Farewells from the first project

On Friday, I finished my first service project of the three that I will be assisting with this summer. I have been in Cusco for three weeks, and I am now going to Urubamba (little town) to work in an orphanage, located in the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is possibly one of the most beautiful places in the country of Peru. If you haven’t already, it is a place you must visit.

It was kind of sad leaving Inti (a center for street kids who may literally have no one). One girl practically cried when I told her it was my last day. I do not say such to brag but rather to show that even in a short time as short as three weeks you can form an attachment to the kids of the center or project that you are working on. Before I left in the afternoon, they had this sort of farewell gathering to wish me “Goodbye” with light applauds and recognition from the children. They gave me a small leather pouch as a parting gift. I signed a volunteer book, saying my last thoughts and farewells perhaps for others to read at a later time. I was also able to talk with Luz Marina more in depth about her vision for why she started Inti, Inti is short for the full name of the center, which is in the indigenous language of Catchewa, Inti Runakunaq Wasin, meaning literally House of the People of the Sun in English. She informed me of the future direction she hopes to take with the organization.

I am somewhat sad to leave my family and this project in Cusco, but I am also looking forward to a change of scenery and building/making new relationships. I think there are advantages to working with different organizations, but I also think that it is good to stay in one location so that relationships are built and perhaps maintained. For me, I like to see different places, and working on different projects gives me an opportunity to do so.

Below I have a sound clip of interviewing Luz Marina Figueroa. She shares personally some relevant information about Inti and the mission they serve in what might be considered the inner city of Cusco. If you seek further information or would like to get involved in any way, please look up their website at the following address: http://www.streetkidscusco.org/home.html

Click here for the interview with an amazing woman of great vision!