Inka Fe

I am beging to hit my stride. My excitement has truly begun. I remember why I love this place and what it means to me. Every time I turn the corner and see one part of the city, my heart starts beating faster and my breath shortens. Today I turned one corner and saw a fountain that I walked by at last 100 times in my first trip but with the water, the hills and the buildings in the background I was forced to take a second to really let it all set in.

As I sat on a balcony, drinking hot chocolate, and watching a family a tourists walk by unawares that two young boys were urinating not 10 feet behind them I remembered the phrased I coined three years ago, Gringokuna. Which is a mix of the words gringo, white person, and runakuna, which is the quechuan word for humans or people. When I left Peru in 2007 I fancied myself somewhere between a tourist and, not a Cusqueña, but someone more natural. I am not a native but I want to believe that I have a sense of belonging that others might not. I am glad that I have done all of the tourist things, visit the ruins, nightclubs, and a visit to Lake Titicaca, I plan to spend this trip doing none of those things. I’m giving my self a S/. 10(soles) limit each day, which amounts to $3.54. It only cost me S/. 1 to get to my site and back, I walk to Spanish class and bottled water is usually around S/. 1. This leaves S/. 8 for coffee or email a good filling meal at Antojitos where for S/. 8 you get an appetizer, a soup, a main course and a drink. I will make exceptions when I am out with people and once a week I will splurge and buy myself a nice meal somewhere. Also, when things like laundry, mailing a post card (Katie, it’s in the mail), buying a phone card, a notebook, toothpaste, etc… exceptions will be made.

I am still not in a complete rhythm. I have felt home sick for the first time in my life. Washington, you really did have an effect on me. I was unsure how I fit in within my program because they are all doing all the tourist trips like the Scared Valley and Machu Picchu. However, things are becoming clearer. I am realizing that I need to occupy myself and keep focused. I am going to create a list of questions that cannot be answer in one day to struggle with through the time of my trip. I need to kick my can into hear and integrate myself within groups of Cusqueñas, and not just those connected with Maximo Nivel (http://www.maximonivel.com/, the group I am working with here in Cusco), but other “independent” residents, hopefully Rossmery will be my in. I do know however that I can’t truly understand my time here this early in my trip, but it helps to have a plan. Coffee, think, book, think, book in Spanish, occasional beer….

Here is a picture, it's kind of dark but it's a view from where I'm staying.

Random factoid: The price of a cappuccino con crema from Inkafe has gone up one S/. 1

La Cultura Cura