Experiencias Nuevas en Cusco (New Experiences in Cusco)

Hi Everyone,

I´d like to preface this entry with saying that I´m sorry if this blog doesn´t seem to flow very well, I have to write it bit by bit because I just don´t have time to write it all in one go =)

For the month of January I am volunteering in a clinic called San Juan de Dios. I work in the section consisiting of about 40 children, ages 0-15, with a range of dissabilities. The majority of the kids have Cerebral Palsy and are in wheelchairs or walkers, some fully functioning mentally, and some very little. Some of the kids have Downs syndrome. Many of the kids live here until they are moved on to a clinic for older people, while others get picked up by their parents when they are older. I decided to volunteer here because I knew that it would be a challenge for me and like nothing I have ever done before. It certainly is, and it is also hands down the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I come in the morning, and we bring all the kids outside to the park to play. This is no simple task. My new nickname is Capitan Avra (Captain Avra), and here´s why. Pretty much everyday I man this giant swing in the shape of a boat. It is popular, so it takes about 15 minutes to get everyone settled. Other nurses and volunteers line up the kids, and one by one we place them comfortably in the boat swing, making sure all of their heads and limbs are well supported. Once everyone is in position, it´s full speed ahead. We spend over an hour pushing the swing, taking the kids to different countries, and trying to avoid the sharks (which is the job of other kids who don´t want to get in the boat but want to participate), and the giant waves when we are plagued by storms. Other times I practice walking with the kids, playing in the ball pit, and pushing them on the swings  or see saw. These kids look forward to playing in the park from the moment they wake up, and it is a neat feeling to know that my job is to help them enjoy themselves. After a few hours of playing, the place turns chaotic as nurses and volunteers each grab a kid and wheel him or her inside to sit down at a table for lunch. Once all the kids are settled around their table, the food is brought out and the feeding begins. Many of the kids can feed themselves, but many of them cannot, and there is much crying, screaming, spitting up, and throwing food during the lunch hour. However, everyone has this awesome sense of humor about everything that is going on, and this chaotic part of my day is filled with energy and laughter. Afterwards, every kid needs to have his or her teeth brushed (some can do it themselves), many of them have to be brought to the bathroom (this particular task is certainly building up my arm muscles), and then comfortably placed in bed for a nap. The clinic is financially well off, seeing as the kids have a sufficient amount of clothes and food and there is a nice park to play in. However, there is definitely not enough help. There are only several nurses and not many volunteers, and I often find myself telling kids that I have to wait to take them to the bathroom because I am with another one. One of the best parts about working is the attitudes of the kids. The first few times I had to bring kids to the bathroom, I really had no idea how to do this, and it was especially difficult considering each kid has his or her own routine. However, as the kids tried to explain to me what I needed to do, instead of expressing frustration as I bumbled around searching for which size toilet seat to use, they laughed and encouraged me. This one girl thought it was absolutely hilarious that I put her on a toilet way too small for her. Slowly I am learning the ways of each kid, and I owe it to their patient attitudes and senses of humor.

On Friday, one volunteer organized a special trip to the zoo for the higher functioning kids. They haven´t left the clinic for a really long time, so they were bursting with excitiement. I was responsible for a 6 year old girl named Deysi who is nonverbal and has Cerebral Palsy. However, she is incredibly easy to understand, and is always using her hands to joke around. Deysi is one of the sharks when we play in the boat in the mornings, and she rubs her tummy to show that she is hungry for children, and puts her hands together above her head to show that she is about to attack. At the zoo, there were monkies, parrots, tigers, bears, deer, condors, and more. At the end of the kids all got goody bags, and when we wheeled them back for lunch, they were exhausted from their exciting morning.

Two weeks ago, I was invited by the Peruvian tour guide that worked with my family to go to some native Quechua villages. The first one we went to (I can´t even pronounce the name) is about 3 hours away from Cusco, and is one of the poorest areas in the entire country. I felt a strong contrast between walking along the bustling streets in the center of Cusco and being able to see the entire Quechua village from where I stood, dirt houses and all. When the car pulled up, there were about 100 boys and girls standing in line waiting to receive the gifts we brought, with dirty feet and clothes, but smiling faces. We provided hot chocolate, bread, candy, and toys. Afterwards, we went to the town of Ocomayu, another poor village but singifnicantly more developed than the previous one. We visited the Church, where the town was having a big celebration to honor Virgin Mary. Some of the towns people stood in a window of the second story of the Church and threw down apples for everyone to catch! This didn´t seem to face the eager people waiting at the bottom to catch the fruit, but I had a slight fear that some little kid who wasn´t paying attention would end up with an apple-sized bruise across his face. Luckily I don´t think that happened. After the apple throwing, we handed out, (on ground level), the goodies that we brought. It was an interesting experience because in my day to day life here, though I often go to non-toursity areas, I hadn´t yet seen the poverty of Peru and the native villages, and was lucky to have had this opportunity.

Another thing I am learning (or trying very hard to learn) is how to salsa dance. I have begun taking Spanish lessons again (Sra. Linda and Sra. Brejcha I hope you are reading this =) ). At the school, there are free lessons every weekend. They last 3 hours, and I am a sweaty mess by the end. However, it is quite thrilling to to be able to know what to do (sort of) once the music turns on. The cool thing about the classes is that they are open to everyone, so Peruvians come as well. I have had some really talented Peruvian dance partners. When we go salsa dancing at discotecas, and we are line dancing, I somehow always end up being the awkward extra girl that has to dance as the boy. Oh, well.
This past weekend we went white water rafing in the Urubamba River in the Sacred Valley, and the water was class 4 (the highest is 5). It was quite a thrill. Afterwards we went ziplining. A. Blast.

For the month of January I decided that though living in a host family has been an incredible experience, and has certainly helped me integrate into Peruvian culture, I want to experience living on my own, giving myself the ability to structure my own days. I am living on a hostel with two close girl friends, both 19, from Germany and Norway. It is an extremely different lifestyle than living with a Peruvian family. There is a free kitchen, so we make all of our meals, and have graduated from salads and garlic bread to French toast =)

In February, I will be going to Buenos Aires to volunteer at a soup kitchen, which I am really looking forward to. I was planning on staying in Cusco for longer, but I really feel like I got to truly experience life in Cusco, and I am ready to experience something new. A part of me has absolutley fallen in love with Cusco and with my lifestyle here, but another part of me is bursting with excitement to completely change settings. I still have lots to look forward to, such as going on a four day trek to Machu Picchu this weekend as well as another week at the clinic. I will be sure to keep you all posted on mis ultimos dias (my last days) in Cusco!

With Love,
Avra