Post, Public Transit, & Peruvian Children

Today was my first day, "on the job" in Cusco. Before my orientation with the community center, my New Jersey friend Sarah and I sniffed out a Bagel Cafe around our hostel and we indulged ourselves on some New York style bagels with cream cheese, it was totally delicious and reminded us of home. I have since given up at my attempt to find that perfect Peruvian cup of coffee. I have purchased several coffee's in the area and they are all terrible! The best coffee that I've had in the city is my Folgers packets that i brought with me! I have since surmised that all of the good coffee is packedged and sent elsewhere in the world lol. Later on, I went to the post office to send home some postcards, and i was shocked when the lady told me that it cost almost $3.00 a piece to send international. I unfortunately had to "bite the bullet" because i already filled out the cards! Anyways, so Sarah and I went to Maximo Nivel (the volunteer agency) and asked if she could join my program placement at the community center up in the mountains. It would make life easier for both of us because we both live in the same hostel and we have to pay for public transport to the site where you are crammed in like sardines, although the 2o min journey by bus is equivalent to about $0.32 so we don't have to complain too much. My placement at the center is from about 2:30pm-6:30pm each day, but everyone that i work with all meets in the same spot and we catch the bus together. I only visited the center today which is situated just above the city on the mountainside and has a beautiful view of Cusco (see below).



When i arrived there was a sign on the wall that said "Bienvenida al taller Jonathon" or Welcome to the workshop Jonathon! The lady that runs the place is a Psychologist in Cusco and she was very welcoming and showed me around, while speaking in rapid-fire Spanish. The children were very excited to have another "proffie" a slang word for teacher etc. I learned that this community center is run for the children whose parents work at a local workshop just up the hill, that i also got a chance to tour. In the workshop they make all kinds of handwoven pillows, rugs and blankets on real weaving looms! They also have a silver-workshop where they hand-make rings, necklaces and many other traditional and modern pieces of artwork. Each month the parents take turns watching over the children at the center, and us volunteers play with the children, teach some English and teach them proper hygiene. I'm really looking forward to working with these children more and the other volunteers whom all happen to be from the USA. The workers in the shop of course tried to get me to buy their wears for a "buen precio" good price. I said maybe because, it's not everyday that you can buy things that you watch people make right before your eyes!

Chao,

~ Jon

Two Ladies, Two Alpacas, One Typical Tourist

Alas, I succumbed as the typical tourist and posed with these ladies on the street and their two baby Aplacas. They are popular amongst the tourists and they try to con you out of your money too. I asked her how much for the photo and she said it was a donation. So when i tried to give each of the ladies one sole each (about 45 cents) she was like "No Amigo." I was just going to give her a 5 sole coin when a friendly English speaking lady walked up to me and was like, "Don't give her a 5, they are just trying to rip you off." She told me to just give them a sole each and just walk away. So i did just that and she didn't chase after me so that was good. Although, shortly after this picture was taken a lady selling Alpaca Hats started following me down Avedina Del Sol and i was like oh great, how am i going to get out of this one. Finally i said to her, "I'm sorry but you only have 4 colors of hats and i would buy one buy you don't have a red one." Then her face lit up and she said but wait amigo, and it turns out that the hats were reversible and the orange one she had was also a red one...Oh well she gave me two hats for s15 which was only like $5 total so they weren't that expensive. Next time, I'll just have to say no.

Chao,

~ Jon

Peru Day II...Plazas, Plazas, & More Plazas!

This beautiful nighttime scene is one of the most photographed locations South America, the iconic Plaza de Armas. This is the central hub of Cusco and features two wonderful cathedrals and a beautiful fountain in the center, where the water jets change color and shimmer in the ambient light. I've only been here two days and I'm already beginning to sound like a tour-guide. You might be wondering why the title of this post is Plazas, Plazas, Plazas. Well in case you didn't know there are several Plazas in Cusco, such as the Plaza de San-frasciso, Plaza Tupac and many many more. They are historic town centers where the townspeople sell their wears of alpaca hats/gloves [it's winter here in Peru] to the children trying to guilt you into buying "marionetas" or finger-puppets. The only bad thing about the Plazas during the day is that they are crowded with tons of people trying to sell you stuff. For instance yesterday i walked through the square and i was offered 10 different massages! They are extremely cheap here about s20.00 about $8.00 for an hour but jeez! Anyways, today I get paired with a native Peruvian who wants to learn English. I can only speak Spanish to them and they in turn can only speak English to me. It will be a great learning experience. Monday i start my work in the Orphanage, I can't wait!

Chao,


~ Jon

Well I Finally Made It!

Hello From PERU!

After almost a 12hr stay in Lima (the capital) Peru I am glad to say that I'm sending this message from Cusco Peru, my final destination on my journey to Peru and the ancient capital of the Inca Empire! I'm staying with a host family who hosts volunteers during their stay here in Cusco, and while i'm here starting in a few days I'll be working in various orphanages in the Cusco area volunteering my time with the children and teaching a spot of English along the way. There are people here from all over the world with me, a couple of girls from England, one from Brazil and a few from the USA. The food that we had last night was really good, all of it fresh and tasty. All of their food is essentially fresh and their orange juice was better than any brand in the States could hope for. Well today I'm going to explore the city a bit and have some of the other volunteers show me around.

Hasta Luego,

~ Jon