Volunteering Solutions

I felt very safe with the staff and the people here. I do wish that it was more guided in terms of transportation as we were unaware that speaking Spanish was basically a necessity, but after the first few days we got the hang of it and I quite liked the independence of the program. Our program leader Kelly had to take me to the hospital at one point, and I have never felt more cared for. The staff, other volunteers, and our lovely host mom made us feel very accepted and welcomed. It was a wonderful experience and very affordable for me as a student looking to help without money.

Most of my notes were made on my sheet where I reviewed each week, so I will try to keep this brief. The trip was amazing. For the price, I can't believe what we all got. Stay, food, and the trip included. It is great. We had so much fun. The kids were a handful but were still so amazing. I am going to miss them and hope that one day I can see them again. There were some days where they would spit on me and hit me, and some days where they would sit there and rest their head on my shoulder. Each day I never knew what to expect and I loved it. I felt like I built such a good relationship with them and when I was leaving they wouldn't stop giving me hugs. In all honesty I was nervous and not overly excited to work with kindergarten students just because I know how they can be, but by the end of the program I found myself wanting to stay longer. This program has made me want to do so much more in my community and makes me want to make more of an impact at home.

As for the after volunteer hours, my girlfriend and I had an amazing time. I was able to try Alpaca, guinea pig, lamb, and octopus. I enjoyed it all. The restaurants are amazing and all speak fairly decent english. We also got to experience some nice massages for really good prices. Everything here is priced very well and getting by is a lot easier without speaking spanish than I would've thought. Everything in this country is amazing and I want to come back one day.

The experience was really positive: I came in contact with a different reality I had never experienced before. The teachers were welcoming, helpful and trusting: I progressively was given more responsibilities and felt I could really make a difference in the kids' school life.
I learnt how to treat children with disabilities and I developed important skills such as patience and perseverance. Overall I am glad I chose this program since it suited me perfectly.

I had the most wonderful time during my three weeks in Cusco. It was a great way to gain some more experience in the medical field while practicing my Spanish speaking skills. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys helping others, experiencing other cultures, and practicing their Spanish. I will definitely return in the future to do something like this again, and to see all of the wonderful people I met along the way.

The program was truly amazing! Although, I would recommend speaking some level of spanish. You get a lot more out of it if you speak the language. The staff here was very helpful and our host family was amazing and sweet. In the weekends you can travel to many places like machupichu, huacachina, lake Titicaca, rainbow mountian, arequipa, etc. honestly there are a lot of things to do in the weekend. The placement was not a hospital, but a clinic, so there are no surgeries but you do get to learn a lot. Injections, suturing, cleaning wounds, etc. The exposure was amazing especially if you already have some medical training. Some tips include in the markets there isnt 100% alpaca, there are many good restaurants to try, and explore as much as you can! Also, bring gloves and some medical equipment because the clinics are very poor.