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.

I liked the hoast family we stayed with and how the staff helped us with everything. I was a little disapointed at the description of the program because it stated that we would be assistissng in surgery and shadow doctors, but we never did any of that. What we mostly worked on was cleaning wounds and putting injections. The hospital practices were unsterill and we had to bring our own gloves and medical equipment. We had multiple ocations were we bought needles for patients that were poor (the staff would reuse old needles if we didnt buy new ones). Other than that Peru is a beautiful country with many hidden treasures. I would recommend visiting Huacachina and Huayana Picchu. If you choose this mission trip I wish you best of luck. Just remember that nothing in cusco is real alpaca apart from the high end stores. Sweaters should be 20-35 Soles in the San Pedro market (for 20% alpaca).

I appreciated living with a family and working and living a local life away from most tourists part of the time. The family we stayed with made us feel welcome and included us in their lives. We were able to assist in the preschool and connect with the children and teacher. One teacher taught 22 children, so we were able to assist the class with crafts and other activities. After the first day we understood the schedule, so we felt useful in the classroom and could also work one on one with the children when we had time. Two memories stand out- one assisting with the morning exercises at the preschool, the other watching local children participate in traditional dances at a school.

I have loved my volunteering experience here in Cusco, Peru. We worked with kids in a preschool in a nearbye town to Cusco. It was wonderful to get to help the teacher. She has 22 students, ages 3 and 4. The kids had lots of energy and all wanted attention from the teacher. She handles it well, but she greatly appreciated our help. The family we stayed with was extremely nice and helpful and the people from Volunteering Solutions were very helpful as well. All in all it was a wonderful experience.

I had an incredible experience with Volunteering Solutions in Cusco, Peru for two weeks. This was my first time traveling alone, and I felt completely secure throughout my trip. I was placed with a wonderful host family who made me feel so welcome. It was very easy to take the public bus to my volunteer work in a daycare center every morning. The children in the daycare center are extraordinary. They are so friendly and eager to learn. I always felt needed while I was there, and I left there every afternoon feeling fulfilled and joyful. There were many large public protests in Cusco while I was there, and the Peruvian coordinators of Volunteering Solutions made every effort to make sure the other volunteers and I were safe. The entire experience was unforgettable and a great way to practice my Spanish. I definitely want to volunteer with Volunteering Solutions in the future!