Peru Preparations

Armed with lots of rain gear, the strongest bug spray I could find, and my optimistically basic Spanish conversational skills, I’m finally ready to spend my summer in the oldest still-inhabited city in this hemisphere. Instead of spending another summer coaching my swim team in the suburbs of Western NY, I’ll be intensively studying Spanish for six hours a day in Cusco, Peru. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and excited to meet my host family and make new friends, although I know that over the next few weeks I’ll have to adjust to more than just the extra 11,000 feet of altitude.

Without even arriving at Cusco, I’m already blown away by its Wikipedia page alone. The original Incan city wall is built in the shape of a puma. The city’s ancient indigenous architecture and engineering is said to be some of the most advanced of its time, despite the Incan people not having a written alphabet. The nearby Lake Titicaca, which I plan to visit, is comparable in size to the Great Lakes and is dotted with manmade floating islands, built out of taro roots by native tribes that are older than the Parthenon. I’ll be in the city for ten weeks, and I hope that’s enough time to see every single church, museum, temple, and cultural event I can find.

One event that I’m very excited for is the festival of Inti Raymi, a week-long Incan celebration of the sun god that will take place around the summer solstice (and my birthday!) in June. I have no idea what to expect from this festival, but I can’t wait. I’m also eager to make friends with students from all over the world, which is a unique benefit of going into my program alone. Having a host family in Cusco means that I’ll be surrounded by Peruvian language, food, music, and traditions at all times, which will be amazing, and I want to see my Spanish skills transform over my time here. On top of all this, I’ll be only a short drive from Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world.

Ten weeks from now, I hope that I will have a completely different understanding of Peru, its history and its people than I do now. I hope that I’ll be able to have a full conversation in Spanish with my host family, who I meet tomorrow. I’m excited to take my newfound knowledge, interests, and hopefully a few recipes home to my family and friends. !Hasta luego, Buffalo!