In Arequipa!

Holy Moly! So, the last few nights we have stayed with families in their homes in small villages east of Cusco, in the drier, colder part of Peru. It was a wonderful experience. Everyone in the group stayed with a family with their roommate, so it was 2 people per household. These ladies spoke no english and so it made for an interesting and wonderful experience. It got so cold at night but our beds had 4 blankets, some of which were very thick so only our faces got cold. I would like to put some pictures up on here. I loved practicing spanish at these houses. When I am not around my spanish teacher and our guide who is a native, I realize that I really do know a decent amount of spanish. I was able to communicate with the ladies enough to learn some of their history and communicate about daily activities and food and a few other things. I was also translating or I guess interpreting for the lady I stayed with which made me feel super smart. We got to try a lot of local foods from the highlands and some I really liked. We tried dehydrated potatoes which I do not like haha. Today, we went to a buffet for our lunch and I tried a piece of fried Cuy (which is guinea pig!) It was really good but I don´t think I would eat it again. We just arrived at our hotel in Arequipa and I got a little nervous thinking about being alone in a big city like this. Coming in from the outskirts it was really poor and ghetto, but inside the city, it looks different and in a few minutes, we are all going to walk around, so I will find out! I have been eating lots of avocadoes and bread to save on money, but it has been delicious! I have not spent that much money being here. I prefer to go to the market and buy fruits and veggies and bread and cheese than to go out to eat. Gotta go, my free time almost begins and then I will probably put some pictures up!

Love,
Josie