lindsaykutac

[lindsaykutac]

Final Days <3 + Adventures as Always

I have officially finished up my internship and Spanish classes. It feel strange to say I won't be attending Spanish anymore, since I have been Monday-Friday for 8 straight weeks, but that means I am almost home! I am so excited. I miss everyone very much. I am trying to enjoy my remaining time here, but it almost feels like a waiting game. I am ready to be back in Texas and leaving the mornings in the low thirties behind. Somehow, the flowers still are managing to bloom.

My final adventure was to head to the Maras Salt Mines. I had the opportunity to ride an ATV before heading there, and I had so much more fun than I though I would! I now understand why people keep things like that on their properties. I would do it again! I learned that Maras is a private company managed by the two villages that actually work the mines, so the government doesn't make profit off of their sales. Pretty awesome, as about every other historical sight in Cusco is owned by the government of Peru.

My last few weeks of my internship were rough. There were two occasions of covid, which meant school was virtual for almost two weeks. My student who I was assisting didn't attend virtual school, and it felt like I did not have much to do, but our last three days were in person, and they were wonderful. My last day was definitely bittersweet. Fourth grade was so wonderful and dynamic and I will miss them dearly <3 Here is the gift I left for my cooperating teacher on my last day:

The last day of Spanish was also emotional for me. All of my teachers have been so amazing, but I have kept the same one across the four weeks of my internship, and I will definitely miss her! She became a friend of mine and we laughed so much in class. Across my eight weeks, I managed to move up two levels in Spanish! From Pre-Intermediate I to Intermediate B) I learned so much more than I thought I could during a short two months here. Now comes the tricky part... keeping it inside my brain when I return! Goodbye Pardo! (Building where I took classes)

I'll only be able to call these streets I walk "home" for a little while longer. I will miss them!

Tomorrow I get to go to the chocolate museum and take a chocolate making class, where we start from the fermented cacao beans and end up with a bar of chocolate we can take with us! Later that night I plan on making a last batch of chocolate chip cookies before I go. And on Tuesday, I'm going to go on a short church tour with one of my housemates who is an architect. Aside from these fun activities, though, I am just packing up and getting ready for my 30-hour journey home with a little bit of certification test studying sprinkled in!

Until Texas!

Lindsay

[lindsaykutac]

Machu Picchu and Internship... and more

(warning, this is a long post!)

Machu Picchu... my halfway point! And one of the 7 Wonders. I was worried that I would feel miserable on it, as the Monday before my departure I went to the clinic to discover I had a bacterial infection (again) and a parasite. Luckily, the drugs were well in effect by the time I was ready to go!

We were picked up by the collectivo around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. After a two hour drive, we arrived at the train station! The train was very enjoyable, because that's just not something you get to do in the United States! And the view was beautiful. We got off the train earlier than everyone else to begin our hike along a part of the Inca Trail!

The hike was relatively intense, but far lower than Cusco, around 7,000 feet instead of 11. My lungs were very happy, and I kept up well, but the thought, "I never would have been able to do this if I hadn't run my half-marathon," came across my mind a minimum of five times.

The hike took about five hours, and there were points where the climb was so steep, I used both my hands and legs for a safer ascent! We reached the famous Sun Gate, where we got to rest before heading towards Machu Picchu itself.

The first day we went to one part of Machu before returning the next day for the actual tour of the site. I was surprised by how little I was told about the history of the ruins. There really isn't that much knowledge about it, because the Spanish never discovered it, and it was actually never completed, because the Quechuans (Incas) who inhabited it fled to help resist the Spanish.

I was absolutely exhausted at the end of this trip, but I am glad I got to experience the "high jungle" and see the incredible architecture of Machu Picchu!

As I mentioned, this trip was my halfway point. That means I completed my four weeks of full-time Spanish and was ready to begin my four week internship at a local school. Before I left for Machu, I received the amazing news that I would be placed at an inclusive school, so I would be able to serve students with disabilities over the next month! When I arrived on Monday, I was told I would be providing one-on-one support for a fourth grade student with autism. We can call him Diego.

This school is the only one of its kind in Cusco; a frontrunner in the name of inclusive education. Only in 2018 was a law formally adopted to state that education should include students with disabilities in Peru. However, being here has made me realize... the United States has many problems, but it is absolutely the premier place for special education - the best in the entire world. The legislation we have protecting rights of students with disabilities and their families is unparalleled.

My time here (in the middle of week two) has been very challenging, because there are many issues with the education of the student I am working with, even in an inclusive school. However, it has also been amazing to observe and learn about another country's schooling system, and this school specifically. I was eventually able to ask my mentor teacher what Diego needs the most help with, and while I personally would have started with the habit of him abruptly leaving the classroom every 10 minutes (or more frequently), my teacher told me his area of greatest need is handwriting. And while I am here to contribute what I know as well, I am primarily here to serve. So, tomorrow we will begin occupational therapy exercises to strengthen and develop his pincer-grip endurance and eventually move up into sustained muscle engagement with fluid motion in my final week.

I also went to Rainbow Mountain this past week, where I experienced altitude sickness more strongly than I did when I first arrived. It was beautiful, but I would not do it again; it was just too high. Here you can see me smiling, but the moments before and after I was sitting on a rock, trying to breath, wanting to throw up, and being given agua florida to create a 'smelling salt' effect.

When I came back down, I thought that my symptoms were a result of my altitude sickness. On Monday, however, when I still was not feeling well enough to attend my project Tuesday, I went to the clinic again, and my giardia was still alive and well.

Being sick so often has been very frustrating and has resulted in lots of tears, days in bed, pain, and the need to constantly whisper to myself, "I trust in Your goodness," because I have been sick about every two weeks since I have arrived, and have spent close to 500 USD in medical care. I am praying that this is the last time I have to worry about taking medicine or getting blood and other samples taken. My host mom was extremely surprised to hear that in the United States, I have zero stomach problems whatsoever, because she has never seen one of her guests get sick like this. It has been a very humbling experience. Here's me in with my beanie and fuzzy-sock gloves to keep me warm during the thick of it.

I no longer feel as though I am abroad. I feel simply as though I live here. I miss home very much, and at the end of this week, I will only have two full weeks left before I fly home. I do not wish this time to go by quickly, but I am excited to come home. I miss the ability to drink tap water. I miss fresh vegetables, fruits without peels (primarily berries), driving, and indoor temperature control. But most of all, I miss you :) My family and friends. But I know when I land in Austin, I will ache with the memories of reaching over the table to fill up my evening tea cup with boiled water while laughing with my housemates. I will remember drinking chicha morada at my favorite creperie-cafe in San Blas, the perfectly ripe avocados, and the luxury of being able to walk everywhere. I will dearly miss my "mama de Cusco" and practicing my Spanish every day.

I think there is room for about one more post before I return home <3 Until then, much love,

Lindsay :)

[lindsaykutac]

How many llamas have you seen?

Probably about a hundred, actually. In the llama crossing of my most recent post and in the streets, where the alpaca ladies (so this is actually an alpaca-llama lump sum) carry their baby alpacas around for tourists to pay to take pictures with! They're so adorable :')

[lindsaykutac]

Spanish Classes and Mountain Excursions

I AM FINALLY WELL! I felt like I was sick forever. With my newfound ability to walk around and stay awake, I have returned to the blog :)

My first two weeks of Spanish classes are over and everyday it feels like I have so much information stuffed into my head that I am struggling to keep in! I feel already that in this short amount of time I have progressed so much in my speaking. I'm here to learn Spanish because I want to be able to speak with my future students who speak Spanish as their first language and their families, so while being able to write and read in Spanish would be nice, my priority is to be able to listen and respond. My host family is helping me out with that immensely! They always correct me and are very skilled in adjusting their Spanish level to be challenging but not impossible for each person who comes through here. Last week, my triumph was ordering a juice in a market without a single worry about understanding or responding correctly. Small steps, right?

Here is a photo of the quinoa burger Nora made for us last week. It was so delicious!

Nora actually took us in my first week on a trip with her family. She and her family are so generous and open in wanting to share their life in Cusco with us, though I would say their life is probably pretty atypical. Americo is a tour guide (he was just at Machu Picchu this weekend leading a group) and Nora takes care of up to 14 travelers in her house every day. Kind of crazy!

The group of us went up to El Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley) and walked through the market and up a short portion of the foot of a mountain to a hotel for travelers with a beautiful outdoor area! Even if you are not staying at the hotel, you can pay twenty soles (about 5 USD) to go swim in their pool, play on their playgrounds, and use their barbecue facilities. So we did, and I swam for about five minutes because the water was FREEZING! The sun warmed me up for a few minutes before clouds took over the sky and the rest of the afternoon was very cold. The mountains' altitude and shadows mean no heat is really stored in the earth, and the sun is the only source of it.

It also rained for several minutes (during dry season) and we had an earthquake earlier that morning. Big weather day.

Here is most of the first group of people I came to know here.

Seven of these people (only four pictured) left after my first week, and eight new people trickled in across the next one to replace them. Luckily most of them came in for three weeks or longer, which allows time to get to know people. Unless you contract a bacterial infection and are bedridden for five days. Even then there is still hope though haha!

Two days after that picture, Falk (to the left of me), Sarah (to the right), and me (me) went on a day trip to Waqrapukara (wah-craw-poo-CAR-uh), also known as the "Llama Head Ruins."

You can see the name, right? This was the view from the top... only a five hour drive and forty minute hike later! I don't think you can see any people to scale in this picture but those stairsteps at the very bottom are actually quite large when walking up them... and this was a "small" fortress!

Bluebonnets (actually silver lupines) were everywhere on our hike up. I couldn't believe my eyes! One of my favorite parts of home was all the way down here :')

Here I am at 4,800 kilometers - almost 16,000 feet - of elevation with these incredible mountains behind me (and my Aggie Ring! Whoop!). I was at a height where I could look across a valley and see exactly where the tree line was, because some of these peaks were above it! This is about 5,000 feet taller than Cusco, and when we drove back into town, I actually thought to myself, "Ah, a nice low altitude," ... at 11,000 feet!

The last thing I have for this post is something we saw on our way that you can only find in Peru... a llama crossing!

Some of these are actually alpacas I am pretty sure. Either way, something I would never see in Texas!

Until next time, besitos muchos!!! <333

-Lindsay

[lindsaykutac]

Will there be a certain day of the week that you update your Peru posts so I can check on how you are doing? Your dad is coming in tonight (Sunday the 29th) so he’ll be wanting to know also. Hope you’re having fun, learning a lot, and making lots if new friends.

I won't have any consistent posting dates but I will let you know when I post new things :)

[lindsaykutac]

The First Few Days

I arrived in Cusco at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday the 21st after 24 hours of travel. I was picked up by a driver from Maximo and taken directly to my host family. Americo (host dad) got up at 6:30 on a Saturday to help me carry my luggage up four flights of stairs, which was much appreciated as I was already struggling in the new altitude!

Honestly, there were a lot of tears. I was already homesick and truly realizing I would not be coming back to Texas for two whole months. I wouldn't see my family or anyone I knew until then, and on top of my exhaustion, I was distraught about it.

I live in Wanchaq, a suburb of Cusco. This is the view from my apartment living room. This is the crest of Cusco mowed on the side of a mountain visible from all of Cusco.

After a four hour nap, I felt much better. I went to the local supermercado (very uncommon here. Most places to buy things are street markets) to get a few things I needed, such as sunscreen! The atmosphere is much thinner up here so the UV rays are much stronger. Every foreigner needs to put on sunscreen if they are planning on going outside, essentially. And I have been outside frequently, because I walk everywhere.

The streets here are very chaotic and different! Cars are very fast and aggressive and will honk at you for waiting for a break in traffic to walk but also will sometimes honk if you walk out in front of them... it goes against everything in me to step out in front of a car going 40 miles per hour, but they always stop. The streets themselves are not paved, but cobbled.

The city is truly beautiful! Time moves slower here. People are not as hurried. There is a lot of bustle but no haste. There is definitely hustle, though. The street vendors and alpaca ladies (women in traditional dress walking with baby llamas and alpacas) are determined to sell to you!

This is La Basilica Menor de la Merced. The "lesser" basilica in Plaza de Armas, a main area of Cusco. This is where all the tourists go! This church is one of at least six churches all within half a mile of each other. On the weekdays, you must pay to enter and view all of the historical icons and architecture, but on Sundays, those entering to go to Mass are allowed in for free.

This is what I wore to mass, because IT IS SO COLD HERE. The temperature itself is comparable to Texas winter (high 30s in the morning to mid 60s in the afternoon) but there is no inside heating in the apartment, and the altitude definitely makes it feel colder. Here I am wearing long socks, full length leggings, a long sleeve t-shirt, a dress, and unpictured is the jean jacket I had on over everything. I was briefly hot when I arrived to mass because I had been speed walking, but five minutes of sitting inside the church was enough to have me cold again. I wear many layers inside and to bed, where I use two comforters and two heavy, durable blankets to keep me warm at night. Here you can see in the distance a snow-covered mountain I can see from my bedroom window:

The food here is incredible. There is an abundance of fresh, delicious fruit and cuisine available for incredibly low prices by American standards. Fresh juice is a very popular drink here because it is readily available and because the water is non-potable. No one here drinks the tap water, not even locals. Everyone drinks boiled or bottled water. I brought a water bottle that has a filter straw to remove parasites and water-borne diseases like cholera from tap water. Here is a picture of some roasted potatoes with guacamole and INCREDIBLY spicy ají salsa, where an empty glass of what used to be pineapple and mango juice can be seen in the background:

I have begun Spanish classes and am learning so much already. I will write more on that once I have finished the first week.

The city of Cusco is so beautiful and resilient. People work hard to put their kids through school and they live in one of the wildest places on earth! At night, you can see the tops of the mountains in contrast to the night sky, because the lights of houses line the peaks:

I have 59 days left here in Cusco, and I am looking forward to learning more about the way of life here :)

Hasta luego, besitos muchos!!

-Lindsay

[lindsaykutac]

Hey Lindsay, it’s Gamma. What is your house/family like? Are you enjoying their company?

My host family is so lovely! Americo and Nora are very kind and welcoming. There are about 10 of us staying with them right now. There is an apartment on the fourth floor (where I stay), Nora and Americo's apartment on the fifth floor, and another student apartment on the sixth floor. Each day at breakfast and dinner we come to the fifth floor apartment to eat together. Four of us are in the fourth floor apartment and the other six in the sixth floor. The numbers are coincidental haha. Nora and Americo helped me get to mass on Sunday and are always able to answer any questions I have! Even yesterday on Monday I was going to miss breakfast time (7:00 am) because my orientation was then, and Nora made me sandwiches to take with me on the way! Their three children are very entertaining as well and fun to talk to at dinner. :)

[lindsaykutac]

What is one thing (little or big) that surprised you in your first day in Peru?

On my first day, I was very surprised by the altitude sickness symptoms. I knew I would probably be getting altitude sickness, but I expected to be throwing up, when in reality, I was exhausted (although I am sure getting 3 hours of sleep in 24 hours didn't help) and my stomach was SUPER MAD at me. I wasn't hungry at all, short of breath constantly, and my heartbeat would be racing when I was doing sedentary activities like sitting or lying down to try and get more oxygen to me. It has been much easier each day though! This is my fourth day here and I still am waking up out of breath, but other than that I am doing great! And drinking lots of water to help :)

[lindsaykutac]

8 Days Out

I am eight days away from leaving the United States for eight weeks! Eek! The last month or so has had me thinking of Peru every day. It seemed so far off at one point, but now it is right here before me. In the middle of finals and moving out of my apartment, it has been a little much. Or a lotta. It changes by the minute.

I am excited for so much! And nervous too. But mostly excited. I’m looking forward to experiencing winter again (NOT a fan of the sudden shift to the hundred-degree weather in Texas), drinking good coffee, eating lots of fresh fruit, making new friends, and seeing a completely different world. When I had the opportunity to go to Italy in 2018, that is what I remember most - the complete and total non-homeness that is was. You can imagine and understand everything that people tell you: the way the food is, the people are, the weather, the buildings, the language; nothing can prepare you for another culture simply because you are not of it, and therefore have no idea what to expect. 

Italy was only a week, though, and while it was so beautiful and incredible, it was cold, sleepless, and rushed so that we could squeeze every aspect possible into the short time we had. I am looking forward to not being so rushed and having time to simply live. Eight weeks is not even that long, but of course it will be the right amount. I am especially grateful I will have two full days between arriving at the airport and beginning my program. This should be enough time to let me unpack and take it easy while my body adjusts to the altitude. I’m currently at around 380′ in Bryan, and Cusco is about 11,000′ higher! If I can land without getting altitude sickness, it will be a victory :) 

Tomorrow I move back home to San Antonio for a short week full of packing, paperwork, and seeing everyone before I head out! As I travel, I will continue to write updates :)

Until then,

Lindsay