you silly avocado

i'm finding it very difficult to write because everything seems normal these days! from my daily 20 cent rides in combis with people's rumps and bags of veggies smacking me in the face.... to getting dolled up in traditional garb and braids to take pics with llamas!

so i am digging into the depths of my brain to try to remember what technically ARE oddities!

cusquenian facts:
- two painted lanes of highway really means 3 lanes
- salt here is not granulated... it is powder!
- peru is one of the top suppliers of coffee beans... but everyone here drinks instant. seriously.
- every peruvian child is model-status-adorable
- limes dominate every meal, but lemons do not exist
- it can be 80 degrees one second... and all at once the clouds appear and it drops to 50!
- there are about 700 million photocopy places but only TWO that do color! GARH!!!
- calling someone an avocado means they are confused and gonna mess something up

weird things i've witnessed this week:
- a dog and 3 kids doing a conga line in the street
- 25 school children pouring out of the back of a toyota hatchback meant for 5 passengers
- a donkey bellowing at a cow crossing
- a woman doing that Cirque du Soleil white sheet dance at a club opening
- baby with the longest tongue ever
- two guys on stilts dancing around a clothing store while a guy played a didgeridoo (instrument that looks like the ricola commercial in the swiss alps
- kid getting transported in a wheelbarrow of dirt clods
- 3-headed pig (just kidding)

my life basically consists of trying my darndest to get Loraypo's products into fairtrade stores around town and convincing tour agencies that they want to set up tours to watch live demonstrations of the sheering, dying, weaving process (i'm leaving the urine out of these sells).

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????!?!

it wa my host mom's birthday on sunday, so there have been LOTS of festivities and guests over which is super entertaining! of course the one day i rise thinking "NO MORE SWEETS" and "TELL FLOR YOU WANT SMALLER PORTIONS" is feliz cumpleanos with cake and hot chocolate for breakfast! uf. plus, i got a lot of vino shoved down my throat that afternoon which turned out to be really fun. salud! salud! salud! NEVERENDING salud!!! but waking up to a 12 year old hired boy doing dishes and two women marinating a tub of 150 chicken carcasses kinda weirds me out.....

alright, off i go to hit up yet another tour agency. (and maybe stop by the black market for more $1 movies and 30 Rock series that i am obsessssssed with!!!)

Colours Au'Natural... a.k.a. Pee Pee

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!)

it's incredible the amount of time and effort these ladies put into each step of the process.

• From sheering, (which i get to witness on monday!)
• to spinning the yarn,
• to collecting plants and insects to create the dye,
• to building the fires,
• to dying the yarn,
• to sometimes adding another secret ingredient to make vibrant colors like hot pink and neon orange (yes, still very much natural!),
• and finally to weaving intricate patterns with wooden looms... months and months of work!

The whole time i stand there watching with my mouth gaping in amazement... i can't help but think, "how can you possibly sustain yourselves?!"

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!!!!!!

i've also spent this week watching traditional dance performances and visiting other ruins with Simone. Pizaq was quite the experience. and by experience, i mean ow my bum and thighs hurt. but WOW the views! two hours of hiking up all those terraces definitely proved to be worth it. and taking a nap on an incan wall... probably one of the coolest experiences of my life.

Health & History

ahhh...sweet sweet life...
how i missed thee.

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!

Simone talked me into going on a Cusco touristy tour with her yesterday. and i figured since i haven't done much historical exploring since i've arrived, i better jump on the bandwagon! or... 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. ;)

the other three sites were smaller but still neat. Q'enqo (you gotta pronounce that name with a tongue click like an african language!) a.k.a. "labyrinth" is where they mummified high class 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!!!!!

all in all, great day! but a little much for weakling, recovering kels. so sunday i've spent gchatting and browsing flights to argentina in a lovely cafe overlooking the plaza. now i'm gonna ask Flor about dinner... cuz it looks like my American appetite is back!

i DETEST flan. oooh... my nightly battle.....

My calluses are almost gone!!!! Waaaaah!!!!
But I can’t remember my nails ever being longer… (or dirtier—which is truly the shocking part).

Had two new experiences today: the post office and the laundromat. (I’ve never had anyone do my everyday laundry for me, including m’delicates,‘cept mom—hey thanks mom—so it feels super awkward.) Oh… three new experiences if you count frequenting a French bistro in a Peruvian town (where I had a large fancy sandwich and a deliiiiicioso cappuccino.) And dood. Guess which was the priciest? If you chose the fancy bistro, then sorry playa… that was the cheapest (this ain’t SF, folks). Okay, the laundering of my skivvies you say?? Oh… no, wrong again I’m afraid. It was the freaking post!!!! 40 soles to send one less-than-a-pound package and 3 postcards??!? Ayyyye caramba! It’s okay… I’m not letting it deter me from sending you all goodies. But I MAY be limiting them to those who write me BACK. Oooooh…. The pressure is on……..! ;P

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’m starting to freak out about the fact that I only have two more days left of Spanish class. At this point I still basically only speak in present tense and jumble up ALL my other tenses… use incorrect pronouns with acute consistency… throw in “ja”, “nej”, and other Swedish words without realizing it… and can only understand others if they speak at a pace of ~8 words per minute. Imagining starting work on Monday is completely horrifying.

On that note… I think I’m actually going to STUDY.

Mucho luv from da dirtydirty. <3

4:00 a.m. setback: well it appears i have contracted my first bout of peruvian food poisoning. and what a lovely experience it is turning out to be. hope my yacking didn't wake up the fam! meeeeeeeeh! =(

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.

now if only my body would woman-up.......

Mi Primera Fin de Semana

great weekend!!!
...full of food, friends, and frying (it was suuuuuuuper hot and sunny) :D

met some canadians that i spent saturday with. there was a HUGE parade! it lasted like 5 hours... and dancing in the streets well into the night, i kid you not! it was amazing to see all the colors and masks and dances (including one in which the men smack eachother with balls of tape. ..?? looks really painful but my host mom's only explanation was "bailar traditional!!!")

then on sunday, ines and i took a trip to pizac--another valley town. people can either take a crammed bus for 3 soles that takes about 45 mins, or a 30 minute taxi colectivo with a couple 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.......

foods i’ve ingested so far:

• chicha morada
• granadilla
• empenadas
• chifa de china
• pisco sour
• choclo con queso
• various egg dishes Flor makes me for breakfast that while eating i disregard the fact that eggs aren't refrigerated here....

foods i have YET to ingest:

• cuy (guinea pig)
• alpaca (but i might go try to find some today)
  
• ceviche! (fish in cusco isn't the best cuz we're so far from the cost... so i'm wary...)

foods i will not be touching with a ten-foot pole:

• lamb’s head soup
• street vendors

other updates:

1. i actually DO have hot water (scalding really), i was just using the shower incorrectly. ;P
   
2. my host mom has calmed down and i think all is good now. =)
   
3. every pair of pants and shoes i own now has holes from the puppy's sharp teeth.
   
4. my spanish is hardly improving... but my english is failing. me = pathetic.
   
5. i've decided my new favorite color is orange. (sorry purple! okay, okay... you guys can share...)

check out my photo album here!
and this is only the FIRST WEEK! eeeeps!!!! <3<3<3

look up the fruit granadilla. seriously.

9/3/09 – 4:00 pm

I conquered the combi!!!!!!

I would call it the bus… but combis aren’t really buses. Rather, I’m referring to vans. Run-down, dirty, smelly vans with people spilling out windows and doors. And they don’t care what or who they run into. But it only costs 60 cenitmos a ride! That equals… um… about $0.20! So in my opinion—worth it. Plus, what an experience!!!

Such a good day today.
(I knew the 15 seconds of lukewarm shower was a good omen!)

This afternoon, I hung out with Simone and we met up with Ines and Marisol for some cheap eats (smurf-themed Israeli restaurant) in one of the cutest alleyways 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

Plus, I learned “preterito perfecto,” so that’s pretty rad.

But… my host ma got upset with me today. I told her I was going to go shopping after school (it’s really one of the only things I can say) but apparently arriving home 3 hours after class lets out isn’t acceptable. =/ I feel terrible but she didn’t seem to like my apologies. And now I’m petrified about telling her I will be going out at 10 tonight to meet up with the girls! Is a home-stay supposed to feel like house arrest?? Of course she only means well and wants me to be safe… but meeeeeh…… Mi casa is so far away from city center and I’d much rather spend my afternoons exploring than sitting in my room all alone! Who can blame me for that?

Ok… time to bust out some homework and maybe a quick nap. Looks like I’ll be shaving my pits in my sink tonight since I’m too petrified to ask to use the (freezing) shower!

Aye caramba…!!!

settling in....

Nothing like waking up to a FREEZING COLD SHOWER, eh??
Good morning world!!!!! It’s my break between class and time for a run-down. =)

Since I arrived on Sunday morning, it feels like all I do is eat and sleep! But using my brain so much to try to understand others and get my point across is incredibly exhausting!

This city is truly something else—extremes next to other extremes.
Extreme dingy, dilapidated buildings amongst extreme works of architecture wonder…
Extreme bustle of taxis and mercados overlooked by extreme solemn monuments on the hillsides…
Extreme pouring sunshine followed by extreme fits of rain…
Extreme poverty paired with extreme color and happiness of the people…
Rollercoaster much?? (I think I fit right in.) ;P

My host family is simply wonderful! (Apparently I’m their first foreign exchange student ever!) Mi madre, Flora, y mi padre, Mario, don’t speak a word of English. But their youngest son, Jorge, can get a few words across. And his laugh is ridiculoso! The older sons and their families are 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…..

My first day of class was pretty nerve wracking. It was just me and my professor (8 months prego professora!) which is both a good and bad thing. I mean… I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot more than in a large classroom… but sheeeeeeesh! The pressure!!!! I remember now how much I HATE language and language class. BLEH. But the campus (it’s more a little plaza) is adorable. It’s colonial Spanish (I think they said built in the 1600s) and has classrooms, study area, library, a couple of computers, WIFI!!!!!, and a really nice café! However, it’s pretty dead right now. I only saw 4 staff and one other euro-looking student today (maybe not… maybe he was just there for hot cocoa). So I might have trouble meeting friends. But studying is my main objective right now. Plus, I need to call up Ines, my soon-to-be local pal!

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!

Okay, this has turned into a novel… so I better cut it out!
If you’d like to write to me, oldskool style… my address is:
--> Kelsi Boyle c/o Flora de Polar
--> Jose Gabriel Cosio 413
--> Urbanizacion Magisterial
--> Primera Etapa
--> Cusco, Peru

Telefono in case of emergencies: +51 84-22-4202