Location: Cuzco

Author: Jessica Location: Cuzco During my Lifeworks experience, I have had the opportunity to achieve bit by bit of spiritual growth, slowing inching towards my goals of inner peace and helping others. Some days I feel I have grown in centimeters, other days in inches. But today, I feel I achieved a yard.

Today, Lifeworks was split into two different groups, one working at Mother Teresa and the other shopping at the art district. While the art district was fun for shopping, the time spent at the orphanage was the most noteworthy. My group worked at the orphanage first, which was a place for the physically and mentally disabled. I feel this was a humbling experience and while at first, I was slightly nervous, I feel I overcame that obstacle and did my very best.

I did many different tasks such as helping fold and place laundry away, feeding the children and help change a diaper. However, one of the children I worked with struck me more than the rest. I first worked with a girl named Sonya, who was mentally disabled. She was at first sitting in a wheelchair, in which I fed her, but I later took her out of the chair so she could receive exercise. Sonya sometimes had trouble walking, but we held hands, and I did my best to support her.

Sonya would always walk towards the kitchen, and at first, I thought she wanted to walk in to get food. I was surprised when she stopped right in front of the door and started shaking her hand around. Soon I realized that she didn’t want food, but simply wanted to hear the music that was blasting from the speakers. Sonya was not shaking her head, but swaying to the beat and dancing, just like any other girl her age.

(P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos…no cameras are allowed in the orphanage)