October 1, 2007
From SATA-Peru-2007
Today we woke up to the sounds of cars without mufflers and horns blasting as people outside our window were busy going places. Our first full day back in Cusco. I was happy to have slept a full night sleep, since we have been keeping so busy during our week in Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. It was also nice to get back into the routine we had established for the three weeks prior to leaving. It's funny how a place that is so far from home can feel so familiar if given enough time. Walking to class, the familiar scent of pan (bread) baking in the panaderia and the glorious merengue cookies sitting on the counter in the shop said "welcome back." In our Spanish class, we discussed our trip and recapped all of the exciting adventures we had endured over the past week. We also started a very interesting conversation about the effects of terrorism in Peru, specifically talking about the Shining Path terrorist organization. After classes, we walked back to CBC, dodging carros y motos to get safely across the street. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and it was a perfect temperature. Before reaching CBC, I stopped into a local store to buy 2.5 liters of water for 2 soles, or about 66 cents. While paying, I practiced some conversational Quechua with the check out woman, who seemed to enjoy the effort I was making, despite many mistakes. It was also nice to return to the wonderful cooking at CBC, which I had missed terribly while being away. The rest of the day was spent relaxing while doing homework, and re-energizing for a busy week of studies ahead. Below are some quechua words to tickle your curiosity of the language of the Andes...
Quechua/ Spanish/ English words of the day:
Killa / Luna / Moon.
Q'omer / Verde / Green.
Khumpa / Amigo / Friend.
T 'ika / Flore / Flower.
Inspirational Quechua fact:
There is no word for "easy" in Quechua.
That's all for now. Pakarinkama. (Until Tomorrow)
Mike
