Day 1

First impressions: I can’t breathe. I’m 3399 meters above sea level and definitely feeling it every time I walk up the stairs. Besides that small factor, Cusco is a lovely Spanish colonial city that used to be the capital of the Incan civilization. I was disappointed to find that the Inca Trail is booked until September which leaves me with no possibility of trekking it. I will, however, be able to experience Machu Picchu and am planning an excursion further south to Lake Titicaca in a few weeks.

The people in the program are extremely friendly and I am looking forward to getting to know them better. This group of volunteers is quite diverse. Some haven’t entered college yet and others have already graduated. We have been placed in various internships so I’m not quite sure if I will be working with any of them during the mornings. I think I will have Spanish classes with them in the afternoon though. Cusco is very touristy and, as a result, we are being heckled constantly. I expect this to diminish slightly when I familiarize myself with less touristy areas.

Within this next week I hope to get the “fresh” perspective of the volunteers regarding domestic violence in the area. I am also planning on interviewing them after a few weeks of exposure to see if their impressions have changed. I have been assigned to a summer intern named Lindsey and I’ve heard that the people who run CARITAS are absolutely phenomenal. I’m quite excited to be here and looking forward to the next month.