A Random Act of Kindness

     On the last Thursday we spent in Cusco, we had the pleasure of taking a chocolate class where we were able to learn about the process of how chocolate is made, the different ingredients you can put into it, as well as the cultural and health benefits of it. After the class, we had a brief break during which we ate while the chocolate solidified a fridge. A few of us decided to choose McDonalds as a quick, cheap solution to our hunger and while we were waiting in line Paloma decided to help out a local. There was a boy selling keychains outside of the McDonalds that all of us except Paloma walked by without a second glance. There are of many people along the street selling items that we do not need or want, so we do not always stop to think. She took the initiative to ask the young boy, who reminded her of her little brother, of about 5 or 6 years old if he was hungry, and when he responded yes she offered to buy him a quick meal. This resulted in our dinner being accompanied by John Marco. The young boy enjoys Regae music, knows more about U.S. geography than most of us would know about his home country, and encouraged us to speak spanish. What was a seemingly simple act helped the rest of us leave our comfort zone and engage with a boy we would only have the chance to while in Cusco. All of us agreed that it was a very considerate, unselfish random act of kindness that we hope to mimic sometime in the near future.

To roughly quote Paloma,

"I mean, I could have bought one of his keychains, but that isn't going to change much. A meal has a much bigger impact on him."