I'm in Cusco!

Hey everyone!

Just in case you were wondering, I made it to Cusco on Monday! Its at 11,000 feet, so it has taken me a few days to be able to climb stairs without wheezing uncontrollably. But, I´m better now :)

My classes have been great, and I have 2 hours of private lessons in the morning (from 8:30 to 10:15) and then a break for lunch, and then more class with a group (from 2:30 to 6:30pm).

My host mom is nice (she has 2 daughters, but they are both off to college). She cooks me 3 meals a day and she is super patient. The house is pretty nice....but it gets below freezing here at night, and the water in the showers is SO COLD!

Anyway, in case you are interested, I am including the couple emails I have quickly written to Taylor, they have a little more detail. I only have internet when I´m at school, so its hard to blog or upload pictures, but I will try soon!

Hasta luego!
Kristyn

Day 1 in Cusco:
Made it to Cusco. Flight was delayed 3 hours because of rain here, so that sucked a little. Got up super early, rushed to the airport, paid a bunch of money for my bags (you have to check everything, so with 2 bags I was overweight by 13 kilos!), only to sit there and miss all my morning activities at the school.

Once I got here I couldn't find my driver, so I just took a taxi....apparently I missed him because they seemed a little ruffled that I arrived to the school without him. Guess we missed each other and he was still standing at the airport waiting for me - whoops! Took a brief 30 question multiple choice exam (I think I got a whopping 6 right, haha), and then my host Mom came to pick me up. She is super nice (but speaks NO English), and loves to have students. She lives in a 6 bedroom house (!) and has 2 daughters (both off to college, one is going to be a Dr and one a lawyer). I think another student from the school is coming tonight, too, so there will be two of us staying there.

She fed me and had to run back to work. She's a nurse and usually stays at home or tries to arrange her schedule around the students, but today got all messed up with the delayed flight, so she had to leave me alone after about an hour. But she left me a nice lunch of spaghetti and one chicken leg and a banana. I have also been drinking coca tea like its my job....its made from the leaves of the coca plant (where cocaine comes from - weird, huh?) and is supposed to help with soroche (altitude sickness). I took my medicine, but the air here is definitely thin, and it was a major struggle to haul my suitcase to the 3rd floor of the house!

Day 2 in Cusco:
The school had a welcome dinner for all the new students - it was good. Ate at a "traditional" restaurante with a Peruvian flute band (lots of South Park jokes). Then about 6 of us went out to a bar with two of the people that work at the travel agency attached to the school. There was a live band that played classic rock and a lot of Maroon 5. It was an interesting mix of music and people. The two who work for the school are Dutch, and there were 2 English girls, one dutch student, and 3 Americans including me. It was fun - the Dutch people made me drink starfruit daquiris (pretty good). I REALLY need an alarm clock. I almost missed my flight yesterday and I barely woke up by my watch today. Might go try to find one and a hair dryer.

Anyway - my first Spanish personal lesson was good. My guy seems nice....he's pretty quiet, and not the most patient, but I think he'll help a lot. 2 weeks of 6 hours a day should get me as up to speed as I can probably handle.