June 24th - Arequipa - TGIF

Hello there,

It's friday already, and we're through our first week of the Anceint Peruvian Textiles class. We've integrated conservation and an overview of pre-columbian cultures into the class, and it is both interesting and challenging. We spend a good portion of the day working on weaving our 'samplers', which are an assortment of squares, strung on a small loom, each representing a different weaving technique. Our work table at the repository is a made up of several old school desks pushed together. The room is chilly, but we bring our sweaters, and whenever possible we go outside and sit in the garden where we can weave in the sun. The weather outside has been lovely - mid 70s during the day, low 50s at night (or something like that anyway). The weaving techniques are coming a bit easier, but the pace is ambitious, so we'll see how much we actually complete. None of us are too concerned that our work will be mistaken for ancient peruvian textiles when we clear customs.

Yesterday, I went out exploring with Francesca, Kate, and Miriam, and we had a great time looking through the local stores. We found a yarn outlet store, and really went nuts. All three of them are avid knitters, and the fibers in this store were just amazing - baby alpaca, alpaca blends, and wools, all beautifully spun and dyed and priced to make us all want to buy an extra suitcase just to bring it all home. Yes, I succumbed too, now I just need to find an appropriate sized crochet hook. Why didn't I bring one with me? I have no idea.

The folks who run the hotel are a hoot. Cesar is the manager, and he loves to chat and joke. It's a rare moment right now as I sit here typing without simultaneously holding down a conversation with him. He has told us that he expects us to be weaving him a sweater, with all our newfound weaving skills, and he kids us about this at every opportunity. Today, Francesca and I stopped by the hotel between lunch and class, and were enthusiastically told that we needed to have a quick little glass of beer because it's Cusco's independence day (or some such thing), and and we should all toast the city together. What could we do? So, here's to Cusco, and back to class to examine some ancient textiles. It was fun.

Tonight I had to hurry back because another fellow who works here, Pepe, is taking an English class and asked for my help with a dessert recipe. The best I could come up with off the top of my head was chocolate chip cookies, and he was glad to work through it. It was interesting to be on the other side of the language barrier, as he worked to pronounce fractions and to understand what a cooling rack was. Turns out, it's a difficult thing to describe.

The girls are out, in search of another yarn store, and I have a rare 15 more minutes of time to be alone in my room, so I think I'll take advantage.

Hasta pronto,

Karen