I have arrived in Cusco!!

I have arrived to Cusco, Peru safely and have been here a week exactly today!  It is absolutely beautiful here with the mountains surrounding the entire town!  I don't know where to begin...   Well, I stayed at the Powlison's home for the first 5 days here.  They are the team leaders of the MTW team here and they live out in the country down a long dirt road.  This is me standing out on the dirt road that leads to their house from the town.  It is a beautiful walk and a great place to go mountain biking!!

The first picture is a picture of the street that my apartment is on to the left.  I am living with a medical intern who is here for 2 more weeks and a Peruvian girl who is in school.  It will be great living with her and using my spanish!  We killed a rat last night using a trap in the kitchen.... guess that was my welcome to the apartment present! :)  It is a great location b/c it is right up the street from the clinic and the church and also the market where you can buy tons of fruits and vegetables.  

Since I have been here I have been trying to get adjusted to the new way of life here, the new people, culture, food, altitude.  It is quite an adjustment here, but I know I will be learning TONS about the very poor people and their way of living and myself.  I really want to serve these people while I am here in any way possible.

I have met the only known cello teacher here who is so excited to have another cellist on board and I will meet the symphony conductor tonight.  We are in process of ordering my cello from Lima so that I can help teach cello lessons and help with the chamber orchestra here.  It was so touching to sit in on a group cello lesson a few days ago and hear the cello being played by these poor Peruvian children.... even though we are so different than the people here, hearing them play the cello is the common bond we share through music.  It brought tears to my eyes...  I am really looking forward to teaching cello in Spanish here, although the names of the notes are all different here. I will have to re-learn all of them... They use do re mi for the notes instead of the actual notes!  Confusing!

I have been to the orphanage, La Casa Josefina where I will be working as well and played with the children and babies there.  They are so precious and I love them already!!  There are a few with mental disabilities who are so precious.  I am looking forward to spending more time with these precious babies and helping to take care of them.  The picture below is after playing soccer with a bunch of the boys from the other orphanage up the street, The Institute.  They get together on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons which I am  really looking forward to getting to know them better and playing soccer with them!

I am learning so much already.  I know I can not do this on my own here.  It is God's strength and not my own and I am trusting him to provide that for me each day.  Thank you all so much for your prayers!  I will try to update more frequently.  Miss you all!!