After another ridiculously early night (it’s becoming a habit, the children literally exhaust us!) we woke up this morning at 7.30 – half an hour extra in bed since we’ve now mastered the bus and so it only takes us about 25 minutes to get to Ccorao. This morning when we arrived at the school the teachers weren’t there yet so we spent the beginning of the day playing with the children in their playground before the director arrived and it was time to sing songs in a circle. As well as a Peruvian national
Anthem, each main city in Peru has it’s own hymn and the children in our kinder sing the one related to cusco, their nearest city. It’s called Cusco Cusco and Juliet and I are determined to learn the words, they all absolutely love it, scream it so loud when it’s time to sing it and all took it in turns singing it to me at break time so I could video them.
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Juliet and I also sang the children “Old Macdonald had a farm” a song that the teachers want the children to learn. We taught them the first line today and will teach them another every day.
After a morning in the class room drawing different size ducks inside and outside of lakes, one of the little boys, Pablo (the one on our right in the video), decided to thank me for all my help and tell me that he dreams of visiting England. All of the other children agreed and Pablo said his mum also dreams of England too, and after telling him that he is welcome to come and visit me in England, he kissed me on the cheek and told me he loved me! (In Peru when you are close acquainted with someone the way to greet them is a kiss on the right cheek.) The youngest boy in the class (4 years old) who I was helping to draw ducks then told me my hair was beautiful and also kissed me, as did all the children in the class one at a time it was so sweet!
Break time was filled with fun and games, lots of photos and more singing of Cusco Cusco (Juliet and I are so determined to learn it!)

After break time it was back to class and this time I was helping out with the youngest class, full of three year olds. They had pictures of the morning routine in the wrong order and we’re spending the rest of the day cutting them out and sticking them down in the right order. A little girl called Caroline, who every morning cries because she wants her mum and who doesn’t speak, also doesn’t know how to use scissors. I helped her to do her work, literally cutting the paper with her by putting her tiny fingers in the scissors and opening and shutting them for her. Every time a photo was cut out her whole face lit up and she gave me the biggest grin – this is the first time I’ve seen her not cry, let alone smile! When her work was finally done, we stuck down the pictures together, using our fingers to paste the glue and when her work was complete she was so so happy! It was such a nice feeling to have helped her and when I asked how she was, she even answered me with BIEN!, such an achievement.
I then went around the class stamping Excellente! with a teddy bear on all of their work, and made the mistake of leaving the stamp on the side, where the terror Daniel got hold of it and stamped Excellente! all over the walls… Whoops!
Juliet and I both left the kinder feeling very happy today, even though once again we were absolutely exhausted, covered in hay, grass, ink and the children’s food!
A bus pulled up just as we arrived at the bus stop, heaving with people and so we stood, crammed and hot, the whole way down the windy mountain roads back to Cusco. After lunch we stopped at the post office to send our postcards (everyone be excited to receive yours!) before heading to Spanish school for our lessons. I spent mine teaching my teacher all about English culture, the royal family (which he couldn’t get his head around) and the national anthem – which he found hilarious because it’s only about the queen and not the people?! I don’t think he realises just how much the English love the queen…
Once again this evening Juliet and I are back in our usual cafe, Basilico for our evening sandwich or empañada before heading back to the house… Probably for another early night, we’re exhausted again!