Concurso de Canto

Today I worked in Occoruro again on the borders of one of the micro rellenos. However, it was a little difficult because there was a ton of water in the hole, making the ground really muddy and tough to shovel. In the end, we decided to just level the ground and layer it with rocks. We also widened the edges to fit the adobe blocks better.

After work I came home for lunch and then went to Spanish class. Class was a little different today since we also had a singing competition. For the class portion, we learned about conditional clauses. The singing competition was also pretty interesting, since everyone had really prepared well and had innovative dances and singing styles.

Tonight was relaxed overall. After dinner I watched the NBA Finals with Luis and Jordan. Although I wanted to stay up longer and talk, I realized that I have work tomorrow. I guess I’ll just wait until then to truly relax for the weekend.

Micro Rellenos and Salsa

Today in Occoruro, I helped complete the next phase of the micro rellenos, or the compost bins. Our job today was to line the top edges with rocks and mud to stabilize the adobe bricks that would be placed on top later. All of these edges are going to be used to show the community where to dispose of their organic and inorganic waste, as well as to make sure no one falls into the meter deep hole. Some of the digging was pretty difficult, but by the end of our work day, we had completed one hole and gotten pretty far through another.

After work I went home for lunch and then went to Spanish class. This week, we have a singing competition among all of the Cuzco students, in which we have to sing our assigned Spanish song, complete with dance moves and enthusiasm. I am singing El Amor by Tito “El Bambino”. Hopefully I can remember all of the lyrics for tomorrow.

During the afternoon, I talked to Luis about music and transferred some of my favorite songs to his computer. We then had dinner as a family and then had our second salsa lesson in a series of five. The first lesson was pretty difficult, but I now feel that I am starting to get a hang of the different steps and moves, both solo and partner. It is one of my goals by the end of my time here in Cuzco to learn salsa dancing and be relatively proficient. I really like our instructors and the group, so this is definitely a possibility.

I also spent some time today thinking about the upcoming elections this weekend. Most of my family is voting for Keiko Fujimori, but according to them, there really isn’t a good choice in this election. I think I’ll spend some time figuring out exactly the political situations in Peru and trying to understand the positions of the two candidates.

Family Bonding, Exotic Fruits, and The NBA Finals

Today I felt a little bit better, so I went to work in Occoruro. I only sewed curtains today, since I didn’t want to take a chance and do too much while I was still a little sick. After work I came back home and ate one of my favorite meals thus far in Peru. Margarita had prepared lentils with chicharrones for us. I really liked the flavor of the dish, and the two ingredients really meshed well together.

This afternoon, after Spanish class, I talked with Luis for a long time about different foods that he likes. We talked about some of the native fruits in Peru, all of which I took note of. Before I leave, I would like to try all of them, if possible. Today I tried lucuma and maracuya. Lucuma is a fruit that is different from others, since it is dry on the inside. It has a soft green skin, kind of like a mango, and a paste-like orange interior. I thought it had a really interesting taste, and Luis told me that people often use it to make milkshakes. Maracuya is the Spanish word for passion fruit, which I have had before. It was just as good as I remembered it, with its tart flavor and yellowish green pulp.

I then told Luis about some of the cool foods from Oregon. Something that I found really interesting was that blackberries are really hard to find in Peru. Luis has had one before, but almost no one else in his family has. I promised him that I would do my best to send over a jar of blackberry preserves through the mail.

At night, we watched the NBA Finals as a family, which I really enjoyed. I feel that doing things as a family, no matter what they are, have really helped me in my immersion into the Peruvian culture. These events have also helped me to connect with my host family. I definitely want to continue these kinds of things, and with some of the biggest festivals in the Cusco area coming up, I’m sure I will have many more of these opportunities.

Exhaustion and Sickness

I woke up this morning feeling a little better, but still too sick to do anything. Margarita made me some coca and lemon tea in the morning, which really helped me to soothe my throat. She also gave me a pill to help reduce swelling and make my throat more comfortable. I won’t be doing much today other than resting and trying to get better for tomorrow in Occoruro.

Chicon: Day 2

What a brutal night. Temperatures fell into the teens and low 20’s, making breathing an absolute nightmare. Additionally, there was an open window in the house, creating a gust of wind every so often. I must have woken up at least six times during the night. If I hadn’t had Luis’s amazing sleeping bag, I feel like I could have died from the cold. Regardless, when I woke up in the morning, my throat was swollen and my chest hurt extremely badly. While I wanted to continue the hike the very top of the glacier, I knew that it was more important for me to get down safely, so I elected to rest instead.

The hike down was much easier than the hike up, considering that the altitude was now in our favor. I still started to get nauseous, probably a symptom of whatever illness I have. Nevertheless, I managed to make it down, completing one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, athletic feat of my life. I don’t think I will ever choose to climb a mountain like Chicon again, but at least I can say that I did it.

When we got back to Urubamba, I was so exhausted and on the verge of throwing up. I never did, but I still felt like I needed to rest. The entire Cuzco group took a bus back from Urubamba together, completing our journey to Chicon. It was really hard, but I’m glad I got to enjoy the amazing view from the top.

When we got back to Cuzco, I was so excited. I have really missed my family for the last two days, and I could not wait to see them again. Bedraggled and exhausted, Jordan and I walked into the house and greeted everyone. Margarita had the perfect dinner waiting for us, spaghetti with meat sauce. I really wanted to enjoy it, but I was having some trouble swallowing because of my swollen throat. I ate as much as I could before going to bed for the night.