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Published: February 10th 2012
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all well.
The first thing I must tell you today is that I am feeling a lot better and back to my sunny, breezy self! My very clever body has accepted the low levels of oxygen here in Cusco and has decided that I may continue my energetic approach to life! This is quite an achievement when you consider that here in Cusco we are roughly 3400m above sea level and the highest point in Buckinghamshire is just 270m! I am glad to say that I can now climb the 4 flights of stairs to my room without having to have a lie down, ok so I still have to sit down to catch my breath but that's because I am unfit not because of the altitude. I attribute this acclimatisation to lots and lots of cups of Coca Tea which the locals swear by, I actually quite like it although it doesn't look that appealing, it is refreshing and with a squeeze of lime, I am at least getting one of my five a day! Although it almost goes without saying that it is nothing compared with the delightful aroma of a cup
of tea made by Mr. Small!
On the subject of my accommodation I confess that I am already missing the comforts of home, particularly a lovely warm shower. We are very lucky to have a working shower as they are not common here. Unfortunately our shower only seems to have a cold setting and I have to turn it the handle on through my towel as it gives you a small electric shock every now and then, I know that Health & Safety in the UK can often seem a bit overprotective but right now I appreciate it! It may be that after a few more days I decide that skipping a shower every now and then would not be the worst thing in the world.
What else can I tell you about? Yesterday we visited La Compañia de Jesus, a church in the main square near to the Cathedral. We had a wonderful guide who explained the history of the place to us and really helped us to understand the community of Cusco a bit more. A lot of the art and customs that can be seen here seek to marry the traditions and beliefs of the
Incas and the Catholic Church, this is done succesfully and is a real lesson to be learned. Everyone here is keen to help visitors gain an understanding and appreciation of their culture and all benefit greatly from this. I have only been here a few days but already have a real fondness for the people of Cusco.
Most of my time with the girls at the orphanage yesterday was spent with a girl who is 15 and currenty studying for her exams in the Spring. She is desperate to be a Doctor and is retaking the exams this year after not achieving a high enough grade last year. Her dedication is fantastic. She attends school each day for roughly the same amount of time as we do in England, however she also spends all day on Saturday at school doing additional lessons and after church on Sunday she goes back to school for even more lessons. She knows that she must get the highest grades if she is gain a place in Medical School as the area is fiercely competitive, however, for her that is just half of the puzzle as unless she can get a scholarship she will
not be able to afford the fees. We sat together doing Maths and I have to say it was a much more advanced level than we would teach at GCSE. I was glad to be able to help her a little but I left knowing that she had helped me to understand a lot more about life than I had helped her with algebra.
So what does today hold for me? Who can tell. Each day here has its surprises much like at home, only here I am wearing factor 50 sun tan lotion rather than gloves and a scarf! On that sunny note, I shall leave you for another day or so.
Take care,
Tasha
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Fiona Nodwell
non-member comment
Lovely to read your blog entry
Hey Lovely! Thank-you for sharing your first experiences of your new surroundings with us. I especially enjoyed reading about the 15 year old girl who you were tutoring or should I say was tutoring you lol. Keep well and take care and I look forward to reading more about your time in South America. Sending you a hug. xxx