Emporer´s New Groove Anyone!?

Hola Todos,

This is officially my last entry from the southern hemisphere! Currently I am in Cusco Peru contemplating the crazy last few weeks that I´ve had.

Finals week ended on the 7th of December and I passed! Gracias a dios, it was veryveryvery difficult. BUT, on the 8th of December at 5am we left for the coast of Peru. Said goodbye to my family and my profes and my fearless leader Katie and got a tan for a few days! I dont know the date exactly but this wednesday, we took an 8 hr bus ride from the coast to the capital, Lima. Then got up the next day at 3:30 and went to the airport and caught a 7am plane to Cusco. Cusco is very touristy but its a welcome change to hear english again in the streets. And kind of nice because i´ve found myself translating for a few people who didnt speak spanish. Anyhoo, on friday we got up early and took a bus (and an all day tour of like 5 ruins...unfortunately we were at 12,000 ft and I was super sick due to the altitude) to Aguas Calientes which is where you stay if you want to go to....MACHU PICHU!! We got up at 4;30 and caught a bus up the mountain so we could get there before the gates opened at 6am. At that time there was probably 30 tourists and it was so peaceful I can hardly describe it. I ended up taking a nap on a rock and woke up like an hour later to find hundreds upon hundreds of tourists at 7:30, bummer! The crazy thing is, it´s considered the ¨low¨season for tourists; so if I ever come back I know when to come! Anyway later that day we had a really great 2 hour tour and if you are interested I have some really cool information to share.

So today is our first free day in like 3 weeks and its soooo nice. If you have ever seen the Emporers New Groove, you NEED to come to peru because it makes sooo much more sense after you´ve been here!! Thanks for readin! See you in the states!!

Besos,
Erin

T.DAY...cuenca style!

Hey All,

I am muy ocupada en vida right now so all I can say is that thanksgiving was great and look at the pictures! Great food, friends and MUSIC! There was a live band at the restaurant and they played Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones and of course Santana. It was pretty awesome, well for 18dollars it had better be right!?

Finals are next week and I have more work to do than I've ever had in the states, crap! I am leaving Cuenca on the 8th for Peru and then come home Dec 18th!!

See you all soon!!

Chao Chao!

ps-creepy pic of me sorry about that, i was just so excited about eating the food!!!

Saraguro y Giron PICS

I am TOOO lazy/busy to write. HERE ARE SOME PICTURES...ENJOY!













ps-I am having thanksgiving dinner for 18dollars at a gringo restaurant, yay!

My Friend Ralph

Hola todos!

It's been a good while since I've updated, and to my loyal readers that were actually effected by this, I apoligize. Needless to say, I've been a busy abeja lately.

So last weekend was fiestas de Cuenca, which is a three day weekend for all of Ecuador to celebrate the independence of Cuenca, which is really a three day drunken mess, mixed with a few indigenous parades.

I decided that since I had a test and two presentations on monday that it would be best not to be tempted, so my friend Claire and I went 9 hours south (close to Peru) to Villcabamba. It was so pretty, and relaxing, I LOVED IT!!!

Our last day as we were walking to the bus station, I saw a huge gringo in a GB Packers hat. (Buh, WHAT!? that was weird...) So clearly I had to talk to him; but true to the Packer way, he immediately started (not being interested in the fact that he was in Ecuador) bashing the Vikings. Of course, I threw out my share of "isn't your qb like 60 years old?" and, well let's be honest thats the only diss I could think of...chuta.


The bus ride from vill to this bigger town Loja was fine, but I got puked on about an hour into a five hour bus ride from Loja to Cuenca, so I got sick in the head and stomache and didnt end up going to class anyway on Monday. Crap. But I presented and tested on Wed and it went pretty well.

So, here's the big news...I GOT MY NOSE PIERCED, and yes Alyssa I did copy you. It's such a foreign country thing, I just couldn't pass it up.

Anyway, I'm out of town all weekend in Saraguro for a indigenous cleansing! WOOT!

See ya!

Note: my photoshop skills are horrible, i tryed to lighten up this photo of me and a llama and it looks like bum, but just pretend its cool, ok?

Pictures from Cajas National Park!

I really liked our 3 hour hike here, though pretty intense because it had just rained and we had to climb up the hills which was pretty diff...but jawsome.

One of these pics is of a forrest and it´s the highest one in the world, i am not joking people!

Also its freeezin there.

Chao!

oh also, if anyone has skype let me know because its hella cheap and i want to hear your voices!

now i can´t sing george of the jungle, in the jungle.

Hello all,

I realize that it has been awhile since I´ve updated and I apoligize. Finals were last week...booo! (we´re on quarters)

Anyway. I was supposed to go to the jungle this weekend but guess what? No, wait...you won´t believe me...ok fine I´ll tell you. I got sick and couldn´t go, crap! Well it´s not all bad, I get to chill out in Cuenca with no homework or volunteering for a few days (i am better now). Plus I made a few new friends and will probably hang with my brosif and cousin, so it´s all good!

Wish me luck, I am cooking for my family tonight. It´s going to be pretty rediculous because the only thing I know how to make is pico de gallo and tostadas (mexican food!!). It´s ok because here all they eat is rice, potatoes, soup and bread. So, for me at least it will be a WELCOME change. Oh and cookies, gotta make those!!

Anyhoo, as always, thanks for readin!

Adios Amigos!!

CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Omg, i just got a present from one of the orfans this morning, awwww cute!!!

yah no. PINK EYE. no one wants to be my friend anymore...sucks.

i am a survivor.

:)