Peru: Spanish Intensive and Cultural Immersion

¨What is there in Rome for me to see that others have not seen before me? What is there for me to touch that others have not touched? What is there for me to feel, to learn, to hear, to know, that shall thrill me before it pass to others? What can I discover?–Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. One charm of travel dies here.¨ – Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, 1869

Why do we travel?  Is it a completely self-satisfying endeavor?  Is it purely to say that we have been, seen places, or do we truly wish to experience a taste of the local culture?  

Some think travel will change their lives, open doors of perception in their own minds that will better them as a person.  True, traveling can open your eyes to new, different way of living and challenge perceived realities.  However,  John Steinbeck was quick to point out that such lavish dreams of life changing experiences are in fact, just dreams; what people truly want is a vacation from themselves.  An excerpt from The Sea of Cortez:

¨This little expedition became tremendously important to us; we felt a little as though we were dying.  Strangers came to the pier and stared at us and small boys dropped on our deck like monkeys.  Those quiet men who stand always stand on piers and ask where we were going, and when we said, ¨To the Gulf of California,¨their eyes melted with longing, they wanted to go so badly.  They were like the men and women who stand about airports and railway stations, they want to go away, and most of all they want to go away from themselves.  For they do not know that they would carry their globes of boredom with them wherever they go.¨

The majority of tourists in Cuzco desire a Peruvian version of life back home.  Most stick around the Plaza de Armas, where they are treated somewhere in between pieces of meat and large bags of money.  Window shopping is by far the favorite past-time of the traditional tourist in the Plaza.  Some of course travel to see the sights, but do we visit these places just to say we have?

Research done at the Grand Canyon concluded that visitors, on average, spend less than 15 minutes outside of their cars when visiting the park.  They snap a photo, and continue on their way. 

I´m not quite sure where my fiery opinion  has come from, in fact I´m transcribing this from something I wrote by hand last night, but I do think it is important as a tourist, or a traveler, to critique your intentions for any trip you undertake.  Anyways… back to last nights notes…

I have a different perspective than the average tourist in Cuzco by living with a family that is completely set-apart from the tourist center.  I visited the Plaza de Armas today (yesterday), and while it is incredibly beautiful, the mentality from the locals is completely different from the small neighborhood in which I live.  It is impossible to walk through the city center without being haggled for something, and while a simple ¨No, gracias,¨ will usually do, it is not an authentic experience as to the charm, charisma, humor, and hospitality of the Peruvians.

To all those who wander through foreign countries unsatisfied, feigning enthusiasm for architecure, and perpetually window shopping:  Turn your vacation into an experience.  The third or second world is not here to serve you an omelete breakfast, it is here to serve you peace of mind by breaking through your cultural norms and experiencing a taste of the different; not an artificial version of the same.

Ah, traveling.  What a chance to experience rich culture, new cuisine, interesting people, and dramatic landscapes that assumedly will enrich your life and your character forever.  But, you have to get their first.

From SF I flew to Houston where I had a four hour layover, and did what I probably would have done had I not traveled yesterday: watch a football game.  A pleasant way to pass time in the airport.  Arriving in Lima at midnight, I took my bag upstairs to the foodcourt, put my hat over my eyes (it´s coming in handy already), and attempted to go to sleep in the airport, which was noisy and busy all night.

I was scheduled for a 10 o´clock flight to Cuzco, but sleeping on the floor lost it´s charm quick, and so at 4 o´clock I asked the airline to put me on the earlier flight, which they did.  They charge dme $25 to save four hours in the Lima airport.  Deal.

Cusco is at nearly 10,000 feet, and coming off the plane I expected some grandiose loss of air through my lungs in the transfer from plane to land, but no such thing happened.  In fact, the altitude is hardly apparent at all, and climbing the cobblestone steps to my hotel was a breeze.  I arrived looking for a room at 7:30am, but the hotel was full.  The gracious owner led me upstairs and plopped me down on the couch.  ¨Rest.¨ She said,  and let me sleep while her guests checked out.

And so here I am.  Reveling in the glory of what feels like an international-class city, both for it´s beauty and it´s culture.  Shingled-rooftop houses scatter nearly every angle and every inch of the surrounding hillside, but the city retains a relaxed pace that I didn´t expect for a city of 350,000.

The search for a Spanish school begins!