Bus Adventures and Daily Living
Starting at 830 in the morning I take Spanish classes deep in the touristy part of Cusco. I felt my Spanish was way to rusty after 10 years, so I decided it would be a good idea to sit for 4 hours every morning relearning my verbs and words. It has been a good experience because it has introduced me to a whole new Cusco. The part you see in magazines. Polished cobble stone roadways from years of foot traffic, no wider than a small car. Ancient Incan stone walls with Spanish construction on top is a real reminder of what happened when the Spanish conquered the historic capital of the Inca Empire. It is sad to think of the culture and stories that are buried underneath but the Spaniards were not the first to conquer in this way. The Inca did it to the Killke people who lived in the Cusco region before the Inca arrived.
The area where I attend class is called San Blas. I remember the first time I stepped off the bus, I was taken aback by all the "white" people. Jon and I live in a part of the city where there are no tourists and even the little town, Oropesa, where the orphanage is, is so far out of Cusco that to see a fair skinned person is very rare. The bus ride is a pretty crazy adventure in itself. Let's just say is would be incredibly illegal in Canada and I am determined to get a picture for you because I am sure I can't describe it well enough.
Here there are two types of buses. The main buses, which are generally old and smelly and the Combis, which are minivans. On both there is a driver and a worker, who collects the money and calls out the next bus stop. You hear a lot of "baja, baja" which means to go down, or "this is my stop!" The worker, ( I don't know his correct term) will say "Baja El Hostpital?" and I will say "Baja" to indicate I want that stop, then I will pay my 60 centavos( about 22 cents US) for the entire trip.
But if only it were that simple... The buses, and more so, the Combis are usually packed from floor to ceiling with people. When you think they can't fit anymore people, 5 more people will enter the bus. At one point, I was standing on the edge with the door hanging open with the worker's arm around me to keep me from falling out of the bus. Thankfully I don't get claustrophobic or have zero personal space, my friends have always said I don't have a personal bubble. In the Combis, or minibuses, you are standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone else with your head crocked to one side because minibuses where NOT made to stand in. You are thrown from front to back and side to side as the Combi races from one stop to another. I am usually white knuckling it the whole trip. Once your stop is close, you pay and then race off because they are known to take off while you are exiting the bus.
I have to say it is great being a woman in Peru. Generally when a seat comes available the men offer the seat to a woman before they take it. Also if you pregnant, have a child with you or are obviously really old, people will stand up and offer their seat.
The people here are very helpful and kind for the most part. You greet and say goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. Even strangers you have just met on the bus. I have received so much help at the grocery store, panaderia ( bread store), bus stops and list goes on. They call me, "Mammy" and ask me how I am as I walk down the street. I call the other women " Mammy" and they love it! I am picking up the little nuances and pieces of culture. Cusco has been a beautiful and crazy experience thus far.
Ok so back to the rest of my day. After my classes are done at 1pm I catch two buses to get to Oropesa, once in the town I walk about 30 mins to the orphanage along a dusty old back road. Hopping over garbage and sewage water. The whole trip taking me about 2 hours. Once I arrive at Azul Wasi, I hear shouts of joy!! " Amiga, Dana!!" Then I am surrounded by young boys and some teenagers and the two girls that live there. The youngest boy, Alfredo, or Alfredito (meaning little Alfredo) as we call him, literally jumps into my arms covering my face with kisses. Then he pulls me to the newly built playground to play. I guess those nights of reading books to him really payed off. I can tell he loves me so much. The oldest girl also wont leave me alone. She just holds me for such a long time and then she hugs me again. Before I leave in the evening, they always ask, "will you come back earlier tomorrow"? I can't wait till I am done classes so I can come in the mornings. They always seem so sad when we leave. Nilo (or Nilito), the brother of Alfredito told me to be very careful and to take of ourselves. He was very serious about it. Then he looked in Jon's eyes and said " don't cry, you be careful out there" He is the cutest little 6 year old boy!
The area where I attend class is called San Blas. I remember the first time I stepped off the bus, I was taken aback by all the "white" people. Jon and I live in a part of the city where there are no tourists and even the little town, Oropesa, where the orphanage is, is so far out of Cusco that to see a fair skinned person is very rare. The bus ride is a pretty crazy adventure in itself. Let's just say is would be incredibly illegal in Canada and I am determined to get a picture for you because I am sure I can't describe it well enough.
But if only it were that simple... The buses, and more so, the Combis are usually packed from floor to ceiling with people. When you think they can't fit anymore people, 5 more people will enter the bus. At one point, I was standing on the edge with the door hanging open with the worker's arm around me to keep me from falling out of the bus. Thankfully I don't get claustrophobic or have zero personal space, my friends have always said I don't have a personal bubble. In the Combis, or minibuses, you are standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone else with your head crocked to one side because minibuses where NOT made to stand in. You are thrown from front to back and side to side as the Combi races from one stop to another. I am usually white knuckling it the whole trip. Once your stop is close, you pay and then race off because they are known to take off while you are exiting the bus.
I have to say it is great being a woman in Peru. Generally when a seat comes available the men offer the seat to a woman before they take it. Also if you pregnant, have a child with you or are obviously really old, people will stand up and offer their seat.
The people here are very helpful and kind for the most part. You greet and say goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. Even strangers you have just met on the bus. I have received so much help at the grocery store, panaderia ( bread store), bus stops and list goes on. They call me, "Mammy" and ask me how I am as I walk down the street. I call the other women " Mammy" and they love it! I am picking up the little nuances and pieces of culture. Cusco has been a beautiful and crazy experience thus far.
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