Peru Summer 2018

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...

At the top of the trail June 23, 2018 Last full day in Peru :( but it was one of my favorites! Two friends and I hopped on a bus to Chinchero. From there, we found a taxi that would take us to the start of the trail to Huchuy Qosqo. John made a friend during that ride I think. The driver asked for his name so he could friend him on Facebook. The hike was beautiful and secluded. There were zero other tourists on this trail. The only other people we saw on the way to the ruins were a local lady and a guy helping her. They were walking with their animals back to their village. We walked and talked with them for a while. On the trail to Huchuy Qosqo. A few minutes into the hike, I got sick. I don't know if it was from something I had eaten or if it was just the sun, but I didn't think I would be able to finish the trail (it was more than a 10 mile walk). All turned out well though after Jack gave me some Pepto and we sat for an hour at highest point of the trai...

June 18-22, 2018 Last week (sigh). I spent as much time as possible with my friends and host family during my last week in Peru. Thinking back now, I don't even remember all the of homework assignments and studying I did this week. All I remember is exploring Cusco for the last time with everyone. On Monday night we organized a soccer match for all of the people with CIS. I'm happy to say that playing soccer the last week was much easier than the first week. The whole time I was in Cusco, Joaquin (my host brother) and I tried to plan a day where we could play soccer together, but each time our plans fell through. Finally, on this night, we got to play together. It was all of us students, our host families, and some other people and it was a whole lot of fun. On Wednesday, I had my last field trip with my history class. We visited el Monasterio de Santa Catalina. In it, there was a museum about the lives of the sisters of Saint Catherine. The place was beautiful, but it was...