First week in Cusco

So I have wrapped up my first work week in Cusco. I am staying in a family house with other volunteers and it is great. The location is definitely rustic compared to American standards, but I feel safe and the home is spotless and cozy. My roommate is from Austin- what a small world! The food is pretty good as well. Like my college dorm there are some nights where its good and others where it´s not. Thankfully everything is sooo cheap here and I can head to a cute restaurant for a delicious $5 meal whenever I feel like it.

Me and some of my friends from the house at a Bar in San Blas.

I began my volunteer work this week and I´m enjoying it. It was the impetus for the entire trip, so I am really trying to get a lot out of it. I started off in a home for disabled children. Some live there because their families cannot afford to care for them, but many were abandoned as babies. I was told this is more common in indigenous groups living in the jungle, who reject children born with disabilities. It really represents a rift between the American culture of total inclusion and the more judgemental one that exists in parts of the world. But, I would not associate this will all of Peru. There are wheelchair friendly sidewalks (when there are sidewalks!) and I have seen people in the city with disabled children. On my first day the children received used toys that another volunteer brought from home. They were such a treat for the kids. Below is a pic with me and one of the girls named Luz who wouldn´t put her new babydoll down. She was adorable!

Me with Luz and her new doll.

I only worked at the clinic for 1 day and began work at an orphanage for girls aged 8-20ish. The orhphanage is run by Catholic nuns and tries to be self-sustaining. They grow their own food and the girls knit sweaters and make pottery which they sell. I helped out with the knitting, although I have to say I´m not very good. I think that the girls thought i was disabled at first. It took me a good hour to figure it out. I like the orphanage more than the home because I can communicate with the older girls, even in rudimentary Spanish. I ask them about their lives and they tell me about theirs. To most Americans and Europeans their standard of living is low- they wear the same clothes for a week, have head lice (yes, i freaked about this at first), have to work with their hands and have no parents. But, they are well cared for and appear pretty oblivious to what they don´t have.

The girls.

Me with all of the girls today at our knitting table.

As far as Cusco goes, it is a beautiful city. There are a TON of churches and the building tops are red. I feel like I´m in Rome or Sienna! It is the rainy season here so it rains at least twice a day, but it´s not too bad. It reminds me of New Orleans in the summer...except it´s cold here!

The Plaza des Armas (central Plaza)

I walked around the artsy quarter, San Blas, two days ago and fell in love. It is a steep walk up narrow roads surrounded by Inca walls and is just above the main plaza. If I return to Cusco later in life, this is definitely where I will stay. There is also a bakery run by girls from the orphanage where I work. It´s called Buen Pastor and is muy bueno.

A view of Cusco from San Blas.