Un semana en Cusco

It's hard to believe it's already been a week here in Cusco. I feel like there is still so much to learn and do during my month here! I'm really enjoying my host family. Margot is a single mom of two girls (4 & 17yrs) who is also a teacher at the school, Camino Nuevo, in which I am volunteering at. Camino Nuevo is the first private school for kids with special needs in cusco. I have spent the week observing all of the classrooms and helping out with their therapy. I've been taking notes and will be running a training for the teachers next Saturday on how to incorporate more OT strategies in their classes. It's kind of perfect because that is very similar to what I do in the US. The teachers are all really sweet and I had a chance to get to know them a little better on Thursday when we all went out for Lunch and cerveza to celebrate national teachers day. All i know is peruvians love to celebrate anything. My homestay is close to downtown where there has been music and events this week to celebrate 100 years of machu picchu. It's nice to have so much within walking distance. I did learn to take the bus and taxis by myself to get to the school which is a little further. My time here has certainly been busy thus far! With spending 8 hrs at the school with a 2 hr break in the middle of the day to go home for a big lunch, and orienting myself around.. While trying to speak Spanish and learn more- I'm definitely wiped out by the end of the day! Its a beautiful and neat town though with lots of history. It is colder than I thought without the sun at night it's about 30 degrees and the homes don't have heat, so I layer up to sleep! When the sun is shining during the day it's beautiful and perfect - but definitely cold when you're not in the sun! I'm finding that because of the cold weather the kids with physical disabilities tend to get sick more because they are spending too much time on their backs which could lead to pneumonia. More on my time with the kiddos later. I'm going to a town about an hour away tomorrow (Sunday) with some of the other volunteers and workers at the school to check out an artisan market. Overall my time here has been great so far, and I am looking forward to more to come!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

St. Patrick's Day

Image
Essentially this holiday seems to be a drinking holiday (at least in the US). I've always enjoyed the holiday mostly from growing up in Chicago and seeing the different traditions like dying the river green, watching parades on tv, and wearing green. Our house decided it was a good idea to throw a party.. mostly because we may have to move out soon, and it was a good excuse for everyone to get together. So... I think we invited almost everyone we knew in Denver to come to our house on a school night. It was a blast. We had around 70 people there.. all random... friends, co-workers, neighbors, people we went to church with, friends of friends, family members of friends, etc. It was a bit overwhelming... but a wonderful excuse to get together. So, thank you St. Patrick for this holiday you have started. I'm thinking about making it a new tradition! (pictured is my roommate, Laura with our neighbors Jim & Dave).
Read more

Life is Beautiful...

Image
I recently heard this quote, and it really rang true for me:  Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or do, it is beautiful because of the people we meet. I got to babysit my nephew and play with him at Gymboree! Sweet college friends, celebrating John's birthday! My roommates on Halloween My roommates took a road trip to Albuquerque for the Hot Air Balloon Festival Closest friends from high school help my nephew celebrate his first birthday! I constantly encounter people on a daily basis with my job. I am blessed by the kids I get to work with and my colleagues. There are so many people in this world that really want the best for kids and people, and I need to remember that. Those people make life beautiful. I recently started volunteering with a group of woman who are refugees from Somalia. They have taught me more about culture, overcoming adversity, and beauty more than I could ever teach them. I have been energized by conversations with really...
Read more

tres semanas en Cusco

Image
The Therapy room at Manos Unidas Asiya & I at Sacsayhuaman Out with Maite & Asiya 3 of the students in the younger autism classroom at Camino Nuevo At Wachuma reggae bar with Maite, Asiya, and Sandra Universal cuffs I made for the classroom with children with Cerebral Palsy Hola y buena tardes de Cusco. My time here has been very satisfying and interesting. Traveling alone really forces me to branch out and meet people and get to know people who are different from me. It´s been so encouraging and rewarding to meet people from all over the world with various different backgrounds, while learning the culture and getting to know many Cusquenians and Peruvians. I had to say goodbye to my volunteer buddy, Asiya last night. She is a physical therapist in Baltimore, Maryland. She taught me a new appreciation for Reggae music and was my travel buddy around Cusco. I´ve also been spending time with two girls from Spain who are doing a education psy...
Read more