¡What a Weekend!

Just to review, on Saturday, I boarded a busvan, along with my fellow interns and semester students to Huanocondo, a small town an hour outside of Cusco, to build stoves. Yes, you've heard it through the horse's mouth-slash-blog, I built a stove. Out of mud, probably feces as well because it doesn't discriminate, straw, rocks, and brick. The local women actually brought our jugs of water, poured it onto the dirtstrawfeces, and stomped on it with their bare feet. Impressive! It did take us two hours to build one, and at one point, I swear the entire block's housewives were crowded around our stove (which was outside because the house will be built around it. I do appreciate their priorities about which part of the house is most important). They just kept chatting to each other in SpanishQuechua about how our stove will not hold up and until we brought in our local liaison person to explain how it's perfectly fine. But, our stove was a beauty! We slapped on that mud like professionals! After only a half-day of that, we returned back to Cusco exhausted and honestly looking as if our limbs mud-wrestled. After a lukewarm shower (after the water cutoffs, I've lowered my shower standards to just have water be there), we headed out to Paddy's, the Irish pub in the city square (unlikely but necessary). I think I have acclimated to living standard here too much, which is a 1-3 USD for more or less everything, but I paid 18 Soles6 USD for a Guinness. It honestly made my wallet teared up a bit.
Now the fun doesn't just stop at my expensive can of beer (yes can, not even bottle), Sunday, we went out to Sacsayhuaman (pronounced sexywoman, honestly, as any Peruvians you know, I dare you to) and other Incan Ruins. Apparently, we weren't told about the slide that Sacsayhuaman has, off to the side. But, I did spot the BIG JESUS, or Cristo Blanco, as it accurately called, over looking the city, and I just had to go. I bugged to tour guide repeatedly if we were going there that day and how to get to the Jesus Grande until she told us that she'd led us half up a small mountain to get there. Oh, what a sight! It's huge! So, we found Jesus on Sunday, which could not be more appropriate.

Having been through several orientations for study abroad and such, and hearing how they made culture shock out as an actual disease, something along the lines of a stroke, I think I'm finally feeling it, and what I'm feeling is hunger. Yes, my culture shock is the fact that they eat their meals late. 2:30 for almuerzolunch and 8:00 for cenadinner. Why would anyone ever put off their meals or food in general until later? But Gaby's (my host mother) meals are to die for, so I guess it is worth the wait, not that I have any other choice.

Location: Cusco, Peru

P.S. Despite not knowing how to type out the (at) symbol, I do love the Spanish keyboard for its variety of symbols to chose from, when typing this out, such as , ¡, ¿, °, ¬. Also, before I forget, last week, my host family said I look like Mulan, yes the only Asian Disney character, but they meant it as a compliment because apparently Mulan is very pretty. Pues... mucho gracios

ParaPor° mas fotos: http://myproworld.goabroad.net/collection.php?type=traveler&ID=11727&context=traveleralbum&genID=1833
°I will learn which one is appropriate soon.