International Runways

I'm only two weeks behind in blogging at this point, which is better than before. I measure my stay here week by week, on every Thursday, because that is the day I arrived and the day that I depart. Also, because of blogging, I live week to week recounting my experiences for you all. The week I am recalling now was much more exciting than the last and really shows how Cuzco has so many different layers.

Monday, June 24th, was Inti Raymi, the Incan festival of the sun. It is a huge tourist attraction as well as a native tradition. One of the festivals takes place just up our mountain at Sacsayhuaman (sexay woman), and thousands of tourists and Cusqueños alike flock to the large field to dance, eat, and party. Monday morning I was feeling really tired, as if I needed to recharge. Also realize I was still getting over this flu-like illness that included a river of mucus coming out of my nose, swollen glands, and extreme sinus pressure. That day I decided to rest, watch movies and read. I eventually got the energy to come to the main house and cook some eggs, then I talked to Sylvia about going to Inti Raymi, and she was going to leave later in the afternoon. I was still mulling over the thought of going or not and decided to take a shower in the afternoon, later than normal, and dried my hair right away. Normally I let it curl but the sun was going down fast and it would be too cold to have wet hair. So instead I dried it quickly in the sun with a towel and then brought out the only electronic beauty product I brought to Peru, my straightener. I was afraid it would burn out because of the voltage difference but it is high quality and can receive 220+ voltage. Due to the lack of humidity and moisture in the mountains my hair has been suffering, it is dry and not my normal mermaid style. So straightening it brought back the shine, smoothness, and luster. 

After I did my hair I offered up my straightener to Sara and it made her hair look fabulous as well. When you have had frizzy and dry hair for months you will learn to be grateful for a good hair day! In celebration of our newfound joy, Sara and I went to get papas fritas, at Juanito's of course. While we were there I invited Efrain, the guy that takes our orders, to come to the fashion show Wednesday night and he said yes. The thing about going to Juanito's every other day is that Efrain knows my order, my name, and what sauces I like. He also comes to tell us our order is ready and every day he gets closer and closer to my face when he says "listos". He asked if I had a phone here and I told him no, but that didn't stop him. He asked me how old I was, I told him 19, then asked how old he was. He told me to guess, and I had heard that he was 17, but he said he was 18 so that was better than the previous guess. Still, I'm not interested in him like that. I have no recollection of what we did after that, so I apologize for not taking notes the past few weeks. I can guess that I got a Milky Way at Parwa and went to my room to watch Friends on Netflix. 

Tuesday morning I went to Montay, as normal, with Sherri. On the way there we talked about men, our dogs, and just life in general. I had been planning on going to Lima since the beginning of my trip, and I was in contact with a friend from Florida State who lives in Lima. He golfs and had some time off the coming week so I told Sherri that I was going to Lima then. We like to talk about our travels, where we want to go and who we want to be with during our cab rides to Montay. It also serves as a great therapy session. 

Once we got to Montay we realized that all of the girls were busy working, this never happens. Normally only a few of them are working at a time and they are all able to receive treatments at some point while we are there, but that day they had apparently woken up late and got to their chores later so none of them got treatments. Sherri and I ended up playing with their kids the whole time, one of our favorite being Sergio. He is 5 and was already late for school but Sherri loves him so he hung around for 30 minutes and played swords with her with an old PVC pipe. The kids make their way into your heart and never leave. I'm so excited for the pregnant girls to give birth while I am here, it amazes me that I will be there for the beginning of their lives after the get back from the hospital. I give their mom's bellies massages, I can feel the little babies kick, and soon enough I will get to meet them!

After Mantay Sherri and I went to the bakery, like always, and I got pan con chocolate. It is the best breakfast food you will every have, especially after a morning with the Mantay girls. That day I ate my bread and realized it was a beautiful, warm sunny day. So naturally I had the courage to put my bathing suit on and lay out in the sun, for hours. I got a message on Facebook from one of my favorite people back in Tallahassee, saying that our other friend got back from Europe and now they're just waiting on me. That made me feel really good and it made me miss them, a lot. So the entire time I was laying out I had great wifi signal in the garden was able to stream 103.5, Tampa Bays best country, on my phone and I felt just like I was home. It stayed sunny without a single cloud for at least four hours and I visualized the beach lapping at my toes, jet ski's in the background, and my favorite people with me.

 After the sunning session I got ready for the clinic and to do some Reiki. I was working the door but also made macaroni and cheese, not that I needed it before the fashion show, but it is always a comfort. I ended up giving a treatment to Ash's host family, which was cool because I hadn't seen him in a long time and I was able to bring multiple people full circle for Reiki. While I was giving treatments I realized that I was actually pretty sun burned. Because my whole body hadn't seen sunlight in a month and a half it reacted like expected, and the altitude doesn't help either. I was still happy to be sun burned, just in a bit of pain.

Wednesday was the day! We had the fashion show that night and during the day I had a lot to do. In the morning I had a Reiki treatment with Rosio and her mom, being really tired and still kind of sick. Despite my distaste for early morning treatments I worked with them and then hung out with Rosio until about noon. Rosio does not have the ability to fully stabalize or support herself when sitting or standing so I had to be with her for the whole two and a half hours. We sat in the garden for a while, played Niki's drum, Rosio trying to eat the drumstick, then looked at some of Lynn's stones that were sitting out in the sun to cleanse, and finally we tried to draw. At this point I hadn't eaten any food yet, was tired, and really wanted to go back to my room and rest. Finally Rosio's mom came back from working at the market and I got my break. 

Afterwards I made some scrambled eggs, went back to my room, and watched a movie and napped until I had to shower. Once the sun goes down here it is really difficult to shower, not only because of a lack of water pressure, but because without the sun we sit at a solid 45º F. So I hustled but also took a quality shower, shaving my legs completely (rare opportunity here), washing my hair, and taking care of everything else. I thought I wanted my hair curly for the show so I set it up to be curly, meaning I let it stay wet for a while, and then went back to my room and painted my nails nude while watching Pretty Woman, eating Chips Ahoy cookies, and drinking a Coke. Sara and I wanted soup before we left so we went to Green Point and then I felt really prepared for the show. As a model, gorging yourself before a fitted show is what you're supposed to do, right? 

Anyways, after soup we came back to the house and started getting ready. I went to Sara's room and straightened my hair because the curls didn't form correctly, put some base make up on, and got a bottle of champagne for backstage. It was about 9 pm when we got to The Muse, the club where the show was, and they ushered us to the back room where Eibhlin was setting up. She gave each of us our outfits and told us to know where they are at all times because we had to change ourselves after each walk. More models started showing up and soon enough it was a party. The show was supposed to start at 10 but of course on Peru time it actually started at 11:45 pm. While the models were waiting we celebrated with some champagne and wine, put eye makeup on the male models, and traded stories about our time in Peru. There were a few gringo models, mostly from Healing House and one more hostel bar, but the rest were Peruvians. 

The problem was that the club was so packed that they didn't have enough room to make the runway, and then they didn't have candles for the runway, so once that was all put together Niki and her band the Clusterfunks started playing covers to get the crowd ready. I was so pumped yet nervous at the same time and when I get nervous, I have to pee. So before we went on I went to the bathroom and saw that the married soccer player was in attendance, oh joy. Despite that I was excited to see Efrain from Juanito's and the buff waiter from Jack's cafe! All of the people that I wanted to be there, were, and that made me feel great. So after the first two songs were done we started walking out and Eibhlin didn't want it to be a serious show, she wanted people to have fun, dance, and party, so we got to dance down the candle-lit runway and play with the crowd. I was the only one wearing 5 inch heels and that got a great response from the Cusqueño men. Once we were done walking we had to go backstage and change, but the crowd was so thick that we could barely get through without someone grabbing us or trying to take a picture. 

My second dress was better than the first, in my opinion. It was different blue fabrics and was also high-low. I kept my hair in a bun for the first two dresses and had planned to make a little show of my own for my third dress. I quickly ran back after the second dress and put on my third, which not everyone had, and as so ready to own that runway. There were so many people that they had to hang out in the hallway as overflow, each getting to see our outfits but not the performance. So when I stepped out in the white dress I got a lot of ooh's and ahh's. Right before it was my turn to walk in my final dress, Niki and the band started playing Bad Girl, and it was the most epic moment of my time so far in Peru. I stepped out into the candles, took out the one pin I had left in my hair that was keeping it together, and whipped it back and forth! I swear there was a noticeable sound that came from the crowd as I let down my hair and danced around, still in my heels. After we all walked we got back onto the runway and danced with people in the audience for a couple of songs and then went to change. 

Sara and I had gotten free drink bands and once we changed we came back out into the crowd, danced, and tried to take advantage of the free drinks but decided it would be best if we didn't drink anymore, having to work at 8 am the next day. We hung out in the back room with other models and men that wanted to know the models until about 1 am. At this point Sara and I were sitting there, waiting for the two guys at the other end of the table to make some sort of move but then they got up and left, so we decided to go home as well. We started putting our jackets on and the two guys came back with drinks, asking us why we were leaving so soon. We said we had to work in the morning and said goodnight. The one I had my eyes on was a different soccer player, that was closer to my age and apparently single. So we left, I got home and passed out. The next day I found out that the guys had gone to get Sara and I drinks, came back, and then we left. Awkward but very flattering!

Thursday was the day that we were going to Mantay to paint finger nails. Normally it is just Sherri and I but Sara and Sylvia came along to help. We didn't have many colors but the girls improvised and just like to come and talk. After the nail painting we went to the bakery and ate some chocolate bread, then went to Jack's Cafe for more food. Has it become apparent to you yet that we like to eat? At Jack's I got caramelized banana pancakes, which just meant a ton of caramel sauce and some sliced up bananas, to say in the least I was disappointed. 

For the rest of the afternoon I hung out with Sara and Sherri, doing bits of nothing here and there. Later on in the evening Sara and I went for papas fritas at Juanito's and it was awkward seeing Efrain because the non existent relationship had somewhat peaked after he came to the fashion show. What was I supposed to do if I didn't want anything more? My first reaction was no more Juanito's, so after Sara and I each ate a full serving of papas, we declared we would not eat papas at Juanito's again for a whole week, it just worked out for me that I was going to be in Lima the next week. After papas I was able to finally get in contact with my family and our friends that were staying at the beach. The Sanders family comes to Florida every summer for a volleyball tournament in Orlando and spend time at our house on St. Pete Beach. I didn't know how I was going to do, not spending time with them this summer, but it was great to Skype with them and to hear how proud they are of me. Even though I was missing out on things like friends coming for visits, I am getting so much else here. I told them about the fashion show, the people and kids I work with, and that I love and miss them all. I told Kyler, the little boy, to catch a flounder for me and to eat cheese curds because that is what we did together last summer.

Friday morning Sara and I were really hungry so we went to Jack's Cafe... again. The thing about Jack's is that it is gringo central. They serve large portions of American style food at large prices. We are willing to pay for comfort sometimes. While we were waiting for a seat there was a little girl witting with her mom on the street, selling stones and candy. The little girl and I locked eyes, I made funny faces at her, she made them back, and then came running into my arms and gave me the biggest, most random hug I have ever experienced. I just held her for about 10 minutes, making funny faces, tickling her, and getting squeezed with love. Then we got our table and she wouldn't go back to her mother, it got to the point where the waiter had to carry her out and tell her not to come back in Spanish. After Sara and I ate the little girl came back and sat in my lap, eating the rest of my potatoes and pancakes. I found out her name is Alessandra and she is two years old. 

Later Friday afternoon we had a yoga flashmob. Paola, Mallory, Lynn, Romina, Sara, and myself went down to the small plaza called Nazarenas and whipped out a bunch of yoga mats and started getting bendy! I put out stacks of flyers for the fundraiser, put out donation jars, and took some great photos to document the event. We got so much attention, doing it just as kids were getting out of school and where a lot of tourists walk by. Other than raising money our goal was to spread the word about Healing House and all of the treatments and classes we offer. It got so hot in the sun that I had to sit down while talking to a woman about our programs because I almost passed out. In the end it was successful and I was proud to be part of such an amazing community. 

After yoga I went into my room to try and relax by watching Netflix but I couldn't find something I really liked, and it worked out perfectly because Sara asked me to go with her to Jens, a holistic doctor in the middle of nowhere in San Jeronimo. I jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house so we got a taxi and looked for about 15 minutes in San Jeronimo for this guys clinic. It was a trek to get out there but we made it and it was beautiful. Jens is from Denmark but specializes in holistic medicine and cupping, which is a suction of your meridians to get energy moving to heal you. When Sara got her treatment I was allowed to sit with her and as I walked into the room I felt like I walked into Inception. There were at least 6 other people hooked up to these cupping machines with wires and cords, looking exactly like the old people that couldn't dream without being put under in Inception. I laughed out loud. When it was time to leave Jens' it was dark out and he had called everyone else a taxi but not us, so he told us to walk down this sketchy dirt road that was scarcely lit until we hit Avenido del Cultura, one of the main roads where we could catch a cab. He said it would only take 10 minutes but it took a bit longer and I was thoroughly creeped out. 

Once we made it home I made macaroni and cheese as a comfort food and laid in bed watching Netflix for the rest of the night. Some days in Cuzco are extremely exciting and others just wear you down. This day had a bit of both. 

Saturday is the kids program and I just felt like taking a break that day. So I stayed in bed until just before the program and I decided to wear shorts and a t-shirt that day because the weather was GORGEOUS. Before I went into the program I tried to book a flight to Lima for Monday, I couldn't book ahead of time because I didn't know when I could be hosted, so I looked online for flight costs and times. I wanted a midday flight on Monday so I didn't have to stress, but my card kept getting denied. I had my father book my flight and because it was so close to my fly date it was more expensive, even if I did it through the airline site it would have been over $200 US. So my father booked a roundtrip flight through Orbitz and I went to go paint reusable bags with my kids! 

At first only two kids showed up but by the end of the program we had our regular boys and some new ones! I gave a Power Point presentation, in Spanish, about the dangers of using plastic bottles and bags and what we can do in Peru and across the world to prevent environmental destruction. One thing I have learned is that Cusqueño kids love computers, every time I bring mine out they want to play on it. When we brought out the paints and the canvas bags I put my computer away and tried to feel inspired to paint something. I love the feeling of a paintbrush in my hands and a blank canvas, but I never know what to paint or how to paint what I envision. I'm a big fan of quality, so painting will take some time to develop as a skill and a passion. After most of the kids finished painting they decided to paint me. The ONE DAY I wore a brand new pair of shorts the kids painted my freshly shaven legs bright red and purple, getting some paint on my shorts. I was upset for about one second until I remembered that they were just a pair of shorts and that the kids are getting so much enjoyment out of freedom to paint wherever or on whomever. Once the paint dried it was a physical pain to get off in freezing cold water, but then I boiled some, got an old rag, and started wiping down in the little sun left of the day. 

After the program I cleaned up, put pants on, and went to watch Sylvia and Giancarlo play at the Marriott. JW Marriott is a really nice hotel in Cuzco, for international tourists alike. Of course I wore my leather jacket and nice shoes for the occasion, and I felt like I fit in really well at the hotel. I also realized that if my family had come to Cuzco we would have stayed there. That really made me think that I have a nice lifestyle back home but I am versatile enough to fit in in other social standings and environments. I have to admit, I love looking good, dressing up, and making a night of things and that doesn't always "jive" with the people I am with here in Cuzco. I am not ashamed of my financial situation nor will I deny myself the pleasures and comforts that I can afford. I am versatile, but I am also true to my raising. Sylvia was kind of quiet on the mic and Giancarlo's guitar was louder than necessary, but the entertainment aspect was still good. There was a group of older friends from all over and it was the main guys birthday, so we all sang with him, ate chocolate cake, and drank champagne. After that Sara and I went to look for soup, ended up walking into a restaurant for kids, and went in search for a more adult-like atmosphere. We ended up at Ukuku's and they wanted us to pay a 15 sole cover, so we left and then got juices. I was satisfied and Sara and I walked home and slept heavily. It turned out to be a great Saturday. 

Sunday morning I gave a Reiki treatment to Rosio's mom and we had an open house. These three girls come and sell alpaca sweaters for their mom and just hang out with us all day. I help them with crafts and sometimes give them my computer to watch Barbie videos on YouTube in Spanish. By the end of the day they had written me notes telling me how much they enjoyed my funny faces and how beautiful I was. Those things make my day and I love those kids. This proves that I am meant to work with kids. After working all day and taking care of the girls, I was tired and didn't start packing to leave for Lima the next morning. Like always, I procrastinated. 

Stay tuned for my adventures in Lima! I promise you they are better than any movie. 

Every Day in Cusco is a Parade!

Oh my goodness, this week has been one for the books. Last I left you was Friday evening, and MUCH has changed since then. It feels like its been two weeks rather than one, but brace yourselves for some surprises. 

Friday night I was planning on getting some food and then going to sleep, but instead I went with Sara and David to Presada for a veggie burger and a juice, then to Juanito's for papas fritas. Of course we went to Juanito's for dessert, where else would I spend my time? We were about to order when four tall white guys jumped in front of us and took a good ten minutes to order burgers with toppings. The tallest looked back at me and our eyes connected for about three seconds, which is all I need to catch someone honestly. This guy apologized to me for taking so long to order, I responded with a witty comment, and we ordered while his group took their seats. Once we sat down the tall guy kept making awkward eye contact and I gave it right back almost our whole meal until we were done with our fries. At that point he spoke to me across the room about doing a San Pedro ceremony and how he is only good at basketball. I can't remember his name but I remember that he was from Holland, his friend was from Germany, and another from California. After they went to Machu Picchu they thought they might come back to Cusco and visit Healing House, they never did. Then I walked home and curled up in bed watching It's Kind of A Funny Story and was extremely satisfied, sleeping so warm that night.

Saturday I woke up at 8 am because I fell asleep so early the night before and did nothing until I bought ten pieces of bread for my cream cheese. I ended up eat five pieces of bread that morning, which is a lot, while watching Friends. Eventually I got ready for the kids' program at 2 pm and Akio, my favorite kid of the group, showed up with his mother. He was the only child for a good 30 minutes because there were so many festivals going on in the streets. We were planning on making costumes and putting on our own parade in the streets but because he was the only kid, he just made little tiny shirts out of fabric and a small bag to put his shirts in as well as his rocks and dream stars I had them make a while back. This kid puts so much thought into everything he does and it makes me so happy to see him happy. His mom sat there the whole two hours and he gave her one of the origami stars we made a few weeks ago and she wanted to learn how to make them because she is a crafter. 

About an hour into the program the other boys arrived and wanted to make masks and costumes out of the fabric, thank goodness we had camo. As the other boys became rambunctious Akio went into the garden and tried to build a fort out of the straw mats we had and the fence. Once that got boring he wanted to draw in the garden and I gave him paper and paint to just be creative to his heart's desire. This kid makes my day. At 3:45 pm we give the kids a snack and I went to mercado San Blas to go buy clementines while Sylvia or Giancarlo were supposed to get juice from the tienda while I was gone. That didn't happen but when I got to the market I realized that our regualr boys Marco and Giancarlo were working their stands and that was why we only had about 7 kids at the program. I went directly to Giancarlos' stand, bought two kilos of clementines, and went back on my merry way to feed more mouths. After my frustration with Sylvia and Giancarlo passed we cleaned up the fabric scraps that were strewn all over the floor outside and took a much needed deep breath. 

From then on we all hung out in the kitchen and thought of having a bonfire later that night in the other house. Sylvia was singing at Monasterio, her first gig in Cusco, and Giancarlo and I had planned on going to see her after getting some food at Juanito's. It took too long for our food to come out so Sara, Giancarlo and I just stayed at Juanito's because we had missed the gig. After Juanito's Giancarlo and I went to Parwa, my favorite tienda, to gather food supplies for the bonfire but the marshmallows were not good quality and a Hershey's bar here is too expensive. So we gave up on the bonfire, came back to the kitchen, and ate more food in the warmth. Sylvia was a bit peeved we didn't show up but it worked out that we didn't go. And Paola showed up with Bhakti to go to dinner with Amy and I volunteered to watch Bhakti until they got back so they could have adult time before Amy left for a while. Bhakti and I painted, a lot, then watched multiple beginnings to movies on Netflix before she fell asleep on my lap in the kitchen. In all it was a good but tiring night and I was grateful to get some sleep. 

Even though I was really tired I woke up early Sunday morning to give Reiki to our neighbor and her mom. This girl, Rosio, suffers from symptoms similar to Autism as a result of a bad vaccine she received as a child. Every Sunday and Wednesday Niki and I give her and her mother Reiki to try and do some emotional and physical healing for them. The mother is a working single mother with Rosio who is 17, my sisters age, and a young boy who I immediately recognized as an angel. 

This Sunday was also Father's Day, so after my Reiki session with Rosio and her mom I sat in the garden and FaceTimed my parents back on St. Pete Beach. Two weeks prior I had ordered some personalized items off of Tiny Prints for my mom and dad, as a Father's Day gift and a make-up Mother's Day gift because my original didn't work out. I was so excited to see my mom open the two personalized notepads with pictures of the family, all of our animals, the beach, and each of us kids on it. At the bottom I wrote "Peace. Infinite Love. Happiness." so that she would be reminded of all of the things that she loves and that love her back, sometimes you need that reminder when you're caught up in the business of everyday life. The first notepad is so that she can make lists and notes, the second is for her to keep, to always remember the love in her life. After I saw my mom open her gift and she cried a bit, I watched my dad open his. In the past we haven't had the closest relationship but it has gotten so much better over the past year as I went off to Florida State and we both became more open minded. For him I got a custom canvas collage of our photos together for his desk in his office. There are pictures from my birthday, dad's weekend at Florida State, New Years, and a classic one of us playing when I was one year old. I think it really touched him and I felt proud to still be involved from so far away. Last year I was in Germany for Father's day and I never would have thought I would be in Peru for this years holiday!

After I had updated my parents and sister on my life here and how well I was doing I was responsible for moving beds around Healing House because we had a large group coming the next day. We had to move entire bed sets from the other house to the main one and doors in San Blas are tiny... After successfully moving about 4 twin beds I went to Presada down the street with Shevaa for a veggie burger. Then I had to rush back because I worked from 2 pm until 7 pm and we were doing an open house ArTEAsenal to promote our services and to raise awareness for our fundraiser. During that time I attempted to make sugar cookies and they came out well for a Peru version. While I was doing this we had two groups of men come through the house, one was a group of 4 from Texas working for BP oil and training people in South America, the other were two young men from Canada visiting Machu Picchu. We told them that night that we were going to Wild Rover, a hostel bar, for open mic night and that we were going to sing Jesus Walks by Kanye and that they should meet us there. 

Once everyone left Sylvia and I cleaned up then headed to one of my favorite restaurants up the street for some pizza and we had some good conversation. Coming back home we were prepared to have a little fiesta before going out and got Sara and Romina to join in on the fun. Some champagne and Pisco were opened and I had on my sassy shoes to get the night started. The four of us headed to Wild Rover in a taxi and were planning to go to Ukuku's afterwards to watch Amaru play. What a night it turned out to be! The bar was almost dead when we got there, Giancarlo was wearing a blue fluffy robe from the owner because he was cold, and no one was dancing. So naturally, Sara and I had a drink to get the party started. Remember, it is legal for me to drink here, no problem. So I paid 21 soles for a Jack Daniels and coke and we stayed sippin' on our drinks for a while until Sara was called up to the mic and things got out of hand. Giancarlo dropped a beat for her, she rocked it, Sylvia denied her call up to the mic, and Sara sang "Who wanna buy my friend Tori a shot?!", thats when everything went south. The bar was still extremely boring so Sara and danced, sang, and then the guys from Texas showed up and then I was done with the night so Sara and I skipped out on Ukuku's and went home. 

Monday morning the altitude and alcohol were testing my body but I made it and rested up because after being in the cold the night before I started to get sick. The cold/flu that had been going around the house made its way to me and I had no idea what I was in for. Then I worked from 2 pm until 8 pm and ushered in our new group staying with us. After having only a few people in the house to having a full house was overwhelming and the energy in the place changed dramatically. So everyone was together for the house meeting, I screened Food Matters from Netflix on the projector for our Monday movie night, and the two Canadians joined us for the documentary. Then I cleaned up and went straight to bed because I was wiped out from the night before.

Tuesday morning I mustered up the energy to go to Mantay with Sherri and tried to teach the girls ballet, but that was somewhat of a fail. The fact that only four girls could join us was disappointing but then the only girl that was participating was Domingo and she is 8 and a half months pregnant! When no one else wanted to dance I decided to just give them massages and call it a day with Sherri. It was also difficult to do turns with so much snot in my sinuses, so passing out would not have been efficient. After Mantay I went back to my room and slept, too sick to participate in the clinic we host for Cusqueños. I also took advantage of the fact that it was my last night in a private room for a couple of days. 

Wednesday morning I was also supposed to give a Reiki treatment again to Rosio and her mom but was way too sick to do that, so Romina took over for me. After waking up at 8 am from inability to breathe, Sara told me that I had to start packing because the woman that was taking Balaz's room was here and that I had to move out so he could move into my room for a couple of days. I chose to do this the week before but had no idea how sick I was going to be and I started to regret it. So I popped up, stumbled a bit, and started taking my settled room apart. I put all of my trinkets in a hidden spot, packed the clothes I needed into my nice clothes duffle, and put my backpack and giant suitcase in the corner so I didn't have to move it. After packing and lugging all of those things to the shared volunteer room in the main house I cleaned my old room, put new sheets on the bed, and washed the floors. Once all of that was done I waited on Balaz to move out of his room, then into mine, and I could settle into main house and get a shower in before I tried to go with Romina and Sara to Hilo to try on outfits for Eibhilin's fashion show. Running in the rain to her store we realized it was closed and then came back to the house to eat lunch. It was cold and rainy the whole day so it was a bummer. 

Then around 7 pm I had a little visitor from Sunday night at Wild Rover. One of the professional soccer players I had met found me on Facebook, told me he might come over for yoga and never did in the past, so I expected him not to this time. Surprise surprise, he was in our kitchen. He wanted to take me and Sara out for dinner but we had just eaten papas fritas so we went to Jack's Cafe with him for some tea and then made it back for the meeting I had for the kids program. He stuck around until after the meeting and Sara didn't want to go out for soup afterwards so I reluctantly went with him by myself. 

We walked past Plaza de Armas to the Pariwana hostel where he got us in without staying there because he is a frequent. It was nice because he took care of everything, paying for food and making sure I was comfortable. We sat down, ate our soup, played bingo, and I was the first winner so i got a free shot of rum, just my luck! It turns out that this unnamed professional soccer player was the fifth and final winner so he also got a free shot and we took them together, that being my only alcoholic drink of the night while he continued to drink two rum and cokes. The hostel was entertaining us with trivia so we played and I did well for my limited knowledge and it was a good time. Afterwards we wanted to go dancing but it was too cold and I was tired so he got us a nice taxi, a new-ish Camry compared to a car you would jump the boarder in, and I went home. 

The next day my suspicions were confirmed in that he is married and has a child. This 28 year old professional soccer player that was clearly hitting on me and trying to make other moves was being unfaithful and sneaky. That goes to show you that men, anywhere you go, will always have one thing on their mind and go to almost any length to get that. I'm all for professional athletes, but preferably those who are single and within 6 years of my age unless they really blow my mind. I felt terrible after confirming this information and told him not to come by again. But hey, it all makes for a great story, kind of...

Thursday was Municky's birthday and to celebrate we went to lunch at Green Point, our favorite vegan restaurant in San Blas. At the restaurant is my favorite dog in Cusco as well, Sue Sue. She always has an outfit on, I think to keep her warm and to signify that she isn't one of the hundreds of strays wandering Cusco. After Green Point Sara, Municky, and myself went to Hilo, the clothing store our friend Eibhlin owns to try on outfits to wear in her fashion show. I was given three dresses, two of which were blue to bring out my eyes, and the last was a gorgeous creme high-low dress with details down the front. Eibhlin fit it to me perfectly and at that moment was when I got really excited for the show in just under one week. Afterwards we went back to the house, I worked, and then we got ready for the party. 

It was supposed to start at 7:30 pm, but Peru time means an hour or more later so once people showed up it was great. What we do at Healing House is a potluck and everyone enjoys the different cooking styles and dishes. It was perfect when they started shooting off fireworks at the church just above us, it was as if they knew it was Municky's birthday. And Municky isn't your average Brazilian, she knows so many people and is so loving that the most popular band in Cuzco, Amaru, came to the house and we had a drum circle for her around the fire. The energy was surging and at the point where it felt like we should stop, the fire popped and it was perfect timing. Once things started to settle down and cake was served, people began to leave and the kitchen became semi spacious again. At this point my illness was really kicking in and I almost fell asleep on two chairs, so I made my way back to the volunteer room and crashed hard. 

Friday was the first day of winter here in South America and in celebration I laid out in the fragmented moments of sun, accompanied by Ayni the cat, a roll of toilet paper I used as tissues, and a giant bottle of water to replace fluids in hopes of kicking this infection. After sitting in the sun for a few hours I felt energized enough to venture out into the city for a good ice cream, so Sara and I went to the big El Encuentro and had a terrible soup then headed to El Hada, the nicest ice cream place in Cuzco, and I got a cocoa ice cream. It wasn't the best but it was good enough at the moment, especially for Peru. On our way home we stopped in the Plaza de Armas and watched some sort of parade. 

Once we got home I tried writing this blog but found no motivation whatsoever. I know that if I don't post during the day that not many people will read it, so I pushed it off for the next day. I was working that afternoon and that was when I met the hand analysis lady. She takes a print of your hand and analyses it to give you an idea of where you will be going in life, acting as a catalyst for your life's purpose. I sat with her for a bit and realized that I really wanted to have a session with her. While we were vibing she brought up all of my angels and my grandmother who is suffering from Leukemia. It was exactly what I needed at that moment and I felt great, wanting to share this information with my family. Once she left I got really tired and had already been feeling down from missing home. So I called my parents over Skype and vented about everything, having a good cry and getting the assurance that I needed to push on through the next 8 weeks at the time. I talked with them about the soccer player and how he felt it was okay to omit information like that and how he expected certain things of me because of the way I looked. We got into a deep conversation about beauty and expectations and thats when I was proud of myself for not giving in to what he wanted and for staying true to myself. Anywhere you go people will have a first impression of you that most likely does not fit who you really are. So I move forward with the attitude that I will honor my body and soul in the way that makes me a better person, not necessarily making other people happy or fitting in. 

After that little break down I tried to download some movies onto my computer because I don't get strong enough Internet in the volunteer room to stream movies. That process took forever and didn't even end up working so I wiped everything off that I had just attempted to download and went to the other house to see if we had any movies I could watch on DVD. I found Sex and the City 2 and snuggled in for the night, completely satisfied with the way it was turning out. I slept very well that night after eating a Milky Way and watching the movie. 

Saturday I worked from 9 am until 2 pm and got a lot done before the kids program started. I had done all of the dishes, bought flowers, cleaned out the old ones, cut and arranged the new ones, and did the house laundry. So when 2 pm rolled around I hadn't eaten lunch yet and desperately needed food so Sara went down to Presada for me and got a veggie burger, which I ended up not being in the mood for. Our regular boys showed up at 2 and Daniel and I entertained them with music while we waited for Sylvia to get back with the canvas bags we had planned on painting with them. At 2:30 she called the house and said she would be back by 3, and when 3:30 rolled around she finally made it back and we only played physical activity games with the kids in the garden. To finish up the day we had a small game of musical cajones and ate frozen chocolate covered bananas until it was time for them to go home. 

After a stressful day I really needed some comfort food so I got my first box of Kraft macaroni and cheese and made that for dinner. I was skeptical at first but it turned out delicious and I was satisfied enough to stay in the kitchen and socialize until I got tired and went back to the volunteer room, watched a Christmas movie, and fell asleep. 

Sunday morning was moving day! I was finally going to be able to move back into my private room in the other house and relax. I woke up and right away noticed the GIANT spider chilling next to me on my wall, instantly thinking of Harry Potter. I slowly got off of the top bunk and packed my things to get ready to move. Until I could move my things back into my room I sat outside in the garden and painted with some of the girls selling alpaca sweaters at our open house. It was so sunny out and I wanted to shower but didn't have time between moving and work at 2 pm. So I finally moved my things, put new sheets on the bed, and settled back into my comfortable private room, having to spray perfume because it smelled of middle aged man after Balaz moved out. I then worked the door from 2 pm until 7 pm and then went to Green Point with Sara for soup on our way to Maureen's to house sit and watch Bridesmaids. Her bed was super comfy. 

In the end it was a stressful and really difficult week but I made it through it, and that's what counts. I'm sorry this blog is more than two weeks late, the next two blogs will also be filled with great stories including a runway show I participated in and a 5 day trip to Lima! Please keep reading!!