well well.

I guess an update is in order since I am sitting here looking at a bright green cast on my right leg. Yep. Let me explain. So we left for Manu (the Amazonian rainforest) early on Tuesday. I was tired and not in the best of moods for the 14 hour trip that was to follow. However, my spirits lifted and the trip didn´t seem bad at all. We had to go up a mountain (in squiggles) and back down one to get to the rainforest. After a long day of travelling, we arrived to our destination at about 7:30 at night. We were staying the first two nights at this small place by the side of a river (sorry my details aren´t that good because I didn´t stay for very long...) we slept in these wooden rooms on the floors in sleeping bags, and we also had a an eating area where we also had classes. We went to bed after a delicious dinner of trucha, to wake up early to explore the rainforest. We took a boat for about 40 minutes to a path in the forest. Our two guides, Dante and Max, were showing us around. We hiked a bit, trying delicious fruits, like the fruit that surrounds the cacoa seed, and fresh sugar cane. Yum. We had been walking for a while when we came upon this massive tree, again I can not remember the name. It is so big because it basically engulfs other trees and kills them. There was a large vine hanging from the tree(you can see where this is going...) and Dante decided to swing on it. It looked like fun, so everyone wanted to. Joe went, and then Dani. I decided I was next to brave the vine. Dum dum dummm. Before swinging I asked Dante if it was easy to hold on, and he said yes. I held on tight and swung, and immediately slipped off the vine. It was so slippery! I didn´t even get a full swing in. I feel on my feet, but with most of my weight on my right foot. I felt a pop, and the next thing I thought was ohhh shit. I tried to move my foot, and it hurt, but definetely was not broken. Charley and Max helped me up to the path, and then we had to figure out how I was going to get out of the damn rainforest with my right foot out of comission. Max and this other guy Jesus helped me hop on one foot, and they decided that it would take forever. So they picked me up, one guy holding one foot and me with my arms around my shoulders. We travelled like this on extremely treacherous paths, covered with vines and rocks, mud and streams etc. I felt bad for them, especially Jesus who was much smaller than me. We took lots of breaks, and at certain parts I would crawl or go down hills on my butt, keeping my foot in the air. It was quite the journey. We made it back to the boat, and Max put icy hot on my foot and wrapped it up. He said it looked like a sprain, and that I would be walking normally tomorrow. WRONG. We waited for everyone to get back from the hike, and we took the boat back to where we were staying. Again Max and Jesus had to carry me up a ton of stone steps to get where we were staying. Basically they are my heros. So I had to sit out while everyone went down and swam in the river, I was so jealous. They had to wear life jackets because the current was so strong, and Margaret got swept away while doing old lady backstroke, and a boat had to rescue her. When she came back she said she was trying to go to Bolivia. Hilarious. After lunch (which for some reason during I almost passed out during, pain maybe?) everyone went on another hike, and I stayed and tried to rest my foot. Everyone came back, it got dark, we had a class and then dinner. By now I am in a lot of pain. I was given two vicadin to take before bed, and they didn´t do a damn thing. I couldn´t sleep much, and I was really pissy by the next morning. We headed out to the small town nearby, and I was driven to another town about 30 minutes away. Irma, our Academic Director and Corina came with me. The roads in the Amazon are earth, and full of lots of holes and streams. Let´s just say that the trip wasn´t too comfortable. We arrive in a town that isnt lookin too hot, everyone is living in shacks, and I´m wondering what the hospital was going to be like. It wasn´t actually a hospital but a health center, and they took one look at my foot and told me that I had to go to Cusco, because they thought I had a fracture. Fabulous. So Cusco is really far away. They give me painkillers and tell me to take half a pill every eight hours. We waited at the center while Irma went looking for someone who has a car. The half pill did nothing and after a while the doctor told me I could take another half. This conked me out and I finally slept for about an hour in the center. Irma found a guy with a car, who was willing to drive to Cusco. Corina came with me, and we began our journey. I was a little out of it due to the painkillers as we wound around a mountain. We had to stop twice so I could throw up painkillers and banana chips, the only thing in my stomach at the time. Not fun. I slept a lot and somehow we miraculously made it to Cusco in eight hours, which is apparently record time. We went straight to the hospital, where people from SIT were waiting for me. I got xrayed (nothing wrong with my bones, wooo!) and the doctor told me that its just the ligaments. He then told me he would put me in a plastic cast, which I was excited about because I assumed plastic meant removable. Wrong again. Its just like a plaster cast but made out of plasticy material so I can walk on it if I want to, which doesn´t seem too possible. I have to wear this damn thing for 3 weeks, which could be a lot worse. So today is Saturday, my third day with the cast. Believe me I am counting down. I hate having crutches and being super dependent on everyone, but I have to get over it. I finally took a shower today, quite the event. I´m really in pretty high sprits considering the situation. Unfortunately I don´t have any pictures to show of the rainforest, seeing as I didn´t see much of it. Chris happened to take a video of my swinging on the vine and falling, no one knows why. It is hilarious and if I can get it on here, I will. I will take a picture of my cool cast later too. Tonight the group gets back from Manu, and I am excited to see them. Apparently we are going out tonight for Max (my hero´s) birthday. I havent ventured into downtown Cusco with my crutches yet, we´ll see how that goes. Oh, if anyone wants to send me mail, here is my address:

Taylor Watson
c/o SIT Peru
Centro Tinku
Casilla #666
Cusco, Peru

That´s it! Send me something because EVERYONE here gets mail but me and I feel like a dork when the only thing I have to open is the Kenyon Collegian. Lame. Love you all!