Thursday, July 3, 2008

The blog from the beginning....

Hey, I have a working computer now, so I thought I would post that first blog I wrote in Lima and Cusco. Enjoy!

Los perros tristes....

Cusco, the capital of the Incan empire, la gran ciudad por las turistas, the big Kahuna of South America, is now housing the uber famous Sarah Wright, everyone’s favorite blogger. No, I don’t care about run-on sentences. They can be their own special thing, too. Anyways, I’m here for the next couple weeks (más o menos), doing the tourist thing and taking intensive Spanish classes so I don’t look quite so much like an idiot during the research portion of the trip.

I desperately need these Spanish classes, too. I tell ya, it’s one thing to know that seca means dry when you’re writing a vocabulary answer in the climate section of a Spanish class. It’s a whole ‘nother ball game when someone brings it up out of nowhere, with no previous context. I was talking about how pretty the mountains were with my taxi driver, who spoke no English, when all of a sudden he comes out of left field with all sorts of stuff. I am not a good improv person in Spanish, I’ve decided. You tell me to act like a dog playing chess in English, no problem! But answering out of the blue stuff in Spanish- no dice. So anyways, I will learn how to respond better and I will just hire a translator for the rest. Personally, I feel like that would make my research more valid, but my advisers think that it would be better for me to do them myself. Bleh. I agree, but I am an incompetent fool, who though speaking Spanish twice a week (which got reduced to once a week, but that was totally not my fault!!) would help me be able to converse once I got here.

Anyways, Gaby is coming to Cusco tomorrow!!! Hurray!!! Me encanta Gaby!!! She’s bringing her friend Alex, also. Hurray for Alex! (?) Hmmm, so my outlet that the computer is plugged into keeps losing power. (I’m typing this on my computer and then I’m going to upload it at the internet café next door. Then I’m getting a pizza!! I know, it’s not so much Peruvian, but it’s next door… That and it seems every time I turn a corner I get lost. So, I figure I should stay within visibility of my hostel. Especially since it got dark at 6 tonight!! Can you believe it?? It’s because we are in a valley. However, it freaked me out as I got lost for the 8th time today.

So, one thing about Cusco is all of these dogs (perros) running around. They had a bunch everywhere in Lima, but they seemed better fed. However, here, there are very dirty, hungry looking stray dogs everywhere. It breaks my heart. I wanted to pet this adorable little thing that was hanging outside the hostel, but everyone freaked out. Apparently petting stray dogs is a stupid idea here, as well. However, they all seem to be the friendliest little things. They really do have the puppy dog eyes, big and hungry. It looks like a Humane Society commercial. I tried to give one a cracker, but I scared him and he ran away.

I’m also amazed at the many types of dogs running around Cusco. It’s not like India, where they all looked like they came from the same litter. The dogs here are everything from the big shaggy dog type (like the one Tim Allen turns into in that movie I didn’t see…) to Chihuahuas (these all seemed to have owners) to terrier type dogs. I mean, they’re all probably mutts, but these are the breeds they sort of look like. They have quite a few of the small, fluffy, white kind, but not always small. They’re just running around like they own the place. I just want to buy some dog food and feed them!! Too cute! Well, if my power outlet blew a fuse or something, I should get going. Who knows when I’ll be able to plug my laptop in!! Much love to you all!!! Buenos noches!!

That's the end of the old blog... Have a good one!! Love you, miss you!!

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