8/2 and 9/2

Monday was a great day. Despite my increasing cold that was not exactly getting better after the weekend in Cusco, I tried to go for a run in the morning. I did not manage to get very far though, as I turned around, agreeing with myself that running without being able to breathe through my nose was not a very good idea.

At the center we started out with brain gym, where I managed to say "Me gusta comer panqueqas", very proud of myself! I spent the first hour with Elizabeth teaching group 1, the little kids, where we were doing drama.

After our break that I spent practising my nonexistent volleyball skills with the kids and some of the teachers, I spend the next hour watching the physiotherapist working with a 5-year old boy with Downs Syndrome. It was very interesting to see her alternative methods, trying to make him blow into a balloon, practising his coordination using stones he had to put in a bottle, and massaging his face to strengthen his facial muscles so that he will be able to talk.

We spent some of the afternoon learning Spanish with our teacher Natalie - though I am still not at all able to have a conversation in Spanish, I feel that both Alex and I are improving. Actually, I did manage to have a tiny conversation with our neighbor Delfina, as I asked her if she could wash our clothes. Very proud of myself!

The rest of the afternoon was spent hiking to a cross on a mountain. Probably not the best cure for my cold, and I did lag behind a bit, but it was totally worth it. The view from the mountain was incredible - I'll soon update a couple of photos! (Mom, you'll get so jealous!)

Tuesday, we started out with brain gym, and then we went to go talk to Melanie about going to the Rainbow House this afternoon. She introduced us to the children living there, and we'll be going today.

My break was spent trying to communicate with a fantastic 18-year old boy that suffers from autism. This was so fascinating, as he was so eager to show me how good he was at cleaning his cup after drinking his milk, and we went to say hi to the horse that lives in the center. He gave it some grass, and just standing there watching the horse and having a bit of company clearly made him so happy. It's so amazing that he can be such a glad person, especially considering that he and his siblings have a very difficult background.

In an hour, we'll be going to the Rainbow House!