My Class

Here's the 32 students I got to work with for a month! I had so much fun working with these kids! They threw a surprise party for me today because it was my last day of volunteering. They brought cake, drinks, and lots of snacky foods. It was very hard to leave the school today! I'm really going to miss all of them!

Pakchanta

This was a three day and two night backpacking trip to a small village called Pakchanta. Most of the people we encountered on this hike only spoke Quechua which is one of the original languages of Peru. I went with two other volunteers, a guide, two cooks, and three horses. It was spectacular!

Sunday's Adventures

The top three photos are in Ollantaytambo which is forty eight miles northwest of Cusco. More farming terraces like in Tipon. Very cool!

The two bottom pictures are in Moray which is forty two miles northwest of Cusco. More farming terraces, but these terraces are believed to be an experimental farming center for the Inca. They planted different crops on the different levels during different times of the year.

Saturday's Adventures

The top three pictures were taken in Pikillaqta which is 20 miles northeast of Cusco. It is a Pre-Incan city built of stone slabs and mud mortar. It is crazy to imagine people living there so long ago.

The two bottom pictures are in Tipon which is about 14 miles northeast of Cusco. Amazing site! This is an example of Inca farming terraces. There is also an irrigation system throughout these terraces. They were very intelligent people!

The Main Volunteer House

This is where the volunteers usually hang out! This is the Amauta Spanish School where volunteers eat, take Spanish classes, and just relax. The first volunteer house that I posted on my blog is Amauta 2 which is just where more volunteers can stay (it's also the house that I stay at).

Still Enjoying My Trip

Hey! I'm still enjoying my stay in Cusco, Peru and meeting lots of cool people. There are people from Holland, Germany, Korea, Brazil, France, Switzerland, and only a few Americans. It's pretty cool how we all get along and usually hang out with a different group every night for dinner.
Teaching has been a great experience as well! I've been helping the students a lot with math and also correcting their papers. It's probably weird for them to have an English speaking person correcting their Spanish, but I'm a lot better at reading and writing Spanish than speaking it so it works. The students are very curious about English and about my family. They are very smart and love to ask questions. The last couple days I've been talking more in Spanish and am kinda remembering some things from my classes in college. I need to stop worrying about trying to speak Spanish perfectly and just SPEAK! 
This weekend I might be going to some ruins in Sacred Valley and then go to Machu Picchu on my last weekend (saving the best for last). I'm sooo excited!
Hope all is well with everyone! Thanks for all your posts on my blog and for your prayers!  

All of Cusco

This is a view of Cusco from a church just above the volunteer house. Pretty spectacular! The top photo shows the main plaza with the two churches. I walk through the main plaza everyday to work.

First Couple Days at Work

Hey! I'm really enjoying Cusco so far! I feel like I've been here longer than 4 days. Yesterday was my first day volunteering at the elementary school. This was a great challenge since my Spanish isn't all that great and the teacher and students don't speak any English. There are 27 students in the class and they are around 10 years old. They are patient when I try to speak in Spanish and correct me when I say something wrong. They love to hear me talk in English and are very willing to learn. The teacher was out of the class for most of my first day and I taught the kids English words for animals, colors, and numbers. It was a lot of fun! The school is a ten minute walk from the volunteer house which gives me enough exercise for the day since I have a huge hill to climb.
The food is amazing! I haven't had a bad meal yet! They eat a lot of bread, fruit, vegetables, chicken, and rice. Breakfast is usually small with bread and fruit. Lunch is the largest meal in Peru which includes soup, the main part of the meal, and then some fruit. Most Peruvians don't even eat dinner because lunch is so large. I, on the other hand, am usually hungry for dinner and have been going to different restaurants with other volunteers each night.
This weekend I will probably explore some more. Cusco is full of history! Machu Picchu won't be until the second or third weekend.
Hope all is well with everyone!    

The Main Square

The main square is only a block away from the volunteer house. It's a pretty cool area to walk around! Lots of history in this little city!

The Volunteer House

 This is my room.

Here's the kitchen for volunteers to cook dinner.

Cusco

Here's the view from my room at the volunteer house!

Reached New Territory

Hey all! I arrived and am adjusting to my new surroundings pretty well so far! My sleep schedule is COMPLETELY messed up, but I'll be back to normal in no time! There were no Peruvian families available to stay with so I'm staying at the volunteer house. I won't get the full feel of living in Peru this way, but it makes it easier to hang out with the other volunteers. There are a lot of volunteers which makes it more enjoyable to explore the area! And the food is AMAZING!!!! I get a tour of the main square later today so I'll be posting some pictures soon!

Getting Ready!

"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them." Jeremiah 1:17

Only three more days!!!!!!