What a psychotic 10 days it has been. There has been laughter, tears, disappointment, shock, wonder, fascination, brain squeeze due to the altitude and ensuing numbness from the sulphur medication, hunger, overeating, thirst, sunburn (then peeling), near hypothermia in the house, frustration, cold showers, confusion, bus escapades, bank dramas, gardening, knitting, communication breakdowns, reflection, self-doubt, and I could go on...
BUT...Despite some of the disappointments, I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. As my family so lovingly and patiently point out when I’m mid-breakdown, if it was easy I wouldn’t learn nor grow from this and what would be the point?
So, for all it’s noise, stink, chaos, dust, contradictions and strangeness, I actually enjoy Cusco.
My volunteer placement however might as well be in a kids’ prison. The orphanage is in meticulous condition and very regimented. Most of the young teenagers at least are being taught skills to take into the world with them (they have a bakery in town and also sell knitted goods).
Knitted goods…I have a new found respect for these after being taught to knit last week and spending three hours hard at it for a measly four lines! Evidently textiles are not my forte.
Apparently neither is gardening – particularly using rudimentary tools. At least I get to go home. The poor darlings have no choice but to do this sort of thing. I asked to bring chalk in for games to play before they start their ‘chores’ (I think they call them ‘educational activities’), i.e. hopscotch for the younger girls, which was met with a stern ‘no’! Either way, I am certainly not needed there and am sure there is a more productive way to spend my time.
So, the next few weeks will see me continuing to take Spanish, doing a five day trek to Macchu Picchu, then I am off to the Amazon for a week to join the volunteer group up there. Once that is over I will go to another volunteer placement in Cusco where I'm hoping my chalk is welcome!
My host family and house-mates are great and considering one house was shut down in a covert operation over the weekend due to it being generally disgusting and volunteers not being fed, I am quite lucky! My classmates are a laugh too.
All in all nothing is as expected here and it is most definitely challenging…but I feel alive and can’t wait to see how the next weeks unfold!
Here's to life!
