I'm sorry I'm so bad at blogging! The days are busy and the internet spotty. Tomorrow marks the beginning of my last week. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. Things I won't miss about Peru: cold showers, creepy men whispering "Hello, mi amor" in my ear, and potatoes. Things I will miss about Peru: everything else.

I feel like I really hit my stride about 3 weeks ago and I'm already leaving. During this last week it will pretty much be business as normal, teaching during the week and just spending the weekend in Urubamba with the friends and family I'm soon leaving. I have to be honest, I never thought I would want to stay so badly; currently looking for ways I could swing spending a year or two here after college.

Good wishes to everyone at home, hope all is well

Election results, pictures

Ollanta has won the new presidency; there really hasn't been too huge of a reaction, just a few small rally-type things. There are plenty of military and police officers patrolling the streets though, to maintain the peace maybe? I'm not sure, but it definitely doesn't seem necessary. A lot of my friends/family here that voted for him did so just because they thought he was the better of two bad options. Probably who I would have voted for, too. It will be interesting to see if all his promises come through (doubt it).

Had a great day today; hiking a little bit, hanging out with my host brother and then with one of my students and her cousin, big festival in Urubamba coming up this weekend, hiking to Macchu Picchu the week after...life's good. Can't believe it's been almost 4 weeks

Throwing up some pictures, credits to David Chou

Primary mode of transportation (besides walking) - Moto

Some pictures of the market

Hike to the Chicón glacier (15000 ft) - Super hard but worth it

A local told us it has receded 100m in the past 50 years. Also we have had rain twice since I've been here, which is almost unheard of during the dry season. Climate changes are a lot more obvious and intense here - especially when it comes to melting glaciers, because the glaciers determine the water flow that the locals depend on. 

 

The school where I teach

"Suffering is not enough. Life is both dreadful and wonderful...How can I smile when I am filled with so much sorrow? It is natural--you need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow." 
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Each day here comes with challenges. I don't often blog about the struggles, but I assure you they exist. Sometimes I feel like I'm pushed beyond what I can handle and sometimes the things I see make me feel like nothing I do here could ever really mean anything. Defeat is a feeling that I can't admit I am very accustomed to, and its only exacerbated by the fact that I'm seeing just one town, in one country, in one part of the world. It's hard; it's really hard.

But what I'm coming to realize is that there is enough sad in the world already. When confronted with a depressing reality, sometimes we purposefully try not to react to things that would normally make us laugh or smile, almost as if to prove (to who? ourselves?) that the situation deserves it. Why? Why should we ever let something positive concede defeat to something negative when it doesn't have to?

There have been lows here, where I have felt alone, insignificant, frustrated...but there have also been highs. "Life is both dreadful and wonderful" - I love that. Let yourself feel the hard stuff, but don't ever keep yourself from feeling the good stuff. Feel for the people who are less fortunate than you, but laugh with them, too.

Appreciate everything you have, guys.

Besos

Peruvian Politics

Things are heating up politically here in Urubamba. The election is next weekend, Sunday the 5th, and the two candidates for president are very controversial. Peruvian elections start with a number of candidates that are eventually reduced to two. Somehow the two selected candidates, Ollanta and Keiko, are leaving a whole lot of people feeling like they have to choose the lesser of two evils. With Ollanta, a lot of people are worried that he will bring Peru into an age of pretty extreme socialism, reminiscent of Hugo Chavez's Venezuela. As for Keiko, she is the daughter of Fujimori who was previously the president of Peru but was  sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity. She has also made it clear that she plans to pardon him, and will be bringing with her a lot of the same people that worked during her father's time in office.
Both a Keiko headquarters and an Ollanta headquarters have been set up in town(they also happen to be right across the street from each other...awkward), political slogans and symbols are painted on tons of buildings/houses, and its pretty common to see people driving around with megaphones yelling about the candidates they support.  However, most of my friends here really don't want to vote for either and are worried about the outcome of the election. It will be interesting to see how things play out here!


In other news, today I made fertilizer consisting of alfalfa, chicken guts, fish heads, peas, sugar, chicha (alcoholic drink made by chewing up corn and spitting it back out again...literally), cow shit, and chicken shit. MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm


Besos
Hannah

Customs

This is mostly for Mom and Dad because they are planning a trip to Peru and there are some interesting customs you might not anticipate before coming. First and foremost, the standard greeting in Peru is a kiss on the cheek, generally the right cheek. It’s a bit of an acquired skill – awkward kisses and head bobs are bound to happen, although my helpful tip of right cheek (not given to me…) should eliminate some of those moments. This is only for new friends by the way – do not kiss employees of restaurants or people selling things. Pretty self-explanatory but you never know. Also, when you enter a room you need to greet EVERYONE in the room or it is considered rude. Even if there are  10 people in the room, it’s customary. Same with leaving – you say goodbye (adios, nos vemos, ciao…all are acceptable – tambien con un beso) to everybody. This applies to conversations in town and such too – even if you talk to someone for 30 seconds (NOT likely) you need to greet them and then give them a kiss again when you leave. Oh, por los hombres, it’s a handshake if between two men.

With food, lunch is the biggest meal of the day, followed by breakfast and then dinner which is usually pretty small. Lunch usually consists of a soup, a main course, some sort of side dish, frequently a dessert, and a drink after (not during). And you will hear "provecho" or "buen provecho" ALL the time - it basically means have a good meal but can also be used as a sort of goodbye, enjoy, have a nice time... It’s pretty normal to take a long drink after most meals like a mate (tea), hot milk, or sometimes coffee. Also, it is one hundred percent acceptable to begin eating once you are served, its considered kind of weird if you just sit there waiting (also, note: no conversation is really off-limits and the concept of political correctness doesn’t exist here – don’t take things offensively because they are not meant to be offensive at all [other note - physical appearance can become your nickname; if a Peruvian calls you chinita, gordita, flacita, lindita, etc...not meant to be offensive and is extremely common]).

            Although I’ve probably already made this clear, family relationships and relationships in general are extremely important to Peruvians, and honestly what is more deserving of importance? People make friends easily and maintain them for a long time, and its very common for people to stop by their friends’ houses or workplaces to chat and fill each other in. I really love this aspect of the culture - I have long felt that the people in your life are the most important parts of it, and it seems like I have landed in a place where everybody feels the same way. It’s really very wonderful.

Que mas....transportation-wise most people walk everywhere because Urubamba is so small but if you don't want to walk you can take a moto-taxi which is basically a motorized bicycle with a little cab attached on the back. You can even find some with decorations or weird things like blacklights in them - one of the local mototaxis is Batman-themed even. 

            There are plenty of other little anomalies Americans might not immediately understand, but I think to try and explain them all would be a little absurd. In general, family is very important, odd little societal rules are not, and if you are ten minutes late to something, it’s not the end of the world. 

I'm starting in the schools tomorrow! Went by today to meet the kids and they seemed really excited which is more than I was expecting. Also got to play a little voleíbol with some of the girls - super fun. After going to the schools I had a long lunch with my host family, went on a hike/run with Kach, and am now relaxing for a little bit before dinner. La vida es buena. 

Provecho

Hannah

First quick update

La Plaza de Armas in Cuzco

Rogue Alpaca

View of Urubamba from a nearby peak

Another view of Urubamba - yeah guys this is where I live

Brynne and I checking out the scenery - same peak

Hey folks - first time I've gotten to the internet but I wrote this post a couple days ago. Still alive!

I arrived in Cuzco Thursday morning at 7:35 sin problemas. I even got to sit next to an absolutely adorable baby on the flight and had my first Spanish conversation with a woman from Peru. We had to do an Olympian sprint through the Lima airport, most certainly giving los Peruanos more reasons to think Americans are all big dorks , but we made it on with a few minutes to spare. 

My time in Cuzco was just plain fun, partly because of any city I’ve ever visited, Cuzco is the liveliest. Everywhere you look there are kids running around, people selling food, clothing and pretty much anything else you could think of (there was one man near where I was staying that was selling only wine bottle openers and CDS) and other tourist-y types wandering around. At the center of the city es La Plaza de Armas which is a big square surrounded by restaurants and little shops. It is mostly populated by tourists, reflected pretty forcefully by the number of people selling paintings, postcards, scarves, even pictures with baby lambs and alpacas. But the more Cuzquenan part of town is outside of the square; all around the city there are roads swerving up the mountainside with houses perched precariously on the edges.  Things feel a lot more real up there.

All in all it was a really nice couple of days in a beautiful city. It’s not necessarily well-maintained, but there is something so charming about Cuzco’s chaos. And of course the food was fantastic, and I caved and bought an alpaca sweater (It’s SO FLUFFY!!!!!). But as much fun as Cuzco was, I have to say I am much happier now that I am in Urubamba and feeling more and more like a local every day

            Urubamba is without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever been to. The town is cozily nestled between enormous mountains that look too perfect to be real, and beyond that are snowcaps. I’ve gotten to hike up to one lower peak already, and the view from there was enough to take my breath away, if it hadn’t already been taken away by the lack of oxygen. The lack of oxygen is more of a factor than I thought it would be – after a few minutes up a trail you really do start wondering if your heart might bust out of your chest, and if you cross your legs for more than 30 seconds they will go numb. The locals are completely accustomed to it of course, which makes it even more embarrassing. Pero así es. In Urubamba, there are a lot of parks and plazas that are maintained por la municipal, and a lot of activity centers around them. I wish I could describe the town better but it’s just really hard to put everything into words. But I love this place. I love it more than any place I’ve ever been, and I’ve only been here for 3 days. Pues, I will write more eventually. Wish I could articulate what Uru is like, but it’s hard to describe someplace when it’s a totally different world. 

Hasta la proxima, Hannah.

First Impressions

Hey all

I'm sitting in the Miami airport now playing cards and people watching (easy on the glitter, Miami) while we wait for our flight to Lima in 8 hours. I thought this would be a good time to get a first post up and send out the link. My friends and family have all asked to stay updated on my summer in Peru for the next 8 weeks, but seeing as I'm a really sicknasty human being, I have way too many friends keep everyone up to speed. Enter BLOG. Since getting internet connection in Urubamba may entail holding a clothes hanger up in a lightning storm, I will be confirming my continued existence by means of this blog in lieu of sending 65 emails everytime the clouds roll in. 

In all seriousness though, I think this is going to be a great tool for me to let you all know what I'm up to and to help me document and remember my experiences, my spiritual growth, and the people I meet. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to take this trip and so grateful to the people who have made it possible (here's lookin at you, Duke) (and also you, Mom and Dad). It is going to be a great summer, and I'm fully committed to giving it my whole self. 

Saying adiós to America...see you all in 8 weeks! 

A.P.S. (Awkward Post Script) - just realized I have been laying on the arm of the man behind me for the past several minutes. Awkward, indeed. At least in Peru I will have cultural differences to blame my social ineptitude on?