Follow the Journey

Hello to everyone back home, and to all the other Latitudes students traveling across the world. It’s been a month since I arrived in Cusco, Peru. Upon leaving for Peru I was actually really nervous and scared. I didn’t know what to expect from a country I had never been to before, and one where my 12 years of French prove to be useless. I was already missing the comforts of home as I got on the first of four planes that would take me to Peru. I felt like I was leaving home, and it made me upset. What I later found out was that I wasn’t leaving home, I was coming home.

In my 4 weeks of being here my experiences have been nothing short of astounding. Already my expectations have been by far surpassed and everyday is a day I’m glad to wake up to. For those who don’t know I’m working for an organization called Sonco Wasi, who works with the children of Taray. Taray is a small town in the Sacred Valley, about an hour away from Cusco. Many of the children don’t get a proper education due to the fact that their town has been greatly impacted by floods. Many of the children work on farms and don’t go to school. I learned that one of the 5 year olds runs his farm almost by himself. Amazing! We’re there to provide a place of learning, and fun. A lot of the time I think of them as the teachers and I’m the student. They have just as big if not a bigger impact on me as I have on them.

On the days that we don’t go to Sonco Wasi we’re at Hogar de las  estralas ( hope I spelled that right) which means House of the Stars. This is an orphanage for mentally disabled children. I have never worked with disabled children before and it actually shocked me a little at first. Day one I didn’t really know what to do with myself. What I found out is that as long as you’re having a good time with them than they’ll have a good time with you. Simple. 😛 They’re actually very intelligent and play with each other well. They need help here and there but for the most part we’re there as friends first and secondly helpers.

In Cusco I live on Ma-He-Stereo (that’s how it sounds I don’t know how it’s spelled). It’s just a bus ride away from the plaza and really a bus ride away from anywhere around town. It’s not in a touristy area which is nice, but is still in a really safe area of town. I live in a fairly large apartment with the founder of the organization Karol, and the coordinating director Rebecca. They’re some of the coolest people I’ve ever met. I was scared that I might not like the people I would be staying with, but they’re my best friends here.

I have so much I could talk about and go into detail about everything I’ve done so I might just have another blog pop up later. For now I’ll just do a little lightening round of things I’ve done. I’ve gone to Puno to see the second largest festival in South America, I ate cow heart on a stick with potatoes, I’ve been out dancing until 6am (this will surprise everyone on my last Carpe trip), I was in the middle of a protest that lasted 2 days where people filled the streets and there were no cars in sight, and I’ve been to the manmade lakes of Titicaca. This is just the smallest amount of the things I’ve done and seen here. Truly amazing!

Last but not least I would like to thank my family, friends, Carpe staff in the field and at headquarters, for everything you all have done to get me to where I am now. I can’t thank you guys enough for this incredible opportunity you have given to me. Thank you for everything,

Blake Andrew Henning