my slump, my revival

They say that during a study abroad trip, you follow a certain pathway of feelings. You start in honeymoon, regress to homesickness, and then right before you leave you're on cloud nine and don't want to go home. This theory in my case is definitely holding true.

The past couple of weeks (excluding this weekend, you'll find out) have been part of the "regression stage". I sat in my room a lot wishing I was back home. I know, what a waste of time but hey sh*t happens. I watched a movie one weeknight here, called How To Be Single (for $1.50... step up USA). It was super cute and actually took me out of my funk, and also made me want to go to the Grand Canyon to see a sunrise on New Years Day. If you're a single 20 something female, put this movie on your to-do list.

AND THEN... something incredible happened. We spent this past weekend in Cusco, and let me tell you, it was absolutely breathtaking. Literally breathtaking too, as we found ourselves once again at about 12,000 feet above sea level and gasping for air after climbing two flights of stairs. We started the weekend super early Friday morning, finally arrived in Cusco, and checked into our hotel. We had a quick lunch and took a brief tour of some ruins and of the city. At one of the ruin stops, we went into a little tunnel, where it was pitch black and I honestly got a little anxious as I couldn't see at all where I was going. We finally, literally, saw the light and escaped this little tunnel. It was interesting to say the least. We also slid down some natural rock "slides" but we couldn't go full speed as our guide told us we would probably break our ankles. Taking into consideration my following day, I decided he was right, and "braked" the whole way down the slide. Afterwards, we stopped in a beautiful church where, unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures.

Natural rock slides! So cool

These little guys were everywhere, they were so photogenic

The center plaza

If I had a list of the top ten days of my life, the following day would definitely make the cut. We started the day with an interesting hotel breakfast, consisting of pasta, bread and the best apples I've ever had. I was also sure to load up on coffee. We took a scenic two hour bus ride to a train station in a neighboring city. While we waited, I enjoyed another cup of coffee and then we boarded the train. There's no way to describe the train ride other than magical. I felt like I was on the Hogwarts express, waiting to arrive at my first day of wizard school. We rode alongside a gushing, brown, sediment filled river the entire way, passing through tunnels and approaching the more jungle-like scenery of Machu Picchu. We passed some trekkers, who were making a four day hike on the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. This is another thing on my bucket list, as I can't even imagine the reward of coming over the top of the mountain and seeing the famous, ancient ruins after four days of trekking. When we arrived, we stepped foot into the small town of Machu Picchu. The girls were in awe, and said it reminded them of Estes Park (I couldn't make the connection, as Estes is waiting patiently on my bucket list). The town was cute, and filled with little shops, but we had to skip over roaming the city as we had to catch another bus that took us up to the entrance of Machu Picchu. *MOM SKIP THIS PART* The bus ride was super sketchy, (not a new sensation, unfortunately), as we passed oncoming busses with full speed, and no guard rails. *MOM START READING AGAIN* When we got to the top, we started our tour of the ruins. It was absolutely breathtaking. We were sure to load up with tons of pictures, and were guided through the ruins learning about each room, and what probably went on there. It was amazing, the architecture, the beautiful day we had, the llamas roaming freely, the general atmosphere... Everything was picture perfect and I soaked in everything I could. I'm ecstatic to go back with my parents in May (hopefully without a guide this time, as I wanted to roam and sit and take it all in, but we were rushed from stop to stop).

The little town underneath Machu Picchu

The Famous

The rest of the day was enjoyed by a little souvenir shopping, eating at a buffet with the best Alfajores (aka cookies filled with some sort of good frosting stuff AKA my new addiction), and a sleepy bus/train ride home. That night we hung around the hotel, had some girl talk outside our rooms that ended abruptly by a hotel worker yelling "SILENCIO" at the three of us giggling girls. We ran into our room like real adults and it made my heart super happy. Another happy heart moment was the blissful, chilled sleep I got while in Cusco. It got pretty cold at night and we had the heaviest, coziest blankets.

Our last full day in Cusco, we spent mostly getting bussed around to different archaeological sites and different markets. One of the archaeological sites was a big terrace, where I literally felt my spirits lift. It was nice and cool and breezy, and we were in a giant grass field and I felt like I was back home. We later spent some time buying homemade bracelets and other goodies from the local women. They were all so genuine, kind, and smiley. It's amazing how even with such a different life, working for maybe, maybe ten dollars a day, these women were genuinely happy. It really made me reevaluate the material aspect of my life, as I'm realizing day by day I'm enjoying more the money I spend on adventures and experiences, rather than the money spent on stuff, and most importantly I'm enjoying the free experience of the presence of others. We enjoyed another buffet that had a scenic view of the river beneath a giant garden filled with a couple of llamas. I took it upon myself to mount a swing and swing next to the river. I felt my energy rise and my spirits lift once more.

Looking back at the restaurant from the garden 

Our view from the restaurant

Full of joy :)

Upon arrival back to home base in Cusco, we put on our jeans and sweaters (insert heart eye emoji here) and headed to the main plaza. We enjoyed the best chica morada and an amazing meal served by our new Syrian friend that could speak Arabic, Spanish and English... impressive. We had a great view of the plaza from the restaurant and did our highs and lows, and by this time my glass was back to being half full, actually more like overflowing. We also came across a couple guys in Husker shirts (more like chased after them, but that's besides the point), and got to share a quick "GO BIG RED" why are you here? chat.

On our way back to the hotel this night, we all vowed that we're done sitting around. Our free time will now be spent exploring the unknowns of Lima together. I'm so grateful for the girls here, they know exactly what to say, how to cheer you up, and are straight up adventure enthusiasts. They make me want to stay here forever.

Another reason I don't think I have it in me to leave is my CrossFit family here. They are so sweet, welcoming and I love them so much. I am so glad I have something like CrossFit in my life, because it always brings me to the best people, and has connected me with so many locals here. As you can tell, they love to blow up my Facebook, and I'm enjoying competing in the Open with them here.

Mi familia <3

To tie back into the rhythm of a study abroad trip, I'm back to being in love with this country and the people here. I don't want to think about the short time I have left here, however I've already decided I will definitely be coming back in the near future. Thanks for sticking with this long, wordy blog.
XOXO Abrazos y Besos,

Abby