We’ve had a few days to settle in here in Cusco. The food is great, the people are hospitable and it’s quickly becoming a home away from home. Here is Kayla’s story of her first day.
This morning I woke up with the startling realization that later today I was going to meet the family that I would spend the rest of my time with in Peru. Nervousness and sheer excitement pulsed through me the entire flight to Cusco.
When we arrived at the airport, the coordinators at the school greeted us. They then took us in a van to drop us off at our host families one at a time. Of course, I was first. I got off the van and was greeted by the tiniest, sweetest, Peruvian mother I have ever seen along with the family dog, Bob.
My mother, Victoria, was so welcoming and introduced me to her husband, Luis, and two children, Octavio and Aldahana. We went to the market that afternoon and Victoria showed me all of the best fruits in Peru and bought one of each for me to try. At lunch we had a mini taste testing session, which was quite interesting. The best fruit we tried was Pepino, which was a fruit version of a cucumber.
After lunch, I played a matching game called Sherlock with Aldahana. Getting stomped at a game for kids years 10 and under by an 8 year old was slightly humbling, but in my defense, it WAS in a foreign language.
At the end of the day, I felt like a real part of the family. There was no awkwardness or weird moments where I felt unwelcome or didn’t know what to do. My Peruvian family is amazing and I know for the rest of this trip I’m going to be la Hermana Alta to the Sala Roldán family!
Kayla graduated in May with a hospitality and HR management degree and is currently finishing up her Spanish minor. She hopes to check off a few things on her bucket list during her trip like paragliding (check), zip lining and possibly bungee jumping.
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