I think about that statement, are they really lucky, the ones who take everything for granted, or are these poor Cusqueñan kids really the lucky one because they see more value in the things and the people that they have in their lives. 
Program Volunteer Peru
Project: Volunteer Teaching English in Peru
When I got there I was picked up at the airport and I went straight to my host mom´s house. She was such a good host and had coca tea waiting right away, perfect after an overnight flight.
I loved everything about Cusco! The city, the people, and the location were just perfect. When I got there I was picked up at the airport and I went straight to my host mom´s house. She was such a good host and had coca tea waiting right away, perfect after an overnight flight. She was ready to do anything for me and was really good at orienting people to Cusco. Plus the food was absolutely AMAZING. I`m a vegetarian and I was a little worried about that, but she took really good care in that respect. I really liked that there were other volunteers in my house as well. It made it easier to meet people and it was good to have an "English" break every once in awhile.
These kids went crazy for pencils. If they got one, it was the coolest thing ever.
While in Cusco I volunteered in two different places. The first one was San Judas Chico which was an orphanage for girls. I worked with some of the older girls in the morning while they were doing their homework and taught them a couple of crafts. They were so sweet and so loving. It was really nice because there were only four of them so I could kind of talk to them more one on one and get to know their personalities. One of the girls was so excited that she got to make earrings and when she was done she put them in and wore them around. It gives you a lot of perspective because the girls stay basically at the school ALL the time and so any little thing that they got was appreciated.
One day we helped to move some beds because they were painting. It was very humbling because we basically had to take everything off the beds, which included a lot of the girls´ treasured possessions, such as little teddy bears or a picture from someone from home...It was easy to forget that they were orphans when you were talking to them, but that definitely put it in perspective. I asked some of them where they were from, and they said "de la selva" or “from the jungle,” and they were so proud to have came from such a place.
The other place that I worked was an afterschool program for kids from poorer families. I really, really enjoyed this program because it was a grassroots effort. The guy who started it just decided that he didn´t like what was going on with poorer children and decided that he was going to do something to change it. The whole thing is funded by a hostel and a restaurant which he runs as well. He is really demanding, but is totally all about the kids and teaching them that there was a way to live that did not involve violence and injustice. That was one of the things that stood out to me: The organization had such a focus on you putting the kids first, which when it comes down to it, is really what this is all about.
At the after-school program we had "families" based on age, and there were 8-10 kids in each family. We spent the first half of the afternoon in activities (like homework or art or games) and then we divided into our families and spent the rest of the time teaching the kids about the theme of the week. At the end of the week we put on a "show" where each group got to present their skit about what they had learned. They were so cute! Some of the kids were so energetic and some were kind of naughty but fun nonetheless. One day the electricity got turned off and we had to finish our classes in the dark. The kids went a little crazy of course, but we talked about it the next day and the guy in charge asked how many of them had things like electricity and almost all of them had a story about not having light at home or about a relative who did not have light and the same thing with the running water. It was crazy to think that with all the technology that there is in the world today that there are still people who don´t have things like electricity and running water. It really gave me a lot of perspective on where these kids were coming from.
They were all so grateful for everything that they had and anything that they received as well. The director gave out prizes for kids who could correctly answer questions during the show, and it was nuts; these kids went crazy for pencils. If they got one, it was the coolest thing ever. It just made me so angry when I thought about kids back at home that I teach that can´t even manage to hold onto a pencil long enough to bring it to class. I want to ask them if they have any idea how lucky they really are, but then I think about that statement, are they really lucky, the ones who take everything for granted, or are these poor Cusqueñan kids really the lucky one because they see more value in the things and the people that they have in their lives.
Jennifer Paskach
