Conquering fears in Cusco

COUNTRY: Peru
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Construction
WRITTEN BY: Kate Elphinstone

Peruvian time moves much slower than Australian, which is good considering we are already at the end of our first week of placement. The nine of us have had a lot to adjust to in that time: the altitude, not drinking tap water, not flushing toilet paper, Peruvian meals of mostly rice, chicken and potato, haggling with taxi drivers and surviving the overcrowded minivans which serve as buses. Suffice to say if you are claustrophobic or scared of heights, Cusco is one place to conquer those fears. Once an Incan empire and now a tourist Mecca, you are never at a loss for things to do, see or for incredible places to eat.

Our first few days were spent adjusting to our new home and new families. We all live in the same outer neighbourhood of San Jeronimo, an industrial area with a lot of houses in the process of construction. We live in pairs, with one group of three. We have most of the comforts of home, with one notable exception- hot showers are dearly missed.

While a few of the group have experience speaking Spanish, most of us are novices. Even though Cusco is thronging with tourists every day and night, English is not widely spoken among the locals. We are learning quickly with the help of Spanish lessons and through necessity- generally the first words learnt were hot, cold, tired, and hungry.

After a few days to settle, explore Cusco and make the all important Alpaca jumper, Illama themed backpack or colourful pants purchases, it was time to start work at our school. This meant learning to catch the bus. The bus system at Cusco is something to be experienced, not explained. Nothing short of chaotic, it takes a lifelong local to make sense of it. We are lucky to have our in country partner Nico to take us through this mission to reach our school where we are volunteering for the next 3 weeks.

Ccorao school is an hour by bus from central Cusco. This sees us travelling up winding mountain roads, showing us an incredible birds eye view over the terracotta rooftops of Cusco. It’s breathtaking, if slightly terrifying. The school itself is set beneath a mountain where Llamas can be seen climbing. The buildings are set in a paddock surrounded by an incomplete perimeter fence- which is our construction project during placement. The school already has greenhouses and trout ponds. But for the school children, the basketball court is all important to play their favourite game: Football, or Soccer.

We are working here at Ccorao with our In Country Partner, to help children in remote communities receive an education. We have been welcomed into the school with open arms, which encourages us to make the most out of our very short time here. In the upcoming weeks we will also do home visits, to see how we can help the families with anything they might need.

This week will see us move into our full time roles of teaching English, Art and P.E and constructing the perimeter fence using mud bricks, weather permitting. The weather here is a whole new level of unpredictable. Some days, it can change through all the seasons in the space of 10 minutes. Despite this, with it’s incredible views, colourful markets and cobblestone streets, Cusco and its surrounds are truly beautiful and we are so lucky to call it home for the next month.