A Sweet Goodbye to Cusco

Sunday July 26th

It seemed as though this land of Peru wanted to keep me there. A two hour delay in flight from Cusco and a one hour delay in pick up by Condor Travel at the Lima Airport transformed my 12 hour day of leisure in Lima to a run to "get it done" in 5 hours or less type of agenda. Once again, I return to the well learned mantra from this trip ..."flexibility"!!! I arrived at the hotel, Casa Andina Lima San Antonio at around 4pm and needed to depart at 8:30pm to head to the airport for the international flight. I am still glad that I booked a hotel for the day as for one of the few times in Lima's history...it actually rained, I mean really rained. The kind that I was glad to have what seemed to be the only umbrella in the area rain!

I hired a taxi from the hotel to take me to the Inka market for final tokens of alpacca wool for family and friends. Then, I savored my final taste of Peruvian cuisine at Tanta's, a restaurant in walking distance from the hotel. My friendly taxi driver returned for my return trip to the airport and charged only 50 soles (about $17 US dollars) versus the $39 US dollars charged by the pre-booked arrangements. I still believe as a single female, it is best to have pre-arranged taxis for entry into the city.

The flights and transfers to the USA were very pleasant. Many conversations with co-passengers and little rest. I had the opportunity to catch up on some reading as the hours of the night passed by. I found it interesting that my spanish immersion had taken soo well that I found it challenging to remember to speak English at the various custom and airport sites. Spanish was a natural!

After an overnight flight and stop in Miami, I returned safely to Chicago O'Hare and felt the great difference of the environment immediately. The rush, the sharp edged attitudes, the faces portraying a life of different choices on how people see the world....a reminder to appreciate the values of both worlds and how each contributes to my being a more conscientious and compassionate contributor to this world landscape.

I am excited about the results of this exploratory research and feel confident that there is considerable food for thought to develop into more formal research initiatives and knowledge about the Peruvian entrepreneurial career decision, motivations and training. I conclude this
experience with profound gratitude and anticipation of digging further into the mystery of this rich land of Peru!




Saturday July 25th

It is 6pm and black dark. I am sitting at a candle lit dinner of salad and squash soup at Poqen Kanchay Center after experiencing a sauna of euclyptus steam bath prepared by the manager of the Center. Fireworks are exploding in the air every few minutes as it is the beginning of Independence Day celebrations here in Cusco. Dogs are barking wildly at the loud sounds and the voices of the crowds are reaching over the walls of the center. This quiet town has turned into a Las Vegas. Bands are marching in the streets and playing music. I thought I was too tired to walk the streets but as soon as I see the workers rushing toward the gates to witness the band passing the Center, I run from my table to join them. What a site of musicians and festively dressed women and men parading down the street playing the traditional music. I return to my table to complete my meal.

My peaceful time is interrupted by the reality of preparing for my departure tomorrow. I had just learned this evening that Condor Travel had not completed my arrangements for my day in Lima as I do not leave until Monday morning at 12:30am. So, I must coordinate with their 24 hour service to complete the transaction. I also have to complete my payment for services here and pack.

However, before I move into that logistic madness...I take a time to reflect on this tremendous experience. It seemsl like a life time ago when I drove frantically from Bloomington to Chicago and rushed to the airport to start this journey. The sea of people that I have met, entrepreneurial experiences, cultural journies, self discoveries have been rich and full. For one second, I struggled to remember what day it was and really stretched to recall the list of tasks that face me when I return to the USA. I am grateful for this moment to view the world differently and explore future research streams of interest and real potential. I too have been motivated to do more with the gifts that I have as I see these people pushing out of adversity to build opportunity and using creativity at a level of brilliance of spirit that we all can learn from. The enthusiasm I have experienced from each person is remarkable and the gratitude. I spoke to Oliver who serves the food about his three year experience working here and the sense of pride and gratitude that he expressed was soo authentic that it brought tears to my eyes.

I will look forward to a return to the academic environment and the opportunity to delve deeper into these areas of interest.