Life in Cusco

I wanted to share a little about our everyday life here in Cusco. Although so much of it is new to us, we are trying to keep some things similar to our routine back in Calgary. The first thing we do when arriving to any new city, and or new area is find community, and for us the best way to do that is to find our local church. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and luckily for us the church community here is fairly large, actually is it large over most of South America, especially in Peru.



Last Sunday, we went online and checked the meeting times for our church. Unfortunately, the church's meeting house locator is not updated regularly, and it showed the church meetings starting at 8 am on Sunday morning. We are NOT early morning people, and we knew that making it there for 8 am would not work, so at around 10 am last Sunday we decided to go for a walk, and see if maybe we could find the church building, and also meet a few church members as they left the meetings. Well it turns out that there was a ward (congregation) that met at 11 am, so we stayed. By the end of the meeting we had met a few people, and our kids were even given a speaking part for the following Sunday's primary presentation.

The members are very welcoming here in Cusco. They included the kids as though they had always been there. Maija and Terran were invited to come Friday night to a practice for the following Sunday's presentation.

On Sunday, Maija and Terran gave a speaking part in Spanish in front of the whole congregation, sang church songs with the children in Spanish, and interesting enough for us, the kids in Cusco were learning one primary song called "A Child's prayer" in English, they did a really good job, and Maija and Terran knowing the lyrics came in handy too.

The primary leaders here in Cusco are really neat, and I noticed they are very direct. For example, when addressing the kids they did not sugar coat anything. One kid was not signing well, they would tell him. They very seriously told the kids that IF they behaved there would be a little treat for them in the end, if not, NO treat. I don't know how to pin point the difference, but they seem very direct with the kids, I kind of like it. ;)

I also saw how play, and friendship have no language. Below is a photo of an impromptu soccer game with the kids after church. In case you are wondering where the soccer ball was, there was none, a plastic bottle did the trick.

Terran played, and was also goalie.

Terran speaks hardly any Spanish, but somehow he has made friends. We are looking forward to all the friends we hope to make in the various wards we will visit in Peru and Ecuador. Tonight we are going over to the church for another game of soccer. The ward members meet every Tuesday night to play. Can't wait!

Another thing that takes a big chunk of our time is trying to keep up with school. While we are away we want to make sure our kids do not fall too behind in school. We are lucky to have really wonderful teachers in Woodbine, so I have some REALLY big shoes to fill. However, rather than trying to do even a fraction of what our dedicated teachers do in Woodbine I have narrowed our learning to: 1. Regular journal writing, 2. Math, 3. Online assignments 4. Art, 5. Visits to local sites.

This week we visited the Sacred Valley of the Incas (another post will be dedicated to that day), The Museo de Sitio Qorikancha, the Museo de Arte Popular, and the Cusco Choco Museum.

In the Museo de Sitio Qorikancha the kids were able to see some mummies from the Peruvian Incan Period, and various other artifacts (plates, jugs, weapons), we however did not take pictures there since photographs were not allowed. The kids really liked the mummies, and craniums. This museum is included in our Boleto Turistico so we are taking advantage of that this week. The museum is small, if you are visiting Cusco this museum could be visited in about an hour.

Sitio Qorikancha

Maija and Terran in front of a fountain in Sitio Qorikancha

The Museum of Popular Art was cool, it showed a few different contemporary pieces from local artists. The kids and I talked about how so much of the art we see in Cusco is a blend of Indigenous traditions, and Catholic religious iconography.

Terran posing by a sculpture made of yesso, fabric, and wood of a couple from Pisac at the Museo de Arte Popular

A jungle nativity, a great example of indigenous art, and catholic traditions
Museo de Arte Popular

Kids will be kids, so of course my children really enjoyed the Choco Museum, where they learned about the process of how Chocolate is made, from plant to factory. They tasted different samples; white chocolate, 70% chocolate, chocolate with chilli peppers, and chocolate with coca leaves.

Terran and Maija by a chocolate sculpture of Machu Picchu

Maija by a chocolate sculpture of a Mayan God. 

Lita has joined us for most of our adventures here in Cusco.

Life in Cusco is new, fun, and well... a little different, but so far so good. Here are a few funny photos from our walks....

A lot of local "Micros" have cartoon characters in the front, examples include the Road Runner, and this Batman bus.

Yes, we have Arby's here...well maybe not.