7/5/2015
“Everyone arrived safely today! Group pic coming once our final two students Mountain and Thibaut arrive tomorrow morning. Looking forward to having the whole group here!”
-International Director, Julia
New Photo:
7/7/2015
Hi families! On the service site there were lots of job opportunities. Students got to pick their first job (they will rotate each week). The site is called Q’ewar. It’s a project where women and men have job opportunities and children can go to school. On Tuesday we went to an Incan building, where we learned about architecture and their way of life. Then, as part of our Spanish immersion, we went to a market to gather ingredients for lunch. We went to Carmen’s house and learned to make traditional Peruvian cuisine.
It was a packed day, full of Spanish and food! ‘Till next time, GLA.
-Written by Lyra and Maggie
7/8/2015
The GLA group has their first day of work at the Q’ewar project! Some worked with the Peruvian preschoolers, some knitted, some stuffed dolls to sell for the project, and others trekked up the mountain to carry wheat on their shoulders back down to Q’ewar; that wheat will be turned into bread!
Tired and accomplished, everyone headed back to home base for a more restful afternoon, which included discussions about technology, Spanish classes, and a bonfire to cap the night, featuring some of the group’s talented singers and guitar players! Tomorrow, the group returns to Q’ewar; meanwhile, they rest.
-Ben G., Aaron, and Ethan.
7/10/2015
Today we continued our service at Q’ewar. Dolls were made and wheat was picked. We discussed stereotypes and the work we’re doing in Peru.
In the afternoon, we went to the plaza and listed to authentic Andean music. We then reflected on cultural perceptions to finish the day.
-Alex, Lia, and Benjy
7/11/2015
Wake up at 7:10 and as usual, off to Q’ewar. Dekerneling the corn, beating the wheat, sewing dolls… Whatever it was people chose to do, everyone had a place in the project. A delicious meal of stuffed potatoes preceded an insightful talk about privileges in the afternoon. At 4:30, students did not have an ordinary class of Spanish. The teachers organized games of bingo, scavenger hunts and others to motivate students to use their Spanish. Everyone went to bed looking forward to the bike ride.
– Sebran, Griffin and Sophie
7/12/2015
Today we went on a 12k bike ride, that’s 7.5 miles for all the Americans. Through much sweat and determination (mostly sweat) we saw 4 lakes, all of which were documented with numerous selfies. After we came home, most of us burned our mouths with the stuffed chili peppers served for lunch. We were planning on going to the internet cafe in the afternoon, but since the internet wasn’t working we had a lot of free time. Some of us went to a local soccer game and after it was over we also played a game against the local residents. Though we fought valiantly, the score ended at 3-0 with the Peruvians winning. Afterwards, most of us relaxed and ate our dinner. Though or calves are all sore, the long day was definitely worth it.
– Hansa and Yasmin
7/14/2015
Today’s activities we amazing! We started off the day with another wonderful breakfast. After breakfast we packed our bags and jumped on a bus to Pisac, which was an hour away. There were got to hike around an ancient village at the top of a mountain. Our tour guides taught us all about the history of the city. It was amazing to see all the architecture that went into building the homes and walls. Then we got to go to the market where we bought many things. After the market we went to an alpaca and llama zoo. We had a great time feeding and petting them. Then we hopped back onto the bus and went to another historical site. After all the adventures we hopped back onto the bus and went back to home base, where we await another great day of discoveries.
– Asher
– Asher
7/24/2015
This last week went by so fast. We spent the weekend in Aguas Calientes and experienced hoy springs and hot showers. We also explored the city of Machu Picchu and some of us took the opportunity to hike up to the sun gate for an amazing view. On Tuesday we watched and learned traditional Andean dance. Thursday, we drove two hours to whitewater raft on the Urubamba river, and spent the afternoon doing last minute shopping at Pisac. On Friday we spent our final morning at Q’ewar, taking pictures and saying goodbye to the women. That night we did an activity to show the amazing connections we made over the last 3 weeks.
-Emily
-Emily
