Greetings wonderful latitudes blog followers!
Megan here, writing from Ollantaytambo, Peru. Ollantaytambo, better known to locals as Ollanta, is a quaint Andean village located about two hours outside of Cusco. The village is surrounded by towering hills, Inca ruins, and when the clouds part, I can see snow capped mountains. I arrived in Ollanta three weeks ago and have been working at an NGO called Awamaki. Awamaki works with five women’s weaving cooperatives surrounds Ollanta. Awamaki aims to empower women by providing them with jobs opportunities and financial stability. The women in the cooperatives weave incredibly beautiful textiles that we sell in our fair trade store. Beyond the women’s cooperatives, Awamaki offers educational services to locals in Ollanta and sustainable tours to tourists. I am a sustainable tourism volunteer and have been working with a women’s cooperative called Patacancha. I am learning how to give an in-depth, yet respectful, tour of the cooperative. At the moment it is quite challenging because the women who work in the cooperative only speak their native language of Quechua. Quechua is a very interesting language and is nothing like the Spanish I have been learning. Some people describe it as like Japanese!
In addition to my work with Awamaki and daily Spanish lessons, I am living in a home stay. I absolutely adore my home stay family. They have been extremely welcoming since day one. I eat every meal with them and can hang out with them on weekend too! They have gotten me addicted to Spanish soap operas and as a tradition we always watch La Patrona (essentially equivalent to Days Of Our Lives) every night after dinner. It’s nice to have a routine here!
As always, I am sending love home. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me on this grand adventure. From my family and friends back home, to my amazing group in India, you have taught me so much. Waking up to the Sacred Valley every day reminds me how lucky I really am! Much love!
