Our last four days in Urumbamba- full of expectations of fun, goodbyes, and frantically chasing after loose ends. At noon on this Saturday I thought that I would be in the plaza, eating ice cream and watching the jungle hippies do their yoga, or perhaps buying the photo album that I am going to fill with pictures as a thank-you gift to my family. Instead I am huddled under the covers, shivering, as ice cold rain falls outside and the wind seeps through the unheated house (houses in Urumbamba do not have heat or air conditioning, and the weather is mild enough that they are (usually) unneeded). It is winter here, and their dry season. Thus far the nights have been a bit chilly but the days sunny and hot. And then, a few days ago, it started to rain.
It hasn't stopped since.
There are periods of an hour or two where it lets up, and everyone scurries to where they need to be. The locals are all absolutely shocked at the forecast, especially since the rain is expected to continue into Wednesday. The mountains that surround the town are shrouded in icy white clouds, and Chicon, the glacier we climbed to, has apparently appeared to expand to twice its size and descended down the side of the mountain due to the sudden onslaught of snow. There is also snow on the ground 20 minutes away in an area in which snow is a foreign concept... kudos global warming.
We were also supposed to help build a school Friday but could not due to the rain. On a personal note, I am on my 4th day of not showering because the cold weather along with cold shower water disallows it. Inside it is so cold that the water in my water bottle is too frigid to brush my teeth with (I powered through in the name of dental hygiene, though). Sometimes I fill my water bottle with hot water and take it to bed with me.
Four more days... I will miss my host family dearly, but I also have spent the past month looking up recipes for American food that I miss... four days til home and I'm back with the family!
