Two More Weeks!

Maynalla! (Hola en Q'echua)

My mother is currently upset with me because I said I would write a blog the past two weekends and I didn’t, but I’m making up for that now.  Let’s see, last I wrote I had just received a blessing from the Bishop in Cuzco. Well it’s been more than 2 weeks and I have been feeling pretty good! I constantly have a stuffy/runny nose and a little bit of a cough, but overall I am feeling so much better. The past two weeks have gone by really fast, but nothing too exciting has happened … I don’t think. Well Majaida’s teachers begged Berta to ask me to teach Spanish at her school, so I’ve done that the past two weeks. I teach three classes, two classes of Kindergarteners and one class of First Graders. I like teaching the First Graders, they’re not too bad - but the Kinders…oh my heavens. I would tell you to remind me to never be a Kindergarten teacher, but I know I won’t forget, so reminding me won’t be necessary. Teaching at Alvaro’s school has also been going pretty well.

So this past weekend I went to church in Urubamba again. Part of the family of the Senior Missionary couple I met last time was there. To remind you, the couple is from Pleasant Grove. So as I went to meet their son who just returned from his mission, I realized, I already knew him, and his brother as well. Oh what a small world we live in. They both had worked at Tucanos, so we didn’t know each other very well, but definitely recognized faces. After church they invited me over to their home for lunch. They have a beautiful home and it was nice to eat something as American as egg salad. While talking, we also discovered that the parents do in fact teach English in Urubamba. And, well, what better way to teach English than by using Daily Dose? Haha, they couldn’t believe that I not only knew their sons, but my own Padre is the creator of Daily Dose. I asked them about Jodi’s parents but couldn’t remember their first names. They know some Harpers in Pleasant Grove but don’t know if they’re the same Harpers. Crazy to have so many connections, huh? And to find them all the way out here in Peru! What a ridiculously small world.

Hmm, what else? I don’t think anything too exciting has happened. When I was in Cuzco the other weekend I saw some guys in the plaza playing music. I stopped to listen and they invited me over to sit with them. They were pretty chill and invited me to hang out with them that evening. I agreed and we exchanged numbers. However, later I decided that it probably wasn’t a super great idea for me to go out alone with like 6 other guys I didn’t know. Plus, I have church super early so going to bed was probably a better idea. The guy I gave my number to would not stop calling though. Like until 2 in the morning, ugh. So that’s kind of weird and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t go with them.

Life is good here, for the most part. We had an awkward weekend because Thursday, Vito and Berta got into a fight, so Vito left early Friday. But now all is well and not awkward. The other day Alvaro and I hiked up into the mountains a little bit. It’s amazing how beautiful the landscape is … and how much trash there is up there. It’s ridiculous, honestly. I won’t miss that when I come home. And the smell, won’t miss that either. I will miss Berta and Alvaro though, very much. I can’t believe I come home two weeks from today.

Well, I think I’ll wrap it up here. Congratulations to my dear friend Josie Newell who is now happily engaged! And I’m very excited for Elder Zachary Pope who will be serving in Louisiana in Februrary! Thank you again for all your prayers and know I pray for all of you too! Every single one of you  :D

Con amor,

Alyssa

Happy November!

Hola Family and Friends,

Yes, I know it has been some time since I last wrote. This is not because I was eaten by a llama or fell off a mountain, I've just been very lazy. There isn't a whole lot to report on because I have spent most of the last few weeks in bed. Yes, I am still sick. I get better for a couple days and then something else hits me. I went almost a whole week without being really sick, but that's my record so far. But no worries, Berta takes good care of me and today after church I asked the Bishop for a blessing. I doubt my health will be perfect until my return, but I do know things will be ok.

 Rosanna has moved houses so I now have a new house in Cuzco. It's not too far, a little smaller, but very beautiful and in a very nice neighborhood. I still sleep at her house on the weekends for church. She no longer houses students but wants me to stay at her house when i come into Cuzco for church (for the money I pay her, I'm sure). My room is on the third floor and has a great view - I'll take some pictures next weekend.

Halloween was pretty fun as we spent it in Urabmaba. It's very similar here in that kids dress up, ask people for candy, and lots of people get drunk. I wasn't feeling too great that evening so we just walked around with the kids, watched a movie, and called it a night. 

Oh, that morning I went to church in Urabamba and met the senior missionaries who happen to be from Pleasant Grove! Crazy, huh? They don't know Dad and Susan and I forgot to ask them about Jodi's parents so I'll have to ask them that next time. Their kids are coming in a couple weeks to visit and they really want me to meet their son who just returned from his mission. Maybe he's a cutie...we'll see.  They were very nice and helpful though. The branch in Urabamba is quite large, but very inactive. There would hardly be a primary if the local orphanage didn't attend. 

After church we went to Moray! More ruins of the Incan people and so very awesome. While on our way there we met three people from Korea and shared a cab with them and hung out with them for the trip. The guy (there were two girls and one guy) kept wanting his picture with me. I think he was just being friendly and such but not Berta, she likes to tease me about it and how he had a crush on me. Oh and the Friday before Halloween the stake in Cuzco had another dance. I left with two roses and a guy's number - oh, it's fun here in Peru. 

Myrthe, Jin, and Michael (my friends from the language school in Cuzco), have all returned home now (well Myrthe is now in Bolivia continuing her Journey) so Cuzco isn't as exciting now on the weekends. I come in on Saturday for church and return Sunday. It's nice to have an evening to myself here in Cuzco, but I miss having friends to go out with. Hopefully I'll meet new friends but if not, that's ok. 


Teaching English at Alvaro's school has been going well. I'm getting nervous for the next few weeks because now we are past the very basics and well, I'm just not an English teacher. Things will be okay though as my dear mother helps me out and gives me advice via internet. So I have been talking with Berta and as soon as Alvaro turns 18 she would like to send him to the States to go to school. So I guess we're planning on him going to school in Utah and living with me. I'm ok with that as I adore the kid, but it is 7 years away.

Well, I'll try to write again soon and not leave you hanging for so long. I would appreciate prayers for my health and safety, and I pray for all my family and friends back home as well every night.

With love, Alyssa.

Hey! It's me again! :)

Dear Blog World, 
My mother guilted me into posting another blog, do enjoy.

It's been an interesting two weeks. It's been good, and not so good at the same time. Although I being here, I'd much rather be here and healthy. Last time I wrote I was just getting over being sick, well that didn't last long. Last week I came down with strep. After a few days of not being able to swallow, I was finally feeling much better. My body, however, was like "Whoa! You can't be healthy! That's no fun!" So after a day or two of feeling good, I was sick, once again. I'm still not sure if it was food poisoning, but I don't think so because it lasted longer than 24 hours. I was puking for a couple days, anytime I wasn't on the toilet, or sometimes both - puking into the trash can while on the toilet...it was really fun. I was still having stomach pains yesterday but am feeling much better today (crossed fingers). I still have to be very careful about what I eat though. Oh yeah, I even had to go to the emergency room at 11 o'clock at night, it wasn't too fun. I felt like the night shift really didn't know what they were doing, took my heart beat like 6 times and then asked me if I was "good" every few minutes. "Yeah, I'm great. Please hand me that bowl to puke me...see? Perfect?" I was slightly annoyed as I don't like doctors anyway. They gave me a shot and sent me on my way. I think the shot helped, but who knows. The doctors asked if I was Berta's daughter, that made me smile. It was indeed an adventure. 

Besides being sick, lying in bed, life has been good. There are lots of festivals going on right now, so between being sick and partying, I haven't been to the school that much. Anytime I'm healthy enough to come around, there's no school because of this festival or that festibiblia. This last week I went to a cow vestival, that was fairly exciting, but you can only watch people milking cows for so long. After the dancing was over, we got bored and took a walk in the cow fields. It was a great view of all the snow on the huge mountains, it's awesome out here. There was a festibiblia on Saturday, which was boring at parts and entertaining at others. I really liked watching all the dances. They have such beautiful clothing here for their celebrations. I want to go and buy every one of the skirts I saw! But I wont. 

Hmm, what else? We were walking in Urabamba when we saw a man with an ostrich. We were driving to Urcoss when we passed a cage of lions. Quite strange. You don't usually see lions and Ostridges in this part of Peru. I'm starting to get along with the kids more, although there are still a few that just don't tickle my fancy. My favorite  kid is Rene, he is adorable and so sweet. Alex and I have a secret handshake, we're buds. I love the kids, but they've been giving me a little too much love. They hug and play with me so much, that the little bugs that live in their clothes have jumped onto mine. I thought I was getting a weird body acne or something, but turns out it's something more like fleas. They now live in my clothes and mattress, so I wake up with a new bite pretty much every day. They are pretty small and only itch a little, so it's really not too bad. Hmmm...what else? Berta has been taking amazing care of me, she baby's me a little too much. But since I've been so sick, I don't mind. She is so funny, we get along great. There is a particular neighbor lady that I don't really like, but I'm going to try to have a change of heart and realize she's only trying to help and sometimes she gets lonely. Last night I went to a fireside and then choir practice for the stake here in Cuzco, that was kind of fun. There were sister missionaries there who spoke English -  they asked me to say a prayer and said it was ok if I said it in English becuase I haven't really been taught how to say a prayer in Spanish yet. One of them came up to me afterwards and said how nice it was to hear a prayer in English haha. Sadly, I wont be here most Sunday nights for practices but they sing in Plaza De Armas on Saturday nights sometimes and hand out pass-along-cards, so that will be fun to participate in. I like my ward, they're very nice and patient with me. 

Well, I think that covers the last two weeks fairly well. It was mostly spent in bed being sick, but I've kept myself sane. Sending love from Peru!

-Alisa Escalante-

<3

First Week in Ocangate!

Hello world,
I hope all is well with you. I am currently at Rosanna's house in Cuzco, in between sessions of General Conference. I came back on Friday evening so I would be able to watch all the sessions. I actually am listening to them though, because the video stream is very choppy and doesn't work too well. Audio streaming works perfectly and I like it just as well. I wont be able to listen to the very last bit of this last session because I return back to Ocongate at 4:30 and it ends at 5:00 here. But that's ok, not only will I watch it again next week in Spanish, but I'll read it in English when it comes out in the Ensign, so I'm not too worried about it. I have loved all the sessions so far. Some of my favorite speakers so far have been: Elder Holland, Elder Cook, Elder Anderson, President Uchtdorf, President Eyring, and of course, President Monson. But I really have enjoyed all the talks so far and look forward to (most) of another session!

This weekend Berta's family all went back to Urabamba, but I came here to Cuzco because they don't have Internet at their house. Although, most the time they live in Ocongate, they still have a house in Urabamba they go to regularly. They live in Ocongate for work reasons. Well, let me tell you about my week in Ocongate. I arrived on Sunday after church, and had a lovely first evening. Giving gifts, eating dinner, and getting to know the family. The power had gone out so we ate dinner by candlelight, it was a fun experience. It is a family of four. Berta, her husband Vito, and their two children álvero (11) and Majayda (4). But I'll tell you more about them as we go along. The next day I went to the school in Huecco Uno with Berta, where she is the kindergarten teacher. I was mostly a helper, getting to know the kids, playing with them, assisting Berta with some things, etc. These kids though, let me tell ya, the best word I can find for them is "Hellions". They are such a handful! I've never seen such violent children in my life. It's part of their culture though, I'm pretty sure. The way you deal with children in Peru is as long as you can yell louder and hit harder, that's how you can control them. This, of course, teaches them children to yell and hit amongst themselves. I keep telling them not to hit, and it's like it's a new concept to them, and they don't really understand, or listen for that matter. As hard as it is dealing with violent kindergarteners, it's even more difficult when you can't speak with them very well. My Spanish is improving, but the children mostly speak Q'echua. Q'echua sounds like Spanish...while chewing on the biggest piece of gum you could possibly fit in your mouth, and singing. It's quite different, so I really can't understand the children hardly at all. I talked with Berta, and I'm not sure if I'll be going with her and her class most days or not. The original thought was that Mondays and Tuesdays I would go in her class and work with the Kinders, Wednesday and Thursday I would work with Amanda (the other teacher at the school) in the 1st and 2nd grade class, and Fridays I would teach English at álvero's school. Well, Wednesday came along, and Amanda said she didn't want me in her class. I could only understand so much of their conversation (that she thought I couldn't understand at all), but I'm not sure if she meant ever, or she just didn't want me there that day. Either way, I like working with Berta more; Amanda is kind of a grouch. I will definitely be teaching English at álvero's school every Friday though. I didn't go this Friday because I've been sick. I actually only went to school with Berta two days this week, and stayed home the other days. I was sick with altitude sickness, a cold, a cough, and food poisoning. Berta and I went to a restaurant on Monday after school and both got sick from the food. Berta said we won’t be eating in the restaurants in Ocongate anymore (there are only 3 or 4) and would only be eating at home, because they're not very sanitary. I'm okay with this because I quite like Berta's cooking. I quite like Berta period, she's such a great lady. She has been the perfect second mom I could have out here while I've been sick, she takes such good care of me. One of the nights, I was coughing pretty badly, so I guess it woke her up. She came over and gave me a scarf to put on, gave me vapor rub, and made me some tea...all at 4:30 in the morning. She's just so caring like that. I'm feeling much better though, and only have a little bit of a sore throat and a cough left. Not only do I love Berta, but the whole family as well. These kids are my new best friends! Majayda is the cutest little doll, but does cry quite a bit. She cries over everything, including her milk. Although she does cry a lot, when she's not crying, she's dancing and singing and playing and just being a doll. Álvero is my new best friend, he is such a stud! He is so funny; I can't help but laugh all the time when I'm around him, which is quite a bit. He's the skinniest little Peruvian boy you ever did see, and likes to dance like Michael Jackson. What a stud. I don't know Vito as well as the others, but is very, very nice and a good father to the family. I miss them already, just having not seen them over the weekend, but I'll see them again today, so no worries.

Berta was actually here at the house for part of the day yesterday because she was getting some last minute work done with Senor Michael. She made a joke in Spanish and I understood it but Michael didn't. I had to explain it to him in English...I felt pretty cool. Michael speaks Spanish and understands much more than I do, but just didn't get the joke. Michael actually left just about an hour ago for the airport, he returns to the states today. He hopes to come back out again very soon, but has to work that out with the Heartwalk Foundation first. So last night Michael, Jin, and I went out for his last big meal. We went to a small place by the house first, but they ran out of BBQ Ribs, which is mostly what we went for. So we ending up heading to Plaza de Armas, and found a nice restaurant there to eat. We had THE best dessert!! Jin and I are planning on going back next weekend, just for the dessert! It was a Banana wrapped in a chocolate sesame seed crepe, with a delicious peanut buttery sauce, and a fruit juice drizzled on top....mmm! After dinner we walked around the Plaza a bit, as I educated them on the mind of a woman. Jin has been having some girl trouble and drama with a girl here in Peru. It's actually one of his teachers, so that makes it a little more awkward. She has been very forward and wants to date him, but he just doesn’t really care to since he goes back home in two weeks. Both of them being single, and not very educated on the mind of a woman, they really didn't know what to do. So we had a long talk about it, and now it all makes sense and he knows what he has to do. Oh, silly men. I had to teach them the concrete fact that "Boys are dumb and girls are psycho." After our fun evening, we returned to the house where other guests were over visiting Rosanna, and also to say bye to Michael, I think. I was very tired and didn't join the party. I quickly skyped with mother and fell asleep. The guests downstairs were smoking though, so I woke up with a sore throat from the smoke.  Oh, I don't know if I mentioned in my last blog, but we have a kitten here at the house (I think I did mention him). He's getting big and very loud. He follows me around, climbs up my leg, likes to sit on my chest, and chew on my hand...it's very annoying. Hopefully he'll keep Jin company though this week, as Michael is gone, I head back to Ocongate, and there are no other students here at the house as of right now. Today is Election Day, so last night all the bars and a lot of Discotecha's closed down. It hasn't been as eventful today as I thought it might, since everyone was making such a big deal about it.

Oh, I haven't told you much about my living conditions, have I? The house is very, very small. There are only two rooms - an upstairs and a downstairs. Each room is maybe a bit bigger than my living room, maybe. I'll post pictures of the house too so you can see what it looks like and the size. We all sleep in the same room, but I get my own bed, so that's nice. The bathroom is out behind the house, just maybe 10 feet; in it's own little room. The shower is down a little bit, by some other houses. Vito works for the government, so we live in a little government community. It's a gated neighborhood, so you have to be careful not to get in too late or they'll lock you out. Life is very simple here; we hand wash and hang dry all the laundry, there is no fridge, no microwave, only a simple gas stove and sink with some shelves for the food and everything else. Everything must stay very tidy, because there is just no room in the house for a mess. Ocongate is very small, and not all that exciting. It's all cement and buildings. The streets are cement, the sidewalks, the Plazas, the market area, the walls, everything is cement. Some of the buildings are cement, but most of them are adobe. I love living with this family, but the actual town is much less exciting. There is almost nothing to do here, but go to the Internet place, go to a not very good restaurant, or play with the dogs on the streets. I choose to play with álvero and Majayda most the time, so I really haven't spent too much time in the town. It will be nice to come to Cuzco every weekend for Church and have Saturdays to do something out and about in the city. It will be a good balance. Well, Conference starts in a bit and I want to get some food before it starts. I think that brings us all up to date anyway, so I'll bid you farewell. I’ll post some pictures soon, but you can see them all on my facebook page. Thanks for reading, know I'm safe, and I miss you all! Love you very much!
Alyssa Nicole Escalante

Another week....

Protests in the streets

Hola, ¿Cómo te vas? Things are going pretty well here. Plans have changed since I last posted; no, I’m not in Ocongate yet. There were strikes Tuesday and Wednesday so there were no buses or taxis at all. Thursday, I was going to go to Ocongate...but I didn’t for some reason, I forget. I knew Berta was coming up  for Saturday so by then I figured I might as well wait and go back with her because she was planning on going back Sunday. Well, her plans changed and she went back Saturday late afternoon. I stayed for church and well, here I  am. I’m going to Ocongate this afternoon, around 2 or 3. Michael is taking me to the buses and Berta will pick me up in the Plaza in Ocongate. Ok, now you know my plans, we can back up a little. Tuesday and Wednesday, because of the strikes, I didn’t do too much. It was also pretty rainy and some of the protests can get violent so I pretty much stayed inside all day studying Spanish, reading, sleeping, chillin’ with Michael and Jin, etc. Oh! Jin! Jin is a new student at the Machu Picchu Linguas School, he’s also living here at Rosanna’s. I thought his name was Jean, and Michael though it was Jim, but we figured it out...It’s Jin. He’s Korean so when I first met him I assumed he didn’t speak much English...apparently he’s from Virginia, born and raised. He’s a pretty cool guy, just a fireman here for a month to explore and learn Spanish. We get along pretty well, it’s nice to have more company here. Thursday...Thursday...hmmm well I got a massage and ate at the McDonalds here in Cuzco. How’s that for a cop-out day? I also was asked out twice within an hour of each other in the Plaza de Armas. One was a guy I have talked to before, he’s tried to sell me his paintings in the past. We were chatting and he asked me to go to the Discotecha with him but I kindly declined. About 45 minutes later, another guy tried to sell me sunglasses. I tried to explain that I didn’t want sunglasses because I wear regular glasses, so it wouldn’t really work out. He then decided to ask me to go dancing...because that’s relevant, obviously. I also politely declined but he was pretty persistent; eventually I went on my way. Saturday I finally got to meet Berta! She came up to Cuzco to go check out one of the trout farms with Michael. I got to go with them; it was pretty neat to see how the farm works. It was quite a hike! We took a taxi to some small town outside of Cuzco and got dropped off by the side of the road. We then continued to cross a stream and hike a mountain. After about 45 minutes of hiking we finally stumbled upon a couple houses and a trout farm. I didn't realize it would be such a hike so I didn't wear sunscreen, and I am now pretty badly sun burnt on my neck. After spending the morning and afternoon at the farm, we went to lunch. I was so exhausted afterwards, so I crashed pretty hard. After my nap, Michael, Jin, and I went shopping, so I think I'm all ready for Ocongate now! I just hope I can fit everything in my backpack. Berta is so very nice! She and Michael were mostly talking business the whole time, but I can tell I like her already. Friday I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I was reminded I’m not in the states. This museum was just a couple plain rooms with paintings on the wall and then in a hallway upstairs by some conference rooms. There were actually some conference things going on so I had to avoid news cameras while enjoying some art. Some of the art was absolutely amazing!...others, not so much. That evening I asked Michael if he would have time to go get a phone with me, since I’m still struggling with the language. I ended up going to the Dentist with him to take Alexia and Shirley (because he’s Alexia’s Godfather). Afterwards we got a phone. But upon seeing Shirley, she invited me to a Stake Single’s dance that night! So after the Dentist and phone I went home and changed and Shirley and her friend came and got me for the ¡Fiesta! It was pretty much like any other church dance I’ve been to, except more salsa music, but not by much. It actually was about half Spanish music and half American. There were a few songs played, that if they knew the meaning of the words, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have played them, but it’s all good. I got to meet lots of people my age from my ward. I also got to meet a particular young man whom I happen to now have a crush on, haha. His name is Luís, I don’t know how old he is, but he is an RM, and he’s very nice. We didn’t get to talk a ton because every time we’d get talking as we were walking home, the rest of the group would stop to see if we would notice and then start to make fun of us. Luís knows just a little English and I know just enough Spanish for us to have a pleasant conversation. I also saw him again today at church, but only for a moment. He’s very handsome :] I’ll post a picture of the group, he’s the one in all black, on the bottom left, second person in. Church was great today! I obviously didn’t understand very much, but I still loved it. I really liked a woman’s talk in Sacrament Meeting; I really don’t know what she talked about because not only is my comprehension of Spanish not at it’s best, but it’s difficult to understand any woman giving a talk while crying. Either way, I could tell she had an amazing testimony. A young woman spoke on having good friends with good morals...I’m pretty sure. I could only understand the basics. In Sunday school a young man who spoke English pretty well sat by me and explained a lot of what was going on. I only have the Book of Mormon in Spanish so Shirley would share any other scriptures with me in Spanish, and I would also look them up in English, so I could know what was going on. I had to read a scripture aloud in Spanish; the scriptural words in Spanish are pretty different than normal Spanish for vocabulary, but all went well. I really had no idea what was going on in Relief Society, but I know it was almost the exact same as any other Relief Society meeting. Just lots of women sharing stories and crying, while the teacher can barely get a word out. In Relief Society a woman was sharing a thought when she decided to pull down here blouse and breast feed her child. I forget that’s perfectly normal here, to nurse in public, without a blanket or anything. Next week there is no church, because of the elections I guess. The elections are such a big deal here, it’s a little ridiculous. The next week we’ll have General Conference broadcasted in another building. Upon coming here I was pretty sure I’d been told that there were only one of two chapels in Cuzco; there are definitely not. Within 30 minutes (walking) of Rosanna’s house there are probably 3 or 4. They are really nice too! Definitely not what I was expecting. Well, I probably should finish packing, eat some food, and be on my way! Just thought I’d keep you all updated! I’m sure I’ll post again in a few days and let you know how I like Ocongate! I love you all very much! Thanks for reading ;)

More protesting

¡Despues de la fiesta!

At the trout farm with Bert and Michael

Plaza de Armas

P.s. We've found a kitten in Rosanna's house! It's tiny and adorable but horribly grumpy and I don't like it very much. I've named him Mufasa because he looks like a lion, but Rosanna's kids call him Noob. Diego is a big gamer so that makes sense...

Machupicchu Trip!

Well Hello!

                I am back safely from Machupicchu :) if my mother goes a day without hearing from me she is sure I have died, but don’t worry, I’m perfectly safe. A little sore and pretty tired, but very good. Well, Saturday morning I met a guy from the tourist agency at my school, from there he took me to the agency while he gave me some papers, my ticket, bus pass, etc. and told me all about my trip. After that he dropped me off at the bus station and said “See ya later!” I got on a bus (which was really more like a van)  for an hour and  a half and headed off to Ollantaytambo. I was in Ollantaytambo last week as part of the Sacred Valley tour, but this time I was there for the train. From there I took a two hour train ride to the town of Machupicchu. I mostly slept on the train, and read a little, but I actually sat across from the Dutch couple who also go to the school. It was a very big coincidence, and it was nice to see some familiar faces. I’m actually not supposed to tell the school I saw them there because they don’t want them to pay their host family less because they were in Machupicchu for one night. But anyhow, we got to the town of Machupicchu at about 3pm. At the train station a girl from the hotel had a sign with my name on it (or close to it – Alicia Escalante is close enough) and led me to the hotel. There I got my room and met my tour guide for the next day. After meeting with him for a while and after he explained everything for me, I went and got dinner. The view from where I sat was pretty awesome. The food, it was okay. Peruvian pizza is good, but nothing amazing. After dinner I went to “Agua Caliente”, or the Hot Springs. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting natural bodies of hot springs, but it was very developed. It was all tiled and whatnot, very crowded, and not very hot. It was more like Luke warm, very dirty water, in a small area with a lot of people. I saw the Dutch couple there and their friend, so I hung out with them for a while, but left pretty earlier because it just wasn’t all that great. And yes, I had to pay to get in, so that’s kind of lame. After the hot springs (and a well needed shower) I wandered the town for a little bit and got a massage. Because the town of Machupicchu is purely tourist, everything is overpriced. My massage I got in Cusco was about a third of the price as this one, and much better. This one was still good, but probably not worth 80 soles (which is about 25 American dollars). After my massage, I decided to go to bed early. Or at least try to. The next morning I had to be at the bus station before 5am so I could be up at Machupicchu and get in line before 6am. My tour guide would meet me inside the gates, along with the rest of our tour group, around 6:15. From 6:20 to 8:20 we had a walking tour. It was awesome to hear all about the history of Machupicchu and how the Incan people lived there! In comparison to the other ruins I have seen, they are very similar, but much more developed. Machupicchu was almost all the way done when the Incans left, unlike the ruins in Ollantaytambo, which are only 20-30% finished. It was way cool to see the temples and hear the explanations for the shapes of all the buildings and what it represented and to see the housing and know what each specific courtyard was for, etc. After the tour, I had time to explore on my own. I wandered around the ruins for a while and then hiked up to the sun gates, which were really amazing. It took me a little longer than I anticipated, probably because I was so exhausted. I had gotten a really poor night’s sleep the night before, maybe a good 4 hours, so my body was not liking all the hiking. Once I got up to the sun gates, I stayed for a while. I read some scriptures and my book I’m reading right now called “Spiritually Anchored in Unsettled Times” by Bruce C. Hafen, it’s a great book, I’m almost done with it. I also took a little bit of  a nap up there, but I had to be careful because there are so many bugs and such. Oh my goodness! I have never seen so many butterflies in all my life! In the ruins area, there were a few. But on the trail up to the Sun gates, oh wow! This part of Peru is like where the Jungles meet the Andes. It’s total mountains and peaks everywhere, but they’re covered in jungle-like plants and trees. Because of this, there are lots and lots of bugs. It was so cool to see so many butterflies all over! After the Sun Gates, I hiked over to the Watch Tour, and was going to hike over to the Incan Bridge, but my feet decided I should take a rest first. So I read on a little terrace for a while, just enjoying the amazing view. I was so exhausted and had already been there for 7+ hours, so my body decided it didn’t want to go hike up to the Incan Bridge. So I went and got some lunch, some ice cream, was around the ruins a bit longer, and headed back to the town. The road down/up to the ruins is pretty sketchy. I could have hiked back but that would have been another hour and my feet didn’t even want to stand anymore, much less go down rocky, steep stairs for an hour. Plus, walking anywhere that is that secluded by myself doesn’t sound too tempting. The people of Peru are wonderful and very loving, but I am still protective of myself. Once I got back to the town, I went into the Catholic church to read and rest a bit more. I feel asleep after reading some scriptures and was awakened by two gorgeous, Peruvian girls. One couldn’t have been more than 5, and the other was probably 2 or 3. The older of the two woke me up saying (in Spanish) “Don’t you know this is the house of God?” I nodded and tried to fall back asleep, but once again she said “The house of God!” “La casa de Dios!” Haha it made me laugh so I sat up from resting my head on my backpack and she continued to chat with me. She showed me how to use the holy water and how to pray. She made the cross sign on herself and her (what I assumed to be) little sister. After that they ran outside to play. The kids here are by far the worst birth control ever, Haha by that I mean they are so stinkin’ cute, they just make you want one for yourself. I got back to the town around 3 but my train wasn’t until 7:30. So I went to the internet cafe, emailed mother, checked my facebook, etc. Because it was Sunday I was trying to spend money on only essential things like communication and food. Well, there’s not much to do in a town that is purely for tourists that doesn’t involve spending money. So I mostly walked the town, read my scriptures by the river, read my scriptures in the church, got some hot chocolate to hold me over, read my scriptures in the Plaza. I read the whole book of Mosiah yesterday so that was nice to get so much scripture time in. I saw the Dutch people around town but they were shopping and going to restaurants, so I mostly chilled by myself. It was good though. And don’t worry, when I mean by myself, I’m still around tons of people all the time, so I’m still perfectly safe. I didn’t back to Cusco until almost 11:30. There were lots of taxi’s waiting by the bus so I immediately got in one and went home (to Rosanna’s house). Well, it’s the morning now :) I am feeling very tired and have a little bit of a sore throat but besides that I’m feeling good! Today I will be packing my things, and getting ready for tomorrow, when I plan to go to Ocongate. I still need to talk with Michael and figure out some of those details but I’m pretty sure I’ll meet Berta tomorrow after she is done with school in the Plaza of Ocongate. Starting then, I wont have internet as often, but there are a couple internet cafe’s so I’ll still be on every once in a while. I’m very excited to go to Ocongate, meet Berta, and start working in Huecco Uno. I am especially excited to practice my Spanish even more and work with all the beautiful children! I love you all very much and will post again in a few days and let you know all about Ocongate! Hopefully I’ll be able to post pictures of Machupicchu with this blog, if I can figure it out...¡Chow! 

Friday, September 17 - It's been a WEEK!

Dearest family and friends,
                I am done with my crash-course week of school! I’ve learned a lot, but I think 8 hours of Spanish in school is a little too much for me. Of course it’s Spanish pretty much 24/7 here, but at least when I’m not in school I’m not constantly taking notes, doing exercises, and having lots of homework every evening. I still have lots to learn and will still be studying on my own every day, but fluency will come with time and practice. Yesterday, after class, we had a Salsa class! It was muy divertido! There are only 5 students in the school right now and only two others came, but that’s okay because the room we learned in was pretty small. Salsa must be pretty easy because I was doing great! Haha but I quite liked it, hopefully I’ll get to dance some more while I’m here.
                I bought a new camera yesterday in Mercado Molino. It wasn’t too cheap but less expensive than had I bought it in the states. I’m planning on keeping this camera for the rest of my trip though :) Wednesday night I went and got a massage! It was one of the best massages I’ve ever gotten and most definitely the cheapest! They’re only 25 soles, which translate to about 9 U.S. Dollars. Oh, also on Wednesday, I was in Plaza de Armas during my break right? I was just chillin’ on the steps of el Catedral reading my book, minding my own business. I noticed walking over to the Plaza that there were lots of policemen, but I didn’t think too much of it. Well, I was reading and suddenly here tons of noise! Drums, horns, yelling, etc. Apparently there were protests going on. Huge parades of people walking down the street, around the Plaza, with huge banners, all chanting and yelling and banging drums! Man, I wish I would’ve had my camera then! One of the groups had a huge, paper Mache rat. The rat is to represent the robber, or thief. Anyway, that group stopped in the middle of the plaza, set the rat down, and then set it on fire! When it was done burning two guys with HUGE sticks starting beating it! And everyone was yelling and chanting in unison! It was pretty crazy...
                So yesterday, I was out to lunch with Sandra (one of my teachers). She had her purse on the back of her chair – bad idea. We were eating in peace when all of a sudden the table next to us starting yelling! Some guy grabbed her purse! We were on the upper level of the restaurant, but right next to the stairs. As soon as we realized what had happened, Sandra, two servers, and a random guy in the restaurant started running after him. I think he got scared because he dropped her purse in the street as soon as he got out of the restaurant. They still chased after him but he got away. Luckily he didn’t have time to take anything out of her purse though. Her zipper was undone but nothing was missing. Theft is definitely a big deal here in Cuzco. I now always carry my backpack on my side, covering it with one arm. And I plan to buy a side back soon, so I don’t have to worry about it as much. I’ve been told that I’m much more likely to get pick-pocketed with a backpack then a side bag. Luckily, I go to Ocongate next week, where I won’t have to worry about it nearly as much. But don’t worry, I’ll still be careful and aware. I’ll either go to Ocongate on Monday or Tuesday, Michael says it’s really up to me.
                Well, tomorrow I’m off to Machu Picchu! Sadly, I have to miss church again. I didn’t plan these trips though, Rosanna did, and she didn’t take into account that I might not want to miss two weeks of church in a row. Oh well, I’ll still keep the Sabbath day holy :) I talked with Rosanna and I plan on coming and staying at her house some of the weekends. It doesn’t make sense for me to drive to Cuzco and back to Ocongate all in one day, every single week. Plus, besides two internet cafe’s and a few restaurants, there’s really nothing to do in Ocongate. So Rosanna thinks it’s a good idea if I come on Friday or Saturday and go to church Sunday, and then head back. I probably wont do that every weekend, but some, for sure. I really want to get to know Shirley better, and hopefully become better friends with her. Hopefully I’ll get to hang out with her on the weekends I come down. Shirley is the daughter of Wendy, who is one of my teachers – my favorite teacher actually. Most of the time in class we just talk and laugh, she’s great. She speaks almost no English so it really forces me to use my Spanish. Shirley is also Mormon, so it will be good to know someone at church. But yeah, Machu Picchu! I have to be at the school at 10:15am, to meet with my guide, or something like that. From there he’ll take me to the Bus station, and I’m not clear if he’s going to ride the bus with me or just drop me off. I didn’t really get a chance to ask him when talking with him today, but I guess I’ll find out in the morning. After an hour and half bus ride, I’ll hop on a train for a few more hours. I’m very excited to see Machu Picchu! The ruins are so amazing here in Peru!
                Oh, there is a Ratón in the house currently, so I keep my door closed. The other morning, I had to kill a very large spider before I could get in the shower. I’ve never seen a spider quite so....red. it was bright red and pretty big. Hopefully not poisonous, but I killed it so it doesn’t matter anyway. I most definitely don’t like spiders, but I’m getting used to seeing them around. Pest control isn’t exactly overrated here. Well, I have to hang up my clothes so they’ll be dry in the morning, so I best get to that! I love you all and I’ll post pictures soon!