Day 1

Day 1 in Ollantaytambo, here goes nothing. 

Breakfast of mandarin juice, chamomile tea, and two bread rolls with butter. I'll take it. 

My host mom is wearing a shirt with Justin Bieber on it. If I'm understanding correctly she owns an artisanal shop nearby selling the things she knits and crochets, like this marvelous llama hat she finished when I came in last night. She's very sweet. 

I officially have a key to the front door and my bedroom, and I love that I have my own room, my own space to spread out, and the bed is big and mighty comfortable might I add.

My first day of work was exciting, I'm learning peoples names and excited to get into the groove. I can never decide if I hate or love routine. The office is nice and very close to my homestay which makes getting to work very easy. 

My overall feelings of the day were flooded with excitement. At the end of the day as I went to leave the office my lost suitcase from Lima arrived, I couldn't believe how fast and easy that was. I drug it home across the cobblestones and up the steepest set of stairs imaginable to my room. 

Within that suitcase I found many gems, such as notes from my beloved fam. I read a prewritten note from literally my favorite person on this planet titled "for when you get to Ollanta" At first I was fearful it would bring me to tears and make me miss home, but it only did one of those two things. 

As I shed silent tears, I thought about it. I wasn't sad. I mean sure you'll always miss home, but I'm not homesick. I repeat the note did not make me sad. I thought, and I realized I was excited. I'm exorbitantly excited about my life right now. And yeah sure the note made my cry, wet sloppy tears, but not because I was lonely or terrified, but because literally my favorite person on this planet is also excited for me, is happy for, and is going to get to visit me. And when other people are excited for me, I realize just how cool this really is. I'm living in Peru. I moved to South America for work. I'm 23 years old and the world is my oyster. I have friends and family eager to visit, I work for an amazing organization, I live in a beautiful small town where water runs down the cobblestone paths and mountains hug us. I live in the last living Inca city. The last city built by incas where people still live today. I look out my bathroom window to a mountain. The view from work includes Incan ruins. I may seem crazy, but at least I'm my kind of crazy. 

I spent the evening watching tv and making paper fans with one of my host sisters, she's seven. I helped her finish her homework by helping her learn to draw a clock. I speak enough Spanish to help my seven-year-old Peruvian host sister do that. Even when she didn't spread the numbers properly the first time and wanted to give up. Life's a dream I tell you. 

I have everything I could ever need. I have all my clothes and shoes and lotion and books and camera gear, snacks and movies, and medicine. I have a family who loves me enough to support me 100% when I pick up and decide to move abroad. I have friends and families all over the world that have helped me become so exposed to all things foreign, that today felt like a breeze. I have a family in Oaxaca, in Kathmandu, in Meknés, in Toledo, in Lima and now in Ollantaytambo. I don't know if I could be more lucky. 

What a day it's been. Day 1 of work, and life in Ollantaytambo, complete.

5/7/17

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