Our Final Weekend

     Our final weekend in Peru was both relaxing and educational. On Saturday, we were completely free to tour the city and its outskirts as we pleased. Some of us went hiking outside the city, including to Incan sites that we had not toured. Others went around the city to local sites; I was one of the latter. I began my tour of the city in the morning after breakfast; I waled through the nearby San Pedro market, partly to find a souvenir, partly to scout out places for lunch. Although I did not find the former, I was able to find the latter, a small stall selling ceviche dishes. It was delicious, and dirt cheap - the entire plate of fish, rice, and onions only cost me the equivalent of about $2.00. Next, I prepared for our departure tomorrow by packing my things and making sure I finished up the homework at the time.
     For our final night, we had dinner at the Hotel Monasterio; as the name implies, the hotel was once a Catholic monastery. Like many other Catholic Church buildings in the country, it was built on top of an ancient Incan temple, the remains of which could be viewed on the lower floor. The two courtyards were both of Moorish design and lavishly decorated with plants; the front courtyard even boasted a tree that was 330 years old, making it older than Peru's current sovereign state. Our dinner itself was delicious; it had an appetizer (mine was asparagus and mushrooms), a main course (mine was a shrimp and fish chowder), and a desert. All the while, the hotel had local singers and performers playing classical music in the background. It was a lovely night.
     The next two days were far more exhausting, but ultimately just as memorable. On Sunday we began heading to Lima's airport; some of us left in the morning, and some of us left in the afternoon. I was in the latter group, and used the extra time in Cusco to have my final lunch at my favorite local place; it was a pepper-alpaca-steak dish with rice and fries. Next, I watched a parade celebrating the winter solstice in La Plaza de Armas, with elaborately dressed Cuscoans performing Incan dances that no number of priests and conquistadors could snuff out. At 4:30, my group flew to Lima, where we picked up our bags we left behind; after some hours of waiting, our flight left at 1:35am for Atlanta. After some sleep, I arrived there, and then took our flight to Boston.
     Today, I am at home writing my final post. As I look back on this trip, I feel overwhelmingly that I came out better for it. By learning Spanish and accommodating to the norms and rules of an entirely different culture, I learned entirely new ways of thinking. Peruvian culture is more intimate and personal than much of American culture, for better and worse; sometimes it feels welcoming, other times overbearing. The history and current events of Peru have proven educational about the course of development for states after colonialism, and how they can solve their problems. Peru's use of trade to increase prosperity after its long bouts of isolation demonstrate the opportunistic nature of           Peru's people and the hard work they put into improving their lives. Finally, the length of time away from my home in such a different location made me reexamine my life. On the one hand, it showed me just how much I should treasure everything from warm showers to air conditioning. On the other hand, it reveals how much more complicated my life here can be. I am sure I will soon wish that I could disconnect from the rest of the world the way you can in a cell-service free Incan ruin, or along a wide green river-valley, or in a nearly roadless stretch of desert.