Dear GLA Service through the Lens Students,

We can’t believe it has already been so long since we were all together in Chinchero! We hope that everyone had a great end of summer and has been thinking about our time in Peru throughout the past few months.

The primary school we worked with moved to the new building nearby and the students are excited to be settling in. They still ask for “los estudiantes de los estados unidos” (the American students) and love looking through their yearbooks. We also hope that you guys are still practicing all of the awesome photography skills you learned from Diego. Here’s hoping most of you are using manual mode now!

We hope that you are all in good health and enjoying a normal altitude! The Chinchero clinic does not see as much business these days, that’s for sure. But you probably miss the food as much as we do. Churros and empanadas just aren’t the same in the US, right?

We really enjoyed working with you guys and hope that you returned home with new leadership and photography skills, and have been able to reflect on the unique cultural experiences we all had in Peru.
Reunion in Qenqo??

Jenna, Susan & Walter

 

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Dear GLA Service through the Lens Students,

We can’t believe it has already been so long since we were all together in Chinchero! We hope that everyone had a great end of summer and has been thinking about our time in Peru throughout the past few months. It was definitely a great two weeks with a ton of awesome memories!

The students at the school love to look through their yearbooks and have moved into the new school. They love spending recess in the garden with all of the fun “animals” made of tires that we moved and painted. They still ask for “los estudiantes de los Estados Unidos” (the American students) and look back on our fun soccer matches and other games with fond memories.

We hope that you are all using your photography skills you learned from Diego! From taking photos of the stars in Qenqo to visiting sites around Chinchero, all of your photos were beautiful! Speaking of Chinchero, rumor has it the town has officially changed its name to ChinCHURRO?! Just kidding, but GLA Peru staff sure dreams of those doughnut churros every day and we bet you guys do too.

Overall, we really enjoyed working with you guys and hope that you returned home with new leadership and photography skills, and have been able to reflect on the unique cultural experiences we all had in Peru. You were a fantastic group and there was never a dull moment!
Anyone interested in a Qenqo reunion for another intense card tournament? See you there!

Jenna, Susan, Walter, and Grady

 

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Hey there GLA Alumni!

We hope the rest of your summers were as exciting as your time in Peru and that you’re enjoying being back at school. Here are some memories to reflect on, just don’t day dream too much!

First off, there was the day we went white water rafting together. When we arrived we found one of our river guides pinned underneath a sedan and the other sitting on the side of the road with a broken leg. Mentor Scott “went to work” and used his EMT skills while everyone waited on the bus. We then had a very ‘warm’ rafting experience.

Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the trip was when we came over the mountain pass on the Soqma trek. It was literally breathtaking. There were tears shed and dropped jaws all around as we took in the astounding beauty of the snow capped Andean peaks. Oh yeah, and we took loads of jumping/floating/heel click pictures, for the win!

There was the less than pleasant day when all of Cusco was shrouded in a cloud. That was when we went to the Saqsaywaman ruins and everyone was freezing.

And Tetherball! Well, more like a “sock-filled-with-sand ball”. And even though you all were obsessed with vines, we still somehow managed to get some hemoglobin tests done. A lot of them, actually. You all took more than 200 hemoglobin tests over the three weeks, getting hands on with real patients.

Overall, we had an amazing time together. There were challenges, but we had a ton of fun too. From hiking, to rafting, from hemoglobin campaigns, to tetherball, the trip was full on. You all grew so much. You learned about different cultures, languages and foods. You took blood pressures and hemoglobin tests! In the end, you proved to us mentors that you’re going to do amazing things in this life. So, keep up the hard work, keep on learning and keep on enjoying life! You are awesome!

Love,
Scott, Adrienne, Ana, Caitlin, and all your friends in Peru

 

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Hola GLA Alumni!

I hope this message finds you all in good spirits. By now, you are all probably back in the swing of school— reconnecting with friends, fighting deadlines, and engaging in your extracurriculars!

From this vantage point, it must be hard to believe that just a few weeks ago you were in the Sacred Valley of Perú, doing public health service work alongside 23 other rad and inspired young adults.

Remember that first day when you arrived in Cusco? Despite initial nerves, high altitude, many flight delays, and an entirely new environment, you all hit the ground running and you never stopped.

Remember our first full day together when you all made k’incus of coca to express our intentions to Pachamama? Yep, by then we knew you all were going to be a really cool group to work with, and boy, did you all exceed our expectations or what!?

We got to have so much fun together— from rafting (and splashing) down the Urubamba river, to bargaining in the Pisac market, to the highs of the Lares trek (14,200 feet), and of course, the grandeur of Machu Picchu!

We also got a lot of work done: Together we restored the Taray clinic to be a beautiful and welcoming building that will serve Taray patients for years to come. Not to mention, the hemoglobin campaign! Between our service at the school in San Salvador and the Pisac clinic, we served 174 people! Our work directly affected the patients we served, and additionally our collected data will go to support long-term research on anemia in the Sacred Valley. As evidenced by our clinic inauguration in Taray on the last day of the program, the fruits of our labor have already begun to be reaped.

Time and again, you all struck us by your energy, engagement and commitment to public health and to making our world a better place. You all are such bright and inspiring young individuals, and we feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with you this summer.

We hope that you all are totally “sending it” in whatever you do, and that you know that you can count on us as your supports and advocates, from near or far.

With big hugs and admiration,

Caitlin, Scott, Brooke and Adrienne

 

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Hola Estudiantes de GLA!

It has been a few months since you overcame flight delays and came to spend 2 weeks with us at Villa Magica in Peru! Below are some memories that we wanted to highlight from your time with us.

To start, the sickness…oh the sickness. It became a theme of your trip. You all persevered and overcame this obstacle to complete a trek over 14,600 foot passes and finish in Aguas Calientes. The reward was Machu Picchu and oh it was glorious to come to understand this relic from Peruvian culture. If we only knew that Emma throwing up on one of the mentors would be the premonition of days to come.

Scott’s beard….the thing that brought you all together. That and discovering Nature Valley bars in Sophia’s market. Thus the snack train began and kept on chugging forward to fuel your many accomplishments.

Rafting and ziplining was a new thing for many of you. While some of you were anxious about it, it didn’t phase you once you loaded your boat. You all paddled like maniacs, had a blast and overcame some fears and anxieties. Bonus was seeing the giant hummingbirds buzzing about as we floated through the valley beneath the steep snow capped mountains.

The work you all did with the American doctors, Tim, Savannah and the Promise to Peru medical campaign. You were able to connect and help 200 patients! You challenged your pantomime skills by interacting with people who only spoke quechua. The impact you all had was so great and will be remembered by the local people and the skilled professionals running the campaigns. Chris…the pharmacist. I hope to see him behind a counter with a white coat someday realizing his full potential as a pharmacist.

Here’s what a few of you had to say was the highlight of your trip:

“My favorite memory from Peru was when we went white water rafting. I had never been before, and I was a little nervous, but after the first rapid I was in love! The view from the boat was so beautiful! My group wouldn’t settle with anything but first place, so we paddled the whole time, but it was so fun! We did end up winning, just for the record, and it was an amazing experience!”

“This trip was life changing. After working in the communities, I loved seeing how people interacted and lived here in Peru. I loved the days we spent at Ollantaytambo helping the American Doctors in a pop-up health clinic. This was the most eye-opening experience where I had a the most contact with the natives here in Peru. Ultimately, I’m excited to go home but the lessons I’ve learned on this trip from respecting cultures to the importance of Spanish will follow me for the rest of my life.”

Lastly I want to give a shout out to the early morning motivated ladies that braved the hills and mountainsides of lamay to witness the sunrise in the sacred valley. Thank you for your enthusiasm to stay fit!

Thank you for all of the memories and inspiration to keep exploring , asking questions and making a difference in the US and abroad now and in the future.

Adrienne, Scott, Ana and Caitlin, your mentors and friends in Peru!

 

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