Sr. de Torrechayoc -- Pt. 1

Today we left early in the morning to go to Urubamba for the Sr. de Torrechayoc festival. This festival is a religious holiday, and people come from all over Peru. While we went today, the main day is tomorrow. We got to Urubamba around 12:30pm, and ate lunch and relaxed for a bit before going to see some of the festivities. We caught the parade, which had 33 different dance troupes, all of which presented something a little different. Something that I found to very strange was that people celebrate this holiday with dances, parties, and a lot of drinking. This was weird to me, since I definitely don’t associate religious holidays with alcohol.

In the evening, we went to the area near the main church to see the fireworks celebration. This was a lot of fun, but also really dangerous. Huge fireworks were lit up, and it seemed as if the sparks were just flying into the crowd a lot of the time. My fears were realized less than 20 minutes later, when one of the sparks from the fireworks hit a pile of firewood right next to the ProWorld office and immediately burst into flames. We were really lucky that it didn’t hit the office, but nevertheless, I was scared of the fireworks for the rest of the night. However, there was something that was really cool. The people of Urubamba constructed several large structures, each of which resembled something related to the festival. For example, one of the structures looked like the main church and one looked like Sr. de Torrechayoc. These structures were laced with various types of fireworks, and the show was absolutely scintillating. The engineering definitely was not easy, since sparks from one firework would strategically light up the next firework. What I thought was really cool was that near the end of the show, the fireworks illuminated a cross, symbolizing the religious nature of the festival. Words cannot describe exactly how amazing this show was, since it just dazzled and wowed for nearly 10 minutes. Afterwards, many people went to Manhattan, the biggest club in Urubamba. However, I was tired and had some eye irritation, so I decided to take it easy and go to sleep.

Haircuts

For reference, this is for June 10th.

Today we were supposed to work on a group project with the entire DukeEngage group, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we weren’t able to carry out these plans. As a result, we went to work in Occoruro instead. We finished the covers for the micro rellenos and also evened out the top layer of the adobe bricks on each of the micro rellenos so that the covers would fit better.

Since I didn’t have Spanish class today, I relaxed at the home for most of the afternoon. I took a short nap and then went to Trini’s haircutting salon. I have to say that this was probably one of the best deals I have had in my life. For only 4 soles, I got a haircut, shampoo, and shave. Moreover, the haircut was really clean and probably one of the better ones I have had.

In the evening, we met up as a group in the office to discuss out plans for next week’s lesson in the schools on organic and inorganic waste. The next week will be a lot of work, since we have the school teaching on Monday, a group presentation in Occoruro on Tuesday about the micro rellenos, and a discussion with the children in Occoruro on Wednesday regarding parasites.

We then went out as a group to dinner, where I had pollo a la brasa again. I have to say that I don’t feel that this dish will ever get old to me. Its flavor is so unique and the chicken is really tender. Afterwards, some of the group went out to a club, but I was feeling a little tired, so I went back home. Tomorrow I will be going to my first festival in Peru, the Sr. de Torrechayoc festical in Urubamba. This fun-filled and intense festival will last all weekend, so I felt I needed to rest before all the activities start. I’ll be going there with the rest of our group in Cusco as well as the family. It should be a lot of fun, and I am definitely looking forward to it.

Cooking Class and Fiestas!

Today was our first cooking class in Occoruro. It was really a humbling experience, since we got to prepare the food with the ladies of the community and also watch them cook the food. I personally helped them to open the beans and the peas, which were used in making soup. Others prepared onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots, among others. We also helped to make papa rellenas, or stuffed potatoes. Best of all, after all the food had been prepared, we got to taste the soup and the papa rellenas. All of it was really delicious, and I loved being able to feel connected with the community through the meals.

This afternoon, I relaxed for a while before going over to Trini’s (one of the sisters) house for her birthday celebration. That was really a lot of fun, since we got to hang out with the family and eat a great meal. I also go to meet some of the cousins that I haven’t met before.

After this, we went to another party, this one for one of the Spanish teachers, Amauta. We went to her house as a group and had another meal. It was great food, and I loved being able to spend time with the rest of the group. We stayed here for a while before returning back to our host family’s house. I was really tired from all of the parties and from eating so much, so I went to bed. Tomorrow, we will be back in Occoruro, and it will mark the end of my fourth week, or the halfway point of my experience in Cuzco.

Juanitos and Salsa

Today we worked on making the covers for each of the micro rellenos. These were made from four pieces of wood that formed the border, and four eucalyptus tree pieces that went in between the borders. Cutting the wood was slightly difficult because the saws we were using weren’t really sharp. Additionally, cutting the eucalyptus pieces was a little difficult since the fibers were soft and flexible. In the end, we were able to fit the borders to four of the five holes and complete two of them fully.

When I came home, I had lunch and then went to Spanish class. When I came back, I relaxed for a bit before going out to dinner with the group. We went to Juanitos, a sandwich shop in town. I had the cusqueño, a sandwich with tamales inside. It was really tasty, and I’m sure I will have it again before I leave Cusco. At night we had our third salsa lesson, which was a lot of fun. The classes are sometimes really tiring, and now they are getting a little more difficult. I still enjoy them, although I think I will have to start practicing a little bit to make sure I remember the different steps.