Describe your volunteer work experience.

I played with the children and assisted in feeding, changing, and daily hygiene.

In the outpatient area I was able to triage the patients; taking heights, weight, BP, pulse, temp and giving injections.

Tell us how you feel overall about your experience.

This was one of the best experiences of my life. I was a little unsure whether or not I was making the right decision before going, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat, in fact when it was time to come home I didn’t want to leave.

I lived with a host family for the entire 3 months that I was in Peru. They were so welcoming. They had a daughter the same age as me and we became fast friends. They showed me around the city and were very friendly and were always around to talk to and hang out with. They made the trip what it was for me. My “mom” also cooked 3 meals a day for us of traditional Peruvian food which was delicious. I am still in contact with them and am already trying to figure out when I can go back to visit.

The cultural activities were also amazing. Included in the Peru quest is a trip to Machu Picchu, which is an overnight trip. You take the train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night there and then head up to Machu Picchu in the morning where you have a guided tour and then time to explore on your own.

Also included in this trip was a tour of the Sacred Valley, a Cusco City Tour, and a Quechua (The Incan Language) lesson.

I also received Spanish lessons twice a week for the entire duration of my trip. The teachers were amazing. They really knew what they were doing and were so friendly and around just to chat if you wanted to as well.

The Spanish school also organized an event each week so you could meet other volunteers or travelers and hang out. Sometimes it was a movie night, or learning to make traditional drinks, salsa lessons, cooking lessons, or parties for the different holidays.

I also loved my volunteer work. I am a nurse and worked in a clinic for my entire stay. There is an inpatient part of this clinic which houses about 50 children with mental and/or physical disabilities whose parents couldn’t care for them. In this area I helped with the daily care of the children such as bathing, dressing, brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and feeding as well as played with the children. In the outpatient part of the clinic I was able to do more nursing tasks such as take blood pressure, pulse, temperature, height and weight to triage the patients and give injections. I also helped with preparing supplies and filing.

Overall this was an amazing experience. I am so happy that I did it and would love to go back someday. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Alison spent the first 5 weeks of her Quest at a women's shelter. The women --some as young as 13 -- learn vital skills such as sewing, and have a safe environment for their children

Alison spent eight weeks in Peru, in July and August of 2011, working in a women’s shelter and an animal rehabilitation center, while also immersing herself in Peruvian culture.

Alison recently stopped into the United Planet office, regaling the Team with several photos of her trip and tales of her travels.

Her first volunteer project was at a women’s shelter. Challenging at times, work at the shelter was ultimately rewarding; she built relationships with many of the girls there over her five-week placement.

The girls were often victims of sexual and domestic abuse, and they had a hard time opening up to Alison at first: “I think because I was so tall and white, they were scared of me. But by the time I left, some of the girls would cry at me to pick them up.” The center teaches the women – some of them mothers as young as thirteen – some vital skills, such as sewing and making crafts.

She especially liked the animal shelter, where she spent three weeks taking care of disabled critters who had been rescued from cruelties such as trafficking and abuse. She and another United Planet volunteer took a liking to many of the animals, and enjoyed the daily routine. “We had a blast cleaning animal cages, feeding animals, giving tours in English, painting, and cleaning trash out of the river,” she explained.  “It was great to be outside all day and I felt that the work we were doing was really making a difference.”

The animal sanctuary cares for endangered and abused animals. Someone removed the tail feathers of this bird, likely for jewelry, and left it unable to fly -- and to survive in the wild.

While in Peru, Alison was also able to refine her Spanish. “I gained such better Spanish skills and it ended up being one of the best things I took away from the trip,” she said in the survey she took upon her return to America.

Other aspects of her time: she describes her host family as warm and loving, and taking great care of her every need; and perhaps the best part of her stay. “I loved my host family so much; they are so so nice.”

During her 8 weeks, Alison enjoying several memorable excursions, including "one of the best days of my life" doing white water rafting and ziplining.

And she enjoyed several great excursions and activities: white water rafting, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, salsa dance class, cooking class, weaving class, Quechua lesson, ziplining – and more. “I’ll never forget the thrill of white-water rafting, it was one of the best days of my life.”

“I believe when volunteering in a foreign country, nothing is going to go exactly as you have in mind,” she recognized. “I take the challenges as part of the experience. Overall, my volunteer experience was great ; I learned a lot and hopefully made a difference.”

"So so nice," Alison says of her host family in Cusco, Peru

Machu Picchu!

“I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance, never settle for the path of least resistance, living might mean taking chances, but they’re worth taking”… hopefully.  Ok, so I finally made the decision to go to Peru; turns out it was one of the best decisions of my life.

The day I arrived in Cusco my host brother and sister picked me up from the airport. I was nervous but also very excited. They were both incredibly friendly and I was happy to learn that my sister was the same age as me, almost to the day. It was a little hard to get used to living in someone else’s house but my family was so friendly and accommodating.

Jane with one of the Peruvian children

As I was walking around Cusco, my first full day there, I was surprised to come face to face with a llama, little did I know this would be the first of many sightings.

My first full day in Cusco I met with the coordinator and had my first Spanish lesson, I was to start working in the clinic the following day. Little did I know that there were going to be country wide strikes and protests (huelgas) and that my first two days of work were going to be canceled. Because work was cancelled I didn’t have anything to do for the day, so I went out and explored the city some, oh and just stopped by some Incan ruins, it always amazed me that there were Incan ruins (Qoricancha) right in the center of the city.

When I finally had my first day of work the volunteer coordinator came with me to introduce me to the people at the clinic. For the entire 3 months I was in Cusco I worked in a clinic. It was amazing. When I first went the nurses showed me around and introduced me to some of the children, part of this clinic serves as a home for about 50 children with physical and/or mental disabilities from only a couple months old to 18. All of the children were soo happy when I came in the morning and everyone wanted to play and wanted attention.

Working in this part of the clinic the main thing you can do for the children is just play with them, they love it. In addition to playing with the children I helped with their daily care, such as brushing their teeth, bathing, dressing, and feeding them.  As a nurse, I was also given the opportunity to work in the outpatient part of the clinic where I triaged the  patients, administered injections, and assisted some of the doctors. The clinic has a full staff of doctors of all different specialties such as a general medicine doctor, a cardiologist, a traumatologist, a gynecologist, a dentist, and a team of physical therapists, psychologists, and speech therapists.

I also got to do a number of activities that I will never forget, starting with whitewater rafting my first weekend there. I really enjoy whitewater rafting in itself, but the scenery here is spectacular, it was hard to concentrate on the rafting with the amazing views surrounding you, not to mention the mere fact that this was the same river that went by the base of Machu Picchu and then into the Amazon Rainforest. I also arranged to go on a trip into the rainforest for four days to Manu Reserve.

Our first day there we went off into the woods and I had no idea how we were ever going to find our way back seeing as how our guide was just cutting a path with a machete, amazingly we ended up back at the lodge. Just the trees themselves are so cool, I have never seen anything so big.  On top of that the flowers are gorgeous bright colors and unique.

Forging the flooded reserve!

There is also an abundance of animals, from parrots to monkeys as well as the occasional boar and tapir, and of course tons of bugs. Sounds very appealing right? But these bugs are all very interesting and mainly consist of tons of different types of butterflies, all gorgeous.

Our second day there it had poured rain all night and we went out for a hike in the morning. We spotted a bunch of monkeys and the footprint of a tapir. However, the area that where we needed to go was so flooded from a combination of high tide and the rain from the night before we were hiking through about 3 feet of water, by the time we had finished our hike and were making our way back to the boat the water in the same area was only a couple of inches deep.

Then of course there is the Sacred Valley that is right there, even thinking about it I’m still in awe that all of these things were so close.  The sacred valley includes a number of towns and ruins, the main ones being Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. While in Pisac the two girls I was with and I climbed up to the top of the ruins and were going through all of the rooms when somehow we found that we had gotten ourselves into a room and couldn’t figure out how to get back out… we ended up having to climb down the side of the mountain haha. Pisac also has a huge Sunday market where you can find almost anything you would need and for great prices, with bargaining of course.

Probably the most fascinating of all of this is, of course, Machu Picchu.  Only when you go there and see it for yourself will you realize how majestic it is, and fully understand why it is one of the seven wonders of the world.

Visiting the incredible and majestic Machu Picchu

Not only are the ruins themselves amazing, but the views from being up in the mountains of the other mountains and of the rivers running through so far below you will take your breath away. It is easy to get lost exploring for the entire day, and still feel like you haven’t seen it all.

Finally, it is a MUST to at least TRY salsa dancing. It is such a big aspect of the Peruvian culture, and tons of fun. The Spanish school has an activity every week so that all the volunteers can meet and have a good time. The activities vary between movie nights, game nights, salsa classes, cooking classes, and bartending classes, all of which were very fun.

]]> http://www.unitedplanet.org/blog/2011/03/09/llamas-incan-ruins-and-the-joy-of-volunteering/feed/ 0 http://www.unitedplanet.org/blog/2011/01/07/peru-nurse-volunteer-wonderful/ http://www.unitedplanet.org/blog/2011/01/07/peru-nurse-volunteer-wonderful/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:37:44 +0000 unitedplanet http://www.unitedplanet.org/blog/?p=3135 United Planet encourages our volunteers to tell us all about their experience living and working abroad. We love to hear these stories. Just last night, a young woman who went to Peru filled out her survey, and it just made us all so happy…

Here are her words about her time as a nurse in Cusco. Thanks!

This was one of the best experiences of my life. I was a little unsure whether or not I was making the right decision before going, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat, in fact when it was time to come home I didn’t want to leave.

I lived with a host family for the entire 3 months that I was in Peru. They were so welcoming. They had a daughter the same age as me and we became fast friends. They showed me around the city and were very friendly and were always around to talk to and hang out with. They made the trip what it was for me.

My “mom” also cooked 3 meals a day for us of traditional Peruvian food which was delicious. I am still in contact with them and am already trying to figure out when I can go back to visit.

Any United Planet Volunteer Abroad Program includes a visit to Machu Picchu. Which is AMAZING.

The cultural activities were also amazing. Included in the Peru quest is a trip to Machu Picchu, which is an overnight trip. You take the train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night there and then head up to Machu Picchu in the morning where you have a guided tour and then time to explore on your own. Also included in this trip was a tour of the Sacred Valley, a Cusco City Tour, and a Quechua (The Incan Language) lesson.

I also received Spanish lessons twice a week for the entire duration of my trip. The teachers were amazing. They really knew what they were doing and were so friendly and around just to chat if you wanted to as well. The Spanish school also organized an event each week so you could meet other volunteers or travelers and hang out. Sometimes it was a movie night, or learning to make traditional drinks, salsa lessons, cooking lessons, or parties for the different holidays.

I also loved my volunteer work. I am a nurse and worked in a clinic or my entire stay. There is an inpatient part of this clinic which houses about 50 children with mental and/or physical disabilities whose parents couldn’t care for them. In this area I helped with the daily care of the children such as bathing, dressing, brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and feeding as well as played with the children. In the outpatient part of the clinic I was able to do more nursing tasks such as take blood pressure, pulse, temperature, height and weight to triage the patients and give injections. I also helped with preparing supplies and filing.

Overall this was an amazing experience. I am so happy that I did it and would love to go back someday. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

December 2010 — In Cusco, Peru, many volunteers have worked at Aldea Infantil Juan Pablo 2, an orphanage that houses over 60 children. The director says “United Planet is Padrino General of the Aldea.” (Roughly translated, General Sponsor.)

United Planet recently donated money to enable staff and volunteers to restore and update the buildings by painting and installing new tiles in the kitchens. “The kids, more than 60, will have a better and more cheerful environment to stay in. The local government did not repaint and maintained the houses for the 20 years that they are constructed, so you can imagine how they look like,” says Amelia Collantes Gonzales of the Aldea.

Kids in Cusco orphanage will have a much nicer kitchen set up soon...

“We work hard to make sure that our volunteers can provide real help to our projects abroad; so we need projects that are vital, responsible, and sustainable,” says David Santulli, Executive Director of United Planet. “When these projects let us know that they need money for specific needs, we do all we can to help. We’re so happy we’re able to provide funds to these orphanages. They do such wonderful work.”

The organization cites the ripple effect that each volunteer causes:

• The volunteer is transformed, and brings home the spirit of new understanding and relationships.
• The community benefits from the efforts and spirit of the volunteer.
• The volunteer acts as an ambassador for cross-cultural understanding, and helps to lay the groundwork for a “community beyond borders.”

“Each time a volunteer returns from their time in another country and another community, we get to hear the story,” says David Santulli, Executive Director of United Planet. “The person is grateful to have been welcomed into the community and to have forged important relationships. The community is proud to have supported the volunteer, and thankful for their efforts. And the spirit of understanding really does emanate from all involved.” United Planet has place thousands of volunteers in projects in over 40 countries around the world.

“It’s important to recognize that it’s not easy for anyone in the process,” Santulli says. “The volunteer travels and lives in rustic conditions, and pays for their accommodations. The projects have to find ways to tap into the skills and energies of the volunteers, while retaining their integrity and sustainability. And the organizations that coordinate these efforts have to take great care in ensuring the safety and dignity of everyone involved. But in the end, the benefits to everyone far outweigh the costs.”

"United Planet is Padrino General of the Aldea" in Cusco, Peru.

Examples of great volunteer experiences abound, and the benefits last.

First: The volunteer learns from the experience, and brings home a lifelong commitment to change, and new understanding about the world. United Planet volunteers have returned home to start new organizations aimed at supporting their projects, to raise money for new equipment and materials for schools and orphanages – and much more.

Michelle Haywood, who recently returned from Cambodia, says:  “I feel like my life is going to be so much more different now that I’ve done this – it has undoubtedly been the best decision I’ve ever made. Tonight showed me how much of a difference that I and all the other guests and volunteers make… This is really an experience that has to be personally lived for one to truly understand the magnitude of realization, appreciation and gratitude that it instills in someone.”

Second: The volunteers offer valuable services in the communities where they work. United Planet takes great care to find projects that tap into the energy and skills of the volunteers, without disrupting their essential work. These range from a Cancer Hospital in Tanzania to an orphanage in Romania to a school in rural China – and so much more.

In Cusco, Peru, many volunteers have worked at Aldea Infantil Juan Pablo 2, an orphanage that houses over 60 children. The director says “United Planet is Padrino General of the Aldea.” (Roughly translated, General Sponsor.) United Planet recently donated money to enable staff and volunteers to restore and update the buildings by painting and installing new tiles in the kitchens. “The kids, more than 60, will have a better and more cheerful environment to stay in. The local government did not repaint and maintained the houses for the 20 years that they are constructed, so you can imagine how they look like,” says Amelia Collantes Gonzales of the Aldea.

Elizabeth McKay, a medical volunteer in Peru, says:  “I volunteered in a free clinic in Cusco, where I joined the doctors and nurses in community outreach and Hepatitis B vaccinations… The friends that I made and the experiences I am taking with me will stay with me forever.”

Volunteers are just the best.

Third: The volunteers bring the best spirit of their country into other countries and cultures. While they struggle to find words and forge bonds, they are the best kind of ambassador for the idea of a “community beyond borders.”

“In an age where so much of our international strategy involves markets and weapons, it’s essential that we remember that we are all living on the same small planet,” says Santulli. “These citizen diplomats are forging bonds that can make a real difference in our world.”

Says Carolyn Rao, a returned United Planet Volunteer: “United Planet provides an invaluable service to both the Quest countries and the U.S. The friendships fostered on the Quest leave a lasting impact. On my Quest I was welcomed to help at the hospital and assisted as a mid-wife. The experience I gained in the medical field would never have been possible in the U.S. and I was able to help people while I learned.”

My taxi arrives at the orphanage. It is near the Plaza San Sebastian across from the Collegio de Virgen de Fatima. Some of the older kids who we have not met yet go to Collegio and do not arrive home until later. Immediately there are Holas and hugs and smiling faces. Everyone is downstairs eating lunch at a proper table this time. Jon is already there and holding baby Jessica. At 21 this young student of Micro Biology is one of several impressive fellow volunteers. As soon as you meet him you sense his compassion and good heartedness. The kids are amazed at him because he is blonde and about 6,3 in height. He asks me to teach him about babies since he has not worked with them, and since he plans to be a pediatric doctor he wants to gain more firsthand experience. I assure him I would be happy to help, and my concern with Jessica is she is at about a 6 month developmental stage. In fact my friend’s baby, Keir is more interactive at 3 months then she is at one year. I take baby Jessica into my arms, and I am happy to say she has a clean diaper and has been fed. I really want to work with her to make eye contact, smile, make sounds, and try to walk. Ironically the kids break out this drink that is like a Pepsi with vitamins. It is their after lunch treat, and little Jessica comes alive….

The older girls start asking me if I like babies, if I want to have another, etc. They then tell me that Freseney, who is at the Collegio, is turning 13 today. They ask if we would buy her and the others something sweet so they could have a fiesta. You see nothing as far as I can tell has been planned. I tell them I will confer with Jon. After Jessica finishes her cola I bring out the ball. She really likes it!! She hits it with her hands, and I roll it to her and she sort of rolls it to me. I tickle her and I get a smile. My day is already a thousand times better than yesterday; yet unbelievably, it continues to improve.

I go upstairs with baby Jessica to join Jon in the play room, and the kids have ripped into the paper and pencils. They are drawing and making pinwheels. The boys help the girls make their pinwheels that they then hold out of the window in order to watch them spin in the cool mountain air. I am drawing hearts on cards that the girls are making and everyone is having fun. Jon and I decide indeed we will go get a cake for Freseney’s birthday, and I also determine that I will get milk, a bottle, and some baby food for Jessica….

When we get back to the orphanage there is excitement in the air. The director’s husband who just came into town helps us set up. We fix up a table with a table cloth, set benches enough for everyone around the perimeter of the room, and put out the cake. The husband fixes the stereo so there will be music, baby Jessica has been redressed in pink and now everyone is wanting to hold her, and Jon replaces the burnt out lightbulbs. The mood was contagiously exciting!!

The older kids get home from Collegio and immediately begin to ask Jon and I questions. The directors are in the kitchen making popcorn and some kind of chocolate drink, and Freseney is excited because she is going to have a great party! Unfortunately for Juan (as we call Jon) and I we have to leave for our cooking lesson. We keep pushing the time limit though, helping the girls with their English homework and playing with the kids. Finally at seven we have to leave because we are already late. We say good evening and leave feeling hopeful and even helpful after a much improved day.

Our cooking lesson was a short taxi ride from San Blas, and was held in the home of another host family. Dina a woman in her 50s was not only exceptionally beautiful and kind but an amazing cook. We made a dish that takes mashed potato which you stuff like a giant ostrich egg with sauteed chicken, onion, bell pepper, and spices. Roll it in flour and then fry it until golden. Serve with a side of steamed broccoli and a vegetable medley of beets, green beans, carrots, mixed in mayonnaise. Add a little cocoa tea (not addictive but helps with altitude sickness) and Coca Cola to drink it was a delicious home cooked meal.…

As we said our goodbyes and headed to catch our respective taxis home I began to think how much this is a place of extremes (at least from my perspective). Sometimes the only way to cope with them is through half a measure of common sense followed with hard work, and half a measure of humor and laughter. However, upon further reflection, I find that all this seems to be the case at home as well, now doesn’t it?

To read more about Shannon’s time abroad, visit her blog! Want to plan your own Quest to Peru? Visit our website and start planning your own journey.

Ann Marie has recently returned from a memorable volunteer abroad experience in Cusco Peru; working at the after school clinic named Quinta Carmen these are just a few of the stunning pictures she has chosen to share with us.

Quinta Carmen after school program. Students working together to make friendship bracelets in the warm afternoon sun.

Benjamín leading volunteer Annie to the outdoor after school program. The students would meet us at the bottom of the path to walk us up each day.

How could you resist these two adorable Peruvian kids?!?!?

Kids around the world all love cookies! The children lined up from shortest to tallest waiting eagerly for their afternoon snack.

Alex and Faviana working on their afternoon craft.

The Sun, the center of our Solar System, has been keeping us warm, giving us light and supporting life on Earth for millions of years. Its presence causes day and its absence, night. It’s no wonder that for many ancient cultures the sun represented a supernatural phenomenon, something that was there to be worshipped. The Inca, some might say, practiced one of ancient civilization’s most ornate sun worship rituals.

Picture taken by Fred Lam, Flickr.

Incan culture was based on a profound connection with nature. This relationship was celebrated through religious rituals and ceremonies demonstrating the Inca’s appreciation to the Sun God for providing them with sustenance. Thought to be the beginning of the Sun’s new year, The Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun, takes place on Winter Solstice (June 24) and is one of the most important celebrations of the year.

Around this time of year, the cobblestone streets of Cusco fill with thousands of tourists and colorful scenery, as the city prepares for the ceremony. Folk dancers, street vendors and other exhibitions overtake the city’s ruins and public plazas in anticipation of the main attraction, the Inti Raymi ceremony.

Picture taken by ojjo, Flickr.

It’s been more than sixty years since the re-creation has taken place in Cusco’s central plaza, now known as Plaza de Armas. The main ceremony of Inti Raymi is now practiced on the Saqsaywaman fortress, a hilltop complex of ruins overlooking the city of Cusco. Personally, I think the location could not be more perfect. The huge stone ruins, carefully placed together over 500 years ago during the height of the empire, cause such an impression to the visitor that you could only expect that an ancient Inca ceremony was meant to be re-created there.

All in all, approximately 500 actors proudly take part in bringing the past alive. For the representation, El Inca (the Incan Emperor, originally claimed to be a direct descendant of the Sun God), his wife and followers dress in traditional costumes and give speeches in their native language, Quechua. The participants dance in the most vibrant clothes; perform a simulation of animal sacrifice (which originally served as an offering to the Sun God), and a group of princesses and soldiers lead the colorful procession of back to Cusco.

Picture taken by ojjo, Flickr.

Little is really known about the details of the Inti Raymi celebration, and most of what we see today is pieced together from archaeological findings, and of memories and practices that have been passed on from generation to generation to keep the local traditions alive. As Quechua is not a written language, there is no record of how the rituals were originally practiced. I think it’s important for future generations to understand the origins of their culture, respect its values, and be proud of who they are.