Back to civilization
Well, here I am back to civilization again. We were supposed to be in the city on Tuesday, but there was a strike in Cusco, so no public buses. So we had to deal with a tourist group of birdwatchers for two days. Not my favorite type of group. They are only interested in birds, and their guide left a book for Martín and Lucio to record the birds they see. They took over and weren´t the most polite about it. So Madeline, Miguel, and I hid out in our room when they were around.
So, the last two weeks were spent looking for orchids, collecting and pressing them, and setting up the experimental design for Miguel´s and my projects. For mine, we set up 47 5x5m plots, 25 with flowers and the others only with plants (a pre-emptive strike) in 4 days. One plot, we know now is located very near to a nest of avispas (wasps). One of the boys hit a branch that rattled their nest, and they decided I was the culprit. All of a sudden I was stung on my chin (which hurts) and started running the opposite direction. Madeline started yelling at me because they had swarmed my backpack, so I dropped it and we ran past it. She had one stuck in her braid, and I tried to get it out, but we were both laughing and I wasn´t very effective. We tried to pick it up and run, but they swarmed the bag again, so Martín kindly retrieved it for me. So we may pass on that particular plot. We set up 6 20x20m plots for Miguel.
Another night, in the middle of my peaceful slumber, I awoke to a loud crack. Madeline and I share the separate room so I called out to her to find out what was going on. During her laughing attack, she told me that my bed was only broken in one corner (we sleep on the top bunk of bunk beds). I tried moving, and that´s when it all crashed down. I wasn´t hurt, it only slanted down, but it was pretty funny. We definitely took pictures.
On the bus trip here, Madeline and I had to sit behind a guy who was very unpleasant smelling. We wrapped our heads in scarfs, which helped, but for the 6 hour bus trip I only slept for like 20 minutes. And we were sitting in the back of the bus, which means we felt every bump and rock double.
We spend our free time watching movies (nothing like watching a movie in english with spanish subtitles on a laptop with the generator in the background), playing cards (I taught them how to play spoons and they taught me nervioso), and monoploy (monopolio).
The bathroom, of which there are two, are located along a path in opposite directions from the house. Yep, you guessed it, they are outhouses. And I often have to go to the restroom at least once in the night(Madeline more), and it is a hard decision whether to leave the warmth of my bed and go, or to try to hold it until morning. I always go, and sometimes end up runnning. No major accidents thus far. The shower is freezing cold, and I mean freezing. I can only put my head under it for a short while, and then my head literally starts hurting. My ducha del sol (sun shower) is one of my best friends, but it only works when the sun has been out continually for 3 or 4 hours. The clouds and fog here are continually moving and often in different directions. Madeline washes her hair, which is considerably longer than mine, in the sink, but I usually brave the shower.
Martín and Lucio are our guides, and they basically run Esperanza. Lucio´s wife Valentina is our cook, and she makes delicious meals. Way better than I had expected. The problem is that they are way too much and I can rarely finish them, but I do try. My favorite part of the morning breakfast is the hot drink, hot chocolate or something else, but it is all good. I did try a new meat, cuy, which I later found out is guinea pig. I explained to them that we don´t eat those in the U.S., but that they are pets. Martín and Lucio teach us a little bit of Quechua, so I know how to say cow poop and backside in Quechua. Very important words, I know.
We have another girl coming to stay for possibly 3 months in October to help and possibly do her own project.
To put it point blank, I am having tons of fun here and loving it. I do miss my friends and family, but I am sorry to say that I do not miss gas prices and prices of everything else.
So, the last two weeks were spent looking for orchids, collecting and pressing them, and setting up the experimental design for Miguel´s and my projects. For mine, we set up 47 5x5m plots, 25 with flowers and the others only with plants (a pre-emptive strike) in 4 days. One plot, we know now is located very near to a nest of avispas (wasps). One of the boys hit a branch that rattled their nest, and they decided I was the culprit. All of a sudden I was stung on my chin (which hurts) and started running the opposite direction. Madeline started yelling at me because they had swarmed my backpack, so I dropped it and we ran past it. She had one stuck in her braid, and I tried to get it out, but we were both laughing and I wasn´t very effective. We tried to pick it up and run, but they swarmed the bag again, so Martín kindly retrieved it for me. So we may pass on that particular plot. We set up 6 20x20m plots for Miguel.
Another night, in the middle of my peaceful slumber, I awoke to a loud crack. Madeline and I share the separate room so I called out to her to find out what was going on. During her laughing attack, she told me that my bed was only broken in one corner (we sleep on the top bunk of bunk beds). I tried moving, and that´s when it all crashed down. I wasn´t hurt, it only slanted down, but it was pretty funny. We definitely took pictures.
On the bus trip here, Madeline and I had to sit behind a guy who was very unpleasant smelling. We wrapped our heads in scarfs, which helped, but for the 6 hour bus trip I only slept for like 20 minutes. And we were sitting in the back of the bus, which means we felt every bump and rock double.
We spend our free time watching movies (nothing like watching a movie in english with spanish subtitles on a laptop with the generator in the background), playing cards (I taught them how to play spoons and they taught me nervioso), and monoploy (monopolio).
The bathroom, of which there are two, are located along a path in opposite directions from the house. Yep, you guessed it, they are outhouses. And I often have to go to the restroom at least once in the night(Madeline more), and it is a hard decision whether to leave the warmth of my bed and go, or to try to hold it until morning. I always go, and sometimes end up runnning. No major accidents thus far. The shower is freezing cold, and I mean freezing. I can only put my head under it for a short while, and then my head literally starts hurting. My ducha del sol (sun shower) is one of my best friends, but it only works when the sun has been out continually for 3 or 4 hours. The clouds and fog here are continually moving and often in different directions. Madeline washes her hair, which is considerably longer than mine, in the sink, but I usually brave the shower.
Martín and Lucio are our guides, and they basically run Esperanza. Lucio´s wife Valentina is our cook, and she makes delicious meals. Way better than I had expected. The problem is that they are way too much and I can rarely finish them, but I do try. My favorite part of the morning breakfast is the hot drink, hot chocolate or something else, but it is all good. I did try a new meat, cuy, which I later found out is guinea pig. I explained to them that we don´t eat those in the U.S., but that they are pets. Martín and Lucio teach us a little bit of Quechua, so I know how to say cow poop and backside in Quechua. Very important words, I know.
We have another girl coming to stay for possibly 3 months in October to help and possibly do her own project.
To put it point blank, I am having tons of fun here and loving it. I do miss my friends and family, but I am sorry to say that I do not miss gas prices and prices of everything else.
posted by Becca at 2:42 PM
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