If you haven’t heard, there have been terrible floods in Cusco, Peru in the past week. Since we are in the thick of la epoca de la lluvia (the rainy season), rain is expected but the level of destruction seen in the area is unimaginable. Tourism is the main industry in Cusco, and the damage [...][...]
Archive for the ‘Bolivia’ Category
Here’s to Courage
This week we had a lesson in bravery. A while back we wrote about our new friend, Cat, who was turning to us for some inspiration. More specifically, she was looking for some advice on turning her seemingly perfect world upside down in order to pursue a volunteer opportunity in South America. At[...]
The Biggest Mistake Volunteers Make
I have been thinking about the time I’ve spent down here in Latin America volunteering over the past five months, and I understand it isn´t a sacrifice everyone can make. Those who have children or grandparents they need to care for, a job whose security cannot be jeopardized, or too much d[...]
October 15th, 2009 - 6:55 pm § in Around Town, Bolivia
Amazon Burning: Blog Action Day 2009
The fire raged ahead. It was so high I could make out the flames reaching above the treetops on the eastern bank of the river on one of the Amazon’s many tributaries, Rio Mamore. It was an image of destruction, not unlike watching a tragedy unfold on the news with eyes glued to the image, [...][...]
So You Spin the Globe…
…and let your index finger use it as an Ouija board, telling you where to volunteer. But then your first spin takes you to the middle of the Atlantic. So I guess that means you have to spin again, right? This is actually what I did a few times in college, when I knew I wanted [...][...]
Ignorance is Bliss
One of the toughest things about volunteering is that, while the most joyful and rewarding experiences of your life will happen, the direction of your life’s path might also change. Once you have seen poverty, and more specifically – extreme poverty, you simply cannot continue to do nothing ab[...]
