Altitude sickness
As I
walked out of the airport in Cusco I expected to see a family holding a sign
with my name. I had communicated with la familia Carrera Yupanqui (my host
family) many times via Facebook so I knew I would recognize either Ana or
Eduardo. Instead all I found waiting for me was two unfamiliar faces holding a
white sign that read UTSA. So, I walked over to them to see where my family
was. Paola and Franko, the USIL coordinators, introduced themselves and
explained there were too many of us to have our families pick us up here, and
that we would be dropped off closer to our homes. I will admit I was a little
disappointed to have to wait longer to finally meet the Yupanqui family, but I
was excited to finally be in Cusco, Peru. We loaded the bus and placed our
baggage accordingly so that the first to be dropped off had their bags easily
accessible. My suitcases were placed on top of the bus so I wasn’t sure exactly
what that meant. I could be the last to be dropped off and that’s why they
didn’t want my luggage in the way, or I could be the first; there was no way of
knowing. We took a short drive away from the airport and Paola and Franko gave
a short explanation of the altitude sickness we would most likely experience.
“You won’t feel anything at first” they explained, “because there is still
enough oxygen already in you.” But we were told this would wear off within the
hour, and that we needed to rest and drink coca tea. Soon we were in a
neighborhood full of beautiful houses and apartments. We came to a stop next to
a park where a group of adults stood talking to one another. Eventually I was
close enough to realize one of the men standing there was Eduardo! I jumped
with excitement and began to gather my things; this was my stop. He greeted me
warmly as soon as I climbed from the bus and pictures were taken of everyone
together. A taxi driver grabbed my luggage and placed it into his car and
Eduardo announced, “Okay I am leaving with my temporary daughter!” as we walked
away from the bus. He asked me about the trip and about Lima, and last but not
least asked if I was feeling okay. I told him I was feeling fine, but he
assured me that wouldn’t last. We made a quick drive to the house where Eduardo
showed me around and I met Diego, their son, and Hilda, their nanny. Ana and
Alonso were not home, but Hilda served me sopa con pollo y papas, and it was
amazing. Eduardo insisted I eat this light meal, then lie down and rest. “You
must rest or you will not feel better,” he said, “Drink lots of water and let
Hilda know if there is anything you need”, and with that, he left back to work.
Although Diego does not talk, or understand English, he held my hand and led me
through the house. I was mesmerized by the view from their home! Mountains and
city lights and beautiful landscapes, it was truly phenomenal. Before long I began to feel dizzy. My head
began to ache and I felt tired and weak. I informed Hilda that I was going to
rest but it took a little more convincing for Diego to leave my side. I wasn’t
bothered by his company though. In the United States I am a nanny for a family
of seven so I was even relieved at the familiarity of the situation. Diego gave
me a kiss and left me to sleep so I closed the door and climbed under the
blankets. By this time the room was
spinning and I felt absolutely terrible; Eduardo wasn’t kidding. I drank the
water that was placed in my room and turned my phone on to text my mom. I told
her I wasn’t connected to WIFI yet because Eduardo had left to work and I
needed the password from him. I also turned on the mobile phone the university
provided for me, but couldn’t figure out anything on it because it was in
Spanish. I fell asleep fast thankfully and woke up about an hour later. I made
the mistake of standing straight up from the bed way too fast and nearly
fainted. I crept out of my room but didn’t see anyone home. I felt awful, the
room was still spinning my head was still hurting and I was sure if I didn’t lie
down soon I would’ve thrown up. I crawled back into bed and fell back asleep
for another couple of hours. When I awoke, I could hear voices. I heard Ana get
home from in my room and decided it was a good time to get moving. It didn’t
take long for Ana to see the condition I was in. She brought me an oxygen
inhaler and some coca tea, that I drank eagerly hoping to feel better soon. I
also met Alonso and the boys played in my room while I unpacked. I was
surprised to see that Alonso spoke some English, he even sang “If you’re happy
and you know it” to me. Soon I was feeling a little better and Ana brought some
food into my room. I will have to get the name and the recipe later, because I
am already craving it again. The best way I can describe it is a small fried
pastry filled with cheese and dipped in a creamy avocado dip. OOF! Haha, it was
so good. She told me to stay in bed and relax and sleep as much as possible.
I’ve been in Cusco for over ten hours now and I still feel a little unwell, but
hopefully by the time I wake up tomorrow all will be fine. Eventually I figured
out how to change the cell phone I was given to English, and I was able to talk
to my dad. Unfortunately, it charges whoever is on the American end of the
conversation 3$ a minute to talk to me! So we only spoke for a few short
minutes. I am anxiously awaiting Eduardo’s arrival back home so I can connect
to Wi-Fi and iMessage my mom, but until then, I’m going back to sleep!
Buenas noches!!
The view from our living room!
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