It has come to that time of this trip where it all comes to end an in Cusco Peru and life goes back to normality back in the UK, but this is how my final 2 days panned out.
Saturday morning i was invited to Mamita Carmens home for lunch, she lives with her mum, sister, niece and brother in law in a very small home which also converts into a restaurant during lunch hour, don’t ask how they make this possible but they do and to watch them all at work was excellent.
I got up pretty early, as i wanted to spend as much time with the girls in the morning before heading over to mamita’s home which is only a block away, but with only a couple days left, i didn’t want to miss out with being around them. Maria took me over to mamita’s home and she welcomed me in with the most love and biggest hug, her sister was already cooking away ready to open up for lunch time and her mum was chopping some of the vegetables. I asked what i could do to help and of course what better way to stay out the way, then to hand me the broom and cloth to sweep up and wipe down the tables. I still wasn’t sure how the lunchtime event would work, so i was very interested in this. There were a few patio tables and chairs, a big dining table and two smaller tables for couples or a family of 3.
So after sweeping up, i then went through to the back room where i chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and watched mamita’s mama cut up the onions before being handed the radishes. So it was a very small kitchen but it certainly was able to cater the for the biggest cooking pots, mamita’s sister opened up one of the pots which had potatoes boiling away (Peruvian staple diet), and a massive pot of meat pasta it was just amazing and looked amazing too.
So it got to about 12.15 and a customer had already turned up, when mamita asked me and mama to take a seat to each lunch as well, i got to see him and he was alone. I thought this is manageable, a single man watching the football, started on his soup with a helping of salsa on the side and a fried potato chips and parsley garnish. Then as i sat down with mama a couple walked in and they walked towards the back before being waited on by mamita. The first guys was now on his main course of fried chicken, rice, potatoes and salad, not very Peruvian but it had the potato, rice and chicken. Before long a family walked in with kids, a lady came in with a child and me and mama had finished eating at this point and she wanted me to go with her to the supermarket.
I helped clear up some of the dishes before being told mama’s eye sight is not great and she really cannot see very well, so as we walked to the market i held onto mama with dear life, the idea of her falling and tripping on the raised slabs or anything was such a worry, her life was quite literally in my hands.
We stood at the bottom of the road in the sun for a little while, she was asking about what i did, my name, how old i was and where my parents lived and just really getting to know me. She told me about the neighbourhood and the bad traffic they face in Cusco, this was all said in Spanish can i just add, we had a full blown conversation for about 20mins in Spanish and having thought about it, i guess i have just learnt to say ‘si’, in all the right places.
I then asked if she wanted to go the market, poor lamb had actually forgotten why she had come out and had us standing in the lovely sun for so long as it slipped her mind why she was there in the first place. It didn’t bother me at all, but we walked at the pace of a couple of snails and we talked, we laughed but still not sure what was funny, and she was telling me how there was a shop she used to go to, ever since they raised the prices she laughed and said, she would never go back. So we walked to the other end of the market and i just glared at the amazing fresh fruit before me, mama only wanted a pineapple but it was so big and heavy and i know they are very popular out here.
So it was finally time to head back home, again 2 snails walking back home but in the sun it was amazing walking through the shade we would freeze so it was hit and miss with how quick i could get her to walk, either way she was not going to trip and fall in my arms. Once we got back home i was shocked with how many people were waiting to be served, it was incredible and i didn’t want to get in the way so i kissed and hugged everyone, before heading back to the girls.
We had arranged to go to the big park with myself and 2 other volunteers, Katie has been living in Cusco for the best part of 4years and has been helping at the orphanage the whole time and Gemma who had arrived the day i did.
We each managed to get them all ready and out the home within 2hours which wasn’t too bad going considering they had been getting ready for the couple hours before i arrived back! We managed to fit 16 of us into 3 taxis and all made it to the park which is actually only 20mins away but safest option was taxi.
I probably sound like a broken record but it wasn’t going to be the place i run around too much given i have no voice, can’t stop coughing and my nose was running for all the kids. Plus i didn’t want to end up damaging myself the day before my last night. It was very warm in the sun and the girls really enjoyed it, we were in groups as the older girls wanted to go on the big slides and the younger ones stayed on the swings and the merry-go-round. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves and i think it had been quite some time they had been taken to this park so i am glad i got to take them with me.
We spent a couple of hours if not longer at the park, but it was fast approaching supper time and mamita Remi still had to prepare food, so we managed to gather them all up and let them spend bit of time looking at the live birds and rabbits before deciding to walk back home.
It was a lovely day from start to finish, but i have to be honest there s not a single day i can complain about. These kids are truly amazing and they really have my time here absolutely phenomenal. As i continue charity work i hope to meet incredible children likes these along the way. I am so blessed to have met them.
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