Back to the root of my existence

On Thursday, a group of us decided to pack it up and go to Huaca China for the weekend. That's spontaneous for you, making plans like 4 hours before leaving. Huaca China is one of the only oasis in South America, a beautiful place, located just 4.5 hours south of Lima. Are you sold yet? We took a bus (all night long) and arrived at 4:30AM. Despite us all being exhausted from the bus ride, we decided to give it what we had left and climb to the top of the tallest sand dunes. Its really hard to climb a sand dune, think walking on the beach but up a steep hill. My shins would be underneath the sand, and I had to walk on all fours for balance. After about 45 minutes, we were at the top and could see a 360 view. On one side of us was the tourist town of Huaca China (with a lagoon), on the other we could see Ica (a larger town), on the other, a small village inhabited by the locals, and on the other, more sand dunes (it was almost looked like pictures of the moon). As the sun was rising, we could see a perfect rainbow with the sun the center; we were in awe. That night we climbed another sand dune and the full moon was out and had a huge ring around it.. between the rainbow and moonbow, someone/something was talking to us..  The next day we went sand dunning (think huge 4 wheeler, roller coaster ride) and sand boarding (think snow boarding but with sand). I had a huge wipeout on the first hill but then got progressively better. By the end I used the board as a sled, so fast and so fun! 

Tuesday the girls prepared Aji de Gallina (on of my favorite Peruvian dishes). We spend the afternoon preparing it and then later had lunch with the boys. Furthermore, Martin's sister, Ketty, taught me how to prepare flan. It seems like I've learned a variety of Peruvian/Latin America cuisine. I cannot wait to cook Peruvian style food for my family! Get ready. 

This week, in the midst of leaving, I've had trouble with losing things (apart from my mind..) I lost my cell phone, which I now know I left by the pool in Huaca China, as well as my drivers license and check card. Thankfully I have good friends who can loan me the necessities to survive. 

I was thinking again about all the things I will miss in Peru. Number one, without a question, I will miss my Peruvian friends and the Peruvian people. Everyone is extremely down to earth; we could go a few days without showering or eat in a greasy restaurant without trouble. I always enjoyed conversations with the locals or other people who had had different experiences. I felt I took something away from every conversation, either in English (ingles) or Spanish. I also enjoyed the concept of time and the concept of family. 

Wednesday night, after a sad day of saying many goodbyes, I boarded my plane and flew back to the US. Things here look and feel so different. First off I could feel the heightened stress level of the American people in their quick worried speech outside the airport. Secondly, the streets, palm trees, bathrooms, etc here are much more cleanlier and better taken care of. I feel like I could practically eat off of the ground here. And when I used the bathroom at the airport I had not only toilet paper, but also soap and towel. That's luxury! Furthermore, I find that I still am thinking in term of Spanish, as I have replied to my grandma several times in Spanish. I'm craving a conversation in Spanish. 

6 more days until Christmas, Feliz Navidad!