I feel so distant and removed from my family and friends. I feel almost as if I were lost and all I need is for Amy to find me and tell me everything will be okay. I know I do not have much time left here and that I will wish it wouldn't have to end, but it is just hard being away from someone you love so much and share everything with. I feel almost like I am cheating by doing all of these things and seeing everything here without her. I hope that one day, we can return here together and do all of these things over again so that I can see her eyes and face light up as it does when she is so incredibly happy. I think that is what I miss most about home.
June 11, 2011 (Day 17)
It is finally the day that we begin our journey to Machupicchu. I feel like I have waited so long for this moment to come, and now that it is here, I do not think I can hide my excitement. I walked briskly to the ProWorld office while trying to imagine what today will bring.
Our first destination was Ollantaytambo. It is a little city nestled in the valley between some pretty impressive mountains. We entered the archeological site and began to climb towards the top of the ruins there, but they were quite high. There were a lot of stairs and many of us had to stop a couple of times to be sure we made it to the top. Funny thing is our tour guide, Evelyn, told us that this would just be a little warm up for tomorrow and Machupicchu...really? If so, I am not sure how we will make it through alive! We were able to see a structure built into the side of a mountain where they would store food. In this way, the Inca were very advanced. We learned about how there was another tribe of people that were more vicious and stronger than the Inca as they were growing in power, but the other tribe could not support a vast empire because they did not conserve food or supplies as well as the Inca did. Our guide told us that if they had, we would not be talking about the Inca, it would all be about the other tribe.
After descending the ruins, it was time for lunch. It became a little more complicated as we entered the restaurant because we were arriving there at 12:30 pm and our train was supposed to leave the station towards Aguas Calientes and Machupicchu at 12:58 pm. When the food came out, we were told that we only had 5 minutes to eat our food, and if we did not finish that we could take it with us in a to-go box. Believe me when I say that I ate my entire meal (steak in mushroom sauce, french fries, and vegetables) all within the allotted 5 minutes! Luckily, we were able to get some chocolate and orange cake for the train ride on PeruRail. The train we took was so nice! The seats were grouped in 4 around a table which provided a nice, social atmosphere on the way to Aguas Calientes. Also, the train had skylights so as we were cruising on the tracks, we could look out the top and see the mountains and some glaciers along the way.
The hotel we stayed in "The President Hotel" in Aguas Calientes was fantastic! I, being the only male on the trip, got my own room and I was happy to find out that each room came with DIRECTV! I quickly flipped on the television to discover some of the channels that I was able to view, and luckily there were a lot of sports channels. I had a little while until dinner so, I turned on the television and watched a behind-the-scences documentary about the World Cup Final last year in South Africa. It was truly interesting to see all of the work that goes on not only before the game, but also during and after. An hour or more had passed and it was getting closer to dinner, so I went down to the lobby and watched some UFC while getting on the Internet to talk to Amy.
The restaurant we ate at was literally a 30 second walk from the hotel, which was good because we were all starving. While looking at the menu, I decided to get "condor wings" (aka chicken wings in barbecue sauce) and a ham and cheese pizza. Both of those options were superb, but I wish that the barbecue sauce had just a little more flavor to it on the wings.
The rest of the night was not super eventful. We returned to the hotel, and I watched "Final Destination" on TV in Spanish and got on the Internet to tell Amy goodnight. Then, I went to my room where I watched the rest of "Parks and Rec" and "Saturday Night Live feat. Jim Carey" on NBC. As I turned it off to go to bed, I knew that in less than 6 hours, I was going to be on my way to Machupicchu. I knew that in less than 6 hours, my life would be forever changed by a place that was both beautiful and mysterious. I couldn't wait.
Our first destination was Ollantaytambo. It is a little city nestled in the valley between some pretty impressive mountains. We entered the archeological site and began to climb towards the top of the ruins there, but they were quite high. There were a lot of stairs and many of us had to stop a couple of times to be sure we made it to the top. Funny thing is our tour guide, Evelyn, told us that this would just be a little warm up for tomorrow and Machupicchu...really? If so, I am not sure how we will make it through alive! We were able to see a structure built into the side of a mountain where they would store food. In this way, the Inca were very advanced. We learned about how there was another tribe of people that were more vicious and stronger than the Inca as they were growing in power, but the other tribe could not support a vast empire because they did not conserve food or supplies as well as the Inca did. Our guide told us that if they had, we would not be talking about the Inca, it would all be about the other tribe.
After descending the ruins, it was time for lunch. It became a little more complicated as we entered the restaurant because we were arriving there at 12:30 pm and our train was supposed to leave the station towards Aguas Calientes and Machupicchu at 12:58 pm. When the food came out, we were told that we only had 5 minutes to eat our food, and if we did not finish that we could take it with us in a to-go box. Believe me when I say that I ate my entire meal (steak in mushroom sauce, french fries, and vegetables) all within the allotted 5 minutes! Luckily, we were able to get some chocolate and orange cake for the train ride on PeruRail. The train we took was so nice! The seats were grouped in 4 around a table which provided a nice, social atmosphere on the way to Aguas Calientes. Also, the train had skylights so as we were cruising on the tracks, we could look out the top and see the mountains and some glaciers along the way.
The hotel we stayed in "The President Hotel" in Aguas Calientes was fantastic! I, being the only male on the trip, got my own room and I was happy to find out that each room came with DIRECTV! I quickly flipped on the television to discover some of the channels that I was able to view, and luckily there were a lot of sports channels. I had a little while until dinner so, I turned on the television and watched a behind-the-scences documentary about the World Cup Final last year in South Africa. It was truly interesting to see all of the work that goes on not only before the game, but also during and after. An hour or more had passed and it was getting closer to dinner, so I went down to the lobby and watched some UFC while getting on the Internet to talk to Amy.
The restaurant we ate at was literally a 30 second walk from the hotel, which was good because we were all starving. While looking at the menu, I decided to get "condor wings" (aka chicken wings in barbecue sauce) and a ham and cheese pizza. Both of those options were superb, but I wish that the barbecue sauce had just a little more flavor to it on the wings.
The rest of the night was not super eventful. We returned to the hotel, and I watched "Final Destination" on TV in Spanish and got on the Internet to tell Amy goodnight. Then, I went to my room where I watched the rest of "Parks and Rec" and "Saturday Night Live feat. Jim Carey" on NBC. As I turned it off to go to bed, I knew that in less than 6 hours, I was going to be on my way to Machupicchu. I knew that in less than 6 hours, my life would be forever changed by a place that was both beautiful and mysterious. I couldn't wait.
June 10, 2011 (Day 16)
Today concludes our time with the people on the stove projects. I feel both a happy and sad. I am so very happy and enthralled that everyone in the little town of Piñanqay now has access and is able to use a clean burning stove. Not only will they now have the smoke from cooking exit the home through a chimney, but they will also burn less wood than before. This will save them a lot of time, effort, and money that are not in abundance out there. However, the mixed feelings come when I think about leaving them for good. I had become comfortable with the town and the people. They accepted us with open arms as we began to understand them and their lifestyle. As the bridge began to come together, we now have to depart one another and trust that their lives will go well. It is especially sad that Sarah, one of our volunteer supervisors, has to leave the little girl she has developed such a close bond with over the past month or so. As I finished my last home and was walking back, some of the school children wanted to talk and show some of us their homework. I will truly miss them.
When we returned in the early afternoon, after being done so early at the project site, I rested up for a while at home. There was talk about going out tonight to a discoteca, and so I decided I would like to go and make sure everything and everyone was safe. I arrived at the Plaza de Armas around 9 pm, since that was the time that we had agreed on, but I failed to remember that at times some people operate on Peruvian time. So, as I was waiting in the cold with Sarah and Cecilia, I silently wished that it was a little more punctual here.
The good news is that around 45 minutes later, the people who were going to show up finally did, and we all headed into InkaTeam. After awkwardly hanging out by the stairs for a good, long while, I decided that it would be a good idea to go to the lounge area if no one was going to partake in the salsa lessons. We eventually made our way over there, and the ladies and the two guys that came along for Cecilia drank while I enjoyed some soccer on the TV. That is one thing that I wish were on TV in the US more often. When they had indulged themselves with good feelings, they went down to salsa for a while, and then around 11 pm, the club music came on. Some of the students from Duke showed up as well as my roommate from Notre Dame, Javier, and we all danced in a sizable group for most of the evening. After they had left, we continued on into the night until about 1:15 am. I made sure that Sarah and Cecilia made it safely into a taxi, and then I ran home.
Tonight being my second run home, I can tell it is becoming easier and easier. I did not stop at all for breaks tonight, and not until I got within 2 minutes of the house did I really feel out of breath. The combination of walking everywhere as well as being acclimated to the thinner air here are the main factors in that, and so tonight I can go to bed happy that: A) I get to talk to Amy Backes and B) I am starting to feel a lot more in shape than before. Both of those make me very excited :)
When we returned in the early afternoon, after being done so early at the project site, I rested up for a while at home. There was talk about going out tonight to a discoteca, and so I decided I would like to go and make sure everything and everyone was safe. I arrived at the Plaza de Armas around 9 pm, since that was the time that we had agreed on, but I failed to remember that at times some people operate on Peruvian time. So, as I was waiting in the cold with Sarah and Cecilia, I silently wished that it was a little more punctual here.
The good news is that around 45 minutes later, the people who were going to show up finally did, and we all headed into InkaTeam. After awkwardly hanging out by the stairs for a good, long while, I decided that it would be a good idea to go to the lounge area if no one was going to partake in the salsa lessons. We eventually made our way over there, and the ladies and the two guys that came along for Cecilia drank while I enjoyed some soccer on the TV. That is one thing that I wish were on TV in the US more often. When they had indulged themselves with good feelings, they went down to salsa for a while, and then around 11 pm, the club music came on. Some of the students from Duke showed up as well as my roommate from Notre Dame, Javier, and we all danced in a sizable group for most of the evening. After they had left, we continued on into the night until about 1:15 am. I made sure that Sarah and Cecilia made it safely into a taxi, and then I ran home.
Tonight being my second run home, I can tell it is becoming easier and easier. I did not stop at all for breaks tonight, and not until I got within 2 minutes of the house did I really feel out of breath. The combination of walking everywhere as well as being acclimated to the thinner air here are the main factors in that, and so tonight I can go to bed happy that: A) I get to talk to Amy Backes and B) I am starting to feel a lot more in shape than before. Both of those make me very excited :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 9, 2011 (Day 15)
Tests. They never seem to make you feel good about yourself. You always second guess yourself and you never really know how well you did until the professor takes those pain-staking couple of days or weeks to grade them. I didn't feel too much anxiety coming into my test today, but afterwards is a little different of a story. I felt like I was cruising through the test. Circle, circle. fill in the blank. Of course there are a couple of words I didn't recognize but I have come to expect that from a Spanish exam. When I turned it in, I had a feeling of supreme confidence that I might not have gotten them all correct, but that I had done a pretty good job.
However, our professor thought it would be a good idea to go through each section and go over some of the mistakes that we might have made on the exam. As she begins to go through each section I begin to doubt myself. I begin to believe that I had done much more poorly than I probably did in reality. So, right now, I am not very sure how well I did on the exam or what to think about it. I guess I will just have to wait out those pain-staking days until early next week when she returns them to us. She grades out of 20 points and told us that a grade of 14 points out of the 20 is an average score. I hope to have done better than average.
We then toured some of the museums around town. One was a museum of contemporary art and the other was the museum about Qoricancha. Qoricancha is the area of the Incan temple built in Cusco, and it acted as the main temple as Cusco was the Incan capital. From Qoricancha starts the very traditional and very popular Inti Rymi (go check it out on Youtube!). However, when the Spanish came over and conquered the Incas, they built on top of the temple and destroyed many of the Incan temples and other signs of Incan worship all around Peru, and especially in Cusco. In the museum, they had all kinds of miniature models of what it used to look like as well as mummies that were preserved and skulls that were deformed. There were also some skulls that had needed some type of surgery and so the Incas would cut a hole in the top of the skull with a gold knife, work on the brain or release pressure, and then cover the opening with a gold plate. Everything there was so fascinating!
Right afterwards, I went to get some ice cream with a couple of the people from Mizzou and then proceeded to the main tourist market in town. The main reason I go there, other than to shop and browse, is to use the ATM. It take all types of cards and is easy to use, unlike some of the other ATMs in town, which are also sometimes very hard to find. I saw something that I thought my mom would love to have, but I didn't have enough money on me. Naturally, I went to the ATM and went to get out my debit card, only to find that it wasn't in my wallet. I know I had not been robbed because I still had my wallet and everything was in my wallet minus the debit card. So, I looked and looked and looked, but to not avail. I was not able to solve the mystery of the missing debit card.
When I noticed that it was no where to be found, I made sure to call my mother and tell her to cancel the card and tomorrow, after I get back from the project, I will call my credit card company. Apparently, I will need to wait two business days before I can withdraw money, but it should work out well whenever those two days have eclipsed. Until then, I will just have to cut back on the money I spend on food and walk everywhere since I will not be able to afford a taxi until I can withdraw some money. Right now, I sit at 1.20 soles which is the equivalent to $0.44 in the US! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. If it works for Thomas the Train, it can work for me. Isn't that good logic?
However, our professor thought it would be a good idea to go through each section and go over some of the mistakes that we might have made on the exam. As she begins to go through each section I begin to doubt myself. I begin to believe that I had done much more poorly than I probably did in reality. So, right now, I am not very sure how well I did on the exam or what to think about it. I guess I will just have to wait out those pain-staking days until early next week when she returns them to us. She grades out of 20 points and told us that a grade of 14 points out of the 20 is an average score. I hope to have done better than average.
We then toured some of the museums around town. One was a museum of contemporary art and the other was the museum about Qoricancha. Qoricancha is the area of the Incan temple built in Cusco, and it acted as the main temple as Cusco was the Incan capital. From Qoricancha starts the very traditional and very popular Inti Rymi (go check it out on Youtube!). However, when the Spanish came over and conquered the Incas, they built on top of the temple and destroyed many of the Incan temples and other signs of Incan worship all around Peru, and especially in Cusco. In the museum, they had all kinds of miniature models of what it used to look like as well as mummies that were preserved and skulls that were deformed. There were also some skulls that had needed some type of surgery and so the Incas would cut a hole in the top of the skull with a gold knife, work on the brain or release pressure, and then cover the opening with a gold plate. Everything there was so fascinating!
Right afterwards, I went to get some ice cream with a couple of the people from Mizzou and then proceeded to the main tourist market in town. The main reason I go there, other than to shop and browse, is to use the ATM. It take all types of cards and is easy to use, unlike some of the other ATMs in town, which are also sometimes very hard to find. I saw something that I thought my mom would love to have, but I didn't have enough money on me. Naturally, I went to the ATM and went to get out my debit card, only to find that it wasn't in my wallet. I know I had not been robbed because I still had my wallet and everything was in my wallet minus the debit card. So, I looked and looked and looked, but to not avail. I was not able to solve the mystery of the missing debit card.
When I noticed that it was no where to be found, I made sure to call my mother and tell her to cancel the card and tomorrow, after I get back from the project, I will call my credit card company. Apparently, I will need to wait two business days before I can withdraw money, but it should work out well whenever those two days have eclipsed. Until then, I will just have to cut back on the money I spend on food and walk everywhere since I will not be able to afford a taxi until I can withdraw some money. Right now, I sit at 1.20 soles which is the equivalent to $0.44 in the US! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. If it works for Thomas the Train, it can work for me. Isn't that good logic?
June 8, 2011 (Day 14)
Has anyone noticed that there has not been a post on the blog since May 31st for a while? I want to go ahead and apologize for that. With classes getting into high gear as well as this sickness requiring many hours of sleep, I have not had much time to dedicate to posting something everyday. However, you all will be happy to know, I hope, that I have pulled it together and I have been filling in posts from earlier so the final product will soon appear here. I will also apologize, as you might be finding out right now, that I will be posting all of the previous posts in mass, or maybe spread some out a couple of days. The beauty of it, though, is that there will be plenty of reading material for you where ever you are choosing to read this, even if it happens to be bathroom reading material.
Today really didn't have many highlights to it. I have to turn in some journals to our professor tomorrow, and so I have went ahead and finished those before 10 pm! I know everyone back home that knows how much of a procrastinator will appreciate how diligently I am completing my homework here. As soon as it comes in, I am pumping it out. I even feel good about myself. To go along with that, I am working on the blog posts tonight and I hope to finish all of the older ones and get caught up tomorrow night or AT THE LATEST Friday afternoon/evening.
The parents here are having some kind of party or get together tonight. As I wrote my journals and some blog posts, I heard music and a lot of discussion happening downstairs. If I were in the mood and had some time, outside of homework and this, I would have gone down to check it out. But, I think I heard it being about Diego and his school, so I think I made the right decision not to go down there. Overall, my understanding of what it is is very opaque so I don't really know what to think about it other than it providing a nice distraction to working in my room at times.
Tomorrow I have my first test. It is in my morning class, and thankfully, our afternoon class has been cancelled both this tomorrow and next Thursday. I don't feel like reviewing for it, because I think it is one of those tests where if I really know the information, and not just study the material the night before I will do well and if I end up not knowing it, I will just have to work harder. The class so far has not been very difficult, so that doesn't help my motivation to study either. In that spirit, I have my Wheat Thins, fruit snacks, new music on iTunes, and Amy to keep me company as I allow my notes and worksheets to spend some time alone. We have spent too much time together already.
Today really didn't have many highlights to it. I have to turn in some journals to our professor tomorrow, and so I have went ahead and finished those before 10 pm! I know everyone back home that knows how much of a procrastinator will appreciate how diligently I am completing my homework here. As soon as it comes in, I am pumping it out. I even feel good about myself. To go along with that, I am working on the blog posts tonight and I hope to finish all of the older ones and get caught up tomorrow night or AT THE LATEST Friday afternoon/evening.
The parents here are having some kind of party or get together tonight. As I wrote my journals and some blog posts, I heard music and a lot of discussion happening downstairs. If I were in the mood and had some time, outside of homework and this, I would have gone down to check it out. But, I think I heard it being about Diego and his school, so I think I made the right decision not to go down there. Overall, my understanding of what it is is very opaque so I don't really know what to think about it other than it providing a nice distraction to working in my room at times.
Tomorrow I have my first test. It is in my morning class, and thankfully, our afternoon class has been cancelled both this tomorrow and next Thursday. I don't feel like reviewing for it, because I think it is one of those tests where if I really know the information, and not just study the material the night before I will do well and if I end up not knowing it, I will just have to work harder. The class so far has not been very difficult, so that doesn't help my motivation to study either. In that spirit, I have my Wheat Thins, fruit snacks, new music on iTunes, and Amy to keep me company as I allow my notes and worksheets to spend some time alone. We have spent too much time together already.
June 7, 2011 (Day 13)
Today was different, and I liked that. It wasn't so much different in pace or anything like that, but I was able to get out of the house for a little while and get to know more students from Cusco and other universities. I do enjoy meeting new people, but usually I am terrified by the thought of having to introduce myself and completely explain myself to a person. I am also afraid of rejection, and the thought of attempting to introduce myself to a person terrifies me because I always imagine them not wanting to get to know me. However, I sucked it up a little bit and met a couple of...interesting people.
The reason for this whole topic was the "Intercambio" we had tonight. It was an occasion where our group from Missouri and others (Iowa, Iowa State, Duke, etc.) came together with some Peruvian students to talk and get to know one another. For the first half or so of the entire evening, we all basically stayed in our own groups and talked amongst each other. It was comfortable. It was easy. However, I knew that soon enough the time would come to spread my wings and talk to other people. If I cannot do it now, how am I supposed to do it when I am running for the Presidency of the United States?
As the evening wore on, I met Helen from a small university in Texas. She has lived in the same town her entire life, but wants to get out after she graduates. However, she doesn't know what she wants to do after she graduates or where to go. The only thing she did know was that she wants to do something with languages. Being both and English and Spanish major, I think that would be a good choice.
After I left that conversation, I went over to talk to Caroline (spelling?), Natalie, and Madison. Natalie and Caroline go to the same school in New York, a very small school that participates in NCAA D-III. Their women's basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament for D-III and made a streak through the tournament, which is a big deal according to those two. Madison had already graduated from a D-I school of which I do not remember the name of. However, through this entire experience I was happy to have met other people even though I will, most likely, never see them again. I am also very happy that I was able to remember that much about each of them, especially their names. Usually, I am very bad with names. Someone can tell me their name and I will forget it about 10 seconds later, but I feel pretty accomplished after having worried about it so much.
When we left the "Intercambio" I escorted a couple of the girls from our group a discoteca with the help of Edward and a couple of Peruvian guys. Upon arriving, the girls enjoyed dancing a little salsa and then came the American music. After hanging around for a little while, I knew that the girls were having fun and that it was a good time for me to head out. I felt comfortable leaving them under the care of Edward, as I knew Cecilia didn't mind that at all, and so I told them all to be safe and I headed out. I enjoyed quite the jog back home, too. Starting out in the Plaza de Armas and running all the way home was really refreshing. Unfortunately, the thin air got to me a couple of times and caused me to walk to catch my breath. But, after walking for a short period of time, I took off again heading towards my final destination of my bed and a Skype date with Amy.
The reason for this whole topic was the "Intercambio" we had tonight. It was an occasion where our group from Missouri and others (Iowa, Iowa State, Duke, etc.) came together with some Peruvian students to talk and get to know one another. For the first half or so of the entire evening, we all basically stayed in our own groups and talked amongst each other. It was comfortable. It was easy. However, I knew that soon enough the time would come to spread my wings and talk to other people. If I cannot do it now, how am I supposed to do it when I am running for the Presidency of the United States?
As the evening wore on, I met Helen from a small university in Texas. She has lived in the same town her entire life, but wants to get out after she graduates. However, she doesn't know what she wants to do after she graduates or where to go. The only thing she did know was that she wants to do something with languages. Being both and English and Spanish major, I think that would be a good choice.
After I left that conversation, I went over to talk to Caroline (spelling?), Natalie, and Madison. Natalie and Caroline go to the same school in New York, a very small school that participates in NCAA D-III. Their women's basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament for D-III and made a streak through the tournament, which is a big deal according to those two. Madison had already graduated from a D-I school of which I do not remember the name of. However, through this entire experience I was happy to have met other people even though I will, most likely, never see them again. I am also very happy that I was able to remember that much about each of them, especially their names. Usually, I am very bad with names. Someone can tell me their name and I will forget it about 10 seconds later, but I feel pretty accomplished after having worried about it so much.
When we left the "Intercambio" I escorted a couple of the girls from our group a discoteca with the help of Edward and a couple of Peruvian guys. Upon arriving, the girls enjoyed dancing a little salsa and then came the American music. After hanging around for a little while, I knew that the girls were having fun and that it was a good time for me to head out. I felt comfortable leaving them under the care of Edward, as I knew Cecilia didn't mind that at all, and so I told them all to be safe and I headed out. I enjoyed quite the jog back home, too. Starting out in the Plaza de Armas and running all the way home was really refreshing. Unfortunately, the thin air got to me a couple of times and caused me to walk to catch my breath. But, after walking for a short period of time, I took off again heading towards my final destination of my bed and a Skype date with Amy.
June 5, 2011 (Day 11)
Today was full of ups and downs. The cold has seemed to take full effect of my body and cause me to feel almost to the point of death as the day wore on, but knowing I was going to have the opportunity to see ancient ruins of the Inca is what got me out of bed this morning. The sheer excitement and boyish smile I had on my face as I was at both Saqsaywaman and Pisac. I knew no matter how I felt today, I was going and nothing was going to stop me.
The walk to ProPeru this morning was a little brutal. It seemed cold, but as soon as I had my jacket on, I was hot. Weather doesn't agree with me sometimes. Add that with the fact that I was blowing my nose every 2 minutes and I had quite the winning combination in my favor. However arriving at Saqsaywaman definitely started the day off on the right foot. The views from there were so amazing! You could see the entire city of Cusco from the ruins! It was something I will never forget. It almost seemed as if the city stretched on forever into the mountains. I was able to point out some important landmarks of the city and take photos of them (soccer stadium, Plaza de Armas, etc.)
The grand mystery behind Saqsaywaman is how the city was built and for what purpose. Some of the stones that were there were of incredible sizes. The main foundation of the ruins were at least one and a half times taller than me (not too hard to do), but weighed unbelievable amounts of weight. Some believe and have written books about aliens building this ancient ritual site. But, for now, I will believe that the Incas built it as our guide told us.
Pisac, I would have to say, was even better than Saqsaywaman. Pisac is a little town nestled in the Sacred Valley in Peru. In Pisac, there is a market at never seemed to end. Any way you look, there are little booths set up, and for as long as we walked through them, they never seemed to end. I was fortunate enough to buy a couple of instruments to play in my spare time as well as a gift for Amy. I think she will be proud. Our next stop was lunch. However, at this point, I could not focus on much else other than how much pain my body was in and how much I am going to hate not tasting my food. There was a buffet style room set up for us on the second floor of a very quaint restaurant, and as I imagined, I could not taste anything. So, I went ahead and gobbled down my meal and drank some tea hoping I had eaten enough.
The Incan ruins at Pisac were....indescribable. There were huge terraces for agriculture, urban areas that were home to thousands of Incas, and so much more. We passed by the side of a mountain where there were literally thousands upon thousands of graves that were carved into the mountain. As far as you could see, there were little holes where part of an ancient civilization was buried. Being a history buff, you can imagine how happy I was to see that. However, our ultimate goal was to climb to the top of the ruins, and we were not going to fail. Our guide told us we had 20 minutes to roam and take pictures. As soon as we heard that, we took off. Finding the stairs or paths to continue of the mountain was difficult at times and the steep slope posed problems of its own. But, we eventually made our way up to the top, took some pictures, and were intrigued by an even higher point that was more difficult to get to. We had to rock climb as well as jump from rocks, but we got there. I was very pleased at our success and even had the chance to frolic on a little patch of grass at the top of the mountain. The views were stunning. Everywhere you looked you wanted to take a picture. Obviously, that was not possible, but I took as many mental photographs as I could as well as real photographs. The combination of the two should suffice I would think.
The moment I returned home, after walking from the ProPeru office, I went straight to the bed and fell asleep until dinner. That coupled with the 8 hours I slept at night will hopefully help me kick this cold in the butt and get better soon. I do NOT want to be sick when we visit Macchu Picchu next weekend!
The walk to ProPeru this morning was a little brutal. It seemed cold, but as soon as I had my jacket on, I was hot. Weather doesn't agree with me sometimes. Add that with the fact that I was blowing my nose every 2 minutes and I had quite the winning combination in my favor. However arriving at Saqsaywaman definitely started the day off on the right foot. The views from there were so amazing! You could see the entire city of Cusco from the ruins! It was something I will never forget. It almost seemed as if the city stretched on forever into the mountains. I was able to point out some important landmarks of the city and take photos of them (soccer stadium, Plaza de Armas, etc.)
The grand mystery behind Saqsaywaman is how the city was built and for what purpose. Some of the stones that were there were of incredible sizes. The main foundation of the ruins were at least one and a half times taller than me (not too hard to do), but weighed unbelievable amounts of weight. Some believe and have written books about aliens building this ancient ritual site. But, for now, I will believe that the Incas built it as our guide told us.
Pisac, I would have to say, was even better than Saqsaywaman. Pisac is a little town nestled in the Sacred Valley in Peru. In Pisac, there is a market at never seemed to end. Any way you look, there are little booths set up, and for as long as we walked through them, they never seemed to end. I was fortunate enough to buy a couple of instruments to play in my spare time as well as a gift for Amy. I think she will be proud. Our next stop was lunch. However, at this point, I could not focus on much else other than how much pain my body was in and how much I am going to hate not tasting my food. There was a buffet style room set up for us on the second floor of a very quaint restaurant, and as I imagined, I could not taste anything. So, I went ahead and gobbled down my meal and drank some tea hoping I had eaten enough.
The Incan ruins at Pisac were....indescribable. There were huge terraces for agriculture, urban areas that were home to thousands of Incas, and so much more. We passed by the side of a mountain where there were literally thousands upon thousands of graves that were carved into the mountain. As far as you could see, there were little holes where part of an ancient civilization was buried. Being a history buff, you can imagine how happy I was to see that. However, our ultimate goal was to climb to the top of the ruins, and we were not going to fail. Our guide told us we had 20 minutes to roam and take pictures. As soon as we heard that, we took off. Finding the stairs or paths to continue of the mountain was difficult at times and the steep slope posed problems of its own. But, we eventually made our way up to the top, took some pictures, and were intrigued by an even higher point that was more difficult to get to. We had to rock climb as well as jump from rocks, but we got there. I was very pleased at our success and even had the chance to frolic on a little patch of grass at the top of the mountain. The views were stunning. Everywhere you looked you wanted to take a picture. Obviously, that was not possible, but I took as many mental photographs as I could as well as real photographs. The combination of the two should suffice I would think.
The moment I returned home, after walking from the ProPeru office, I went straight to the bed and fell asleep until dinner. That coupled with the 8 hours I slept at night will hopefully help me kick this cold in the butt and get better soon. I do NOT want to be sick when we visit Macchu Picchu next weekend!
June 6, 2011 (Day 12)
I never really knew how much a language can be a comfort for someone until this experience. I do love the Spanish language. I love everything about it. The words, the phrases, the pronunciation. Everything. The only part about it that gets me is how far from fluent I am. I speak with my family, professors, market vendors, etc. and realize that I need a lot more work until I am close to being fluent. Spanish just seems like work, too. With Spanish, I need to think. I need to try and decide if the sentence I will say needs to be in the preterite or the present perfect. I need to try and think of the right verb to use or how to structure the sentence correctly so that the people don't think I am an ignorant American.
However, with English everything is so easy. It almost seems carefree to me. It is something that I can use freely, without thought because it is so natural to me. It is a part of who I am. It is a part of my fabric as a being. With it, I can express complex thoughts and ideas with ease. I can communicate with my friends and professors without having to think about my sentence structure or word choice.
This is why I feel at times uncomfortable around people here in Peru. It has nothing to do with who they are or what they are. Everyone I have come across and had the privilege to talk to has been nothing but gracious to me. The people here are so sweet and caring, but at times, I want to just isolate myself in my room and talk to Amy or just someone in English. Even if it is just reading something in English, I feel an instant sense of relief and comfort. It is a feeling that I long to have all the time. It is part of the reason I almost want to go home right now. The comforts of the States (my fiance, my favorite restaurants, my friends, my family, my cat, Tour Team and giving tours of campus, etc.) are starting to pile up on me and make me wish I was there.
I guess this is what culture shock feels like, right? I have never been away from the States for very long, and not nearly as long as this trip takes. But, I feel like I have done the right thing in being able to identify culture shock. Now, I have to deal with it and suck it up. I have to realize that being a serious student of Spanish for only a little over 2 years is not going to make me fluent or anywhere close to it. I do feel blessed to know how much I already know, and now it is time to add upon that knowledge to better myself and my understanding of a different culture. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I do not want to waste it cooped up in my room, isolating myself from everyone. That does me no good. I will have to take this challenge head-on and hope to come out on top. If I don't at least I can say that I tried.
However, with English everything is so easy. It almost seems carefree to me. It is something that I can use freely, without thought because it is so natural to me. It is a part of who I am. It is a part of my fabric as a being. With it, I can express complex thoughts and ideas with ease. I can communicate with my friends and professors without having to think about my sentence structure or word choice.
This is why I feel at times uncomfortable around people here in Peru. It has nothing to do with who they are or what they are. Everyone I have come across and had the privilege to talk to has been nothing but gracious to me. The people here are so sweet and caring, but at times, I want to just isolate myself in my room and talk to Amy or just someone in English. Even if it is just reading something in English, I feel an instant sense of relief and comfort. It is a feeling that I long to have all the time. It is part of the reason I almost want to go home right now. The comforts of the States (my fiance, my favorite restaurants, my friends, my family, my cat, Tour Team and giving tours of campus, etc.) are starting to pile up on me and make me wish I was there.
I guess this is what culture shock feels like, right? I have never been away from the States for very long, and not nearly as long as this trip takes. But, I feel like I have done the right thing in being able to identify culture shock. Now, I have to deal with it and suck it up. I have to realize that being a serious student of Spanish for only a little over 2 years is not going to make me fluent or anywhere close to it. I do feel blessed to know how much I already know, and now it is time to add upon that knowledge to better myself and my understanding of a different culture. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I do not want to waste it cooped up in my room, isolating myself from everyone. That does me no good. I will have to take this challenge head-on and hope to come out on top. If I don't at least I can say that I tried.
June 4, 2011 (Day 10)
I actually woke up early enough to walk today to the ProWorld office, but having never done it before, other than the time we were lost with Sarah, I was not sure what to expect. I had an idea of where it was, and so I decided to start off and take whatever streets I could try and get me in the general direction I wanted to go. However, after a little while, I started to feel lost and unsure of where I was going. I looked down every street I could find to locate a landmark of some kind, but I didn't see any. I trusted myself and my sense of direction and kept walking until I saw it, the sign for the Abraham Lincoln school! It was funny to me how famous he is and how his name is everywhere, even outside of the United States. Him being my favorite president, I couldn't help but smile when his sign was the one that helped me find the ProWorld office.
When we arrived at the service site, we split up into teams of 2 again. Today, I chose to team up with Sarah and see if we would have any better luck than I did yesterday with Angie. Unfortunately, I think it is me that is the one that has bad luck with the choice of homes. Sarah and I arrived at the home and, of course, the wall going up to the roof jutted away from the stove about 6 inches halfway up the wall. So, Sarah and I lifted up some large rocks and wooden boards with LOTS of barro to help fill in the space. To go along with that, we had to make a new hole in the roof for the chimney that was going to come out of the roof. So, to help out and because of the small language barrier that stood between us and the family (I don't really know many words for construction things), I went ahead and climbed on the roof to build the rest of the chimney. However, when I was trying to nail in the boards into the roof to support them and make sure they didn't move, the wood on the roof splintered. With some small engineering miracles and loads of barro, we were able to cement in the boards and finish the stove for them. They were so very helpful and if we asked for something, the son of the family would literally RUN to go get it. They were so sweet.
After finishing the stove, we went to lunch and then went to work with Sarah, Kacie, and Stephanie at another home. In the house was the cutest little girl who could not pass a moment without telling us "hola". So cute. Unfortunately, the bad house curse followed me. The platform that the woman had built was sideways and located in a bad place, so I went with her to load some huge adobe rocks into a very old wheelbarrow and used the adobe to add onto the existing platform to make it workable. After all of that, we didn't have a lot of time to work, but we still managed to get a little more than half of it done. We had a very effective assembly line system in place which allowed us to cruise and get a lot of it done, but we will have to return to that house next Friday to finish it. I felt bad that we left her with an incomplete stove, but in a little under a week, it will be done and she will enjoy a much cleaner home and better lifestyle. She will no longer have to live in a space consumed by the smoke produced from cooking. She will no longer have to continually breath in harmful smoke, nor will her children who are probably more affected than her. That is why I am doing it. I want the future of these people to live healthier and longer. That is what inspires me.
Tonight, I was able to enjoy a hot shower for once. It was so glorious and soothing that I wish it would never stop. But, of course, it did and so I got out, got dressed, and went out to dinner around 6 pm with the group. Tonight also marks the first night I have a roommate at my house. I am excited to meet him, Javier, but he was sleeping when I came back from dinner. I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow.
Until then all, take care and talk to you later!
When we arrived at the service site, we split up into teams of 2 again. Today, I chose to team up with Sarah and see if we would have any better luck than I did yesterday with Angie. Unfortunately, I think it is me that is the one that has bad luck with the choice of homes. Sarah and I arrived at the home and, of course, the wall going up to the roof jutted away from the stove about 6 inches halfway up the wall. So, Sarah and I lifted up some large rocks and wooden boards with LOTS of barro to help fill in the space. To go along with that, we had to make a new hole in the roof for the chimney that was going to come out of the roof. So, to help out and because of the small language barrier that stood between us and the family (I don't really know many words for construction things), I went ahead and climbed on the roof to build the rest of the chimney. However, when I was trying to nail in the boards into the roof to support them and make sure they didn't move, the wood on the roof splintered. With some small engineering miracles and loads of barro, we were able to cement in the boards and finish the stove for them. They were so very helpful and if we asked for something, the son of the family would literally RUN to go get it. They were so sweet.
After finishing the stove, we went to lunch and then went to work with Sarah, Kacie, and Stephanie at another home. In the house was the cutest little girl who could not pass a moment without telling us "hola". So cute. Unfortunately, the bad house curse followed me. The platform that the woman had built was sideways and located in a bad place, so I went with her to load some huge adobe rocks into a very old wheelbarrow and used the adobe to add onto the existing platform to make it workable. After all of that, we didn't have a lot of time to work, but we still managed to get a little more than half of it done. We had a very effective assembly line system in place which allowed us to cruise and get a lot of it done, but we will have to return to that house next Friday to finish it. I felt bad that we left her with an incomplete stove, but in a little under a week, it will be done and she will enjoy a much cleaner home and better lifestyle. She will no longer have to live in a space consumed by the smoke produced from cooking. She will no longer have to continually breath in harmful smoke, nor will her children who are probably more affected than her. That is why I am doing it. I want the future of these people to live healthier and longer. That is what inspires me.
Tonight, I was able to enjoy a hot shower for once. It was so glorious and soothing that I wish it would never stop. But, of course, it did and so I got out, got dressed, and went out to dinner around 6 pm with the group. Tonight also marks the first night I have a roommate at my house. I am excited to meet him, Javier, but he was sleeping when I came back from dinner. I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow.
Until then all, take care and talk to you later!
June 3, 2011 (Day 9)
Today is the first day of the "Clean Burning Stove" project! I am not really sure what to think about it. It all seems so different that I don't even really have any idea of how today will go. But, I woke up about an hour earlier to get to the ProWorld office, because I will have to try to figure out my way there. I got ready, ate breakfast, and left the house, but I was running late a little late. In spite of this, I was forced to take a taxi. I will have to leave the walking for tomorrow I suppose.
At around 9 am, we arrived at the site, and were prodded to split up into teams of two. I went ahead and joined up with Angie, and I was feeling pretty confident heading to our first house. When we arrived, it was a lot more complicated than the example we had seen previously. Our example was built in a home with the platform up against a wall that went straight up to the roof. Ours had a platform built to a wall, but we couldn't build straight up because of the support system of the roof. To remedy the situation, we placed a board from platform to roof as our new wall and went ahead with the construction. The father of home was semi-helpful, but he definitely didn't go out of his way to help us very much. Unfortuntely, with the setbacks and it being our first stove, we did not get done before lunch. So after we ate, we went back to finish it out. We got done with about an hour or so to spare so we stopped and talked to one of the local people, Raymond. We got into a conversation about the campo and how simple and tranquil it is. He told us that he has 3 children that are going to college in Cusco and other places. He told us that he did visit Cusco every so often to see his children, but that he much prefers living in the campo. The scenery, mountains, people, and everything were so beautiful (the people had beautiful personalities that is). However, we were shown firsthand that life out there is a difficult one. We were only there for 6 hours and we were tired, but they have to live that way all day, everyday. They raise there own animals, food, and only receive (I have been told) a small amount of money every month. But when you think about it, they get 100 soles ($37.04) each month and they have to try and make that stretch for their children, clothing, medical care, etc. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that.
After we got back, I hopped in the shower, and then went out for ice cream. The sad part about everything, though, is that I ran out of minutes on my phone calling Lalo, our project leader, earlier in the day. Therefore, I couldn't call or text anyone to see if they had arrived at the ice cream shop yet. I figured that I would just watch the ancient ritual across the street at Qoricancha. It was pretty interesting. There were old dances, music, and the royalty there all on display. It was pretty cool. Soon afterward, some of the group appeared and we went to the ice cream shop, bookstore, Mega (grocery store and more), and the market. After the adventure, I came back home for dinner, talked to Amy, and went to bed.
It was a pretty crazy day, but I am ready to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. I think the service we are doing is something I wouldn't mind doing everyday we are here (other than excursion days) instead of going to class. However, the value of my classes are starting to pay off. I feel more confident using my Spanish with the natives, and I hope that continues through my time here.
At around 9 am, we arrived at the site, and were prodded to split up into teams of two. I went ahead and joined up with Angie, and I was feeling pretty confident heading to our first house. When we arrived, it was a lot more complicated than the example we had seen previously. Our example was built in a home with the platform up against a wall that went straight up to the roof. Ours had a platform built to a wall, but we couldn't build straight up because of the support system of the roof. To remedy the situation, we placed a board from platform to roof as our new wall and went ahead with the construction. The father of home was semi-helpful, but he definitely didn't go out of his way to help us very much. Unfortuntely, with the setbacks and it being our first stove, we did not get done before lunch. So after we ate, we went back to finish it out. We got done with about an hour or so to spare so we stopped and talked to one of the local people, Raymond. We got into a conversation about the campo and how simple and tranquil it is. He told us that he has 3 children that are going to college in Cusco and other places. He told us that he did visit Cusco every so often to see his children, but that he much prefers living in the campo. The scenery, mountains, people, and everything were so beautiful (the people had beautiful personalities that is). However, we were shown firsthand that life out there is a difficult one. We were only there for 6 hours and we were tired, but they have to live that way all day, everyday. They raise there own animals, food, and only receive (I have been told) a small amount of money every month. But when you think about it, they get 100 soles ($37.04) each month and they have to try and make that stretch for their children, clothing, medical care, etc. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that.
After we got back, I hopped in the shower, and then went out for ice cream. The sad part about everything, though, is that I ran out of minutes on my phone calling Lalo, our project leader, earlier in the day. Therefore, I couldn't call or text anyone to see if they had arrived at the ice cream shop yet. I figured that I would just watch the ancient ritual across the street at Qoricancha. It was pretty interesting. There were old dances, music, and the royalty there all on display. It was pretty cool. Soon afterward, some of the group appeared and we went to the ice cream shop, bookstore, Mega (grocery store and more), and the market. After the adventure, I came back home for dinner, talked to Amy, and went to bed.
It was a pretty crazy day, but I am ready to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. I think the service we are doing is something I wouldn't mind doing everyday we are here (other than excursion days) instead of going to class. However, the value of my classes are starting to pay off. I feel more confident using my Spanish with the natives, and I hope that continues through my time here.
June 2, 2011 (Day 8)
I went to school kind of tired after only getting around 6 hours of sleep. However, walking with my iPod energized me a little bit on the way to school. When I was nearing the school, Angie and Monica saw me and had their host dad pull over to give me a ride the rest of the way. Their host father, Frank, is quite possibly the craziest and funniest person I have ever met. He never seems to take a second off to chill out. He is always talking and making jokes. I will have to admit, all of them are smashing successes. The sad part was that he got pulled over for not wearing seatbelt even though he was wearing it. It just goes with the theme of Peruvian driving, I guess. There really aren't many rules here. Other than the occasional stoplight at some intersections, you just have to look out for yourself. Amazingly, there are not many accidents here! I have never seen one, and the last one that a volunteer supervisor can remember was a couple of months ago. It really is a miracle.
After our break in morning, our morning class went out with the professor to the market close to Plaza San Francisco called "Mercado de San Pedro". Let me tell you, it was super packed with little shops and lots of food places. Our professor chose to get some fish while she was there with us which was an interesting experience as they cleaned it right in front of us. After investigating some of the food and clothing areas, we walked to the back where there are the insides of animals out for people to buy. While passing by, I saw the head of a bull with its horns for someone to purchase. I am not sure if that would make a memorable present for myself or someone else back home. As we walked out of the market, I saw two kids playing soccer. It made me want to play so bad! Part of my expectations of coming to Perú was playing a lot of soccer. I heard that there are soccer games all over the place, but not once have I really seen one. It is kind of sad for me, because I so desperately want to play.
At lunch, my host family gave me avocados to eat and I quickly figured out that I don't like those at all. I had trouble eating half of one...especially towards the end. However, after I told them I was not comfortable eating the avocado, they were cool with it gave me food I liked a lot. Then, I went back to school, did tongue twisters as well as solved riddles in Spanish. Today was actually kind of fun in class. We listened to a song in English and then Spanish and it is true, songs in Spanish are sadder in comparison to those in English.
Tonight was our service orientation, so we all walked to ProWorld office and got the run down of service project "clean burning stoves". We start tomorrow, and I cannot be more excited. We got a little bit of an idea of what we will be doing and all of the benefits the families will receive. This is definitely something I love about being here in Perú, the opportunity to give back. The only bad part is that I will be waking up at 7 am to eat breakfast and get to the office in time. My parents told me they are packing me a lunch of hamburgers, french fries, and rice. I am stoked for that!
Talk to you all tomorrow!
Buenas noches!
After our break in morning, our morning class went out with the professor to the market close to Plaza San Francisco called "Mercado de San Pedro". Let me tell you, it was super packed with little shops and lots of food places. Our professor chose to get some fish while she was there with us which was an interesting experience as they cleaned it right in front of us. After investigating some of the food and clothing areas, we walked to the back where there are the insides of animals out for people to buy. While passing by, I saw the head of a bull with its horns for someone to purchase. I am not sure if that would make a memorable present for myself or someone else back home. As we walked out of the market, I saw two kids playing soccer. It made me want to play so bad! Part of my expectations of coming to Perú was playing a lot of soccer. I heard that there are soccer games all over the place, but not once have I really seen one. It is kind of sad for me, because I so desperately want to play.
At lunch, my host family gave me avocados to eat and I quickly figured out that I don't like those at all. I had trouble eating half of one...especially towards the end. However, after I told them I was not comfortable eating the avocado, they were cool with it gave me food I liked a lot. Then, I went back to school, did tongue twisters as well as solved riddles in Spanish. Today was actually kind of fun in class. We listened to a song in English and then Spanish and it is true, songs in Spanish are sadder in comparison to those in English.
Tonight was our service orientation, so we all walked to ProWorld office and got the run down of service project "clean burning stoves". We start tomorrow, and I cannot be more excited. We got a little bit of an idea of what we will be doing and all of the benefits the families will receive. This is definitely something I love about being here in Perú, the opportunity to give back. The only bad part is that I will be waking up at 7 am to eat breakfast and get to the office in time. My parents told me they are packing me a lunch of hamburgers, french fries, and rice. I am stoked for that!
Talk to you all tomorrow!
Buenas noches!
June 1, 2011 (Day 7)
After a good morning and breakfast, I got to school and our group decided that lunch out on the town sounded like a good idea. The only problem is that not only are we not well acquainted with the city, but we are also a very indecisive group of people. No one really had a clear vision as to what they wanted to eat, and so we wandered around for a good 20 minutes or more. Finally, we decided on a place close to the Plaza de Armas. I had the hamburger with french fries for 9 soles, which converts to about $3.33! Not only was it cheap, but it was pretty good. Afterwards, we made our way back to the school and relaxed in the courtyard before our afternoon class.
When classes concluded, we all decided that we should try to walk around town and check out some of the shops and cool places to go. However, Angie wanted to find an ATM to withdraw some money. That wasn't too much of a problem other than the fact that we couldn't find one that would take her MasterCard! We went to at least 3 or 4 different banks, which were not close to one another, before we found an ATM inside a large market that took worked. When that was over with, we went ahead and browsed around in the market since we were already there. I didn't really find too much, but there are some possibilities there that I might return for later.
When we all had finished shopping and were starting to catch taxis to go home, I noticed there was a large group of people, all with Ollanta flags, congregating outside of the hotel across the street. I asked one of the ladies that owned a little shop outside of the market what was going on. She told me that the hotel across the street was the hotel that Ollanta was staying in while he was in Cusco. I was standing 100 feet away from the place that the presidential candidate was staying! Wanting to be a true political scientist, I followed the mass of people as they started to parade down the streets to the plaza where Ollanta was going to speak. There were SO many people there! All with flags waving and spirits high. I will go ahead and say that Peruvians know how to have a good time. There were bands and dancing before the presidential candidate came on stage to speak. Unfortunately, it was getting late and I ran out of memory on the camera. So, I headed back to my house to eat some dinner, and to get ready to go out to "Los Perros" later.
"Los Perros" is a pretty cool place right next to the Plaza de Armas. It is a small, yet quaint restaurant/bar that offers some pretty good choices of food and drinks. I really didn't get much knowing; A) I don't like to drink a lot in the first place and B) I still had to make sure everyone got home safely as well as myself. However, it was a pretty good time, but it is time for bed now.
Until later, ciao.
When classes concluded, we all decided that we should try to walk around town and check out some of the shops and cool places to go. However, Angie wanted to find an ATM to withdraw some money. That wasn't too much of a problem other than the fact that we couldn't find one that would take her MasterCard! We went to at least 3 or 4 different banks, which were not close to one another, before we found an ATM inside a large market that took worked. When that was over with, we went ahead and browsed around in the market since we were already there. I didn't really find too much, but there are some possibilities there that I might return for later.
When we all had finished shopping and were starting to catch taxis to go home, I noticed there was a large group of people, all with Ollanta flags, congregating outside of the hotel across the street. I asked one of the ladies that owned a little shop outside of the market what was going on. She told me that the hotel across the street was the hotel that Ollanta was staying in while he was in Cusco. I was standing 100 feet away from the place that the presidential candidate was staying! Wanting to be a true political scientist, I followed the mass of people as they started to parade down the streets to the plaza where Ollanta was going to speak. There were SO many people there! All with flags waving and spirits high. I will go ahead and say that Peruvians know how to have a good time. There were bands and dancing before the presidential candidate came on stage to speak. Unfortunately, it was getting late and I ran out of memory on the camera. So, I headed back to my house to eat some dinner, and to get ready to go out to "Los Perros" later.
"Los Perros" is a pretty cool place right next to the Plaza de Armas. It is a small, yet quaint restaurant/bar that offers some pretty good choices of food and drinks. I really didn't get much knowing; A) I don't like to drink a lot in the first place and B) I still had to make sure everyone got home safely as well as myself. However, it was a pretty good time, but it is time for bed now.
Until later, ciao.
May 31, 2011 (Day 6)
Oh man. Sometimes 7:45 am can come pretty quickly. For some reason I continue to wake up before my alarm goes off thinking I missed my alarm and that I will be late to school, or worse, breakfast! However, I was not late at all. In fact, I woke up a good hour before I needed to, and then another time 15 minutes before my alarm. I am starting to think...do I really need to set it anymore? But then there will be that one time that I don't set it and then I do end up sleeping too long and end up being late. So I guess I will continue to set it...for now :)
I decided, today, that a shower before school sounded like a good idea. Who would want to sit next to some guy who smells bad? Well it turns out that I need to flip the switch and wait a lot longer than I did for the heater to heat up enough water. About 15 seconds into the shower, it turned ice cold. Naturally, I went ahead and showered all the while shivering to an extreme degree. Next time, I hope to learn from this and give myself enough time after turning on the water heater before I shower next time.
School was good. In both of my classes we went over the verbs "ser" and "estar" which translate to the same meaning "to be", but they are actually two completely different ideas. "Ser" is a verb to describe something more permanent, like a persons' characteristics and physical qualities. So you might say, "Soy un estudiante." (I am a student). On the other hand, "estar" is for things that are more temporary, such as emotions, your current location, or what you might be doing at that exact moment. The more I dive into Spanish, the more I discover specialized words that we only have one word for in English. Spanish seems to convey very specific ideas with verbs that can literally change the imagery of the sentence depending on which one you choose or even in which verb tense you use it. Incredible.
After classes were over, our professor and the people that work at ProWorld (the company we work through in Peru) thought it would be a great idea to walk to the ProWorld office and get to know where it is. Sounds good, right? Well, our guide there, Sarah, kind of got a little lost and backwards. We ended up close to the office as it started to get dark, but the office is not in the best part of town. Most of the group was getting anxious and a little frustrated, but with a little persistence and question asking, we made it there safely. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea to be out there too much longer as a large group. Unfortunately, as we all wanted to leave, the lock on the door wouldn't unlock. So, after a good 15 minutes of turning and turning, it finally unlocked and we all headed home as quickly as possible.
The dinner conversation tonight was pretty interesting. We ended up on the conversation of old television shows. With that in mind, I threw it back to the good ol' "Walker Texas Ranger" and "Looney Tunes". My host parents actually remembered "Dallas" and older American shows that I had no idea they knew about, but they did. Subsequently, the conversation turned to cocaine and the black market that exists for it. Peru, being a very large producer of cocoa leaves, is home to a lot of cocaine production. We discussed how they sneak it out and how much money a person would be able to sell it for. It all basically blew my mind. I had no idea that Peru was home to such orchestration and corruption. I guess you learn something new everyday.
Time for bed.
Hasta mañana amigos!
I decided, today, that a shower before school sounded like a good idea. Who would want to sit next to some guy who smells bad? Well it turns out that I need to flip the switch and wait a lot longer than I did for the heater to heat up enough water. About 15 seconds into the shower, it turned ice cold. Naturally, I went ahead and showered all the while shivering to an extreme degree. Next time, I hope to learn from this and give myself enough time after turning on the water heater before I shower next time.
School was good. In both of my classes we went over the verbs "ser" and "estar" which translate to the same meaning "to be", but they are actually two completely different ideas. "Ser" is a verb to describe something more permanent, like a persons' characteristics and physical qualities. So you might say, "Soy un estudiante." (I am a student). On the other hand, "estar" is for things that are more temporary, such as emotions, your current location, or what you might be doing at that exact moment. The more I dive into Spanish, the more I discover specialized words that we only have one word for in English. Spanish seems to convey very specific ideas with verbs that can literally change the imagery of the sentence depending on which one you choose or even in which verb tense you use it. Incredible.
After classes were over, our professor and the people that work at ProWorld (the company we work through in Peru) thought it would be a great idea to walk to the ProWorld office and get to know where it is. Sounds good, right? Well, our guide there, Sarah, kind of got a little lost and backwards. We ended up close to the office as it started to get dark, but the office is not in the best part of town. Most of the group was getting anxious and a little frustrated, but with a little persistence and question asking, we made it there safely. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea to be out there too much longer as a large group. Unfortunately, as we all wanted to leave, the lock on the door wouldn't unlock. So, after a good 15 minutes of turning and turning, it finally unlocked and we all headed home as quickly as possible.
The dinner conversation tonight was pretty interesting. We ended up on the conversation of old television shows. With that in mind, I threw it back to the good ol' "Walker Texas Ranger" and "Looney Tunes". My host parents actually remembered "Dallas" and older American shows that I had no idea they knew about, but they did. Subsequently, the conversation turned to cocaine and the black market that exists for it. Peru, being a very large producer of cocoa leaves, is home to a lot of cocaine production. We discussed how they sneak it out and how much money a person would be able to sell it for. It all basically blew my mind. I had no idea that Peru was home to such orchestration and corruption. I guess you learn something new everyday.
Time for bed.
Hasta mañana amigos!
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011 (Day 5)
Sleep is a very valuable thing. After having gotten another 8 hours of sleep last night, I feel a little better and more energized. It seems almost as if I am a completely different person today than I have been the last couple of days. It is a good thing, though, that I got a good amount of sleep because today is the first day of classes. However, the day didn't start of stupendously. I awoke at 7:30 am, got dressed, and made my way downstairs for breakfast at 7:45 am. I believe I had a type of banana oatmeal-ish sort of thing, which was actually good even though I am not the fondest of bananas with hot chocolate and bread. Overall, it was pretty good.
My next task was to make my way to the school by 8:30 am for our orientation. However, it sounded a lot easier than it turned out to be. My host father had driven me by the Centro Bartolomé de las Casas (the CBC) and had told me how to get there. The only thing is that there are 3 different buildings along the same street with CBC on them. One is a hotel area and the other two are schools. I figured that I had arrived at the right place because it clearly had CBC on the wall. However, after being there until 8:40 am, I was pretty sure I was in the wrong place because no one else was there. As soon as I was about to leave, I saw my professor enter and we both concluded that we had gone to the wrong place. So, we went down the street to where the other school is, but that was also the wrong place. Finally, after a little guidance from one of the ProWorld people that works with our group, we arrived at the right location. The only thing was that we were 20 minutes late. Whoops.
The orientation went really well and we took an exam to test where we were, and I think I did well. We got them back and it had "B-A" on it. So I can take that as I am at a B and working towards being an A in Spanish, or that I am just a BA person in general. Either way, I will take it.
After orientation, we went to the place where the library is and then returned to break into our classes. Our professor is a lady who, we figured out during class, has a 2 year old son. Now isn't that cute? We did our introductions and told her what our intentions were for being at the school and learning Spanish. We then proceeded to dive into verbs and how some are similar with others, but they mean different things. We just basically went over some basics. After that, it was around noon, so we all went back to our homes for lunch and siesta. I ate, more or less, a vegetable soup with chunks of meat with potatoes covered in a kind of chicken sauce that was simply amazing. I am, though, getting a little too adventurous with the spicy salsa, because I put it in the soup and basically was choking and crying from how much I put in there. My papá y mamá helped me remedy the situation with juice and bread. It actually worked too. I was pretty impressed.
After lunch, I returned to the school to find out that I had been moved to another class, still not very sure why. The new professor in the afternoons is very nice and sweet, but I could not help but notice that she was in a lot of pain while she walked around the room. Nevertheless, I think she is going to help me so very much with my Spanish. I learned today that there are 5 types of nouns and around 5 types of articles. Who knew there were so many? I am excited for the days that she will let us go out and roam around the city practicing our Spanish...the adventure seeker in me cannot wait.
When classes ended, a group of peruanos that live in the Q'eros community came to talk to us about their culture. They are a group of people that live in a very remote area of Peru, in the mountains, who actually still practice the ancient rituals of the Inca. They make their own clothing, for the most part, as well as instruments, and food. They are truly a self-sufficient culture. Most families have 3 homes at varying altitudes so they can plant different crops at different heights and when the weather gets too bad for one area, they move to another home. The video we watched of their culture and the songs they played for us were simply amazing. They then offered us the chance to buy some of their merchandise that they make themselves. It was pretty pricey, but with the amount of work and love they put into each and every item, I can understand. I only had around 40 soles with me, and most of the merchandise was much more than that, but I was able to buy something for my mother. I think she will be very happy.
It is off to dinner soon, in about 20 minutes, and then I will most likely look over some of my notes from class today and do the quick homework that I have. But, I can go to bed satisfied that I was able to flag down, ride, and pay the correct price for a taxi here in Cusco. I have heard stories where the cabbies will try to jack up the prices if they suspect you are American or a tourist. However, I had no problems with the cab driver and got the ride at a very reasonable price for night time (3 soles = $1.11). That is a lot better than in the States.
In any case, I will be eating and going to bed soon there after. So, for now, buenas noches and ciao.
My next task was to make my way to the school by 8:30 am for our orientation. However, it sounded a lot easier than it turned out to be. My host father had driven me by the Centro Bartolomé de las Casas (the CBC) and had told me how to get there. The only thing is that there are 3 different buildings along the same street with CBC on them. One is a hotel area and the other two are schools. I figured that I had arrived at the right place because it clearly had CBC on the wall. However, after being there until 8:40 am, I was pretty sure I was in the wrong place because no one else was there. As soon as I was about to leave, I saw my professor enter and we both concluded that we had gone to the wrong place. So, we went down the street to where the other school is, but that was also the wrong place. Finally, after a little guidance from one of the ProWorld people that works with our group, we arrived at the right location. The only thing was that we were 20 minutes late. Whoops.
The orientation went really well and we took an exam to test where we were, and I think I did well. We got them back and it had "B-A" on it. So I can take that as I am at a B and working towards being an A in Spanish, or that I am just a BA person in general. Either way, I will take it.
After orientation, we went to the place where the library is and then returned to break into our classes. Our professor is a lady who, we figured out during class, has a 2 year old son. Now isn't that cute? We did our introductions and told her what our intentions were for being at the school and learning Spanish. We then proceeded to dive into verbs and how some are similar with others, but they mean different things. We just basically went over some basics. After that, it was around noon, so we all went back to our homes for lunch and siesta. I ate, more or less, a vegetable soup with chunks of meat with potatoes covered in a kind of chicken sauce that was simply amazing. I am, though, getting a little too adventurous with the spicy salsa, because I put it in the soup and basically was choking and crying from how much I put in there. My papá y mamá helped me remedy the situation with juice and bread. It actually worked too. I was pretty impressed.
After lunch, I returned to the school to find out that I had been moved to another class, still not very sure why. The new professor in the afternoons is very nice and sweet, but I could not help but notice that she was in a lot of pain while she walked around the room. Nevertheless, I think she is going to help me so very much with my Spanish. I learned today that there are 5 types of nouns and around 5 types of articles. Who knew there were so many? I am excited for the days that she will let us go out and roam around the city practicing our Spanish...the adventure seeker in me cannot wait.
When classes ended, a group of peruanos that live in the Q'eros community came to talk to us about their culture. They are a group of people that live in a very remote area of Peru, in the mountains, who actually still practice the ancient rituals of the Inca. They make their own clothing, for the most part, as well as instruments, and food. They are truly a self-sufficient culture. Most families have 3 homes at varying altitudes so they can plant different crops at different heights and when the weather gets too bad for one area, they move to another home. The video we watched of their culture and the songs they played for us were simply amazing. They then offered us the chance to buy some of their merchandise that they make themselves. It was pretty pricey, but with the amount of work and love they put into each and every item, I can understand. I only had around 40 soles with me, and most of the merchandise was much more than that, but I was able to buy something for my mother. I think she will be very happy.
It is off to dinner soon, in about 20 minutes, and then I will most likely look over some of my notes from class today and do the quick homework that I have. But, I can go to bed satisfied that I was able to flag down, ride, and pay the correct price for a taxi here in Cusco. I have heard stories where the cabbies will try to jack up the prices if they suspect you are American or a tourist. However, I had no problems with the cab driver and got the ride at a very reasonable price for night time (3 soles = $1.11). That is a lot better than in the States.
In any case, I will be eating and going to bed soon there after. So, for now, buenas noches and ciao.
May 29, 2011 (Day 4)
When I left off on the last post, I had mentioned that I did not go to bed until 2 AM and I felt it today. I have been tired and sore all day, but I had to suck it up because today we were doing a walking tour of parts of Cusco. Before the tour, and after awaking, I played some video games with Diego, the son in the family. We played Mortal Kombat as well as PES, a soccer game. I played as Spain against Diego as Brazil and lost on a last second goal. It was devastating. Then I ate breakfast with the family (waffles with ham inside and papas helados). Papas helados are potatoes that are grown in the mountains and are rained on, but the rain freezes over them and it makes a special taste. They served them with cheese on top, and they were not bad but they were not terrific either.
The walking tour, although tired, was pretty amazing. We started off in the Plaza de Armas (the main plaza in Cusco) and walked up to where our school is located. Then we arrived at the Plaza San Blas which had a beautiful fountain/waterfall in the back and a great look at a part of the mountains. Afterwards, we started making our way back to the Plaza de Armas and passed by many buildings that had their foundation made out of old Incan stones. There were so many photo opportunities that I had to reign myself in and only take some shots that I thought would be cool, or else I would not have had anymore space for photos later. After getting back to the Plaza de Armas, we went to the Plaza San Francisco which had so much life to it. There were so many vendors and families there that I just couldn't believe how much activity there was. After resting for a short while, we started our trek down la Avenida del Sol (Avenue of the Sun). There were so many shops and places to stop to buy things, but we eventually stopped at a little ice cream place that had a lot of good ice cream. However, I did not buy any because I was full from breakfast and lunch (spaghetti with meat). Finally, we came to a large market and I went in and bought an authentic jersey of, from what I have been told, one of the best soccer teams in all of Peru, and who are located here in Cusco. I was looking for gifts for family members and Amy, but I have not found anything that I think they would love yet, so I will continue looking for them.
Right now, I am back at home after having my host father pick me up. I am so very tired and my legs are quite possibly the most sore they have ever been. Dinner will be in about an hour, 8 PM, and we will be having the leftover spaghetti from what I have been told.
The spaghetti was just as good as it was for breakfast. I gobbled that down pretty quickly as well as the tea that they gave me to help with my digestive system. I haven't had really any problems with it so far, but just to be sure I don't get any, I drank it. With sugar, I must say that it was not too bad. When dinner was over, I watched a little bit of the presidential debates between the two candidates for President of Peru. I was surprised that the election for president is actually happening this coming Sunday! It should be pretty interesting, and the political scientist in me is very excited. However, I didn't watch too much of it only because I was very tired and I still had yet to talk to Amy. So, I made my way upstairs and talked to Amy for a little more than an hour and I was able to see my kitty, Lola, for a minute or so before she decided that running around the house was more fun. I don't blame her.
It is bedtime and I am so very excited to sleep. I am going to wake up around 7:30 am to be sure that I can eat breakfast and have enough time to get to school. Tomorrow should be interesting with classes starting and having to begin a new routine, but I am very excited to learn and practice Spanish more. It is something that I love to do.
Until tomorrow, hasta luego and buenas noches.
The walking tour, although tired, was pretty amazing. We started off in the Plaza de Armas (the main plaza in Cusco) and walked up to where our school is located. Then we arrived at the Plaza San Blas which had a beautiful fountain/waterfall in the back and a great look at a part of the mountains. Afterwards, we started making our way back to the Plaza de Armas and passed by many buildings that had their foundation made out of old Incan stones. There were so many photo opportunities that I had to reign myself in and only take some shots that I thought would be cool, or else I would not have had anymore space for photos later. After getting back to the Plaza de Armas, we went to the Plaza San Francisco which had so much life to it. There were so many vendors and families there that I just couldn't believe how much activity there was. After resting for a short while, we started our trek down la Avenida del Sol (Avenue of the Sun). There were so many shops and places to stop to buy things, but we eventually stopped at a little ice cream place that had a lot of good ice cream. However, I did not buy any because I was full from breakfast and lunch (spaghetti with meat). Finally, we came to a large market and I went in and bought an authentic jersey of, from what I have been told, one of the best soccer teams in all of Peru, and who are located here in Cusco. I was looking for gifts for family members and Amy, but I have not found anything that I think they would love yet, so I will continue looking for them.
Right now, I am back at home after having my host father pick me up. I am so very tired and my legs are quite possibly the most sore they have ever been. Dinner will be in about an hour, 8 PM, and we will be having the leftover spaghetti from what I have been told.
The spaghetti was just as good as it was for breakfast. I gobbled that down pretty quickly as well as the tea that they gave me to help with my digestive system. I haven't had really any problems with it so far, but just to be sure I don't get any, I drank it. With sugar, I must say that it was not too bad. When dinner was over, I watched a little bit of the presidential debates between the two candidates for President of Peru. I was surprised that the election for president is actually happening this coming Sunday! It should be pretty interesting, and the political scientist in me is very excited. However, I didn't watch too much of it only because I was very tired and I still had yet to talk to Amy. So, I made my way upstairs and talked to Amy for a little more than an hour and I was able to see my kitty, Lola, for a minute or so before she decided that running around the house was more fun. I don't blame her.
It is bedtime and I am so very excited to sleep. I am going to wake up around 7:30 am to be sure that I can eat breakfast and have enough time to get to school. Tomorrow should be interesting with classes starting and having to begin a new routine, but I am very excited to learn and practice Spanish more. It is something that I love to do.
Until tomorrow, hasta luego and buenas noches.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
May 28, 2011 (Day 3)
Hola,
The day started off slowly. I woke up to the beating sound of a knock on my hotel room door to indicate that it was time to wake up and get some breakfast if I could. However, I chose to rest for a little while longer and check to make sure I had packed everything a couple times over. Unfortunately, I did not pack my pelican bone that I found on the beach in Paracas out of fear that I would be questioned about it at the airport on our way to Cusco. So I left that behind, but nothing else as I packed up, loaded it into the van, and went on my way to the airport.
Upon arrival, we unloaded everything and went to check at the counter for our boarding passes. When we got those and made our way to the security station, where we made sure to have our passports ready and have everything we needed out of our carry-ons out and ready to put through the scanner. I, though, forgot that I still had my belt on as well as many other items in my pockets, but the nice lady at security kindly reminded me to take off my belt and empty my pockets.
Our flight did not have a gate assigned to it by the time we all had made it through security so our brave leader, Professor Jacqueline, asked someone and we eventually made our way to Gate 10. Now, we were traveling on Peruvian Airlines, who is apparently notorious for delayed flights and they held true to their name. It was only a 30 minute delay so it wasn't very long, and in the meantime, Angie played the ukelele for us on the floor of the airport.
As the plane landed in Cusco, I was just amazed at what I was seeing. It was so beautiful! The mountains surround the city and make it feel nice and secluded, and the buildings here are just magnificent. After we met up with the ProWorld people, I helped lift everyone's suitcases up a ladder to a man who was placing them all on top of the van. With the amount of heavy bags I had to lift (with some help on the very heavy ones I should add) coupled with the very thin air that is here, I grew tired pretty quickly. However, not too long after, we arrived at our hotel and ate at a very cute and delicious restaurant (I had the shrimp soup and fired chicken with french fries and chica morada). When we all had finished eating a few of us decided to go to a little market close to the hotel to see what they had. I ended up buying a really soft, warm jacket made with llama fur.
Around 4 PM, we had our orientation of the basic do-and-don'ts of the city as well as safety and health information. We also received our peruvian cell phones which are pretty basic, but they get the job done. Then, at 6:30 PM, soon after I called both Amy and my mom, I was picked up by my host father. He is a very sweet man and I was able to meet his wife and son pretty soon afterwards. We all sat down for dinner, chicken and rice, and then I was asked by my host mother, Ruth, if I would like to go dancing with them later that evening. Being very tired and having a small headache from the altitude, I went ahead and said that I would go with her. How many chances will I get to go to an authentic, non tourist, discoteca with the people that know them the best? After much time passed, Ruth got me and we got in the taxi and went to "Caos" on la Avenida del Sol. As soon as you walk in, the stairs go over a giant fish tank and so I was pretty impressed. We met with some of Ruth's friends and danced together. One of the ladies taught me how to salsa dance and we all had a great time dancing, singing, and being Peruvian. However, being tired and then not going to bed until around 2 AM do not get along.
The day started off slowly. I woke up to the beating sound of a knock on my hotel room door to indicate that it was time to wake up and get some breakfast if I could. However, I chose to rest for a little while longer and check to make sure I had packed everything a couple times over. Unfortunately, I did not pack my pelican bone that I found on the beach in Paracas out of fear that I would be questioned about it at the airport on our way to Cusco. So I left that behind, but nothing else as I packed up, loaded it into the van, and went on my way to the airport.
Upon arrival, we unloaded everything and went to check at the counter for our boarding passes. When we got those and made our way to the security station, where we made sure to have our passports ready and have everything we needed out of our carry-ons out and ready to put through the scanner. I, though, forgot that I still had my belt on as well as many other items in my pockets, but the nice lady at security kindly reminded me to take off my belt and empty my pockets.
Our flight did not have a gate assigned to it by the time we all had made it through security so our brave leader, Professor Jacqueline, asked someone and we eventually made our way to Gate 10. Now, we were traveling on Peruvian Airlines, who is apparently notorious for delayed flights and they held true to their name. It was only a 30 minute delay so it wasn't very long, and in the meantime, Angie played the ukelele for us on the floor of the airport.
As the plane landed in Cusco, I was just amazed at what I was seeing. It was so beautiful! The mountains surround the city and make it feel nice and secluded, and the buildings here are just magnificent. After we met up with the ProWorld people, I helped lift everyone's suitcases up a ladder to a man who was placing them all on top of the van. With the amount of heavy bags I had to lift (with some help on the very heavy ones I should add) coupled with the very thin air that is here, I grew tired pretty quickly. However, not too long after, we arrived at our hotel and ate at a very cute and delicious restaurant (I had the shrimp soup and fired chicken with french fries and chica morada). When we all had finished eating a few of us decided to go to a little market close to the hotel to see what they had. I ended up buying a really soft, warm jacket made with llama fur.
Around 4 PM, we had our orientation of the basic do-and-don'ts of the city as well as safety and health information. We also received our peruvian cell phones which are pretty basic, but they get the job done. Then, at 6:30 PM, soon after I called both Amy and my mom, I was picked up by my host father. He is a very sweet man and I was able to meet his wife and son pretty soon afterwards. We all sat down for dinner, chicken and rice, and then I was asked by my host mother, Ruth, if I would like to go dancing with them later that evening. Being very tired and having a small headache from the altitude, I went ahead and said that I would go with her. How many chances will I get to go to an authentic, non tourist, discoteca with the people that know them the best? After much time passed, Ruth got me and we got in the taxi and went to "Caos" on la Avenida del Sol. As soon as you walk in, the stairs go over a giant fish tank and so I was pretty impressed. We met with some of Ruth's friends and danced together. One of the ladies taught me how to salsa dance and we all had a great time dancing, singing, and being Peruvian. However, being tired and then not going to bed until around 2 AM do not get along.
Day 1 and 2
Hello friends!
So, Day 1 was not very exciting other than the fact that I was able to meet and get to know some of the members on the trip. I sat next to Kristen on the flight from St. Louis to Newark, but sadly everyone was displaced on the flight from Newark to Lima, Peru. Once we arrived in Lima, we went through Immigration (which went a lot faster than I thought it would) and also through Customs. Of course, after we all got our bags and went through Customs, Cecilia was stopped and searched. She was the one in the group with the most bags, but it didn't take long and we were on our way to find the Starbucks to meet up with the rest of the group. After a lengthy ride to our hotel, we all settled in knowing we had to be up at 3 AM ready to go to Paracas (of course I only got 30 minutes of sleep after watching The Lord of the Rings on TNT in español, worth it).
Day 2 was FULL of excitement and a non-stop pace that proved to wear some of our group down. We all, as mentioned above, had to be awake at 3 AM to eat some breakfast which consisted of rolls with jam, meat and cheese, and juice. The bus arrived not too long afterwards and we were on our 3 and a half hour ride to Paracas. Paracas is a small coastal town where the Argentine general San Martin started the quest for Peru's independence. As we made our way through the town, we were approached by SO MANY vendors trying to sell their trade. Being American has its drawbacks in this kinds of ways. I hate being singled out in other countries, I just want to know what it feels like to fit in. I want to feel how the pace of everyday life is for those that live here everyday. So far, I have not felt that, but living with my family in Cusco gives me some hope.
From Paracas, we went out on a boat ride to witness the wildlife on the different islands and also see the "Candelabra". I could not believe how many birds, penguins, and sea lions there were! Apparently, the islands are major sources for "guano" or bird droppings that they collect and use as fertilizer. The cold breeze was a little much for me at times, though, because I failed to dress for the weather. After looking at the weather report last night, 70 degrees sounded warm, but when you are out on the ocean on a boat at 8 AM, it is a completely different story. After the 2 hour boat tour was over, we relaxed in Paracas for about an hour and I finally was able to relax. I sat on the sea wall and watched the waves come in on the beach, it was something I enjoyed thoroughly.
Then, our guide took us to Paracas National Park. The amazing thing about Paracas National Park is that it is a vast desert next to the ocean which no animals or plant life. We were able to see fossils of ocean dwellers from 40 million years ago, some photos of the mummies that were found there many years ago, and stunning views of a desert that seemed to span the color spectrum. There were reds, whites, browns, and so many more colors that seemed to radiate from the ground. When the tour was complete, it was time for lunch at a nice little restaurant close to the beach. I chose "pollo frito con papas y sopa de venduras" (fried chicken with french fries and vegetable soup). Both were very delicious and I was sold on Peruvian cuisine. Everything that I have had so far has been "muy sabroso" (very delicious).
On the long drive back to Lima, I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep, but I was also able to wake up and see the lights of Lima at night as we started to enter the city. Not knowing what to expect other than return to the hotel, I was surprised when we stopped at a building I was not familiar with. After getting out, we were told that we were going to have dinner with the travel guide's mother and friends because she was celebrating her birthday and wanted us to join them. She had chicken, potatoes, and rice prepared for us and we all ate on the rooftop of their apartment building while we enjoyed music and Coca-Cola. Towards the end of the evening, we played two games of BINGO. I came so very close to winning the second game and the grand prize (a bottle of Peruvian wine), but I fell one space short.
However, I was so very pleased with the mother and her friends. They were legitimately some of the nicest, most inviting people I have ever met in my entire life. All of the hospitality we were shown and all the care they provided us was just simply amazing. I felt so at peace and at home with them, something I didn't expect to feel. I was just so in love with the mother that, with her insistence, I promised to send her the photo that we took together :)
Now, it is time to shower and sleep to save up some energy for tomorrow. Having to both fly and try to impress my host family tomorrow will both demand a lot of energy that I don't have right now and I hope that with a shower and some good sleep tonight, I will be able to do both with relative ease. Until then, hasta luego and se amo a Amy mucho :)
So, Day 1 was not very exciting other than the fact that I was able to meet and get to know some of the members on the trip. I sat next to Kristen on the flight from St. Louis to Newark, but sadly everyone was displaced on the flight from Newark to Lima, Peru. Once we arrived in Lima, we went through Immigration (which went a lot faster than I thought it would) and also through Customs. Of course, after we all got our bags and went through Customs, Cecilia was stopped and searched. She was the one in the group with the most bags, but it didn't take long and we were on our way to find the Starbucks to meet up with the rest of the group. After a lengthy ride to our hotel, we all settled in knowing we had to be up at 3 AM ready to go to Paracas (of course I only got 30 minutes of sleep after watching The Lord of the Rings on TNT in español, worth it).
Day 2 was FULL of excitement and a non-stop pace that proved to wear some of our group down. We all, as mentioned above, had to be awake at 3 AM to eat some breakfast which consisted of rolls with jam, meat and cheese, and juice. The bus arrived not too long afterwards and we were on our 3 and a half hour ride to Paracas. Paracas is a small coastal town where the Argentine general San Martin started the quest for Peru's independence. As we made our way through the town, we were approached by SO MANY vendors trying to sell their trade. Being American has its drawbacks in this kinds of ways. I hate being singled out in other countries, I just want to know what it feels like to fit in. I want to feel how the pace of everyday life is for those that live here everyday. So far, I have not felt that, but living with my family in Cusco gives me some hope.
From Paracas, we went out on a boat ride to witness the wildlife on the different islands and also see the "Candelabra". I could not believe how many birds, penguins, and sea lions there were! Apparently, the islands are major sources for "guano" or bird droppings that they collect and use as fertilizer. The cold breeze was a little much for me at times, though, because I failed to dress for the weather. After looking at the weather report last night, 70 degrees sounded warm, but when you are out on the ocean on a boat at 8 AM, it is a completely different story. After the 2 hour boat tour was over, we relaxed in Paracas for about an hour and I finally was able to relax. I sat on the sea wall and watched the waves come in on the beach, it was something I enjoyed thoroughly.
Then, our guide took us to Paracas National Park. The amazing thing about Paracas National Park is that it is a vast desert next to the ocean which no animals or plant life. We were able to see fossils of ocean dwellers from 40 million years ago, some photos of the mummies that were found there many years ago, and stunning views of a desert that seemed to span the color spectrum. There were reds, whites, browns, and so many more colors that seemed to radiate from the ground. When the tour was complete, it was time for lunch at a nice little restaurant close to the beach. I chose "pollo frito con papas y sopa de venduras" (fried chicken with french fries and vegetable soup). Both were very delicious and I was sold on Peruvian cuisine. Everything that I have had so far has been "muy sabroso" (very delicious).
On the long drive back to Lima, I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep, but I was also able to wake up and see the lights of Lima at night as we started to enter the city. Not knowing what to expect other than return to the hotel, I was surprised when we stopped at a building I was not familiar with. After getting out, we were told that we were going to have dinner with the travel guide's mother and friends because she was celebrating her birthday and wanted us to join them. She had chicken, potatoes, and rice prepared for us and we all ate on the rooftop of their apartment building while we enjoyed music and Coca-Cola. Towards the end of the evening, we played two games of BINGO. I came so very close to winning the second game and the grand prize (a bottle of Peruvian wine), but I fell one space short.
However, I was so very pleased with the mother and her friends. They were legitimately some of the nicest, most inviting people I have ever met in my entire life. All of the hospitality we were shown and all the care they provided us was just simply amazing. I felt so at peace and at home with them, something I didn't expect to feel. I was just so in love with the mother that, with her insistence, I promised to send her the photo that we took together :)
Now, it is time to shower and sleep to save up some energy for tomorrow. Having to both fly and try to impress my host family tomorrow will both demand a lot of energy that I don't have right now and I hope that with a shower and some good sleep tonight, I will be able to do both with relative ease. Until then, hasta luego and se amo a Amy mucho :)
Monday, May 23, 2011
3 Days Until Peru!
As the storms roll through St. Charles, Missouri, I finally find some time to sit down and write. I have not had much time lately simply because of all the preparation for my trip to Peru. With the list making, packing, journal writing, re-packing, checking to be sure I did not leave anything behind in Columbia, and then packing again, I have come to know how valuable time is.
Sadly, I had to learn yesterday how time does not stop for anyone. As I finalized my luggage and packed up the last item, I glanced at Amy, knowing I would not have much time left with her before I started my expedition to our southern, neighboring continent. To make the most of the evening, we decided that Shakespeare’s would be the send-off dinner. I ordered our usual pizza, we got our table in the usual area, and enjoyed the usual drink of choice, Dr. Pepper. However, despite all the similarities to every time before, this felt different. This was not just a dinner or a casual evening out. This was a brief goodbye. It meant time apart. It meant not being able to see her bright brown eyes or smooth blonde hair in front of me displaying their beauty and elegance. I knew before and still know now that being away from her is the hardest thing I have had to endure my entire life.
Along with that, time has sneakily passed by since I have been home in St. Charles. Half a day has already passed and I feel like I just arrived here moments ago. I must give some big props to my mother for getting my favorites (Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Chicken Finger Banquet TV Dinners, Cherry Coke, etc.) and making me feel right at home. However, beng at home feels like it actually speeds up time instead of slowing it down. I just realized that in less than 3 days, I would already be in mid-flight to Newark, NJ to connect with my flight to Peru. It seems like not long ago it was mid-April and this trip seemed to be a distant journey, but now as each hour passes the anticipation and reality of the trip begin to converge. The gap between thinking about it and doing it is starting to collapse and favor the latter. I hope that I will be ready when the “doing it” parts starts, but I will not know until it happens.
To prepare myself as best I can before I leave, I have started to use Spanish as much as possible. I have read and replied to my friends’ statuses on Facebook in Spanish as well as counted down the 2 minutes in Spanish that I use to brush my teeth, all in preparation of going to the dentist’s office in less than an hour. I have also written my one page, class journal entry in Spanish. So, I have stared to change languages slowly, but I think slow is better than cutting English cold turkey…I might have trouble doing that.
As departure day grows closer, I will be sure to tell you all how everything is coming along and how I am doing. Both excitement and worry has come over me, but I will use both to get myself ready for this, I hope, entertaining journey.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
1 Week and I Will be in Peru!
Ever wonder why my blog is titled "Peruvian State of Mind"? This upcoming trip is why.
Today starts the official one week countdown until I board my plane in St. Louis and begin my journey to Peru. As it gets closer and closer and grows larger and larger, this trip is starting to add worry and doubt in my mind. There are just so many things that can go wrong starting at the airport and extending all the way to my host family or a possible miscommunication with someone that could turn ugly. I really do not plan on any of these bad things happening, but you can never be too prepared and think about these things.
I usually pride myself on preparation and making sure I know what too expect when I do something. Yesterday, for example, Amy and I went to Bothwell Lodge State Park close to Sedalia, Missouri. For at least 20 minutes, I meticulously stared at the map and closely studied how to get there so that there were no surprises on the drive. When I was choosing colleges, I did my homework and made sure that I knew almost everything about Mizzou before I chose it as my future institution for higher education...I guess that has really helped me with my campus tour guide job too. However, the main problem is that as much information as there is out there about Peru, I can never really be prepared for it. Their culture, values, and way of life is in direct contrast to ours. The US treasures speed/productivity and convenience while those in Peru favor a slow pace to life with enjoyment. Will I be able to transfer myself and my way of thinking to this in just a short month? I also feel sad that I will be leaving Amy and our kitten Lola for a whole month. They are just my little family and being away for a whole month will be hard, but I know that by talking everyday and doing as much as I can to stay involved with them, they will not seem too far away.
I do not want to make this a blog in which I consistently complain/worry about my trip because if I would not want to read it, why would anyone else? So in other news, with the help of Amy, I have basically formulated a basic packing list! That is the first major step in the whole process, and now that it is done, everything is seeming a lot more real. The basics (toiletries, clothes, etc.) are on there so all I need to think more about are the extras of which I will not try to bring too many. I do not want to weigh down my luggage and make to where I hate myself for it being so heavy all the time.
I hope that the group of peeps that I am going with and I get along. I do not see us not getting along, but I am just a quiet person so as long as I can try to prevent awkward situations I think it will be all right :) My host family also seems cool. I have had brief conversations with their daughter about gifts and just other random things and she seems to think that they will like me, but she also hopes that I take down her brother at video games and many other things...I get the feeling she does not like him very much.
To wrap this up, I am totally excited for this trip and everything it has to offer. Not only will I be learning and becoming more fluent in Spanish, but I will also being doing service work by building newer, cleaner wood burning stoves for families that live out in the rural areas. The opportunity to do this as well as go on excursions to places like Macchu Picchu or staying on an island on the world's highest commercially navigable lake on Lake Titicaca. This is going to be one of those "once in a lifetime" trips and I am looking forward to getting there and starting it. I hope that you all will stay with me on the journey and share in my triumphs and shortcomings.
Now, it is time to start getting some things ready and think about my first journal assignment that is due before we leave the US. ¡Adios!
Today starts the official one week countdown until I board my plane in St. Louis and begin my journey to Peru. As it gets closer and closer and grows larger and larger, this trip is starting to add worry and doubt in my mind. There are just so many things that can go wrong starting at the airport and extending all the way to my host family or a possible miscommunication with someone that could turn ugly. I really do not plan on any of these bad things happening, but you can never be too prepared and think about these things.
I usually pride myself on preparation and making sure I know what too expect when I do something. Yesterday, for example, Amy and I went to Bothwell Lodge State Park close to Sedalia, Missouri. For at least 20 minutes, I meticulously stared at the map and closely studied how to get there so that there were no surprises on the drive. When I was choosing colleges, I did my homework and made sure that I knew almost everything about Mizzou before I chose it as my future institution for higher education...I guess that has really helped me with my campus tour guide job too. However, the main problem is that as much information as there is out there about Peru, I can never really be prepared for it. Their culture, values, and way of life is in direct contrast to ours. The US treasures speed/productivity and convenience while those in Peru favor a slow pace to life with enjoyment. Will I be able to transfer myself and my way of thinking to this in just a short month? I also feel sad that I will be leaving Amy and our kitten Lola for a whole month. They are just my little family and being away for a whole month will be hard, but I know that by talking everyday and doing as much as I can to stay involved with them, they will not seem too far away.
I do not want to make this a blog in which I consistently complain/worry about my trip because if I would not want to read it, why would anyone else? So in other news, with the help of Amy, I have basically formulated a basic packing list! That is the first major step in the whole process, and now that it is done, everything is seeming a lot more real. The basics (toiletries, clothes, etc.) are on there so all I need to think more about are the extras of which I will not try to bring too many. I do not want to weigh down my luggage and make to where I hate myself for it being so heavy all the time.
I hope that the group of peeps that I am going with and I get along. I do not see us not getting along, but I am just a quiet person so as long as I can try to prevent awkward situations I think it will be all right :) My host family also seems cool. I have had brief conversations with their daughter about gifts and just other random things and she seems to think that they will like me, but she also hopes that I take down her brother at video games and many other things...I get the feeling she does not like him very much.
To wrap this up, I am totally excited for this trip and everything it has to offer. Not only will I be learning and becoming more fluent in Spanish, but I will also being doing service work by building newer, cleaner wood burning stoves for families that live out in the rural areas. The opportunity to do this as well as go on excursions to places like Macchu Picchu or staying on an island on the world's highest commercially navigable lake on Lake Titicaca. This is going to be one of those "once in a lifetime" trips and I am looking forward to getting there and starting it. I hope that you all will stay with me on the journey and share in my triumphs and shortcomings.
Now, it is time to start getting some things ready and think about my first journal assignment that is due before we leave the US. ¡Adios!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
"Castle in the Sky" (1986)
Anime. It is something that I do not usually watch or think I would enjoy, but as it turns out, a couple of the movies on the IMDB Top 250 are...you guessed it, anime. Other than Pokemon, I do not have much experience with this genre, but I am looking forward to this opportunity to expand my horizons.
"Castle in the Sky" was one of the anime movies on the list, and the first that I had the chance to see. Not knowing what to expect, the music starts and you get to learn about the magical land of Laputa. It is a place of old, robotic warriors and lush gardens. Throughout the movie, you find out more and more about Sheeta and how she is the heir to the throne of Laputa. The movie is full of heroic efforts by her love interest, Pazu, as he joins the pirate forces and helps to fight off the evil-minded army.
All in all, I think the action was quite intriguing and the storyline was solid, but what made the movie for me was the soundtrack. The action was well accented by dramatic music while the slower moments had the proper arrangement too. The highs and lows of the orchestration helped my heart to both race with excitement and feel the full range of emotions from love to sadness.
Watching this was both eye opening (to think that I might actually like an anime movie) and rewarding. The main goal of this whole experience is to gain perspective into our culture that I pretend to know so much about. If there are aspects of my own culture that I am out of touch with, I feel that I should check it out. In the end, you only live life one time, and if I do not open myself up to certain movies just because they are anime or any other "unusual" type, I cannot fully enrich myself and my views. And if I do not take the time for enrichment, I will have no excuse for why I might feel out of touch with others or no be able to connect with people. I am a citizen of the US and if I do not know my own culture as well as I should, there is something the matter. And by doing this, I think I can close this gap.
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did." - Sarah Caldwell
"Castle in the Sky" was one of the anime movies on the list, and the first that I had the chance to see. Not knowing what to expect, the music starts and you get to learn about the magical land of Laputa. It is a place of old, robotic warriors and lush gardens. Throughout the movie, you find out more and more about Sheeta and how she is the heir to the throne of Laputa. The movie is full of heroic efforts by her love interest, Pazu, as he joins the pirate forces and helps to fight off the evil-minded army.
All in all, I think the action was quite intriguing and the storyline was solid, but what made the movie for me was the soundtrack. The action was well accented by dramatic music while the slower moments had the proper arrangement too. The highs and lows of the orchestration helped my heart to both race with excitement and feel the full range of emotions from love to sadness.
Watching this was both eye opening (to think that I might actually like an anime movie) and rewarding. The main goal of this whole experience is to gain perspective into our culture that I pretend to know so much about. If there are aspects of my own culture that I am out of touch with, I feel that I should check it out. In the end, you only live life one time, and if I do not open myself up to certain movies just because they are anime or any other "unusual" type, I cannot fully enrich myself and my views. And if I do not take the time for enrichment, I will have no excuse for why I might feel out of touch with others or no be able to connect with people. I am a citizen of the US and if I do not know my own culture as well as I should, there is something the matter. And by doing this, I think I can close this gap.
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did." - Sarah Caldwell
Monday, May 16, 2011
Rain Man (1988)
As the movie begins, you are not yet introduced to Raymond, the Rain Man played by Dustin Hoffman, but you are to Charlie, played by Tom Cruise. You begin to understand that Charlie is a person that does everything for personal gain and nothing for anyone else. He does not value his girlfriend, co-worker, or family. His life consists of keeping his business afloat through constant troubles that plague him the entire movie. However, as soon as his father dies, his life changes in a major way.
Wanting a share of the $3 million his father left someone else, he goes in search of the beneficiary to claim his half of the fortune. When he finds out that the money went to his autistic brother, he kidnaps him and holds him for a ransom of his $1.5 million he feels he deserves. The first couple of days are rough as Charlie does not anticipate the needs that Raymond demands, and the tantrums that Raymond throws when his usual routine is broken. But, as the movie progresses, you begin to see a transformation in Charlie. With little actions such as buying Raymond a portable TV to watch Jeopardy and moving Raymond's bed next to the window in every motel room they stay in, you begin to see Charlie care for his brother. You begin to see him love and hold someone's needs above his own. Charlie even says, "What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes."
In the end, reality catches up with Charlie and Raymond when the institution that Charlie took Raymond from finds them and wins custody of Raymond back. With an emotional final scene at the train station, the unconditional love between Charlie and Raymond not only changed Charlie for the better, but also helped Raymond to truly love another human being as well. His attachment is noticeable when he says, "C-H-A-R-L-I-E, my main man." He begins to show signs that he could live a normal life with Charlie, but is taken away before that is possible. The last scene is what hit me the hardest. With each second that passed and every foot the train traveled from the station, I could not stand to know that their relationship was going to be taken away.
Thinking into the future, I do not know how I would do as a father for a child with autism. I know that no matter what my children will be, I will love them to the ends of the earth and beyond, but I also know having an autistic child would be a challenge. I watch shows like Parenthood on NBC in which a character is an autistic child, and I wonder if I would be blessed with the patience to give my child the love they deserve. I have this idea of my children as people that I can play sports and have long talks with, but with autism, those activities would be more difficult to do. To think that I would not be able to do these things with my children would be a large blow to me, but I have to realize that parenthood is so much more than just what I want. It is about caring for your child the best that you possibly can, and provide the best life for them that you can. When I think about it like that, I am optimistic about my future children, no matter the deficiencies, if any, they might have. Charlie realized that at the end of "Rain Man" too. He knew that loving someone was more about them than it is about you, and this truth is something I look forward to sharing with my fiance, Amy Backes, and our future children.
Wanting a share of the $3 million his father left someone else, he goes in search of the beneficiary to claim his half of the fortune. When he finds out that the money went to his autistic brother, he kidnaps him and holds him for a ransom of his $1.5 million he feels he deserves. The first couple of days are rough as Charlie does not anticipate the needs that Raymond demands, and the tantrums that Raymond throws when his usual routine is broken. But, as the movie progresses, you begin to see a transformation in Charlie. With little actions such as buying Raymond a portable TV to watch Jeopardy and moving Raymond's bed next to the window in every motel room they stay in, you begin to see Charlie care for his brother. You begin to see him love and hold someone's needs above his own. Charlie even says, "What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes."
In the end, reality catches up with Charlie and Raymond when the institution that Charlie took Raymond from finds them and wins custody of Raymond back. With an emotional final scene at the train station, the unconditional love between Charlie and Raymond not only changed Charlie for the better, but also helped Raymond to truly love another human being as well. His attachment is noticeable when he says, "C-H-A-R-L-I-E, my main man." He begins to show signs that he could live a normal life with Charlie, but is taken away before that is possible. The last scene is what hit me the hardest. With each second that passed and every foot the train traveled from the station, I could not stand to know that their relationship was going to be taken away.
Thinking into the future, I do not know how I would do as a father for a child with autism. I know that no matter what my children will be, I will love them to the ends of the earth and beyond, but I also know having an autistic child would be a challenge. I watch shows like Parenthood on NBC in which a character is an autistic child, and I wonder if I would be blessed with the patience to give my child the love they deserve. I have this idea of my children as people that I can play sports and have long talks with, but with autism, those activities would be more difficult to do. To think that I would not be able to do these things with my children would be a large blow to me, but I have to realize that parenthood is so much more than just what I want. It is about caring for your child the best that you possibly can, and provide the best life for them that you can. When I think about it like that, I am optimistic about my future children, no matter the deficiencies, if any, they might have. Charlie realized that at the end of "Rain Man" too. He knew that loving someone was more about them than it is about you, and this truth is something I look forward to sharing with my fiance, Amy Backes, and our future children.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Grand Illusion (1937)
Who knew being a POW (Prisoner of War) during World War I would be so nice? Well, nice for officers in Germany at least. After watching "Grand Illusion" from the great year of 1937, I was able to observe how some of the Officer POW's were kept. From the education from my Strategy and Warfare class here at school coupled with the close proximity of time that this movie was made as to when WWI was fought, it might not be too far off.
During WWI, armies on both sides of the conflict were not very eager to fight. At times, they would even venture over to the enemy's frontline and warn them of an attack coming so that no one would get hurt. This overall sense of caring for other human beings and being able to look past their nationality and see the person underneath the uniform is something that strikes me deeply. I wish that warfare would still work that way today. Wouldn't it be nice if armies would take a day of fighting off for the other side to celebrate an important holiday, or treat their enemy with respect when they have captured them? I realize at times it would be hard, especially with opponents that do not value the natural rights we, as humans, should enjoy. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be applied to all, and at times some governments try to oppress these. To me, that is a crime that should be punished, and that punishment is usually war. However, what good does it do for us to torture our POWs? What good does it do for us to disrobe someone of their dignity and be brutal and inhumane, the very things that we fight against?
In the final moments of the movie, as Maréchal and Rosenthal are just crossing the border to Switzerland, the German troops stop firing. They recognize that they were unable to prevent them from escaping their camp and boundaries. In the modern day, would an army officer still give the order to cease fire whenever they are still in plain sight? Would he/she still have the decency to assume defeat and be accountable for their loss?
I am not a war expert, nor do I pretend to be. I just try to make observations based on what I have been told, and have seen. If "Grand Illusion" was anywhere close to how officers were treated as POWs in Germany during WWI, they had a pretty good life for being a Prisoner of War. They had a much better life than most would enjoy as one today. The mutual understanding of both sides to the idea of life over country was alive and well then, but it does not seem that way now. As Boieldieu was dying in the end, sacrificing himself to help his friends escape, I could not help but feel the love that the German officer had for his French counterpart. He had snipped off a flower that he held dear and gave it to him as a sign of respect. He should have felt victory, but as the two bonded, and had mutual relationships by family, they only felt love towards one another. That is the way that everyone should feel towards each other. Young or old. Friend or foe. We should all love one another and devote ourselves to the betterment of life, instead of the destruction of man.
During WWI, armies on both sides of the conflict were not very eager to fight. At times, they would even venture over to the enemy's frontline and warn them of an attack coming so that no one would get hurt. This overall sense of caring for other human beings and being able to look past their nationality and see the person underneath the uniform is something that strikes me deeply. I wish that warfare would still work that way today. Wouldn't it be nice if armies would take a day of fighting off for the other side to celebrate an important holiday, or treat their enemy with respect when they have captured them? I realize at times it would be hard, especially with opponents that do not value the natural rights we, as humans, should enjoy. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be applied to all, and at times some governments try to oppress these. To me, that is a crime that should be punished, and that punishment is usually war. However, what good does it do for us to torture our POWs? What good does it do for us to disrobe someone of their dignity and be brutal and inhumane, the very things that we fight against?
In the final moments of the movie, as Maréchal and Rosenthal are just crossing the border to Switzerland, the German troops stop firing. They recognize that they were unable to prevent them from escaping their camp and boundaries. In the modern day, would an army officer still give the order to cease fire whenever they are still in plain sight? Would he/she still have the decency to assume defeat and be accountable for their loss?
I am not a war expert, nor do I pretend to be. I just try to make observations based on what I have been told, and have seen. If "Grand Illusion" was anywhere close to how officers were treated as POWs in Germany during WWI, they had a pretty good life for being a Prisoner of War. They had a much better life than most would enjoy as one today. The mutual understanding of both sides to the idea of life over country was alive and well then, but it does not seem that way now. As Boieldieu was dying in the end, sacrificing himself to help his friends escape, I could not help but feel the love that the German officer had for his French counterpart. He had snipped off a flower that he held dear and gave it to him as a sign of respect. He should have felt victory, but as the two bonded, and had mutual relationships by family, they only felt love towards one another. That is the way that everyone should feel towards each other. Young or old. Friend or foe. We should all love one another and devote ourselves to the betterment of life, instead of the destruction of man.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Harvey (1950)
James Stewart is a phenomenal actor. His true expressions, and sincere mood is what makes "Harvey" such an amazing film. Embarking on this adventure of watching each movie on the IMDB's Top 250 was something that would either be very enjoyable and culturally educational, or a complete flop. Some of the movies on the list range from silent films, to black and white, to Japanese, to Anime, and up to the present day. So far, I have been very pleasantly surprised at how much I have enjoyed each film.
I have seen some of the movies on the list before, one being Arsenic and Old Lace. However, I had never before seen "Harvey". All I knew was that it was about a man with a friend named Harvey. The twist, though, is that Harvey is an "imaginary" bunny that is 6 ft. 3 1/2 inches tall of which no one can see, except Elwood P. Dowd (played by James Stewart). After seeing it, I think it has become a contender for one of my most favorite movies of all time. Which leads me to another point. Where has all of the great acting gone? I know there have been stellar performances such as Sean Penn in "I Am Sam" or Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump" or "Cast Away" in the not too distant past, but where are the performances that people talk about and salivate over for years and years? After experiencing how effortlessly James Stewart came off in the role of Elwood P. Dowd, I couldn't help but notice how I do not get that feeling from anyone today. Is it the fault of the actors? Screen writing? Directors? Casting Directors? Whatever it might be, I hope that in the near future I am able to get the same feeling that "Harvey" delivered. I also hope that someday, I can be more like Elwood. This is the one line that I will forever remember and try to model myself after:
"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
I have seen some of the movies on the list before, one being Arsenic and Old Lace. However, I had never before seen "Harvey". All I knew was that it was about a man with a friend named Harvey. The twist, though, is that Harvey is an "imaginary" bunny that is 6 ft. 3 1/2 inches tall of which no one can see, except Elwood P. Dowd (played by James Stewart). After seeing it, I think it has become a contender for one of my most favorite movies of all time. Which leads me to another point. Where has all of the great acting gone? I know there have been stellar performances such as Sean Penn in "I Am Sam" or Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump" or "Cast Away" in the not too distant past, but where are the performances that people talk about and salivate over for years and years? After experiencing how effortlessly James Stewart came off in the role of Elwood P. Dowd, I couldn't help but notice how I do not get that feeling from anyone today. Is it the fault of the actors? Screen writing? Directors? Casting Directors? Whatever it might be, I hope that in the near future I am able to get the same feeling that "Harvey" delivered. I also hope that someday, I can be more like Elwood. This is the one line that I will forever remember and try to model myself after:
"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
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