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
For those of you who may be wondering about the title, let me explain. Tipon is the name of the town & the ruins were these pictures were taken, and they have a special knack for Cuy. A Peruvian delicacy, Cuy consists of roasted Guinea Pig and if anyone knows what clinping is please feel free to share. We’re not really sure why these ruins are here because we were too cheap to get a guide, so we just had fun walking around and using the self timer option on our cameras taking group pictures lol. There are lots of man-made waterfalls and the area has a great view from the top of the mountain. As you can see below, Sarah was very eager to try Cuy lol jk we all split one between the 5 of us and it was still s25 a plate, which is a lot cheaper than Cusco but still high for the amount of meat you get. It tasted very bizarre, like a odd piece of chicken. I don’t think I’ll order it again but it was just one of those things that you have to try once while you had the chance. I’m a believer in Carpe Diem ( seize the day) and I intend to make the most of my final days in this wonderful city that is Cusco.
