In the last weeks of my SLA, I soaked up as much of Berlin as I possibly could. I saw “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”, a play by Bertolt Brecht. Again, this play was entirely in German so the experience of being able to use my newly developed ear to understand much of the conflict and interests of the characters was very exciting. The play was one of Brecht’s most famous, and it included many biblical themes within it. Brecht’s mother was catholic, while his father was Protestant. The story displayed a fight between two mothers, in which both believe they are the true mother of a child. On one hand a woman believes she is the mother because she raised it when she found it abandoned. On the other, a woman believes that because they are blood related, it is only right that she deserves the child. The play was incredible and the csat was extremely talented. This play was at the Berliner Ensemble, a historic theater that was established in 1949 by Brecht himself. What made this theater stand out was its rotating sign that shows its face to the rest of the city. This is still the same sign that they put up when it was first established. After a summer of seeing various plays and operas, I have to say that this was my favorite one!
I spent my summer here in Berlin within the same time frame as some of the other Notre Dame Berlin programs. I was given the opportunity to attend the final dinner for the ND programs, and there I was able to see many of the professors who inspired me to explore Berlin and the German language in the first place. Professor Kaupp and Professor Donahue are two German professors I have been able to develop great relationships with and meet in Berlin. I was also able to have a conversation with Professor Pabsch, my art and architecture history professor from last semester. It was incredible to meet these people here in the country we all share an appreciation for.
Love snow-covered mountains, turquoise-colored lakes, and enthralling, romantic castles?! Well, Füßen is the German city for you (and me)!
My mom was able to take off time from work to come visit me, which was an incredible blessing. We rented a car and journeyed south on the famous Romantic Road to the Bavarian city of Füßen. Naturally, we took a few unexpected detours and ended up driving on the Autobahn +! Cars were flying by us! The terrain was mainly flat or slightly hill until we reached the Austria-Germany. Rocky mountains loomed in the distance. It was beautiful. Of course, I had to take a picture!
Driving to Füßen
Füßen is over 700 years old and located on the Germany-Austria border. Its close proximity to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles has allowed the town to become a popular tourist attraction.
We only had 24 hours in Füßen so we prioritized our time with tours of Hohenschwangau Castle and Neuschwanstein Castle.
Hohenschwangau Castle
Walking up to Hohenschwangau Castle
Hohenschwangau Castle was first built in the 12th century and ruled by the Knights of Schwangau until the 1535 when the castle was destroyed. But in 1832 Crown Prince Maximilian II decided to rebuild the castle. His two sons Ludwig II and Otto spent their childhood here.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the castle. But the decor was unbelievable. Every inch of the castle was decorated with centuries old paintings and enclosed in an elegant gold trim. Each royal family member had their own floor of the house that was decorated according the duties and responsibilities of their title. For example, the King’s floor was decorated with paintings of the knighting of a king, winning a glorious battle for the homeland, and wooing beautiful women to become his wife. The children’s quarters were on the top floor, the king’s quarters on the floor below, and the queen’s quarters were below the king’s.
There is a reason for the famous phrase, “Be careful what you say! The walls have ears!” Hohenschwangau has hidden passageways leading to every room! These passageways were used by servants during the winter months to light all furnaces in the house. The royal family did not want be disturbed with the frequent relighting of furnaces, so they designed these passageways to prevent the servants from being seen. But, from within these passageways servants could learn about all the royal family drama!
View of Hohenschwangau Castle from Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle
Nestled high in the Alps, this world-famous castle was originally built for only one person: King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The intention was to make a more beautiful and comfortable castle than that of his childhood home, Hohenschwangau Castle.
View of Neuschwanstein Castle from Hohenschwangau Castle
Unfortunately photography was also prohibited inside Neuschwanstein castle. But the exquisite detail of every woodcarving and painting and the advanced was absolutely astounding. The tour guide informed us that fourteen carpenters worked for more than four years on just the woodwork in the King’s bedroom!
But as the tour continued, it became more and more clear why the Bavarian people often referred to their king as “Mad King Ludwig.” For example, we were led into an enormous room decorated with a balcony, mosaic wall paintings, patterned wood flooring, and glass chandeliers. At first, I thought it was a ballroom, a chance for the king to share his fairytale castle with the outside world. But I was wrong. In reality, this “ballroom” was designed as only a room for King Ludwig to sit alone and think!
Despite 17 years of construction, most of castle still remains unfinished. After the death of King Ludwig II in nearby Lake Starnberg on June 13th, 1886, all construction on the castle ceased.
Neuschwanstein Castle
What an amazing trip! I learned so much about Bavarian history in just 24 hours! Next stop, München!
To give you, beloved blog reader, a sense of my food-related expectations going in to this trip, I’d like to let you know that I have been eating at North Dining Hall almost every day for the last two years. So, naturally, my expectations in the old Food Department were extremely– if not unreasonably– high. Also, my mom is a chef.
My favorite Bavarian dish is traditionally served in a frothy 1-liter glass and… actually I’ve already discussed this meal in previous blog posts. Why don’t you use this time to read over the dedicated notes that you have been keeping about my blogs to refresh your memory.
Are you back? If so, then I’ll now discuss the side dishes that sometimes come with this meal. First, there is the classic Brezel. Before you whip out your German-English dictionary to figure out that difficult word, I’ll just tell you that it means pretzel in English. Add that to your notes. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Pretzels? We don’t have those in America. Well, first of all, I don’t like your tone. And secondly, while you can certainly purchase a similar pretzel at any ballpark in the United States, the German pretzel is not exactly the same. In fact, they are generally sold and consumed at room-temperature. But they’re still delicious, in part because of what you can dip them in.
Some such pretzels and a white sausage that we received on a wonderful brewery tour
Namely, Obazda. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Obazda? We don’t have that in America. That’s better; I appreciate the non-sarcastic tone because you are correct. As far as I know, Obazda can not be found in the United States, at least not easily. And that is a real shame because this cheese is wonderful. A traditional Bavarian dish, Obazda is made from combining come sort of soft cheese with butter, beer, and spices, and can only be made while wearing lederhosen. Truthfully, the most difficult part of coming home could be the lack of Obazda. My friends and I have settled in to a routine of eating this cheese almost every day with lunch.
My last lunch in Munich, appropriately consisting of a pretzel, obazda cheese, and beer. I care deeply about my health.
Dearest blog reader, I beg of you, please find a place that I can buy Obazda in the US. I am desperate.
With love,
James
This is our friend Habib from Habib’s Imbiss. He served us Döners and never failed to ask me about Donald Trump. Great man.
This past weekend, I decided to take a trip to southern Italy in search of two particular cities – Reggio Calabria, Calabria, and Messina, Sicily. I had these cities circled because they are two of the major cities in Italy that my family is originally from. I didn’t know much about the cities, and I don’t know any family there today, but I was excited for the chance to explore and connect with Italy in a new way. So began my 40-hour adventure in which I left from Sorrento at 5:00 am, and eventually made my way to both Calabria and Sicily before returning to Sorrento by 11:00 pm the next day.
It was a long way to travel by train, but that was okay by me – I actually enjoyed the challenge of hopping between trains, and it gave me a chance to catch my breath and take in Italy as I travelled from one place to the next. I began my train hopping by going from Sorrento to Naples, then Naples to Salerno, and finally Salerno to Reggio Calabria. This left me with a nice afternoon to spend in Reggio Calabria, a southern Italy city that sits right across the water from Sicily. Amongst many others, one of the things I discovered here was the “Lungomare Falcomatà” walkway that runs along the sea – a coastline view that has been described by Italian writer Gabrielle D’Annunzio (one of the writers that I have read in my literature class this summer!) as “the most beautiful kilometer in Italy”.
A view of Sicily from “Lungomare Falcomatà” in Reggio Calabria
After exploring this city for the day, I caught an evening ferry ride to travel from Reggio Calabria to Messina, Sicily. It got a little interesting for me at this point in the day, because I was having trouble finding the location for the ferry stop – so I put my Italian to work, and asked a series of locals to help me find my way (it took the help of more than a few people because the ferry stop was not in a very obvious location). Once I found it, I had some questions about the ferry schedule and the ticket I wanted to buy, but I had to ask all of this in Italian as well because the person selling the tickets did not speak English. This was a common theme I found on my trip: the cities that I traveled to aren’t really the biggest go-to spots for tourists, so I found myself much more reliant on my Italian throughout the weekend simply because it was mostly my only choice. Over the whole weekend, I maybe had just a couple small conversations in English with the locals or store owners that I met, but otherwise it was all Italian, and I couldn’t really rely on my English to “bail me out”.
Me in Calabria (side note: I mastered the phrase “can you please take a picture of me?” in Italian over the weekend)
I was able to find my way to Messina in the end, and as the trip continued on, it was a really good feeling to know that I could rely on my Italian speaking skills enough to actually communicate with others, ask any questions I needed to, and ultimately be responsible for myself without using English. I found this to be true again as I settled into my lodging in Messina for the night – the person that let me into my room and checked me out in the morning did not speak any English either, but it wasn’t much of an issue at all (my biggest point of confusion was figuring out the right way to type the WiFi password that they told me, so I’ll take it).
A view of Calabria from Messina, Sicily
After spending the night there, I got up early to explore Messina before catching a train back towards Sorrento later in the day. I enjoyed walking along the coast of Messina as well, and getting to compare the view of Calabria that I could see from Sicily, to my view of Sicily that I saw earlier when I was in Calabria. The Bell Tower and Duomo of Messina were sights to see for sure, and of course I couldn’t skip the Sicilian food – cannoli, arancini, and pizza that was definitely different from the Naples-style pizza I have been mostly eating while in Italy.
The Bell Tower and Duomo of Messina (and me)
The most exciting part of the trip for me may have been the train back from Messina to Naples, because part of the ride involved the train being loaded onto a ferry so that it could cross from Sicily to Calabria before going back on land and up to Naples. I was pretty confused at how the process worked, but I asked enough people around me to make sure I was getting on the train/ferry correctly (sometimes I wasn’t exactly sure what to ask, so whenever we had to switch between train cars or switch onto the ferry, I would just keep asking in Italian to whomever was near me “this is how I get to Naples, right?”)
I went on the train, then the train went on the ferry, so I got out and took a picture of the train on the ferry
The train did get me to Naples eventually, and from there I took my final train back to Sorrento to cap off my trip. All in all, it was an experience I won’t ever forget. Not only did I see a part of Italy in which my family once lived, but I also had the ultimate chance to put my Italian skills to work, and to really connect with life in Italy in a unique way. I definitely pushed myself past my comfort zone a little bit, and it was worth it – at least because it helped me to realize that my Italian studies and practice up to this point might just be paying off a little bit after all.
This morning, I took my last exam. Classes are drawing to a close, and that means my time in Italy is almost over. I wanted to write to you all one last time before I leave, and so I now present the post you have all been waiting for: the one about Italian food. (If you are reading on an empty stomach, proceed at your own risk.)
First, the structure of meals in Italy is different from the United States. The main meal is traditionally lunch, and dinner is eaten late in the evening. Breakfast is small and sweet. A common breakfast item is the “cornetto”, which is a croissant-like pastry with jam or cream filling.
A crostata with jam
Then there is lunch. A full Italian-style lunch is five courses: “antipasto” (appetizer), “primo piatto” (usually pasta), “secondo piatto” (something more substantial like meat or fish), “contorno” (side dish, like soup or salad), “dolce” (dessert or fruit) with coffee and after-dinner alcohol. Of course, there is before-dinner alcohol and during-dinner alcohol as well, but in moderate amounts. Dinner is much later, and is supposed to be lighter, like vegetables or pizza. (Yes, pizza. Apparently it’s considered a light meal here.)
Now, before I proceed any further, I would like to say that I have not been eating a three-hour, five-course lunch every day here. In fact, I haven’t done it even once. That is because one essential ingredient to these long lunches is other Italians, one’s friends and family, with whom to eat. Since I’m living in the dorm, not a host family, I have not had the opportunity to have a big family dinner.
Food and community go together. I was given this piece of blessed bread and a prayer card after Mass on the feast of Saint Anna. I was told, “It is to take home and share around the table.”
Furthermore, I have serious doubts that the Italians have elaborate meals like this every day. However, all my information about Italian meals is second-hand, and living in a tourist area probably changes the rhythm of Italian life anyway. I can only say that the above description is supposed to be the “traditional” way of doing it.
In reality, I have cooked most of my meals for myself. This was one of the most surprising, challenging, and rewarding parts of the trip for me. I had to learn how to meal plan, navigate a supermarket (in Italian), and cook something other than scrambled eggs. Furthermore, I thought that since I was in Italy, I might as well try to cook Italian. I tried emulating some of my favorite pasta dishes, and used the Internet to supplement my ignorance.
Seafood pasta from Ravello.My attempt at seafood spaghetti.
Sometimes, my dishes turned out really well. At other times, I thanked heaven that I was cooking only for myself, since it meant that I was the only one to suffer from the watery-cheese-sauce disaster. Still, increased confidence in the kitchen was not a benefit I was expecting from this trip. I am pleasantly surprised to find that I have learned a lot about how to shop and cook like an independent adult.
One challenge of cooking for myself was that the food in Italy, although it is not totally foreign, is still different from American food. While the food in Italy is generally fresher, there is less variety. There is a whole aisle in the supermarket just for pasta noodles, and another half-aisle just for bottled tomato sauce. There is salami, prosciutto, pancetta, and sausage, but no ground beef, and certainly no plain-old sandwich meat. The eggs are processed differently and so are not refrigerated (which hasn’t stopped me from keeping my eggs in the fridge out of sheer habit). Peanut butter is an expensive specialty item. These are little differences, but they were very surprising at first.
Then there are the specialty stores. The two most common kinds are fruit stands and “salumerias”.
A fruit standI cant talk about food in Sorrento without giving the omnipresent lemons an honorable mention.A salumeria
A salumeria is basically a deli. They sell meat and cheese, but often have pasta and wine as well. To tell the truth, I did not use these stores very often. I learned first hand why supermarkets have a corner on the grocery market: they are cheap, and it is very convenient to buy all your groceries in one place.
From time to time, I would go out to a restaurant with my friends here. This would inevitably mean pizza or pasta. (I believe it is impossible to overstate the prevalence of pasta in Italy. It is not just a stereotype.)
Fresh pasta hanging out to dry in a restaurant.
Being next to the ocean means amazing seafood pastas. Being next to Naples, the birthplace of pizza, means amazing pizzas. Everything I ate at restaurants was very simple and very good.
This picture speaks for itself, I believe.
Going out to restaurants, we also learned a few Italian customs. First, restaurants do not provide separate bills. This means that, when we go out to eat, one person will pay for the group and everyone else will pay them back. Second, sitting down to a meal is much more expensive than getting take-away. Space is valuable in Italy, so if you want a table, you have to pay for it. Furthermore, it is not customary to tip your waiter, so the service fee is also included in the “coperta”, or cover charge. Thirdly, the restaurant will not bring you your bill until you ask for it. After all, you paid for the table, and so you can linger for a long time if you want. This allows the Italians to enjoy long talks with friends over a meal.
Coffee is almost as much of a staple as pasta. On our tour of the Amalfi coast, the guide said that Italians will drink coffee four times a day. However, when an Italian thinks “coffee”, he or she does not think Starbucks. In fact, I don’t think there is a single Starbucks in Sorrento. “Coffee” means espresso, either a plain shot or mixed with milk. There are cafes everywhere, but I’ve gotten most of my coffee from a machine in the dorm that would make Willy Wonka proud. You insert a coin, select a drink, and wait. Meanwhile, the machine produces a cup, adds sugar, heats and froths milk, adds a shot of espresso, and gives you the finished product complete with a little stir stick. In America, I would be highly skeptical of any “machine coffee.” Not in Italy. Even their machine-made espresso is delicious.
Finally, there are the sweets. I believe that pictures will make the point more eloquently than words.
The view in a bakeryA pastry with lemon cream filling.A cannolo.Another bakery.
There is, of course, gelato as well. Sorrento knows its tourists, and so there is a gelateria about every block or so. The best gelato has only a few ingredients and is always made fresh every day. I made it a goal to find my favorite gelateria, and I narrowed it down to two. They are both small, local shops with unique flavors (such as honeycomb or fig).
Dark chocolate and coffee gelato from one of my favorite gelaterias.
As one last note, you may be surprised to hear that living in Italy has made me appreciate American cooking more. All the Italians to whom I have talked say that America does some food really well: steak, cheesecake, and bagels are good examples. Furthermore, the variety that we have in America is incredible. Although we Americanize every cuisine we touch, we still have everything from Greek to Mexican to Chinese.
After five weeks of pasta, we go to a Greek restaurant just for variety.
So there you have it. This will be my last blog post from Italy; however, I will write one more once I get back to the States to review and sum up my experiences. As always, thank you for accompanying me.
“If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff.” – Remy, Disney/PIXAR’s Ratatouille
I met a real, French chef! 3 Michelin stars!! (jk lol)
I’ve passed the halfway point of my time in France, and with only two weeks left, I’m doing my best to appreciate my local favorites (crêperies, boulangeries) and engage in as much conversation as possible. What I’ve really started to notice this past week is the importance of la nourriture biologique (organic food) and a much more pronounced concern for the environment in general. But this post, I’m going to focus on the food part. Eating biologique, or bio for short, means not using pesticides and keeping your produce purchases local, respecting the season of each food. For example, when I arrived, all of the open-air markets were selling strawberries as it was nearing the end of the strawberry season. Now, when I pass by the fruit stands, the strawberries have been replaced by nectarines and peaches. Of course, the larger grocery stores follow the same track as those in America and import fruits from around the world to keep customers happy. However, the mass-produced, oversized strawberries in the coolers in January definitely pale in comparison to the brightred little berries in wooden boxes that the French go crazy for in May and June.
You say tomato, I say la tomateA rainbow of peppers!
This past Sunday after mass at Sainte Jeanne d’Arc, I met a woman who worked at the open-air market close to my apartment while I was on the hunt for a jar of honey to bring back home. When I started asking her about the different products she sold (which included several cooking oils, tizanes (herbal teas) and herbs and the honey I was searching for), she explained that everything fell into the category of “organic”. In fact, it was a super small organization of 9 farmers from the region of the Loire which ensured that everything they sold was from less than 40 km away. The vendor compared her smaller selection of produce to that of the other larger stands which have produce from all over. “You can’t always be sure where you’re getting your food, and doesn’t taste as good.” this surprised me because I’d assumed all of the food sold at the open-air markets automatically meant it was local. I guess when I think about it, I did see some stands with avocados and I have yet to hear of avocado farms in France. She added, “even though you have to pay more, the taste of organic, hearty food is better and you don’t have to eat as much to feel full.” She pulled out her wholegrain bread from her shopping bag to show me and said, “I got this from the cart right over there and it’s complet (wholegrain), so it lasts me about a week. I go through a regular baguette a lot faster otherwise.” The production and sale of these organic, local food items is a full time job and passion for many, especially once you get into these market settings where (most of) the produce is from local farms. I think the emphasis on good food that has a good flavor is really emphasized because of France’s traditional affiliation with gourmet cuisine.
There definitely were not any vampires at this fair
This past week I discovered an open-air market particular to Tours: the foire à l’ail (the garlic fair). It only happens one day of the year, and it was one of the hottest days so far (I think we got to 100 F, but anyway…). The streets around the place du Monstre (Monster Square, named for the contemporary monster statue placed in the middle of a row of trees) were lined with produce stands selling, as you probably guessed, garlic. There were lots of other things for sale, too, and stores in the area took the opportunity to advertise their own wares, garlicky or not. The newest, hottest products added to the fair were chili peppers (also basil, but my pun works better if it’s just chilis). My classmate, Catriona, and I were offered cheese from one of the vendors on the street as we searched for refuge from the sun of the awnings over the stands. I took this opportunity to ask this français about this garlic festival and, of course, enjoy some free cheese in the shade. He explained that garlic was the orignal and more traditional item because it’s grown in the Touraine region, basilique (basil) and piments (chili peppers) come from the south of France where climates are warmer. Since it’s their season as well, and farmers want to reach more of the population, chili and basil plants have started to make an appearance over the last few years. While this fair isn’t strictly local or bio, I thought it was another good example of France’s appreciation of the food it produces.
The chilis really spice up this picture
In the classroom, we stick more to the fundamentals of what it means to have organic food in France. That along with ecological concerns has been a major subject of discussion over the past week. The two definitely become interwoven when pesticides and overproduction are brought up. Food is everything in France and many are worried with just how much their agriculture is affecting their health and that of the rest of the environment. This is the driving factor behind the move towards organic and local foods and the creation of the AB (agriculture biologique) label in 1985 to certify that the food meets certain standards like no pesticides or GMOs.
So I have two weeks left and I’ve since moved up to level C1 in my classes meaning we are focusing more on advancing conversational skills through understanding cultural references and recent events in France. I haven’t had as much time to focus on a personal journal in French (I was a bit ambitious at the start of the program), but I’m reading more French news sources, engaging in more French conversations, and enjoying more of Tours as my time in France is more and more limited.
After my last post, I began thinking more about the little time I have left in Italy, and I felt much more of a sense of urgency to do as much as I can and experience as much of Italian life as I can before I leave. So, I have been extra sure to keep myself busy recently – and that has meant a number of things.
For one, I have really been diving into my school work more deeply (this one might not have been so much by choice – I’ve had more than a few papers and presentations to work on!) Although my homework can keep me behind my computer screen a little more than I may like, this aspect of my trip has been one of the most valuable ways to continue my growth as a student of Italian language and life. Not only am I practicing my language skills on a daily basis in this way, but I have also gotten to know my professors better and have learned more about their life in Italy, too. As a side note, one thing that has helped me to connect more with my professors (and actually with everyone, such as the Italian kids I referenced in my last post) has been my interest in sports. It’s the easiest thing for me to talk about in English, and it turns out it is also the easiest thing for me to talk about in Italian. For instance, the central topic of my latest Italian presentation involved a comparison that I made between LeBron James and one of the poet’s that we have been reading about in class. My professor really appreciated that I was able to connect my personal life to the deep themes of Italian literature that we have learned in class – and now he references LeBron James in class almost every day just for me (I think he’s making fun of me honestly but I’m okay with it). I brought up LeBron James just for fun with my other professor outside of class, and that got us started on a long conversation about sports, too – so I guess LeBron James is helping me learn Italian, too (what can’t that guy do?).
I have also been more attentive to things like what foods I am buying at the grocery stores, or eating out at restaurants, in order to be sure to experience as much of the local and national cuisine as possible (i.e. trying not to rely on Pringles as my go-to snack anymore, and resisting the urge to seek out the local place for an American hamburger). I am not the biggest seafood person, but with Sorrento being right on the coast, I’ve been making an effort to try out some of their local fish dishes and I have definitely enjoyed that. I also visited Naples last week, and instead of stopping in the McDonald’s there (we walked right past it and it was tough I’m not going to lie), we found a place to eat some traditional Neapolitan pizza (which of course made McDonald’s seem pretty irrelevant). I tried the “four seasons” pizza so that I could taste as many different types as possible.
More than anything, I’ve been trying my best to spend any free time that I have to the fullest. I’ve been trying to go into town more often and experience new places and people. I had a fun experience last week when I went to buy some stamps. The place I usually go to was closed, so instead of just going to the next place I knew, I decided to use it as an opportunity to practice my Italian. Lucky for me, I had the chance to talk to several Italians, because no one was able to direct me to the right place for stamps for quite some time. Go to the post office, they said – so I went and it was closed just for that day. It’s impossible for it to be closed, another man said – so I went back and made sure that it was definitely still closed. Go that way for the nearest tabacchi shop, another woman said – but another man I met going that way told me the opposite direction was definitely the way to go. The last person I talked to at a tabacchi shop told me I was out of luck and to return for stamps tomorrow. (In the end, I just went back to the other place that I knew that had stamps, and I easily found stamps there – but I still had fun because I did not break from speaking Italian the whole time during my search for stamps.)
I’ve also put a lot of effort into seeing as many new places in Italy as I can. I have loved exploring the Sorrento area as much as possible, but I have also found that new places are not only exciting to see but also offer new chances for immersing myself into the language and culture of Italy. I went on a really cool hike along the Amalfi Coast recently (check the pictures!), but it was also an adventure in itself just doing the traveling by public transport just to get there. This past weekend, I went on my biggest adventure yet, but I am going to save that for my next post, because I have so much to say about what I experienced – tune in soon to find out what I did!
the Amalfi Coastit’s safer than it looks don’t worry, Momme and my roommate/ hiking buddy Rich
For my last weekend in Peru, I knew that I wanted to do something spectacular, so myself and some of my friends decided to go to Rainbow Mountain (aka La montaña de siete colores). A lot of my friends had already gone and their pictures looked amazing.
This is what it should have looked like
However, Mother Nature had other plans in store for us that weekend.
After a brutal 2 am alarm and a 4 hour bus ride, we made it halfway up the mountain where the hike starts. Did I mention that Rainbow Mountain is approximately 17,000 feet above sea level? However, due to icy conditions, it was not safe for our bus to continue up the steep roads. Sounds like a good start, right?
When we finally trekked all the way up to the start of the hike, it was clear that things were not looking so good for us. The ground was blanketed by fresh white snow and it was much colder than what our tour guides had told us to prepare for. Nonetheless, the head guide assured us that we would still be able to see the rainbow mountain so we trekked onward.
However, as we went further and further, the conditions only worsened and soon the snow and ice had gone straight through my ragged tennis shoes and through the light jacket that I had brought with me. At some points, we could barely see in front of us and the altitude was making it pretty difficult to breathe. But still, we kept going.
Eventually, we made it to the rainbow part of the mountain, which was covered in snow of course. It was a little disheartening that we had gone all that way for nothing, but in the end it was an adventure that I definitely will never forget.
The experience as a whole was definitely not exactly what I was looking for or expecting but I think that this final adventure in Peru really nicely summed up what it is like to travel internationally: sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t. The important thing is that you ride out the journey as best as you can and always remind yourself of the positive. Yes, I was cold and freezing. Sure, I couldn’t really feel my toes at the end and at some points I felt like I couldn’t breathe. But I definitely had the time of my life, with great friends, in a place that most people never even have the opportunity to visit. For that I feel blessed.
Peru taught me so much and I gained so much (knowledge, friendship, weight, etc.) along the way. If you’re reading this, I highly recommend that you go to Peru at some point in your life because their hospitality, scenery, culture, and food are unrivaled.
I actually started to freak out this week when I realized how little time I have left here in Cusco. This upcoming weekend was my last chance to explore Peru and to walk around the city before I leave the following Friday.
My week started about the same as usual. Although classes were a little different since we had a new group of students matriculate in and two new students were in my class on Monday. It was really fun to get to know some new faces and to practice Spanish with a different group because a lot of learning is done from learning from each other and with fresh minds come fresh topics and places to improve and learn more. I think that having a different set of faces in class really helped me avoid complete burnout this week as I was nearing the end of my time here.
This week was also a lot more interesting than others as we began to move forward and progress towards topics I was a lot less familiar with, like the more advanced subjunctive tenses. Although I had learned them in the past, having a more in-depth and detailed review really helped me to solidify what I already knew and to understand how to better use these tenses in conversation and in writing.
Each day this week, I really made sure to take advantage of what Cusco had to offer. I went to the market almost every day before class to buy fresh and cheap fruits and vegetables to eat, I revisited all of my favorite restaurants for lunch, and tried to hit up as many of the museums and cultural centers that I could around the city.
It wasn’t hard to find things to do since this week really kicked off the beginning of Cusco’s festival period leading up to Cusco day on June 24. Each day was full of parades and music and crazy events and dance groups in the Plaza de Armas and on Avenida el sol (Cusco’s longest road). Although I was leaving before Día de Cusco, all of the celebrations felt like a really good way to end my time in Cusco.
For the weekend however, I had one more adventure planned with my friends: La montaña de siete colores (Rainbow Mountain).
My next week of Spanish classes were definitely filled with moments of frustration and complete exhaustion, but they also reinforced my understanding that learning another language is not something that will come instantly, even with the help of immersion. Concentrating heavily on grammar and on conversational skills has made me keenly aware of my shortcomings. However, it is with this newfound knowledge that I understand the best way to proceed and improve. I know exactly what aspects of the grammar trip me up each time and I know exactly what I need to practice the most.
However, despite the difficulties that I experienced in class each day, this week I really began to notice how my improving conversational skills were allowing me to communicate much more easily with my host family. Although I’m sure that my grammar had its flaws, my ever-growing vocabulary has helped me to talk even more fluidly and fully with my host family. Rarely is there a moment when my sentences are too jumbled or cryptic for them to understand the intent behind my words. Knowing that I can hold a conversation or survive on the streets if I am lost is definitely something that has made me feel more comfortable and confident while exploring the city.
However, as excited as I was for the end of the week, it was definitely bittersweet. I again had to say goodbye to many good friends, some of whom had been my first guides around the city when I got here and it was a little heartbreaking to think that I would probably never see some of them ever again. However, it was still a blessing to have known them and I can only hope that this was not truly the last time.
But on the bright side, the weekend came with another adventure. One of my friends and I took a weekend trip to visit Puno and Lake Titicaca. While the bus ride was cold and long(er than expected), the view of Lake Titicaca and the islands there was absolutely stunning. We went to one of the floating islands built by some indigenous groups. Our tour of the island included an explanation of how they are built, essentially by tying reeds together and drying out plants to form the base of the island, which floats on enormous clusters of the floating reeds that are native to the area. It was a really remarkable and ingenious technique and I am still in awe at how they even came up with the idea. Truly the most amazing lake home you could ever hope to see. Their islands form a community just sitting int he middle of the lake, and it was really cool to get to experience their way of life for a few hours. After that, we went to Taquile which is a really strange (natural) island within Titicaca that is home to a decently sized village where we had an amazing lunch and toured the scenery. We learned a lot about their culture, their quite unique governance, and got to meet some of the people (who are much more reserved than the Peruvians that I have met thus far).
