What to Wear……

Since I’m wrapping up my time here in Puno, I’ve been carrying around my camera and having Franci snap pictures of me with all our friends and contacts around town.  I’ve been carrying my camera around for a week now and I’ve realized that you can’t even tell these pictures are taken on different days.  And there’s a reason for that, it’s because I basically wear the same thing everyday.  I will explain how I get dressed but first, take a look at the week in review…..

Friday:

Sunday Morning:

Sunday Night:

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Ok, so there’s the evidence.  I basically wear that blue coat, a pair of jeans and boots, which admittedly are 13 years old!  So remember, as you sweat or hear your air conditioning kick on, I’m in the middle of winter in the Andes and there is no such thing as heating and our job requires us to be outside most of the day, but being inside is rarely much better.  Basically everyday, I wear the same thing, or should I say, I wear the same basic layers daily.  So what on earth do I wear under that blue coat?!

First, I start off with leggings, socks and a tank top.  That’s layer 1.

Next, I add wool socks, jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  That’s layer 2.

After layer 2, comes layer 3.  A hoodie or sweater and the infamous 13 year old boots I wear daily.  After layer 3, now I am ready to walk around the un-heated house.

Then comes….you guessed it, layer 4.  This is the addition of the well used blue jacket.  This must be put on before leaving the house.

With layer number 4 on, I can walk around town comfortably as long as the sun is out and there’s not too much wind.  But, when the sun starts to set or if it’s a cloudy day, then, its time to add layer 5.  This layer requires me to take off the blue coat, put on a light blue fleece underneath and add my favorite fingerless gloves and a hat, I have many to choose from.

But, when we are up in Yanamayo (a table mountain that sits pretty at 13,200 feet) at night, I need more still.  So, yep, I break out layer number 6.  Oh, and I have to carry layers number 5 and 6 with me in my backpack so I’m ready to put them on when needed.  Anyway, layer number 6, the last and final consists of cozy leg warmers, complete with saddle straps and a large scarf I use as a skirt to help keep out the cold.

So, that’s why I look the same pretty much everyday.  I change the color of the tank top, shirt and sweater/hoodie, but basically, I wear the same exact thing everyday.  And by the end of the day, I’m wearing, two pairs of socks, leggings, jeans, a “skirt”, two shirts, a sweater/hoodie, two jackets, gloves, a hat, leg warmers and boots.  You have no idea how excited I am to be sweating at 8 pm in just a few weeks!