Day 39: Last Day / Inti Raymi

Kylee, Jess, and I and USIL

June 24, 2018

Wow. I remember waking up this morning was so surreal to know it was already my last day. I was so sad to be leaving, but excited that I was going to see all my friends and family from home again.

We made the most of this last day. Jess, Kylee, and I woke up early and went to Mass at la Catedral in the Plaza de Armas. It was my first time ever attending any Mass, and the service was in Spanish. It was a neat experience.

Afterwards, we headed to where the opening ceremony for Inti Raymi was going to take place. Inti Raymi is probably the biggest festival in Cusco all year. It's a celebration for the sun god, Inti, who was the most important god for the Incans.

The parade started at Qoricancha. The streets were crowded, so we went inside a little restaurant for breakfast and ate on the second floor so we could get a better view of the ceremony. Here's some pictures:

That guy in the middle is supposed to be the Sapa Inca

After the opening ceremony, the parade began. The parade included carrying the Sapa Inca and the Coya (his wife) to the Plaza de Armas. We weren't able to hang out in the city much longer to see the rest of the celebrations since we had to finish packing our stuff and head to the airport.

Part of the parade

Got to throw this stuff at the Inca

Of all the events that happened while I was in Cusco, this was certainly the most crowded. It was all but impossible to walk.

USIL :) glad I got to attend this school while I was here. All of the professors and staff were great.

Tania made lomo saltado for our last meal, which happened to be the first thing I ate when I got there, so it was kind of a full circle moment. After lunch, I said my goodbyes to Gabi, Joaquin, Tania, and Jess. It was one of the hardest things ever. I hope I will have the chance to see them all again sometime soon.

I tried so hard to get a pic with Joaquin the whole time I was here. This is the only one where his face isn't so blurry that you can't even tell it's him. He's the sweetest.

One last selfie with my Gabi.

Gabi making Jess' hair look fineee

Gabi made me a bracelet.

Here's some pictures of the home I stayed in:

Stairway from the kitchen/living room down to the outside/where my bedroom was 

Garage to outside / door my to bedroom further ahead on the left

Gonna miss that Winnie the Pooh comforter

Last look at the Calderon-Ruíz home

Last pic with the fam

Sandro drove Kylee and I to the airport since we had our flight out of Peru together. Once I said bye to Sandro, the tears started rolling but it didn't really hit me that I was leaving until I was on the plane later.

Óvalo de Santa Monica - if you know, then you know (and if you don't, this place was how we were able to get our taxi driver to get us home every day)

My flights home couldn't have went any more smoothly. Kylee and I had each other as company until we were in Houston. While I was waiting for my flight to Nashville, my friend Millie met me and we hung out until it was time for me to go.

Last time looking at those mountains :( at least for a little while hehe

Yay! We got to sit together on our first flight.

When she went her separate way :( love ya Kylee

Millie! So glad I got to spend some time with her. Wish we would have met earlier than our last week in Peru.

I can't express just how great this trip was. I got to see the coolest places, but most importantly, I met the most amazing people and made some of the greatest friends. Anyone that knows me knows how shy I can be, but this experience definitely made me come out of my shell. Also, since I'm writing this a few months late, I can say with certainty that my Spanish is definitely a lot better now than it was before I went. This trip to Peru has been the best experience of my life to date. I'm so thankful.