Mmmm, anticuchos de corazon!
It only took me sixteen years to return. “Why so long?” you might be wondering… you wouldn’t be the only one. In 1995, I had the amazingly strange turn of events (and luck) which brought me to Peru. I had been planning to study abroad in Chile and to stay with friends of friends. In the middle of making these plans, the husband received a job in Peru and was moving to Lima. The offer to stay with them stood, I just had to decide to go to Lima instead. Though I was a bit nervous about the change, I bit the bullet and went. Turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.
For sixteen years, this country had held some of the happiest memories of my life. And as the years passed, I became more and more afraid to return for fear reality couldn’t live up to those memories. And then I met Brenda.
One day, sitting at the hostel in Uruguay, I was introduced to Brenda. The only Peruvian to walk through the doors in the nearly 5 months I was there. She changed my mind. She got the wheels spinning. I went from just planning a visit back to looking for a job, and whaddya know? I got one. Now, the new English Language Travel Advisor for Cultural Immersion, I’m am one step closer to realizing my dreams.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate my first week here in Peru. I spent 4 days in Lima before embarking on a paseo de investigacion (investigatory tour) through the southern parts of the country. My itinerary includes:
- Paracas – Reserva de Paracas, Hotel Refugio del Pirata, Islas Ballestas
- Ica – Huacanchina, Dune Buggy Adventure, Hotel Las Dunas
- Nazca – Chauchilla, Aqueducts, Pottery and Mining Workshops, Hotel Oro Viejo
- Arequipa – City Tour, Natura Inn
- Colca Canyon – Thermal Baths, Canyon tour & Condors, Eco Inn
- Lake Titicaca – Puno, Island tour, Taquile, Hotel Royal Inn in Puno, one overnight on Taquile
- And finally, Cusco, where my work adventure begins!
I’ll be living with a family and three other boarders near the city center and about a ten minute walk from work as well. I’ll have my own room, but will share a bath and the kitchen – all fine by me as I prefer a home stay, especially when I am getting used to the surrounding area. I’m a little nervous about all the altitude acclimatization, but we’ll just take all of that one day at a time.
Expect there to be updates and photos of all the adventures listed above. I’ve even scored some online, freelance writing about my adventures (more to come on that later). For now, I am content to suffer a little stomach ache as I devour any and every Peruvian dish I can find. I made it a week before it hit, so I consider myself pretty lucky. It’s just a natural adjustment.
I hope you’ll follow me on this next chapter of my life, though I’m not sure anyone could be more excited about it than me!
9 May, 2011 at 11:13 am
Love it! I can’t wait to hear more about it. I talked to Fawn, and she’s on board as well as some of her other friends for a trip next Spring.