Youth Trip Peru Style

Since we have had an unseasonal amount of rain, I thought it would be great to take advantage of the sunshine and take a trip together.  I am learning to not make cultural stereotypes, as one of the young people arrived 15 mins early.

The trip became a real family affair, as my family all came, as well as 2 cousins and a grandmother.  After some discussion as to the best bus to take, we squeezed into 2 different buses and wound our way up the roads to Cristo Blanco.  This is one of my favourite local places to visit, and a few of us admired the beautiful views, although a couple of the young people commented that to them, it was fairly normal.

We walked over to the woods, where there are also some Inkan ruins.  This was probably my favourite part of the day, as we sat around chatting, playing Uno and Pit (big favourites in Cusco as well as Enfield!), and eating while the children played football and explored the ruins.  I will continue to learn about youth work in Peru for the whole time that I am here, butI just love being with young people, listening to them and relaxing with them, as I did in the UK.  It is great to be a part of a small church where the timetable is not so full of activities that there isn't space and opportunity just to be together and enjoy that. Like anywhere, building relationships takes time, but days like this provide these opportunities as well as creating memories.

Something may have got lost in translation, as my message about bringing lunch didn't seem to have been successfully communicated.  We shared our picnic, and everyone had at least something to eat. We then walked back down the many steps to the centre, and visited a lovely icecream parlour for a well deserved treat after our long walk.  Marita from the church works there and the icecreams are incredible.  A lovely end to a great day.