Projects & People

Well, our projects are in full swing! We work from 8-something in the morning up until lunch, but it's amazing how exhausting those few hours of work can be. Afternoon vegging and naps are crucial to our recovery, especially with all of the walking and exploring we do on top of our work. Josh's project is currently at the police station where they're rebuilding dog kennels and concreting walls. He really likes the work so far, and the construction volunteers are all set to play a soccer game against the police officers on Friday!

I am really energized about my project and teaching! Monday, I had a crash course in teaching English - basically the TEFL certification curriculum condensed into an hour. They gave us some teaching techniques and a brief about what to expect from the students. While Maximo Nivel has a steady flow of volunteers, there isn't a set curriculum in any of their projects. Many of the Teaching English placements are in orphanages, and it's essentially up to the volunteer to gauge the students' ability levels and plan lessons accordingly.

My placement is at the Virgen de Fatima - an all-girls school encompassing students grades 1-6. I rotate around the school teaching 3-4 classes per day so that I reach every class once a week. I have about 360 students, and I get lots of hugs and stickers! It would be nice if the girls could get English lessons more often than that, but that's all the school can accommodate right now. I'm supposed to be team-teaching, but the guy assigned to be my partner bailed after the first day - says it's not his thing. The kids are great, but a little rambunctious here in general; their classes are much less structured and disciplined than in the States. While I like being able to take the lead and plan the classes I want to teach, having a partner would make reaching the kids and keeping them engaged much easier. I may talk to Maximo Nivel and see if they have someone they can transfer to my school. All in all, we're really enjoying our volunteer projects!

Also, Josh and I are happy to report that we are still pleased with our house! We've made some friends - Michael and Jessica, my kindred spirit, from LA, as well as an older couple, Nadine and Fred from New York. Nadine used to do stand-up comedy, so she's quite the entertainer! Unfortunately, they're all leaving after this week, but we're having fun in the mean time. We have one picture of us in Cusco so far, and the flash washed out the background, but there are still plenty of photos to come!