Cusco - Spanish lessons & more!

February 10 - February 24

After a hectic 12 days on the tour from La Paz, finishing with Machu Picchu, it was a relief to be able to relax for a while in one place.

For two weeks, I spent my mornings learning Spanish with an organisation called FairServices. They work with solo mothers to train them to become Spanish teachers, while also teaching them some English. The organisation, the school and the people are great here, there's a really positive friendly atmosphere around.

FairService's website

The Spanish classes are taken in two sections - I take 2 hours of grammar classes with Yesica, and then 2 hours of practical classes with Marianela. The classes are all one-on-one, but while the grammar classes are in a classroom, the practical classes are taken on the streets of Cusco, walking around the markets, a museum or anywhere else we fancy! It's a great way to discover some parts of Cusco I would never have known about by myself.

FairServices also runs "clases de cocina" (cooking classes) of typical Peruvian dishes, and salsa classes, both of which are a great way to meet some of the other students as well as getting to know a bit of the local culture.

In the afternoons, FairServices runs a volunteering programme for kids from poor families, but my Spanish isn't quite up to that yet. In the meantime I've been exploring some of the rest of Cusco:

The royal Incan bathing area of Tambomachay, several hours walk out of town
("Tambo" meant a resting place for the Incans, like Ollantaytambo in my last post)

View along Alameda Pachacuteq towards the main plaza, from the Pachacuteq Memorial

Pachacuteq Memorial
Pachacuteq was a local hero who saved the city of Cusco from an invading army and was promoted to god-like status, and was responsible for some important changes in the governance of Cusco & the Incan empire.

I found out from a barman that the two main Cusco football clubs were playing each other, so myself, Siebren and Pieter (another one, from Belgium!) went along to the local derby. The stadium was split in half, Cienciano supporters on one side, Real Garcilaso supporters on the other. Our tickets were on the Cienciano side, so we had to support them...

Cienciano (red) 0
Real Garcilaso (sky blue) 1 

Sunday 17th February was a Carneval day in the main plaza of Cusco. Four of us headed into town and picked up a can of foam spray...

Carneval - gringos are a prime target!

The second week of classes, I also moved into a homestay with a local family. They usually have about 3 or 4 others staying with them, but the family speak very little English, so it is good practice to speak Spanish at mealtimes etc. They have been very welcoming!

I've enjoyed the classes, people and homestay so much that I decided I wanted to stay here for a while. I'd already decided to head to Arequipa for a week, but with the promise of returning to Cusco as soon as possible. I'll be back in a homestay and also volunteering in the afternoon.