Lesson 6 Traveling for Volunteer Work

Cusco is a beautiful city with old constructions. We

Yena’s Two Weeks in Peru
stayed in Cusco for two days, recovering from the
Last summer I learned about the Inca Project in
long hours of flight and adjusting to the high
Peru while I was researching how I could spend my
mountain area. We took advantage of the time to
summer vacation in a meaningful way. The goal of
tour the city and to see something of the
the project is to preserve an Inca archaeological site
surrounding area. On the first day, we visited
in Peru. I decided to participate in the project since
Sacsayhuaman, a huge Inca stone construction. The
it would give me an opportunity to both travel and
construction includes a great square with three big
take part in a real archaeological dig.
walls. I was amazed that the huge stones for these

walls were placed very tightly together.

Even though I was excited about the project, I was

also nervous because I had never before traveled

The next day, we went to Pisac, a historic site
alone to such a distant place. The site of the dig
located on a mountain slope of the Sacred Valley.
was near Cusco, a city that was once the capital of
On our way to the site, there was a town where the
the Inca empire, high in the Andes mountains.
main square and market were crowded with local
Traveling to Cusco was not easy. I had to change
people. At the market, I bought a cute doll from a
flights twice, once in Los Angeles, California, and
woman who had made it herself. For dinner that
again in Lima, Peru, before finally arriving in Cusco,
evening we had ceviche, a dish of fish soaked in
32 hours after I left Korea. In Cusco, the local staff
lime juice. This sweet and sour local food was served
welcomed me with a warm "Buenos dias, Yena." The
with sweet potatoes and corn. I had not eaten any
director introduced me to the other international
Peruvian food before. All the dishes that we ordered
volunteers who arrived at the same time. They came
were delicious.
from many different countries including England,

Canada, America, and Belgium.

 After seeing Cusco, we moved to Huyro, the site Besides our archaeology work, we visited a local

where we would be working. My heart beat at the elementary school once a week. We taught and

beautiful surroundings. I was excited about the work played with the children in the morning and we read

I would be doing. All the staff and other volunteers to the children from books in the library in the

who had arrived in Huyro earlier welcomed us with afternoon. Although they didn't have much, the

warm hearts. The next morning we began working at children were happy and thankful for what they had.

the site. To arrive at the site, we had to walk up a That moved me deeply.

mountain for thirty minutes. I imagined that we were

in an Indiana Jones movie, making a path through Near the end of our visit, having completed our

the forest to find evidence of the ancient Inca volunteer work, we went by train to the nearby ruins

civilization. of Machu Picchu. The ancient sky city welcomed us

with its grand view of the Urubamba Valley far

At the archaeological site, we pulled out weeds and below. We could not imagine how the Inca could

cut down trees that had grown to cover the site. have built such a large city on top of a high

Then, while digging at the site, we found some mountain. We were amazed by the outstanding

pieces of ancient pottery. The head archaeologist, a building skills of the Inca civilization, which prospered

Peruvian, discovered a large pottery piece. He said it more than five centuries ago.

might have been the side of a pot that was used to

store beans. By early afternoon, working in the heat After my unforgettable days in Peru, I returned to

and the thin air, I was exhausted. After days of hard my daily life at home. The happy moments I spent

work, however, I was pleased that I had been part of there went by so fast. I wished I could have stayed

such a worthy project as preserving the remains of longer. Participation in the Inca Project was a

the ancient Inca civilization. blessing to me, allowing me to learn the importance

of volunteering. I received far more than I gave from

the experience.