As I sit in an internet cafe near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, I reflect on all I and the INTI group have experienced in these last three months.
In Quito, we spent time acclimating to the culture shock of being in Ecuador and South America. We played games and did activities to both learn about and strengthen the bond between one another. We left the city with a better understanding of each student and with a sense of energy and excitement to start this semester.
In the Banana farm in Las Delicias, we learned about the lifestyle of an individual banana farmer and how his work fits into a larger industry. We carried banana trunks, packed plantain boxes to be exported to the U.S, took Spanish classes, and ended each day with a dusty two hour soccer game. I personally experienced a new form of hospitality and generosity in Juan Carlos´s family that I’ve seen very few times before. We left the farm knowing that the next time we pick up a bunch of Chiquita bananas in a supermarket, we will be indirectly affecting a family like Juan Carlos´s. The banana production process, which has its origins in many Central and South American countries, is crucial in understanding international commerce and the world economy.
In Banos, we spent time at Juan Carlos’s sister, Lorena´s, Spanish school. The name of the school, Las Raices (meaning Roots in English), proved to be an appropriate name considering we established a good Spanish base for the weeks of Spanish classes to come. Lorena and her husband Marcelo´s wonderful personalities created a great atmosphere in the school. Along with classes, we had our first week of homestays. We came out of the week with more knowledge in the Spanish language and a sense of the local and national cultures.
In Pucara, we met Peter and learned both about the campesino lifestyle and how this small mountain town was changing Ecuadorean ecotourism. We produced a form of cane sugar (panela), learned how to sew with corn husk, and I personally milked a cow, which is a really big accomplishment for me. We also reforested previous grazing grounds, helped build a permacultural waste-water cleansing system, learned about the natural harms of mining, and had long discussions about how we can create a more sustainable way of living. We came out of Pucara with both positive and negative feelings: we had this newfound appreciation for the environment, but the question of what our world will look like in 30 years lingered in the air.
In our two separate times in Otavalo, we gained a greater understanding of a more traditional Andean culture, and how it coexisted with a newly emerging Western influence. Walking down the streets of Otavalo, it was not uncommon to see a woman wearing the traditional embroidered white blouse while talking on her cellphone. We went to one of the largest Saturday morning markets in the country, which had a sea of tents and vendors in whichever direction you chose to walk. We watched various birds take flight at the Condor Park, circumvented the lakes of Mojanda at 13,986 ft., and hiked the trail around the island of Cuicocha (famous for its monstrous guinea pigs which roam the island). The group left Otavalo and Ecuador on a sad note, but we were excited to see all that Peru had to offer.
In Arequipa, we experienced a great week of classes, provided by Maria and Llama Education, and helped in a construction project in a local girl´s home. We also had more free time to walk/combi around Arequipa. We went to a concert, played some soccer games on the neighborhood field, and tried ceviche and rocoto relleno. We also happened to be in Arequipa during Halloween which meant that a costume party was in order at the girl´s home. The same day that the group finished the construction project of a miniature house behind the girl´s home, we partied the night away with games and dancing. We left Arequipa with an enriched knowledge in different Spanish verb tenses, and with new friendships with our homestay families, the Llama Education teachers, and the people at the girl´s home.
In our many times in Cusco, we had Spanish classes at Fair Services Education, and learned about Incan and Cusqeuñan history. Every morning, the group walked to the school for classes from 10-12 and then reconvened at 3 with new teachers to walk around Cusco and experience the culture. Groups went to ruins at Saqsayhuaman, Puka Pukara, Zona Equis, and the Moon Temple. Additionally, we went to a zoo outside of the aqueducts at Tipon. We also stayed at a wonderful hostel, the owners of which called themselves Mama and Papa Cusco. And they really did play the part of parents. Their warmth for travelers and our group specifically was something unusual to find in a hostel. We left having experienced Cusco to the fullest; its markets, its ruins, and its world class pollo a la brasa at Los Toldos.
In Baltimoré on the Tambopata River, we experienced a way of life even more rustic than that in Pucara. The only form of transportation in these communities was to travel by motor boat on this tributary of the Amazon. There, we met Robin and helped him with his permacultural project of constructing an all natural pond, which would feed his neighbors in the surrounding community. Instead of laying down a layer of plastic, we created a layer of glay (natural glue) so as the water would not seep into the earth. We did this by weeding the already dug up pond area, laying down a base of banana trunks and banana leaves, and covering the decomposing vegetation with clay. Robin also taught us about the different fauna and flora of the amazon and how the processes of many plants could be used in everyday life. We left the Tambopata with a better understanding of permaculture design and how these environmental friendly designs can be replicated and create sustainable forms of energy.
During free travel, we were in Porto Maldonado, Ollantaytambo, and Lake Titicaca in Puno. In Porto, we enjoyed some delicious Thai food with a Peruvian twist, and hung around with the monkeys at our hostel. Those two days of rest were very much needed after the week of hard work at Robin´s. We then explored the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. We visited different ruins, went mountain biking, and had a Thanksgiving dinner with pollo a la brasa replacing the turkey. In Titicaca, we went to the islands of Uros and Taquile, and learned about the different Aymara and Quechua peoples who have been inhabiting the islands for hundreds of years. We left free travel, with gained experience in travel skills such as booking hostels, finding transportation, and following a budget.
At the yoga retreat, we learned about yoga and meditation from Chaitanya. We learned about mantras, chakras, and astrology, while spending morning classes meditating and afternoon classes doing yoga. We left the retreat with a greater understanding of Buddhist and Hare Krisha ideologies. We also came out the experience with a greater union developed between the mind and the body, and a better understanding of ourselves.
Finally, this past week, we had our trek on the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu with Apu Andino. Our tour guides, Gerson and Rolando, helped us hike up steep mountains and descend into hot valleys. We swam in the freezing waters of the glacier lake under the Humantay mountains. We reached the highest peak of the Salkantay pass at around 16,000 ft. And we of course made it to the breathtaking sight of Machu Picchu. We came out of the trek as skilled hikers and finally as people who have been to some of the greatest ruins in the world. I am still in awe as I remember touching the white stone ruins on top of Machu Picchu, and looking down on them from the hovering mountain of Wayna Picchu.
So now we are at the end of our three month journey which took us from Quito to Cusco and many places in between. I hope to remember and retell everything that I have learned and experienced. I hope to honor every coca leaf that I’ve chewed, every rooster crowing at 4 in the morning that I´ve heard, and every vendor selling textiles on the street that I’ve seen as I return home. But rather than just keep them as memories, I hope that I return to these beautiful places and people with family and friends in the future, so that they too can understand a new part of the world. Many thanks to everyone in the group for making this semester special and to Carpe Diem and my family for making it possible. I can safely say that everyone in the group will be a better, fuller person after this trip.
With much love and thanks to Juan Carlos, Lorena, the Verduga family, the Flores family, the Meza family, Maria, Jonatan, Mama and Papa Cusco, Gerson, Rolando, Robin, Peter, (Camille), Don Juan, John, Mimi, Mery, the INTI group, and Ryan and Cheridyan.
Danny