el canario libre // the free canary
  • Blog
  • Crossing Paths
  • About

Machu Picchu

6/13/2016

0 Comments

 
Mountains have always been special to me. But in Peru, there's a reason it feels like you leave part of your soul in the mountains. ​
PictureSalkantay, the highest peak of the Willkapampa mountain range
According to Incan religion, the mountains are the closest one can get to reaching the gods in the hanan pacha, or upper realm, from the kay pacha, the human realm. Each great mountain has a distinct apu, or powerful mountain spirit, that aids in connecting the two universes and used to be honored with sacrifices. So despite the cold and isolation, many of the greatest civilizations in South America were born in the high mountains. ​

After the Spanish invaded, however, andean traditions were threatened. According to my Salkantay trek guide Nico, 60% of Perú is of the Catholic faith while just 10% stick to Incan traditions and 30% are make up different religions, typically other branches of Christianity. The Quechua language was also written for the first time by the Spaniards, so even that native tongue of the Andes was altered by documentation mistakes and mixed with Spanish over time. ​

But the Quechua language and Incan traditions still live on, adding to the mystique of the Andes. ​

Picture
The most famous Incan ruin site of course is Machu Picchu. It was likely home only to the most wealthy, intelligent, and important people in the Incan empire, originally created as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, and was perhaps as well an important pilgrimage site. It is theorized that Incans made pilgrimages along many of the same trails buckets of tourists hike along today like the Inca trail, and Salkantay and Ausangate treks. When the Spaniards invaded, the Inca empire was already in pieces, undergoing a civil war and a war with a neighboring civilization, but some very wise souls destroyed the evidence of these trails to protect Machu Picchu. Today we are lucky enough to have Machu Picchu 75% in its original state. ​
Picture
The man credited with rediscovering Machu Picchu was, classically, looking for a different site but was led to this one instead. There was just a family or two that knew of its location, and they tried to keep it hidden, but a little boy of 11 years, not knowing any better, was too excited to share the beautiful abandoned city with this stranger and blew the secret. As much as I am grateful to have seen a site so entwined with a part of world history I’m growing to love and respect more every day, part of me wishes Machu Picchu was still undiscovered. Every day it is swarmed by over a million tourists, and the cynic in me wants to say that a lot of the people who visit don’t know half of what makes the site so cool.
The Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu was my last big adventure in Peru before I headed home. I couldn’t have asked for better hiking crew or a better way to spend my last moments in South America. ​
Picture
4-day Salkantay trek folks, minus Rada
0 Comments

Guest Post From Hannah

5/8/2016

1 Comment

 
To encourage all the current seniors in high school to take gap years, I've decided to ask everyone I know who's taking one to write a guest post about what they've been doing. There are endless possibilities as to what one can do with their year, and the variability will be better illustrated through the words of many.

You may have already read about Max's year. Now we have a lovely post from my friend Hannah, the only other person I met during my travels who is from the U.S. and taking a gap year.


The term “gap year,” on a literal level is defined as “the space some choose to take between high school and college.” I’d like to focus on one word from that definition. Space. And not the kind of space filled with rad asteroids and exploding stars. I’m talking about the kind of space that presents itself as a plain wall, with just enough room to hang up a map. Or maybe the kind of space that looks like a blank canvas just waiting for loads of oil paint and mistakes. And maybe it’s just genuine, simple, breathing space. These are the spaces in our lives that we can choose to fill with exploration, mystery, creativity, and peace. The truth is, life moves past us with incredible velocity. Blink and a decade’s gone by. It’s not often that we can truly take a step back from our lives, stand alone, and say,

“Pause.”

It takes a lot of courage to make such an individualistic choice, and deal with the accompanying loneliness. To watch all your friends move on without you, create new lives and celebrate the euphoria that is college, while you’re off doing who-knows-what who-knows-where with who-knows-who. But that’s the beauty of it, owning a calendar with a question mark decorating all 365 regions. College will be waiting to welcome you with open arms when you are ready. Personally, I just couldn’t find any reason to rush.

By senior year, I knew I was exhausted. I spent twelve long years pouring all of my mental resources into making decent grades and test scores, pleasing everyone around me, and living in one of the most notoriously busy cities in America. I couldn’t help but feel like I was vaulting helplessly towards a future and an education that I was simply too jaded to appreciate. I craved transformation. And I guess a part of me just didn’t want to grow up.

I was accepted to Washington University in St. Louis last fall. I sent an email requesting my deferral. And that was that.

So it started with a road trip. A fellow gapper and I drove from Georgia to California, camping in national parks every night, and for the first time in our lives, viewing the stunning country that we’ve called home for years but had never truly known. By September, my bags were packed for Indonesia, a place I knew practically nothing about (no, not even where it could be found on a map). I spent the next three months island hopping and living with wonderful local families, practically floating through extraordinary landscapes, immersed in the most breathtaking ways of life, traditions, religions and languages. I saw the cities, the mountains, the sea and the rainforest, and viewed the world through the eyes of so many diverse individuals. It was a true mystery from start to finish and nothing short of actual magic.

After some shorter visits to family in the states, I set my sails for the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. I was fortunate enough to live with a local family and volunteer for the giant tortoise breeding center on island Isabela, managing and caring for practical dinosaurs. There I found an unlikely love of those gentle reptiles, a serenity as clear as the azure water surrounding me, and friendships with the most enchanting people from all over the world.

Upon my return home, I was hired as a receptionist in a local animal hospital, working to make enough money to pay for my plane ticket to Hawaii, where I’ll be volunteering on an organic farm all summer.

And yes, it involved an extraordinary amount of planning and paperwork. (I’m eternally grateful to my parents for not only making this year possible for me, but for supporting all the bizarre issues that came along with it. Seriously, if you’ve ever tried to apply for an overseas Visa without your mom, you probably didn’t end up getting it. I love you.)
​
But the unplanned gifts I received in return were even more remarkable. Every passion I never had time for in high school suddenly reignited in my newfound freedom. I read countless novels, wrote poetry on the beach, made enough art to fill a whole museum.

Overall it was a learning experience, the kind of knowledge that can’t and will never come pre-packaged in a textbook or classroom. This last revolution around the sun has helped me put so many things into perspective; my place on this planet and my responsibility to it, the kind of positivity I want to radiate in my lifetime, the importance of global awareness, cultural preservation, and love that bridges cultures and oceans. And smaller things too. I now live my life barefoot eighty-five percent of the time. I know that I definitely don’t like durian fruit and that I definitely do like bike riding. All these large and little truths I will carry with me forever, tucked away in some corner of my soul.

As the most amazing year of my life nears it’s finale, I examine the “space” I created for myself last fall, and it’s just about overflowing. Within it, I now see countless sunsets, flamingos, three separate oceans, strange fruits, Indonesian vocabulary words, a pair of destroyed hiking boots, the brightest of constellations, light filtering through treetops and stained glass and the shallow seas. Most importantly, I see the people I’ve met and fallen in love with along my journey, the people who have shaped my experience and my life. And in the space I’ve created, I can finally see myself.

My point is, if you have the opportunity, take it. If you want to cut the strings you feel are tying you up, get out a pair of scissors. If you want to see things differently, unroll a map and look closely. Because the rest of the world is out there, patiently awaiting your arrival.
1 Comment

Last Day in Huanchaco

4/30/2016

0 Comments

 
Somehow I have already been in Huanchaco, Peru for eight weeks.

Huanchaco is a small, touristy beach town in northern Peru. It’s the type of place where travelers try to pass through for just a couple of days, but for whatever reason end up staying much longer than they expected. Maybe some take comfort in the familiar hippie vibe: the relaxed beachy vibes, the abundance of the indie jewelry sold beachside, the ease of access to vegetarian food and things that aren't rice. It might be that some travelers become addicted to surfing, unexpectedly finding themselves having to budget for the cost of lessons and renting board, as Huanchaco has some of the best waves in the world for learning. Others still fall for the warm days and beautiful sunsets, the cheap avocados, or falling asleep to the whistle of the neighborhood security man on his bicycle to let you know all is well, and the sound of crashing waves.

Unlike many of these travelers, I had already come to Huanchaco with the plan to stay for two months as a volunteer. But after a full month had gone by, I minorly started panicking, realizing that it would be hard for me to leave, too. The days float by, each one different enough from the day before that I never bore, but similar enough that if I don't keep up with my journaling they blur in my memory.
The biggest part of my experience here, and the reason I came to Huanchaco in the first place, is the organization I’m volunteering for called FairMail.
​

It’s hard to put into words exactly what FairMail is as an organization.

My job is to teach photography to FairMail’s ten students ages 13-18 so they can develop successful postcards and fund their studies as well as pay for things like medical expenses, fixing holes in their roofs, or similar expenses that may arise. The kids keep 60% of the profit which mostly goes towards paying for their education. Besides me, there is another volunteer named Nora who has been here with me the whole time, and Marcy who joined us just a couple of weeks ago. Maria Flor and Betty are two Peruvian employees who are former FairMail students. They are so fun, sweet, and patient, and it’s so important that they’re here as volunteers rotate every few months and Peter and Janneke, who founded the organization, don’t spend their whole time in Huanchaco. It’s been such a help to have these wonderful people to bounce ideas off of and help us understand cultural nuances we might overlook as foreigners.
​

But FairMail is so much more than a company with good intentions. Fairmail is a family, and a safe space for every student, employee, and volunteer who spends time there. There are even monthly calls home to check in with each student’s family, and Saturdays before class during the staff meeting everyone describes the highs and lows of their week was outside of class. There is also a weekly question that we think about for our social circle on Saturdays at the end of class, this week’s being: if the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?

I was charmed from day one and I knew leaving would be hard. I hope to return one day, with more experience, better ideas, and improved Spanish. But for now, I'm trying to spend my energy focusing on what's ahead instead of what I'm leaving behind. My next destination is Huaraz, where I will be trading the beach for white-capped mountains.

Hasta luego Huanchaco, nos vemos pronto. 
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

    Hi, there!

    My name is Mara and I've started this blog mostly so friends and family can follow what I'm doing, even when I'm far from home. Everyone is welcome here! Thanks for stopping by!

    My posts, straight to your e-mail!

    *indicates required

    RSS Feed

    RSS Feed not working in Chrome? Try adding one of these RSS extensions to your browser. 
Powered by
  • Blog
  • Crossing Paths
  • About
✕