May 19th, 2018 - Briana Tutor


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 stress and anxiety I had built up. Sitting there I realized I was at my happiest. I do not need medication for depression when Peru itself has been an anti-depressant for me and given me the happiness I have not seen for a long time. Taking a couple minutes to myself, I climbed next to Jake and we both just talked on and on about the beauty and how it made us feel. The ability to reflect on this excursion with a close friend really tugged at my heart strings, and appreciate the ability to come to Peru with amazing people.



After gazing for 30 minutes our tour guide leads us through a Pachamama ritual in hopes that our dreams would come true. Even though the temperature was dropping rapidly at this point because of the sun being set, I got to immerse myself into the ritual of the people of Amantani Island. Gaining new knowledge and experiences that I will be able to share back home. After the ritual we walked back to our home for dinner, upon walking out one by one with every minute the stars came out. I nearly tripped and fell every time I went to sneak a peak. If I had to describe the look of the stars and the milky way, it would be something even NASA couldn’t achieve. I am thankfully our phones couldn’t capture this, because this was a mental picture moment that I know I would never forget.


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