Hey y’all!

It’s been a minute since we were all stomping away, making adobes for the greenhouse-to-be at
service in Chinchero. I’m sure everyone has re-acclimated to their own ways of living, but if
there’s one thing we’ll never tire of it’s Guillermo’s stuffed avocado or homemade ceviche.
Perhaps even some cuy? …or perhaps not.

Though it’s been some time since we all gathered in “el comedor” hunching over our plates at
7:30am, we still remember all that we accomplished as a community here in Peru. If nothing
else, we became a family bonded by our unique stories of self–stories that we know go far
beneath what’s seen on the surface. As a pack of fearless llama herders, we connected over
hours of trekking; what seemed like uphill both ways. As a united Team Adobe, we conquered
the other GLA group and claimed victory at a ruthless match of volleyball. As fill-in Godparents,
we entertained Luana for what seemed like hours on end. As makeshift choreographers, we
danced the night away to Echame La Culpa in perfect synchronization. And as townspeople, we
all had our share of acting as the Mafia ready to scheme our neighbors.

This family always had each member’s back through and through, whether it was taking pictures
at sunrise in Machu Picchu, or holding each other’s shoulders in a narrow pitch black cave at
sexy-woman (sacsayhuaman) just so we could all make it out unscathed. This family is one of
resilience, perseverance, understanding, empathy, and love. And this family is one that I hope
you all never forget.

Peace and chow for now,

Your leaders,
Brian, Sofia, and Ellen
P.S. never forget: #HUAHO.
P.P.S. Lily is so obviously the Mafia. Come on, guys.

 

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What up SSV Peru crew?! It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since you all took off from Ollantaytambo (try saying that 4 and a half times fast)! It still feels like yesterday that you all rolled into the Cusco airport – even though most of you were on the cancelled flight from Lima, we still managed to get everyone here on day 1

For such a short time period, we sure crammed in a lot of amazing experiences. From serving alongside our local friends to build a new weaving center for the Huilloc community in partnership with Awamaki, to trekking through what felt like all four seasons from Lares to Patacancha, to the pinnacle of the trip – Machu Picchu – we sure did a lot together. And though we have returned to our homes all over the U.S., we made friendships that we will remember forever – even a few unbreakable bromances. In fact, we meshed together more seamlessly than we’d have ever thought possible in such a short time! Even the local dogs seemed to know how awesome we are

You made an everlasting imprint on the community during your time here! The weaving center you helped construct made a TON of progress. This means that the women from the local community will soon have a place in Huilloc to store their materials and work on all their beautiful handmade textiles with more efficiency and organization! Reach out to Awamaki if you would like to see recent pictures! Many tourists will soon be able to come check out the weaving center, learn how the handmade goods are made, and enjoy hanging out in the community! The women, Awamaki, and their families will always be grateful for your help!

It seems impossible to narrow so many great times together, but to name a few of the best:
-Munching on brownies from Papa’s Bakery.
-Singing Happy Birthday and eating cake for breakfast during the Lares trek.
-Enjoying the 15 minutes of blissful stargazing when the clouds cleared at our 14,000 foot campsite.
-Appreciating the company of countless Peruvian pups and even a few kitties.
-River rafting down the Urubamba River.
-Sharing all our thoughts, hopes, and dreams in our mentor groups.

Thanks for all of the memories!

Grady and the whole SSV Peru Team

 

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SSV Squad 2018! It’s been a while, huh? I’m sure time has flown by, just like it did when we were all together in Ollantaytambo. Whether we were excavating humongous rocks at our service site, trekking amongst the striking Andes, laughing at the oddness of alpacas, or simply chilling at home base – the time passed super fast, and that’s the reason for this time capsule letter! Although it may seem like ages ago, the time we shared together and impacts we made are definitely worth taking a minute to remember.

You made an everlasting imprint on the community during your time in the Service in the Sacred Valley Program. The weaving center you helped construct made a TON of progress. This means that the women from the local community will soon have a place in Huilloc to store their materials and work on all their beautiful handmade textiles with more efficiency and organization. Reach out to Awamaki if you would like to see recent pictures. Many tourists will soon be able to come check out the weaving center, learn how the handmade goods are made, and enjoy hanging out in the community. The women, Awamaki, and their families will always be grateful for your help.

Let’s also not forget all the knowledge you gained on the trip and the time spent learning from both shamans, the local staff, and all the guides. I hope your newfound understanding continues to provide a different perspective on your life and what it means to have a community and happiness. When you think back on our trip together, there’s certainly a handful of fun (and hilarious) moments that come to mind first. We saw (and got selfies with) alpacas, llamas, chinchillas, and some other adorable animals in the wild. We trekked for days to summit Lares pass (over 14,000 feet!) and got some of the most epic photos of Machu Picchu. We shopped at local markets and explored several different ancient ruins sites. We went rafting and survived freezing waters and crazy fast rapids (though thanks to the showers we were already used to cold water). We had a traditional ceremony, authentic meals, went out for pizza and ice cream, and ate wayyyy too many snacks (or maybe just enough). We shared music, games, and tons of great stories. The mentors – Jack, Kelly, Brooke, Ariel, and Sheila loved being able to share these experiences with you guys! Thanks for all the hard work you did while you were here and thanks for making it so fun and memorable.

Some special moments from our trip:

– Learning how to use an Inca toilet
– Buying some colorful Alpaca swag
– Bonding with the local women while making some beautiful bracelets by hand
– Getting brownies at Papa´s bakery
– Hanging out with Pluto the dog, who managed to trek almost the whole way with us!
– Getting “Meet in the Middle” stuck in our heads (thanks Kelly)
– Surviving the climb up the steep mountain after eating a giant lunch on the first day of hiking!
– Sharing stories and getting to know each other during Mentor Groups
– Raquel and Rider teaching card games in the restaurant
– Seeing the mystical Machu Picchu soaked in rain
– Making chocolate with way too much honey and spice

Thanks for the memories!!

Ariel and the SSV Team

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

SSV Squad 2018! It’s been a while, huh? I’m sure time has flown by, just like it did when we were all together in Ollantaytambo. Whether we were crushing rocks at the service site, trekking amongst the striking Andes, laughing at the oddness of alpacas, or simply chilling at home base – the time passed super fast, and that’s the reason for this time capsule letter! Although it may seem like ages ago, the time we shared together and impacts we made are definitely worth taking a minute to remember.

You made an everlasting imprint on the community during your time in the Service in the Sacred Valley Program! The weaving center you helped construct made a TON of progress. This means that the women from the local community will soon have a place in Huilloc to store their materials and work on all their beautiful handmade textiles with more efficiency and organization! Reach out to Awamaki if you would like to see recent pictures! Many tourists will soon be able to come check out the weaving center, learn how the handmade goods are made, and enjoy hanging out in the community! The women, Awamaki, and their families will always be grateful for your help!

Let’s also not forget all the knowledge you gained on the trip and the time spent learning from the Quechua author, the shaman, the local staff, and all the guides. I hope your newfound understanding continues to provide a different perspective on your life and what it means to have a community and happiness! When you think back on our trip together, there’s certainly a handful of fun (and hilarious) moments that come to mind first. We saw (and got selfies with) alpacas, llamas, chinchillas, and some other adorable animals in the wild.

We trekked for days to summit Lares pass (over 14,000 feet!) and got some of the most epic photos of Machu Picchu. We shopped at local markets and explored several different ancient ruins sites. We went rafting and survived freezing waters and giant obstacles in the river (though thanks to the showers we were already used to cold water). We had a traditional ceremony, authentic meals, went out for pizza and ice cream, and ate wayyyy too many snacks (or maybe just enough). We shared music, games, and tons of great stories. The mentors – Jack, Kelly, Grady, Ariel, and Sheila loved being able to share these experiences with you guys! Thanks for all the hard work you did while you were here and thanks for making it so fun and memorable!

Some special moments from our trip:

– Playing ¨Song wars¨around the bonfire under the stars and breaking out the guitar and singing!
– Playing hacky sack with our trekking guides at the peak of our trek (and pretty much everywhere else, too)
– Bonding with our local work companions at the service site and our local athlete friends playing soccer between the surrounding mountains.
– Getting brownies at Papa´s bakery
– Hanging out with Russ the dog who trekked almost the whole way with us!
– Playing Mafia, B.S., and presidents during free time and on the train to Machu Picchu
– Surviving the climb up the steep mountain after eating a giant lunch on the first day of hiking!
– Saying ¨Full Send¨(Mentors are still confused what this means)
– Sharing stories and getting to know each other during Mentor Groups

Saludos!
Jack and the SSV Peru Team

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

SSV 2018 Session One! It’s hard to believe it’s already been so long since our trip in the Sacred Valley ended. You’re probably back to your usual routines— back in school (college for some!), sports, and the regular business of life back home, most likely sad that you aren’t eating potatoes with every single meal anymore. Hopefully you are enjoying and appreciating warm showers again! Whether we were making and passing (dropping?) bricks at service, trekking, or simply chilling at home base, the two weeks we spent together flew by! We hope you are still thinking about your time here and the impact it had both in the community and on each other, and hopefully you still think of this trip every time you hear The Middle come on the radio.

We started our week off by jumping right into community service work with Awamaki in the town of Patacancha. You’re missing those yellow lunches, aren’t you?? Though we didn’t get to see the finished product, the kitchen we helped build is complete now! We can be proud of the hard work we put in which will allow the women of the community to increase business through tours to their area. Tourists will be able to enjoy meals at the weaving center while learning more about the community of Patacancha, Awamaki, and how the woman weave their beautiful homemade goods.

In addition to service, we enjoyed many cultural activities including feeding llamas and alpacas, shopping at local markets, and traditional ceremonies. We ended our time together with the epic two-day Lares trek in the Andes and a day exploring Machu Picchu. Remember that amazing sunset from 14,000 feet at our campsite?! We also mastered the art of using Inca toilets. Larry and the rest of the dog squad made the trek even more enjoyable. It was challenging but felt so rewarding once we finished it. Some of us fell in streams while trekking, others of us fell off Machu Picchu. Never any dull moments!

Rafting down the Urubamba river, hiking the Lares trek, being enlightened by a Quechua author and Shaman, exploring ruins, hardcore parkour, a certain student shaving his eyebrows, and so many more memories were created in our two weeks together. We dove deeper in group activities and opened up with each other in mentor groups. You guys built an amazing, supportive community during your time together. We hope you all have taken the lessons you learned on this trip and applied them to your lives back home in meaningful ways. Thank you for your hard work, willingness to be open and vulnerable, and overall awesomeness.

Saludos!
Kelly and the SSV Peru Team

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.