A day in Cusco

Cusco is a probably the tourist Mekka of Peru (if not to certain extent of whole South America) due to its proximity to Machu Picchu...we kind of thought that we will feel like them...though right now our days differ a bit...we have not been sightseeing too much...

Our day starts early
- around 7.30 as we have to start preparing around 40 sandwiches for the kids and boil probably 10 liters of water to make hot local specialty drink for the kids from kiwicha, hava and soya, which are all very healthy and strange tasting :)
- around 9.00 together with the teachers we take taxis to three different schools in three different neighborhoods
- around 9.15 we arrive to schools and we are greeted by all kids without exception demanding to be hugged and kissed...
- around 9.20 the kids first wash hands and get their breakfast
- around 9.40 they brush their teeth
- afterward we start the lessons usually dividing the kids into groups based on their age or knowledge (I usually get the smallest kids and together we start from the basic of counting to 40 or so). This goes on with little break perhaps until 12.15...I can tell you that it is very hard as getting their attention is a sign of genius on behalf of the teacher
- around twelve each kid gets some fruit and after goodbye's we all part (I am usually quite dizzy by that time)
- we are back in the center by 12.45 more or less as we come back with the bus
- as the directors of the center we are responsible for preparing lunch for the rest of the volunteers...in other words cooking
- at 3pm I have individual Spanish class and at 4 pm Rita has her lesson
- right after the class the best part of the day begins...we go shopping for the next day
- we buy 40 little breads, around 4kg of fruits for next day (once we tried buying fruits for 3 days in advance but carrying the load was beyond our capabilities although we have made it to Annapurna base camp without porters earlier this year), vegetables etc. for the volunteers lunch...we could easily compete with the camels
- we are back by 7pm quite exhausted (it is quite a walk to the market and the store - I can assure anyone doubting it - especially at 3400 meters above sea level)
- afterward it is time to eat and do Spanish homework if you are able to think straight still

Actually we have never done it yet but we should be doing fund raising in pubs with pub quizzes etc. in the evenings ...so far though we never had the energy...

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So starting next week we have decided that we will have a maid to cook, do the shopping and clean the center..As my mum put it giving employment is better than charity...We have also designed a flyer to start recruiting volunteers from all sorts of tourists coming here...the "print house" will have first 1000 pieces ready by Monday. More volunteers means that we make the sandwiches less often, we have more money - kids get better sandwiches and in general there is more happiness :) We plan to devise a healthy diet for the kids instead of the cheapest as is the case more or less now (don't get me wrong we are still giving them very good sandwiches which we eat with them)...

In other words we will make the world a better place - also for us :) As for the kids we are waiting for proposals of receipes for balanced weekly diet in terms of sandwiches menu...