The Adventueres of "Maizito"...

Happy Monday, Dear Readers!

It has been an eventful weekend! It's only Monday, and I'm already tired, but content. Yesterday, I slept in a bit and then attended my normal mass at La Compania at 11:30. The Gospel reading recounted the parable of the sower and his seeds. The priest reminded us that we represent the soil in Jesus' parable, and that we are the ones who determine whether we will be the sort of soil that bears fruit or the sort that dries out or has shallow roots. I think the analogy of soil is a really clever one because soil can be cultivated, and so can human beings. Pretty neat that God has put our spiritual nourishment under our control. When we actively seek God's grace to replenish our dry soil, we give new meaning to "Miracle-Gro"!

After church, I decided, on a whim, to go to the town of Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley. I had been there only for a very short time in the early morning (while waiting for the train to Machu Picchu), and I wanted to spend some time traipsing through the place. With my destination chosen, I headed to Cusco's Paradero Pavitos, where it's possible to take a colectivo (a group taxi) to various destinations a bit further from the city. I joined a pair of Spanish lovers and a random guy in a taxi, and made some serious progress in my reading of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo while we drove into the Sacred Valley. The day was beautiful, and as we got close to our destination, I stopped reading and enjoyed the incredible view of the mountains and the bluest of blue skies. The colectivo dropped us off in the Plaza de Armas of Ollantaytambo. My first stop was Hearts Cafe, a British-run cafe that donates a significant portion of its proceeds to humanitarian work in Peru. While I wish I could say that their social awareness was my motivation for visiting, it was actually the fact that I had read about their scones. For those of you who are unaware, I am a scone monster. Scones = joy. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was underwhelmed by the quality of the scones at Hearts Cafe. Feels sort of blasphemous since the place is British-run, but I think I will place the blame on the altitude and the "butter" used in Peru.

After my lunch, I wandered around the city a bit, enjoying the old, stone streets and the awesome system of waterways that runs through the city. The Incans are geniuses. Seriously. I don't really know why the waterways are important, but I have no doubt that there was some genius behind their construction, and they now serve as a beautiful sight in the city, if nothing else. Another highlight of my walk through the city was the view of the mountains and the ruins. People who buy a boleto turistico can actually hike up to the ruins, but I didn't have the time (or the boleto), so I just viewed from below. There were also some interesting views of Incan agricultural terraces as well. Pretty super cool.

Finally, I spent some time in the artisan market, where I bought a gift for one of my friends and a gift for myself. :-) I have been looking for some time for a silver pendant with a painted hummingbird on it. While that may sound like a ridiculously specific request, silver painted hummingbirds are actually quite easy to find in and around Cusco, as hummingbirds have significance to the Incans. The term they use for it is the "colibri," and I've been keeping my eyes out for one that is painted with particular care. Yesterday, I found it, and I'm excited to have a bit of Peru to wear with me when I'm back at home!

By the time I'd finished walking through the market, it was time to head back to Cusco to meet roommate Laura for our date to the Russian ballet! I walked to the Ollantaytambo train station, where it's possible to find colectivos headed to Cusco. As I walked into the parking lot where the cars wait, a minivan was on its way out. There were two young Peruvian guys in the front, and the driver looked at me and said, "Cusco?" I nodded, and did what any normal traveler :-) would do--I hopped on into their car. When I got inside, the van erupted in laughter and cheers. In addition to the two Peruvians I had seen from the front window of the van, there were five more in the backseat. They were all tour guides returning from having led treks over the Inca Trail. As soon as I was seated, I began to wonder if my instincts had failed me, but the officer manning the gate to the parking lot didn't seem worried, so I stayed put.

Some "highlights" of my drive with the boys:
-the attempts to get me to drink the super strong mix of pisco and Sprite that the boys were passing around in the backseat (the driver wasn't drinking or I would have jumped ship immediately).
-the bestowing of my new nickname, "Maizito," which means "little corn," and refers to the fact that "Sarah" means "corn" in Qechua
-Daniel, definitely the class clown and the class drunk, asking me out on a date. No thank you.
-the pee break that all of the passengers took about midway through our drive. They pulled the van over and then stood in a line and peed over the side of a cliff. Oh so classy.
-the chanting of "pisco, pisco, pisco" to the rhythm of pretty much any song that played on the CD player
-my lesson on what to say to perverted men who whistle at me on the streets of Cusco (I looked up the guys' recommended response today on Urban Dictionary, and I will not be using it because it is quite inappropriate)
-The discovery that the tour guide sitting next to me just finished the Inca Trail with a group of students who just happened to be........the Iowa State group here with ProWorld! Crazy coincidence!

Needless to say, I was delighted upon our arrival in Cusco, and amused by my experience of what the guys referred to as "Peru profundo."

By the time we got back, it didn't make sense to go home and then turn right around to go to the ballet. I ended up shopping at a bunch of artisan stalls set up in the Plaza San Francisco, where I bought a very soft and warm scarf (mostly because it was a case of immediate need, but it happens to be quite pretty!). I met up with Laura a little before 7:30, and we took our seats in the theatre where the ballet was to take place. We were immediately impressed by the incredible strength and beauty of the dancers, but also somewhat confused by the program. We were expecting "Swan Lake" and a few extra little pieces, but it turns out that "Swan Lake" was somewhat misleadingly advertised, and we only got to see one dance from "Swan Lake" and a variety of other dances. Laura and I were both rather disappointed, as "Swan Lake" had been our number one motivation for attending the performance in the first place, but we did enjoy the evening anyway. We were going to go out with Eliza and Jenny and Kate (the Urubamba site director) after the show, but Kate ended up having to go back to Urubamba to take care of an issue on-site, so we ended up heading home and going to bed. Not a bad thing, as we had both had fairly exhausting days!

This morning, I had the lovely job of bringing one of our interns, Michelle, to the Santa Teresa de Calcuta orphanage, where she'll be spending her mornings for the next few weeks. It was nice to see the sisters again, as well as the sweet patients who live there. On my way out, I stopped to say hello to some of the women who were sitting outside in their wheelchairs, soaking in the sun. I was particularly taken with one woman, who, upon taking hold of my hands, wouldn't stop kissing them. Unfortunately, her speech was very garbled, so we couldn't really converse. Even so, it was humbling to see the joy that she took simply from holding my hands in hers. I returned to the center in the afternoon to introduce two additional interns to the Santa Teresa sisters, and one of the interns commented on how peaceful the place seemed in spite of the many patients with disabilities. It was an interesting and accurate observation, and I think that the sense of peace comes in large part from the prayerful, patient nature of the sisters, all of whom have such love for the patients under their care. It is always a learning experience to be at the Santa Teresa center, even if only for a brief while. I am pleased that we have been able to help them by sending more volunteers.

And that, dear friends, concludes my adventures up to the present. This evening, I am going out to dinner with the Iowa girls for their farewell meal. While I'm sad to have to say goodbye to them, I'm excited for a fun night of delicious food and lots of laughter!

Hasta pronto!