Cusco - A Welcome Adjustment

I have been in Cusco, Peru for about 11 weeks.  It has taken me this long to adjust.  I am finally feeling more like myself.  For a while, I was struggling with being tired, an unstable appetite and very little routine (I need routine!).  I have gone through two illnesses of the throat (recently, it was bronchitis) and a damaged muscle in my leg.  Nevertheless, I have discovered Cusco’s wealth of over-the-counter drugs that Americans consider prescriptions.  My first week, I stumbled in a very small corner store and walked out with ibuprofen and amoxicillin.

I have also found Cusco doesn’t have much time for beaurocratic bullshit (except for the terrifying postal system- don’t get me started).  Since I have been here, I have seen the doctor affiliated with Maximo Nivel (the organization that I work for and that trained and certified me in TEFL) twice.  He comes to my apartment within 20 minutes of being called.  Within a 10 minute examination and questioning, he has written a prescription and given me directions to the nearest pharmacy.  From start to finish, I have spent $20 and spent 30 minutes of my time.  In the US, I would probably have spent an entire day at an ER to have a bill over $100. 

As I adjust, I find the language barrier frustrating.  I have recently started Spanish lessons, but I am starting at a very basic level.  As a certified extrovert, it is frustrating to want to communicate with chatty taxi drivers and even my students when we are out of class.  My one teenage class had the same level of English as I do Spanish.  Communication between us is mostly comprised of miming, drawing, facial expressions, tone of voice and a lot of enthusiasm.  Tone of voice is mostly used for classroom management. 

My other classes are solely comprised of adults.  It has been a great change of pace from working with children.  At the beginning of my first class I taught last month, as I was asking the students how they were, one students gave a detailed account of why she was so hung over.  The word hang over became a vocabulary word that day.  I have had a great time teaching adults- more interesting vocabulary words have included: praying to the porcelain god, the various meanings of hook up (my advice to all English speakers- don’t use it!), snort and cocaine.  The last two came from an especially rambunctious class that would mime jokes about the other classmates snorting cocaine but never knew the language.  I felt like I was doing them a favor!  During class, there is no filter and there is far less emphasis on motivation and far more on getting as much information out as possible.  Even in my teenager class, we were making sentences with “I want to…” and “You want to…”.  One enthusiastic student said, “You want to drink beer.”  I struggled to keep a straight face, while thinking, Well  maybe I do…

As I am constantly reminded of my inabilities in Cusco’s native language, I am also reminded of the conveniences a fully-developed country can provide.  The disposable paper industry in Cusco seems to have been underfunded or maybe even forgotten.  Toilet paper is optional in bathrooms (you learn to carry around your own) as well as thick napkins (with more than one layer) is rare to find.  Forget about finding paper towels.  Finding certain foods, beverages and condiments from around the world also doesn’t happen here.  I have learned to appreciate South American wines, especially from Peru and Chile.  Heinz ketchup and most dressings also don’t exist.  Oil and vinegar is about it for the selection.  A friend has discovered the one trustable sushi restaurant, I have not found a trustable Mexican place. 

Now I want to be clear about the lack of these conveniences- I am not complaining.  The benefits of living in a city where it feels like a small, sweet community far out-way any amenities provided by the all-powerful America.