Jungle Love

Our jungle adventure started with the infamous night-time bus ride. Danny was so excited about the reclining leather seats that it made the ride almost bareable. I apparently was out cold before the bus even left the parking lot. Thank goodness my new friends know me well enough that they made sure to jack me a boxed dinner when the stewardess came around. This also meant that I was incredibly happy to be greeted with an apple pie-ish thing when I finally woke up.

When we got to the amazon, we had a couple hours to hang out at our new favorite diner. I don't know who wouldn't want cheeseburgers (topped with French fries), empanadas, and ice cream for breakfast.

Eventually, we stopped eating and jumped on a boat that took us to the jungle, where we stayed in an adorable lodge. We were greeted with fresh juice, monkeys, macaws, and hammocks to relax in. We took a short walk through the jungle where I learned several things:

• I really like walking in the mud if I'm wearing rubber boots
• I have virtually no interest in learning about plants
• When there is a guide standing next to me, I'm not afraid of anything...even tarantulas 
• It's hard to argue with people from England, mainly because they say things like, "I reckon..."

After lunch, we headed to monkey island. The name retry much says it all. It was an island with monkeys on it. The little buggers were fierce and had no qualms about showing off their sharp teeth and sneering. I wasn't afraid though, because of the whole guide thing. I got to snap some amazing photos.

After relaxing in the hammock, reading for only the second time this trip (as a side note, I would like to point out that I bought approximately 10 books before beginning this adventure just in case I didn't make any friends. In hindsight, that seems foolish because I've met heaps of amazing people), we went hunting for caiman, which is essentially an alligator. Once again, nor afraid! We didn't catch any, but saw some...and we got a beautiful starlit boat ride out of the deal.

The next day we woke up at a ridiculous hour to get to Lake Sandoval. To get to the lake we had to wear lots of clothing, cover ourselves it deer (dud you know that feet disintegrates nail polish?! So much for that awesome manicure), and weave through miles of mud. It was relatively miserable, especially for Vanessa who got Montezuma's revenge halfway there. I'm not sure that that's what you call it in Peru, but you catch my drift. I think she walked away with only 2 massive mosquito bites on her bottom, so I feel like it could have been worse.  After what seemed like an eternity, we made it to our canoe. 

I feel like our little boat ride could have been a lot of fun had we all not been completely exhausted bs wearing 3 layers of clothing to keep those pesky Mosquitos away. Regardless of the fact that we all had in extra crabby pants, we got to see otters, caiman, and what I like to call flying monkeys.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the lodge with our friend pisco. It was lovely and probably the most relaxed I have been all month.

The bus ride home was miserable, so I am just going to pretend it didn't happen.

Vanessa and I spent this afternoon finishing I souvenir shopping and finally trying guinea pig. Yes, I ate some little kids pet, and yes, I will probably face the consequences of bad karma for tv least the next 20 minutes.

I am headed to Colca Canyon tonight. I'll be back Tuesday, and then I start my adventure home Wednesday already! Get ready, Durand!

The trek...part 2

...grass. Grass was the word that the last post was missing.

So anyway, after stuffing our faces, we promptly began our trek. The first day was supposed to be easy, but after 3 minutes of climbing up hill, I was concerned that the altitude was going to get the best of me. I know it seems that I blame everything on the altitude these days, but trust me. Breathing did not come easy as we climbed into the clouds.

The beautiful thing about this particular hike was that we were the only gringos. So the only people we came into contact with were the natives, men at work in their yards, children smiling innocently hoping we'd hook them up with some candy, and women in their traditional dresses, trying to sell us llama-print hats, bracelets, and beer. They sure know how to cater to tourists. The hike that first day was amazing, even despite the fact I couldn't breath. We walked next to the alpaca and llamas, through beautiful flowers, across waterfalls and streams, and literally by the time we reached our campsite, our heads were in the clouds.

Naturally, after all that uphill-ness, we were starving. So the girls all crawled into my tent, where we devoured a bag of trail mix.  We were then called for "tea time." We were all still far more interested in the snacks I had dragged along, until our guide mentioned hot chocolate. At which point, we sprinted toward the kitchen tent. We were not only greeted by hot chocolate, but there was also popcorn and a bottle if rum that Tim so graciously shared. I'm not sure that I can adequately express just how excited I was to see popcorn on that table. I'd say it was equivalent to those little kids along the trail getting Oreos and suckers from Tonya. Pure joy. So we ate like kings and hit the sack.

The next morning started with yet another amazing meal. Yes, food will be a common theme of this post. Then we started our 5 hour trek up, up, up. It was tough. So tough that Kelen and Kim decided to throw down a pile of soles so they could ride horses up. I only point out the fact that they rode horses because it makes me feel better about the fact that I was continually trailing behind the crew. I don't know when I became the slow girl, but it happened. However, with the help of Zach Brown and coca candy, I made it. By the time we stepped to the top of the mountain, snow was falling down in us, which made the whole experience feel a lot more intense. Unfortunately, reaching the top of the mountain, did not men we were done trekking for the day. After 4.5 more hours of strolling through the snow, sleet, and rain, we made it to our campsite. The beautiful thing about the rain was that I got to rock my poncho. That and the fact that my camera was tucked away inside my bag, so I actually had to look up and take in the beauty around me. And let me tell you, it sure was beautiful.

Day three was sort of a joke. I wouldn't call what we did trekking. It was more like taking a leisurely stroll, followed by a bus, followed by a train.  The train took us to an adorable town that rests under Machu Picchu. We were pleased to find out there were more hot springs, where we could rest our muscles. We were quickly disgusted by the infested pools and teenagers making our all around us, do decided to pretend the hot springs never happened and settled for a hot shower instead. Yes, a hot shower! A hot shower with pressure! It was glorious! I had clean hair for the first time in weeks. It didn't last long, but it was wonderful while it did.

That night we were all a bunch of nuts. Kelen so eloquently equated us to a bunch of lunatics getting ready for the apocalypse. Do we have enough granola bars? Bug spray! We need more bug spray! I think I'll pack an entire gallon of water just in case! Sunscreen! We should probably put that on before we go to bed! Ha. I assume we were just excited.

3:45 came early. Maria, the Aussies, and I began our trek for 1/28th of the Inka trail. We hustled like I have never hustled before. Maria was concerned about beating the sun up. I was determined to beat Kim, Kelen, and the Irishman to the gate, so we hustled!

It was my first night (well, I guess early, early morning) hike with a headlamp. The headlamp made me feel intense. So we hustled and were 5th in line at the gates. Kim and Kelen arrived 15 seconds after us. It was perfect. We won! This also meant that we were among the first tourists to get a look at the ruins as the sun was rising. We snapped our pictures before the rocks were infected with gringos.

Naturally, 10 minutes into our tour, I was ready to pee my pants, and it turns out that its not acceptable to drop and squat on these sacred ruins, so I had to go all the way back outside. By the time, I got to the bathroom and found our group again, the tour was virtually over. So I missed it. I ended up just making up my own stories. I feel like I'll have to do some research before I go home. I feel like I missed out.

It was beautiful though, tour or no tour.

I just couldn't say goodbye

So I have tons to say about Machu Picchu. In fact, I blogged for a good 53 minutes this morning. However, I am having technical difficulties and can't finish the post. I think I need a real computer to fix things, so you are just going to have to wait. The entire trek was absolutely wonderful though. And I didn't freeze to death, and, and my hip doesn't actually hurt too bad at all.  I'm hopeful that I'm cured.

Yesterday after volunteering Vanessa and I took our host mom to town for pedicures. As we were walking into a nail place, I realized that we hadn't bartered. However, because it was a present for our mom, I didn't want to barter in front of her, so I just accepted the fact that we were getting completely ripped off. I figured it was still relatively cheap, and I desperately needed someone else to clean my feet after 4 days of trekking.

The women led us into a room filled with curtains and foam beds. We were quickly shushed because apparently this was the same room that they used to do massages, hence the foam pad beds. The woman brought us her kaboodle and told us to pick a color from what appeared to be her personal collection. So we got pedicures in little buckets of water with hand soap from the bathroom and what appeared to be the Peruvian equivalent of Walmart-brand lotion. I tried really hard to relax and make the whole thing n enjoyable experience for our mom. So we laid back on the foam pads, hoping for a little relaxation. On cue, as I close my eyes, one of the women walked into our sanctuary with a baby.  I didn't think too much of it because babies here don't really cry, but then once again on cue as I closed my eyes, that little bundle of joy stared whaling.

Bah! Our day at the spa with our host mom was a bust, so we decided to try to make up for it by taking her out for a drink. Well, one drink led to five. And after five, she was begging to stay out. I don't blame her. She has approximately 15 strangers living in her house at any given moment. So we drank. It turns out the altitude affects her too...maybe even more than it affects me.

The altitude caused us to call it a night early, so I got up early this morning to wrap things up for all of my orphanage projects. Today was supposed to be my last day at the orphanage because I'm headed to the amazon in a couple of hours followed by Colca Canyon. However, I'm not sure that I want to be done. So after lunch today, I gave semi-goodbyes, knowing dang well that I will be back.

The kids were adorable today. Zoila requested music using her picture boards, so as we walked from one side of the room to the other during my shady version of physical therapy, we stopped periodically for dance-party breaks. She bounced up and den as I held into her arms. Some of the other kiddos crowded around us, joining in on our little party.

Lucho (I'm not sure if I've written about him, but he's probably the most adorable kid I've ever seen. He has a diagnosis of autism, probably because he's a headbanger, but is the world's biggest lover nd cuddler.) brought me his favorite toy and spontaneously signed "more" to ask me to turn it on. It wasnt exactly what we practiced, but it was the first time I saw him communicate in a way other than screaming or pointing, so I'll take it!

Alright, time for the jungle!

The trek...part 1

Well, holy buckets! I'm behind and have so much to tell you in the next 40 minutes. Just in case I run out of time, here's the bottom line or lines, I guess.

•  Machu Picchu is stunning. 
• I love hiking but can't wait to do it again at a slightly lower altitude. 
• My friends here are awesome.

Now, I'll start from the beginning.  Thursday was my last day at Club Corazon. In celebration (not really, but let's pretend), we threw a carnival for that kids. (That part is true.) What I have learned about myself at this placement is that I really like to be active, if not in charge. I feel like the lady running the program knew that and was always quick to ask me for direction. In 30 minutes, we threw together some adorable games. When the kids walked in, I found myself closest to the face paint. Suddenly, I was getting requests for, "gatos, tigres, and leones." They all got a blob on their noses and 6 whiskers. Surprisingly, they seemed quite satisfied when they checked it out in the mirror.  We had loads of fun playing the games. I struggled to keep the 3-4 year-olds off the tables, but no one broke anything, so ill chalk it up as a success. 

Anyway, all of that was really just so I could tell you that I was in the ghetto. The after school program is located on top of a mountain, through the barrio, and all the way across town.  I had to leave the carnival a tad early so that I could get to the other side of town for a pre-trek meeting. I was feeling good when I left because there was still some sunlight, and I had forgotten my flashlight. (See, I wasn't exaggerating when I said the ghetto.). So as it turns out Thursday just so happened to be the beginning of a huge festival in Cusco, so the streets were roaring by the time I made it down the mountain. Also, that sunlight that I mentioned was a thing of the past. So there I stood, waiting for a cab alone in the dark. I waited, full. I waited, full. I waited, full. After this went on for
approximately 15 minutes, I finally waved down an empty one. Relieved, I hop in and tell him where I need to go, not even worrying about negotiating a price. He drives me approximately 6 meters,
when I am promptly kicked back to the curb because there is no way he is driving me to the busiest part of town with that festival going on. Bah! I ask nicely, but pretty please with sugar on top doesn't really translate well in Spanish. Back to the curb I went. I waited some more, full. And some more, still full. At this point, I have a realization that I may never get home, so I panicked. I tried really hard to develop a plan, but for the life of me, could not come up with a good one. In hindsight, I old have probably just had to walk to a bus stop and hope that someone would help me. Instead, I waited and panicked. Eventually, an empty cab rolled by. He ripped me off, but I did not care. Whoah, I made it to the meeting with one massive headache and a giant pair of crabby pants.

Now, we'll fast forward to the trek. I had to leave my house at the crack of dawn (3:50) to go meet the crew. Somehow, I managed to not get my packing done the night before, so as punishment, I get to pack via flashlight, which probably still annoyed my roommate considering the hour. I probably should have just turned the lights on if she wanted to strangle me regardless. Anyway, I made it, and we were on our way.

Clearly, at this point I was exhausted. However, every time I opened my eyes on the bus, I saw something breathtaking, and it was virtually impossible to close them again. Llamas grazing on the hillside. Snow-capped mountains. Waterfalls. Several hours later, we stopped in Lares, where we were greeted by therapeutic baths or hot springs if we want to cut to the chase. They were incredibly relaxing. It was great because the 7 of us were the only ones there, and people seem to bond quickly when wearing minimal clothing. (We discussed this previously). It turns out people also bond quickly when they have terrible gas (we'll discuss this later) and when they all realize they are shedding layers of skin in thermal pools because they haven't had a proper shower in weeks. So we soaked and peeled our skin and bonded. We had an awesome group: Kim (actress 1), Kelen (actress 2), Maris (volunteer friend), Toyna and Patrick (Aussie couple), Tim (Irishman), and Leo (our guide).

After the baths, we were greeted by an adorable picnic on the lawn. The food was delicious. We aren't talking your typical hiking food. Jan and Casey, don't get me wrong, I love your Jamwhiches, but our personal chef made us steak and rice (naturally topped with French fries) right there in the

I miss them already

All of my up-coming adventures mean that I only have 3 more days volunteering at the orphanage, maybe 5 if I can sweet-talk the volunteer organization. I miss the kids already, and I haven't even left yet!

The girls were awesome again today. They used the boards to request with the volunteers. How cool to finally get to make choices! Sure, they are silly, little choices like if they want to play with a car or a doll, but they are their choices nonetheless. And people are finally able to listen to them.

I feel like I have such a connection with Ruth. If my roommate would let me bring her home (Trevor!) and if I didn't have heeps of school-loan debt (Mom! Dad!), I think I would honestly consider bringing her home. Unfortunately, I don't think that the kids at this orphanage are even up for adoption. It seems that the sisters have custody and aren't willing to give it up, which is heartwarming and incredibly sad all at once. I'm happy that they have a constant family but still have a terribly hard time wrapping my head around things like force feeding and tying kids to beds.

Bottom line, I'm probably coming home solo, but there is just something about that girl. I don't know how she does it, but she can tell me stories just with her eyes. Today she communicated so much without saying a word. She loves her communication device, but surprisingly, when I work with her we don't even need to use it.

Another onevofvthe boys today, brought his flashkight over to me, put it in my hands, and made the cutest attempt to sign. It looked nothing like "help," but I loved that he knew he was supposed to do something with his hands.

We have a lot of work to do in 3 days. I better get moving!

Lake Titikaka

As a note of caution before you begin reading, I am functioning potentially on 37ish minutes of solid sleep. Bare with me.

Friday night we loaded our backpacks with every article of warm clothing we could find and hopped on the bus for Puno. We arrived bright and early the next morning. And when I say, "bright and early," I actually just mean really flippin' early, not so much bright, because the sun wasn't even up yet. We had to kill a couple of hours and then headed to the travel agency with the hopes of finding breakfast. The only restaurant open at 6:30 am, though, was a fancy hotel.  Let me tell you, 8 girls with backpacks, brushing their teeth in the bathroom, were clearly not their typical guests.  They served us, nonetheless.

We took a short boat ride to Uros, the floating islands. At this point, I was feeling quite sick and had once again lost my voice. In hindsight, this was probably for the best. It forced me to stop talking for a couple hours and really take in the islands.  The islands were made out of reeds and their roots, so as you might imagine, they were quite bouncy, and the ground beneath my feet was literally moving. It seemed like such a foreign way of life, until one if the natives pulled out a cellphone.  Congratulations, AT&T...you have taken over the world!  We were told that natives will probably only inhabit the islands for a handful of years.  It seems all the youngins are moving to town.

Next, we took a 3 hour boat ride to Amantani island where we got to live with a native family. The houses were made out of adobe, and the rooms had one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, which was solar-powered. Remind me again why we don't use solar power? Running water was non-existent.  However, they still had surprisingly nice toilets. No squatting required. You just had to pour water in to make them flush. It was quite fancy compared to the port-o-John we use at Betty.

The whole crew went on an afternoon hike, where we got to watch the sunset. The altitude was killer, but the view was absolutely worth it. At the top our guide insisted that we pick a rock and walk around the temple 3 times to create a type of vortex and then place the rock among the others in the wall, while making a wish. I messed up and apparently managed to put my rock in the wrong place. It turns out I max out at 2-step directions. It's okay though. There's a pretty good chance that's just what they tell the tourists so they can get a chuckle watching us walk around in circles.

Our family was lovely. The mom and daughter even taught us some valuable Quechua phrases. You know the basics: 1-5, thank you, cheers.  Go figure, I only remember cheers.  After dinner our family dressed us up in native clothing and took us to a dance. They ran us around in circles for a good hour. It was incredibly dorky but a neat experience.

The next day we headed to another island (Taquile), where we took a short hike and got to eat breakfast outside at a locals house. Once again, amazing views and a wonderful experience.

All of the girls (there were 8 of us) hogged the top deck of the boat as we cruised back to dry land with sunshine and laughter. I can't even count how many times I heard someone commenting on how surreal the whole experience seemed.  I just cant figure out how i got so lucky, especially when I contrast my weekend adventures with the orphanage I volunteer at.

This morning, even though I was functioning on virtually no sleep, I tried so hard to remember how lucky I am, hoping to give the kids just a little more. I'm not sure how successful I was today, so I have very intention of whipping out some more picture boards tonight.

Estoy enferma but oh so happy

I finally got to use the communication boards with those brilliant girls I was telling you about. As suspected, they rocked. Ruthie, one of the girls I keep talking about with the beautiful smile was able to identify every picture I named, make requests and answer questions on her first try. She was brilliant.  I also taught her how to sign "bathroom." It looked nothing like the ASL sign, but I recognized it 5 minutes later when she raised her arm into the air independently. Like I said before, she's brilliant. Sure enough, she had to go to the bathroom, and instead of wetting her pants for the 3rd time that day, she was able to tell me. Again, brilliant.

The new communication device also meant that the two girls I was working with had a new place in their hearts for me. I really didn't do much, but I suppose they are just ecstatic to have someone willing to take the time to listen to them. Trust me, I'm more than happy to listen because they are hilarious.

At lunch, there were a pile of missionaries there to help us out with feeding. I tried not to play favorites and went to work with another girl. Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't pick one who was a quick eater. Two minutes later, one of the missionaries was tapping me on the shoulder to tell me that Zoila (the other girl I keep talking about with the killer smile) wanted my attention. She smiled at me and then put her head down so the missionary couldn't feed her.  This happened for a good 15 minutes. Eventually, the missionary had given up, and I had to take over. Talk about reinforcing negative behaviors. Oh well, I was flattered, and let's be honest. How often do these kids actually get what they want? Maybe 2-5 minutes a day if they are lucky. So hey, if what she wanted was to giggle at me and dance in her chair while she ate lunch, I was going to give it to her, dang it.

Ruthie was sitting next to us at lunch. She kept sliding out of her chair and afterward would look at me with her, "I need help eyes," which either led to me or one of the missionaries lifting her back up. I couldn't figure out why she kept sliding. I just assumed it was because I did a terrible job of strapping her in her chair. However, a couple minutes later she caught my attention and used her eyes to gesture to her right. For the life of me, I could not figure out what she could possibly want. There was a poster of a baby and a closet. She was persistent though and kept gesturing over there. Finally, it hit me! One of the missionaries was a relatively young, decently good looking man. I asked, "Ese hombre es tu novio?!" She laughed and laughed shaking her head, "Yes!" Of course! She had a crush and wanted to tell me!

One of the other missionaries commented on how much she must adore me. He pointed out that she watched my every movement, and anytime I looked her direction, she smiled.  I really don't think that I did anything too amazing for these girls. I drew them some pictures, and I listened to what they had to say. As I have said in at least 3 blog posts before, their smiles make all of this worth it. And if my silly drawings help someone else down the road listen to what they have to say, then this trip was all worth it.

I was really sick this morning with a cold, but honestly, I didn't even notice when I was working with the kids.

I came home early, though, to shower and nap before our excursion tonight, hoping to feel a little better before the adventures begin. I couldn't nap because my room was under construction. I tried o shower, but there was no hot water, and every time I put my hand under the stream of water I got electrocuted. And honestly, I don't even care. Today was awesome!

We are heading to Lake Titicaca (yes, pronounced just how it sounds). We won't get back until Monday morning, so hopefully I will have some good stories to tell next week!

A voice

I had my first futbol experience yesterday. It turns out that I actually like to watch any sport if it means you can drink beer in the middle of the day with a bar full of people all cheering simultaneously.  Marinus and I bellied up to the bar and watched Denmark and Peru get their butts kicked. In spite of the loss, we had a great afternoon. And now I think I know enough about futbol to justify owning a jersey. I bet I can talk them down to 9 soles (4ish dollars) now that Peru's out of the "World Cup" picture.

Last night, we tried really hard to get dressed up to go to an Opera dinner show. Unfortunately, my dressiest outfit consisted of thermal leggings, a long skirt that I haven't washed for 10 days, knock-off Toms and a Columbia (hey, at least it wasn't a knock-off...just from the clearance rack at the outlet store) jacket. The staff at the 5-star hotel surprisingly did not turn us away.  In fact, they treated us like queens and a king. Marinus was a lucky man on a date with 2 underdressed ladies and one lady who actually packed appropriately. The dinner was scrumptious.  It was so fancy that they brought it out on a silver platter, literally.  The music was amazing.  The voices would sneak up on you, literally. I'm serious. The soprano would pop out of different corners and balconies.  She was so beautiful that Marinus fell in love even though he was already on a date with three stunning (underdressed but stunning, nonetheless) ladies.

After dinner, we hit up the town for our last night with our new friend. I was determined to get up early to work on communication boards for the girls at the orphanage, so for the first time in my life, I left the bar early, before anyone else. I survived my first, solo late-night cab ride and actually rolled myself out of bed four hours later to draw pictures of noses, ears, shirts, and stuffed animals.

Unfortunately, the girls that I got up early to make the boards for didn't get to come to therapy today. So after lunch, I managed to sneak away from my typical sweeping duty to try out the boards. The girls were absolutely amazing.  I could name almost anything on the page, and they would use either their knuckles or wrists to point to it. As I was naming off body parts, and watching them smile as all of the volunteers cheered them on, I realized that up until this moment these girls had probably never been given the opportunity to demonstrate how smart they really are, make a choice, or even express their needs.  

We only got to play with the boards for a couple minutes, but it was enough to motivate me to spend my afternoon drawing picture board after picture board. I can't stop because I don't want to limit them. They are amazing girls, and I am confident that with their new voices they will be able to blow everyone away.  I can't wait to see what they can do!

I love lists

I'm over a week into this journey, which means I'm about ready to start making lists about Cusco and this adventure in general. So here we go...

Things I love about Cusco:

• I don't have to shave my legs because it is so cold no one will ever see exposed skin. Good thing I packed those dresses. Ha.
• My hair is so disgusting after I get out of the shower that it actually gets progressively less greasy the more days I go without showering. 
• I can buy some type of apparel with llama print approximately every 3 steps.
• Bon o bons are sold on virtually every street corner.
• You can find a parade or celebration everyday if you look hard enough.
• People in said parade are wearing amazingly colorful clothing that makes  me ridiculously happy.
• The kids at the orphanage have never once made fun of my broken Spanish, potentially because they are non-verbal but still.
• There are restaurants with bathtubs for tables.
• The hookah bar plays a great selection of music from the 90's that we get to jam out to
• I get to wear scrubs, which I can only assume makes people think I'm a doctor when I'm walking down the street
• Pisco
• French Fries
• My roommates are celebrities
• Everyone here is volunteering, which means they are incredibly sweet, inspiring people

Things I miss about home, or will at least appreciate a little more:

• Red meat
• Gluten-free diets
• Heat
• My own bathroom, with a seemingly endless supply of water
• Sleeping without a sleeping bag
• Instant gratification of text messages, so I don't have to keep refreshing my email hoping someone responded to me
• Zoyo

Things I accomplished today:

• I changed my very first diaper
• While changing that diaper, I managed to maintain a level of sanity even after realizing there was a cat under the bed
• I gave a little girl enough love that she went from drawing on my facing, trying to yank out my earrings, and telling me to shut my mouth, to giving me a great big hug and asking me to come back and play 

Without a paddle...

I'm not really sure when or how it happened, but at some point in the not too distant past, I think I grew up...sort of. So when the other volunteers went out to the clubs on Friday night, Kim and I watched movies on our iPads. I made it 23 minutes into some cheesy chick flick before I was out cold, while the other volunteers, who still know how to party, rolled into the house around 4:30 am.

As it turns out it was probably for the best that a couple of us were functioning on a full night's sleep because we needed to be out of the house by 8:30 to make it to our rafting adventure. At 8:07 I hesitantly knocked on the door of the girl who had been out all night. In response, I got a groan. I knock again. "Mumble, mumble, groan, groan." It's now 8:09, so I decide to be a bit more aggressive. I open the door, and the girl (who for the next couple minutes we will refer to as drunkie) is still groaning at me. Eventually drunkie realized that I was in her room and popped out of bed.  We somehow managed to get to the travel agency early.  However, I cannot say so much for drunkie's partner in crime from the night before, who literally ran to meet us after we gave her a wakeup call. This little delay led to us all running down the street with our tour guide like a bunch of weirdos. Children and adults alike were clearly confused by the stampede of gringos running down the street.

Surprisingly, we did make our bus, and after two hours of winding through beautiful mountains, we made it to the rio, where we got to dress up like Scuba Steve. Okay, maybe the only similarity was that we were wearing wetsuits, but it was my first time in a wetsuit, so I felt like Scuba Steve.

I somehow lost the nose-goes game and ended up in the front of the raft. I'm normally all about sitting in the front, but the water was straight from a glacier, and sitting in the front also meant getting splashed a lot! Surprisingly, after the initial splash, I wasn't too cold. I didn't realize this at the time, but it was because my body was numb. Numb or not, the trip down river was amazing. The views were like nothing I've ever seen before. There were plenty of decent rapids that merited wearing a helmet, so we all got to feel pretty badass.

After rafting, all 20 of us piled into a sauna. Let me tell you, if you want to feel really close to strangers really fast, stripping down to your underwear (or one piece swimming suit that you stole from your mother in my case) and sitting in a hot, dark room is the way to do it.  They gave us warm lunch and had a zip line for one more adventure for those that were not too cold and exhausted to climb up a tower and slide above the river.

After a day of adventure, my guidebook led us to a cozy hookah bar with the best pisco sours in town.

Show me your hands

I am not sure that I will ever get used to lifting kids out of soaking wet cribs or picking up stained blankets from the floor and putting them right back in the sleeping cages that they like to call beds. However, I must say it is getting easier. It probably has something to do with the fact that the girl I am lifting out of the crib has the world's most precious smile and that those kids are just happy to be warm regardless of whether or not the blankets were washed. As for the cages, at least those little buggers can't run away.

None of the children at the orphanage can speak, but I knew that some of them could understand what I was saying even with my gringa accent. I was amazed by one of the girls today who was able to use her knuckle to point to every body part I named on a bear.  She fed off my excitement and played along as I had her show all the volunteers over and over again. I am so excited to find, or I guess make if I have to, picture cards to see what these girls can do! I started teaching some of the other kids some basic sign.  However, like so many of my students, they were stubborn, and of course the orphanage doesn't have any cheese balls for me to work with. Kids will do anything for cheese balls. They are a speech therapist's dream come true.

Later on, I went hiking with my tandem partner. Her friend took us to the top of the city, where we could look down on all of the action. We were surrounded by ancient ruins and llamas...quite the sight. I swear pictures will come eventually.  I definitely got my fair share of Spanish this afternoon. I learned four new words but have already forgotten every single one.  I think the altitude must have a negative impact on memory and probably cognition in general because I've felt like una idiota all day,

The roommates and I spent the evening shopping. I officially have more apparel with llama print than anyone should own...ever. 

We are getting up early for some whitewater rafting.  If we don't freeze our booties off, you can expect a recap tomorrow night.

Bathtubs, goldfish, and leopard-print pillows

I have been part of this tandem program through my volunteer organization.  It's sort of like awkward online dating, in that we sit together for two hours a day trying to come up with silly conversation topics when we really have very little in common and realistically aren't all that interested in what the other person has to say. She's a sweet girl, but we are complete opposites. She's really quiet. I'm obnoxiously loud. She is kind. I am remarkably opinionated, considering I have to take the time to translate all of my thoughts. Tomorrow we are going hiking,

I volunteered today at the after school club. I was warned that it was in the "ghetto," but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I'd estimate that we passed at least 230 rabid dogs on our adventure up the hill. Okay, I'm exaggerating but at least 43 stray dogs, and I'm pretty sure that at least one of them was infected with something dangerous. Anyway, with Vanessa's help, I rode the bus without getting pick pocketed, walked through the barrio, and scooted passed those scary beasts called puppies.  The program was neat, but I definitely was not as needed as I feel at the orphanage. By the end of the day, most of the kids were making fun of me, which I am going to go ahead a pretend is just their way of saying I was amazing...and had nothing to do with the fact that my Spanish is not all that great and I say dorky things like, " Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay!"

We took a cab back to the house and scarfed down our dinner only to turn around and go to dinner two.  Dinner two was amazing for several reasons: 1. There is a great group of girls staying in the volunteer house with me, and they are lovely company. 2. I ate red meat for the first time since my arrival. Actually, it was only my second encounter with meat...the first being the poor, baby alpaca. 3. The restaurant had bathtubs filled with goldfish for tables. 4. Instead of chairs, we sat on a bed topped with leopard-print pillows.

Spent...

I sat for a good three minutes trying to come up with a title for this post. Exhausted? Overwhelmed? Emotional? Excited? Sad? No, no...I'm definitely spent- mentally, physically, emotionally.  I finally started work at an orphanage for children with severe disabilities. It is as if you took my kids from home and plopped them in Peru. Except, this is what my kids would be like if you didn't give them a home, love, attention, warmth, etc.  I knew what I was getting myself into, but had no idea what I was getting myself into. I've done things in the last two days that would make my SLP friends sick...well, really anyone. It's weird though because there is definitely a point when you think to yourself, "it's this or nothing." So, yes, I tied kids to a bed and heard them banging their heads against a railing.  I put soiled sheets in a crib. I held a girl down as the nuns force-fed her, listening to her scream and choke.  Like I said, there's a point.  Soiled sheets or no sheets at all.  There isn't heat here, so it's freeze or sleep on stains. They don't have IVs or other ways to supplement nutrition, so it's hold the girl in her chair or watch her starve. It's tie the kids to the bed or have them run away. There's a point.

 I am also conflicted because I want to establish a strong rapport with the staff, which I have definitely been successful at but it also means respecting their way of caring for and treating the children. The physical therapist that runs the program picked my brain for hours today, and I think we are going to be able to make some progress. Most of the volunteers are also a little younger than I am, so they have been incredibly open to my suggestions.

The kids are wonderful. In two days, I think I have fallen in love with every single one of them.  It just doesn't matter if they are covered in pee or throwing their food up all over you.  It really doesn't matter. The second they make eye contact or smile, I know that it is all worth it. 

So I'm spent...

Feeling a bit seedy

You aren't going to get nearly as much detail about the next day, mainly because I was crabby, and no one wants to read that. I know you all ( okay, some of you) have better things to be doing. So here were the highlights:

• I didn't get a placement with kids with disabilities even though that is why I came here. Don't worry. It has since been sorted.
• I bought a bunch (3) cheesy textiles with llamas on them and then proceeded to eat alpaca (smallish llama) for dinner
• I went to take a shower after an exhausting day of drinking coco tea and cusqueno (Cusco's mediocre beer). To my surprise as I'm standing in the shower covered in grease and hair (mind you I hadn't showered for days at this point), I discover we are out of water.
• I straightened my hair, pretending it was covered in expensive oils from sprouts not my grease, and went to a fancy dinner, where (as previously mentioned) I ate alpaca with sweet potato apps and a side of quinoa of course!
• I went to a bar and didn't drink...I'm not even sure who I am anymore. 3 days in Peru, and I'm a whole new woman.

The night is young

Sunday was a long, long day but a beautiful way to fall in love with Cusco. Kim and I got up early to make the 45 minute walk to town. Yes, it's now only 45 minutes now that she's holding the map.The cathedral   was beautiful. I loved listening to the sermon, mainly because I have only been speaking English since I got here, so it was reassuring that I knew what he was saying when he said I was going to hell for not eating and drinking Jesus. That's what I heard anyway... Hmm maybe taking some Spanish classes wouldn't be the worst idea. No, no, I'm sure that's what he said. Meh, we were in a beautiful cathedral.  He could have been talking about the history of potatoes and it still would have been cool. My second favorite part was when we got to share the peace. No one even acknowledged the fact that we were the only white girls taking up space in the pews. They shook our hands and smiled like we belonged even though I was a good foot taller than everyone else and had a giant bag filled with tourist gear.

After church, we got breakfast in a balcony above the center. It was perfect because we got to watch the parade (apparently there are always parades and celebrations even though people aren't even entirely sure what they are celebrating) from above. Breakfast consisted of quinoa apple juice and quinoa tortillas. So I retract my previous statement. They either put quinoa or French fries in everything. Jackpot!

After breakfast, we went on a little adventure to buy our tickets for everything. Get excited for future posts about lake titicaca, a Machu Picchu trek, and white water rafting! We somehow managed to spend 2 hours at this travel place. Apparently we were full of questions. I recall Kim even asking the poor guy behind the desk to google image a city.  As luck would have it, we ran into two of the 4 people we knew at the time. Then we proceeded to follow them around for the rest of the day. Awesome guys, and as luck would have it, one of them is from Phoenix and has promised to teach me how to two-step at Toby's.  And I'm holding him too it dang it! I own far too many cowboy boots not to know how to properly two-step, which I miss a lot. Hiking boots just aren't a particularly good look when they are in size 10... Okay maybe no shows look good in giant sizes...

After following the poor boys to lunch, we went to a discussion at a coffee shop. It was a bunch of "travelers," so imagine bearded men, hiking boots, and lots of beads, gathered in cozy room debating the impact tourism has on culture. In true hippy form, the conversation continually digressed to happiness. Ah how I wish I were a hippy.

The hippy chat was promptly followed by dinner, and there were French fries!

We also hit the town for our first time. We started our adventure at Paddy's at an Irish pub where all the gringos hang out. I got incredibly drunk, incredibly fast. I blame the altitude though, or maybe the  line "When in Cusco," or perhaps it was the raw eggs in my drink, or or or maybe it was because we took whiskey shots! It also turns out in cusco you don't have to buy drinks. They just give you cards for free ones. The free drinks are rum and coke, which is a beautiful thing...Jackpot! I showed my new partners in crime my stellar dance moves, and guess what...they still talk to me!

They put French fries on everything...

Well, I made it. The journey was neither quick nor restful but surprisingly mediocre. Heck, if I can chalk 24 hours of traveling and 3 hours of sleep up to mediocre, I'd say I'm doing alright!

Before you read anything else, i need to apologize in advance for bad grammar and scattered thoughts. my brain runs significantly faster than my fingers can type on an ipad. Fact.

 There were no glitches in my travels. In fact, I was so calm and acting in no way like my typical hyper self that when Lisa picked me up, one of her first questions was if I popped a handful of xannies. I would like to think I have just magically turned into a sane person in the last week.  However, I fear the altitude medication may have a calming effect. Anyhow, I attribute my good luck at the airport completely to good karma. I did approximately 4 good deeds at the airport (who's counting?)... like legit good deeds... using my broken spanish to help a girl who asked for a 5 day visa instead of 50, returning credit cards, and all those other good things you can do in 24 hours at the airport. So the bottom line was I figured my plane wouldn't crash. And it didn't. I met a sweet girl to hang out with in Lima. She giggled a lot. We are talking like every other word a lot, but then I realized she was 21. Not that that excuses the behavior, but I used to giggle a lot at 21, so I am sympathetic. Okay, so maybe I still giggle a lot.  Anyway, I was picked up at the airport by a man holding a sign as promised and was dropped off at my new house by 8 am.

My roommate is awesome. We spent the whole day together today, getting lost and trying to figure out what the heck we are doing. She's an actress in LA, which means she's way cooler than I am. She got to date Ted in a How I Met Your Mother episode, which automatically adds her to my idol list. Seriously though, she's super cool, and we've already made lots of fun plans for the next two weeks while she's here.

Oh the living situation. I already forgot about that. I think it is going to be a blast because it is full of some really cool people. However, I also think I m going to stink for the next 5 weeks because we have 14+ people sharing one freezing shower and two toilets.  Makeup, dry hair, and shaved legs are a thing of the past. So for all of you that we're concerned about me bringing home a Peruvian husband can rest assured I'll be flying sola.

Also, I've had two things to eat today. Both which had French fries on top. The only logical conclusion is that everything here is topped with French Fries. Can you say Jackpot!?