Mi Familia Cusqueña

So I suppose at about a month and a half in, it’s probably time that you meet the family. Let me start by saying that I have the sweetest family in the world (besides my biological family, of course!)

I’ll begin with my abuelos. The kids call them nonno and nonna, as my abuelo has Italian roots. When I first arrived, Julio, my grandpa, took me under his wing as if I were his own little girl. He was the one to first walk me to places like the office, the Plaza, etc. On those walks we got to know each other better (even though he has to stop walking in order to talk - I’ve learned to allow extra time whenever walking with sweet Julio). He’s always the one telling me never to take a taxi alone, be careful when walking after dark, and abrigate bien!, and he worries about what time I will be home, whom I’m going out with, and so on. Imagine the stereotypical old man with a classy sweater, a fedora hat, and a bit of an old man slur (making his Spanish nearly impossible to understand at times) and you’ve got my dulce nonno. Lately he has been preoccupied with the presentation of his book. That’s right, my grandpa’s a writer. Most of his books (there are many) have been collections of his poetry, but this one, which he has been working on for years, is a novel/autobiography about his family and his life. It is finally in print and the big presentation is tonight!  It’s practically all he has been talking about over the past few weeks, understandably so, and I am so excited for him! Mi abuelo, el escritor famoso!  

Julio, Lu and Caro, hanging out on Father's Day

His lovely wife, Caroline, is more of a young soul. She’s in love with music, so songs are always blasting from the radio or her laptop (and I mean blasting). In fact, she will be playing the guitar and singing as part of the presentation of Julio’s book. On the weekends, it's not uncommon for her to go out dancing with her friends and return about the time I do from the discos. She loves her laptop, and talks to her family and friends on Skype every night. An amazing cook, she spends her mornings preparing a yummy lunch for the family every day. Her mind seems to be in a lot of places at once, making it a bit difficult to keep up sometimes, but she is ‘a woman for others’, quick to compliment everyone and to serve others, making sure her family is happy.

My momma’s name is Erica, and she is a sweetheart. She always wants to make sure that I am healthy and happy, and helps me to better understand the cultures and customs of Cusco. She has spent a few months in the US, so she understands the difficulties that language and cultural barriers can throw my way, and for this I am so thankful. Unfortunately her job in construction administration takes her to work very early and keeps her there very late, and often she is in the office on the weekends as well, so I spend the least amount of time with her, but always enjoy the time we do get together.

Papa and me in San Blas, Cusco

Fernando is my dad, and he is a pile of smiles. Always happy and chatty, Fernando and I probably get along the best. We are always teasing each other, and when we get the chance, we like to dance the night away in the living room: he is teaching me to salsa! (Thankfully he is full of patience...these hips are by no means Latina.) He too, spent about six months in the States and knows a good amount of English, which makes the communication that much more fun because we can tease each other in Spanglish. It is also nice because when I am at a loss for Spanish vocabulary, I can explain myself in English and he’ll teach me the words in Spanish. It’s cheating a bit, I know, but sometimes it’s a comfort to have that option. Papi works in Lima, so he spends from 5 to 10 days at a time in the city and then flies home for about 4 days in a row. The downside of this is that there is a dad-dry-spell, but the silver lining is that when he is home, he doesn’t have to work so he spends the entire time just hanging out with his kids, which is a blast.

Ale and me at Corpus Christi

Speaking of the kids, Alejandro is my teenage brother and best friend in the house. He is a typical teen in a lot of ways (goes out with his friends, plays the guitar, eats a lot, sometimes acts like he is too cool to be seen with the family, etc.) but he is one of the sweetest teenage boys I’ve met. Ale is always making sure his parents are happy, and he takes really good care of his little sister. Sure, he picks on her and is definitely the stronger of the two, but overall he demonstrates that protective, loving characteristic of big brothers. It’s quite adorable. He and I also pick on each other a lot, both with words and the playful swing of the arm. My favorite nights are those when Ale and I stay up late chatting late while the rest of the house is asleep.

Finally there is Lucia (Luc, Lucy, Lu, mi hermanita...). She is a nine-year-old bucket of energy that never slows down until her head hits the pillow at night. Always talking, telling stories and jokes, and singing, you can hear the girl coming from miles away. She loves her gymnastics: the whole house is her gymnasium and her preferred method of transportation is cartwheeling. She was the quickest to warm up to me, and we now have our own handshake (jealous?). She LOVES that she knows more Spanish than me and I appreciate the constant corrections from mi mejor maestra... until I find out that something she told me is, in fact, incorrect.

Can't beat a face like this:)

Although Lu can be pesky and quite the instigator, she absolutely adores her brother. It's quite endearing, and sometimes when I watch the two of them interact, I feel like I’m watching home videos of my brothers and I, some 12 years ago. Like I used to, Lucia just longs for the attention of her big brother, but sometimes this translates into her being pretty annoying. She can be whiny and very much in his face, and sometimes, like my brothers did, he can get annoyed and react with perhaps too strong of force. She is feisty, though, and fights back, usually resulting in her getting more hurt and upset, and a few times there have been tears. It’s unbelievable how much I can relate, which helps because I can talk to her after and explain how it is with big brothers. At the end of the day, Ale clearly cares deeply about his pesky little sister, and she greatly looks up to him. It’s an adorable relationship, one which is fun for me to watch play out and think about my own loving and protective big brothers in the States.

Altogether, I really feel like I am part of this family. They love me and care for me as if I was their own, and I feel the same about them. I am so comfortable around them and in my home. It’s the perfect match and I am so blessed to have such a beautiful, loving Cusqueñan family!   

The Trio