Community Engagement in Cusco, Peru with WorldStrides

I lived with a family in Cusco for 4 weeks during my internship at an orphanage for girls. Throughout my time in Peru I was able to practice Spanish on a daily basis with my host family, staff and children at the orphanage, and local Peruvians. Prior to the internship, I tried to keep my mind open as to what that would be like. Although I loved spending time with the girls, the roles and responsibilities were a little unclear, the orphanage lacked resources, staff didn't communicate well with each other and the coordinator of that home was on vacation for almost the entirety of my internship. These were daily challenges that forced me to be patient, flexible, and maintain a positive attitude so that I could make the most of the experience. I enjoyed learning how to use different forms of public transportation (taxis, combis, etc.) and trying a variety of traditional dishes. One of the best parts of the experience was being able to explore not only the culture and history of Cusco, but also other places in Peru such as Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. My host family was helpful and supportive of my needs. The on-site staff, although disorganized and sometimes unprofessional, helped me to solve different problems that arose. The off-site staff are excellent resources for preparing you for the abroad experience, throughout the internship, and after. This was an unforgettable opportunity to meet people from all over the world, visit World Wonders, try new food, give back to people in need, and grow as a person.

I loved my experience as an ELAP volunteer in Cusco, Peru. I worked with young adolescent girls between the ages of 12 and 17 at a local refuge and taught them a health lesson every other week. The best and most valuable thing about ELAP is that it allows students to see a culture for what it really is, rather than just a group of Americans taking classes together in a foreign country. ELAP forced me to use Spanish on a daily basis, communicate with different members of the community and challenged my comfort level. I had an overall amazing experience and would be more than willing to recommend it to someone in the future.

The staff is wonderful, but not the most organized. But I think this is something that one must learn as part of Peruvian culture. Yes, organizations and businesses may be unorganized to an extent but that doesn't mean that they excel in other areas. I think you will notice that they devote time to other parts of customer service.

I loved the people that I lived and worked with. ELAP placed me with a couple who was tough on you but also loving and hilarious. I also worked at a hospital and was able to meet some very helpful nurses who taught me how to do some procedures, even when we were really busy. With so much interaction with native Peruvians, I was able to improve my Spanish in only a month and decided that I want to pursue a career in nursing. The city of Cusco is also amazing, especially if you like being outdoors, hiking, etc. My only regret is that I did not take more initiative at my worksite--I'm shy and probably could have done more if I had asked. I'd encourage anyone who does an internship with ELAP to speak their mind with the coordinators and with the people you work with--they're very nice and like having Americans who actually want to work and learn.

Going to Cusco through ISA-ELAP was easily one of the best decisions I've ever made. Any question I had was answered promptly and the staff in Cusco was so helpful. They went above and beyond to make sure students were always getting the best deals on their personal side trips and were always available to talk to. When I was sick, one of the staff visited me in my host family's home to check on me. The Cusco staff also always made sure us students were comfortable in our placements by accompanying us several times until we felt comfortable getting there and being there by ourselves. The staff definitely made me feel right at home!

ELAP was an overall great experience for me. It provided me with the opportunity to advance my Spanish language profiency(from a very beginner to an intermediate level) by providing me access to a great private tutor. I was then able to apply what I leaned at both my internship placement and real world situations. The staff did a great job of scheduling social activities. They also were able to get me the best possible internship placement that allowed me to work with kids and in a medical setting which were my two main goals.

The staff was awesome, although some of our activities were really boring. The practice of spanish wasn't much practice as it was just saying really really basic vocab. The only problem that I experienced was that I had no idea what specifically was expected of me at the kindergarten. I was not sure what my priorities were and where I was needed. I had a few instances of experiencing disrespect from the students and no one was there to help. I had a child really beat up on me and everyone pretty much said "well that's how they are."