Chinese cooking in Cusco

By Tina Lin – Guest blogger traveling in Peru.
I started to prepare lunch at 8:30am. I promised Senor Ramiro that I would make them one Chinese meal before I leave for the US. My flight to Lima is on Friday. I really don't feel like leaving. I love the people, the language and simply Cusco. Delia, our house cook helped me with cooking. It is always a little awkward when I am cooking in someone else's kitchen.
I made this traditional Taiwanese beef stew, Teriyaki Chicken and fried rice. I was afraid they would not like it. But the lunch turned out really well. After lunch, I went to class at 2 pm. Today, it was just me and Gail in class. Marie, our French classmate stayed home to hang out with her housemate. Our teacher this week is Laura. She told us about the curandera (fortune teller) that is very famous in Huasao. She got the director's permission to let us go tomorrow. I will have to look up words in Quechua tonight to figure out what to ask the fortune teller. I am a little excited about that and a little scared. What if they tell me something that I am afraid to hear? In the US, I have always avoided going to tarot card readers or looking into horoscopes. Part of me just does not want to think of what the future has in store for me. I would rather take life one step at a time blindly and learn from my mistakes.
Tonight, my classmates are going out to dinner then to Mama Africa to dance. I went to Mama Africa last Friday. I liked the live music. The music carries a very distinctive beat and energy that uplifts everyone's spirit. I did not tell my classmates for certain if I will go or not. Personally, I would like to stay home and spend more time with my host family. But it is also one of my last nights here in Cusco. I should try to do as much as I can.
I walked home tonight with a different route. On the way, I went into a big supermarket like the ones in US. I bought some Cusquena and a jar of sauco jelly. I think my guy friends will really love Peruvian beer as a gift. I am just scared of breaking the bottle in my backpack on the plane. I will try to start packing tonight and maybe even go out to dance.