Perú...we love you!: Ohhhhhhyantaytambo...just 5 days in

Oh my. Where do we begin?

We arrived in Cusco, went to our awesome Pariwana Hostel by the Plaza de Armas (central Plaza in Cusco), and enjoyed some time with some Canadian friends we kept running into everyday.

We spent literally 4 1/2 hours in one of "client attention centers" of Claro, a phone company, standing at the counter, trying to change our cell phones over to Peruvian coverage and getting internet sticks. Yikes. Patience tested and we passed.

We were a bit late getting into Ollantaytambo because we didn't leave Cusco until much later than we anticipated. Such is life in Peru.

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So how about our first few mornings here, you ask?

Adam to Brooke: "Wait....was that a sheep?"

Brooke to Adam: "I think that was a boar from next door."

Adam to Brooke: "Did you see that sheep tied to the roof of the van?"

Brooke's face contorts.

Host brother to Adam and me: "Watch out for our sheep. If you get too close, it will headbutt you."

Next morning:

Brooke sees the sheep later in front of the bathroom when she really has to pee and cannot get past it.

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We are living with an Incan host family who both have their roots here in Ollantaytambo for generations.

Alicia & Reynaldo are our host parents and Gabriela and Conrado are our host siblings in a 500 year old original Incan stone house. Virtually, our own mini Machu Picchu.

Ollantaytambo is a magical town. Quaint, accessible, touristy, and full of hustle and bustle. Every restaurant seems to be a pizzeria, cafe, and have access to WIFI, albeit slow.

A big tour group came in today, in fact, to look at the house, because its one of the only original ones with so much original Incan architecture. Amazing view of the fortress and original stone streets.

Ollantaytambo is actually shaped like a tree considered to be the "tree of life".

The Incan God of abundance can still be seen in the mountainside looking over the town, and the ruins on his "back" once held grain and meat. And we can hike there in just 20 minutes.

Sounds of water through original Incan water waterways accompany us on the street. Fresh air. Peruvian flute, absolutely incredible mountain views. Ruins we can climb to every morning. AWESOME!

Adam has been busy getting his internet hooked up and trying out the best ways to make calls. He has been getting a ton of Spanish practice with our ever-so-patient and hilarious host family.

I have started orientation at Sacred Valley Health and has been assigned 3 communities to work with and has a month shadowing one of the community coordinators. Having a blast.

I went to one of my communities yesterday, Yanamayo, to meet some of the health promoters. We went to a general assembly, which is a monthly town meeting, and reviewed some of the health information with the promoters.

One of the hardest things for me to come to terms with is the prevalence of domestic violence and no where for people to turn. (It is generally women that are abused here, so I will use women from here on in my post)

There are places where women can receive counseling in Urubamba, which can be a 7-8 hour trip for some women, but there is no actual shelter anywhere in the area where women can be safe. Scary. I was told that when some women have seeked help and their husbands found out, they were battered even more severely by them, sometimes resulting in death. There is general concern that if an organization refers women to counseling and subsequent violence occurs, that the referring organization may be somewhat liable for what occurred.

There is just no place for women to be safe, and that seems absolutely unacceptable to me.

Moral dilemma. No great resources. Surely a difficult situation.

If anyone has any suggestions for the immediate or long-term future, I'd love to hear them! I am truly hopeful, however.

See pictures of my new office below! I think you should visit. :)