Rain, Rain Go Away

It’s hard to believe that it is July. In only 5 days, we will be heading back to the United States. I’m going to be really sad to leave my family, and I already know I am going to be emotional.

Today, we were supposed to be working with the rest of the group on building the school in Occoruro, but the weather was not cooperating, as it was pouring and freezing outside. As a result, project was cancelled, and we just rested at home instead. At 9:30am, we went to the office to complete our check-out survey with Eliza. It was pretty simple, as we completed a survey to note our experiences and talked about different topics regarding our time in Peru. For example, we had to talk about what we will miss most and what klind of culture shock we think we will experience upon returning to the United States.

After this reflection, we had a reflection with Emily, one of the staff members from DukeEngage. We completed another survey, which addressed topics ranging from our academic plans to how we think this trip will impact us.

In the afternoon, we visited Qoricancha, the sun temple of the Incas. It has a very interesting history, as the Incas used it as a religious center before the Spaniards destroyed much of it. Today, it is mainly a historical center, but there are still priests and religious figures who use it for the original purpose of the Incas.

We also went to the Artisan Market, a place that sells all kinds of traditional gifts and handicrafts. I loved looking around, as they had things ranging from traditional Inca knives to carvings to tapestries. I ended up buying a couple of cool handicrafts, such as an Incan calendar tapestry, alpaca slippers, and a couple of hats. From here we went directly to Jack’s Café, one of the best sandwich places in town. I have been here before, so it was nice to experience it again and to see how my opinion might have changed over the last seven weeks. It was good, but I still think I prefer the Peruvian restaurants to American food, especially in Cuzco.

Tomorrow should be a fun day. Aside from being the start of our last weekend in Cuzco, it will also be the last chance for me to spend a lot of time with my family. Our departure is coming up really fast, so I want to make sure I make the most of the last few days with the family.