Going to Cusco, Peru Summer 2015

I'm so excited to announce I'll be going to Cusco, Peru in the summer of 2015. I'll be going through a program called IVHQ that has a number of different programs to sign up for.

I've briefly talked about this in a recent post but I'm excited to say I have finally registered with some help from my sister! Thanks, Michelle!

Signing up this early allows me to get everything I need ahead of time. It's exactly 274 days from now (which is way too long) but it's something that I'm really looking forward to. I plan on blogging during my entire trip and sharing tons of pictures with you all as well.

So to get more into what I'll be doing…

I'll be working with Special Needs children doing pretty much what I do now in here in the United States but in a different country. Children and adults with developmental disabilities in other countries are highly neglected and pushed to the side.

I already get such a rewarding feeling doing what I do here in the states, but to be able to work in another country where they are treated so poorly is another feeling.

My volunteer trip.

I highly recommend going on a volunteer trip if possible. Going through IVHQ makes everything a lot easier because they have my accommodations, food, and schedule all planned out. I also get to take Spanish lessons to help me with my Spanish-speaking skills. I'm currently learning Spanish so I would hope to have intermediate Spanish-speaking skills by May of 2015. I also get free salsa lessons during the weekend. How insanely awesome is that? Haha.

I can't wait to try out all of the different foods and to be immersed in the Peruvian culture. I decided on a country in Latin America because I want to advance my Spanish-speaking skills. I live in an area in America where Spanish-speaking is more prevalent in some areas and I'd like to be able to converse with others. Also, ever since I started learning Spanish, my memory and conversation skills have increased tremendously.

I can not even explain how excited I am for this trip. Moving to Chicago has really inspired me to do spontaneous things and I'm really proud of myself for how far I've come. I'm learning so much about myself even though I only moved a few hours away. I think I was honestly just surrounded by a ton of negativity and now I'm surrounded by awesome people and a life that I'm really happy to be living. I finally have my mindset in the correct direction I should've been going on all along.

I can't wait to work with kids with special needs in a different country! I just can't say that enough.

Also, I'll be living close to Machu Picchu! It's the featured picture on this post and it is SO beautiful. =)

BTW, I also get wi-fi where I'll be living so I will get to stay in touch with people. I was also thinking about taking a couple of online classes to speed up my graduation process, but we will see. =)

If anyone is interested in reading about the program/country I am going to, I have posted the link below.

http://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-peru-cusco

Image via Flickr by David Stanley

Have you ever been on a volunteer trip in another country? What was your experience like?

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