Dancing and Judaism in Cusco

 5/19

After classes, a group of us went to salsa dancing lessons just down the road from our hotel. In only an hour I feel like I learned a lot and had a lot of fun while doing it! In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I hope to enroll in salsa dancing lessons throughout the rest of the summer. The most difficult part for me was matching the movements to the beat of the music, so I was constantly counting out loud "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho". Now I can't get the beat out of my head!

Anyway, all that dancing worked up an appetite. So straight afterwords most of the group went to a fancy burger restaurant. Instead, I went to Chabad to check out the restaurant there. Chabad is a Jewish organization that offers religious services and kosher food across the world. I was surprised to find out that there was a Chabad in Cusco, because I did not think there was a substantial Jewish population. However, as I soon learned, there is actually a large number of Jewish Israelis who permanently live in Cusco. Just walking along the street near Chabad I noticed many signs written in Hebrew, including everything from pharmacies to hostels. Apparently, after serving in the army, many Israelis travel the world for a year or two. Some visit Cusco and end up liking it so much that they stay. Lucky for me because I really enjoyed the food, and it was very reasonably priced. Definitely needed the large portion to refuel after dancing, too!

Chabad menu in Hebrew (the only language it exists in!).

Before and after of my meal