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The past view days in Cusco have been an experience. El día de independencia de Perú es el veinte ocho de Julio, so for the past 3 days there has been a massive parade taking place in the main square and all the surrounding areas. Peruvian students of all ages, as well as the fire department and what seems like the entire Peruvian military, have been marching around the Plaza de Armas all morning every morning to the delight of the entire city of Cusco. The first day of the parade I had no idea what I had stumbled upon so I took a seat on some steps near the plaza, where I thought myself a safe distance from all the action. I was alone because Lauren was not feeling well and was trying to nap back at the hostel. I was soon joined on my steps by hundreds of people crowding around, among those a tiny elderly Peruvian woman and her daughter, who sat right next to me. The elderly woman tried to strike up a conversation and I attempted to answer all her questions, but I made a pretty poor show of myself. It was clear I have a complete lack of conversational Spanish. The thing with learning another language is that it's those daily conversations that help you learn the most. I can read Spanish just fine, and given all the time in the world I can even string a few sentences together. But practicing in conversation is the most important part, so I'm trying to talk to people more. It's difficult but necessary.
On Friday I went to a free Spanish class at a local Spanish school. I was the only student there because Lauren was still sick and apparently no one else was interested, so I got one on one time with the teacher. She was wonderful and super helpful and she spoke to me only in Spanish, so I was forced to use my conversational Spanish and not rely so much on English. When learning a new language the worst thing you can do is say the English equivalent every time you learn something new. This method uses English as a safety net and a lot of times there is no real equivalent for a word or phrase, as each language has it's own nuances, so using English when trying to learn Spanish is not very effective. Unfortunately this is how every Spanish class is taught in the states, so if you really want to learn I highly recommend going straight to the source!
Mostly I have been wandering the city by myself the past few days, as Lauren was not feeling well and was stuck in bed. I wasn't feeling too great either, but I was at least capable of walking around so I tried to force myself to do so. It's not every day I'm in Cusco after all. The markets here are so addicting. Everywhere you turn there are merchants selling their al paca clothing and hats and bags and beautiful fabrics and I want one of everything! Besides shopping and walking, I haven't been able to figure out much more to do with myself. Yesterday there was a big outdoor market that only takes place on Saturdays, so I woke early and wandered over. The merchants there were selling anything and everything a person could want, from a nice breakfast meal to car parts to clothing, loads of books and household appliances and baby stuff, and of course all the colorful fabrics and scarves and bags that can be seen at all the markets. The women selling these things are always calling out 'hola amiga' and 'buenas días señorita,' offering a smile as they tell you how beautiful their products are and why you should buy something. Peruvians are a very friendly and seemingly happy people, content with the simple things like a good meal or a child's laughter. As a foreigner I have always felt welcome in their country, it's quite lovely.
Another thing I love about Peru, and most specifically Cusco, is that you can buy anything from a street vendor because they are everywhere. Just walking down the sidewalk you can find fresh bread, fresh fruit, ice cream, hard boiled eggs, cheese, small souvenirs, snacks, water, even toothpaste and toilet paper. Today I went to the grocery store to get a few things, thinking I would be able to do all my shopping in one place. That's how we do it in the States after all, a person can buy anything they need at a store like Safeway. Definitely not true in this country. I decided I needed a small cheap notebook to start jotting down all the new Spanish words I learn, and I also wanted some gum. Two fairly simple requests for a big supermarket in my humble opinion, but what do I know? You can't get either of those at any pharmacy here (their equivalent of CVS or Walgreens) because those are strictly for medicine and sometimes personal hygiene products like shampoo and deodorant. So I thought a supermarket was my best bet. I asked an employee at the store if they had gum. He walked me over to the candy section before telling me no. So I asked him if they had notebooks, also a no. I asked where I could get a notebook and he told me I needed to find a librería. You might think that means library, but that's a biblioteca. A librería is a bookstore, where they also sell cuadernos (notebooks). Unfortunately I found out after asking 3 people where the nearest librería was that super cheap notebooks don't really exist in a tourist city like Cusco, or at least not where I was. They assume you want a nice hard cover one with a lovely picture of Machu Picchu on it or something. Whatever happened to a few pieces of paper bound between a crappy cardboard cover that only costs a buck? I don't know, I couldn't find one. I finally went back to one of the marketplaces where each vendor has their little stall, and saw that they were selling small leather bound notebooks for relatively cheap, cheaper than at the bookstore at least. So I bought one to take on my Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu, which we are leaving for tomorrow (yay!). As I was walking back to my hostel it struck me that I didn't have anything to write with, I had left my pen in storage because at the time I didn't yet have a notebook. Conundrum! Well wouldn't you know it, just as I was puzzling out where in the world I was supposed to find a pencil (not at the pharmacy or grocery store, or librería for that matter) I passed a toothless old woman sitting on the sidewalk selling a bunch of small random knick-knacks, and among them pens and pencils. I have no idea how she managed to get her hands on them but it didn't matter, I got one of each just to be safe. I just love these street vendors! I also managed to find some gum in a similar manner. So moral of the story is that when in Peru (and this probably goes for most of South America) don't depend on the big supermarkets to have everything, because they won't. It's the street vendors that will become your best friends and get you what you need.
As I mentioned before, tomorrow we are leaving for our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. We will be up at the ungodly hour of 3am, hopefully the alarm wakes us! I'm so glad Lauren and I are both feeling better because the Salkantay trek, also known as the alternative Inca Trail, seems to be pretty challenging and we will need our strength. This has been a dream of mine since I learned about Machu Picchu, which is too far back to remember. I am so ready and excited. Always remember, if you can dream it, you can do it! Talk to you guys in 5 days :D.
- comments
Teri Glad you girls are feeling better. Have a great time in Machu Picchu and keep posting!
Nancy Yeoman Loving this blog. You girls are having such an adventure. I really envy your opportunity. Aly is also watching your travels. Says Hi from her to. Anticipating more of your adventure in a few days. Take Care .... LotsaLove
myeomanvagabond Glad you guys are enjoying the blog, next post coming soon!