Cusco & Machu Picchu

June 27, 2016

Day 1

            Not really the most auspicious start to the month. My original flight was delayed by a whole day so I couldn’t leave until the day I was supposed to arrive. Oh well, these things do happen. So here I am, in Peru a day late but nevertheless here. The altitude sickness everyone warns me about hasn’t really hit yet, but I expect it will at some point while I am here. I got to meet my host family and go to the school in the same day, immediately after my plane landed. My Familia (what I’m going to call my Peruvian family) is absolutely wonderful and I couldn’t have found a more welcoming family. Edwin, his wife Claudia, his younger sister Ruth and their baby son Esteban were so kind. I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed on the cheek so often in a single hour. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. They were really excited when I gave them their gifts. It’s really lucky that they like Disney. The baby they had is just the cutest thing, but I think he’s a little alarmed by me, maybe because he’s never seen someone with natural red hair. Who knows? Anyway, immediately after I was shown around the apartment and given the chance to drop my luggage, I went straight to the school. I’m probably going to walk, just so that I don’t have to spend money on bus or cab fare. It’s sort of a long walk but it’ll help me get used to the altitude, and walking is good for the body anyway. Once Edwin took me to the school, the people at Ecela (ES) took me right up to begin my learning. Dorian was my teacher, and he was pretty understanding of me not being able to understand him all the time. I won’t bore you with the details of the lesson itself, but it was similar to how I learned last year, but with about twice the amount of writing. I’m pretty wiped from the day of flying, but traveler’s high still hasn’t worn off. I’m going to crash hard when it wears off. Either way, I’m excited for the beginning of this brilliant new adventure.

June 29, 2016

Day 3

            Boy, what a day! We have Wednesdays off from school, so today I went out with Edwin into the town. We met with his family for lunch at the restaurant Manka. The food was really good, and his family was really nice. I didn’t really understand most of what they were talking about, but I will soon. After lunch we drove up with his family to Cristo Blanco, which looks like the statue in Rio. It had a view of the entire city, and really was a muy bonita vista. Later, we drove down to “Sexy Woman” or at least that’s what it sounded like. It’s these old remains of an Incan temple, I think. We all sat down and they all had a couple of beers. They offered me one, but I said no, being a minor and all. It felt like hanging out around a fire at the beach. Everyone was singing and drinking and playing the guitar. While they were talking Edwin’s cousin asked me what my name was and I told him it was Mackenzie. Edwin looked confused and I explained to him that my name was Mackenzie, not Spence. My familia had been calling me Spence so far, and I thought it was kind of funny. I showed him my license, and they were all confused over my three names. I laughed and explained to them as best I could which name was which. I’m glad my familia knows my given name isn’t my family name anymore. It’s still pretty funny to think about. When the sun began to set, we went back to the apartment, and stopped by a panadería and got some sort of Peruvian apple pie and some rolls. The pie/cake was really good. I’ll have to get the recipe for it. Maybe I can make that instead of Mom’s apple pies once in a while. After dinner, I retreated to my bedroom to finish my tarea and here I am. Everyone is still at the apartment, and it’s pretty lively. They’re all very jovial people, and really very sweet. Edwin’s mother keeps calling me linda, which means she thinks I’m really nice/cute. It was a marvelous day today, and only the third. Back to the grindstone mañana.