Isn't it fascinating...

To preface this post, I must add that Danel (our FIMRC coordinator) taught us a new phrase to make life more positive. Instead of complaining about something he told us to add "isn't is fascinating" to the beginning of the sentence. And so for all the fascinating aspects of Peru both good and bad, we have...

Isn't is fascinating...

... that bathrooms in Peru either have toilet paper or a toilet seat but never both.

Did you know that toilet seats and toilet paper are a luxury? I have maybe seen 2 toilet seats (besides at my host family house) while in this country. Also toilet paper is never provided and you have to bring your own. Oh and don't even think about flushing the toilet paper bc it'll get clogged and burst the pipes. 

... that a hot water setting doesn't exist. 

I honestly think I've forgotten what hot water feels like. Taking cold showers and washing your hands with cold water during the winter is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was expecting most water to be cold but not every single faucet. I can't wait to warm back up in Atlanta!

... that water pressure is equal to the force of gravity on water.

In order to save money, water is pumped into a large container on the roof once a month and then gravity brings the water down the pipes into the faucet. Needless to say, it makes washing your hair that much longer in the cold water. 

... that in a very cold mountain town there are no heaters.

Peruvians have adapted to the cold by wearing layers of alpaca clothing and sleeping with multiple alpaca blankets. I've been snuggled up in my 100% alpaca wool blanket every night!

... that a well rounded meal includes potatoes, rice, and bread. 

No but actually I don't think I'll be able to look at rice for at least 6 months! The lack of fruits and vegetables is partially bc our American digestive system can't handle the Peruvian bacteria but still... Gimme some green stuff! First meal back will be a GIANT green salad. 

... that we decided to travel on the busiest traveling day for Peru. 

The last day of our FIMRC program happened to correspond with the last day of school in Peru. Who knew?! So when we decided to travel on that Saturday to the capital of the country the winding mountainous highways were extremely full. Our 8 hour ride quickly escalated to a 16 hour journey with lots of stopping for hours at a time.

... that the first time I was asked to put on a seatbelt was on the last day of the FIMRC trip. 

After riding around in crazy mototaxis and vans through streets with no apparent road laws, the first time I was asked to put on a seatbelt was on the bus ride back to Lima. This bus maybe can to 50 mph at most and is only dealing with 2 lane mountainous roads. It still baffles me why they were so persistent on having us wear our seat belts when it was the first time I'd ever heard the word in Spanish. 

... that I've forgotten how to understand English. Speak to me in Spanish but I'll respond in Spanglish por favor. 

Huancayo and La Merced are definitely off the beaten path as far as tourists. Therefore no one speaks English and all we hear is Spanish. So when someone not from our FIMRC group speaks to us in English it takes a while to process. While hiking the glacier we had Americans say hello to us and we all looked at them dumbfounded. And again in Lima when a waiter would speak Spanglish to us, I couldn't understand the "English part" of the sentence! #halp

... that honking overrules street signs or red lights. 

Driving in Peru will never make sense to me and I refuse to ever attempt to drive on my own. The number one rule is that the horn overrules all. A red light? Well if I honk as I go through then others won't hit me, right? The driving is definitely efficient but not exactly the safest. 

... that you can how close you are to a tourist attraction based on the number of artesian shops. 

This wonderful fact can be both annoying and life saving. Seeing as we're tourists and we love to shop, it's pretty dangerous to have to pass by all the booths at the entrance of every attraction. However in one instance it literally saved us big time. After the mayhem of getting lost in the Sacred Valley (driving 40 minutes in the wrong direction) we made it to Ollayntambo town center when we should've been boarding the train to Machu Picchu. The train was 10 minutes outside town and so as we ran down the dark street towards the unknown train platform we started getting worried we were lost. Late and lost is a bad combo. But out of no where the best sight emerged: artesianal shops! It meant we were close!! We made it just I'm time to grab our seats on our only way to Machu Picchu.