kelsi = burrrrrrnt.
checked out sunday mass at the catedral in plaza de armes sunday morning. usually it costs something ridic like 25 soles to enter, but not if you're a pious church-goer! or someone who loves to sing hymns like meeeee!!! it was GORGEOUS. granted, i never made it to spain during my eruo-traveling... but wowsers! this put swedish, french, italian, and even german churches to shame! unfortunately, i felt too guilty to take photos (omg... am i catching catholic guilt?!?!) so i'll just have to write about the 12 alters of sparkling gold, the intricately carved podiums, and the ornate stonework. and my favorite part?? during the lord's prayer, you know the line "and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us"???? i LOVE how everyone hitting the Ss at different times causes the sound to bounce off all the walls and creates this blanket of voice, that wraps you up and leaves no holes to slip through. it's always been so comforting to me. and it TRANSLATED! in spanish the S effect still happened! and because the ceilings in the catedral are insanely tall and stone, it was even MORE intense. honestly made my day.
then i scurried off to chinchero to check out my competition... a diff museum/ demonstration/ store. then somehow... got talked into visiting the campo. a.k.a. countryside boonies! after a little journey, we came upon this adobe house, surrounded by cows, sheep, donkeys, chickens, dogs, and cats. i spent the afternoon plopped on a dirt floor (in my creme-colored church dress), inhaling smoke from the adobe fire pit, munching on maize and taters and cheese straight from the front yard, (i magically didn't hurl), learning how to weave (okay, a bracelet), while guinea pigs and baby roosters ran around me! heeeellooooo rural livin'!!! so great to get the authentic experience. =)
So now, Loraypo and i just have to come up with a little sumin sumin to set us apart. There are a few weaving demonstration expos that already exist (ugh the joy of entering a saturated market), so we need a special oomf! i'm thinking a traditional lunch down by the lake... llama petting... hair braiding (cuz you gotta admit that was rad)... and weaving lessons.
Heading off to my farewell lunch with Ines in a few. So bummed she is scootin' back to Lima. Cusco will not be the same without her! Plus how the heck am i gonna not be taken advantage of without my native and her LIMAttitude??!? ;P
and at night... hanging out with my buddies over fresh fruit smoothies, pisco sours, and salsa lessons! i'm very bummed because Ines goes back to lima in a couple of days. =( but i'll be visiting her at the end of oct and maybe taking a trip to the coast! yeeeeah for southern hemisphere summer! and Simone and Jeff are doing Machu this weekend!!! why is 2.5 weeks sooooo faaaaar awaaaaay????!?!
Started work with the weavers this week... and LORDY! i'm bushed!!! (just by watching and documenting! not even WORKING, other than a stir of the dye pot from time to time!)
Which is why i am SO grateful to be here, working to get their products into higher-end markets, to actually create fair wages for their incredible work! All too often, the artisans in Cusco (and most developing areas i'd assume) are happy to just make a sell. Like, oh?? You'll buy this purse for 30 soles?? Done! Sweet! I just made 10 bucks! ...and i'll just ignore the fact that this purse took 6 months of prep work, 1o soles worth of ingredients, and 3 weeks of actual weaving...
I'm very glad to have the World of Good fair wage calculator as a reference point. It's helping me try to figure out correct pricing for the products. And Loraypo might even be the 135th artisan group to join the W.O.G. line!!!!!!! I will have a conversation with their Director of Sales this week! zOMGz dream come truuuuue!!!!! but more locally, i also plan to visit the two very quality fairtrade shops in Cusco and strike a distribution deal. AND... i need to chat with some tourist agencies about setting up tours to the Loraypo facility for live expos (Sunday's would be best since Chinchero has a Sunday market right next door to their facility) and display of finished products for purchasing (picture those glass-blowing shops where you can watch them work from start to finish... so much more compelling to make sales!!!)
So yeah. i feel like i have a LOT of work and not much time to execute. but I am trudging along and super excited about every step! hope i get to shear an alpaca myself!!!!!!
after three days beneath the sheets wanting to die, i finally relented and got a doctor house call. a $3o well spent in my book. plus, i got to embarrass myself by laying down on the living room couch (gaudily floral) and have the doc push and prod my belly as my host family gawked and made jokes about my sudden change in appetite. (apparently, finishing all the food on my plate--as to not be rude--translates into fat american!) now, with antibiotics, anti-parasites, peptobismol, and a whole lotta gatorade swimming around inside me, things are looking up!
cushy chartered bus in this case. after strolling around a spanish-overhauled-ancient-incan -worship-temple-turned-cathedral in the middle of town (a bit overrated since i had already seen most of it), we climbed (okay, the bus climbed) up to my first incan ruin site!!!! "Sexy Woman." okay okay... "Saqsaywaman." practically the same. it was SO SWEET. and the sky (i know i talk about the sky a lot... but i think it is one of the most definitive features of Cusco) was just incredible. sharp and clear with colossal dark pouring clouds off in the distance. unfortunately, the photos really cannot do it justice. you'll all just have to visit yourself. ;)
wanna hear some lil factorials about sexxxywooooman?? sure ya do! well, it was built in about 77 years, completed in 1508. now keep in mind that the inca peeps hauled these INSANELY large stones (mostly limestone) gazillions (can't remember the exact number) of miles uphill with slats of wood and rope. totally totally mindblowing. i mean... check out me with the largest one there! over 70 tons!!!!! the stones take on a jaggedy, zigzag pattern, which looks super cool. there are two explanations: they represent lightning bolts, or they represent the teeth of a puma. take yo' pick! i personally favor the lightning, but maybe i was influenced by the ominous beauty of the approaching storm. the sad part about saqsaywaman is that from 1537-1561, the spaniards took pieces from the site to build cathedrals and homes. regardless of the destruction, this place is truly remarkable. and easily hiked-up-to and snuck-in-to for an impressive afternoon picnic date. ;)
peeps and took part in important death-y ceremonies. Pura Pukara was a military fortress, food warehouse, administrative center, and access point for travelers coming in and out of Cusco. Tambomachay, "the baths of the princess," has two aqueducts that spill forth water all year round.... yet no one is sure where the water's point of origin is! weird much??? i think so. i sprinkled a little on my face to keep me young forever, but did NOT let it get near my mouth. relapse?! noooooo thanks!!!!!
My calluses are almost gone!!!! Waaaaah!!!!
It rained a bit today, but it was quite lovely. The storm clouds just make the sky here all the more impressive. I simply love it.
i just barely pulled myself to class (an hour late) but was just instructed to go home and make it up on monday. so looks like i'll be pushing back my work start date a bit. but i heard a little about the weavers, and it sounds awesome! i'll be spending mornings there with them, learning about how they dye and weave (they have this expo sort of building for demonstrations for tourists and finished products to buy) and in the afternoons i'll probably be back in the cintro tinku office--where i currently take language--working on comp stuff and visiting local fair trade shops to learn how to open our own! i'm super stoked.
strangers for 5 soles a piece. holy shit. the ride along those skinny mountain roads with daredevil taxi drivers is more thrilling than ANY rollercoaster! did i say thrilling?? i meant TERRIFYING. but pizac was super cool. TONS of clothes and souviners to buy, traditional textiles to covet (of which i cannot afford), and comida to munch on! speaking of comida.......
other updates: 
9/3/09 – 4:00 pm
ways I’ve ever seen. Guess I’ll be making my way back to those parts tonight to get my dance on! And maybe have my first sip of alcohol in two weeks! yesssssss
This city is truly something else—extremes next to other extremes.
often over for meals. It’s fun to hang out with the kids… I think they get a kick out of me and my broken Spanish. And the little puppy that lives here is SOOO FREAKING CUTE. Although my shoes are pretty torn up at this point… it’s nice to find a common subject to giggle about with everyone. Little Chester (the pup) and food are our biggest bond-ers at this point. (Flora is an amazing cook and I’m already worried about missing her grub when I’m gone!) Not to say that there isn’t good deal of awkwardness between us all… but I’m trying to navigate. A German girl is supposed to be living with us too… but last I heard, she was lost in Spain! Noooo bueno…..
In terms of my health, things are great! The altitude (11,600 ft for those of you who don’t already know) has made me a little dizzy… but nothing coca tea, lots of agua, and tons of sleep hasn’t helped! I was all excited to quickly unpack my things on Sunday, and got really confused by my huffing and puffing and strong desire to pass out! But today, I can clear my steps without too much of a rapid pulse. ;) And so far, my notoriously terrible tum tum is fine too (KNOCK ON WOOD). My neighborhood is quiet and a few blocks away from a main road. All in all, I feel pretty safe. Except for this one encounter with the HUGEST SPIDER EVER in my bathroom last night!!!! I’m not talking tarantula status... but it sure looked freaky to meeeeeeeee!
