Warm, breathtaking, beautiful! These are the 3 words that describe Peru. Everything was special!
It's great to be part of a project there, because then you don't just get to know the tourist side, but the authentic Peru.
At the beginning of her trip, Jennifer attended a language school in Peru to prepare for her children's aid project. She then worked as a volunteer with children in the teaching project in Lamay. Here, it was not just about supporting the children, but also about listening to them and spending the afternoon playing and laughing.
In Germany, I have a very structured job. I sit at a desk all day and am part of a project team that configures IT systems. It's often an exciting job that, above all, brings in a lot of money. But if I were to choose a job without this focus, it would be a job that has something to do with children! Many children in Germany have more than they need, which is why I chose Latin America. I was less interested in the country itself than in the children who live there.
I booked my trip about 4 months in advance. I didn't have so many thoughts before my departure, but was very excited and full of joy. We had a Zoom conference shortly before departure and WanderWorld Travel answered all my questions.
I was very lucky that I had already met another WanderWorld Travel participant at the airport in Amsterdam, so we arrived in Lima together. My first impression of Lima was overwhelming. It's a big change when you come from the comfort of Germany and land there at night. The next day in daylight, things looked a little different. There were four of us and our contact person Carlos on the introductory day. Carlos is a local and showed us the city of Lima, local restaurants and the local drink 'Pisco Sour'.
The next day I flew on to Cusco. Before starting the teaching project, I attended a language school in Cusco to learn Spanish. This also gave me time to get used to the country and the people. After 2 weeks of lessons, I traveled on to Lamay for the children's aid project. This place is the most beautiful I have ever seen!
Apart from me, there were four other volunteers from Spain. As the four of them had already been there for a while, they explained everything to me. The first children arrived at 2 p.m. on Monday and it was great! It felt just right and I couldn't imagine anything better.
The tasks in the project depended on you. As a volunteer, you had a free hand and could organize your days with the children however you wanted. As there were four of us volunteers in the project, the local employee took a step back and let us take precedence. She supported us in terms of organization or organized materials for our activities with the children. There were days when we played UNO and cuddled. There were days when we painted and went on an excursion to a small fish farm.
All in all, it was great to see how little you can make children happy! I already learned on the first day that the world looks different for children in such countries. Just because we in Germany have a different image of an ideal childhood doesn't mean that children in other countries are less happy - quite the opposite.
Warm, breathtaking, beautiful! These are the 3 words that describe Peru. Everything was special! It's great to be there on a project because you don't just get to know the tourist side, but the authentic Peru. I've traveled a lot in Asia, but South America is completely different. There are rules that you have to follow. You don't just go out on the street in the evening and you also take great care of your belongings. But I still felt safe.
I was fascinated by everything about the people. As a 'privileged' German in a country where children have to work, where they sleep in cold wooden huts and where they don't have much to wear. Despite everything, the people radiate such a zest for life. There were initial reservations because, as a tall blonde woman, I looked unusual to most people. But I always felt welcome.
I really learned a lot from the people, for example that material things have little value or, to put it another way, that many material things are simply not necessary and that you can be happy with very little. What surprised me the most was the warmth and punctuality of the people.
There were many great moments that I still remember every day. But the best and also the saddest was saying goodbye to the kindergarten. The children collected their money and bought us a cake to say goodbye. When you remember that they hardly had any money, you can imagine how much that meant to us. Instead of buying themselves something to eat, they used the money to make us happy!
I thought it was great to see how warmly you are welcomed by 'strangers'. The children depend on the volunteers and are very grateful. The time you dedicate to the children there is also very important, as they don't get as much attention at home and lack hugs and fun. I don't know if I was able to inspire the children, but I do know that I gave them a lot of love.
I am very proud of myself that I was able to break away from the German standards and get involved with the conditions in Peru. I actually work in IT and have nothing to do with children in my working life. But the children make it easy. They are happy about everything you do with them, even if it's just a hug. I have definitely developed new perspectives and don't know how to cope with the spoiled German children.
In any case, you should have no fear of contact with children. You should also be welcoming and open. It is important to be aware that there is no luxury there. The accommodation in the teaching project, for example, is very basic. It is run by the family and a few locals from the neighborhood. I had my own room there with a shower. What made it different from home was that it was in the middle of the mountains. There were set times when there was hot water and there were several blankets in the bed as there was no heating. In the project, 3 wonderful meals were prepared for us every day. We ate with the others from the project and sometimes with the family, so we had a nice community.
Sophia, founder of Wanderworld Travel
Lisa, Coordinator & Participant Support
Amanda, Support and advice before departure
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