Estoy aqui!! Estoy en Cuzco, Peru! :D

I broke a mirror while packing for this trip. Although I wouldn't admit it, I knew this did not bode well for the days to come... so when it took me two full days to get to Cuzco because my airlinethatshallnotbenamed (cough, United) had two connection cancellations, it was sorta funny in a really sad way. But! I ended up flying Ottawa-Toronto-Dallas-Lima-Cuzco and learned some cool things along the way:
1. Airport staff work really hard to help you get where you need to go. It's not their fault a flight has been cancelled, so stay calm and redirect your frustration into a nasty online review rather than the stink-eye :p
2. People staying overnight at the airport are awesome! Co-scoping out ace sleeping spots, trading travel tips, sharing adapters over life chats - it's the real deal.
3. People in the Dallas airport "honey" and "baby" every sentence, it's really sweet.
4. Most non-Canadians haven't really heard of Ottawa, surprisingly! Just stick with "I'm from Canada, Brr!"

... and FINALLY, I'M HERE! :D

Cuzco is UNREAL. Flying in from Lima over the Andes was truly ethereal.  The snow peaks break over the clouds and it's just AHHHMAGAWD! If the altitude isn't taking your breath away, they are. (I'll have to snap my own pic on the way back!)

The city: The city itself is so lively, bustling, and surrounded by mountains. Aka. beautiful. The native language is Quechua, though most speak Spanish. I am so thankful my parents encouraged me to learn Spanish when I was in high school, else I'd still be out wandering without help from the locals, who will actually watch/walk you for awhile to make sure you're going in the right direction.

Plaza de Armas

 

You can see houses all up the mountain in the background. At night, the mountains are all lit up!

Lost, but izokay.

The project: I'm volunteering at a shelter for girls who have been sexually abused in the past. They stay there for a few months - 1 year to be in a positive safe space, learn trade skills (ex. cosmotology&sewing), and slowly reintegrate into their families. I had been expecting to teach English in a formal classroom, so this was a bit of a game changer, as it's much more laid-back. But! I'm really excited since we are encouraged to help them learn crafts and skills that could benefit them in real life. During the mornings, I will lead workshops with a few other volunteers. Some ideas:
- FIRST-AID!  ...blood, guts, gore, aka. SICK. (heh.)
- Let's make PANCAKES and bad things that taste ohsogood. ie. Melted chocolate and caramel on mashmallows and graham crackers, mmm... maybe I'll throw in nuts for protein.
- Basic self-defense
- Yoga/zumba/latin dance
- Friendship bracelets
- Health/Safety/Beauty - collages
Do you have any ideas? I bet you do. And I bet they're awesome. Please send them my way!! :D

In the afternoon, I teach English. My previous roommate told me to play games games and more games to nail down concepts. I tried it today with months and numbers and it was such a hoot. Thanks Sarah!

You can see Cristo Blanco (the figure of Christ in the background!) - the white dot.

Walking towards San Pedro.

Lost again. It's dark and less okay this time :p

 The Saskatoon influence:
I loved my roommates in Saskatoon and they taught me some things for a good away from home routine.

• Day 1: Run/walk the city to get your bearings --> I drank 3 cups of coca tea then walked from home to town (1.5 hrs). The altitude hasn't hit me too hard (yet?) but I was definitely out of breath walking uphill.
• General anti-lard rule: Rooms are dark and lonely and depressing, so go outside and mingle --> Cuzco has so much to see, that won't be a problem :p
• Party rule: PARTY. If it weren't for my roommates, I wouldn't have gone out to the country bars and learned to two-step with cowboys, which would have really been a shame. Clubbing IS the way to a city's heart <3 --> I plan to salsa my way through all  most some discotheques. (lezbereal) 

  

  Sarah, Jasdeep, Michelle! :) I miss y'all heaps.

  Things to note:

• Cuzco is so cheap, it's crazy! $1 CDN = 2.5 Nuevo soles. Going for coffee is about 3 soles, a good meal is 10-15 soles, a taxi is 3 soles to anywhere in the city, and the bus is 0.7 soles. The bus also resembles a van (Volkswagen transporter) with a guy that herds you in as it moves. Awesome.
•  It is winter here and SO COLD at night. Think Ottawa Autumn, with no heating in any houses.
•  All showers have water with heating that is pressure-based. Which means, on a scale of freezing to scolding hot, I shower in a trickle of water. 
• The cars don't really use mirrors or signals. They honk to tell you they're "around" you and WILL kill you if you walk in their way. Commit and walk fast.
• **I ate a churro cause it's the closest thing to a beavertail on July 1. I AM CANADIAN. JE SUIS CANADIENNE. Brr. <3**

Till next time!