Our girls face even more social obstacles than the boys when it comes to education, and moving to the big city to go to college can be quite daunting.
Viviana and I talked about this when I was visiting last spring, and she thought it might help for them to have more fun outings to Cusco. She wants them to feel more familiar with the city, and to see it as a fun and welcoming place, and view themselves as capable there. I love the way Viviana shapes the kids’ world view. In so many ways, self-image is destiny.
I was looking for fun ways to connect with the kids in smaller groups, so I was excited to take the girls to town. (I am very fortunate that I get to swoop in and do fun things with the kids when I’m in town and I don’t have to deal with any of the harder work of raising them. Raul once said I’m like their grandma, and I could only laugh, because I knew what he meant!)
I ended up with three girls in my group: Ada, Doris, and Marlitt. We visited the Ccochawasi Animal Sanctuary, had lunch, and then had a private flamenco lesson in our apartment in Cusco. Our volunteer, Kiva, came along and the day was loads of fun.
Each mountain has a poem
On the way to Cusco, the girls told Kiva and I the stories of the mountains. These are mostly legends of ill-fated lovers. Our driver Lucho was really impressed by how much the girls know, and he told us that these stories are poems in Quechua (which makes sense, since it’s not a written language and rhymes make stories easier to remember).
Getting out of the car to show us the poems in the mountains Can you see the sleeping prince?
Knowing that the mountains have poems made me love them even more.
Ccochawasi Animal Sanctuary
We didn’t take any photos during the flamenco class — we were all much too engaged in learning and trying not to be embarrassed! But Kiva and I both got photos at Ccochawasi Animal Sanctuary. If you’re coming to Peru soon, definitely include it on your list of fun places to visit!
This friendly little deer was a crowd-pleaser The spectacled bears wanted to look at us! Condor in flight, so majestic Marlitt loving a monkey Llamas are so photogenic! Always fun to interact with the weaving artists of the Andes
Ada (the girl in the white baseball cap in these photos) even asked about volunteering at Ccochawasi. I’m not sure it’s going to work out with her school schedule, but I think our visit helped energize her and motivate her in her studies. She’s moving to Cusco this year to begin her medical training as a veterinarian!
We are eternally grateful to every donor who helps support our work with these kids. We are 100% supported by individuals like you!
~ Lauren
