After a long night at the Lima airport (I actually forced myself to drink black coffee just to stay awake), I arrived early Sunday morning in Cuzco. As soon as I stepped off the plane and entered the main airport, swarms of Peruvians offered tours, taxis, and hotels. ¨No Gracias¨ has quickly become my most-used frase. I was met by Miguel from maximo Nivel, who took me to the office and to my homestay.
My home is only 4 blocks from my language school and is gated from the public, so it´s safe, and also beautiful. Neighborhood dogs wander the compound, and one husky with especially hauntingly blue eyes likes to playfully bite at my ankles (I don´t enjoy that too much.)
From my bedroom window, I can see my neighbors´ houses, which each display brightly painted siding and a beautiful orange roof, charcteristic of Cuzco. My host mother only speaks Spanish to me. It´s challenging, but for the most part, we are able to communicate and I can tell that my Spanish is already improving.When I leave my house, mountains surround me- Shacks dot the steep hills around Cuzco and elderly indigenous women sit on the street selling food and crafts.
At first I didn´t feel safe on the streets- that´s the downside of being blond, fair-skinned, and alone in a Latin American country. Luckily, another volunteer who´s staying with me and is from New York has walked with me and shown me all of the markets. Hundreds of Taxis zoom recklessly down the narrow streets- there are crosswalks, but I have yet to see a driver stop for pedestrians. I have to play this game of standing near the locals so I know when to cross, hopping from one island in the street to the next.
The first day, I didn´t have any altittude sickness, but yesterday after walking only 4 blocks, I felt naseous and ended up spending the whole day in bed. Today, I spent the morning packing for the jungle (I will be there for 2 and a half weeks) and now I´m off to do my first bit of sight seeing- La Plaza de Armas, buying rainboots for the jungle, and exchanging some of my cash for Soles. Everything is much cheaper here- I bought 2 kiwis for under $.30 and rainboots are about $7. I want to eat all of the fruit!
Hasta Luego
con amor,
Leah
