ADIOS PERU!
November 25, 2009
It’s hard to believe how fast time flies by… we have been gone our “Journey of Goodness” for a little over 5 weeks now! We leave Peru in a couple of hours to make our way to our next destination…Costa Rica! We travel to Costa Rica via a cruise ship, and it stops in Jamaica and Colombia along the way (not too shabby!)
As we finish up here in Peru and say “Adios,” I wanted to rundown some of the goodness that we have (hopefully) brought into this fabulous country within this past month.
Since arriving in Peru (and Bolivia as well) it’s hard not to notice the amount of poverty that is all around here. Matt and I have tried to be understanding of the lifestyle that some of the Peruvians are forced to lead. We have been asked to buy everything under the sun from those selling on the streets, and we have always tried to be as polite as possible with our “no gracias.” There are numerous beggars and street children all over Cusco, and although we wish we could’ve done more, we have tried to be as giving as we can. We always take our leftover food and give it to those on the streets and we take leftover bread from our meals and help feed the hundreds of homeless dogs around the city.
We have seen countless young children and mothers dressed up in “traditional Peruvian clothing” with their llamas and alpacas, and they ask you to take their picture in exchange for 1 Sole. (1 Sole is equivalent to about 33 cents in the US). We have taken many, many, many pictures of these poor people, and sometimes, we just give them money, since we know how much they need it. We have bought postcards from young boys on the streets who are no older than 8 years old. Again, it’s hard to say no to these young children who you know are doing their best to help themselves and their families by “working.” I can’t tell you how many Peruvian “Soles” I have given away.
We have supported small business, hostels, Spanish schools, and restaurants and have tried to spread the word of our wonderful experiences. We try to let others know about our great experiences by posting online in places like Trip Advisor and with big organizations that have resources for tourists like South American Explorers. Our hope is to help these establishments grow. For example, just last night after leaving one of our favorite little Mexican food places here in Cusco, we saw a couple who was looking a bit indecisive about going in to eat there. We went up to them and let them know firsthand how delicious the food was and how wonderful the service is. They immediately went into the restaurant after our rave review. We have been trying our best to help support others in their endeavors.
We helped spread the word about our wonderful Spanish teacher and got her 2 new students!
We have supported many of the NGO’s (Non-Government Organizations) here in Cusco. The other night we went to a charity event that supported the NGO GirlSportWorks that seeks to introduce Peruvian girls to the benefits of athletics. This NGO strives to teach girls sports skills, and more importantly, the value of self confidence, leadership and teamwork. To read more about this wonderful NGO, click HERE.
And of course, we spent a majority of our time here in Cusco volunteering for INTI. We met wonderful people and had a great time working with the children. It was nice being able to be a part of a program that is dedicated to helping children in all areas of growth. If you haven’t yet, click HERE to see a video slideshow of our volunteer experience at INTI.
Matt & I havin' fun with some of the kids at INTI
It’s hard to believe that the chapter entitled “Peru” in this journey is coming to a close. We have definitely learned a lot about ourselves through this Peru experience as well. The act of being able to see the way a developing country lives and to be able to bring even the smallest amount of goodness to them fills my heart with love for humanity. I am forever changed for the better by my experience here in Peru, and I thank all of you at home who supported me to get here, and I thank all those who came into my life here in Peru for changing me for the better!
Us at Machu Picchu
