Loved My Experience Teaching English in Cusco for 3 Months!

I have been volunteering with Maximo Nivel in Cusco, Peru, for the past three months and have absolutely loved my time here! I just graduated college and wanted to take a gap year before going back to school. I have several friends who took a similar break but spent it backpacking through South America instead of staying in one location for a length of time. Although there are definitely benefits to both, I seriously recommend spending time in one place volunteering through an organization like Maximo! In these past few weeks I have gotten to know the culture and people of Cusco in a way that is not possible if you spend your time quickly traveling through places or staying in hostels.
First, my volunteer projects have been an incredible way to meet locals and make a difference. My project is teaching English and it has been really cool to watch people who initially knew no English improve to speaking full sentences. Maximo Nivel comes by and checks on the projects every week or so to make sure it is going smoothly and is willing to work with you if there is ever a problem with the project.
About a month ago I approached the Maximo staff with an idea to start a new project in the area that is more directly related to my academic interests. Instead of dismissing this because it would be a difficult project to start, they went out of their way to make this new project possible and I am currently working with them to help start it! I have met many other people who are here on a gap year between schools as well and Maximo wants to make sure that your experience with them best prepares you for whatever job or school you are hoping to gain entrance to upon your return home. I had to take the Law School Admission Test while I was here and they were willing to work with my schedule so I had plenty of time to study and volunteer!
Additionally, I have loved living with a host family here in Cusco. My house mother is incredible and cooks great meals. I was a little worried about living with a family after living on my own in college but my house mom is always willing to help me with things while also giving us freedom to come and go. Maximo also offers Spanish classes to volunteers and can pair you up with a local so that you can meet up with them on your own time to practice speaking Spanish and English. My Spanish has improved a lot because of this!
If you are trying to figure out how to spend time abroad or where to spend it, I highly recommend coming to Maximo Nivel in Cusco. Whether you plan to be here for one week or six months, Cusco offers incredible sights to visit in your free time. I became really good friends with my house mates and was able to travel to various places with them on the weekends and during the day when I was not volunteering. The people of Peru are very welcoming and I guarantee you will have an incredible time getting to know both the people and city of Cusco!