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Monday, April 14, 2014

The Equator

Crossing this imaginary line has always been on my bucket list and this summer I will be able to check it off, why? Voy a Perú! Not only am I excited to see llamas and alpacas, taste ceviche and coy, and visit ruins like Machu and Huayna Picchu along with other touristy things; For about 1 month I will be living in a host village along with the rest of my group where we will engage in various community service projects. The host village is said to be in Peru's Sacred Valley which is located in the Andes at an astonishing altitude around 10,000 feet! Also, because Perú is south of the Equator it will be winter when I am there. During my trip I will have ample time to work on and improve my Spanish and may even learn some Quechua which is the language spoken by the Incas and many indigenous people; currently 45% of Peru’s population is American Indian and around 37% are mestizo (people of combined European and Native American descent.) To prepare for this trip I have been reading many books my favorite so far is The White Rock by Hugh Thompson which documents not only his time in Perú which he spent walking on Inca Roads, but also stories he heard from locals and history as well.  Below is a map of Peru:


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