Less than a year after getting back from Brazil I am off again. I thought this time I would bring less stuff. After practically a lifetime of travel you'd think I'd be able to control my luggage, yet, here I am again with two 50 lb suitcases! If you asked me while I was packing if I really needed everything I was bringing of course my answer would be yes. It is impossible to know if it all was truly important or if I just thought it was because I didn't start packing until midnight. (I think we can all agree that midnight, the night before you leave, is the best time to pack for a 5 month international trip.) Naturally I blame my full luggage on my sleepingbag, as if it took up so much more space than regular bedding.
My flights were uneventful, I watched movies in dubbed Portuguese and shared my food with the older woman next to me. There was a shortage and she had the misfortune of getting airplane fish, so I gave her my chicken. The seats were nice and adjusted in every way possible. In fact, that airplane bed may have been more comfortable than the bed at the hotel in Lima.
When I arrived in Lima I dragged my bags across the street to the hotel and was grateful for the whole grain poptarts I had packed. The roomservice looked expensive and unappetizing, not that poptarts are any kind of delicacy. The next morning I thought that I might have trouble with my giant bags, but because I had come in on an international flight the night before I had no trouble.
In Cusco Marcos picked me up at the airport, got me my orientation schedule and took me to one of the volunteer houses. The house is nice, it has a big fucha plant right at the front which always reminds me of Grandma Peterson. This one is huge, but there aren´t many flowers on it right now. I´m in a room with two other girls, Nivea and Allison. Nivea is doing the clinic program and Allison isn´t doing much at the moment. She volunteered for about two months, studied Spanish, traveled, got certified to teach English and then her mom came to visit. So she´s already done a little of everything here. There are people from all over the US, Canada and Australia in the house and one girl from Denmark.
This morning I went to my orientation and got my program assignment and I am teaching English at an afterschool program from 6-9 Monday through Friday. I got placed into intermediate Spanish, which meets from 4-6 so it looks like my evenings will be pretty busy. I think this all works out pretty well, with my mornings free I may be able to go out and teach with the missionaries or something else like that. My first morning here, in the taxi coming from the airport I saw some Elders and today I saw some sisters and asked them where the church is. It doesn´t seem too far away from the volunteer center, which is only a 15-20 minute walk from the house. She didn´t know the exact address, and I don´t know any landmarks yet but I´m sure I can figure it out!
Today at 5:45 I will go visit my teaching location and at this location I will be the teacher, with maybe one other volunteer if the class is large. I can´t wait to get to know the people I am working with so I have stories to tell instead of just observations. I´m sure that by the end I will have plenty to tell!
Adios
Yay!!! We are excited to read!
ReplyDelete~Mom & Claire