So....where to start?

We´ve really been non-stop since we got here. Settling into the PoD house (with the house rabbit who roams free and has absolutely no dignity - by which i mean she is not fussy about where she wees or poos) has been interesting...i will take some photos of the house soon...it is really cool in terms of layout and colours and atmosphere (as you will soon see) but the kitchen facilities are practically non-existent. You wouldn´t attempt to cook in there unless you really wanted to be on the toilet for the next few days which is a bit disappointing. However, eating out is pretty cheap here so it is much much safer that way! there are four showers, but only one gives semi-reliable hot water first thing in the morning, there are no hot water taps in Cusco (and probably the whole of Peru). So great...But we knew it wouldn´t be luxurious so all is good. We are sharing a bedroom at the mo which is cool and the place is starting to feel like home now.

We have done three spanish lessons so far. These consist of two hours of grammar and one hour of practical a day. we opted to do the lessons together so we share a grammar teacher and each have a practical teacher. the grammar is good but you do feel a bit like a spaz going through the alphabet. it feels like we´re back at school and we get homework! ha. but we are getting there slowly and it´s amazing how much we can understand now. Except my (liz) practical teacher doesn´t speak english to me so most of the time it´s a guessing game and i often say ´si´when i haven´t got a clue what she´s banging on about. most of the time i get away with it, but there´s been a few awkward silences when she´s blatantly waiting for a different answer than ´yes´.

We have visited most of the orphanages or projects that we can choose to work with so we will be making some decisions soon as to where we want to spend most of our time. The one for severely disabled children just ripped my heart out it was so upsetting, so i need to assess whether i can work effectively there without killing myself over it. and some of the other places need your help so much it´s a wonder they function without volunteers. So far we are leaning towards a kindergarten for children from disadvantaged families who can´t afford to go to school (everyone pays here), so we´ll see how that goes. But the trick will be to avoid nits, s***s and parasites me thinketh. lol.

We´ll keep you updated....

Liz and Becky xx