That One Time In Peru

I've decided I really love Urubamba. It reminds me of Nepal, and Mexico, both places I love. It's a much bigger city than Ollantaytambo with much less tourism and yet it is home to some of the friendliest and kindest Peruvians. While in the market today I was searching for an eggplant, which I had seen before so I was hoping I'd be able to find. I stopped near a woman with vegetables to try to search around for something plump and dark purple. Finally as the woman continued to look at me in confusion I muttered "estoy buscando algo específico pero no sé como se dice en Español"... "I'm looking for something specific but I don't know how to say it in Spanish" rather than ignoring me, or thinking 'while that's your problem isn't it,' she patiently asked me to describe it. "It's big and purple..." I trailed off losing my vocabulary and creativity to describe an eggplant... "berenjena, quiere una berenjena," ...

Today marks two full months in Ollantaytambo. It is crazy how it is possible to feel as though I have been here for two weeks and two lifetimes at the same moment. This week will also mark my third full month in Peru. I've never been anywhere besides Michigan and Ohio for a full three months. I think I like adding Ollantaytambo to an exclusive list consisting of only Novi and Athens. It is starting to feel like home, even though it is all still so foreign and new.  It makes it so confusing that in my memory I knew Kathmandu so well, and in some ways Toledo, and perhaps even more than Toledo, Rabat. I want to question, how could I have known Kathmandu better than Ollantaytambo, but I know the answer. In Kathmandu I was journalist. I worked everyday, at least six, sometimes seven days a week to venture into that amazing valley and explore. I witnessed a wide array of life in Kathmandu, everyday something a little new. I also had a deadline, and I knew that at the end of 10 week...