This morning we visited three non-government organizations (NGOs) to see which we would want to volunteer at for Wednesday and Thursday. The first one, AyniWasi, was about helping women in rural communities, not as privileged, learn about their body and health. They help educate women leaders from remote communities on basic first-aid and wilderness medicine in Quechua. The women then teach these practices to their communities. Today, we did two activities. In one activity, we drew on people's back in a line, like the game telephone, to represent communication without talking and the language barrier. In other activity, we discussed privilege and discussed which privilege was most important. The group decided that to have easy access to clean drinking water is the most important privilege because it is really important always to be able to access healthy water. At this NGO, we would learn wilderness medicine and then visit a community to share knowledge and practice. The second NGO was Awamaki. We learned that they help people build their brand and do business through a co-operative system. The local communities create yarn, knit, and sew many items such as scarves, sweaters, bags, and stuffed animals. They also help them learn about quality control, taxes, and other elements of a business. At this NGO, we would help with the inventory, entertainment space, and yarn. The last NGO was the Kuska School. We learned how kids learn different languages (English, Spanish, and Quechua), and the school is focused on the whole child. The buildings were more spread out, and they have animals and gardens. The director believes the kids should spend more time outside with hands-on projects and movement. At this NGO, we would help in the students' English classes and build a bike rack. In between the site visits, we played a game called Minefield. In partners, one person had to walk blindfolded through a maze without touching the obstacles or rope. The person leading had to speak in Quechua or Spanish and could not touch the walker. Kate and Cenaiya were the first ones to accomplish the challenge in Quechua! Overall, it was a fun activity guessing and learning new words, but it was also difficult not knowing where to go at times. This afternoon, we drove to the town of Urubamba and saw a traditional dance festival called "Festidanza." It was a dance competition from different schools in the area. We saw children from ages four to six dancing. They were dressed in various costumes of the area and did traditional dances based on regions of the Sacred Valley. We were inside a big stadium, and the spectators were also dressed in more traditional attire. One thing that was similar to USA sports events was that there were vendors selling food and drinks. Adela, our country host, bought us all popcorn. It was delicious! On the way back, there were a lot of motorcars on the road from all the people traveling into Urubamba. It was most likely from those who were going to see the competition. Cenaiya's homestay -- My homestay is good. On the first day, I switched homestays because of the dietary restrictions of another student. Now, my homestay is with an 11-year-old named Sebastian and his grandmother, who is Adela's mom. I've met a lot of their family because they stop by. They also have a cat, and I'm pretty sure his name is Thomas. My homestay makes really good and healthy food. I've liked trying new foods and opening my mind up to more things since, at home, I am picky. After a meal, we play with Sebastian and have fun. Cenaiya's message -- Hey family! I miss you guys, and I can't wait to see you when I get back. Te-he. Love you! Kate's homestay -- Once we got back, my homestay group and I walked to my homestay and played some games and watched Spanish TV. My homestay mom made soup with pasta. It was really good! After we ate dinner, we drank mint tea. We always drink mint tea because having something hot is better to drink than cold. It's good for digestion. After we ate, we play games of slapjack, Uno, or Jenga. My homestay family is always welcoming, and the mom is sweet. If one of us doesn't feel well, she is very loving and comforting. Kate's message -- Hi family, I miss you, and I love you! PS - Tomorrow's leaders are Riley and Abbi.
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We had an early start in the morning because we had to be at Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley), a middle and high school located in Urubamba. At Valle Sagrado, we saw differences in the school's culture compared to SMA. They had longer classes, the students did not leave the classroom, and when the subjects switched, the teachers would switch classrooms. I think it would be hard to focus for two hours. One of the highlights of the day was playing soccer and other games with the local students. I think a lot of us underestimated the skills of the local students. They were pretty good! But we also had some close matches. Then we mixed teams with the locals and had some really fun games. After we played, we were all hungry because we usually have lunch at an earlier time. When we finally got to eat, it was a delicious meal of rice, chicken, and vegetables. This afternoon, the group went to Pancho's, the local basket weaver's house. We made baskets as a group that we will be taking home to Denver. I thought it was a fantastic experience to see how much work is put into making a basket that we would see at a store. The process is longer than you might expect, totaling four days. First, Pancho hikes for three hours to get to the place where he thinks the best branches are for basketweaving. And then he spends about an hour and a half collecting the sticks that he thinks are the best for the job. Then he hikes two hours back down. The next day, he spends the entire day cleaning the sticks. After that, he spends the whole day sorting sticks by their size and thickness. He spends the fourth day making the baskets. When we arrived today, he had already made all the basket bases for us, the hardest part. We made the rest of the baskets. We learned two weaving patterns, one for height and the other for the crown at the top. For future years, it would be cool to see how they make the base. When we finished them, we all felt very accomplished and tired. Lucas's homestay -- It is very different because what I've noticed that most of the meals are at certain times of the day, and you can't eat whenever you want. Some days you might have lunch at eleven, and other days you might have lunch at three. There isn't much snacking. The meals are a lot different than in the US because there are a lot more vegetables and healthy foods. There aren't as many foods that are artificial or processed. I think the food is delicious. I think the family has been pretty welcoming to all of us. Lucas's message -- I miss my family, some of my school friends, and sports. Nate's homestay -- My homestay family is very understanding that I don't speak much Spanish and don't always understand many of the words. The meals are 20 times better than I expected. All the meals have been pretty awesome! We play games. My homestay little sister likes to pick on me and annoy me, but it's in a fun and sweet way. Overall, the experience in Peru has been better than I expected because I didn't think that I was going to like the culture and meals. It is different in a really good way. Nate's message -- Hey family, I don't know how to say this without being bossy, but I would like homemade Mac & Cheese for dinner and french toast and sausages for breakfast, and I really love you. PS - Tomorrow's leaders are Kate and Cenaiya. At breakfast today, our hotel prepared a special Sunday treat of chocolate pancakes. This gave us the energy to explore the Ollantaytambo ruins. When we got there, we met our tour guide; she was very nice. She took us on the route through the ruins - so many steps! We climbed the stairs next to the terraces. The front terraces were for decoration because at the top is the temple of the sun and moon. The Incas wanted to make it a beautiful place for their spiritual space. Mainly, the tour guide explained how the different walls. Some were made of stones, almost like legos. The way they fit allows them to never fall apart, even with earthquakes. She said that this system is only found in Incan ruins. Across from us, we saw a mountain with a face. It is believed that Incas carved the face. It looks like the image of a god carrying the buildings on the hill. Fun fact: Incas did not have beards, but the image of the god had a beard. The buildings in the mountain store food. It's so interesting how they figured out to get the wind trapped to keep the food "fresh." Our guide showed us a potato that was four years old, and it's still edible! Then we went down the steps, and we saw alpacas. They almost look the same as llamas; it's still hard for us to tell them apart! They were more energetic than llamas. The last thing we saw was the sacred fountains. One was for fertility, and the second helped with the Incan calendar.
Once we finished the tour of the Temple of the Sun, we all went to our homestays for lunch. For our afternoon activity, we did a scavenger hunt called a "chasqui" challenge. We split up into three groups. We were given the challenges and a map. At the starting line, we were taped together and had to race to Randall, our WLS guide, without ripping the tape. The first team to get to him would get the first choice for challenges. We had five challenges to complete, and they were all through the town: making empanadas, catching guinea pigs, making the base of dream catchers out of fresh branches, playing Incan music, and dancing traditional Incan dances. It was so much fun! We learned so much, and we connected with the people and their culture. We all got light-headed from playing the wind instruments because we are already at a pretty high altitude. But it was so funny seeing everyone try their best. My group, Sara's, finished last, but it was still so much fun! David's homestay -- Surprising! It looks so much different than how I had imagined it. Half their house is outside, and all of my house is inside, apart from the backyard. The kitchen is a lot smaller. They spend their entire family time in this one little space, and yet the family is so happy. Sebastian is so happy all the time! He doesn't seem to get upset if something doesn't go his way. The grandma is the head of the house. I was very surprised when she wrapped her arm in mine to walk with me. She is very kind. When I was a little sick, she brought blankets and pillows out and took care of me. She completely understood me. David's message -- Love you mom and dad. I am having a lot of un! By the way, Dad, we are eating guinea pig. Sara's homestay -- Tonight for dinner, my family had pasta. It was different from the pasta we eat at home because they make their own sauce instead of buying it from the store. My family is so sweet; the mom is so giving and open. The daughter is so funny and into everything we do. Today, my homestay mom gave me a necklace. Something that I have noticed is that in America, we are not as open and generous as they are in Peru. In Peru, people live in the moment, and in America, we plan ahead and don't always live in the moment. Sara's message -- Happy birthday, mom. I hope you guys have fun in Colombia! Tell everyone I say, HI! PS - Tomorrow's leaders are Nate and Lucas! Hola from Peru! So far, our trip has been pretty amazing! We’ve helped at the school, met our homestay families, and had some fantastic food. The kids at the school were super sweet, and we made crafts with them. Our homestay families accepted us with open arms and fed us some delicious Peruvian meals. Today, we visited Machu Picchu, which was full of great history and beautiful sights. All the ruins had a meaning and were so full of purpose, which was quite cool. Anyways, I know we will have a great trip, and I can’t wait to keep going. I love and miss you, family! -Lauren Hola. As Lauren said, the trip has been amazing, and so has the food. So far, the best part of the trip has been Machu Picchu, the ancient ruins that we had the chance to learn and explore earlier today. I am incredibly excited to see what will happen next. I miss you, family. -Jaye PS David and Sara will be updating the blog tomorrow :) After our morning adventures, we headed back to the hotel to meet our home stay families. Students practiced important phrases and greetings to make sure they got off on the right foot. Their home stay families greeted them with warm hugs and delicious lunches!
Once students returned from their first lunch at "home," we headed to a local healer's home for the Despacho ceremony. Students learned the Quechua word for Mother Earth, Pachamama. They learned the cultural and spiritual roots of this tradition -- honoring the earth and setting intentions for the space. To close, students celebrated with a dance! Before dinner, students had a chance to exchange money in preparation for Machu Picchu tomorrow. Then they hurried off to their home stays for their second meal. When we met back at the hotel, many shared smiles and stories of delicious meals. We closed the evening with our nightly circle conversation. PS - Given our WiFi connection, we will be posting a handful of snapshots from each day. But we have SEVERAL more pictures we look forward to sharing once we return. PPS - Lauren and Jaye will kick off the student blog tomorrow evening! YAY! -Ms. Garcia and Ms. Fernandez Last night, we walked through the town and had a delicious dinner with the group. We had quinoa soup, potatoes, yucca, rice, chicken, and lots of fresh veggies. We were also treated to Inca Kola!
This morning, we had breakfast and walked to the local school in Ollantaytambo, called Manco Inca. We played some fun games. Next, we will be working with a group of 6th-grade students to create art projects for their classrooms. The art projects will help support the school and the community. Using primarily recycled materials, the students created caterpillars, cars, and other toys for the kindergarten classrooms. SMA and local students worked together to create lamps for the students to take home to their families. After working hard for a couple of hours, we took a break for an epic soccer game! Hello family and friends of the SMA Peru program,
The group landed safely in Cusco, met up with their WLS instructors, and are now headed to Ollantaytambo! They will stop in nearby Urubamba on the way for lunch. Everyone is in great spirits and excited for the adventures to come. The group will update the blog when they get internet access. In the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out to the WLS office at 303-679-3412 with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your trust and support, The WLS team We landed in Lima, and everyone made it through immigration and customs smoothly! We are now having a quick breakfast before our final flight to Cusco.
We are in Dallas! Eating dinner now and then will board our next flight. Next up Lima, Peru. Everyone is happy and excited, especially since we found the jack pot of Charleston Chew!
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