6/15/2015

Participants are finally arriving and all of us here at GLA Bali could not be more excited! We are still waiting on three more participants who will be arriving either late tonight or during the day tomorrow, but here’s everyone so far!

 

6/16/2015

Everyone has arrived and GLA Bali has started in earnest! Today we all got an intro to Bali and Balinese culture, before setting off on a 4 hour scavenger hunt around Ubud! We met and interviewed interesting people, learned about the culture, tried some new foods and so much more! After dinner, GLA Bali attended a Kecak dance (fire dance), pictured below – it was out of this world!

 

6/17/2015

The day started off with our group meeting at 6:30am for breakfast. Our plan was to visit the early morning market, which opens at around 4am and closes at 9am, when it turns into a tourist market. Vendors here sell fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, spices and offerings, and Balinese people, mainly the women, do their daily grocery shopping here in the morning. We got to try delicious fruits and traditional Balinese breakfast dishes, such as a Pisa Goreng (a fried banana). It was very nice to see locals doing their grocery shopping to get a real feeling of what their everyday lives look like. After the market, we drove to beautiful rice paddies and took a walk along these gorgeous fields. Rice – of course is one of the main ingredients for Balinese dishes, however, the Balinese people do not actually eat the rice they grow and harvest for months – they eat imported rice due to a cheaper price.

Next on our program was visiting the Tirta Empul Water Temple, which is a Hindu temple that is visited everyday by devotees of Hindu to fulfill their rituals. We even got the chance to experience such a prayer ourselves, and we participated in one of their praying ceremonies. In the temple, we had to wear our Sarang and Sash, which is traditional Balinese clothing. It was a very unique experience that gave us an insight of Hindu rituals and their religion and beliefs.

After visiting the temple, we had a hour-long car drive ahead of us – to Kintamani, which is a popular tourist destination as it provides a wonderful view of the volcano Mount Batur as well as Lake Batur, which is the biggest lake in Bali. Here we had lunch at a delicious restaurant, and we ate traditional Indonesian food along with the best view of the volcano that you could ever imagine.
On the car ride home, we were all tired and many of us took the opportunity to take a nap in the car. Back at the homestay, one of our mentors Agung gave us our first language course in Indonesian and so we learned how to say Good Morning (Selamat Pagi) or Thank you ( Terima Kasih).

We ended the day with a reflection upon what we did and saw today. It was a very interesting experience to see Balinese interact with each other at the market and the temple, and of course the food we had today was amazing as well.

– Alanis

 

6/18/2015

Today we started with a discussion about global citizenship and our own roles in the communities we inhabit- local, national, and global. We talked about a multitude of issues that impact people all over the world, and explored our own perspectives on them to work towards the betterment of the entire global community.

Later, after a lunch of nasi campur (rice with many different sides), we dawned our sarongs and headed to the local banjar (community center) for lessons in traditional Balinese cultural activities. First we worked on our skills in Gamelan music and with Bapak’s conducting, we learned a song commonly played in Balinese ceremonies and could almost play it in nine-part harmony. Next up was Legong dance, where we practiced our coordination to move hips, feet, head and eyes all at the same time without letting our elbows drop. Then we learned to make two kinds of traditional offerings by bending bamboo peels and sealing them with stick pins. The products were filled with a plethora of multi-colored flowers and sweet smelling grass. Our final banjar activity was woodcarving where we were presented with wooden plaques of our names to finish using mallets, metal picks and sandpaper.

To round out the day we dressed in our finest Bali gear and drove to the Palace of Peliatan for an inside tour and dinner with Prince Cok Agung. We got to sit down for a humble conversation with the Prince in the private Palace temple over a wide range of topics from tourism to culture to food delicacies before we enjoyed a lovely dinner prepared by his Palace kitchen staff.

Finally, our evening closed with a spontaneous visit to the banjar to watch the Gamelan musicians rehearse for their performance in an upcoming ceremony.

– Taylor

 

6/18/2015

Hey all! This short video that I made will allow you to take a look at a few of the things we got to see today. We first drove to Bedugul to see Lake Bratan and the Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. We then drove to Singaraja, where we’ll be staying for 10 days for English camp.

-Grace

Download Video: Bali Video

6/20/2015

The Beginning of the End

Coral is beautiful unless it’s sharp and positioned so well that it makes a perfect cut on your foot. That’s right. I got a cut on my foot while we were at the beach in Lovina. The locals rushed to my help with tissue to absorb the bleeding and herb to disinfect the wound. Thankfully, one of the GLA counselors brought first aid kit. The cut was nothing too serious. This was at the end so let me start from the beginning.

The Beginning of the Beginning

The first day of school, or camp should I say, is always nerve-racking. Will the kids like me? Will they have fun? We arrived to the school in Lovina early in the morning and the students were already buzzing with excitement. The students became fortunetellers in art, sharks in games, and color hunters in class.

The End of the Beginning

By lunchtime, our camp was over, the students left, and we boxed lunches at the school. Then we went back to the dormitory to relax before going to the beach.

The Middle of the End

Once my cut was taken care of and we finally were able to evade the swarm of craft sellers on the beach, we rode spider boats out into the ocean. The sunset was beautiful and the horizon looked like pink fluffy cotton candy. We took and a lot of great pictures in the middle of the ocean and we even tried to take one under water. That pictured turned out blurry but it was worth a shot.

The End of the End

Back at the beach, we had dinner at the beachside restaurants while the craft sellers anxiously watched us. If you make eye contact with any one of them, they will try and lure you with their “cheap prices” and “good deals.” Good thing we had some experience in bargaining or else the craft sellers would essentially be robbing us in a fair way. We ended our beach trip with a sing-a-long. We are hoping that the counselors will take us to a karaoke place. Fingers crossed!

– David

 

6/21/2015

Today was our second day working at the school in Lovina. Everyone rotated roles. Grace, DJ, and Sawyer were outside; Taylor and Mishta were in the art room, and Alanis and Declan were teaching inside the classroom. Today’s topic was animals. After teaching we all went back to the dorms and took a break. After the break we were taught the foods in Bahasa because that’s going to be the topic for tomorrow. As soon as we were all finished preparing and learning for tomorrow’s classes, Ryan got a few of us to play soccer behind the building. There was Team Girls, which consisted of Mishta, Sawyer, Taylor, Jackie, and two of the hotel staff (who were not girls). And there was Team 2, which was made up of Ryan, Julian, DJ, Declan, and one of the hotel staff (who also was not a girl, but that doesn’t really matter in this case). Although outnumbered 5-to-7, Team 2 defeated Team Girls with a final score of 10-to-6. After soccer, everyone had thirty minutes to shower, and get ready to go-out for dinner. We walked out to go try some street food. There was mie goreng (fried noodles), fried bananas (pisang goreng, but no one calls it that) and several other miscellaneous foods. There was so much food that we only ate about half of it! We ate so much it was all very tasty. For dessert, Ryan and Agung walked a mile away from where we were sitting eating the street food, and then we met them back at the dorms where we played games while waiting for dessert. They came back with a few boxes of this pastry that was fluffy like a pancake, but thicker, and had a thick chocolaty/nutty filling. For the evening activity our leader of the day, Alanis, decided to play a game where there were six categories (country, city, celebrity etc), and we’d get a letter, and we’d have to fill out the categories with things that began with that letter (please revise, I don’t know the actual name/how to properly explain it, or just leave this in as a joke or a blooper or some sort of “Behind the Scenes” sort of thing). It was a lot of fun and a good game choice. Today was a very exhausting day, so everyone made their ways to their rooms at around 9:30.

– Declan

6/22/2015

Today we taught the kids the names of food in English. Alanis and Declan taught them about food using clay in the art room. Mishta and Taylor played games outside like “apple, apple, banana” and “hot potato”. Sawyer and DJ made menus in the classroom to teach kids how to order in English. After volunteering we headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest. For dinner, we drove out to Lovina where we enjoyed a beach sunset and our first western meal.

-Sawyer

 

6/23/2015 – Today’s Timeline

7:15 Breakfast begins and we discuss any last minute details of our volunteering plans for the day
8:30 We get to the school and see all the kids who are so excited to see us and we prepare our activities for the day. The topic of today was days of he week, times of the day, and the months. The games group played “What time is it Mr. Fox” and the kids had a great time. The art group made a collage of all the months, which turned out beautifully. The classroom group taught the days of the week and months of the year in an interactive way.
12:00 We came back to our hotel to discuss the day’s volunteering and have delicious Nasi Goreng for lunch
12:30 We all then went to our rooms to take a much needed nap after the hard day of volunteering
2:30 After we were all rested we came together to plan the next day’s activities for the kids
4:00 To end our day we took a trip to the beach in Lovina. We spent some time shopping in the market and bargaining down prices then went down to the beach and played telephone
6:00 For dinner we went to Anik’s Place and spent the rest of the evening drinking banana juice and singing along to songs on the beach.

– Mishta

 

6/25/2015

Today we took a day trip to Pemuteran, a beachside village about an hour from our base in Sinagaraja. We began with two guest speakers and an informative video on the Coral Restoration Project in Pemuteran and the use of biorock skeletons to initiate the regrowth of Bali’s colorful corals. This idea centers on the concept of an electronic current, which can be heard when snorkeling over the biorock, which stimulates the formation of calcium carbonate on the structure, allowing coral to grow in waters where nearly all of it had been destroyed by, now illegal, fishing bombs.

After learning of these efforts to rebuild the coral community, we actually got to snorkel over the biorock coral and watch the fish swim in their preserved habitat through water that was as clear as glass (see the video below). Then we proceeded to hold a high-stakes, nine-person game of Uno, competing for a…drumroll please…high five!! We finished our day at the beach relaxing in the sun and taking a break from our work in the school before driving back to Singaraja to prepare to tomorrow’s lesson on conversational favorites and hobbies.

– Taylor

6/26/2015

Today at the school we taught favorites. In the art group we had the students create a “Book of Favorites” and even got several kids to come up and present their books in English in front of the class. When we got back to the hotel, after resting, we had our second to last GLA session. We split up into two groups and made a pretend business to better the community in Indonesia. The business had to be self-sustaining, innovative, and impactful.

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/BgPAnqbnVa8

– Grace

6/27/2015

Today DJ made a video blog. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/_e8NcQBQPMQ

6/28/2015

-Declan

June 29th:

-Sawyer

June 30th:

-Mishta

 

New updates:

It is Independence Day, and also our groups last full day in Bali! The time went by so quickly, but there was no time to be sad on our last day as we spent it surfing at the beach, and then watching the sunset! We sure are going to miss everyone!

 

 

6/6/2015

All of our super awesome students have arrived! Here they are taking a pic with the Costa Rican band, Los Caligaris at our hotel in San Jose.

6/7/2015

We arrived to Providencia where will be spending the next three weeks! Today, we learned about organic coffee farming and how the beans are processed using recycled water. And, because we were such good listeners, we got to try coffee from the very community we’ll be working with.

 

6/12/2015

GLA students have been traveling and hard-working rock stars. On Wednesday, we went to the Guayabo monument, where remnants of a civilization still remain from almost 3,000 years ago. Part of the monument includes an aqueduct that is still functioning today.

Yesterday, students rafted on the Pacuare river, killing it on the class four rapids.

Today, our kids-largely city dwellers-transported and spread malodorous organic fertilizer on organic coffee farms in Providencia. Emma-their mentor-said that they were absolute rock stars!

They finished off the day today with a cooking class with the community. Pictured is Jay with one of the communities adorable children, Juan Diego.

Nothing but positive vibes here in Providencia!

 

6/17/2015

This past weekend was chock full of activities with the community. On Saturday night, we had a BBQ with the community of Providencia with all the volunteer groups. Juan and Marical-our exquisite chefs-prepared an enormous spread of sausages, steak, and veggie skewers. Students put their dancing lessons to use and showed off their bachata, salsa, and merengue moves.

On Sunday, we all gathered in the town’s plaza, or soccer field, and had a soccer tournament. GLA won our first game against a group of American volunteers. Our second, and final game, was against the Ticos of Providencia. Needless to say, we won! 2-1 to be exact. Shall we mention that this was the first time a volunteer team beat the Ticos?! Although their pride was a bit hard to swallow, they now have a newfound respect for GLA soccer players!

This week was hard work. Helping with an ongoing project here in Providenica, we continued cementing the town’s only road-a dirt road to be exact. We can now confidently call ourselves professional cementers. Next week, we start work on the spider monkey reserve, where we will construct trails to aid in scientific research.

As part of an ongoing conversations regarding our amazing planet earth, volunteers participated in a water walk. Walking for an 1.5 up and down the rolling hills of Providencia, they hailed a total of 20 gallons of water back to Home Base. We had a reflection about access to water and our own personal usage to begin thinking about ways of conserving such a precious resource.

Enough about freshwater! Both today and yesterday is our time to bask in the sun and get our swim on in saltwater. Yesterday we spent the day in Manuel Antonio Natural Park, observing sloths and monkeys in their natural habitat. And to end a long and arduous day observing the wildlife, we took a long dip at the private beach there.

Today is the epitome of La Pura Vida. On today’s roster: la playa.

More updates to come!

6/24/2015

After our trip to the beach, we spent a few days finishing up our project cementing the road. Using recycled bottles, we made ecobricks to construct a small wall to prevent erosion due to water runoff. Our last project involved clearing paths in a nature reserve to allow for scientific research regarding the impact of climate change on spider and white-faced monkey population ranges.

On Sunday, we helped out with a new program started by a non-profit to teach the youth of Providencia baseball. We ran mini-clinics to teach each of the skills in baseball and participated in Providencia’s first-ever baseball game.

Providencia is a small community with limited things to do. As such, their definition of fun looks a little different than ours. Whereas our definition of fun may be dinner and a movie, their definition of fun is riding a plastic barrel posing as a bull. And if you’re wondering how our GLAers faired, despite the restless and hungry bull, they were all rock stars.

Yesterday, we took part in a 5-hour hike to a series of waterfalls. Despite the considerable climb, we were awarded with lunch in front of a mystical and awe-inspiring waterfall.

Today was all about heights and adrenaline. We spent the good part of a the morning in Providencia’s extreme adventure park, scaling a 600-year-old ficus tree, going zip lining, being catapulted, and jumping off of a 70-foot platform.

Tonight is about saying goodbye. Several community members will come to share their gratitude around a bonfire, while devouring warm and gooey marshmallows. Tomorrow we’re off to San Jose in preparation for everyone’s departure.

We’ll send one last and final post to let you know that everyone made it safely to the airport.

¡Pura Vida!

6/12/2015

First full day of Spanish Service Adventure!! We’re having a great time getting to know each other and learning about what the next few weeks have in store for us. Spanish classes start this afternoon and then we’ll share stories around a campfire. Everyone is happy and well!

 

6/13/2015

Yesterday, we slept in until 8, then ate our typical breakfast. Next we hiked up part of the mountain to Q’ewar, the service site we will be working at. We took a tour in Spanish of all the service activities, including sewing and stuffing dolls, working in kindergarten classes, and peeling quinoa. Next we went back to homebase, ate lunch and started our teambuilding activities. We discussed group rules and goals and played some fun games to educate ourselves about different cultures. After our games we were placed into two different Spanish classes based on our personal skill levels. We worked with our Spanish teachers for a few hours and then ate dinner. After dinner we had a bonfire and shared some stories, then went to bed after a long day of learning.

We awoke to a fog covered horizon that almost looked photo shopped. It was our earliest Day so far, clocking in at 7 am to a simple, Peruvian breakfast consisting of fresh baked bread and other Peruvian delights. After breakfast we hurried to the bus by 8 am and filled the hour long ride with fun and interactive car games. Once we arrived to the Cusco Market, people were overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the different surroundings. We then broke up into teams and navigated the bustling market, practicing our Spanish with the locals and buying ingredients for lunch that we made together at the home of a local Peruvian chef.

– Eileen Jackson, Hanna Mauck, Ben Berliner, Megan Samuels

6/15/2015

Today was the first day of service. Everyone was assigned a different task at Q’Ewar, which is the nonprofit organization that makes homemade dolls. Activities ranged from making doll clothes, shaping wool doll heads, teaching in a kindergarten classroom, knitting, and working the field with quinoa. Each were very different, and people learned a lot of new skills. For the rest of the week, we are keeping the same tasks, and we’ll hopefully get a little better. So far the group members are all great friends, and today at dinner there was a better rendition of High School Musical by the entire squad. Today was somewhat low key after the service, but we had Spanish classes as well. In the Advanced class, people had to do pushups after speaking in English (Nic lost). In the lower group we played 20 questions using Spanish.
We interviewed Julio, the founder and director of the entire Q’Ewar program, and learned all about its origins. Julio has had an interesting story that includes teaching in Europe and in Lima. When Julio started the organization in 2002 there were only 3 women working there, but it has grown tremendously. There are 47 women working at Q’Ewar, and they are building a nonprofit school to educate the children of Andahuaylillas, the town we are staying in. Today, volunteers come from around the world to stay at Q’Ewar and help at the nonprofit.

– Julia Danson, Nicolas Salem, Hanna Mauck

6/17/2015

Today we woke up extremely early and eager to go to our service site. We faced yet another challenging four hours of various complicated tasks. Although the day three hasn’t gotten any easier, our level of patience has definitely risen and we have become more accustomed to our work being corrected. After the service site, we went to a local high school and were fortunate enough to interact with Peruvian students our age. Our Spanish teachers then came to help improve our Spanish and we ended the day with a delicious dinner and an early bed-time.

– Samantha Kerzic, Emily Kohn, Hanh Nguyen

6/18/2015

Thankfully this morning we got to sleep in until 7:15 before heading to breakfast. We then ate and hiked up to project Q’ewar and preformed our various duties until 12:30. After Q’ewar we ate lunch then watched a moving Ted Talk about stereotypes. Then we got to rest and hang out with each other before our Spanish classes and dinner. After dinner we had a hilarious salsa dance class. The sickness that has washed over us all is finally leaving and we are almost completely back to our normal selves. Our favorite thing that happened today was playing with guinea pigs and having them pee on us multiple times. Hoy era un buen dia!

– Megan Samuels, Alanna Jaffee, Lachlan Claman

6/19/2015

Yesterday was an amazing day! One of the big highlights had to be the shaman. Connecting with the earth and experiencing a big part of a different culture was exciting, spiritual and grounded some with the earth.

– Eileen Jackson, Hanna Mauck, Grace Villmow

6/20/2015

Blog post for today: Today we woke up, ate breakfast and headed to the Sacred Valley to bike around The Four Lakes. We safely biked a few miles along a very scenic route. After our bike ride we ate lunch and rested. Some of us then went to a festival one town away in Urcos. We then played with the town puppies and ate dinner. After a long, packed day, I’m sure we will all sleep well!

– Megan Samuels, Sarah Cooper, Nic Salem

6/26/2015

Hi all! This has been a super busy week, so sorry we are a bit behind with posting our blog. Here goes a condensed version of our week…

We continued to attend service at Q’ewar. Some students love to do the more labor intensive work such as moving adobe bricks and carrying bundles of cornhusks uphill. Other students have learned some basic knitting techniques and love it! Most of us have figured out what we are good at and what we are not. Tuesday evening we celebrated the winter solstice at Q’ewar with a huge bonfire, roasted marshmallows, mate (hot tea), pan al palo (bread we cooked on the end of a stick) and music. Wednesday we went on a beautiful hike alongside a river surrounded by so many trees and mountains. Thursday we visited a local church known as the Sistine Chapel of Peru. It was built in 1610 and was recently restored. An American organization donated 2 million dollars to the restoration of the church. It was cool to see before and after pictures of the 5-year process. Thursday was also Julia’s birthday, one of the students on the trip, and we got to celebrate it with pizza, cake, some dancing and a bonfire.

Today was our last day at Q’ewar. We sang songs to the women of Q’ewar and said some words of thanks, and they sang songs for us and also said kind words of gratitude. It was a touching and fun ceremony and we also taught Don Julio, the founder of Q’ewar, how to do the whip. After lunch we went to a local fair and played foosball and jumped on a trampoline. Tonight we will be busy packing for a 3-day trip that will culminate in a hike at Machu Picchu!

-Spanish Service Adventure Group

6/27/2015

Saturday we woke up bright and early and got in the bus for the long bus ride to Santa Teresa. We traveled over some beautiful mountains for a few hours before stopping and having lunch. After lunch we continued to drive along a beautiful cliff where we saw amazing waterfalls. We then went to some hot springs and spent a few hours swimming. Next we went to the hotel and got ready for a dinner where some of us ate alpaca, pasta, fish and chicken. We had a long day of traveling and beautiful views.

6/28/2015

Sunday we woke up and had breakfast and got ready for our long hike. We drove to a hydroelectric plant where we began our hike. After a few hours we stopped and went swimming in a waterfall. After swimming we ate lunch and got ready to continue hiking. We hiked for another few hours all the way to our hotel in Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu town. After resting a little we walked to a restaurant where we ate pizza for dinner! 🙂

6/29/2015

We woke up very early, ate breakfast, and packed our bags for Machu Picchu. We took a bus to a landing area and then hiked for a few minutes up to Machu Picchu. We walked around and learned about the history of this beautiful and interesting wonder of the world. After many pictures, some of us hiked up to an area called the sun gate where we got a beautiful panoramic view of Machu Picchu and the mountains that surround it. After this we went back down and had lunch and walked to the train station and got ready to return to homebase. We took a train and then a bus back to Andualillas. Monday was a truly spectacular day that I’m sure none of us will forget!

-Megan Samuels

 

Final Update:

Last night we had a cookout and a talent show. Many people tried cuy (guinea pig) for the first time. The cuy was picked from the mini cuy farm on the property. We watched the whole process of how a cuy is killed and readied for cooking. We were able to eat around the bonfire and hang out there until bed time. Our director Julia played guitar and sang for us as we all got pretty emotional about leaving a place we have called home for 3 weeks. The talent show had so many hilarious and interesting acts that had us hysterically laughing. Luckily, since it was our last night, we were allowed to go to sleep at almost midnight. We woke up at 5am this morning to say goodbye to our first family member to leave Peru. Then we ate breakfast a few hours later and finished packing. We said our goodbyes to the staff of homebase as we all got emotional. We then drove to Cuzco for some last minute shopping and lunch. Then we went to the airport and said our final goodbyes. This trip was truly a life changing experience for us all and we can say with honest conviction that we had the time of our lives. To our parents, thank you for giving us this amazing opportunity. To GLA, thank you for making this happen and for making it absolutely incredible. We’ve made great friends and have great memories to share with everyone when we get home. See you again soon, Peru.

6/8/2015

All students have arrived safely!

¡Bienvenidos a Peru! The majority of the group arrived a little tired but safely to the home base in the city of Cusco. We are still eagerly awaiting Iva who will be joining us tomorrow morning! Today, we began getting to know each other as everyone trickled in from different flights and ate a good lunch to re energize all after the long day of travel. In the afternoon most students went on a walk around the neighborhood and visited a market and park, some helped make a calendar, others played cards and most everyone of course took a nap to catch up on some sleep.

In the evening, before dinner we discussed the community service project we will be working on throughout the two weeks in Peru. Most mornings, we will be waking up early and heading to the village of Chocco just outside of Cusco to help lay the foundation for the greenhouse we will be building. The greenhouse will be made out of mostly mud bricks with a plastic roof – so everyone should be ready to get muddy!

Finally, we reflected on our expectations and goals for the entire program and then left time for journaling and getting an early night’s sleep. Tomorrow we head to the service site at 7am! We are all excited to get started!

– Daniele, Mentor

– Photos taken by Max Sands

   

6/9/2015

Tuesday marked the first day of work on the greenhouse. We headed out at seven to begin leveling ground in the Chocco community near the local school. During our break, we had a chance to play with the children that attend the school. We played soccer and volleyball and taught a few of the kids how to play duck, duck, goose (they were really good).

After returning from service, we ate lunch, relaxed for bit, and then some of us decided to go on another walk around the neighborhood. At five we had the opportunity to listen to a speaker explain the basics of socioeconomic realities in Peru. The presentation was informative and grounding and opened a lot of our eyes to the lives of the Peruvian people we will be spending our two weeks around. Two of our GLA participants, Sharon and Marvin, acted as translators for the speaker and for the other participants in order to ask questions. Afterward, we ate dinner, met with our mentor groups, and prepared to get some sleep after our long first day of work.

– Natalie Craun

6/10/2015

Wednesday was our second day of work and included another 5:45 wake up call. Navi, Max, and Megan were our leaders of the day and helped organize and take care of everything for the group. Our time at Chocco school was spent digging the trenches around the greenhouse and trying to level the ground inside. At the end of our time working, it was amazing to see how much we accomplished in such a short time and made us even more excited to get to work again. During our break, we had the opportunity to teach the kids kickball. They had so much fun and were naturals at it! We were also lucky enough to have the kids teach us some games that they play at school.
After returning from the work site, we had a delicious lunch and then attended a music workshop with a wind instrument professor from the local university. We had the opportunity to see and play many instruments from the Incan and other Andean cultures. It was very informative and such a fun experience while learning more about the culture of the people in the Cusco region.

We ate dinner after the workshop and had time to get into our mentor groups and discuss our highs and lows of the day. We also did an activity to learn what kind of leadership style every person has, which was very interesting. After the mentor group meeting, we picked the leaders of the day for tomorrow and went over the schedule for the next day. By this time, we were so ready to get a good night’s sleep and prepare for work tomorrow.

– Iva Reckling

We also celebrated Carson’s 17th birthday! The leaders of the day decorated his door with balloons. We gave him a crown and cake at dinner and practiced the Peruvian tradition of cracking a confetti egg over his head at each meal!!

 

 

6/11/2015

Another day of dealing with the 5:45 am wake-up call, to drive over to the Chocco community to continue on our greenhouse. The greenhouse is still currently mounds of dirt, piles of rock, and a semi-constructed trench. Up to our first snack break at 10:30 am, we were almost equally divided into two groups, one responsible for carrying the heavy rocks from uphill down to the site, the other deepening the foundations for the greenhouse. During the snack break, some of us walked down to a small shack that sells Peruvian snacks and enjoyed packs of “picante” nachos and something like cheese puffs. This is when Bianca, one of our mentors, introduced a Peruvian fruit whose outside resembles a type of pomegranate, but whose inside resembles amphibian eggs or brains. After the break, some of us played soccer with the school boys while some played some catch games with the school girls. Our bonds are becoming tighter, and we are starting to learn each other’s names. When we got back to work, almost all of us were carrying rocks to build the foundation. The conversations that flow uphill and downhill during our rock carrying trips are extremely fun, and at times, incredibly insightful. By lunch, our foundation was almost 70 cm deep. We leave the site each day with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

After lunch, we drive to an orphanage that houses 36 boys. After a few minutes of getting to know each other, we started a friendly but intense soccer game that players of all levels could enjoy. We clapped for the professional soccer players (most of them were the boys there) and laughed at the lighthearted attempts of the amateur soccer players. We were always supportive, took victory with spirit, took defeat with laughter. After capturing a few pictures, we drove back to home base for dinner. After dinner, we enjoyed a short video from UNESCO and a lecture from a guest speaker about the health conditions of children in Peru. The lecture opened our eyes to such grave issues that we never knew were so close to us.

After an insightful discussion in the mentor groups, we either went to bed, watched a Tedtalk on leadership, or practiced emotional meditation.

And that is the end of a great fourth day with GLA.

– Fasai Phuathavornskul

 

 

6/12/2015

Today was our fourth and final day of service. After our early wakeup call, we headed to the work site and started our day with an awesome Zumba session led by Emily for warm up. So much progress had been made on the site, but we still needed to deepen the trenches surrounding the greenhouse and collect more rocks before we can start filling the foundation. After working hard all morning, we were happy to get a break to play with the kids. One group played a big game of duck-duck goose while another learned how to throw the Frisbee. The kids are really starting to connect with everyone and had so much fun taking pictures and just hanging out with us. As their school day ended, they joined us in working on the greenhouse. They were happy to help shovel dirt and carry rocks for us, and we were definitely happy to have them around to entertain and make us smile. The work day ended with lots of hugs as we said adios to the kids for the weekend.

We headed home for lunch and showers before getting to go to the city center of Cusco for the afternoon. We started in an art district and really enjoyed looking at all of the little shops. Many students left the shops with wool sweaters, socks, or hats. We walked through the beautiful alley ways that still contain original Incan stone and ended up in the beautiful Plaza de Armas. Everyone was amazed by the beauty and excitement of the square. We continued on to the San Pedro Market that featured everything from wool clothing and souvenir shops to stands that held full dead pigs. Everyone got the chance to walk around, shop, and take everything in the market in. After the market we walked through the city some more and were lucky to see a procession that goes along with the many fiestas and festivals of the month of June. Our time in the city ended with a trip to Starbucks where everyone was eager to get some internet. Unfortunately, the WIFI was very slow and many students were unable to connect. We may try to find another place to get internet in the coming days. We had a long walk back from the city center to the home base for dinner. Everyone really enjoyed their time in the city and loved the beauty and energy of it. It was an exciting day, and we look forward to spend tomorrow visiting Patabamba, a small rural town.

– Megan Bechtel

Look here for photos of Cusco.

 

6/13/2015

Today we woke up and got to enjoy some exhilarating Zumba classes led by our friend Emily Choi, which made the 5:45 wake-up much more enjoyable. After that, we departed for a one-hour road trip to Patabamba for an authentic experience with host families. We divided into four groups to work with different families and follow their daily work schedule. Each group had different tasks and stories to tell when they finished. Whether it was picking lima beans, taking care of “Cuy” (guinea pigs), plowing, or separating quinoa for a delicious soup, each group enjoyed both their work and an amazing meal afterward. At the end of the day, hard work payed off as everyone got to participate in a friendly game of soccer. Although everyone was worn out by the end, being able to learn so much about Peruvian communities made the whole experience worthwhile.

In the evening before bed we discussed the similarities and differences we saw between the Patabamba community and our own homes. We then watched a video called “The Story of Stuff” which highlighted consumption in the United States and then reflected on the differences we saw in the self sustainable community.

Tomorrow we get to sleep in till 7:45!
– Leaders of the Day: Carson Fechter, Emily Choi, Sharon Olguin

 

6/14/2015

The first day waking up at 7:45 was extremely satisfying. All of us trotted down to breakfast at 8 am, acknowledging how rested and energized we feel. By 9 am, we left home base to a sight-seeing point in Tambo Machay. Our tour guide, Cesar, met us at the bottom of the hill and started introducing Incan history. Up at the top, piles of perfectly irregularly-fitting rocks mark the beginning of the Incan trail. We gaze towards the blue sky dropping against the landscape of partially arid hills and snow-covered mountains in the distance. After enjoying the landscape for a while, we advanced to Puca Pucara, where the view was even more overwhelming. We were standing on the edge of a cliff, acknowledging the wise ways of the Incans, listening to how the seasons and the sun and the moon defined their lives. Then, we arrived at Q’enko, where huge piles of rocks formed an abstract monument. Cesar explained that during the summer solstice, June 21, the positioning of the sun will allow the rocks to cast a shadow of the puma, a symbol of the present. Here, we learn the 3 significant animals of the Incans: the snake, signifying the past; the puma, signifying the present, and the condor, signifying the future. Cesar then led us into the rocks. After enjoying the rocks, Cesar surprised us with a maze. The entrance foreshadowed how dark and narrow the space between the rocks would be, almost encouraging some of us to back out. It was indeed pitch-black, with the four sides of rock squeezing us in. We were scared and anxious, but pushed past our limits of fear and finally appeared on the other side of the tunnel, where a beautiful amphitheater made of rocks and a wide field of grass waited for us. Up against the blue sky was a beautiful rock with a striped pattern. We were excited when Cesar told us that we could use the rock as a slider. Without hesitation, we climbed up and slid down the rocks together, 2 at a time. By the time we were done playing, Cesar led us to Sacsayhuaman, where three layers of huge rocks and an amazing landscape waited for us. We climbed up to the top and enjoyed the view of Cusco. It was a city in a bowl of mountains; we could see the stadium and traced the path on which we walked the other day. By the time we were finished with photos, it was lunchtime.

We went to a traditional Incan restaurant, where we danced to a live band of Peruvian instrumentalists. Some of us enjoyed Alpaca, but all of us opened our eyes to more exotic dishes. After finishing lunch, we ventured down to Cusco City to tour the local religious sites. Cesar showed us around Cusco’s Cathedral and explained the effects of the Spanish culture on the implementation of Christianity in Peru. Next, we followed Cesar to the Qoricancha, or more commonly referred to as the Sun Temple. In the temple, Cesar showed us a multitude of paintings and a single stone that wrapped around fourteen corners- not one, but fourteen! Following the temple, we lively engaged with locals to buy everything from paintings and sunglasses to selfie-sticks and Inca Cola! Noah even battled the selfie-stick seller to see which one of them could get the better selfie. For the win, Noah took a whole group selfie!

After a full day, we all gathered around the dinner table to enjoy family style dining. From our gluten free to our vegetarians, we always have a wide variety of foods. Once we were all full, we gathered upstairs for a bonding game. After lots of laughing and sharing, we said “Buenas Noches” and went to bed.

Your Aspiring World Travelers,
Noah, Fasai, and Christina
P.S. Christina sends a shout out to Mom, Dad, Nana, and Josh! Love you! Miss you!
P.S.S. Noah sends a shout out to Mom, Dad, Justin, and Evan!

 

6/15/2015

Hi there, parents of our friends. Today we had another early morning, waking at 5:45 am, and started our day with some caramel pancakes. We then headed out at 7 am to our service site. To warm up we did some Zumba and a round of Ninja. Then we started work moving rocks and shoveling dirt. After we began to mix mud using our feet. We started the first layers of our foundation just before the rain. By the end of our work we were all covered in mud. After reaching back to home base we ate lunch then headed out to visit an Alpaca and Llama farm. It was so cool to be able to feed and pet the animals. One even spat on Marvin. We watched some traditional Peruvian weavers and visited some Peruvian shops on our way out. We then visited the market to buy any final trekking gear. We also stocked up on animal crackers. To finish the day we had a great dinner and had some free time before bed.

Lots of love from you’re favs Remy, Charlotte, and Farah.

 

6/16/2015

Today we woke up at our usual 5:45 and went to work at the service site. We participated in a furious game of ninja and some masterful mud-stomping to form the base of the wall for the greenhouse. Sadly, today was the last day to play with the kids at their recess, so we said our goodbyes. We came back to the home base for lunch and were greeted by the 21-day group. We departed for the Shaman at 2:30. The Shaman’s job was to make an offering to Mother Earth and read our fortunes through coca leaves. Afterward, we went to the market to buy food for the hiking trip tomorrow. Then we went back to home base and prepared for our trek and got our duffel bags packed full of camping supplies. We also prepared our day bags with sunscreen, extra layers, snacks, and water. Everyone went to bed early, excited for the upcoming days of hardcore hiking through the breathtaking Andes Mountains.

–  Carson, James, Camrin

 

6/17/2015

Today consisted of another 5:45 a.m. wake up and the beginning of our trek through the Andes. After breakfast, we rode the bus for about two and a half hours to the beginning of the route we would take. On our way there, we were able to stop the bus at an absolutely amazing view point. The sky was totally clear and presented a great opportunity to see two of the major mountains in the area. At the end of the bus ride, we all bundled up for trekking near Mount Veronica. The hike was hard, but the views were spectacular. At the top of the first pass, we were already at 14,900 feet, and a few people went up higher to get to 15,000. We ate our snack by a beautiful lake and continued on to have lunch later in the day. After lunch, we hiked mostly uphill for another few hours until we arrived at the campsite for the night. We were greeted with hot chocolate and popcorn by the porters followed by another great dinner. Afterwards, we were all ready to get some rest and get ready for another day of trekking.

– Iva Reckling

6/18/2015

After getting to sleep in a little bit before the next leg of our trek, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast up in the Andes. There was a long way to hike before catching the bus to our next location, so we got started right away. We trekked along for about 6 hours through the muddy mountains and valleys and then began our drive to Santa Teresa. About two and a half hours later, we arrived and were ready to walk the rest of the way to Aguascalientes at the base of Machu Picchu. Although it was dark and people were getting a little bit crabby, the walk was very nice and flat. The jungle and the river provided a very unique ambience and made for a great trek. We arrived a little bit later than expected, but still enjoyed an awesome dinner and were all ready for a good night’s sleep to prepare for Machu Picchu early tomorrow morning.

– Iva Reckling

 

6/19/2015

Today was met with a bright and early wakeup call at 4:00 in the morning for those who wanted to hike up to Machu Picchu. Bianca led sixteen students and Clint up the 1,669 steps that lead to the ruins. The hike was very challenging, but definitely worth it. After getting to the entrance of the ruins, we wandered around for about an hour before meeting up with the rest of our group and the tour guide. The early morning was very foggy and the view of the ruins wasn’t great, but throughout the day the sun came out and made for a beautiful tour. Learning about the history of the city and the surrounding area was very eye opening into the cultural history of Peru. Getting to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World was probably one of the coolest things that I, personally, have ever gotten to do. Being at the site of so much history was a very unique experience, and the views are some that we will never forget. After a long day at Machu Picchu, we took a train from the city of Aguascalientes to Ollaytantumbo along the same tracks that we walked next to last night. From Ollaytantumbo, we took a bus back to home base. Many of us were so exhausted after a long day that we spent most of the rides catching up on our rest. After getting home, we enjoyed a quick dinner and had one of our last mentor meetings before going straight to bed.

– Iva Reckling

6/20/2015

Today was the last day at our service site. We all woke up at our regular 5:45am time to eat breakfast and get a full morning of work in before lunch. Some of the children from the community came to school to spend one last day with us. Some of them helped us work while others played ultimate frisbee and the human knot during our break. We continued to line the perimeter with rocks layered with a mud paste in between. Navi, Cristina, Iva, James and Marvin were the fearless volunteers to get knee high in the mud to help mix the straw and dirt. Although a little messy, we all had a lot of fun. Even after a rigorous few days of hiking everyone was working hard to get to a good stopping point on the project before the next group arrived. Max filmed a few clips of everyone working in order to compile a video for future groups of students to understand the process of building an adobe greenhouse. We played music as we worked and spent a really awesome last day together with our shovels and pick axes.

– Dani

After coming home from an arduous and bittersweet last morning at the work site we all tucked in to a hearty meal at home base. As always, the kitchen crew outdid themselves, serving up a plate of asado, tarwi and rice alongside the usual kaleidoscopic salad buffet. Afterwards, the group quickly took showers and donned their best outfits before sitting down for one last ‘huggle’. The last two weeks have been inspiring, rewarding, enlightening and life-changing and together we discussed the future, how to use this experience to benefit ourselves as well as others, and the myriad of ways that we can be the change. Hosting a fundraiser for a cause we feel passionate about, continuing our paths as ambassadors of change through organizations like Peace Corps and AmeriCorps and helping out a friend in need are just a few of the ways we can continue to make a difference. After watching a few inspirational TedTalks and enjoying a meaningful discussion on leadership, we took a moment to vote for our program ambassadors and reflect on the traits that we appreciate and admire in each other. The group has grown tremendously close in just 14 days and the kind and heartfelt words of admiration brought a few of us to tears.

Then, it was off to go shopping! Fun and games aside, everyone had some serious last minute shopping to do for their friends and family at home, so we hastily took off to the San Pedro market located in the heart of downtown Cusco. The cavernous market sells all sorts of goods from cow snouts to handicrafts to fresh cut flowers and the entire group took some time to stock up on Peruvian chocolates and other oddities. Afterwards we walked through the lively and crowded streets of Cusco, past some impressively constructed floats and towards the handicraft market. Here we spent an hour and a half walking from stall to stall, buying the perfect gifts for everyone awaiting our return back home.

Shopping aside, it was then time for our farewell dinner. We headed back towards the center of Cusco where we enjoyed a generous buffet of old and new Peruvian dishes such as alpaca steak, trout, causa and the infamous guinea pig (or cuy, as they call it here). As we enjoyed our meal, Felipe (Phillip) gave a moving speech and we then announced our five program ambassador nominees. Though there have been so many strong leaders in the program, the group decided that Marvin, Kennedy, Iva, Adam and Felipe had gone above and beyond and should have the opportunity to act as program ambassadors in the year to come. We wish them the best of luck in the application process!

Dinner was also accompanied by traditional Peruvian music as well as a show of several customary Peruvian dances such as the festejo and marinera. During one of the songs we all got up and started a conga line, snaking through the many tables as we shimmied our bums and howled with laughter.

Back at the home base we checked in one last time with our mentor groups, reflecting on our highs and lows of the day. During this trip we’ve met and bonded with a slew of talented and inspirational characters and it was tough processing the fact that this would be our last evening spent in the presence of each other. After some lengthy and tearful group hugs we all headed back to our rooms to pack and try to get a few hours of sleep before the early morning departures.

– Bianca

P.S. You guys are absolutely brilliant and it was a pleasure to have met you all! Remember that with determination, discipline and a positive outlook you can follow that dream and be the change! Love you all!!

6/21/2015

Today is a bittersweet day as everyone is heading home. We all woke up at the early hour of 3:10 to say our farewells to Carmin. After some hugs and tears we went back to bed for a few hours before waking up at 6:00 to send off Marvin, Phillip, and Fasai, and then Christina, Emily, and James shortly after. Everyone else will be hanging out at home base and enjoying our final moments together before we head to the airport later in the afternoon. We were all such a close knit group, so the goodbyes have been hard. We have all written numbers and social media names so that we can stay in touch. Although we are excited to return home to see family and friends, our incredible experience in Peru will surely be missed.

– Megan

 

6/21/2015

All students have departed safely and are on their way home!