Horizons SSS Study Abroad - Cusco, Peru

May 26 th ; Horizons final day in Peru. Today was a little overwhelming. We started the day off finishing our service days on the farm, then we had the afternoon to ourselves, followed by our farewell dinner. Most of the afternoon was spent packing, and spending time in our host families. When it came time for the farewell dinner there was a lot of feelings and emotions swarming the room. Some were happy to be going home after a full 3 weeks, some were upset that the trip had flown by so fast and it was already time to go back, and many, including myself, were somewhere in between. I have spent the past few days back and forth between wanting to go home, and wanting to stay here forever, but the welcome dinner put my emotions at ease. We all enjoyed a nice meal, and during dinner many of us were avoiding the fact that it was our very last one together. When the meal came to a close we all had a chance to share some final thoughts, there were a few tears, some laughs, an...

Today we had an interesting, exhausting, and laborious day at an organic farm on the outskirts of Cusco. Though it was a very educational experience and I got to hold a lot of guinea pigs, I really appreciated the dinner I came home to after our amazing salsa class. Halfway through dinner I realized that it was my last dinner in our homestay. I cannot express how grateful I am from having a great set of guys to live with the past few weeks, and the best part is when we come together for dinner. Dinner time in our home is not only when we come together and eating Papa Jesus’ (our host dad) delicious food; rather, it is when we all reflect on our day and talk about all the things we’ve done. Today was even more special because I was able to coordinate and invite our instructors Josh and Ronnell to dinner, where I’m sure they ate the best food they’ve had since being in Peru. Per usual, Papa Jesus was running late putting the food on the table which allowed Ronnell to finally watch...

When I woke up this morning, I wasn ’ t greeted by the usual honking of horns and sounds of cars on the busy street by my homestay. The streets were eerily empty. This was because of a transportation strike that occurred in Cusco today in protest of rising gasoline prices in the city.   The normally busy streets had not a single car and instead the streets were full of people walking, biking, and children playing. These strikes caused us to not be able to do our service learning today but instead we got a completely free day. When explaining this to our homestay family over breakfast, with the help of google translate, the older son of the family invited us to play soccer with him and another little girl in the family. Tabitha and I quickly agreed, excited to engage with our family. Around 10 in the morning we walked the empty streets discussing our favorite sports and made it to the concrete soccer field not far from our home. Our teams were divided up two vs two, ...

It’s okay to not be okay. Today is May 23 rd . It’s the day after my 21 st birthday.   I was woken up by Chris telling me that breakfast is done and we got to go soon. I stood up found some acceptable clothes for the day and shuffled myself down stairs. We hurry to Papa Jesus’ car and sit in the normal seating arrangements, one in shotgun, four in the back, and one in the trunk. Everyone in the car was worried that this would be the first day that we are late, I was worried that the bumps might get the best of me. Fortunately, we arrive on time. The class proceeds with that last guest lecture of the program, he talked about current culture in Peru including Chicha music, which is mixture of traditional Peruvian music and modern pop music. Our professor played a remix of “Baby” by Justin Bieber being sung by a popular singer from Peru in Quechua. We had our last debrief together and it was powerful. I’ll be willing to say that everyone got a little teary-eyed. I know I fe...

Today was Crunchy’s (James Vogel, aka Crunchy) birthday. A few of us decided that we wanted to head to the plaza early and eat at KFC for dinner before we went to the bar. We had a lot of fun, especially those of us who ordered things that aren’t on the menu’s in America. But eating at an American restaurant in Peru got me thinking about the “McDonalds on every corner” idea and Peru’s economic dependence on tourism. It still amazes me how much Peru relies on tourism. It’s the fourth largest source of income for their economy! The U.S. has touristy spots, but our economy isn’t dependent on tourism to the level that Peru’s is. Thus, I’ve been struggling to find comparisons for the new environment I am in here. I can’t help but think what would happen should a natural disaster hit Peru like it did in Puerto Rico. If no one came here to visit, what would happen? I would find the thought incredibly scary if I lived and worked here and my income depended on it. I was also amazed by...

Today we returned from our Puno excursion and slept half the day to rejuvenate. After the wonderful lecture on Self-Efficacy, I stayed at Don Estaban Café where I was able to have nice conversations with Cayla, Braden, Dante, Ariel, Jakob, Bri, and Lauren. After the café, we embarked on our trips back to our homestays. The walk home is something I learned to appreciate. Car horns blaring every 3 seconds, having to dodge cars speeding toward you left and right, crowded sidewalks filled with everything from street vendors to sleeping strays. This is the average 37-minute walk home for me down Avenida de la Cultura from the ISA office to my homestay in San Sebastian . Taking this stroll every day, you will see something new every time. It is a nice walk mainly because it is away from all the touristy areas, this allows me to experience the real Cusco. Walking down the street, I can see the interactions between the locals either be it at a meat shop or just honking their way thr...

I started off the day not knowing if it would be good or bad. We had another hike and the one from the day before I couldn’t finish on my own, so I wasn’t looking forward to yet another one. But, even before we left the island of Ama ntani I tried to look at the bright side of things. I was stepping outside my comfort zone being here and I get to see so many beautiful sights while here. Now the hike up the hill on Taquile wasn’t as bad as the day before but I still had to stop multiple times to catch my breath, but it was so worth it. Looking down at the lake during the day was amazing. I even stepped further outside my comfort zone and sat on the edge of the cliff even though I’m scared of heights. After the hike and some relaxation on the top of the hill we went on to see a traditional wedding ceremony for the Quechua people. For this ceremony Jake and Ashley stood in as the bride in groom. It was cool to see how men and women change their clothing styles based on age and mari...

Wow, today was a very adventurous, yet exciting day. It was so packed full of exciting things, if I wrote about all it would be the size of a history text book. So, I will share my favorite part of today! After digesting my delicious farm-to-table lunch we hiked up Pachamama mountain. To prep I reminded myself that the air is much thinner than Cusco, and even MORE thin than in Indiana. Still, I tended to overexert myself. Fortunately, my fellow classmates were there to help me when I wanted to give up. They reminded me it is all going to be worth it, because beauty does not come easy. And they were right. After about an hour of uphill trekking we reached the top of Pachamama Mountain. I just stood there, out of breath and in awe. Taking in the beauty for about five minutes, then I climbed on a rock to get an even better view of the lake, side of the mountain, terraces, etc. Upon climbing on the rock and watching the sun set, I let out a deep sigh, a sigh that represented all the st...

This Friday I was able to enjoy a free day with friends and go to some new places in Cusco. Even though my day was fun and eventful, my roommate was not feeling well and wasn’t able to enjoy it with me. She has been sick and I hate that so many students have been getting sick while on the trip. While she rested I went to lunch with Taylor, Jake, Dominique, Kylie, Brandon, Lauren, Sarah, and Marie. We went to a restaurant in the plaza called Pachatos and enjoyed delicious burgers and fries. After eating lunch, we were able to go the infamous “black market” store called El Molino. This is a place in Cusco that sells products at a low price. It is illegal but is accepted here and everyone knows about it and shops there. I was able to find some Nike items for a low price and I am really happy with the deals I was able to get.  Although I enjoyed my time out today, I couldn’t help but worry about my roommate and friend, Bri. We pretty much spend each day together and do mostly ...

My day officially started at 7:57 a.m. when I jumped out of my bed and quickly rushed into the shower because breakfast was almost ready. As I got into the shower I turned on the water and leaped in without realizing that I had to turn the switch to get hot water, and instead I was fully awakened by a blast of cold artic water. After I finished, I quickly ate my breakfast and Papa Jesus, my homestay dad, then drove everyone to the International Study Abroad (ISA) office. Once we arrived at ISA, Alberto, our professor, covered a brief summary on the corruption of Peru, social services in Peru, as well as the racism that still occurs in Peru. The lecture was really shocking because it was really sad to see that racism is also a problem that occurs in Peru even though 45% of the population are indigenous and 5% are Afro-Peruvians and most of the racism is directed towards them. Not only that, but I also learned that Peru has several social services for students and that their healt...

Today marks the middle of my experience in Peru, the middle of the biggest cultural immersion I’ve ever had, the middle of something life changing. Thus far, I have been nothing less than impressed. Today was a more relaxed day, but very challenging personally. The morning classes were very informational, and the discussions pushed me and everyone in the group to think critically and be accepting of others’ opinions, something I really appreciated as intellectual, deep discussions are something I crave. I find it easiest to understand someone by having intellectual conversations because if you can see the way someone thinks, it helps me to see why they think that way. I do value personal talks very much, especially intellectual personal talks. I feel like I understand several people in this group much better in just one hour of a conversation like that. The rest of the day was relaxed for me, I had a lot going on as far as a blog post to write, a journal post and an Intercultura...

Today we visited a collection of Incan ruins in up in the mountains in Cusco: Saqsayhuaman, Quenq, Pucapucara, and Tambomachay. With these locations being so high up, we were able to get beautiful views of the entire city which were breathtaking to witness. It was also cool to see different locations I have been to in the city like the Plaza de Armas and even the area where my homestay family lives. The amazing views did not stop there as well as we were able to see areas where the sun rays looked absolutely stunning, especially due to the timing over our tour being in the afternoon with sunset approaching. I was amazed to hear how the views are so breathtaking at sunrise or sunset that people come daily to see them on the mountains as they get to see the sun peak through the mountain valleys, making me very curious about the view right at those specific times. Other than those spectacular views, we were able to learn more about Incan culture when visiting those locations fro...

Today served as a day of rest and reflection primarily. We still had morning class, but it was very different. Our instructors pointed out the very important fact that there was tension between some of us and that there were students who wanted to get to know one another personally. By bringing these facts to light in an obvious manner, it was the push in the right direction that people needed. This resonated deeply within me because I was one of those people who wished to get to know others on a deeper, more personal level. I thought about what to do for a while after class and decided to get the ball rolling by starting a poll/conversation in the group chat about the possibility of having group discussions in which we got to know each other better. A plan is in the process of being made, so nothing is set in stone yet. However, I am very pleased that work is underway to make such things a reality. I have had the fortunate pleasure to get to know some people personally, and I look...

Every day is a new exciting adventure it feels like. I know they say we are still in the honeymoon stage but, today we got to see the ruins of Ollantaytambo. First the breath-taking Machu Picchu, then seeing the ruins of where Incas once stood. I know my pictures of Machu Picchu did not do it justice, and I know my pictures for ruins won’t either. It was just so incredible to see the quality of the buildings that were still standing and how massive some of the rocks were that they were using to build. They had a great view of the mountains and the valleys there. They even had water fountains still working to this day. To me that is a crazy thought.   It was placed so strategically, that it is sometimes upsetting to know that the Spanish came into the area and took over. To try and understand the sadness and terror that the Incas must have felt when fighting the Spanish… there are no words. The Spanish were more advanced than the Incas as they had weapons, armor, and horses that...

Today was such an incredibly day.   It exceeded all my expectations that I have ever had for Machu Picchu. Ever since I was a kid I had always dreamed of going to visit a Wonder of the World, and today was truly beyond words can put. I was not really prepared to have such a mind-blowing experience that I did, but I keep thinking of what I saw, and I do not think that is an image that I will ever get out of my head.   Prior to the hike up to Machu Picchu, I was really nervous because I have had a constant headache all week and I did not know how much I would actually be able to accomplish. When we arrived, I remember seeing the site for the first time, and I thought to myself that I do not want to miss out on any of this, because I know that I will regret it. I have always had a deep passion and fascination for history…all parts of history, and so I was very excited and eager to learn about the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu.   There was so much running throug...