Gratitudes from Cusco

Saying goodbye to Victor on my last night

Leaving Cusco there are so many things, people, experiences, and memories I am grateful for. This experience has been incredibly impactful and I hold so much gratitude in my heart for everyone and everything that made this experience what it was. These kinds of experiences are the ones you can never get back – I will never be 17 and in Cusco, many of the amazing people I met I will never see, and there will never be that group of people or experiences ever again. These are the things that make it so special, knowing that each moment is unique and cannot be recreated. This is why I am so passionate about documenting this journey. While I know I will definitely return to Cusco in the future, I will never be at this point of my life, with those specific people, or experiencing the unique day to day moments that made that experience what it was. I could return to all the places I went, I could eat the same foods, I could study at the same Spanish school and volunteer with kids but recreating this time would be impossible. Because of this I have journaled every day of this trip and I put so much effort into this blog – it is how I treasure the experiences and ensure I will never forget even the smallest details and memories. 

A few of the things I am grateful for:

I am incredibly grateful to my homestay dad Victor. While living with him for three weeks he was incredibly kind, respectful, funny, and caring to all of us who lived in our house. He made us feel at home, took care of me when I was sick, cooked wonderful food, and we had lots of wonderful conversations. On my last night in Cusco (which was also exactly one week from my birthday) he took us out to dinner and I had a great time talking for hours. I have learned so much from him about Peruvian culture, food, and family and saying goodbye to him was quite difficult. 

My roommate Izzy from my time in Cusco. It turns out I brought all the right clothes for the jungle but when it came to chilly Cusco, I didn’t have the best options. With only one thin hoodie and no jeans or sweatpants, I found myself quite chilly and mostly living out of my puffy jacket, which was not the most comfortable for long periods of time. My roommate, on the other hand, brought LOTS of clothes and was extremely generous in lending me things to wear. She had over five pairs of jeans alone (more pants than I have in total), hoodies, sweaters, and shirts she lended me during our time in Cusco. I am extremely grateful to her for sharing her clothes so I could be more comfortable and look a bit more fashionable during my time in the city. 

I am so grateful for the free salsa classes I got to go to through Maximo Nível. The classes they hosted introduced me to most of the friends I made, taught me lots of fun salsa moves, made the dancing so much fun, and gave me great exercise when I was too busy to go to the gym.

To baby Noah from the daycare who made me so happy when he fell asleep in my arms or laughed with the cutest baby giggle when we would play peek-a-boo.

I am so grateful for all the incredible food I ate while in Cusco. I was able to try amazing dishes like ceviche, pollo a la plancha, lomo saltado, chaufa, and tallarín saltado. I also absolutely loved my sweet treats of picarones and queso helado.

Grateful for the doctors I worked with in the hospitals at the beginning of my trip, especially Dr. Fabricio, the doctor who did the clinical simulation sessions on intubation, suturing, and CPR. I was able to work with him in the outreach clinic and he was such an incredible teacher, doctor, and caring person.