What changed everything was the support of my family and friends via Facebook, having an open mind, and the people at the Healing House. Thursday during the day I pushed myself to go to the main house to eat lunch, aka a mango. While I was cutting my mango I met Amy T., who was also fairly new to the Healing House and from Canada. I had been holding back a bit with the people here because they have been here for months, and it was really intimidating having not been given a real run down of how everything works around the house. So I introduced myself to Amy, realized she was new too, and we instantly hit it off. Having someone that makes you comfortable makes a huge difference. Amy has been traveling South America for two years by back pack so I let her use my computer for some logistical things that day and we later headed back to the main house for a dinner gathering as a send off for Anne, the German, and as a happy birthday for Mallory, a volunteer that was moving to the Sacred Valley with her boyfriend. The thought at the Healing House is that everyone contributes something even if it isn't a physical object. I didn't have any food to offer to cook so instead I helped prepare food and I took pictures so everyone could remember the night. Keep in mind the kitchen is maybe 12 feet by 15 feet maximum and we had ten people cooking at one point. The close proximity becomes useful as when the sun goes down it gets in the low 50's and upper 40's and the house is not insulated or outfitted with any sort of heating or cooling system. Today I really began to wonder why Peruvians did not believe in fireplaces... Anyways, we were cooking, listening to music, exchanging stories, and bonding which made me feel so much better about knowing the others and knowing my place and purpose in the house.
In the end we had about 15 people share a meal of quinoa, roasted veggies including zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, and onions, a salad made of broccoli, avocado, mango, and lime juice, homemade guacamole, garlic bread with tomato and basil, peaches, homemade sweet potato chips, and cucumber spears. I was so happy to have a fully cooked meal at the house and to share it with such an amazing and different group of people.
After eating we cleaned the many dishes and made our way to the living room for a little dance party before most of the group went out to their favorite gringo bar, Wild Rover. At this point many of us showed off our hoola hooping talents and I realized that they were extremely talented, especially Mallory. I asked where she had learned to do the tricks and illusions and she said at festivals (super hippie moment). The House closes to guests at 10 pm so Daniel and Giancarlo, Cusqueños, had to leave so the gang went with them to Wild Rover missing happy hour which ends at 10. At that point I came back to my room and watched The Nanny on Netflix until I fell asleep, which was fabulous.
Friday I had a meeting with Niki, the director of the Healing House to discuss my plans for my photography class/project and for my energetic and spiritual talents. I will delve into those talents later. After my meeting Amy and I were supposed to meet with Alex, a Peruano, to go slack lining and to climb the Temple of the Moon here in Cusco. He was supposed to pick us up at the house at 12:30 but did not arrive until 1:30, this is known as Peruvian time. Most people know I am notoriously late for almost everything, but here I am early! Once Alex arrived we went to Mercado de San Blas for a menu, which is a 3 course meal for super cheap, normally 5 soles ($2). After the vegetarian meal at Lila's, frequented by dirty hippies and such, we were going to head up the mountain but it was pouring and freezing. So once the rain chilled out we went back to the Healing House trying to convince Alex to take us slack lining on Sunday, but being a Peruvian he could make no such commitment, also being a bricherro. In Cusco there is a unique phenomenon of the bricherro, which is a native man that flirts endlessly with gringa women to have them buy things for them, for sexual relationships, and ultimately as a ticket to the United States. There are plenty of bricherros around Cusco but many of them come from Lima for the summer just to be a bricherro. You can spot one if he says hi and recognizes half of the gringa women passing on the street. I definitely am aware of the possibility of finding love abroad, but I don't feel like that is going to happen during my stay here, not at the moment anyways. We all know I've had my fair share of international affairs (Germany, Canada), no pun intended, I don't need another at the moment. The rest of Friday it rained and I made pasta, green beans, and kiwi for dinner. That night I Skyped the family back home and it was wonderful to tell them for an hour and a half about my experiences so far and how well I am adapting. I didn't get homesick, just a bit jealous that it was warm there and they could cuddle with Boomer, my best friend of a dog. I fell asleep relatively early that night because fireworks woke me up at 8 am, set off multiple times an hour all day long for no reason. ¡Viva Peru!
Saturday morning I woke up just as early because of fireworks but also because I was going to sit in on a Reiki class that Niki was teaching. For those of you who do not know, I am a Reiki Master. Reiki is a Japanese practice of healing by laying on of the hands to facilitate the movement of an unseen life force energy (ki). There are four levels traditionally of a Reiki practitioner and I was certified this past year when I came home from school for a break or on weekends. I was most recently certified as a Master, being able to pass attunements of Reiki onto others and being able to teach the actual practice of Reiki healing. I am not asking you to accept this practice or my beliefs, I just ask that you respect them and have an open mind about it. If you are interested and want to learn more just to learn more, a link with information is above. This Reiki work is also why I am interning at the Healing House, a large part of me was drawn to this opportunity because of the alternative and holistic teachings and practices available at the Healing House. To continue, Saturday I sat in on a Level I and II course that also included an attunement. It was draining to give so much energy to the group through meditation and sharing, but definitely worth it. After the Reiki training I participated in a chakra workshop to enhance my understanding of the 7 traditional chakras.
Saturday after the two classes I was so drained energetically, emotionally, and physically. Despite my lack of energy I rallied for one final goodbye celebration for Anne, going of course to Wild Rover for happy hour. Happy hour means that a double rum and coke costs 8 soles ($3), compared to dollar drinks at the Strip back in Tallahassee. Lets just say I was disappointed, but it is a known fact that such high altitudes enhance the effects of alcohol consumption, just saying. I thought I was looking good last night for not having showered in a few days because it is almost impossible with the cold weather and lack of hot water. The Pacers vs. Nicks game was on at the bar and I was definitely going for the Pacers, hometown heroes. While I was cheering them on two guys from the UK started to flirt; I will not be impressed if you buy the same drink as me fellows. The Pacers won, I was hanging with the group, and then spotted a guy with a Penn shirt on, turns out he and his friend just graduated and were from Andover, Massachusetts (love those Boston boys). Eventually I started talking to the 3 gringos that were wearing v-necks and made extended eye contact when I walked in. They were from Australia, loved the accents, but were all short and good for a nice chat but I had no other intentions. So after small talk I danced with the group, did some cheers to "Namaste, bitches!" and headed home in the cold because I had another early morning today for Reiki.
This morning I wasn't sure if I really wanted to sit in on the rest of the Reiki course because I have already studied it and I was extremely tired from the 5:30 am fireworks today. Coming to the conclusion that I need to honor my commitments and do as much as I can while I am here, I put on 3 jackets, a scarf, and started trekking towards Niki's house where we were doing the class across town. I was quite proud of myself when I asked the gardeners outside of the door if it was her house, in Spanish, and that I was correct. So more Reiki, some group meditation, and a few hours later I headed back to the Healing House to run some errands and try to get a quick shower. The key to showering here is to do it when it is sunny out and when there is plenty of gas to heat the water. You turn the right knob on for 6 seconds, off for 3, then on again and wait 5 seconds for the water to heat up. I got it my first time, so excited to finally wash my hair and then the water went ice cold and so did my doused hair. It was not my lucky day to take a full shower, so I will try again tomorrow. I am taking care of my hygiene still people, don't worry, I'm not coming home with only a back pack and dreads. It was gorgeous today after 3 days of continuous rain and hail, so I only wore leggings and a long sleeve shirt, sporting my Florida State Croakies as I was finally able to use my sunglasses. I went to el Mercado de San Blas to get some more mangos, pears, bananas, and kiwi. Then on my way back I stopped at a tienda (corner store) to get eggs, peach juice, butter, gatorade, crackers, and Chips Ahoy cookies. It's safe to say I'm stocked up for about 4 days then I will need more fruits and veggies because I normally cook at the house and it is strictly vegetarian. After Reiki I was really craving a good pizza so I convinced Amy to go to a restaurant with me to satisfy my urge. It was a great decision, having gotten garlic bread with cheese and a Margherita pizza that was way better and cheesier than I expected. The rest of my day I worked at the house answering the door, doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning shared spaces. Amy and I tried to go out to a bar on our street called Siete Angelitos, Seven Angels, to hear an Amy Winehouse cover band play, but we realized we were drained and the band didn't come on until later than we hoped. So we headed home!
Tomorrow I have another Reiki sit in, this time for level III and I will be working with healing stones and auras. I am really excited to be in a place where these practices and studies are widely accepted and facilitated. I look forward to learning a lot more about the metaphysical and spiritual fields as well as more about myself as I am on my own through this journey. Please know that I am not trying to force my beliefs or practices on you, I just hope to bring some awareness to other activities through this blog and make a small difference if possible. The power of positive thought is amazing and that is what I really want to promote as well as infinite love. So I want to say I love you all so much and hope you are open to receiving it!
so happy you're settling in, this is so you! Also--you have to teach me Reiki :]
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