Tuesday morning, after struggling through the subjunctive, we spent our break-time sunbathing in the school courtyard. The weather in Peru was very off and on - in the shadows it could be very, very cold, but in the sunlight it was very, very warm. Classrooms indoors were freezing, whereas classes that were held outside in the courtyard were almost unbearably warm. The drastic temperature changes that took place within just one day in Peru was something that took a lot of foresight to prepare for and a lot of getting used to. While we had to bundle up at night and in the mornings, by mid-afternoon we would have to peel off layers because of the heat. My arms became very tan from the elbows down because I would roll up my sleeves as the day became warmer. We were in Peru during South America's "winter" time (remember South America is on the other side of the equator - our summer is their winter, and vice versa). We were lucky, however, because apparently the summers in Peru are unbearably hot and rainy.
Tuesday afternoon Jennie and I enjoyed a lunch of pumpkin soup and meatloaf, while talking to Fernando, our host brother. Fernando had been through law school at the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco and was practically fluent in English. It was easy for Jennie and I to slack on our Spanish-speaking practice because Fernando was so eager to practice his English with us. We had many opportunities to laugh over the funny ways in which we all pronounced words in our secondary languages, and at one point Fernando told us that we sound like we're from Texas when we speak. This was a funny observation to us pure-blood Midwesterns, but thought provoking at the same time.
On Wednesday, my conversation class went to the market of San Pedro, about a 30 minute walk away from our school. San Pedro, for lack for a better description, was like the Peruvian equivalent to Wal-Mart, complete with aisles and aisles of everything imaginable. The main difference, however, was the real-life butcher counters in the middle of the market. There you could watch cows, chickens, pigs, and guinea pigs being butchered right before your eyes. Like in the cathedral, stray dogs ran around everywhere and flies threatened to take over. Past the butcher counters were aisles of fresh fruits and vegetables, brought in from the farms daily and sold by local vendors. Our professor pointed out many types of native Peruvian produce and their uses. Past the produce were many rows of handmade textiles and ceramics.
That afternoon, following the culture shock we experienced at the San Pedro market, Jennie and I decided to have lunch at a corner American restaurant, Jack's Café. There I enjoyed a blessedly normal meal of french toast and scrambled eggs, and washed it all down with a chocolate milkshake. I was taken aback by how much I was beginning to miss American food.
Wednesday afternoon, the Rockhurst group took a field-trip on a bus to Sacsayhuaman (I dare you to try to say that aloud), the ruins of the former grand fortress of the Incan empire. As Cusco used to be the Incan capital, there are many Incan ruins to explore in the area. Sacsayhuaman is the location of the beginning of the epic Inti Raymi ceremony, which I will highlight later. The construction of Sacsayhuaman took approximately 50 years, and the biggest stone within the architecture weights 361 tons, making it one of the most extraordinary megalithic structures of the "new world."
As the sun began to set, we visited Tambomachay, known as the Baths of the Incans, and said to flow from the fountain of youth.
That night, I slept like a baby.
On Thursday afternoon, following classes, our Rockhurst group taxied to a local elementary school to play soccer and volleyball. A small group of us went to the Cross Keys, a local British pub (complete with a red phone booth), that evening to study. There we ordered coffee, chicken curry, and ham and cheese ciabatta rolls with papas fritas (french fries).
As I fell asleep that night, outside my window I could hear the music and noise on the street for the festival of Corpus Christi.
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