The Plan

I wish I had a better explanation for why in the world I decided to spend my summer volunteering in Peru.  If I'm being completely honest, I think this trip is just the result of me being incredibly stubborn.  When I decide I'm going to do something, I'm going to follow through with it...dang it.  Years ago, I justified my decision to work in the schools (and not a private clinic), saying I would do amazing things during the summers.  You know, helping orphans and the such.  And apparently that time is now...well in 1 week.

Last summer, I spent 3+ weeks in Mexico, vacationing and taking Spanish classes.  It was a great trip, especially since it was fully paid for by work.  However, it just wasn't enough, so this year, I felt the urge to go bigger.  And by bigger, I apparently mean farther away (I'm not so good at geography, but I am fairly confident Mexico is bigger than Peru).  Now, I leave my poor father and mother worried sick because I decided to book a ticket to Peru without all that much thought.  What they don't understand is the internet never lies, and if Yelp says this is an okay organization to volunteer with, it has to be!  With that, I am 98.7% certain that everything will be just fine.  Also, everyone seems to think that I am not in anyway prepared.  However, I would like to point out that I bought a guidebook and have read at least 2 chapters.  Give me a break, I have a 26 hour plane ride to read the rest!

So here is the plan:  I leave next Friday for 5 weeks near Cusco, Peru.  I'm not entirely sure where I will be staying or what I will be doing.  All I know is that I am going to hike Machu Picchu and have a heck of a time!  Assuming I have a way to connect to the internet, I plan to keep my blog well-updated, probably with far more details than you ever will want/need to know.