Immersion #2 - Shukshuyacu

Showing up at Shuchshuyacu

This immersion was a lot different than the last one I must say. In Shucshuyacu it felt like we did a lot less than we had done in Solo but it was kind of nice to chill out.  The first day we got there and we watched them finish the Tambo that the other group started, it was really funny to see them climb up this house type thing with nothing but one ladder that didn’t even go up to the roof. They literally shimmied up the palm leaves with a larger palm leaf on their back, they looked like bugs.  Speaking of bugs, the bugs were so much better here and I think my bug bites from Solo are healing, thank the lord. I was afraid I was going to come home looking like I had some disease seriously.  Anyways, on the day that we arrived we also worked on the community’s beowerta or their new garden.  It was amazing to see how community oriented they were because in Solo it seemed like no one was working together but in Shuchshuyacu everything was done together. The weeding of the garden went by really fast but I wish I had had a machete so I could have helped them more, I felt like I was getting in their way more than anything. After weeding we helped the community make Chicha which is a beer/alcohol that they make out of corn. It takes a lot of water, which they don’t have a lot of so it was really nice for them to do this for us and also for the ceremony that would be held the following day.  When we were making the Chicha I was able to help them carry water and I held the pot on my head just like the women do. They said I had really nice posture and although I wasn’t balancing it I think I could do it after some more practice. After all of our activities we ate dinner and packed it in basically after the sun went down. I think the first night was the latest one and we stayed up until like 9:30pm, real late! It was fun though without electricity because we all sat around talking and listening to Nick play his guitar and just kind of sang and stuff. It was a good bonding moment I think.

(I know Ed would be proud)

The day of “rest”

On Sunday it was more of a day of rest for everyone in the community but we started off the day with a ceremony of the new Apu getting sworn in. Although it was kind of boring since I can’t speak Spanish and had no idea what was going on it was interesting to see the emotions that were in the old Apu’s face and also in other people’s faces. I am surprised at how accepted crying is for the men of these communities, it’s actually quite refreshing. During the ceremony they had a toast with wine and popcorn, which I thought was different and we also go to try the Chicha that we made and it was actually quite good. I don’t know how much of it I could really drink but it was pretty tasty for what it was! After the ceremony we had a soccer game against the girls of the community. No shoes and not really any rules to be honest. It was an intense game but we won! So I was definitely excited. I scored the first goal which made me super happy. The other group lost in the soccer game so it was cool for us to win, even though I felt bad because the girls of Shucshuyacu were really upset. We had another game later on which was less intense and more fun but I didn’t play because I was so dehydrated. After the first game I walked down to this little spring to rinse off and that was the closest thing I had to a shower between Saturday and Tuesday. It wasn’t that bad though because we weren’t getting too dirty. After the soccer games we basically just chilled out most the day and it was really relaxing. That night though it was tough to stay awake because there wasn’t that much to do and I wish that we had a way to watch movies or something just to make it later into the night. I felt like I was sleeping way too much!

(Just a little friend I made)

Arts, crafts, and the never-ending party

Monday we woke up and were so excited to do the crafts because we had all been looking forward to it.  It was fun to learn how to make the Chumbe’s and some people got to learn how to make some pottery as well. I didn’t do any of that because I had done it in high school and I wanted to let the other girls have time to learn how to do it as well. After the crafts we had lunch and then started the going away party/dance.  We danced from 1pm until 7pm, I was literally falling apart by the time we stopped. I was already sore from the soccer game the day before and the dancing just made it that much worst. Many of the guys indulged a little too much on the alcohol and were kind of creepy but luckily we all noticed it and tried to stay away from them. There were more guys our age around towards the end of the party which was cool because it was a change from Solo who had all older guys and younger boys. It was fun to see the differences. One of the things that blew my mind is that there was a girl who was 23 and already had 3 kids, one which was at least like 7 or so. I can’t imagine have a child right now let alone 2 or 3. It is definitely a different life than what we are used to in the United States. It was a lot of fun to learn more about the culture though.

Coming back to Sachamama/Sangapilla

I am definitely happy to be back at Sangapilla and have running water/electricity. Though I am happy to be back here I would love to be home sooner than next Tuesday. I mean it’s nice to know that it’s only a week left until I am literally home but I am just about ready to head back. It’s fun and beautiful here but I miss home and all my friends and family. It’s kind of annoying that break will be completely over when I get back but it is what it is. It’ll be exciting to finally step back into JFK even though I hated that place when I was coming here, funny how those things change! Three weeks is a lot longer than I thought it was for sure but it would also be different if I spent three weeks in Cancun or something. Sometimes I think I should have listened to dad and went on vacation for these three weeks ;) but then I remember how much I have experienced here and learned from being here. I can’t say I would do this again but I’m happy I have done it, it is definitely something I will never forget.

Immersion #1 - Solo

Heading to Solo

Monday morning I woke up to the roosters crowing (like every other morning) and got prepared for the day. I say prepared because getting ready isn’t really a good description since all I ever really do is wake up, brush my teeth, and wash my face for the day. Looking pretty or cute isn’t a factor here, which is something we learned even more about when heading to these villages. We ate breakfast and then headed to the village. The ride was about 35 minutes or so and when we got there it looked like many of the other towns around the area, just more condensed. Right away you could hear the rushing of El Rio Maya which is the river that is in the backyard of this community and makes it stand out from so many others. There was running water and electricity in this village but I didn’t quite understand the point of the newer toilets in one of our housing areas. It really seemed kind of pointless because the other toilets were more like outhouses and seemed just as practical if not more. The running water is definitely a plus though when it comes to showers and what not, which I have a newfound appreciation for since I have only been able to shower in cold water and not even on a daily basis sometimes. The community is centered around a large soccer field and the community Tambo which is where we ate and hung out during most of our free time. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the leaders of the village and also many of the other people who live there including the children, who have stolen a place in my heart forever. After we met many people they showed us where we would be sleeping, which I ended up staying in the same room that they have many guests stay. We had beds with small mattress pads and a bathroom in the “dorm” I will call it. However, like I said before though the shower was nice to have the toilet didn’t seem to always want to work and there wasn’t a door to it, so it was kind of uncomfortable. Once we all settled in we headed back to the community Tambo to find out what we were going to be doing for the rest of the day.

Three days in the village

After arriving on Monday morning we headed up to a Chakra which is farmland of the people living in the village. Now farmland to most of us is flat and planted in rows but this is not how things are in the Chakra. These farmers literally plant on slopes that I can barely walk up and while you are walking you have to watch where you are stepping because the plants are growing all over the place.  It’s also incredible to watch the people walk to their Chakra’s because many of them are a lot older than you would think they were. One woman was 78 years old and walking around barefoot without even flinching as she walked up the mountain terrain. The only time she jumped was when there were ants all over the ground so that they didn’t bite her. But let me tell you the terrain is not for people who haven’t been walking around barefoot their whole life, she must have soles of leather to be able to do it.  I can’t imagine being able to do that and I thought I had tough feet.

Some of the other things we did while in Solo were also quite fun and interesting. We got to hike up into the forest and find micro-organisms. I even got to use a machete to cut into a log that had the fungi that we were looking for in it. The hike was pretty rough; literally I think everything here is up a straight bank of dirt and leaves. It is definitely a work out though and I am impressed by how easily the people of Solo can move up the banks. We then got to learn how to make the compost with the microorganisms which I videotaped for my dad and Charlotte’s dad because I have a feeling they will enjoy it! Later on we learned how to make the soil that they use for their plants at the community center and also the people use it in their Chakra’s. It was pretty fun to plant some of their seeds as well and just help them out.  They also took us in on the last night and dressed us up in their actual clothing for the party that they had. It was so much fun dancing around with everybody in their native attire doing their custom dances and eating/drinking their custom food/drinks.

We all had a great time with the kids of the village too. It was so fun just talking to them and playing with them. One little boy Jay was the sweetest and I think all of us wanted to scoop him up and take him home. There were also a lot of other kids that we all connected to and it was just nice to not have to say a lot of things but just be able to play since many of us didn’t know how to speak Spanish. Many people were asking about my piercings, which I thought was funny because I know my mom and dad don’t exactly love them either. At the end of our stay we spent some time with the whole community and they showed us their traditional fun. I just really can’t even explain it all and I can’t wait to show it in pictures for everyone because it would be way easier to do it that way.

None the less it was a blast and I am so happy that I have had Charlotte here the whole time. I have grown as a person but I also know that our friendship has grown immensely. I will definitely look back at this time that I have spent here and remember a million things and I am happy I will always have someone to share the experiences with. As tough as it has been to be away from my family and friends I know when I get back our relationships will have also grown because of the time we have spent apart. I haven’t been sad or anything just sometimes a little pang in my heart or stomach when I miss people. There are a lot of times where I wish I could just call up home and say hi and just talk/hear their voices. It’s definitely an experience. Tomorrow is the 7^th though which means about 11 days until I start my trek home. I know looking back it is going to seem like it flew by so I’m just looking at it day by day and living in the moment. I have come to realize how great my friends and family are and how much I appreciate having them for support and love J

http://www.charlottegoestoperu.blogspot.com/ is Charlotte's page as well and she has more pictures from this immersion :)

Goodmorning from Singapilla

Chickens Crowing

Every morning I seem to wake up to the roosters crowing and it's become something I actually enjoy. I think I have set an alarm every day but I have yet to hear it and quite frankly, it's peaceful waking up without a screaming alarm. Plus when I wake up I get to look out the window or my door that usually cracks open and see the sunrise. This morning wasn't the best one I've seen but the only one I've gotten up to capture. I'll be sure to get more!

*I tried to put a picture in here but it won't upload... I will try to add one when I get back from the immersion though!

I can't wait for breakfast either, the food is something I need to start talking about. Everything comes from the market or the garden here that is on the grounds. It is all completely organic and fresh and I have to say I've never tasted anything so delicious before. The flavors that we get from everything here are amazing and even though I don't eat a lot all the time, I never go to bed hungry. It all just seems so much healthier. I haven't had too many stomach issues since I got sick but my stomach still isn't great, I don't know if it is the food or what but I'm making it through without complaints. We have definitely been spoiled here with the food, going back to school food isn't going to be an easy feat. Though the one thing I am craving is a bagel with cream cheese and I honestly have no idea why, haha.

Heading to the Villages

I'm not going to say much about what the plan is for the villages because I feel like I will be able to explain it better when I get back but I am excited to go. The first village I am going to is Solo and we are learning about agriculture and irrigation. We are doing a lot of things that are completely out of the norm back in the States but I can't wait to go and capture the moments on camera. I have both my digital camera and my video camera so I will be using it plenty. I'm hoping to have a lot of film from the villages so I can show people the fun stuff that we got to do and how we learned a lot about the villages by doing things with them. This is the part of the adventure that I have been waiting for and I just can't wait!

Also, we were all worried about the food but we are so lucky because our cooks from Sangapilla are actually coming with us to the villages. It's amazing how well they take care of us here. I was not expecting to be eating so well and having everything be so nice. I was expecting a rougher way of living so it was definitely a surprise, though sometimes I wish it was a little rougher. Anyways, I am excited for today and I woke up in a good manner so I can't wait to get going!

New Years in Peru

New Years Eve

New Years Eve just wasn't the same for me because I hadn't been feeling well for awhile and I also was missing home quite a bit. It's tough having a holiday away from your loved ones, that is one thing I have found out. Corey if you ever read this, which I'm sure you won't, I missed you a ton on New Years Eve, I really am trying to believe that it won't be a new year until I get home! Anywho, it was a tough night but I watched a everyone dance and drink for awhile. Then Charlotte and I retreated to our room to just kind of talk about the year as a whole and then talk about what we are looking forward to in the new year. I am looking forward to a lot of changes but all good ones. I can't wait to just start a brand new semester and just be happy and no more worries. This trip has taught me a lot about just taking things day by day and not being so caught up in the things you cannot change. We ended up going to bed around 11:00pm on New Years Eve which seems silly but it was the best thing for me. I got such a good night of sleep and I woke up in the best mood possible. Definitely a great start to a new year waking up to a gorgeous sunrise in the Amazon. I can't quite complain about that.

New Years Day

Waking up on new years day in a different country was a new experience for sure but it was a good one for that matter. We had a quick breakfast around 10:00am then it was off on our hike! Exactly what I should be doing in a place like this just experiencing the area. We took a million pictures but it would take forever to upload them onto here now so I will post a bunch after the trip.  We had about a 40min drive to the opening of the trail and then about an hour hike. Trust me the hike was worth it. The views that we got to see, the different plants, and creepy little crawlers all made it worth it. We were climbing over rocks, through the river, and up steep enbankments. It was a blast seriously, I can't describe the feeling of finally being able to explore the Amazon.  When we finally arrived at the waterfall I lost my breath. It was absolutely beautiful.

We got to play in the water and in the waterfall all afternoon. It was seriously so freeing and just plain fun. It was exactly what I wanted to be doing here in Peru and I'm so happy that we were able to do it. Plus the cooks here made us the BEST "leaf" lunch you could have. As many of you probably have no idea what a leaf lunch is, they literally packed our food up in a leaf. That way we could just put the excess contents and the leaf back into the forest without causing any harm to it. Very "green". It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to eat from. After lunch we basically packed up and started our retreat back to the mainland. The hike back seemed to fly by but it was still a ton of fun. I really wish I could explain the sights and everything but the pictures will have to do the talking once I get them on this computer.

The rest of the night was filled with just talking and relaxing because it was a free night and it was just nice to finally have time to just relax. I got to skype with Corey which was amazing, even though he looked like a blob because this internet is so slow. I love how technology has made traveling just that much easier and less disconnected. Though sometimes I wish I could become more disconnected it was so nice to finally see his face and hear his voice. It will still be another two weeks until I'm home so I have awhile to wait to see everyone in person. I'm excited to be here though and things just keep getting better!

Feliz Ano Nuevo! Te amo <3

Finally in Peru

Back on track

We made it through security and back up to Terminal 4 at the JFK airport. It seems like it’s been awhile since we have been here but it was just last night, I can’t believe we have been here for almost 24hours. I’m surprised at how quickly it has passed but I’m not surprised at how sore I am right now, my back and legs are killing me from sleeping on the tile floor last night. I am actually excited to get to Peru and sleep wherever they can put me because at least I will have my sleeping bag. One of my new friends that we have met on this trip already just came back to let us know that no one around here knows what’s going on, that makes me feel really good about boarding a plane with these people. It seems like anyone could be a flight attendant these days, all you have to say is, well you have to talk to your airline carrier. However, when you call the airline carrier they say “it’s not up to us, it’s up to the airport” makes sense right? Sheesh.

All I’m really getting at here is that hopefully we will be leaving tonight at some point so that we can make it to Peru by morning and catch our connecting flight to Tarapoto from Lima at around 10:00am. That way we can begin our adventures in Peru and not the JFK airport that we have become so familiar with. Even though the people watching is fun it gets quite boring and I can’t stand sitting in one spot any longer. I keep trying to find outlets to plug in my electronics but it’s just useless because they are all taken, you’d think that at this point airports would be more up to date, but I guess not. Luckily, I did get some toothpaste from Charlotte so my teeth don’t have fuzzy slippers on anymore which is a plus. I’m trying to look on the bright side of this all but I am really just ready to be in Peru already.

Getting on the plane

Walking on the plane at 1:00am seems crazy and unreal but I am so happy it is finally happening. I made sure to call my dad and Corey when I got on and into my seat so they knew that we were finally getting out of there. It was a tough phone call because I knew it would be awhile again before I got to talk to either of them on the phone whenever I wanted to. Once I got settled in I took a quick sleeping pill and passed right out. I guess we took off around 2:00am but I slept like a baby right until they served breakfast the next morning. It felt great to sleep somewhere with a cushion even though I was sleeping in a sitting position, I didn’t care. We landed in Lima are 9:30am and rushed to see if we could catch our connecting flight, but with our luck running so well (haha NOT) we missed that as well. It actually worked out though because we didn’t know we had to recheck our baggage either so we had time to go back and I was SO happy to see that my baggage was in Lima with us which meant it would make it to Tarapoto. Something that a lot of people here had to go without for a few days and I’m happy at least my luck got me that.  When we finally got on our flight to Tarapoto at 8:00pm after a 10hour wait in the Lima airport it was nice to think that we were going to be in Lamas soon and starting the adventure we came here to start. Before we took off for Tarapoto however, I got a sick feeling in my stomach and I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or something more. It just kept getting worst as we waited for the plane and I knew it wasn’t going to be good. I got on the plane and we took off and I seemed to be holding it together. I fell asleep for awhile but all of a sudden I was woken up by the feeling of having to vomit. Luckily, I made it to the bathroom in time but it was no fun.  I then got sick again as we were landing and had to use one of those great airport baggies. I’m happy they have them though even if they are gross because otherwise I don’t know what would have happened. For the rest of the night I went through bouts of sickness and the entire next day I slept in my bed. It sucked missing another day but I stayed hopeful that as soon as my sickness passed I would be great for the rest of the trip.

Laying in bed all day

Being forced to be by myself and relax all day was probably one of the best things for me. I was able to not only feel better but also just come to terms with everything that we went through to get here. It was a rough battle through the airports and it took a toll on not only my body but my mind as well. There were a million different times where I felt like I could just break down and call my dad to bring me home but I didn’t. It’s nice to realize that even through a hard time I can pull through and stay strong. Sometimes it gets hard to keep a positive attitude and that is why I am happy I have such a great support system… between my mom, my dad, Corey, and Charlotte I was able to pull through and I’m glad I did. Waking up on a morning after sickness usually isn’t wonderful but waking up here and looking out at the sky and the mountains I knew I was lucky. I’m glad I didn’t miss out on an experience like this because of some snow, I think that would have made me way more mad than being in the airport for hours!

By dinner, I was able to get up and go eat some food which felt amazing and we got to watch some of the local indigenous people perform for us. It was fun to see them in their original dress and doing their own cultural dances. I really enjoyed this because I am very into dance as well and I felt like I could understand them.  I was extremely tired by the end of the night but I was happy to finally be feeling better, I don’t know if I could take day of being trapped in my room!

Traveling to Peru

Heading to New York

Since we knew a Nor’easter was coming into New England the day of our flight, we made sure that we left bright and early Sunday morning at 7:00am.  A three hour drive and we were in Long Island, New York at Charlotte’s grams house just waiting for the weather to hit. As it did, it just kept getting worst and worst. We made sure to keep an eye on the airport to see what flights were being cancelled and let me tell you the majority of them all day were cancelled. While we waited to see if our flight would be cancelled as well, we played Quiddler a new game that we thought we would try out and we also unsuccessfully tried to do our writing assignments for the trip.  The weather didn’t seem to be letting up any but our flight was still on, so at 7:00pm we forged our way through the snow to get to the airport.

Trekking to the airport

Since there were NO taxis running at this time due to the weather, Holly (Charlotte’s mom) took it on herself to try to get us to the airport. With over 6inches of snow on the ground in the parking lot, let’s just say it wasn’t an easy feat. After shoveling and having Holly (A.K.A Superwoman) literally pushing the car, we finally got out of the parking lot of Charlotte’s gram’s condo.  The roads around the condo weren’t much better but with another few pushes and gram at the wheel we were able to get the car to a main road. Even though the road conditions weren’t all that great still we were able to have all four of us in the car. At a speed of about 20mph we trekked our way to the airport. Obviously there were your common “assholes” driving on the road as well in their 4-wheel drive SUV’s (which by the way we were in a Honda Accord) and there were also those overly cautious people who seemed to think hitting their breaks going up a hill was going to help them somehow but in reality just made it harder to get up the incline. Through all of this SOMEHOW we made it to the airport. As Charlotte and I climbed out of the car we were almost toppled over by the wind and in a twenty foot span I think I almost fell five times because of the snow and ice on the ground. I just kept thinking “How the hell is a plane going to take off in this?”

Finding our way

As Charlotte and I slipped and slid our way into the airport we found ourselves somewhere quite deserted. Where there are usually long lines waiting to be checked in, there was nobody because everyone else’s flight had been cancelled… WEIRD?! So as we made our way through, no one, we checked in our bags and then went to security. Security went over well and easy, except for the awful smell of rotten feet (seriously, it was disgusting).  As we put our stuff back in our bags we just started to laugh, thinking how ridiculous this looked and I just kept saying how surreal life seemed to be at this moment. We had spent so long waiting for this trip and now we were just waiting to see if our flight was even going to happen. The waiting kept building up my anxiety throughout the past few months and the waiting today just made it even worst.

Luckily we found someone else that was also going on our trip and we knew that there were a few more that would be around.  It was nice just having another person to be around and understand what all of us were going through.  As we waited we watched out the window wondering how in the world a plane was going to go out of this. The wind was pushing snow around like crazy, a literal blizzard atmosphere but they said it was still on. After awhile we started to hear different announcements about the airport and other flights and we thought we had heard one saying that the airport had CLOSED. But the board still had our flight on schedule so we waited some more. Finally we heard the devastating yet OBVIOUS news, our flight would be postponed until 9:00am, why they couldn’t tell us this about 10 hours ago, I don’t know but whatever. So we found the other people that were going to be on our trip and we decided we were going to wait it out at the airport with Holly’s words in the back of our minds “If we get you there and it’s cancelled, you guys are staying put!” and that’s exactly what we planned to do.

Staked out in the airport

When we found out our plane was delayed until the morning the airport attendees had us come get food vouchers from them so we could get something to eat. Funny thing is, they gave us about 20 minutes to buy food and the lines were FOREVER long. We waited and the places stayed open, thankfully but it was obnoxious. As I stood there I just felt myself breaking down. Now for those of you who know me I’ve had a rough past month with emotions and I have to say I was at my breaking point. I called my family and my dad talked me through it and got me to calm down and look at the bigger picture (he is really good at this stuff). I am also quite lucky to have a boyfriend that knows how to deal with my anxiety too and I have to say he really does know how to handle it and calm me down. Between these great two guys in my life I was able to relax a bit and reflect on everything that was going on.  I can’t say I remember when my anxiety started over this trip but between this and everything else going on right now I am just looking for normality again. Luckily I was able to get myself out of the anxiety and perk up a bit, just in time to realize that we would be sleeping on the floor for the night, woohoo! NOT. At least there was 4 of us staying together now and we were able to get a blanket for underneath us.  We all just kind of relaxed and eventually fell asleep for a few hours at a time at least for me. It was not easy to sleep on a tile floor I’ll tell you that much especially with so many people around that I did not know. Plus on top of this at about 3:00am I woke up to some random man screaming about something or other, I don’t know but I realized I was absolutely freezing so Charlotte and I got her sleeping bag out and snuggled under it to get through the rest of the night. The rest of the night included about 3 more hours of sleep because we were all up at about 6:00am, fun stuff. Thinking that our plane was going to be jetting off at around 9:00am we started to get more and more excited.

Then we got more news about our plane and once again we had a delay, this time INDEFINITELY. Cool just wicked awesome at this point. My back feels like it’s broken, I haven’t showered since Saturday night (I know, gross but I was expecting to be in Peru by now), I don’t have my toothbrush, I don’t have any other clothes, my laptop only has so much battery and there are only two outlets in this whole damn room. To say the least, my patience isn’t exactly there anymore. Oh and to top it all off, after we got our morning vouchers to get breakfast I walked upstairs and almost blacked out for a good half an hour, that was fun.  I don’t know if it was from the lack of sleep, fresh air, water, or what but I was not feeling well. Finally we got back downstairs and I was able to sit down for awhile and start feeling better. Thankfully I felt better, because that was about all I could take. I called my parents and let them know that once again we would be delayed and hopefully would be flying out tonight. And at this point that’s all I’m waiting for. There isn’t really much to do in here except sleep, eat, play games, and read so I’m doing whatever I can to pass the time. Luckily there are five us all together now and I have to say, it’s definitely been a bonding experience. These girls are great and I can’t wait to spend the next three weeks with them, I’m just hoping that we can get to Peru and start our real adventure. But as my mom said “it’s always an adventure with you and Charlotte isn’t it?” and that’s the truth-I just wish we could go back to having a suite in Cancun because our ceiling flooded instead of being stuck in an airport but I’ll take what I can get. We have met a lot of interesting people and I’m sure we will meet plenty more!