The summer after graduating high school, I went down to Peru with my church for a missions trip in Lima, Peru. We went into a small village, which was completely different than what I was expecting.
We were walking around the homes, and the dirt roads between the two "buildings" were only about 5 feet wide. The houses were basically just aluminum structures. There were clothes lines strung between the houses, with kids running around and the roads with chickens and other animals. Some of the families invited us into their homes and cooked us dinner; their houses were about the size of my kitchen, but housed families of five. The food they served us was amazing; we had lots of chicken and rice, but it was so good.
It was a life-changing experience. That was just a little bit of what we experienced.
We stayed in a cute little hotel-like place; every single morning, they would cook us breakfast, which included a fried egg, toast and some chicken (I think). Our group was large enough where we basically occupied the entire place. The coolest part of the place I thought was the roof; we were able to climb up to the roof and sit up there each night. It was gorgeous and overlooked the city, and one night, my friend and I stayed up there to look at the stars that lit up the sky.
One of my favorite things about their culture was how they greeted people. What I remember was when you were in a group talking and someone new would join the group, the conversation would stop and the new person was introduced to the group. It was a personal introduction, as well as you'd touch your cheeks against each other. It was so personable and you felt a connection with each person you met.
I'd love to go back there to see Machu Picchu and walk the Inca trail. There's much more I'd like to see and experience the culture even more.
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