Let the Healing Begin!

Well, I guess that title is a bit of a misnomer -- I mean, the healing began long ago and I'm just continuing on that path here in Cusco. The beauty of being here is that I live and work in a community of healers and have an amazing opportunity to exchange with all of them. Last week, I set up an exchange with Amber Field, a sound healer living here in Cusco. She works with a variety of instruments but her main one for sound healing is the didgeridoo. The work was awesome. The vibrations and sensations coming from the didge was deep and inspiring. I laid on a mat on the floor and we began the session with chakra chanting and after my chakras were happily spinning away, she pulled out two didges and went over my entire body. I was easily put into a trance and could feel a lot of emotions building up in me -- they almost came out (especially around the heart and throat chakras) but didn't. I'm waiting for that release, but I guess it will happen when it's supposed to.

My work on Amber was earlier in the week and she brought her didge with her (just in case) and Gab fell in love. Well, we're all in love with Amber, but on this day Gab fell in love with Amber's didge. And after a mini-session with her in our courtyard, Gab is determined to get one of her own. Awesome.

Amber doing a sound-healing demo on Gabs

Gab attempting to play Amber's didge

My client load is increasing, which is good. I want to be able to sustain living here with massage work and think I can. I just need a few more clients a week! Yvette, a painter travelling through Cusco for the past few months, just finished 3 gorgeous portraits for my studio (I just bought the supplies and she went to town!), I have a beautiful antique handmade rug hanging on my wall and a beautiful table from Lima. I could seriously live in my studio.






We're also still cooking a lot, but I've modified my food choices and cooking style since the Giardia. Last week, I found polenta in the grocery store and Humberto, Gab and I made two polenta lasagnas -- one with spinach and broccoli with a bechamel sauce and the other with just a bolognese. Both were outstanding and we devoured them within two days (mostly because we don't have a fridge and a healthy fear of parasite-born illnesses). I promise to take pictures the next time we make them.

My cousin, Becca, moved into a new apartment with some colleagues so I went to their house-warming party this weekend and had a great time. I didn't follow the crowd out to the bars afterwards (had plans to go see Niki and the band play instead), but it was nice to step out of my little world up here in San Blas and connect with other people. Lots of interesting conversations that evening -- even though I was one of the only sober ones.

I had a Reiki session with Gab this morning and plan to work on her tomorrow. Our connection to each other is strong -- we did Ayahuasca and Reiki training together, so we're practically telepathic with each other. It's unlike any relationship I've ever had with another person and am already lamenting her departure in December (I'm trying to get her to stay...). The work this morning brought a lot of clarity and focus to me and my reasons for being here. We used Frankincense and White Angelica oils during the session and it was powerful stuff. Gabs has started taking clients, too (she rents out my studio by the hour) and has really begun to appreciate the beauty of working (and getting paid) for something you love. I heart that.

Giardia, Elicia, Whiskey and Massage

So last week started out calm and nice. I wasn't feeling my best, but that can be pretty typical here -- altitude, eating the fruit with the skin on, staying out too late over the weekend -- anything can be a factor in how you feel. What I wasn't anticipating was Bob the parasite. He decided to give me giardia. Thanks, Bob. Bastard.

Giardia is not fun. First, you have no appetite. Second, if you do have an appetite you won't be able to keep anything down. Third, you get super dehydrated and weak. By the time I got to that point, my friend Humberto was adamant that I go to a clinic. So, away we went late Wednesday night and I ended up staying over with an IV stuck in my arm being pumped with fluids and antibiotics for the next 24 hours. Fun, eh?

Fortunately, it was a travelers' clinic so the place was NICE. My room had a flat-screen TV with cable (many channels in English!), two beds (so I could wake Humberto in the middle of the night to help me not fall over myself when I went to the bathroom) and really good care. Total bill: $361.82. Awesome. Why can't I get care this good for this cheap in the U.S.???

I got out of the clinic just in time to go to mass. Yep. I'm now Catholic. Kidding. But it was the 1-month anniversary of the death of Humberto's aunt so we headed over to one of the beautiful churches here in Cusco for the service and then back to his cousin's house for cake and some hot pink coconut drink (you can bet I wasn't consuming that less than 2 hours after leaving the clinic). We stayed for about an hour and then he brought me home so I could spend the rest of the evening with Elicia, a very old friend who just arrived from the U.S. that morning.

Elicia! Yay, Leesh is here! Laura, another old friend, was visiting the week before I got sick and now Leesh is here. Laura's visit was pretty short (only 5 or so days) and she's an independent traveler so she did a lot of sight seeing on her own (thank goodness b/c there's only so many times I can take a "city tour"). Elicia is here for 5 WEEKS studying Spanish (at my old school) and just enjoying her time here. She's staying at a guest house around the corner which means we won't be in each other's personal space all the time (read: Her visit is going to be wonderful).

We've been taking it slow since she got here, giving her time to acclimate. And other than some headaches, she's doing very well with the altitude. We've cooked matzoh ball soup (thanks to the matzoh meal her mom gave her to bring to me), had juice at the market, napped in the sun and walked around bits of the city (there's still a lot for her to see, but she's got plenty of time to see it). She's getting along just fine and it's great to have someone here who knows me so well.

And now on to Whiskey. Most of you know that I don't drink (some stupid allergy to alcohol) so I'm sure seeing that in the title gave you a little pause. But Whiskey is a puppy -- and a damn cute one at that. He belongs to my friend, Whitney, who teaches at my former school here in Cusco. She decided to bring him in for her "jovenes" class (the 12-15 year olds) as a reward on one of the quite days during the Paro (strikes). But since she teaches 3 more classes after that one she asked me to take him home with me and entertain him for a few hours until after work. And so I did. Happily.

Our walk home was fun. I forgot how much people love dogs and how easy it is to make new friends when you have one. Whiskey is so friggin' cute that we were stopped at least half a dozen times on the way to my house so people could love on him. I live in San Blas, the hilly neighborhood above the main square, so he was pretty damn tired when we got home. Whiskey is a mellow dog, so we just chilled in my room and walked down to our favorite outdoor vegetarian shack/restaurant with Elicia and Gabs later on. It was so nice to have a well-behaved dog around every once in a while.


Whiskey

And now for massage. Yes, my studio is up and running and I'm taking clients on a semi-regular basis. I know that building a practice is a slow process and giving mine up in DC was one of the hardest things I ever did. I loved my studio and clients at home, made my own hours and truly embraced the work I was doing. It's the same here -- my studio is beautiful (I got the table custom-made in Lima), my growing client base is humbling and the work is unreal. The energy here makes every session special and since so many people come to Cusco because they've been called here (to find themselves, seek enlightenment, work out their problems, etc.), the work takes on a lot of meaning. My favorite sessions have been the ones in the evening, where I work by candlelight and savor every moment.


My beautiful studio (in my house!)

What Happened to Labor Day?

Ok, I can't believe Labor Day just came and went. And, to be honest, if it weren't for Facebook I probably wouldn't have even known. I really feel like I live in a bubble down here -- nothing outside of my little Cusquenan world seems to exist these days. I use the Internet maybe 2-3 times a week, I don't have a TV and my Spanish isn't good enough yet to read the papers (but it's getting there). And because I'm so out of touch and oblivious, life is pretty damn good.

Last week, I spent a couple of days in Urubamba, one of the beautiful towns in the Sacred Valley. It was peaceful and calming until I fainted in the spa. Apparently, I was a little dehydrated and all of the heat got to me, so I passed out in front of the sauna and landed on the cold stone floor. I was traveling with a good friend, so I was well taken care of after the fall, but I had some serious back pain and it took a few weeks for it to GO AWAY. Pain sucks.


Our beautiful hotel in Urubamba

Fortunately for me I've connected with another therapist here and I love her work. She did a session on me to help with the pain (after the inflammation went down) and it was fabulous. I think we're going to set up a regular exchange to work out all of my junk (and hers, too).

We got back from Urubamba in time to attend Evelyn's fashion show at Loki, a local hotel. Evelyn owns Hilo, an amazing clothing store around the corner from my house. She makes all the clothes and I recently purchased a dress (and a beautiful yoga bag) from her. So, I put on some fish-net-type stockings, her new dress, a touch of lipstick and made my way to Loki with my housemates (who were in the show) to watch the craziness. The show was awesome and I ran into Sue and Barry, friends we met in Bolivia (I knew they were coming to Cusco but I hadn't received the email Sue had sent), so we spent the rest of the night together, hopping from Loki to the Piano Bar where Niki's band was playing (and we danced our well-dressed butts off) and ending the night at Bullfrogs, a mellow club near my house. I got to bed around 3am. Oy. Nights like that are awesome, but only possible for me once in a blue moon.



Me and our friends Sue and Barry (thanks, Sue -- I snagged your awesome pics from FB!)


Niki and the band (Alvaro on guitar, Fernando on bass, Michele on keyboard, Ronny on sax and Carlos (I think) on drums.

We spent Saturday with Sue and Barry, taking them to the Barrotio (I'm sure I've spelled this wrong), the uber-cheap, slightly dangerous, Saturday-only market about a 20-minute walk from our house. We found some bakeware for our new oven (yay! We have an oven!!) and a few other trinkets. You can pretty much find anything here -- new and used. If you lose your cellphone, this is the place to get a new one (it might even be the one you lost). I'm looking for some furniture for my room so I might return next week with a game plan and a little more cash.

After the craziness of the Barrotio, Jess and I took our Irish friends from Bolivia to Encuentros, a cute restaurant/performance space for lunch. Our friends, Lynae and Casey were the chefs there at the time and had revamped the entire menu to be vegetarian and raw-food friendly. They weren't working at the time, but they were there anyway with their new kittens, so we got in a little animal-lovin' time, too.

Jess with one of the kitties

That's all for now -- so much has happened since then that I'm actually going to have to sit down and remember what's been going on over the past few weeks and I promise to get it all out and posted over the next few days. Really. I mean it.