Leaving Brazil

Our last few days in Brazil were spent back in Santos with our friends. We went to another football game which again had an incredible atmosphere with singing, dancing and drums. We had a final night out for one of their birthdays which finished with us eating chips and cheese on the beach front at 6am as the sun rose - it took some persuading that yes we wanted cheese with our chips, a great taste of home!

It was very sad to leave, we felt like we had become a small part of Thiago´s family having lived with them, shared family birthdays and become close to his sisters and mum.

Volunteering in Peru

About 1 month before we left on our travels we arranged to volunteer in a school which provides academic and emotional support to street kids. The organization is really inspiring, see www.aldeayanapay.org. The children that attend the school come from very rough backgrounds with a great deal of violence, chaos and very little routine or stability. The school provides a place where the children can escape their home lives, receive help with their homework, learn art and play in a happy, safe environment.

Volunteers are essential to the running of the school. We were overwhelmed by how much responsibility we were given and yet it has been an incredible experience to be thrown in as teachers. We have done a mixture of helping with homework, running art classes, playing games and teaching English. On Friday afternoons they have a ´performance´ where each class presents to the others something they have learnt that week. Last week we were teaching basic English conversation and so we made up a song which we taught the kids and then sang in a round of 3 parts; I know very Hughes esqe!! There is a great deal of emphasis at the school on teaching through fun mediums and trying to make the children feel as thought they are simply having fun, the learning is a positive by product. Much time has been spent planning lessons and evenings spent exhausted after teaching/spending time with the kids!

We have been very lucky to be staying with the family of the founder of the school. This has given us a really interesting insight into Peruvian family life. We arranged for them to cook for us as well and so have enjoyed a taste of traditional Peruvian food. It has been great for us as we love the different experience and when you’re exhausted from a long day its been so nice to come back to a family atmosphere and dinner!

We have been exploring the local area in our little spare time. We’ve been really lucky to meet some great guys who live here. My brother visited Cuzco two years ago and made friends with his tour guide. He suggested we contact him to say hello and after some hesitation as to who my brother was, he nevertheless invited us round to his house that evening, introduced us to his girlfriend and brother and we have become good friends. They look us horse riding up to some of the ruins giving us a personalized tour and a great day out. They also arranged a full day in the Sacred Valley seeing the key sights. Many of the places here are difficult to see independently and so tours are common. We’ve loved meeting these guys, visiting the main sights with them independently, with their expert knowledge and without a bunch of noisy Americans!

We also explored the Sacred Valley whilst white water rafting. The rapids were a little tame for our liking but the views were incredible and towards the end one of the guides felt unwell and so let me (Tash) raft in his tiny two seater raft down the rapids; kinda like kayaking and big adrenalin rush!

We are finishing volunteering at the end of this week and going into the Amazon basin. Then we head off on a trek to Machu Picchu. An update will follow!

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