While volunteering in Cusco, I was fortunate to be able to take full advantage of the incredible abundance of history and natural beauty located within the city and its many surrounding towns. Although the majority of our seven weeks were spent volunteering at our two community partners, a preschool and a home for people with disabilities, my roommate and I were able to spend the weekends exploring the city as well as take part in several cultural excursions. We were lucky to visit many incredible, unique places such as Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca – two places that I have studied about multiple times during my time at Rollins and was awestruck to be able to visit them in person. Although it was undeniably incredible to visit these places, my favorite weekend excursion was not to the major tourist spots in Peru, but instead was a weekend spent with my host family in their country home in Ollantaytambo.

In Cusco, we lived with the loveliest family – a mom and a dad, four children (the majority of whom were under the age of twelve), and their adorable family dog, Ottie. They immediately welcomed us into their home and made us feel like a part of their family rather than guests. For instance, on the weekend of Peruvian Independence Day we all traveled together, including Ottie, an hour and a half by bus to a small town, Ollantaytambo. While there we explored the Incan ruins, that my host mom giddily exclaimed she used to play hide and seek in as a child, took a nature walk as we were surrounded by the breathtaking Andes mountains, and shared many conversations and laughter with the family as we sat around the dinner table. Although Ollantaytambo is known to most people for its Incan ruins, I will always remember it for the incredible weekend spent with my Peruvian family.

I spent the majority of my summer vacation living and volunteering in Cusco, Peru with   A Broader View Volunteers, a nonprofit, international volunteer organization. During my time in Cusco, nearly two months, I was fortunate to have lived with an incredible, large host family, partner with two local nonprofits, and explore the natural beauty and history of Peru itself. My typical routine consisted of volunteering eight hours a day Monday through Friday and taking part in cultural excursions on the weekends. During the week, I was working in a local preschool, conveniently located near my homestay, in the morning. I was specifically partnered with a four-year-old classroom where I acted as a general teacher’s assistant as well as occasionally assisted in providing basic English language education. Working in a school setting provided me a host of benefits as a future educator, as well as challenged me academically as I was constantly communicating, planning, and instructing in a language different than my own. After a busy morning volunteering at the preschool and eating a delicious, traditional lunch prepared by my wonderful host mom, I would then spend the remainder of the day volunteering at home run by Catholic nuns for adults and children with disabilities. I generally worked in the children’s wing at Madre Teresa Calcuta. The children’s department housed roughly fifteen boys and girls under the age of eighteen who generally had very severe physical and cognitive disabilities – many of the children were nonverbal. Typical daily activities at the home included providing assistance during meal times as well as assisting the therapists and nurses with their daily routines. During my time in Peru, I was able to experience a different culture, receive real world experience working in the nonprofit sector, and actively challenge myself daily. I could not be happier with my summer of service experience and hope to return to Peru in the near future.