–Lack of pictures in this post.  They won´t load!–

Wednesday:

Hello, Hello!

Wednesday started on a healthy note!  I went to bed with half of an idea that I would wake up and go for a run, but mostly I felt that it wouldn´t happen.  It just so happened that the trash truck parked outside of the house was BLASTING music, so I was up and ready to run at 7:20 am.  I ran for right around 30 mins, and also incorporated about 200 lunges and 60 push-ups along the way.  It was a good way to start the day!

After showering, dressing, eating, catching bus, etc, we all walked over to the San Pedro Market, which is a fairly large market that features products, clothing, materials, goods, and FOOD!  Lots of food.  It almost reminded me of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, but not as clean 😉

We then walked around to 3 or 4 tour companies to compare prices to Machu Picchu.  They all want our business, so it´s fairly easy to get the priced knocked down.  (Yay)

Then, back to the volunteer center to use the computer, get a little work done and then back home for lunch!  Lunch was chicken, rice, and some veggies.  Pretty tasty.

After lunch, back to Corazon de Dahlia.  A lot of kids showed up, so we did homework, read books, and played games.  We also took them outside and played a simple game of jumping over shoes in different ways, and they LOVED it.

After work, I headed home and then met Amber and 2 other new volunteers in town for dinner.  We were all starving and they were in the mood for ¨normal food¨so we went to a ¨Grill meat/ pasta/pizza¨place.  The best part about the place was the SALAD BAR!  Omg I almost died of happiness.

I also had a pizza, but only ate half.  It was good, but I was stuffed and happy on veggies.  Plus…I can eat typical American blah food at home.

Then we went home and I fell asleep quickly, quickly.

_____________________________________________________

Thursday:

In the morning, I woke up for breakfast (TWO pb & banana sandwiches) and then went for a run/walk thing with Amber.  When I got back, I was feeling lazy and sleepy, so I showered and then crawled back into bed for a nap.  I really didnt want to get up, but the smell of food got me up.

We had lunch (rice & beans), then back to Corazon de Dahlia.  Yesterday was the best day there, by far.  I love helping the kids wash their hands and use the lotion and they LOVE IT.  I don´t know if it´s the excitement of getting to do something ¨fun¨or if they like it because it helps their poor cracked hands feel better.  Either way, I love seeing them excited about it.  After we got through everyone´s hands (with minimal water on the floor!), I played a form of Jenga with 3 of the kids, which turned into us builiding towers and then knocking them down.  I also spoke with the director about having a cooking lesson next week, which I am sooooooo excited to do.  We will be making parfaits with fresh fruit, yogurt and some cereal.  I think they´ll love it.

After the project, it was back home for dinner, which was spaghetti with chicken and then flan for dessert.  It was really tasty, but of course no one does it like Mama.

After dinner, Amber and I walked to the store and then had another lazy night at home.  It´s so hard to get myself to get up and go out into the cold for the bars!

_____________________________________________________

Friday:

We woke up earlier today, had breakfast, then took a taxi to town.  We wanted to get an earlier start because we have a lot to do this morning!

We booked a 4 day trip to Machu Picchu for tomorrow-Tuesday, which includes ziplining, mountain biking, hiking, hot springs and rafting if we choose.  I´m excited!  Look for pictures next week.

I also walked up to the Chabad in Cusco because I´m planning to go their tonight for dinner and wanted to reserve my spot.

We are about to head out to the zoo for the rest of the morning, so I´ll be back next week with more updates!

Later gators!