Cusco and back

So nearly two, possibly three, weeks after my return from traveling with my parents here is a update. 

I would like to say that I am sorry for those who would like more regular updates....I´ve been meaning to write this update ever since getting back, and I´ve just never sat down to write. Same old story, I know, nothing has changed....well a few things actually, but first a recap of the trip with Mom and Dad.

M&D arrived on a Friday night and it had already been a good Friday, the boys I´m teaching ´Stick Schtick´ had just (after much time) put together 4 different rhythms while holding the beat. It was a big feat for us, for me. I don´t know if the boys realized what a big accomplishment it was, but they definitely saw how giddy I was.  So after class, I headed to the airport, and waited for the plane to arrive.  Pick up went fine, got them into an apt in Lima and then figured how to get them to Ciudad on Sat. AM so they would be able to see the beginning of our Olympics.

Olympics was great, M&D were able to see the cheers, some of the races and all the boys having fun together.  I was on the yellow team, and we were the yellow ninjas. We made up a cheer and sang and had sweet headbands that I spent hours working on. The definitely said a combination of:  Ninja, Flor (the woman I work with), Laura (volunteer), Doris (tutora) and Jeanette.  It was our little way of making sure there was some femenine representation within the team at all times.  We didn´t tell them obviously until the end what it said, thankfully, they reacted quite well and understood the joke.  I actually thought we were going to lose out of all the 4 teams but Sunday when announced surprised me and we came in 2nd!  It was a great surprise for us!

I then headed to the dinner for the tour, 2 days late since it had started on Sat. AM. Olympics were much more important, and I wasn´t interested in being trucked around in a tourist bus to all the places I had already been in Lima....not my idea of fun.  Monday AM we headed off to Cusco and spent the week going to various location in the Sacred Valley including Ollantaytambo, Urubamba, Pisac, Machu Picchu (of course) and Cusco proper.  I´ll save you all the boring details and relate only my favorite parts.

Highlights include:

Being in a mountainous region again. Fresh mountain air is hard to beat.
Being with Mom and Dad. It was kinda awesome.
Having hotel rooms all to myself....no sharing beds with sisters this vacation.
Machu Picchu, day one,  there was a rainbow.
Cusco. I really enjoyed walking around the city, I wish we could have had more time there.


That´s it.  I hope you weren´t expecting too much more. We actually saw quite a bit, which was great, but I also had a bit of a culture shock during the trip. 
I thought going into the trip, I would be fine because I was still going to remain in Peruvian culture, nothing new there, it would just be with Americans, fine, great.  Not.  
It was actually a shock how much of American culture permeated into the trip, I struggled quite a bit.  I had a lovely time seeing the places, but I was overwhelmed by the amount of consummerism of the tour participants, the amount of food we ate, where we stayed, in general everything.  Not to detract from any of the people on the tour. They were wonderful and I wouldn´t say they were overconsumming or anything of the sort, it was just the difference between my style of living for the past year and the american way of thinking.  I think in Nuevos Soles (peruvian money), everybody else converted into US dollars. I was outraged when things were 2 or 3 soles more than they should´ve been because we were a tourist group, nobody else sweated about that, because it was only a dollar.  Meals, spending 30 soles, that´s a lot for me to spend, but it´s $11 roughly...it´s a great price for the quality of food! 

Differences became apparent and I believe I received a taste of what I will be experiencing when I return to the US in February. That´s fine, and it was a good little test for me.
Don´t get me wrong, I had a wonderful time on the trip and I´m glad Mom and Dad were able to come down. They stayed a few days after the tour and got to know where I work, who I work with and the boys. My boys. My boys who I missed A LOT while traveling. I think everybody got a little tired of hearing about the boys, I didn´t tire at all of talking about them.

So that´s the update from the trip.

Music classes are going well. We´re gearing up for the Anniversary celebration at Ciudad (56 years) and then after that is Noche de Talentos (Talent Show).  We just saw the boys (semi) perform yesterday, and there were more acts than last year and the quality is also going to be much better, I can already tell.
Oh, did I mention that the new Cap Corps volunteers moved in?  It´s been GREAT!   Michael, Laura and Ryan are all great and are adjusting to life here at Ciudad.  All great personalities, so I am extremely excited about the future for our community!

I have to dash to go finish making pizza (on the grill!).

I hope, as always, that everybody is well and healthy. I miss you all tons!

What I´ve learned:

Leaving is going to be hard. Not getting my daily kisses and hugs from the boys is going to be hard.

I have 3 months left with the boysve 3 months left with the boys....eek!!!!!

Seeing family is always great, and I am grateful that all the immediate family was able to come down and visit.

Luciana is a wonderful friend for sending me a package!  Such a surprise!  Goldfish, trashy magazines and Time, chocolate, luna bars and more. What an amazing lady!

I still need to take time each day for God, otherwise I start to lose my voice yelling at the boys, and get a little of track for why I am here.


Hugs and Kisses to all! 
Jeanette


ps. I´ll try to get pictures up, but it might take a while, I don´t have my comp anymore so all the pics are inaccessible at the moment. :(