Color Commentary

Our lovely serenader

It is day three in Cusco, Peru and already it feels like months! So much has happened since our arrival, I don't know where to begin. Let's backtrack slightly, to our time in Lima. Alex covered most of the basics, but I wanted to add a little color-commentary.

Churro Rellenos - YUM! 

The night before we left Miraflores we scoped out a small, seemingly tranquil restaurant called "Las Tejas." Little did we know the guitar soloist also served as the entertainment for the evening, singing his heart out and prompting all restaurant patrons to sing along. After paying for our over-priced, yet well-worth-it meal we ventured to a main square in Miraflores that was crawling with friendly, adorable cats. It was on the outskirts of this square, in a lively bakery, that I found God's gift to mankind - Churro Rellenos de Chocolate. To say these chocolaty, sugary delights were heavenly is an understatement. I ordered two, and immediately ordered two more. Honestly - these things were A-MA-ZING.

We woke the next morning and moved to a hotel in San Miguel in order to be closer to the airport. While this new location was a bit more hectic and slightly more dangerous, we made the day worth while by visiting the local zoo. Alex's previous post says it all, this zoo was "more of a local third-world- animal- housing center" (see his post for more info and pictures).

           Now, on to the topic you're probably all wondering about - Cusco. The hour long flight from Lima to Cusco was by far one of the coolest flights I have ever taken. During our descent, we looked out the windows only to see mountainsides covered with narrow terraces and small huts; we were literally flying through a valley to the city of Cusco, which sits at a breathtaking 11,152 ft. above sea level. We were greeted at the airport by Angelica, our in-country coordinator, and taken by taxi to our host family's house. Jully, our host mom, was waiting with warm hugs, smiles and cocoa tea - an herbal tea said to help with altitude adjustment. She introduced us to our host brothers, Mauricio, 15 yrs. old and Fernando, 10 yrs. old, and to our host dad, Percy. They all speak little to no English, but this family is so full of love, endearment, questions and laughs, they couldn't make us feel more at home. 

Jully, Fernando and Alex in
 La Plaza

La Plaza De Armas 

Cusco Flag (left) and
Peruvian Flag (right)
 with Christo Blanco in
 the middle background. 

Jully and Fernando took me and Alex to La Plaza De Armas, the central plaza, to show us a little of Cusco. It didn't take long for us to locate a pub that was playing the Broncos game!   We spent the evening around the dinner table sharing information about our lives in the US and theirs in Cusco. We showed them pictures of our families, friends, pets and towns. It was when we showed them a picture of Bill's famous potato gun that things really got interesting. With over 300 types of potatoes in Peru, they were awed by the fact that someone could make a contraption that would turn them into weapons!

Paulo, 3,  is the only boy.

They loved my hair and my nose ring! 

Yesterday we spent the morning touring around the hospital that Alex is going to be working at this week. I will let him provide more detail of his experience with the orientation and his first day of volunteering! Mid-afternoon we took a taxi to the girls orphanage I will be volunteering with. The second we walked through the door, the girls were overwhelmed with joy and excitement at our arrival.   I thought it was exhausting trying to communicate with my host family... after yesterday, I truly understand the meaning of "exhaustion." There are currently thirteen girls (and one boy) in the orphanage between the ages of three and twelve, and trying communicate, play, multitask, learn, play, observe and play for four hours left me completely wiped. But the yearning these girls have for love and attention is something I have never experienced in my life. They are unbelievably self-reliant and mature for their age, yet the deprivation of affection is clear. I am looking forward to building a relationship with these girls and learning how this "family" operates.

The girls LOVED their special
treat, mandarinas!