Viva la Peru

This might sound kind of cheesey so bare with me. Have you ever felt really connected with a place that you have only been to once or twice? or maybe you have never been at all...  The first time i came to Peru I felt an instant connection with everything  about the country... the people, the language, the mountains..everything.  so you could imagine my excitement when i got invited to go back. My friend, Tya, and I got into Lima last night around 11 pm and our flight to Cusco didnt leave until 8 am. It was an incredibly long night of sleeping on airport floors, meeting new people, buying overpriced airport starbucks and i did i mention sleeping on nasty airport floors?  It finally came time to board the plane to Cusco and I dont think i have ever been so excited to get on a plane.... knowing i could sleep the whole way and when i woke up we would be in Cusco. We took a taxi to the clinic and on the way we counted 62 stray dogs. For some reason they dont look as mangy this year.

at least one of us got to sleep ;)

feeling fancy!

i am pretty sure i ate better on the plane than i do at home

It was so good to be back! Almost like i had never even left. It was so good to see everyone i met from last year. When we got settled in we took a nice long nap then headed to the market to get some food and exchange our dollars for soles. We also went exploring a little bit and ended finding the church and it is literally a block from the clinic. How cool! I love how no matter where you go in this giant world you can always find the church. I almost forgot how hard it is to breathe here and how everyone just stares at me because of my pale skin and blonde hair. This year it seems like the streets are more lively. There seem to be more kids outside playing and more college students walking around. Its fun to see how the people interact with each other. I think one of my favorite things to do is to watch the little kids play. They are literally content and happy as can be playing with a stick in the dirt. I love taking pictures of them. I have already seen 2 people that i recognize from last year. Do you remember that sweet little boy playing with the puppy in the grass that I took pictures of? I saw him again in the same spot playing with a friend in the grass while his mom worked at a little fruit stand.   Or what about the lady at that amazing bakery? I saw her when i bought some amazing bread.... for 20 cents might i add.

this is our next door neighbor...he is pretty but so annoying

oh just some strays playing

me in front of the church!

isn't he a doll??

some chicken... gross.

Right now I am sitting on the roof of the clinic looking at the beautiful twinkling city lights and listening the sounds of this town that has me totally captivated. Right this second i hear dogs barking, the man who blows his whistle to let people know he is here and not to cause trouble (he literally does this all night and day), honking horns, and a group of guys playing soccer down the street. I sit here being able to hear these noises and look at this gorgeous town thinking how blessed and fortunate i am to be able to come back here. To be able to come back to the place where my life changed and i really found my passion for nursing. I am looking forward to the next 7 days and cannot wait to see what it has in store for me and for these people we get to help. (Hopefully ill learn more spanish phrases and get to try guinea pig...)

this is my view from the clinic