I ate my childhood pet!

For those of you who don't know, when I was a little kid we had a pet guinea pig named Teak. He was the cutest, fluffiest orange and white ball of fur you ever did see. We called him Teaker Sneakers. In Cajamarca, people eat guinea pigs. It's called cuy. I would have never guessed that I would some day eat a relative of my pet Teak. I was a little hesitant at first at the restaurant on Saturday, but I did it! I ate it! The part I had was a leg. And the little nails are still attached and everything. It's actually really good! And yes, it really does taste just like chicken.

We spent most of Saturday up in the mountains (campo) talking to families with kids who have disabilities. Because they are in such a rural area, they don't have access to the medical attention they need. We are working with an amazing group called Camina Conmigo who runs the project. Right now, they are still just in the process of finding kids who need help, and documenting information on them and their needs. This group is going to do amazing things for so many people!

Up in the campo, they farm corn. And let me tell you, this corn is so yummy! It's huge! After we finished talking to one family, the mom brought us a bowl of freshly cooked, steaming hot corn kernels. Those things were so juicy and good! I took a picture just to prove how big they are.

After we got back from the campo, we decided to go the hot springs in Banos del Inca. They were amazing! You basically fill up a big bathtub with the hot water in a little room. You have thirty minutes to chill in there. And since we don't really have hot water at the house, we all brought our shampoo and conditioner, etc. so that way we could wash with hot water. It was so nice! I've never really appreciated having simple things like hot running water before. 

There are a lot of things that I appreciate so much more now. For instance, we are all just sleeping on mattresses on the floor. And to go to the bathroom here, you can do your business in the toilet, but you can't flush toilet paper or it will clog the pipes. So you have to throw that away seperately. Everything is really simple and basic here. It makes me realize just how blessed I am to live in America. But that being said, I wouldn't trade my time here in Peru for anything! I just love being here. I'm not sure that six weeks is long enough. I guess I will just have to work my hardest and enjoy it that much more!