Lago Titicaca with a side of fleas

Saturday morning I left with two of my friends from the home stay for Puno, Peru and Lake Titicaca, which is about seven hours south of Cusco on the border with Bolivia. 

The lake is the highest in the world, 12,500 feet above sea level, and the biggest in South America, and is famous for its 'floating islands.' We got there in the afternoon, checked into our hostel (which was the most amazing one I've ever stayed at) and walked around the town some before it got dark. The next day, we got up extremely early to start our tour of the lake and the islands at 6:30 A.M. Our first stop was at Uros, one of the Floating Islands, which are called so because they are all man-made. To make then, the people took the root of reeds and layered root, then reeds, root, then reeds until they had enough layers to be solid. Then they laid reeds over the entire thing...it is pretty incredible. Everything they have on the island (houses, chairs, boats, etc) are all made entirely of reeds as well. We took a ride on one of the boats to another island...so I  can say I rode a boat made entirely of reeds on the highest lake in the world :) After Uros, we were in the boat for about three hours to get to the next island, Taquile, where less than 2,000 people live and speak only Quechua, the language of the Incans. The island itself was lackluster; however, the views were absolutely amazing. When we got off the boat and looked across the lake we saw the mountains of Bolivia. The lake itself is divided between Peru and Bolivia (60/40), but since  North Americans have to pay $130 to enter Bolivia, we did it from the Peru side :-) After over six hours on a boat and an eleven hour tour, we were definitely exhausted but had a great day exploring Lago Titicaca. The name comes from Quechua (Incan language) and Aymara (pre-Incan language), 'titi'  meaning 'puma' and 'caca' meaning 'grey,' therefore meaning grey puma. If you look at the map of the lake and turn it upside down, it actually looks like a puma pouncing on its prey.

Before I left I had gotten these bites on my foot that were itching and didn't think any more of it until they started multiplying and gradually moving up my leg and onto my back. I asked my host mom about it and she thinks they're 'pulgas,' aka FLEAS! So perfect. The place I work at for kids after school has all poor children that attend it, and she says it was probably passed to me from them. Many of them live in crowded homes with a ton of family members, dogs, cats, etc, so the fleas can be easily passed on. I had to buy spray to try to kill them in my room, and for humans they just say to try not to itch them to prevent infection, but there's not much more you can do. Not a lot of people can answer 'What'd you do this summer?' with 'I got fleas in Peru...' haha, life goes on :-)

Horseback riding through Incan ruins...check. Fútbol game in South America...check.

Saturday morning I climbed about 1,000 steps...not even an exaggeration...to the top of the city of Cusco. The view was no doubt amazing, but I wished there were less llamas and more oxygen tanks at the top. There are four ruins in that area, the most famous being Saqsaywaman (pronounced “sexy women”). Quick history lesson: In 1536, an Incan rebellion led by Manco Inca was successful in retaking this fort from Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish troops, but then a last minute attempt at revenge by the Spanish recaptured the fort and put an end to the rebellion, leaving thousands of Incans dead. Condors surrounded the site and fed off the victims, which led Peru to add eight condors to Cusco's coat of arms, memorializing the tragedy.  This is one of the many ruins in the 'Arquitectual Capital of the World.'

One of the girls living in the same home stay and I rented horses for two hours and went with a tour guide up even further into the mountains to check out Salapunco, or the Temple of the Moon, and Saqsaywaman. I'm not that big into history, but these ruins are still pretty impressive, especially when you think about them being around for almost 500 years...that makes America's history look like that of a newborn baby. The view from the top was truly breathtaking, never have I witnessed such incredible scenery...the mountains looked fake they were so perfect. 

 

That night I went out with a couple people from my home stay and my host mom. This whole week there have been dances and parades every day in the Plaza de Armas...each day a different grade of kids perform as part of their school curriculum. These daily fiestas are all leading up to the mamacita of fiestas on June 24, when there is a 24 hour celebration of Cusco. It's a holiday, so I get a day off from changing diapers and get to go drink some pisco sours with the Peruvians :-) Last night, there were tons and tons of people gathered in the Plaza to watch live, free concerts and fireworks..it was very similar to our July 4th. Afterward, we went to drink some cafe and listen to the rest of the music from a balcony overlooking all the celebrations.

Sunday afternoon I went to the Lima vs Cusco futbol game...and even though Lima was ranked way higher than us, we won 2-0! I felt pretty accomplished in that I actually watched the whole game...definitely a first. The fans were real into it, so much so that there had to be police in full out uniform with helmets and shields protecting the Lima players whenever they were throwing the ball in close to the fans. I also witnessed today for the first time this trip, rain during the 'dry' season...but it was only a few drops. Blacksburg should take a hint from Cusco and implement the 'only a few drops' policy...

Dirty diapers and seesaws

This past Monday I started my volunteer work, which turns out to be a lot different than what I expected. In the morning I go to La clinica de San Juan de Dios which serves as an institution of sorts for handicapped kids. The handicaps range from hypotonism (underdeveloped muscles, making them soft to the touch), to severe distortions and down syndrome, to asthma and diabetes. Some of the parents send them here because they live too far out in the country where there is not the proper medical care to get them all the treatment they need, while others just drop them off and don't come back.

                

The majority of the kids are in wheelchairs or have walkers, and hardly any can walk on their own. The ages range from one year to 16, but I mostly work with the kids under age five. Medical students come in from time to time and do diagnoses, and most of the handicaps or distortions are due to the mothers not taking pre-natal vitamins and neglecting to take care of themselves while they were pregnant. The med students also say that most of them won't live past age 30 because they are not getting the optimal medical treatment at the clinica. They all go to therapy to try to help them with their walking and muscle development, but there are other therapies/medicines in the US that would be more beneficial for them.

 Most of them don't talk, either...which makes it hard to know what they want and can be frustrating for both of us.  There are plenty of clothes for everyone, but most of them don't fit correctly...especially shoes. There are always random shoes on the ground from them falling off kids who need a smaller size. Despite all their problems, however, these kids are all so warm and interested in me, always wanting hugs and to be held. The nurses in the facility are all very capable and it's kept clean, but there are probably about 75 kids in the clinica and never enough volunteers to hold all the babies, feed them all at lunch or play with them. The rooms are divided by age, and most of the time when I walk into the babies' room there are no nurses or volunteers and they are all just in their cribs...it makes me feel so bad for them to not have someone there to comfort them all the time or have any stimulation to help them develop.

Some of the more highly functional kids go to school in the morning, so I help in there until 11, then play with the kids until lunch time at 12. Lunch cracks me up, more food ends up on their shirts than in their mouths. I've also had to change many dirty diapers, something I haven't done in a good six years or so. I could do without that :-)

In the afternoons, I go to an after-school program for kids who either don't have electricity in their houses or don't have parents that care about them getting their school work done or even if they have eaten, or all of the above. There can be as many as 40 kids there, but since it's an optional program that number changes a lot. A lot of volunteers help out there, but it's needed as we're supposed to make sure everyone gets their homework done. Some of the math homework makes me think pretty hard...but I guess that goes without being said :-) Many groups come to do special activities with them...for example a group from a photography class came and gave out cameras and then let them go out in the plaza and use all the film. I've never seen kids more fascinated with cameras! When I take mine out, they are all begging to have their pictures taken. Another group came and gave drawing lessons, and I was one of the judges deciding the winner. At the end of the day around 6:30, they get a hot chocolate and piece of bread...and for most of the kids that is all they eat all day. The most notable thing I think I've noticed with kids from both facilities is that their teeth are, for the most part, brown. One of the girls from the afternoon had a toothache and the director had to buy medicine for her because her parents wouldn't be able to afford any at home. That has to be painful too...a whole mouth of rotten teeth. We usually make a trip to the park after homework is done...it's their AND my favorite part of the day. Got on a seesaw for the first time in years...forgot how great those things are.

So far this trip has been a life-changing experience...seeing how other people live really broadens your perspective in life, and not to be cliché, but truly makes you thankful for everything that is taken for-granted every day in the US...like clean drinking water, accessible and reliable healthcare, clothes and shoes that fit and three meals a day...oh, and summer weather, 'cause it's freezing here at night!

Un día en el mercado...

     On Sunday I had my first Peruvian adventure...by myself. The girls that are living with me went to Machu Picchu for the weekend, so I decided to venture out alone...but have no fear! I was fine and everything was safe (...Mom!) I had to take the public bus about 45 minutes away (for 2 soles=about 70 cents). The bus itself was quiiiite interesting, its destination wasn't even on the window, it just pulled on the side and a guy got out and announced where it was going. Not to mention I was once again the only 'gringa' there...which of course was great news. We basically rode up a huge mountain, then winded down it into the town of Pisca. And don't even get me started on the driving...I was praying the whole time we didn't go straight down the cliff. Oh, South American bus systems...

     That day was easily one of the most impressive days of my life. I had to walk across a bridge that had just been rebuilt because during the rainy season in January the river below it rose up so much it completely destroyed it. When I started into the market, I couldn't believe I was actually there. I've seen plenty of pictures of the Indigenous women dressed up in their traditional clothes and pictures of landscapes like what I've been seeing first hand both in Pisca and in Cusco, but to actually be witnessing it was really incredible. Women were all in rows selling vegetables that were lined up on the ground. Corn on the cob was being sold with kernels as big as my thumb nail. Little kids were walking around holding baby llamas. Everywhere you looked were the brightest colors imaginable, in the form of alpaca wool sweaters, rugs, wall hangings, hats, socks and purses. The scent of freshly cooked bread was wafting through the air from the outside 'hornos de pan.' Looking up were innumerable mountains surrounding you, and on top of one was Incan ruins. Not to mention, all male shop owners offered you discounts because 'you so beautiful' (haha Katlyn!) I can't even think of any more words to describe it, I'll let the pictures do the talking...

                                      I'm blog retarded and can't turn these pics around...

                                              More pics to come on facebook eventually...

Shoes for everyone!

Saturday afternoon I took a trip to a town about 35 minutes away called Oropesa to deliver shoes to an orphanage. There are only 12 boys there and they are all orphans who were living on the street, so this man created this place for them to stay so they have access to food and shelter. We got a tour of the place, which only consists of three bedrooms stuffed with beds, a kitchen and a multipurpose library/dining room/tv room. These boys, who ranged in age from five to 16, were so happy despite having nothing. They all, even the little five-year-olds, have to wash their own clothes in the local river (with dirty water, no doubt). The setting is very country, and they have the opportunity to raise some animals (they were everywhere!) for extra dinero. When we pulled up, chickens, dogs, kittens and cows surrounded the car. When we distributed the shoes, we handed them out one by one and the youngest ones had to get shoes that were white with pink and purple stripes because those were the only ones in their size. The leader assured them that they would paint the shoes, but the kids didn't even complain. If you think of a typical American five-year-old boy who got pink shoes, he would probably kick and scream and demand a new pair...it really makes you put things in perspective. At the end, the boys gave us a 'party' of Coca-Cola and bread and pulled out a huge sign they had made that said “Grascias A Broader View” (the organization I'm volunteering through). It was beyond precious. I wanted to take off my own shoes and give them another pair.

I'm writing this from a cafe in the Plaza de Armas. I'm on the second floor, looking out on a cathedral built in 1559 that took 92 years to build, and a lit up fountain with a band playing in front of it...and of course surrounded by Spanish :)

Just the beginning...

I can't believe I'm finally here. After 15 hours of traveling, uncomfortable half-sleeping on an overnight flight (that served us 'dinner' at 1 AM!) and nine hours of waiting in airports, I woke up during the descent from Lima to Cusco, looked out the window and saw countless, snow-capped mountains around me. I probably looked like the biggest idiot, being a “gringa” on a plane that was 98% Peruvians, looking out the window with the biggest smile on my face. Then when I finally stepped off the plane into a 100% Spanish speaking atmosphere, my happiness doubled...if it was possible. I was waiting for my luggage, however...and waiting...and I waited some more...until the man came and changed the sign in front of the baggage claim from my flight number to a different one. Apparently in Lima I was supposed to claim my baggage, go through customs, then re-check it so it would make it to Cusco. I was not aware of that. So the first day here I was without a change of clothes or shower for a good 36 hours...it was pretty yummy, especially after all that traveling. The luggage ended up being delivered the next day though...speedy delivery here in Peru.

The landscape here is mountains, mountains and more mountains. There is one huge one right in front of my house with houses covering it completely. At night it is so gorgeous with all the lights. The weather is really comfortable during the day, 70's, but it gets absolutely freezing after sundown because we're so high up...about 12,000 feet.

I went out to eat on Thursday with other volunteers and most were Medical School students here working in hospitals. They gave some gruesome details I'll spare you...but basically you do NOT want to get so sick here that you have to get medical attention. They even said in the maternity ward they keep iodine and other supplies in recycled ketchup and mustard bottles...just makes you thankful for all the things we take for granted in the US. It turns out, one of the guys volunteering here lives ten minutes from my house in VA...go figure!

Friday, I went on a trolley tour of the city and saw all the history here...which is pretty much everywhere you look. There are cathedrals and building from the 16^th century. And it turns out I picked a perfect time to come here because there are non-stop festivals here from now until the end of July (me encantan fiestas :). The 24^th of June is a day celebrating Cusco and the whole month of July they celebrate Peru. Here's a link to all their excuses to party: http://www.aboutcusco.com/cusco/eng/festivals.asp. The plazas are a constant flow of people, some tourists and a ton of school aged kids practicing their dances for the parades. There are also tons of floats with different designs of virgins and other Catholic paraphernalia. The people get real excited for this, and even since this is their “winter,” it is the biggest tourist season, too.

The people are great here, all very hospitable and friendly. I have to admit though, my vice here will be shopping. Everything is so cheap thanks to the US dollar to Sol conversion...a typical meal that would be $12 is equivalent to about $5 here. Christmas shopping will no doubt be done here... :)

I start working volunteering on Monday, my schedule will be 9-1:30 in the rehabilitation clinic and 4:30-7 in the orphanage. Miss you all, hope to talk to you soon! Skype me, babies.

                                                             Which one doesn't belong??

                                                   See what I mean with all the mountains?