3
Location: Cuzco
Day 3! The group was super excited to get started with the beginning of our service opportunities. Today we had a full packed day with service at the Santa Teresa shelter, along with a joyous horse-ride through the hills and outdoors of Cuzco. The Santa Theresa shelter, home to many, was an amazing chance for the students to get hands-on with the kids and the elderly. From attending a Spanish speaking mass with everyone to serving and eating with the elders, we got a chance to step out of our society feels and comfort zones — all incredibly rewarding moments for us to experience. The most heart-warming moments were getting to make new connections with different generations, in a place we weren’t even familiar with, by allowing ourselves to open up to these new friends and people we were fortunate enough to meet and learn about. After learning about new people, building new relationships, and stepping out of our comfort zone, the group treated themselves to a guided horseback ride. Getting to see these animals and observe the beautiful scenery and views of Cuzco gave everyone a chance to stay as a group, but also let themselves gather their thoughts with their horse. Once ending our lesson, and a break at the hostel, the night ended with a fun dinner of ALPACA BURGERS- one of the many foods some of us have been waiting to try! Reviewing the burgers, the few that ordered this exotic meal averaged their rating as a nine on the food scale (from 1-10). One of the restaurants we have enjoyed very much (Toro), we got a chance to truly get to know each other with a fun game of “Martian.” This game got a lot of laughs as we watched each other act like aliens, along with getting a Spanish lesson. All in all, we could all agree this day was one that we will remember for a long time.