Last Day

Well, it is finally time to start getting ready to say goodbye to Peru. It’s been an amazing two months, but I am excited to go back home. That being said, it’s tough realizing that today was the last full day. Tomorrow, I’ll be around in the morning and for lunch, but I have an afternoon flight to start my journey back home.

Today was a great day overall though, and a really fitting end to my time in Peru. It was our last day in Occoruro, and we got to help move cinder blocks for the community to build bathrooms. It wasn’t a lot of hard work, but it was cool to work hand in hand with the entire community. It really felt like a nice bonding session, and made me really appreciate my time there. After we moved the cinder blocks, we painted one of the refrigerator doors.

I knew Occoruro wasn’t going to end without some kind of group get-together, as is customary in Peru. Even more, we had a ton of food. The people of Occoruro gave us freshly prepared cheese, fried corn, and a mixture of grilled corn and beans. It was all really tasty, and showed that they really appreciated our work. It was a great end to a great eight weeks in the community. Sadly, we had to leave shortly afterwards, and it was really great to say goodbye and have them thank us for all we have done. It made me feel as though we really made an impact, and that our time and effort was well spent.

For lunch, we went to a chicharroneria to celebrate our last lunch together as a group. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere was also great. I’m glad I got to have chicharron one more time before leaving Peru, as it has been one of my favorite foods in Peru.

Seeing as I am leaving tomorrow, I spent all of the afternoon packing my bags. I didn’t realize how much stuff I had acquired while here, so it was kind of tough to pack. Nevertheless, it ended up working out, and I can now relax with the family until I leave tomorrow.

After yet another good dinner, we went to a bar as a group to celebrate one last time. I just relaxed, seeing as it wouldn’t be a great idea to make bad decisions the day before an international flight. Nevertheless, it was fun, and I’ll really miss hanging out with everyone in the group, especially in Peru.

Well, that’s it for the time in Peru. I won’t be posting tomorrow, seeing as I will be traveling all day. I will post once I get back into the United States, but until then, as the Peruvians say……Chao!

Food Checklist

As I mentioned before, I had a food checklist in Peru. The inspiration for this wasn’t out of a love for food; rather, it was to help me fully experience the Peruvian cuisine. The checklist included traditional foods as well as delicacies of the area. Additionally, I had a separate list for the different fruits of the area. Without further ado, here are the two checklists, complete with descriptions and my opinion on the food:

Traditional Foods:

Food	Description	Opinion
Ceviche	This is one of the most traditional foods in Peru. Consisting of raw fish marinated in a sauce of chili and lemon juice, the fish is effectively cooked.	Great. I loved the intense flavor, and the mix of seafood was really tasty. Many different textures.
Tres Leches	Traditional cake made with three kinds of milk. Spongy and liquid-like with cream on top.	Pretty good. Didn’t like the texture at first but it grew on me. Liked that it wasn’t too sweet.
Pollo a la Brasa	Traditional Peruvian spit-roasted chicken. Tons of spices, creating a world of flavor.	Excellent. The chicken was tender, and the spices added great flavor. Definitely something I would have again, seeing as it is easy to get and inexpensive
Chiriuchu	Traditional dish of the Incas. Has a ton of different foods, like chicken, guinea pig, toasted corn, fish eggs, cheese, seaweed, lamb, and stuffed guinea pig intestine. All served on one plate.	Surprisingly good. I didn’t think I would like it, but the flavor of all of the foods together was cool. Many different textures. Kind of strange at first because it is served cold.
Chicharron	Fried pork belly.	Great. Actually, this may be one of my favorite foods in Peru. The flavor is just amazing, and if extremely fresh, it just melts in your mouth.
Alpaca	Self-explanatory, alpaca meat.	OK. Not really the biggest fan. It had a texture like beef, but with less fat, making it a little bit less tender. Had a funny aftertaste and wasn’t too rich.
Anticuchos de Corazon	Grilled beef hearts.	Excellent. Along With chicharron, probably one of my favorite foods in Peru. I regret not having it more than once. Really tender and flavorful, with a texture of steak.
Cuy	Guinea pig.	Surprisingly good. The first time, It tasted a little funny. However, after having it again, I can say I like it a lot. Texture of chicken and a different aftertaste, somewhat strong.
Rocoto Relleno	Stuffed hot pepper.	Really good. I have had a chile relleno in the states, and this is somewhat similar. I think what made it great was the fact that I had it at a great restaurant.

Fruits:

Food	Description	Opinion
Maracuyá	Passion fruit.	Excellent. I have had passion fruit before, but the ones in Peru are much bigger and more flavorful. Many people don’t like it because it is really sour.
Granadilla	Sweet passion fruit.	Excellent. Possibly my favorite fruit in Peru. Similar texture and look to passion fruit, but much sweeter. Instead of yellowish green pulp, it was grey.
Tuna	Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit	Great. Most people don’t like it because of the really hard seeds, but I enjoyed it. The flesh has a really unique taste, something I really can’t explain.
Pepino	Yellowish brown fruit with cantaloupe-like interior.	Really cool. I thought it tasted very much like cantaloupe, only sweeter and with a ton more juice.
Lúcuma	Brownish fruit with paste-like flesh. Very dry.	Excellent. My favorite fruit in Peru. It is a flavoring for many yogurts and drinks, partially because the flesh is so dry and needs to be mixed with something wet. The flavor is very much like brown sugar to me, making it irresistible.

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day everyone! I’m sad I won’t be in the United States for this day, but it will be interesting to spend the day with the family.

Today was our last day in the schools. It was really simple overall, as all we did was review what we covered last week with regards to parasites and then gave them pills to help kill or prevent parasites. The toughest thing was saying goodbye to them, especially since they have been such a big part of our lives for the last eight weeks. Even though we said that it was our last day, I feel that some of the students didn’t get the message and will be expecting us next week. This really saddens me, and I hope that there is some way I can keep in touch with the school and the kids.

In the afternoon, I went over to Jina’s house to watch a short film. We then headed to the Incan Museum in town. This museum is one of the more famous ones in Cuzco, and has a ton of interesting Incan artifacts. They even had some cool mummies and the largest selection of Incan cups in the world. Overall, I thought it was a great experience, and something I would recommend for every traveler coming to this area.

In the evening, we had our farewell dinner with ProWorld. They took us to one of the best restaurants in town, Pacha Papa. This restaurant is supposed to have the best Peruvian food in the city. I ordered the Roccoto Relleno, or a stuffed hot pepper for my appetizer. It was really good, and the last food I had left on my checklist (more on this later). For my main dish, I had the Adobo de Chancho, or a tangy pork stew. This was one of the recommended dishes at the restaurant, and it did not disappoint. Everything tasted really fresh, and the mixture of spices and flavors was unlike anything I have had before, even at the home. I’m really glad I got to experience it, although it reminded me again of how few days I have left in Peru.

Since we don’t have many days left, today was also one of our last chances to visit the clubs in the city. We went out one last time, and it was a lot of fun. Something I will miss is the vibrant and electric atmosphere at these clubs, something I haven’t gotten to experience much in the United States. At the same time however, the rather touristy population at the club made me think of the United States, and therefore of my family.

As I have said countless times before, these last few days will be rather bittersweet. I’m looking to absorb everything I can, both from my family and from others in the Peruvian community.