My last week was full of mixed emotions. My heart knew how close I was to coming home but my head and body just didn’t understand. Wasn’t I going to stay there forever? We were coming full circle with our stay in Urubamba, linking the first experiences with the last. I was sure that it would be the slowest, most boring week of the program but as it turned out, it went too fast. Listening to everyone’s project presentations was really interesting and it was great to see how far we had all come from that first week of “what the [View Full Entry]

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It really is the end. I'll be getting on a plane tomorrow at 3 from Cusco to Lima than waiting around in the airport for about 7 hours for my Miami flight. Then it will be all over. My presentation went well yesterday. I was so nervous about speaking for 20 mins in Spanish when in the end I spoke for a good 30 mins. My advisor came to listen all the way from Lima and she also said I did a wonderful job. I also had a final, final exam in Spanish....that may not have gone so well but it [View Full Entry]

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As I am writing the blog, I am finally after hours and hours of work, printing off my 34 page (double spaced but all in Spanish) independent research project report. I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing this project for a good chunk of the last few weeks. I would not have had to be such an insomniac here in the end except for the fact that I have been sick on and off for the past three weeks. The first week I was in Lima, I developed a nasty cough which I attribute to the dramatic change in temperature and [View Full Entry]

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I am now in the independent research portion of my trip here in Peru. I don’t have any classes or any responsibilities except for to write a giant paper on the topic of my choice. For my paper I am writing about the Yale University vs the Republic of Peru legal case. In a nutshell, when Hiram Bingham “re-discovered” Machu Picchu in an expedition from 1911-1916, he took a few things back to Yale with him….about 5,000 things. Since then these artifacts which include everything from textiles and ceramics to human remains has been housed in the Peabody Museum at the [View Full Entry]

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It was brought to my attention that some of my pictures haven't been showing up on the blogs.... So here are some pictures of Lima and the Rainforest. [View Full Entry]

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Hey Everybody!!! I have to apologize for slacking on my blog entries it has been a crazy few weeks. I know this is now 2 weeks old but it was a pretty important expereince and better late than never! Semana Santa, or as we call it Holy Week, was great and full of religious processionals and lots and lots of food. The most memorable and unique aspects were the Procession del Señor de los Temblores, the Procession de Good Friday, and the 12 plates of the Apostles. I spent Palm Sunday in Iquitos and was nearly suffocated in the church because [View Full Entry]

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Iquitos is far different from any other city I had yet encountered in Perú. There are the obvious differences, most of them revolving around the fact that it is set in a rainforest. It was hot and humid beyond belief, it was nestled on the Rio Marñón (part of the Amazon River watershed), and tropical rainforest-like plants were everywhere. However, other differences also really set it apart. I could probably count the number of cars I saw on one hand since motorcycles and moto-taxis are the main form of transportation. Literally hundreds of motorcycles fill the streets of Iquitos creatin [View Full Entry]

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Hello All- I feel like it has been such a long time that I have been away from my blog when really it has only been two weeks. However, a lot has happened in such a short time. I have seen many things some fascinating others heartbreaking; had many new experiences some good some ugly; and taken lots of pictures and made many realizations about my life. This blog is going to reflect on my time in Peru’s capital city of Lima. The blogs to follow will tell of my experiences in the city of Iquitos and the Amazon Rainforest. Peru [View Full Entry]

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The next few weeks are going to be very exciting. On Saturday (March 21), I am leaving Cusco for Lima, Peru’s capital. I’m not sure exactly what we will be doing there but I believe a day at the beach is involved. After spending 7 days in Lima, we will be moving on the Amazon. Once again, not sure all of what we will be doing but I know that we be spending time with local Shamans. Our home base will be in Iquitos to which there are no roads. We’ll be there in the Amazon, the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve to be [View Full Entry]

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My first impression of Yanque was made on cold, rainy night; which mirrored the nights to come. My father, Abel, had come to greet me in Chivay and took the bus with me to my new home for the week. We reached our stop and he led me through a tin plated gate into a small courtyard. There Lucia his wife and their two daughters Evelina and Marife were waiting to meet me in the rain. We greeted each other in the traditional Peruvian way, a quick kiss on the cheek and a handshake. We had a cup of tea in [View Full Entry]

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