Wrapping Up

A plot of land full of mala yerba (bad weeds)
Endless pick axing, shoveling and removing of soil
Over 10 trees taken down, roots and all
7 tons of diorite (heavy boulders) hauled and placed
30 tons of brick hauled and stacked
3 trees de-barked
Endless buckets of mud made and hauled
A roof put up

…..And a HUGE green house was built for the community and children of Yunkaypata.

An enormous THANK YOU to all the students of the two, SERVICE IN THE SACRED VALLEY 3-week group. You all worked so hard and we really accomplished so much. It was an honor and pleasure to work alongside you all. From Miguel, Serita, Silvia and Jen… we send you a BIG HUG and MUCH THANKS!

Another Day of Service

Another day at our service site with lots of confusion via our language barrier. Quickly, we had our translated instructions to begin our work. We began work on the roof and began to level the ground of the greenhouse. We put up around 70 2×4’s along the support beams and logs from previous work days. From day 1 many were skeptical of our completion of the greenhouse, but seeing the roof go up, and after watching our small military work away, we finally seem to be just about finished. Our work was rewarded with a visit to the local llama farm. Everyone was ecstatic to take “selfies” with the multiple llamas/ alpacas/ vicunas! Our fellow ‘LOD’ Maria got enough luck and full experience to get spat on by one of the llamas in the face. After taking a mini shower in the sink, we moved on and took a little tour of the store (No one bought anything because of inflated prices). We left the site and headed to the local grocery store and used the left over donation money to purchase some snacks and fruits for the school of Yuncaypata. We plan on presenting these little treats on our very last day in the community.
L.O.D’s:

-Jacob Morgan, Maria Lino, Vicky Guevara

Back to Work

Back to work bright and early in the morning. We arrived at service with little idea of what we were in for, but quickly got to work digging three holes, each one meter deep to hold logs that will support the roof of the greenhouse as well as spackling. We worked hard, but had fun at the same time. The roof has finally started to come together; it’s nice to be able to see the greenhouse progress into its final stages. After completing the pillars, we headed home for lunch and then returned to the orphanage that we visited the first week. Multiple games of soccer ensued, and many a man became dizzy upon the Spinning Wheel of Spins. As Leaders of the Day we chose to interview three of the children there: Fausto, Emerson, and Uriel ages 10, 13, and 7 respectively. Following a delicious dinner of beef and rice, we got to work creating friendship bracelets to present to another person at the end of the trip. We are all looking forward to making more progress on the greenhouse tomorrow, as the end is nigh.
L.O.D’s—Alyssa the Boss, Callie $w@q, Tsar Teddy

Qorikancha

Today we woke up a little later than usual to get ready for our excursion in the city. First we visited a local museum called Qorikancha. It was a very interesting and unique experience, in which we learned about early Incan structures and the importance of external forces in their daily lives. Cosmology was very important to Inca culture as the sun and moon were considered gods, so many of the temples and ancient structure witnessed, were in fact dedicated to these religious idols. Exploring Qorikancha we were able to observe traditional outfits, agricultural techniques and their interpretation of the stars. A mural depicting the Milky Way accentuated the astonishing view in which you were able to pinpoint a Llama constellation named Urcuchillay. Urcuchillay is best known for its emergence in November where the Alpha and Beta Centauri become visible, serving as the Llamas eyes. After leaving Qorikancha we headed to the Cathedral where the influence of Spanish Catholicism became predominant. Both groups were captivated by the beautiful architecture and paintings with powerful meaning. We also learned about important figures who had influence on natives some of which were the ones who created some of the beautiful artworks we observed. Afterwards we toured around the city before having a delicious lunch in Saksaywaman complimented with lively music. Following our meal we further explored Saksaywaman where we were able to venture through dark Incan tunnels and slide down an exciting rock structure. Lastly we visited the White Christ statue where students were able to take photos of the magnificent sculpture along with viewing Cusco from a breathtaking perspective. After, we stopped at a local coffee shop and enjoyed some scrumptious drinks and pastries before walking back to our hotel. Overall the experience was both fascinating and breathtaking, easily becoming a definite highlight of our time in Peru.
L.O.D’s

– Lord Cydney, Duchess Nick & Princess Jordan

Yuncaypata & Dancing!

We woke up at 6:00 at our usual time, followed by breakfast. We left at 7:00 sharp and arrived at Yuncaypata at 7:30am. Throughout the morning service we managed to finish the brick walls of the greenhouse. BOOM! Another group achievement in the bag. That’s what we do! While we finished the brick laying another group debarked the mammoth logs to be used for the supporting frame of the greenhouse roof. 3 people died. Just kidding. 6 people died! No, but really two people got minor injuries due to the extensive, demanding, but extremely rewarding work. We left Yuncaypata at 1:00, and had lunch at home base at around 1:30, fish with a coconut sauce and rice.

At 2:30 we departed our home to take an outdoor dance lessons from a Peruvian dance teacher named Moises. We learned a carnival courting dance, that involved getting into colorful Peruvian garments, and choosing a partner. With the partner we tried the traditional courting dance. Actually pretty cool! We interviewed Moises and learned some interesting background about his life and his dancing career. We left several hours later, arrived at homebase, had a scrumptious pasta dinner and potato cakes. We finished with a brief meeting at 7:15. Peace.

L.O.D’s – Isabelle, Danny, Harrison

Service & Culture

After yesterday’s huge achievement of laying 2 and ½ layers of bricks, we were eager to be even more productive today. When we arrived, no time was wasted. Everyone went to their stations and started work right away so that we could have time to play with the children of Yuncapata. Seeing the children after 5 days away from them gave us the inspiration we needed to finish the final layers of the greenhouse. After an exhausting day of work and another 2 and ½ layers, we came back to home base for a quick lunch and to get ready for a demonstration on weaving. At the class, we learned how to wash, dye and weave the wools of alpaca and sheep. Our energetic instructor even gave us cups of coca tea to keep warm. At the end of the class we went to a colorful market where we were able to purchase some of the amazing weavings such as blankets, scarves, table runners, hats and much more. Lastly, before jumping back on the bus, we took some selfies with their llamas and alpacas all of which were super fluffy!! Back at base, we ate dinner, received feedback on our leadership today and had several LOD groups present on interviews that they had conducted. Now time to relax before bed.

L.O.D’s– Mary Goldstein, Jacqueline Morgan, Isabella Vieira

Back to Service!

Today we were faced with the task of having to lead service the first day back from the 4 day camping trip. We started by making laying bricks a priority because we were already slightly behind on the greenhouse. We put about 2/3 of the people in the mud/brick laying area and had the rest moving bricks. Jay led the brick movers and faced a minor setback because we expected a truck to help move bricks. Despite the setback, we were able to move all of the dry bricks to the work site and allowed the brick layers to continue their process. Our goal for today was to have at least two more layers completed. We ended up finishing 2 and ½ layers, which was impressive for the first day back at work. After a long day of work, we had a well-deserved 3 hour break. In the afternoon, we had Quechua class for an hour and a half. Quechua class was an enriching experience because we were able to learn about the native culture. To quote Ice Cube, “Today was a good day” and to quote Michael Jackson like the famous guide Patrick, “This is it.”
L.O.D’s- Jay, Dylan, Carlos (photo of blogging before bedtime)

Pinch You Picchu!

7/31 – 8/3 – Machu Picchu Weekend

After an early start (which we are used to by now), we set off on our four-day journey to Machu Picchu. We stopped in Mollepata to stock up on last minute snacks and buy walking sticks for the hike. Before we began hiking, we had a picnic lunch at the base of Mt. Salkantay. We warmed up and followed our local director, Richard, to the trail. This began a 3-day adventure filled with snowcapped mountains, frigid starry nights, and (literally) breath-taking views. Although the hiking was challenging, especially for those suffering from the altitude, everyone made it to the summit of Mt. Apu Salkantay and finally to Aguas Calientes, completing the journey with a relaxing ride on PeruRail. Needless to say, everyone was thrilled to sleep in an actual bed and take a shower for the first time since we left. We were also lucky enough to go out to eat in a restaurant in Aguas Calientes (which Miguel calls the Las Vegas of Peru).

The following day, we hopped on the buses and ascended the mountain to Machu Picchu. What we saw when we pushed through the crowds of tourists blew our minds, and even made some of us cry. The beauty of Machu Picchu is indescribable in words, and incomparable to the photos on postcards. We learned a lot from our talented and passionate tour guides, Patrick and Wilfredo, as we weaved through the ancient ruins. We were sad to leave, but excited to bargain at the markets back in Aguas Calientes before finally starting the four hour trip back to Cuzco. It was an exhausting weekend, but completely worth it. How many teenagers can say they’ve climbed Mt. Salkantay and seen Machu Picchu all in the course of four days!?

Leaders of the weekend: Oni Kibblewhite and Priyanka Patel… and many more who were too tired to write the blog

Yuncaypata

Woke up as usual this morning, only to find out that eight of our group were sick. By the time we left at 7:00, we were missing five of our fellow group members. One bus went directly to Yuncaypata, while the other bus stopped by the pharmacy to pick up medicine for those who needed it. By 8:00 everyone had arrived at the greenhouse, where we took inventory and split up into groups to haul bricks, make mud, and lay bricks. At 10:30 we took a 25 minute break to play soccer with the locals. After soccer we went back to work, and by 12:15 we had moved the entirety of the dry bricks. We laid several more layers of bricks to the greenhouse and made great progress. After lunch at home base we collected money to purchase supplies for the orphanage that we would travel to later in the day. We collected a grand total of more than 750 Soles!!! At 2:15 several of us went to the grocery store to buy supplies such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, canned foods, rice, shampoo, milk, soap, etc… At 3:00 we drove to the orphanage, not 15 minutes away. At the orphanage we took a tour of the estate, which houses 34 boys ages 5-17. After the tour we played soccer, tag, and hung out with the kids. We all sadly left at 5:00 to drive back to home base, followed by dinner at 6:30. We had another meeting at 7:15, and watched a TED TALK regarding single stories, and discussed the video. Tonight we finalize our packing to Machu Picchu. Next blog will be on Sunday when we return from our 4-day trip!
PS: parents…. Everyone is feeling much better tonight!

–Misha Bogdanov (Ted), Harrison Rusk, Isabelle Orlando

Service & Learning

Yet another 6 a.m. wake-up met us this morning. Our alarms went off and we knew what we had to do. Out of bed we went to wake up our whole loveable group. Our morning routine has been getting easier and easier these past days, something we are all thankful for. After a quick warm-up and stretch we quickly get to work. For four hours we haul bricks, mix mud, stack bricks, and haul some more bricks. Progress is being made and the final project is taking shape. Of course problems always arise but we are getting better at solving them quickly and efficiently. After we packed everything up and set out back to home base morale was high. We ate a delicious lunch and proceeded to the local park. There we people watched, conversed, played various games, bought well needed ice cream and smoothies, and earned ourselves a half-hour of Wi-Fi, that was especially loved by all. Before dinner we were blessed with a public speaker that gave a very informative speech on public health in Peru. We learned everything from malnutrition, to Peruvian viruses, to lack of vital resources in villages. Once the speaker ended and the claps died down we all sat down for dinner. Many agree it has been the best meal we have had yet. It consisted of delicious pesto pasta and breaded chicken. The last event of the day was the group meeting. We went over the work day (pros and constructive cons) and we went over the agenda for our three day hike to Machu Picchu! Everyone is tired but the talk left us in high spirits. Tomorrow is one more day of work and a trip to an orphanage. Well, enough for now, we are off to bed.
Leaders of the Day:

-Marc Gonzalo, Carlos Linares, Jay Pedrero

Back to Work

After a weekend full of adventure, we got back to our daily grind. Even though we were tired and sore, we all pushed through and came together as a team. Using new techniques, we were able to move a record amount of bricks. During our much needed break, we played with the children of Yuncaypata, the village where we are building the greenhouse. Some of us started a soccer game while others gathered the little girls and taught them some games in English such as “Ring Around the Rosie” and “Simon Says.” Later after our second half of service and an amazing lunch, we traveled through rain and hail to a music workshop where we learned to play some traditional Incan instruments. Each instrument was made out of different materials such as metal, wood, plastic and even alpaca bone. Each had their own particular sound and story. For example, the instructor’s favorite instrument the kena, similar to the flute, has a very unique legend. In Incan times, there was a couple who were madly in love but weren’t allowed to be together. When the woman died, the man was so grief stricken that he took her femur bone and created the kena. The music was so eerie and melancholy, that anyone who heard the music was inspired to commit suicide. So much so that the kena eventually was outlawed in the Incan Empire. When we returned to home base and ate dinner, we had our nightly meeting where we created our very own GLA Constitution outlining our team standards. With everyone on board, we turned in for the night to get rest for another exciting day tomorrow!
Leaders of the Day

~ Mary Goldstein, Janice Jhang, Elisa Benitez

Biking and Rafting!

We gathered our gear, put our laundry away, and packed up for a two hour bus ride to our mountain biking adventure. After a brief safety talk, we embarked upon a winding path, cruising down the snow capped mountain as buses and cars sped by honking. Our bikes put away, we headed over to our campsite, where we got settled and played soccer with local children. We ate two delicious authentic Peruvian meals, topped off by s’mores at a bonfire, where scary ghost stories were exchanged and we craned our necks to see a multitude of stars and even shooting stars. After a night tucked away in our sleeping bags and tents, we awoke to the sounds of the Urubamba valley. We packed up camp and headed to the Ollantatambo town center for some shopping and exploring. After visiting the marketplace, we travelled up river to board our rafts and embark on an adventure down the river. Throughout the river, we encountered class 1, 2 and 3 rapids under the towering peaks of the Andes, while seeing the beautiful wildlife and pristine nature of Peru. Even in the slower parts of the rapids, we had fun by engaging in water battles and games. During our trip, we talked to our raft guide, who has worked as a guide here for 20 years and lived in Cusco his entire life, yet never gets bored of exploring the Urubamba river. At the end of the trip, we had lunch, played with the kids some more, and boarded our buses for the ride back to our hotel in Cusco. It was indeed an unforgettable weekend.
Leaders of the weekend!

~ Jillian Gordner, Nick Orribe, Isabella Vieira, Jacob Morgan, Maria Lino, and Anjulee Bhalla

First Day of Service

Our third day in Cusco, Peru was an extremely eye opening experience and provided a look into a different, unique side of life. Today was our first day on our local service project, with the ultimate goal being to build and complete a greenhouse over the next three weeks in the village of Yuncaypata. Many of us were not expecting our work to be as strenuous and tedious as it actually happened to be. At a very high altitude of around 11,500 feet, moving 30 pound bricks of mud and straw proved to be a difficult, but rewarding task. The location we were at had very rough and bumpy grounds. As a team of inspired and driven young leaders, we worked together and managed to flatten out a path in the land. With this, we brought many bricks to the building site and started assembling the walls of our greenhouse within the first day. We were very proud of our work and progress. In short, we headed back to our base today with sore and tired bodies, but left Yuncaypata with hearts full of pride and compassion. This project will truly be one we will never forget.

Introductions

*The internet has just been restored at the home base!

Hello readers, my name are Jacqueline and I just arrived today. My journey to this destination was very irritating to say the least, but I’m glad I made it. As my cousin, Jacob, and I were in the plane we saw the beautiful, snow capped, breath taking mountains along the horizon. I did not know what to expect out of this organized trip. As the two of us exited the plane we were brutally awakened by the cold sting of the wind on our cheeks. This was a huge difference in temperature than we had expected, considering we had just spent a day in the hot humidity of Miami. Anyways, we were greeted by a Global Leadership Adventurer leader after we picked up our luggage. Jacob and I were surprised to see that our “home base” was so close to the airport. In fact it only took us about ten minutes. On the car ride over we had a glimpse of how the locals would go about their daily routine. I would have never imagined Cuzco, Peru, to look so beautiful. It was extremely refreshing to see the scenery that I’m not accustomed to seeing. We finally met many people, some of which were sick from the altitude change, but all were very excited to be here. One of my peers named Zack, had a similar experience, except he came from the West Coast and I came from the East. As I spoke to Zack, he told me how amazing the small farm village Patabamba was, and shared how they helped with the families’ daily tasks, such as picking kernels of corn and cracking beans. They also had their first true Peruvian food experience when they were invited to have a bowl of delicious quinoa soup. He then warned me to wear sunscreen, and at that moment I looked around to all the others and saw red faces. I’m sure I will see around the challenges to take in this experience of a life time!

First Activities

With sleep deprivation, altitude sickness, a culture shock, and the cold, today has been tough. Most of us have had at least three flights we had to catch and I am confident when I say most of us never want to see another plane again. From the airport we were taken to home base, a cozy hotel where most of us have had to battle with the stairs. We were given ample time to settle in and get acquainted with one another. We met the mentors, all of which are absolutely amazing people with greatly varying backgrounds, and we met the other kids on the trip. To break the ice we played a number of silly games and our laughs could be heard all over Cuzco. In between meals, games, the coca tea which is keeping everyone alive, and the battle against the altitude true bonding took place. At first, conversation was slow and quiet, but after the games and more interaction you could barely hear the person in front of you. Friendships were made on the first day and will only continue to grow. Although the altitude may hurt and the home sickness may hurt even more, there is not another group of kids I would rather go through it with. We are truly an amazing bunch. We are all eager to both learn and work tomorrow, but now comes some well needed rest. Tomorrow will come a 6 a.m. wake up and some hard work in the Peruvian crop fields. We are all looking forward to what Peru has to offer and for the arrival of the last three students. Until tomorrow,
Adios!

-Marc Gonzalo and Marcus Saikaley

We’ve Arrived!

We are waiting on 3 students and will have a group photo up soon!

Hi Yogi and to whomever else it may concern:

Today we continued our usual morning routine of service. It consisted more games of This or That during our adobe brick assembly line. Families of the children who attend the local school had a presentation of the food from three regions of Peru: mountain, coast, and jungle. Some of the foods included ceviche and plantain soup which some of us got to try. After lunch, we had the opportunity to go to a local orphanage that housed about twenty girls ranging in ages twelve to seventeen. Although it was difficult, we were able to bridge the language gap through game of volleyball with some of the girls from the orphanage, hula hooping contests, and rocking to some sick beats that Alice was dropping. After returning to home base, we had a speaker come and share about malnutrition and how it affects about 40 percent of Peruvian children. This fact was pretty chilling considering we have grown very fond of the children at the local school and that four out of every ten of the children we know could suffer from chronic malnutrition. Today wraps up another day in Peru filled with laughter, culture, and growing friendship.

-Delaney Douglas

Como te Llamas?

Today was anything but llame(a). We began with a deliciously late wake-up 45 minutes after our usual time, followed by a breakfast of–you guessed it–eggs.

At our first day back at service after our hiking escapade, we made visible progress on the wall of the greenhouse, raising it up to three layers of bricks, which was pretty inspirational. Everyone was so down to earth (pun intended) that we got the work done at a surprisingly quick pace. Since we all have the muscular prowess to lift hundreds of bricks (not), we passed the time and made the workload easier by playing Would you Rather.

We came back to the hotel and were pleasantly greeted by the three week GLAers who had arrived that day. After considering terrorizing them like the previous three week group did to us, we decided to be nice and found them to be a friendly bunch. But we did introduce ourselves to them in different voices. Shoutout to Ann’s, Sydney’s and Sanders’s British accents! They were almost as good as mine. Almost.

We then headed to a llama farm to fulfill everyone’s goal of getting a selfie with a llama–oh, and maybe learning about Peru’s sacred animal and how it influenced the Peruvian culture–but mostly the selfies.

After buying alpaca gear at the farm’s gift shop and buying Peruvian knockoff Pringles and other assorted snacks at the supermarket, we came back and chowed down on each other’s food, potluck style. We also had some live entertainment, courtesy of Delaney and Olivia’s dance moves.

We ended the day with some inspirational and thought-provoking activities from our mentors and with some fun games. I thoroughly enjoyed my frigid shower to wrap things up (thanks Miguel for telling me there was hot water at 9:30. Public Service Announcement–there isn’t.)

As a true American, I was super grateful for my wifi for 20 minutes to post this blog and to email my parents–love you Mom and Dad and Chikoo!! And to check Instagram (what, who said that?)
~Medhaaaaa (to be read in Trevor/Sanders’ voices)

Machu Picchu

Today we had the INCAcredible pleasure of visiting Machu Picchu! Our day started out at our hotel (the promised wifi land) with lots of instagramming of the great memories from hiking Mt. Veronica. After taking our beloved hot showers we all enjoyed the comfort of a warm bed in the hotel. In the morning we took a bus down to Machu Picchu and finally got to see it in all its splendor. As our tour guides quoted Michael Jackson, “This is it.” It was even better than expected. Our cameras couldn’t do justice to the breathtaking scenery. The mountains were the perfect backdrop to the legendary ruins. After the tour and free time for pictures, we headed back to Aguas Calientes for a delicious lunch, explored the city shops, and got on a train back to home base. After finally settling back into home base and unpacking, we enjoyed a relaxing movie night.

–Ann Easley and Medha Sharma

Aguas Calientes

Upon awakening from what was likely the coldest night of many indoorsy individuals’ lives, those who hadn’t already laughed about the previous day’s misfortune began to relax their vendetta on all things wilderness. Slipping back into our wet shoes, we huddled into the meal tent and heard the good news that an anticipated three more hours of waterlogged hiking would be reduced to a 20 minute uphill trek to the vehicles. A scenic descent by bus into the jungle brought us between waterfalls and some to depths of motion sickness. Local hands prepared a picnic lunch within the walls of Incan ruins before we continued by bus and train to Aguas Calientes, the launching point for tomorrow’s excursion to Machu Picchu. Wifi, hot showers, and free time to see the town were enough for full recovery from a complaint filled 24 hours in the Andean elements.

-Daniel Rinner 

The Hike

Obstacle 1: Mental block
To begin the day, we took a bus ride up to the launching point of our expedition. After being thoroughly scared, many were afraid to start the hike (for example, Audrey). You would think after fighting off bulls and ragged stray dogs, we would all be prepared to enjoy some of Mother Nature (Pacha Mama)’s splendor. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Our good friend/guide/paramedic Richard managed to convince everyone that you would need to damage your spine before you could ride an emergency horse, but we soon proved him wrong and got someone on one for the long hike ahead of us.

Obstacle 2: Snow
While Guilherme, our Brazilian bad boy, had his first experience with the natural wonder of snow, others found a new thing to complain about other than heavy packs and muddy boots. An unexpected cold set in, and many began feel “frostbite” in their hands and toes. Of course, going up proved to be less stressful for many than going down.

Obstacle 3: Muddy Butts
Freezing after a moderately warm lunch in the tent, we made our way down Mt. Veronica slipping and sliding. Some didn’t have walking sticks, others had no sense of inner balance, and either way many ended up sliding on their butts a little ways down the mountain. The snow wouldn’t let up, and without gloves, my hands were frozen, especially after dipping my bloody finger in the snow to clean it off. The snow and the fog managed to make us stray from the path once or twice, leading a few of the less experienced hikers to panic. After crying, shouting, and insulting almost every person involved in the decision to go hiking, we found ourselves at the campsite just before dark. Sleeping bags were opened and crawled into, and some we’re destined to emerge from them only after the sun had risen again the next mornjng. Others enjoyed tea time and a hearty dinner, with lots of snuggling close for warmth. Overall, a day that went sour ultimately led to a heartwarming tale of complaints, curses and camaraderie. Oh, and hi mom.

-Trevor aka Andrew Garfield

Brick by Brick, Note by Note

Day 5 was chock-full of work and fun, despite the obviously sore hands after carrying 152, 25lb mud bricks one by one down our group assembly line. Our crew was very pleased to see our work visually coming together as the walls of our greenhouse rose from the muddy ground. After lunch, we took a ride over to participate in a music workshop! We were shown instruments ranging from flutes to drums to sheep-hoof shakers, we even got to try them after the demonstration! We learned the history behind some Incan music traditions, like a conch used by special Incan messengers, or the drum that used to be made of human skin (ours was thankfully past that tradition). It was a chilly afternoon and he group was eager to return to base camp and enjoy a hot dinner, a hot shower, and a very intense dance party to warm us up even further for the hike to come tomorrow!

-Alice Bennett

Bulls and Donkeys and Fortunes, Oh My!

Today in Peru we woke up bright and early for a day of service and fun. We were all a little sore from yesterday but we went straight back into finishing the foundation for the greenhouse by making clay and laying down rocks. We started to bring the bricks down for the walls and it looks like we’ll get to start those tomorrow! Some of the kids who attend the school where we’re working came to visit and kicked our behinds in a game of soccer or football as they called it. We did have some unexpected spectators who decided to take the field in the form of a pair of bulls! They started to chase some of us around the field before a brave donkey and pair of dogs herded them away, very exciting! After a delicious lunch we traveled up into the mountains to visit a shaman. We each made three wishes and had our fortune told through his reading of the coca leaves. A lot of people were really excited to hear their fortune. All in all it was a very fun and very tiring day!

Shoutout to my Mom and Dad – I’m having a lot of fun and am missing you lots <3 Sophie

-Sophia Manhertz

First Day of Service

Today was our first day of service! We are working to build a sustainable greenhouse for a local elementary school. The previous group was able to dig and finish the foundation so our goal is the to finish the walls. To do this we have to dig all of the the surrounding land with picks, rakes, shovels, and pick axes as well as sift through to get the fine dirt and then mix it with water to create clay. The clay is then used as a cement for the rocks and bricks in the walls. We were fortunate enough to see another greenhouse that GLA built last summer and it is already a success. Even better is that each structure is expected to last 30-40 years. This alone plays a role in the nourishment of the children which allows them to grow into healthy adults and contributes to a prosperous Peru in the future.

After service we watched a Ted-talk video called the power of a single story. Taking the information from the video we went to the plaza and played a game to help us understand cultural diversity and how important it is to have an open mind while traveling. We also had the opportunity to stop by a grocery store and stock up on some local goodies for the rest of the week and the hike.

-Irene

Starting Off

Hello readers! Mostly parents I assume, I’m going to be your very first blogger. Now for the reveal, my name is Audrey Jones! Hi Mom, do tell Andrew and Maeve I said hello. Today was our first official day in Peru and it was, in my opinion, pretty superb. I think that all of my other peers had a great time as well. We started the day bright and early at 7am, with breakfast shortly after at 7:30. After breakfast we all filed onto buses to drive to the Sacsayhuaman ruins. They were INCA-redible (excuse the pun; thanks Alice for coming up with that one). We saw ancient tunnels, extraterrestrial-esque walls, and fantastic views of Cuzco. I got to take a selfie with a llama so that was also super cool.

We then proceeded to load back onto the buses for a lunch break. The food at the restaurant was delicioso! We had this corn with kernels bigger than my thumb, and also some odd purple corn juice (which you should all definitely try if you’re in the mood to juice some corn). The view was also amazing and the company was the best part! I learned that Hannah (Lorde) can’t sing, Trevor (Andrew Garfield) can sing – he’s in an acapella group, Charlotte has lived in 4 different countries, and Daniel is a lifeguard. We toured the city for a little while after that and then head back to home base for some quality bonding time. Everyone gets pretty into Uno and card games and to be honest, the competition was getting pretty heated. Chloe pulled out a victory in Uno and after that we had to switch games so we chose a nice, relaxed, game of assassin (which I promise is much less sadistic than it sounds).

Finally at 6:30 came dinner at which point we were all more than ready to eat again, the food here is great. After dinner we had a group meeting after which everyone scrabbled back upstairs to play more Uno until lights out at 9 – we have a big first day of volunteering ahead of us! And now I too must go hit the hay so that I’m ready to build a greenhouse tomorrow! Ta-ta! And parents I wouldn’t worry, we ́re all having a blast!

Ciao, Audrey

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived safely in country and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

Last Day of Service

It is finally here, our last day of service in Yuncaypata. We successfully finished the foundation after long hours of placing rocks in the trenches and delicately crafting the mud to complete the structure. The long hard three weeks of manual labor with limited tools ended late as we worked tirelessly though lunch to complete what we had started. Our hearts were touched as we shared final memories with the children from the school near our worksite as we ate crackers and juice and played during our long break. As emotional as it was, our goodbye was humored as the kids attempted to steal our soccer ball during our tragic exit. As we purged our shopping addictions at the artisan market, we indulged ourselves in knitted llama ponchos and fuzzy hats followed by our final (and of course delicious) dinner at the home-base. The baby cows, loud donkeys and stray dogs of Yuncaypata will be missed, as the work of our blood sweat and tears will be carried on by the next group.

Yours truly,
-Sofia, Gen, and Harrison

A Hard Day of Service

Today we started with a hard day of service. We continued to move boulders, make mud, and create a solid foundation for our greenhouse. Everyone was still exhausted from our long weekend, even three days later! Following our service, we went into the town of Yuncaypata to watch a religious celebration of the Virgen del Carmen. The children from the school we volunteer at were all dressed up in traditional Peruvian costumes and they performed a dance for the village. The teenagers of the village also performed a dance that consisted of a lot of whipping! Apparently, this is to represent bloodshed. All of the villagers were very welcoming and offered us bean porridge and “chicha”. After we left the town and had our lunch, we all headed to a boys’ orphanage. We brought donations of laundry detergent, shampoo, and art supplies, among other things. They gave us a tour of the orphanage and explained that it housed boys ages 6 -18. We all had a blast playing with the children. When it was time to go, we all were extremely heartbroken that we had to leave them because we had had such a wonderful time. Only 3 more days to go, so we’ll see you soon Mom and Dad!

–Ashley Widen, Sarah Gordon and Rachel Ayres

Progress

After a difficult day of service yesterday moving boulders, we had to continue this task to complete the foundation. It was obvious how tired and fatigued everyone was, physically and mentally. Halfway through service we took a half-hour break. Silvia’s mentor group went to the school to teach the English alphabet while the other mentor groups went to the basketball court to relax, hangout, and play soccer. We continued service for the last hour before lunch and then came back to the home base. After lunch, we had time to relax and we watched a documentary called “Bullied” and later discussed the prevalence of bullying in our schools and ways to stop it. Following the documentary, we had a speaker come to talk to us about the health problems in Peru that many children face. According to her presentation, 5 in 10 children in the Cusco region have a parasite, 7 in 10 children are anemic, and nearly 2 out of every 10 children suffer from chronic malnutrition. OK, love you bye.

– Calli Haramaras, Hannah Berzinis, Kiley Therrien

Starting Our Last Week

Today we started service for the third week. We were told earlier that we were getting gravel, however when we arrived at the work site we were greeted by giant boulders. We then started moving these rocks by both assembly line and by wheelbarrows, which turned out to be a very demanding job, especially since we were all so sore from the hike. We also had to start mixing dirt and hay to make clay for filling in the foundation. We got to hang out with the kids in the elementary school again today which was very fun since they were so adorable. After another hour of hard work and getting covered in mud and rock dust, we visited a llama farm. We got to go into a llama pen and feed them, and we were suddenly swarmed by tons of super fluffy llamas, there was one super fluffy one we dubbed “big booty Judy (see photo)” The llamas got a little mad at one point and one spit all over us, which a few girls were quite looking forward to! We also learned that there is one very rare llama, the Vicuna, and the clothes made of its fur costs thousands of dollars, but don’t worry mom and dad, no one bought a 3,000 sol sweater!!!

– Alex, Isabel, and Andrew

Machu Picchu

This weekend was very hard and tiring for the whole group. We hiked a total of 45km towards Machu Picchu. We hiked uphill and downhill and took amazing pictures during our long hours of walking. From the bright stars at night to the ice caps on the mountain tops we were amazed by the scenery. We walked through loose rocks and dusty trials. Even though one of our own had hurt her ankle we all still managed to stay strong and hike though the misty clouds to our campsite. After two nights of camping at high altitudes, the group hiked the rest of the way down the mountain and took a few buses towards the town of St Teresa. Soon after we arrived, we learned that the train was overbooked with only 10 seats available. So the rest of the group hiked an extra, epic 9km! Though long and tiring, were were able to see the back side of Machu Picchu! Aguas Calientes treated us with a good dinner, wifi and a cozy hotel. And the next morning we saw the ruins of the amazing Machu Picchu which made the hiking worth it all. It is sad to think that we only have 6 days left on our Peruvian journey. Thank goodness we all took lots of pictures.

-Ashley, Yaseen, Felix, Diego, Michelle, Isaac, Brian, Kamran, Nick, Lisa

Worms, Weaving, and Words

Today was a day of worms, weaving and words. The group began the day with a series of notably chaotic wake up calls, a egg-citing breakfast and a somewhat hectic shuffle to the work site. Once we finally arrived, we began work on a drainage platform that will hopefully allow the green-house-to-be dry. Of course, as we are in a fairly rainy part of the world, we made some wiggly friends during our digging. During an extended break mid day, part of the group split off to teach English words to Yuncaypata’s Quechua speaking children: needless to say, it went very slowly. When our arduous day was finally done, we hopped back on the bus (this time more smoothly than during our morning shuffle) and drove out to an Incan weaving center on the outskirts of Cusco. There we had an opportunity to see traditional weaving first hand, smell dyes, pluck strings and of course, empty out pockets for fine textiles. Don’t worry, our purchases were gifts (mostly).

Adios, padres, hemanos y amigos,
-Genevieve Simon, Gaby Lai, Yaseen Ahmed

Service & Culture

The day started with our usual early wake up at 6 am. After breakfast we headed to our service project. During our usual mid work break, one of our mentor groups started their English teaching class to the local children for their recess. Their first English class was proven productive for the kids learned all of the basic colors. The other two mentor groups had a fun break of playing soccer. All three groups worked for one more hour at the service site and then headed back to home base for lunch. After lunch, we attended a meeting discussing the requirements for our four day Macchu Picchu excursion. Then, we loaded onto our buses and headed to our traditional dance workshop which was a goose mating dance. Haha! In the workshop, we were able to dress in
the traditional clothing of the Andean people. It was a fun and funny workshop. Once our workshop was over, we headed back to home base and had a delicious dinner. Today was a very productive day that was filled with hard work and fun cultural activities.

Buenos noches,
-Hannah Berzinis, Rachel Ayres, and Isabel Campos

Back to Work

Today was our first day back on the work site since our camping trip. As a group we struggled to get up on time and out the door to continue service. After arriving on the site it was evident how groggy and lethargic everyone was and we knew it would be difficult to maintain our excitement for our service of the previous week. We started the morning off with stretches and jumping jacks to loosen our muscles and get our blood flowing. The goal for our day was to continue leveling the ground so we could begin the foundation of the greenhouse. It was difficult at first, but as the day progressed we managed to succeed. Half way through the workday, we took a 30 minute break to play soccer, relax, and enjoy our surroundings. Following our lunch after the workday we watched a TED Talk called the “Single Story” and later discussed the importance of keeping an open mind and not having stereotypes about anyone or anything. Next, we went to a nearby smoothie café where we were able to access the internet and use our phones to catch up with friends and family. Our last activity for the day was taking a Quechua class by a local instructor who taught us the basics of the language. Although the language was difficult to understand and learn, we know we will be able to use our basic knowledge of the language when we visit a native village where the only language spoken is Quechua. After our class we interviewed our teacher about the importance of keeping the native language alive to maintain the Peruvian culture of over a thousand years. Our final excitement of the day was having pasta for dinner. Although we have been enjoying the food, we were glad to eat something that reminded us of home. Despite only having two leaders of the day, we managed to succeed with our goal while having fun.

Love,
–Janice Koo and Calli Haramaras (the best leader duo there ever was…**hair flip**)

An Awesome Weekend

Today we went mountain biking and visited a market in the town of Ollantatambo. We got to sleep in half an hour later and woke up at 6:30. We packed up our tents and then enjoyed a delicious egg omelet. We loaded our stuff onto the vans and made our way up the valley. After stopping at the top of a mountain (a 14,000 foot mountain!) we then proceeded to get fitted for our bikes and helmets. Soon after, our group finally embarked on our journey. Although a few of us were frightened at daunting hills and sharp turns, we all managed to push through and make it down. Afterwards, we enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch, which consisted of chicken, quinoa and a vegetable medley. Following our lunch we took a quick bus ride to an open air market. We had forty minutes to sift through the many colorful stalls and shops. Some of us stopped for the pizza and wifi, while others searched for the perfect souvenir. Finally, we headed back to home base to enjoy a dinner made up of meat and rice pilaf. Our long day came to an end when we all settled in to watch Indiana Jones.

Sincerely,
Kiley and Sarah
P.S. Hi mom.:))

Today was spent by rafting, playing with kids, and playing fun activities. We woke up at 7:30, one hour later than our usual wake up time, then dropping off our first load of laundry to be washed when we would be away. Then we started on our one and a half hour drive to the Urubamba river that we would be rafting on. Of course not forgetting to stop at two different bathroom stops along the way, but not for the bathroom but for the alpaca sweater stands. Once we arrived at the river, we got out of the buses, to carefully hear the instructions on how to raft and how we would “fight fire with fire” against the class 3 rapids. Every part of rafting was spectacular; when we weren’t going hard down the rapids we were splashing other boats. When we arrived at our camping spot, we changed out of our wet clothes to have lunch.

After lunch, we had to wait to put our stuff away because our tents weren’t ready yet. So we played with the local kids that could have lasted us ten hours instead of the one hour that it actually did. Once our stuff was put away in our tents and we put on many layers , we played the snackpack/flag game that we learned a couple days before, followed by a somewhat physically chill but mentally interesting game called ‘the village’. Right before dinner we found out what type of leaders each of us were by answering a bunch of questions. Dinner went by fast, but definitely the best part was the Nutella burrito dessert topped off with the strawberry jam. The leaders of the day made a camp fire and we made s’mores. Later telling scary stories that definitely affected how each of us slept that night. Finally we headed to our tents, and went to sleep.
Sincerely,
Isaac Epstein

Service!

Hola,

Today was our fourth day at the worksite and we (Kevin, Harrison and Nick) were the leaders of the day. The day consisted of digging trenches and moving dirt from the top of the hill to the bottom of the hill to even out the plot where the greenhouse will go. The mud has started to become a “friend” of us. It is stuck to all of our work shoes and clothing. We also visited the local school and enjoyed spending time with the local school children. Some of us taught the children some basic English. The rest of us played around with the locals on the see-saw, swings, slide, and other local playground equipment.

In the afternoon we visited a Peruvian Shaman, a healer and fortune teller. We participated in a ceremony where he called to the four local mountains. He spoke to them and offered our “spiritual package”. We also had the opportunity to get our fortune read by the shaman, which was very interesting and fun.

We also visited the local supermarket. Many of the students bought some more snacks to supplement our hunger from all of our hard work.

Tomorrow we are going to go on our first excursion of white water rafting and biking. During this trip we will be camping and it will be a great experience for many of us!

Sincerely,
Kevin Fu
PS: The other leaders of the day, Nick Stein and Harrison Marsh, did not contribute to this blog due to the consumption of Oreos. Ha ha!!!

Photo: Visit to the shaman — him making the offering to the four surrounding mountains.

A Full Day

What’s crackin’ parentals and to whom it may concern, it is us, Maddie/Sofia/Michelle the triple entente of room 305 aka: Power team, After hours of being splattered with mud, we have tirelessly worked to form a foundation for an adobe greenhouse using nothing but pick-axes and rods. Sore muscles and dirt stained socks are only the beginning of our daily strenuous endeavors. We have been bonding with the local kids from the community we are working in, and are planning to start teaching basic English skills every week. Today we visited an Andean music specialist who enlightened us with his magnificent musical expertise. We learned a simple Incan tune as we overlooked the entire beautiful valley of Cusco from a cliff. We have grown extremely close in the past four days and our bonds are only getting stronger. We have just started to prepare for our first Peruvian adventure where we will be backpacking, white water rafting, and biking through the Sacred Valley of the Andes Mountains. Beside the goose bumps in July, chapped lips, and muddy hair it has been a smooth ride with much more excitement ahead.

PS: to any worried parents, we are alive, well, and kind of miss you because we are having the time of our lives.

Love Always,
Michelle Costello, Sofia Maria Bergmann & Madeline Starr Kahl
#peaceoutboyscout

Second Day of Service

Today was our fourth day in Peru and our second day working in the Yuncapata mountain village. We finally finished clearing the site for the greenhouse and started building the irrigation system for the greenhouse. It felt like we worked for about 24 hours and nothing got done, but at the end of the day we really did make some progress, such as taking down trees and building a canal. It was really neat getting to see our hard work paying off and watching the water flow through our newly built canal. Unfortunately we missed recess and weren’t able to hang out with the school children today, but we did get to go into the city and get our fix of internet access in an internet cafe. After that, we went to the park and played some team building games with a rope, which quickly turned into a game of jump rope with the local kids in the park. After dinner we had a speaker come and talk to us about the current economy and social standings in Peru. Even though it was a long lecture, it kept our attention the whole time, because it was so interesting. He even reminded us why we’re here- not necessarily to just build a green house, but to inspire the community to keep improving. Now we feel as if we know the true Peru. (By Andrew, Alex ,Lisa — The best Leaders of the Day so far… haha!)

Starting Service

Our 3rd day in Peru. Today we started our service project with the ultimate goal of building an adobe greenhouse. When we arrived at the plot of land we were to build on, it was almost entirely covered in weeds. Our local director, Richard, showed us how to use the tools. We cleared the entire plot using pick-axes, machetes, and clippers in only a few hours. Then from there we started marking the dimensions of the land we were going to build on and cutting down the trees around the outskirts of the property. We couldn’t get all the trees down, a task for another day, but the progress we made was incredible. Also, about halfway through our day of work, we had a chance to visit the nearby school of kindergarten through 3rd graders. The kids were very shy, some didn’t speak Spanish, but rather the native Incan language of Quechua. While the language barrier was a challenge, having fun is the universal language, as we played on swings, slides, sesaws, and building paper airplanes. It’s an understandable nervousness harbored by the kids with all of us being strangers, but as we continue to work we’ll only get closer with them.

-By Jack, Arielle, Diego

Getting Started

June 30th, second day of Peru. We woke up bright and early, and had a breakfast of eggs. We left to Qorikancha, the temple of the Sun at around 8:00 a.m. After that, we visited the Plaza de Armas, which was the city square. After that, we visited the Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia, a very large and intricate cathedral. At this time, we were extremely hungry, so we went to a “mirador” restaurant, which provided a sprawling view of Cusco below. The meal doubled with the amazing traditional music performance by Inka Marka resulted in a very satisfied group of tourists. After lunch, we visited Saksaywaman. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with attractive females, but it was an Incan temple which also doubled as a Spanish fortress during the Incan civil war. Before we left, we took pictures with some Alpacas. Some of us even got to hold a baby Alpaca. After all of our adventuring, we came back to Home Base and visited the supermarket, and loaded up on junk food. It was indeed wonderful. After grocery shopping, we came back to Home Base and had a little journal meeting, but before that Serida gave the group some riddles, which were mind-boggling. Some were able to get them within a minute or two. We walked a lot, but it was fun and worth it at the end. It was a great experience.

-by Brian and Kamran

First Days

Hi, this is Nick, writing from the headquarters in Cusco. I was the first to arrive, and therefore was assigned the first blog entry for our trip. Even though I’ve been here for less than 24 hours, it feels as though I’ve been here for a few days. After my six in the morning arrival, I slept until lunch, which was where I met everyone. Following lunch, we started playing name games and getting to know each other. Orientation continued throughout the day, breaking only for dinner and some down time. The food has been wonderful, and all of the adults in charge seem to be pretty cool. We were broken into our mentor groups today and I really liked that because I felt like it was a time to just talk about how we were feeling. The only thing I can think about changing is the altitude, which has had a definite affect on all of us who aren’t used to it. However, everyone seems to be very happy and excited for the trip. I’m looking forward to our first day in Cusco where we are going on a tour with some local guides and visiting a local cathedral. Overall, everyone is really happy and we’re all looking forward to our time in Peru.

Arrival!

All students have arrived minus one, orientation is on! Photos and blog posts to follow! 

Last Day

The last day. We break our backs on our last attempt at shoveling mud, pickaxing the earth, and carrying rocks. But every moment, we enjoyed. We enjoyed the work because while we all desperately wanted to yell at mentors for putting us through this, we knew it was for a great cause. At the school, we could see the smiling faces of young school children, and understanding that our service was for a better community allowed everyone to pull through. The children and school staff prepared for us potatoes, cheese, and sauce as a goodbye and a thank you. And as we finished shoveling the last scoop of dirt, we decide a good departing party would be a 5-minute mud fight, caking most of the group in mud that would take a good hour to clean off (was it really worth it in the end?).
The most difficult part of today was knowing that the faces we have come to know would soon be on a plane, bound for their own homes. Saying goodbye can be one of the most painful experiences of our lives. But life doesn’t have to be this way. Goodbyes are only forever by choice, by absence of heart. We choose to keep in contact, knowing well that some people we have met on this journey are equivalent to the relationships we spent years building. We sat together as a group, likely the last time we would, and sang songs while Erik played on the guitar.  At the end of it all, we gathered together for a large group hug. Some shed tears, and some played it strong, but a general consensus was that we would all miss each other. I guess that was a fair goodbye. Yes we do leave, and while the experience was only for two weeks, the impact on our lives would last a lifetime.

Getting More Acquainted With Cusco

¡Hola! Today we went on an adventure through the city of Cusco, Peru. We began by venturing into the colonial sector of Cusco, where we saw Qoriqancha Cathedral. We next got to see Incan ruins and finally saw Sacsaywaman.

It started out with us arriving in the Central Plaza where we met our tour guide who was eager to show us around the historical sites. We began to walk around and see the Incan ruins. The Incan walls were created in a slanted pattern. The Incans built this way because in Cusco they have earthquakes very often and the slanted walls prevented the structures from collapsing and destroying the town. Our tour guide then began to take us to the Qorikancha Museum, where we saw how the Incans constructed their temples. Afterwards we made our way to the Basilica where we got to see amazing works of art and many Jesi (Jesuses). My favorite work of art was the painting of “The Last Supper”, which featured a cuy as their last meal. After we saw the Basilica we begged Miguel to take us to Starbucks, and he did. After Starbucks we hopped on a bus and went to eat lunch. The view from the restaurant was spectacular. It was so beautiful that I think I am just going to have to name my first born child Cusco because of its beauty. After a delicious lunch we made our way to Sacsaywaman where we learned that Cusco is shaped like a puma. Sacsaywaman is the head of the puma. After a long day of exploring we made our way back to home base. At home base we got to watch the most intense soccer game of our lives. We watched the Netherlands vs. Argentinia game. I would like to point out that I picked the winning team which was Argentinia. I also got to eat jello for dessert which was awesome. I hoped you all enjoyed this blog. ¡Adios!

-Molly Todd

Musical Festivals of the Incas

Today we continued our service from where we left off last Thursday and managed to start creating the foundation. In the afternoon we had a musical workshop consisting of our instruction of many different traditional Incan flutes and learning a Peruvian song on the pan flute. Our day started once again at 6:30 and we were all back to our normal routine. After coming back to home base from an exciting camping weekend some students found it hard to wake up this morning as I repeatedly knocked on my peers doors trying to get them to wake up. We all headed off to the bus in the chilly morning weather and were greeted excitedly, as usual, by the children at the preschool. Picking up where we left our before the hike, we finished up the digging of the ditch and began to place enormous rocks in the foundation. In addition, we sifted continued to sift the huge pile of dirt and began to use the fine dirt to make clay that would act as cement between the rocks. The process of making the clay included three GLA students rolling up their pants to get down and dirty in the mud as they walked in circles to get the water and dirt mixed together through a dirty and rigorous process. We were all glad to have the pick axing and shoveling done and we were all excited to get the actual construction underway. During the break period of the service the students collecting rocks came upon an enormous tarantula that was greeted with awe by some and disgust by others. The break was also accompanied by an adorable musical performance by the preschoolers who showed off their dance moves and singing to all of us.

Some of us exhausted from service took a nap in the free period after lunch, including myself, while others washed up from being all muddy. Then at 3:00 we headed off to an open rural area with a multitude of horse and sheep to do our musical workshop with a local Peruvian musician. This talented man in traditional Peruvian garb showed us at least 15 different types of Peruvian flutes varying from ones used in the jungle to ones used in Inca times and ones made out of bamboo, plastic, metal and more. He showed us samples of traditional songs played all over the countries for all different festivals and activities. Afterwards, we all got to try out the instruments for ourselves. It was pretty entertaining to hear the clashing high-pitched sounds coming from the students struggling to imitate the noise on the flutes. He also went on to show us more gruesome instruments such as a maraca-sounding instrument that was actually many sheep toenails tied together. In addition he showed us a traditional Incan drum and told us of how the Incans made the drum skin out of the skin from the stomachs of their enemies and attached the decapitated arms of the their enemies so that the drum would beat on its own with the wind. This tactic was used to scare enemies and made Incans one of the more successful war heroes of their time. On a happier note, the instructor then proceeded to give us all our own pan flutes to play as he taught us how to play a short Peruvian song. Though there was some struggling with this, the instructor was kind enough to help all of us individually and then we continued to all play the song as a group which actually turned out pretty well. We ended the day with a great bonding leadership activity that brought us altogether as a community.

-Anya Gorodentsev

Another Day, Another Story

Day eleven. Three full days left, and for some of us only two. Everyone is already talking about how sad it will be when we depart. Conversations are getting deeper, the comfort level around each other is at a max. We are practically a family and the mentors are our ancestors who have shown us the way through their words of wisdom. Unfortunately, this will all be over in less than 60 hours. Everyone is trying to make these last days their best, happiest, and forgiving so we can all leave on a good note and maintain the accumulated friendships we have developed in under two weeks.

Anyway, today was a good day! We continued to work on filling the perimeter of the greenhouse with massive rocks being carried by bodybuilders and mud being mixed by the feet of dancers. Apparently, music really sets the mood and helps get these jobs done? After a “chill” mornings work, we came back to base to relax, eat, and enjoy each other’s company. We later departed to a weaving/textile community home to learn the different ways the women there make and dye their clothes, hats, bracelets, napkins, blankets, table cloths, etc. Everyone was in awe when seeing these beautiful colors of yarn be carefully and precisely woven within each other by the delicate hands of the women. Again we have had the opportunity to see the cultural wonders of Peru. Another day, another story.

– Desmond

Still Hiking

-Sarah Moore

We woke up around 6:00 to tea being brought into our tents (talk about camping in style!!) We all then sluggishly went into the dining tent for a breakfast of pancakes, and a little breakfast cake in honor of Katy’s birthday. Then, we were off on a 4 hour hike, which was a tricky one, due to the easy downhill path at the beginning which drastically morphed into a never ending uphill battle. However, I am very pleased to announce that we did all make it to lunch alive (just slightly out of breath,) on the top of a scenic mountain. For lunch, as an appetizer we had some sort of cream of corn soup, followed by bread with guacamole, and for our actual meal, we ate fish that resembled the taste of a fish stick and potatoes. Our lunch was followed with tea, and then we were en route to Aguas Calientes, the city affiliated with Machu Picchu.

After a 3 hour bus ride, and an hour long train ride, mostly spent catching up on some shut-eye, we made it. After filing into our hotel and using the long awaited and well earned wifi, we went to a small resturant (which also had wifi, I might add) and had the option of eating either steak, or ham pizza. The food was delicious, and after we finished eating, we had oppertunity to walk around and see what the city had to offer. There were many live bands playing and dainty shops to sit in which-you guessed it-had wifi (clearly my priorities are in order).

Back at the hotel, we all sat and talked, exchanging instagrams and whatever else kids do these days. It was also nice because hot water was finally available, so we experienced the hottest showers in what felt like years. Then we got-what is necessary for most teenagers-our beauty sleep.

Machu Picchu

-Becca Clark

Today marks the first encounter of a great wonder of the world for many, if not all, of our group.  Personally, our hike/campout was the single most rewarding experience I’ve had yet. After a nearly impossible trek that pushed every last one of us to our limit, we were granted today with a warm hotel bed and a scenic train ride to Machu Picchu. This trip was everything I expected and more. Personally I am fascinated by ancient civilizations, the Incan civilization being one of the most alluring, and found nothing but wonder within the mountainous village.  The tour guides were charming and professional, giving us tidbits about the different architecture that kept us captivated the whole time. Walking through the hallways and passages once stepped on by supposed demigods is extremely humbling. The thought, care and precision put into this architecture is centuries beyond its time and will forever be appreciated internationally.

After such an eye opening event, a meal fit for royalty was in order. A lunch of quinoa or tomato soup and grilled chicken or spaghetti left us satisfied and hungry for more adventure. The gorgeous tourist destination we wandered was bustling with life and creativity.

The amount of work put into the souvenirs and local products, as well as the food, was simply amazing.  A train ride and bus ride later, we made it back to home base at dinner time. I noticed that when we reached our destination, many of the kids cried “We’re home!” which made me realize just how comfortable and at home we are at GLA and just much it was missed after only 2 days away.

Living the High-Life during a Hair-Raising Hike

-Alex Brown

The first day of our hike provided us with some incredible views as well as a great opportunity for exercise. Upon reaching the campsite, we enjoyed “tea time”, a great dinner, and a surprise that the mentors kept hidden from us until the end of the night.

“Wake up!” I yell as I excitedly bang on the doors of each of the students’ rooms. My excitement stems from the fact that today will be the first day of our adventurous hike near Machu Picchu. We had already packed the night before, so we ate a quick breakfast and embarked on our journey at the ripe time of 6:45 in the morning. The trip began with a lengthy drive towards Ollyantambo where we would be dropped off. On our drive, we all noticed to our amazement that we were driving above the clouds during some parts of that foggy morning. Finally, we arrived at our destination, but it was not quite the arrival that we were expecting. Those reading who might think that we were dropped off at a hiking trail with a grand entrance, bathrooms, and concession stands would be mistaken. Rather, we were dropped off on the side of a highway and just began walking with our backpacks.

Following in the footsteps of our fantastic guide Richard, we trekked over many hills. We had to take many breaks as the lack of oxygen in the high altitudes of the Andes did not complement the high-energy climbs well. As we were walking, it seemed like we were approaching a dead end. But, what we saw as a dead end, Richard saw as a casual climb up an incredibly steep, twelve-hundred foot climb. We painstakingly meandered up the mountain following a loosely-defined path, but our work paid off as we were met at the top by locals who gave us a great meal of soup, pasta, and garlic bread. Not a bad meal for one that was prepared in the middle of nowhere at 14,700 feet.

But, as we all know, “what goes up, must come down”, which meant that we had to begin our descent towards a valley that would serve as our camping location. This descent provided impeccable views as well as a significant amount of knee pain, which was to be expected when having to climb down such a steep mountain. Despite our pain, the sight of our blue tents provided us with the motivation to continue moving forward and eventually, we arrived at our campsite.

Once settled, we were called into a large tent for “tea time”. While we expected to find simply some hot water and coca tea bags, our expectations were once again exceeded by GLA and the locals. In a seemingly endless delivery of tasty treats, the students were brought bread with jelly, popcorn, corn nuts, wantons, and hot chocolate to enjoy. In between this snack time and dinner, we got to witness a fantastic sunset while among the clouds. One hour later, we enjoyed tomato soup, chicken, rice, and potatoes for our dinner. While the students were surrounded in such a peaceful environment, we still remained restless. The mentors had mentioned a “surprise” that they had in store for us. With guesses from fireworks to the coveted WiFi (which was definitely not a possibility), we were utterly clueless as to what our leaders had in store. But, when we left the dining tent, we discovered a blazing fire accompanied by all the mentors holding marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla cookies serving as graham crackers (who knew that Peru convenience stores didn’t sell graham crackers??) After enjoying these treats, some students enjoyed a rousing game of Hot Seat before bundling up in a tent and ending what was just another amazing day in Peru.

“Wheel of Fortune”

Hello readers of the Peru blog this is Julia Pene and today is the 3rd of July.

Today we had an early wake up at 5:50. At the service site, we finished digging the ditch and collected numerous rocks for the foundation. We made enormous progress of the sifting and adobe clay/cement will be made soon from the dirt. After our Machu Picchu hike we will continue building the foundation for the greenhouse.

In the afternoon we visited the local Shaman. He performed the Pago Earth Ritual which consisted of a prayer to the mountain spirits and an offering to Mother Earth. The offering consisted of different herbs, colors, and lots of sweets (since Mother Earth is a woman). He then burned the offering so it would reach the mountains. Afterwards we were given the chance to have the Shaman individually give us a fortune. Almost everyone took the opportunity and were surprised at the accuracy. First he gave you a personality based off the placement of some coca leaves. You were then given a chance to ask him three questions regarding the future and he predicted based of the coca leaves again. Overall it was a very tiring and magical day.

Como te Llamas

Hello parents and readers of the GLA blog my name is Sam Ross and I am the leader of the day for June 2nd.

The Blurb- Today we continued our dig for the foundation of the green house and managed to make a significant improvement. The dirt sifters were set up to prepare the next step and the large rocks were transported closer to the trenches we’ve poured our heart into for the past few days. The afternoon was spent in the company of hungry llamas and alpacas.

The body- Llamas and alpacas are a gift unmatched by anything else. The phrase como te llamas in Spanish means what do you call yourself and I’m certain if you asked a llama that they would just say “cute” because that is what everyone calls them. We arrived at the llama preserve eager to at least see the wonderful creature we’ve come to know and love. We entered the area with the enthusiasm of a child of Christmas. Right away we were engulfed by the snuggles of several llamas. We were proved with a grass to feed them and they proceeded to rip them from our hands. How rude. They were fairly friendly but also had some upsetting moments. We learned a ton about llamas thanks to the lovely Katie. Did you know alpacas manure is great because they have three stomachs? Or that the llama is used as a pack animal but alpacas travel in packs to ward away predators? It’s amazing to think that the ancient Incans utilized these fluffy huggable beasts to advance their empire. If I could pack one of the baby alpacas in my bag I totally would, no doubt. I would train that gorgeous little beast and name him “Juan.” We visited the llama shop as we informally called it but much of the items were in a justifiable price range many of us were not ready for. It’s genuine llama or alpaca fur. We literally just fed the glorious creature that made these sweaters. It made sense but I’m sure llama gear will be plentiful on many other adventures. Very productive and dare I say it adorable day.

The Never Ending Ditch and the Orphanage

By: Katy Carlson

Today was the earliest day yet. We awoke at 6, preparing for 5 hours of continuous hole digging as we continued our service project in creating the foundation for the green house. Today’s service was different than the work we had done before. For starters we began right away continuing the ditch we had begun the past day, no time for a soccer game to warm the muscles. Instead we quickly did some group squats followed by an interesting game of human knot which not only entertained and frustrated many students in our groups but also succeeded in entertaining many of the local children getting ready for school. We put in tons of work today, creating a larger and larger pile of dirt as dug out more of the foundation. Todays motivation was definitely to dig out the largest rock. Proving how competitive teenagers truly are, we spent the hours pounding into the ground hoping to find the perfect large rock. At the end of our service time progress was definitely evident in the new dept of our ditch, many parts now past the 1 foot mark on their way to reaching its final depth of 2 feet. After a quick break for lunch we had the opportunity to visit an all boys orphanage. Some brought gifts for the boys which then turned into a coloring session for the younger boys and multiple intense games of soccer for the older boys against GLA. We soon tried to intermix the teams with both the boys and GLA participants. Never had I had such a great time playing soccer. Although communication was difficult and often times we didn’t even know each others names we were still able to play in a way where everyone was involved and had fun. After the rousing games and interactions with all the boys we got the chance to walk through the the local art market which houses floor to ceiling of many colorful and soft items ranging from sweaters to flutes to little llama statues. Finally walking home we tried to find updates of the USA Belgium game, we ended our day peacefully with the documentary on Machu Picchu, which although wasn’t as good as the one on mummies I’m sure, it was still definitely an excellent source of information.

Soccer, Charades, and a Little Bit of Service

By: Lauren Butler

We woke up bright and early to start our first day of service. I had my usual breakfast of mostly bread and the butter that is better than anything in the States. After getting off the buses at the school where we were going to build our greenhouse, we had to wait for the engineer to approve the area. So we went to another school and took a tour of their greenhouse. We later talked with and taught some kids at the school numbers in English. They were all very cute and loved seeing the pictures we took of them.

We then went back to the school that we were going to build on and it still wasn’t ready so we played soccer for a while and as per usual got very intense about it. Most of us have acclimated to the high altitude but it is still hard to run around. After tiring ourselves out a bit it was time to start the real work. With an outline for the foundation of the greenhouse laid out we all learned how to use the tools. The tools we used were pick axes, spear type things, shovels and other pointy things. We made a decent dent in the foundation and some of the guys got really into breaking apart really big rocks. We took a recess break with the kids at the school and played more soccer at which we saw the amazing talent that all the kids had. After about 2 hours of working it was time to head back to home base and get some well deserved

We later went to a town square and relaxed there for a bit. We then went to a supermarket where some of us went a little crazy on food. When we got back to the home base it was time for some Spanish class! We learned the basics and practiced talking with each other and it was a pretty fun time. At the end we sang a song way off key and mostly just let the teachers sing it. After singing our hearts out it was time to eat again. The food included amazing tomato soup and better than life

The leaders let us have some free time to relax after dinner but we soon realized that it wasn’t relaxing because we got into a very heated game of Charades. After the game we had out first presentations about community service, greenhouses, and the pyramid of motivation. They were all very interesting and we all learned something new. And we learned that some people are VERY afraid of spiders and others are spider murders. Overall it was a great day as usual in Cusco, It was a great start to building the greenhouse and fun times playing with the kids and exploring the city a bit.

Exploring Patabamba and Enjoying the View

Group Photo!

Arrival!

All 19 adventurous travelers made it safely to Homebase today and completed their exciting orientation day.  Tomorrow early morning our much anticipated 20th explorer, Julia Pene, will arrive and we will all embark to a Quechua community activity together.

Photo of the whole group to come tomorrow!