Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
2. Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

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Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

By Amy (Mentor)

We’re in Alaska! We are so happy that everyone arrived safely and on time to Anchorage. Upon arrival, we were greeted with some light rain as the first group of 10 drove to camp to get settled into our home for the first 3 nights. The drive to camp treated us with some beautiful mountain views and we got our first moose sighting off the side of the road! We all are so excited to encounter more wildlife in the next 9 days!

After getting settled at camp, those of us who were here went on a hike around the lake. While the only creatures we encountered were a lot of mosquitos and a cute little squirrel, we did get to identify some moose and bear scat along the trail. After the remaining 4 of our new friends arrived, we did some quick activities and orientation, and learned a little bit about wildlife and Alaska. We are quite exhausted from a long day of travel but are looking forward to a fun-filled day tomorrow.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

By: Amy (Mentor)

First full day in Alaska did not disappoint! Our day was full of engaging and educational experiences that were a great introduction to Alaskan culture and wildlife. We started off the day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, where we learned so much about the different Native Cultures! The facilitators at the Museum demonstrated their cultural games and took us on a tour of six authentic life-sized Native dwellings. We learned a lot about historical and current practices of the indigenous people. It was fascinating and our guide, Junior, was great!

Following this we headed to the Musk Ox Farm. We were all very excited for this stop as none of us had seen a musk ox before and didn’t know much about them. Dani took us on a tour of the farm and we got to meet several of their musk ox. After we did a bit of service work helping to clean out hay and dung from the qiviut, which is the soft underwool from the musk ox. Our last stop of the day was at the Reindeer Farm. We loved this experience because we got to interact with and touch a couple of moose and a lot of reindeers! The farm also had a 1-day old alpaca. Many of us tried fireweed for the first time in a milkshake as well as reindeer sausage. Although it was rainy all day, we had a great first day and are excited for the many activities in the coming days.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

By: Olyvia & Jo

We woke up this morning and had some delicious cinnamon rolls. We started off the day with a walk on the Potter’s Marsh Boardwalk. Continuing the adventure, we next stopped at Bird Point, where the Alaska Wilderness Alliance gave us an educational talk about the endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whale. We learned that human interference greatly impacts the population growth of the beluga whales.

After this, we took a scenic tram ride to the top of Alyeska ski resort, where we ate a delicious lunch. We trekked up the mountain and saw a great sledding opportunity. Many sacrificed their warmth and slid down penguin style. After shaking the snow out of our jackets, we were welcomed with rain at the Crows Creeks Gold Mine. For the next hour, we learned how to pan for gold. We brought back our mighty treasure (small specks of gold). Getting back to camp we paddle boarded and ventured into the freezing water for a polar plunge. Ending the day, we warmed up by the bonfire, we cooked reindeer hot dogs and s’mores.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

By: Jaden and Luc

Today we left camp at Birchwood after three nights and headed
back to Girdwood to help at the Animal Wildlife Conservation Center. There we fed three moose and for our service work helped move sticks away from the fence line in the moose’s enclosure and into piles so they won’t weigh down the fence in winter. After that
we went on a tour of the animals and picked up trash at the same time. On the tour we saw porcupines, moose, elk, caribou, wolves, lynx, a bald eagle, black and brown bears, wood bison, musk ox again (we also saw two baby musk oxen).

Plenty of the animals had a friendly attitude towards the group and came close to the fences. After the tour, the group headed to a dining hall for lunch and ate some delicious sandwiches. After eating lunch, we headed into the gift shop and bought plenty of souvenirs while some
bought more food. After everyone was satisfied with their purchases, the group headed out in the van once again on our way to Cooper’s Landing. On the ride there, almost everyone took a small nap while listening to calm music.

After arriving at the new location, we decided to enjoy the sunlight by sitting around outside and planning the night. Then we took part in a few activities: chicken fighting (a Hawaiian game) and a bonding activity. Next we ate some of the most delicious salmon, it was freshly caught only a few days before and cooked in front of us. As we ate around the fire the sun went behind the trees and it began to drizzle. We then passed on the torch of leadership to the new leaders. After we shared the rose/bud/thorn of the day, the group went to shop for snacks at the store next door. We finished off the night with a movie, Princess Bride, as we ate our snacks. The whole group is looking forward to the coming days and the exciting rafting tomorrow.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

By: Lindsay and Andrew

Hi Blog!

Today we went on a rafting adventure. We woke up in Cooper’s Landing to our first glimpse of the sun and ate breakfast crepes. We played a round of birdie on a perch (jump into partners arms before peers jump into their partners arms), then we set out for ARC where we strapped on our gear and got ready to raft.

The 20 mile ride down the river resulted in spottings of quite a few bald eagles and some saw a bear. Parts of the river were rapid and we were not dry. After a few hours we landed the rafts and ate our lunch crepes by the Skilak Lake.

After lunch, we embarked on a hike back to the vans. The hike was filled with cool plants and fun stories from our guide. After arriving back at the vans we bonded as a group like never before while awaiting our departure.

We ended the day with a nice dinner at Addie Camp in Soldotna. We are excited to do some service tomorrow and explore Alaska more!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

By: Jess and Max

Today we had an early morning. We woke up at 6:30 and then went to Alaska’s best bagel store, Everything Bagels, for breakfast. Popular items were egg and cheese bagel sandwiches and various other bagels with different cream cheeses. Then we went to the Kenai Watershed Forum and collected and recorded data about baby fish from the Kenai River. A highlight of something we learned from this was how important salmon are for nature to flourish.

They support the ecosystem by being predators and prey and providing nutrients to the environment when they die. Afterwards, we had a lunch provided by Everything Bagels of turkey or ham bagel sandwich with cheese and various toppings and tomato basil soup. Lunch was followed by a trash cleanup. We then drove to Beaver Creek where we helped with cutting the invasive canary grass, which overcrowds native grasses and puts the salmon’s health in jeopardy. This was one of everyone’s favorite activities of the day because we could see the impact we were making.

After that, we attended a beach cleaning on the first day of dipnetting (a way to catch fish in 5 feet nets) and did a marine debris survey. Everyone was kind of tired after the service, so Amy and Dash taught us how to play an energizing game called Giants, Wizards, and Elves, a full body version of rock paper scissors. We split into Team Sockeye and Team Beluga, and after a highly competitive game, Team Beluga won. Everyone had so much fun, and the game definitely did a good job of getting everyone’s spirits up.

After a long day we got dinner at a special spot in Soldotna called Ginger’s, and it’s seriously the spot. They had a mix of breakfast pancakes and hamburgers and vegetarian options for everyone. After that we went to a grocery store to get breakfast and lunch for the following day. We each had a limited amount to spend, so we all communicated to make a giant picnic meal. To end the night we had mentor groups to describe what it takes to be a leader and played games and had fun till our lights out at 10PM.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

By: Kaye and Chloe

We started our day off at 7 am. After packing our bags, we went down to the hotel lobby, we ate a breakfast that consisted of bagels, muffins, donuts, and danishes. Then we drove around two hours, jamming out with our new aux cord and a great playlist. When we arrived at bear creek weir, we learned how they caught and protected salmon. We also met the amazing team, including their cute dog named Remy. We hiked up a trail to where we had our service, filling sandbags to prevent flooding from the river. This allows them to have an easier time finding their hatching site.

After service, we hiked more around the area and got amazing views of the creek. Once back in the car, we drove through a little town with a view of the ocean. Finally, we got to our new home, the Nauti Otter. We were pleasantly introduced to our Yurts with a beautiful common space and layout. After some warm showers, we sat around the campfire and sang some songs. Closing off the day, we played a couple games and ate pizza.

 

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

By: Logan and Victoria

Today was the first morning of waking up in the yurts. Jess, Lindsay, and Kaye teamed up and cooked breakfast for everyone. This consisted of chocolate chip waffles and pancakes as well as the daily morning coffee. Then we left to go to the Seward Sea Life Conservation Center. There we saw many different fish, starfish, and other sea life in addition to the sea lions and seals.

Once we had wrapped up gift shopping, it was finally time to get on the water and cruise around Derby Cove, looking for different sea creatures. We immediately spotted jellyfish even before we stepped on the boat, and proceeded to spot hordes of seagulls and sea lions, as well as a mama and baby humpback whale, and two sea otters. Many people sought refuge on the inside of the boat to hide from the cold, but a few brave souls stood on the bow of the ship, ever vigilant for Belugas.

After discovering how popular The Salmon Bake is, we headed back to camp to rest for a bit, before getting a wonderful feast from Safeway, Chicken and Pasta and Fruits, among other things. Finally, to close out our day, we all celebrated our time here with a nice big group hug and a game of Werewolf by the fire. The mood was kind of somber as we realized how close we were to the terminus of the trip, but we have a full day left, and it’ll still be full of fun adventures to come.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

By: Montana and Audrey

To begin our last full day in Alaska, we whipped up some homemade, delicious pancakes and waffles. Then we checked out of our yurts and headed off to the Turning Heads Kennel for our sled dog experience. We met the dogs as well as the playful puppies and even rode on a sled carriage! After that we had a couple hours in downtown Seward where we shopped for souvenirs and got some delicious gelato. We enjoyed bagel sandwiches from a Deli in downtown Seward as we overlooked the ocean. We said goodbye to the town and headed to Exit Glacier. We learned about the massive ice lake which starts almost 40 different glaciers in southwestern Alaska.

Our hike to the viewpoint of Exit Glacier went longer than expected as we chose to get closer to the glacier and explore more parts of it. We threw rocks and aimed for small crevices within the glacier then took pictures. We hiked back then drove to a fjord to have our final activity. We then dropped off our beloved vans Bona and C Lion. We boarded the train and began the journey to Anchorage. On the 4 hour train ride, we saw 3 moose and 3 black bears. Today was a great way to sum up the trip and a very nice last full day in the beautiful state of Alaska.

 

Time Capsule Letters

14-Day Group Letter

Some time has passed since the mid-summer mornings in Toledo, during which we would arrive to schools where Spanish estudiantes would be waiting for us with open arms, soccer balls, and even water balloons. Our service with the niños stands out in the lasting connections we made with them through games, crafts, and activities. We always strove to to overcome the language barrier between us by utilizing the Spanish skills which we improved each day during our classes with Ricardo, Lucía, and Maria.

Looking back on our two weeks in Toledo, many memories come to mind from within its scenic walls. Our walks along the shady, cobble-stone alleyways that led us to and from the family-owned restaurants where we spent each meal choosing our pick of delicious Spanish dishes such as paella, gazpacho, croquetas, and even desert. Amidst the rustic buildings, we presented to one another (after preparation in Spanish class), the timeless legends of Toledo in which statues came to life and ghosts went dancing at fiestas.

We also explored the impressive cathedral, visited a sword and silver shop, and danced away an afternoon flamenco-style. The paradise of the Arab baths stand out in particular as an experience in which we all relaxed with steaming, soaking, and sweet tea, as we hopped between the different temperature pools.

All of our good times as a team stand out in the friendships and memories we made, such as: soaking our meals in “bread sauce,” “Troop 347” always reporting for duty, the rooftop-shuffle-dance sessions, the surprise birthday party we prepared for our International Director Steph, piously chanting our way out of the Cathedral, and inventing our own epic interpretations of Flamenco during the dance class.

One memorable day sent us kayaking through the rapids of the Spanish wilderness after launching off a rock into the cold refreshing river. A weekend in the big city of Madrid showed us another side of the Europe with its endless art in El Prado Museum and the legacy of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu football stadium.

We lived it up Spaniard-style, hopping between tapas restaurants and enjoying El Retiro park by boating around or cruising it on bikes. We learned all about the city during a walking tour and enjoyed some free time spent shopping, relaxing, and eating gelato. Lots of gelato. And of course, the memorable rainstorm that came unexpectedly out of nowhere to completely soak us on our way to having a pizza picnic.

At the end of the session, we came together to form our own One Meaningful Goal (OMG) in order to actively apply our experience into our lives back home. As a group we came up with a collective OMG: to live a life of purpose and fulfillment with those who support us along the way.

Even now though time has passed, we can all remember back to the long sunsets on the terrace of our home base, where we could see all the red rooftops of the city which for two weeks in the summer of 2019, we had the fortune of calling home. Muchas gracias Toledo!

Sergio Ryan – Mentor

21-Day Group Letter

Some time has passed since the mid-summer mornings in Toledo, during which we would arrive to schools where Spanish estudiantes would be waiting for us with open arms, soccer balls, and even water balloons. Our service with the niños stands out in the lasting connections we made with them through games, crafts, and activities. We always strove to to overcome the language barrier between us by utilizing the Spanish skills which we improved each day during our classes with Ricardo, Lucía, and Maria.

Looking back on our two weeks in Toledo, many memories come to mind from within its scenic walls. Our walks along the shady, cobble-stone alleyways that led us to and from the family-owned restaurants where we spent each meal choosing our pick of delicious Spanish dishes such as paella, gazpacho, croquetas, and even desert.Amidst the rustic buildings, we presented to one another (after preparation in Spanish class), the timeless legends of Toledo in which statues came to life and ghosts went dancing at fiestas.

We also explored the impressive cathedral, visited a sword and silver shop, and danced away an afternoon flamenco-style. The paradise of the Arab baths stand out in particular as an experience in which we all relaxed with steaming, soaking, and sweet tea, as we hopped between the different temperature pools.

All of our good times as a team stand out in the friendships and memories we made, such as: soaking our meals in “bread sauce,” “Troop 347” always reporting for duty, the rooftop-shuffle-dance sessions, the surprise birthday party we prepared for our International Director Steph, chanting our way out of the Cathedral, changing all of the phone wallpapers in secret to a funny photo of our mentor Sergio, and inventing our own epic interpretations Flamenco during the dance class. On one memorable day sent us kayaking through the rapids of the Spanish wilderness after launching off a rock into the cold refreshing river .

A weekend in the big city of Madrid showed us another side of the Europe with its endless art in El Prado Museum and the legacy of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu football stadium. We lived it up Spaniard-style, hopping between tapas restaurants and enjoying El Retiro park by boating around or cruising it on bikes. We learned all about the city during a walking tour and enjoyed some free time spent shopping, relaxing, and eating gelato. Lots of gelato. And of course, the memorable rainstorm that came unexpectedly out of nowhere to completely soak us on our way to having a pizza picnic.

As three-weekers we were able to build deeper friendships and connections during the last week as we united for service at the school “Mayol.” After so much time together, were able to be extra goofy with each other this last week and take on Barcelona for a grand finale! We saw the inspiring works of Gaudí at La Sagrada Famila and Park Güell, soaked up the sun at a Barca beach, and we were able to experience a different side of the city through an alternative tour.

We learned about the present-day situation for the homeless of Barcelona, through the realities of the soup kitchens, eviction and occupancy issues, and government-run addiction clinics. From this perspective, we were able to build ideas for how to create positive change for those in similar situations back home.

At the end of the session, we came together to form our own One Meaningful Goals (OMG) in order to actively apply our experience into our lives back home. As a group we came up with a collective OMG: to continue improving our Spanish until we become fluent, in order to benefit and build culture beyond the barrier of language.

Even now though time has passed, we can all remember back to the long sunsets on the terrace of our home base, where we could see all the red rooftops of the city which for two weeks in the summer of 2019, we had the fortune of calling home. Muchas gracias Toledo!

Sergio Ryan – Mentor

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This blog is for the Spain split session starting July 16, 2019, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student groups.

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

Tuesday July 16, 2019

Touchdown in España! Our GLA squad made the trip into Toledo today, our home for the weeks ahead. After a big Spanish dinner the group spent time getting to know each other on our scenic terrace as the full moon rose. A great ending to a full day of travel and first impressions of Toledo!

Wednesday July 17, 2019

The beginning of our experience in Toledo over the past few days has been nothing but excitement! After a productive orientation and a thoughtful debate, we were then divided into groups to prepare for the upcoming service we would participate in today. We spent some time at the park acting out humorous skits and getting to know each other better through leadership activities. We then enjoyed a delicious Spanish dinner at a nearby restaurant and spent the remainder of the night hanging out under a beautiful sunset on the terrace.

Today we arose bright and early and went off to service at the three different schools. We all participated in a variety of activities with the kids including arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, puppet shows, singing songs, and more while attempting to efficiently communicate with all of the kids in Spanish. After service, we headed back to the school for Spanish lessons! The second day we saw Toledo’s “famous” swords and did group activities. Each day ends with a colorful sunsets on the terrace and a recap of the day.

Friday July 19, 2019

This morning we started off the day right with another breakfast at our neighboring coffee house. Next we traveled to our designated schools where we reunited with “los chicos”. Today some groups took part in the water activities and assisted the teachers in group rotations full of splish-splashing. It is awesome to see our whole group make friendships with some of the younger school children.

After lunch and a short break at the Home Base, we began our scavenger hunt. We explored the mix of Christian, Jewish and Muslim districts within Toledo’s center and completed different tasks that we were given to us by our one of our Spanish teachers, Roberto. The final stop of the scavenger hunt was the zip line over the river that surrounds the walls of Toledo. It was an awesome way to cool off with the wind in our faces as we flew down the zip line. Everyone is now excited for our next stop in Madrid!

– by Sophia & Grant

Sunday July 21, 2019

We set out for Madrid in the morning and arrived at around noon. Once we checked into the hostel, we explored Madrid and ended the day with a delicious Tapas Tour. The following day, we had a paella cooking class and we rode bikes around the Buen Retiro Park. Later in the day, we all went shopping and on the way back, it actually began to rain. The rain was very unexpected as it was hot and sunny the entire day. The GLA staff surprised us with a pizza dinner.

Wednesday July 24, 2019

It’s been a couple days since our last update. We all had a blast in Madrid! Before returning to Toledo, we had a full day kayaking down the Río Guadiela. We had a picnic lunch beside the river, and enjoyed some free time to swim with our friends. We enjoyed the bus ride back to Toledo, grateful for the time to relax, sleep, and spend time together while observing the beautiful sunflower fields of the countryside outside our windows.

Yesterday, we started the morning with our regular schedule of going to service and Spanish classes. The kids were so excited to see us after we had been away for the long weekend in Madrid! In the evening, one of our Spanish teachers, Ricardo gave us a tour of the cathedral and taught us how to flamenco dance. It was a great cultural experience and gave us all some good laughs!

Friday July 26, 2019

Today was a great day in Toledo! We started out at our respective schools volunteering. It was the two-weekers last days there. In the afternoon, we went to the Moorish baths to relax. We were served tea and cookies!

After the baths we got gelato, coffee, and had time to relax. We met back up before dinner for mentor groups and talked about our experiences volunteering at the schools and how we have grown from this experience. Dinner was great and was followed by catching the sunset on the rooftop terrace. We later tried marzipan for the first time and convinced GLA staff to let us stay up 30 minutes later than normal!

Sunday July 28, 2019

Today we had our big outing to the town of Consuegra. We drove about an hour and started off by touring a castle. We saw libraries, jail cells, and the fortress walls. Afterwards we walked to the nearby molinos (aka windmills) that were depicted in the story “Don Quijote.” We learned their history and how they worked and had some good photo ops. Afterwards we had a picnic and traveled back to Toledo.

We then shopped for souvenirs, food, and clothes. Everyone enjoyed spending some time with each other before the trip comes to an end for the two week campers. At dinner we ate at Palacios for the last time and threw a surprise party for our mentor Steph. It was an amazing way to spend one of our last nights as a full group.

Sunday July 28, 2019

Today is the last day for our 2-week group, which is sad but we are enjoying every second we have left with both groups. We started off with late breakfast (9:00!!) and then headed to spanish class. Each class gave their final presentations and the 2 week group said goodbye to our amazing Spanish teachers.

We did some last minute shopping and after lunch, we did activities in the park and got our packing done. Before we headed to dinner, we did an “appreciation circle” to remind ourselves of the incredible friendships and memories we created on the trip. Our 5-course dinner at a new restaurant was extremely delicious and we were all stuffed as we bonded for the last time as a full group on the terrace.

-Jackie and Christina

Wednesday July 31, 2019

We continued with our usual routine today, enjoying our final days in Toledo before we head to Barcelona. While we were at service at Mayol, we did a bunch of different scavenger-hunt like activities with the kids. We all danced to “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana and embarrassed ourselves to say goodbye because the session switches tomorrow, so new kids and teachers will be arriving.

After service, we went to our special Spanish class where we went around town with our teachers shopping and exploring the city like real Toledanos. We had lunch, rest time, and then we started the Paseo del Valle which is a famous walk around the city. It was a very long walk in the heat but the views looking up at the city were worth it. After a well-deserved dinner, we went to the terrace to surprise Steph and Nacho, one of our favorite employees in the hostel, with a birthday party filled with soda and snacks.

-Jackie and Ariel

Thursday August 1, 2019

Last day in Toledo! We spent the morning volunteering and saying our goodbyes to the kids. It was amazing how bonded we felt, even though we had only known each other for a short while. After that was our t last day of Spanish! We concluded with final presentations, and farewell wishes from our teachers. During the afternoon, we took ourselves on a “nostalgia tour” in which we traveled throughout the different places in Toledo we had spent the most time and recounted our best memories there. To conclude an epic three weeks in the beautiful city, we had one last meal at Palacios and a quick gelato run:)

By Taleen

Time Capsule Letters

14-Day Group Letter

¡Saludos a tod@s!

By now, you guys are probably settled into your individual lives all over the U.S (or elsewhere). Time flies doesn’t it? Well, your favorite GLA team from your Spanish Service Adventure in Peru misses you dearly and we wanted to remind you of the incredible two weeks we shared this summer!

From the day we picked you guys up at the airport, we knew your group was a special one. You guys were energetic, curious, fun, intelligent, and always willing to take everything you guys did to the next level! We especially noticed this during our “Let’s talk about it” activity, where you guys blew us away with your keen ability to understand different perspectives— even if they were the complete opposite of your own.

And, let’s not forget the fact that your group also took Inca Kola- drinking to a whole new level (Mickey and Max, we are talking to you!) and managed to become a part of the Virgen Del Carmen parade by frolicking and dancing through a singing crowd of people in Pisac— woo, what a night!

Additionally, even though your time in Peru was short, your efforts didn’t go unnoticed. In your Spanish classes, many of you worked hard, participated, and practiced your Spanish diligently. A special shoutout to those of you who came to the program with no prior Spanish preparation and STILL got through the classes with ease.

Whether it was by singing about your “picaduras de insectos” with Gadel or from our lovely Spanish-only almuerzo, know that you left with a much better understanding of the language than before. Everywhere we went we saw your willingness to practice your Spanish with each other, with locals at the market, and with the maestros up in Pampallacta. We are super proud of you guys!

Now, can we talk about Pampallacta? Your service project was very unique. As we learned from Senan, the structure is the very first of its kind and you guys got to be a part of that. The labor was intense, we know, but you guys pulled through, carried adobe (undoubtedly the hardest task), picked, shoveled, and played some of the most intense games of ‘Wa’ ever! You guys left your mark, and the Pampallacta community truly appreciates your hard work and dedication.

Outside of service work and Spanish learning, there were experiences that bonded us, together with the theme of your group, on a whole other level! No organized activity or class could have led us to the unpredicted special moments and fun we had during our 14 days together. We can’t name them all because if we did, this email would go on forever. Here are some of our favorites though:

-Aggressively failing at learning each other’s names during our blanket-drop game
-Everyone’s endless love for TEQUEÑOS
-The enthusiastic Peruvian man who pulled us in to dance along in the human-snake parade
-Dancing, dancing, and more dancing during the Pisac festivity!
-Eating the best empanadas ever… made specifically by YOU
– SOUP. EVERY. DAY
-Rafting through the frostiest rapids in Peru in style (i.e. in the RAIN!)
-The time you all thought you were eating baby condor—and enjoying it—for lunch after rafting (again, Luismi says sorry)
-THE TALENT SHOW (Tequila, Sebastian drumming, Estefany drawing a bunny with two hands upside down, Luismi teaching us a salsa lesson, the trio dancing, Sam juggling (!), and many more amazing acts)
-Runs with a view every morning alongside Anna, Sebastian, and others
-Our car ride throwbacks with Tim as D.J
-JAVI
-The people who walked down Machu Picchu and STILL beat everyone to the pizza place
-Eating more pizza than you had ever imagined on a trip to Peru
-The time Mickey and Lucas braved the cold and slept on the floor at the HB because Liam was sick in their room
-Learning the difference between llamas, alpacas, guanaco, and vicuñas and also feeding them and taking selfies with them
-ALL of the selfies everywhere and all of the time
-Our last night together at the HB and you guys standing in a circle dancing and singing your hearts away

All jokes aside, and whether your name was specifically mentioned in this letter or not, you left a lasting, positive, and memorable impression on all of us. We genuinely enjoyed watching you guys work hard, ask questions, share the love, and develop lifelong friendships. We hope that you continue to spread your radiant and optimistic energy with the rest of the world!

Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavors,

your beloved GLA team (a.k.a. Luismi, Lauren, Estefany, Sophie, and Javi)!

21-Day Group Letter

Hola chic@s!

The whole team here at Spanish Service Adventure – Luismi, Sophie, Estefany, Lauren, and Javier – misses you already. You were a kind, curious, fun loving and charming group. We wanted to reach out now that you’re back to your daily lives in the U.S. and let you know that you’re still on our minds and to remind you of all the adventures we shared together this summer!

First of all, we want to say that we’re very proud of you for the work you put in at Pampallacta. Our service project was hard, especially after the 14-day folks left! That being said, you all continued to work diligently and consistently, giving each other support and encouragement and, of course, making time for games during our water breaks. We want to give special shoutouts to those of you, such as Morgan and Jaimee, who took ownership of a specific task throughout the project and stuck with it.

We are equally proud of your willingness and dedication to learning Spanish. No matter your level coming in, you all improved, even if it meant just learning a couple new words and phrases that you’ll always remember, and some that you won’t (“otorrinolaringólogo”). We particularly noticed how some of you tried to use Spanish whenever possible, even if there weren’t any native Spanish speakers around (looking at you Lucas!).

Beyond Spanish learning and service, there are experiences we shared during our 21 days together that none of the GLA brochures could have prepared us for. They are the magical moments that come simply from spending lots of quality time with a special group of people. Although we can think of endless such moments, here are some of our favorites:

– having the best dirty potatoes, bread, and cheese we’ve ever had, made in a traditional oven
– epic games of secret Hitler!!
– making it all the way to the top of rainbow mountain, only to find that there were TWO beautiful sides to the view
– Tim as the ultimate throwback D.J
– SO MUCH INKA COLA
– SO MUCH NUTELLA
– SO MUCH PIZZA
– SO MANY TEQUEÑOS
– dancing your socks off during the Pisac festivities. Special highlight: the enthusiastic Peruvian man pulling us into the Congo line/parade
– rafting in gorgeous, sunny weather
– The Talent Show!! (Duh duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh…Tequila)
– the spirit of Javi
– Stargazing in the corn fields by homebase
– Our last supper together with the Spanish teachers

Whether we mentioned you by name in this letter or not, we hope you know that you each made a lasting, positive impression on all of us. You impressed us endlessly with your willingness to engage in different activities and material, your skills working together as a cohesive team, and, as evidenced in the Talent Show, your individual passions and abilities. We’re excited for what each one of your future’s brings, and hope all of the goals you set in Mi Visión come true!

All the best from your exhausted but pleased GLA team,

Sophie, Estefany, Lauren, Luismi and Javi

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This blog is for the Peru split session starting July 12, 2019, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student group.

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

Friday July 12, 2019

Hola Dear Parents!

We’ve finally started our Peru Spanish Adventure! All of our students have arrived and are at our Home Base in Pisac. Timothy and Lucia K arrived a bit later as their flight got delayed but thankfully they’re with us now.

Even though the team was tired after a long travel, we all enjoyed a delicious lunch / dinner together. We also had some time to settle down, go over our Home Base safety rules, and get to know each other. We took a lovely walk around town and exchanged some money.

After a good rest we look forward to a full day of activities tomorrow!

Due to late arrivals we couldn’t get a group photo but we promise we’ll will tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more news.

Sophie, Lauren, Javier, Estefany, and Luismi. El equipo.

Saturday July 13, 2019

Hola!

Our first full day of program couldn’t have started in a better way. We played a couple of team building games and then created our acuerdo comunitario (community agreement). We then split into groups and rotated through stations where we learned about Peru local culture and traditions, responsible photography, made roommate contracts, and discussed our cellphone policy.

For lunch we went to an empanada class. We all learned to make empanadas and got to eat them for lunch. Afterwards we split into four groups and did a Yincana (scavenger hunt) around Pisac, where everyone had to step out of their comfort zone and interact with locals in Spanish.

We also went to Amistad Sagrada and learned about the service project we’ll be working on. After dinner we played a game to get to know our mentors better.

Hasta mañana!

Luismi

Sunday July 14, 2019

We had an early start this morning, because we were venturing to the mountains to hike through the ruins that the ancestors of Peru lived in. Even though the altitude effected many people, we all pushed through in order to see the landmarks. The views on top of the mountain were breathtaking and there was a peaceful and calm atmosphere.

After the ruins we had lunch at the Blue Llama, where several people enjoyed alpaca for lunch. Once we arrived back to home base, we were split into groups to debate the social struggles women in Peru face on a daily basis. The most favored part of the day for all students was visiting the local market and buying souvenirs. We wrapped up the night by getting into small groups and sharing our stories.

-by Macy and Charlie

Monday July 15, 2019

Hey!!

An early start today with the trips’ first Spanish class and later service work at Pampallacta.

Today was the first day we really immersed ourselves in the local culture of the Sacred Valley-more specifically, Pisac.

The ride up to Pampallacta was thrilling and the beautiful scenery was a good distraction.

The work was tough hauling adobe bricks from one end of the worksite to the other. Even a great working attitude couldn’t stop the hurt of a fulfilling work day.

Once back in Pisac, we joined the first night of the festival of the Virgin del Carmen.

The festival was a wild ride and everyone was reluctant to leave the thumping music and exuberant dancing.

Gracias y ciao!!

Samantha and Lucia I.

Tuesday July 16, 2019

Buenos Dias, we started off the day with pottery and music. Most students created bowls however there were a few creative minded kids who created spoons, napkin holders, and faces. How fun! Our next activity was learning about traditional Peruvian music. We listened to 3 musicians who taught us not only about Peruvian culture but about each individual instrument. After their demonstration they allowed the kids to come up and play with them.

In the afternoon, we continued our service work at Pampallacta. This mainly consisted of moving blocks of adobe to the building site and laying the foundation with rocks. We only stopped for a water break and a quick game of “Wa”. We then returned to home base and prepared for our evening events. After our “chow circle” and cena (dinner) we participated in an activity called “Who Wants to Be a Volunteer”, which addressed both the pros and cons of voluntourism —- tourism with a focus on volunteer work (which encompasses programs such as GLA). This informative group discussion helped us become more conscious of our actions and motivations behind participating in GLA.

-By Tim and Kylie

Wednesday July 17, 2019

Hola! Buenos dias a todos!

From Lucas:

Today was a bit different than previous days we have had in GLA so far. The 14 day group got up early in the morning to go white water rafting for most of the day. The 21 day group stayed back at home base and had Spanish class in the morning. As a class we walked around the town of Pisac admiring the many different dances and rituals of the Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen: a very important and popular festivity here in Peru. Because it was a little rainy today, rather than going to Pampallacta to continue our volunteer work we headed to a sacred church not too far from Pisac called Señor de Juana.

From Sophia B:

Today, the 14 day people went white water rafting through the mountains! The day started out cold and rainy but cleared up as we went our way! The water moved quick and was crazy bumpy! Though the rafts were sturdy as they glided over all kinds of rocks and sticks.Along the way little ducks with red beaks were spotted alongside the river. As we zipped through the water, big rocks and tall mountains outlined our path providing a gorgeous view of Peru. After we rafted, we came back to the area to return our gear and quickly hopped in the sauna. Afterwards, lunch was provided with a piece of chocolate cake for all of us. But the journeys not over. Before heading back to home base, the opportunity to zip line across the river was given! Harnesses and helmets were handed out as we climbed up the ladder and zipped from mountain to mountain. What an amazing day!

Thursday July 18, 2019

Hi everyone ! Today in Peru we woke up to some lovely fireworks, a marching parade, and musicians, since we are celebrating Virgen del Carmen. Most of us will be happy when the celebration ends, as some of have lost a lot of sleep over them! After Breakfast at 8:15, we went to our spanish lessons and after had some almuerzo consisting of a choice of meat and quinoa accompanied by carrots and broccoli. After a healthy lunch we packed our backpacks and set out for pampallacta , and right now we are going to go to chow circle! After dinner we have a planned activity that will most likely incorporate material we will be teaching to young Peruvian kids next week. It is so nice here, and I am going to be so sad when we all have to say our goodbyes.

By: Mariana y Max

Friday July 19, 2019

Day eight here in Pisaq is a wrap! Despite lack of sleep due to the on-going festivities, we were ready to take on the day. The morning began with Spanish classes, in which a midway break was taken to enjoy local coffee shops and markets.

After a Spanish-only lunch, we once again headed to Pampallacta to continue work on the community center. Even though the weather was not ideal, we were still able to be productive. After work at the community center, we headed back to home base and enjoyed learning more about each other with a bonding activity. Shortly after this, we headed to a pizza dinner at Antica Osteria, capping off the night with a talent show

-by Olivia & Anna

Saturday July 20, 2019

We’ve reached day eight of our journey here in Peru, and today we left for our long awaited weekend excursion to Machu Picchu. We started our day off as usual with a nice homemade breakfast, and then the GLA group boarded the vans to begin our trip to the ancient Incan ruins of the village of Ollantaytambo. Before arriving there, GLA actually had the chance to experience and create some cultural art at “The Jardín de Mamitas”, where a local had set up shop in a cozy house and grew a passion for creating a personal art style out of the image of Peruvian women. Here, we enjoyed music and had an amazing time working with clay, animations,watercolor, and printing.

Upon arriving in the town of Ollantaytambo, our group unwinded by stopping at a restaurant by the name of Uchucuta that served anything from local favorites such as alpaca burgers to delicious vegetarian options like pasta and vegetable sandwiches. Our trip up to the ruins was a combination of a relaxing session of meditation looking out over a breathtaking view and the chance to experience the historical significance of Incan arquitecture.

The day’s surprises not ending there, we were lead to a protected haven through an isolated trail on the edge of the town that lead to an almost dreamlike pool of water covered by overhanging trees. This was another chance to take in the beauty of the landscape and relax before heading back for some delicious deserts at a nearby cafe and boarding the train for our upcoming adventure to Machu Picchu.

-Morgan C. and Dana

Sunday July 21, 2019

The Sunday has finally arrived when the GLA group is able to explore the long awaited Machu Picchu. Once having breakfast at our hostel, Catari’s House, we boarded the bus and headed up the mountain towards Machu Picchu. While up there, our tour guides connected us with the true origins of the ruins, and it’s like we almost experienced the presence of the early Incan nobility that once inhabited the area. At the end of the adventure, people got the unique option to hike back down the mountain instead of taking the bus.

This group was able to see the mountain from a whole new angle and see the water rapids flowing powerfully below them. That day, lunch was eaten at a local pizza place in the town of Aguas Calientes called, “In Country de Pueblo Viejo”. The restaurant offered a variety of toppings like alpaca, pesto, and vegetables. Before ending our day with a a train trip back, we got the choice to spend the rest of our time at Aguas Calientes by exploring the market, going to a local cafe, or unwinding at the hostel. The day truly made for an unforgettable experience.

Dana and Morgan C

Monday July 22, 2019

Returning from our weekend voyage to Machu Picchu, many of us fell ill with food poisoning. While this made it so that many people could not participate in activities, the majority of us resumed our Spanish classes. In the afternoon, the group split up for 2 separate service projects. Half the group continued our usual service project of building the community center in Pampallacta.

Meanwhile, the other half of the group tried something new by teaching an English and art lesson during the after school program at Amistad Sagrada. The English lesson included teaching the students useful phrases, colors and some English songs. During the art lesson, students were taught how to make origami frogs.

-Noah and Josh

Tuesday July 23, 2019

Hola!!

The day started with breakfast at 8:30 AM, then to Awana Kancha where we walked through a museum where we learned about the history and breeding of alpacas. We saw many different kinds of alpacas while we were there, and even got the opportunity to feed them. We then returned to home base where we had lunch. After lunch, we went over to Pampallacta for service work and Javier took us to the village of Pampallacta and told us about their way of life and showed us the vibrant community.

Today was the last time the full group was at Pampallacta, as tomorrow half of the group is teaching children while the others go to Pampallacta. We went back to homebase then ventured out to the markets where we bought hats, pants, sweaters and much more. Then, we went back to Inti Hospedaje, or homebase, and had dinner.

– Leah and Mikey

Wednesday July 24, 2019

Today was the last day in Pisac before the 14-day students headed home.

It was a pretty normal day in the morning and afternoon. We spent the morning in Spanish class. Then, due to it being the last meal at the hospedaje for the fourteen day students, we had a special lunch before half the group went to Pampallacta (construction site) and the rest of us went to the escuelita to teach English and art activities to local kids.

The day was a very productive one at Pampallacta, since we continued moving adobe bricks and sifting dirt to make mud for grout in between the adobe bricks. Overall, it was a good way to end service for the fourteen day students.

The escuelita class today was productive in teaching the local children, (ages 6 months to 11 year olds) fun origami, the English Alphabet, numbers 1-20 and much more. It was nice being able to only be able communicate to the local children in Spanish since it was a nice challenge to review our knowledge.

Finally, for the fourteen day students, it was saddening leaving to go to Cusco a day early due to the strikes blocking off the roads (taking place on Thursday) because we had to leave our 21 day friends a day early.

-by Manolo & Sebastian

Thursday July 25, 2019

Last night, the 14 day group left for Cusco. Today, the 21 day group had a normal day with Spanish class in the morning and Pampallacta in the afternoon. One class went to see horses and then went to a vegan cafe. At Pampallacta, we lifted and stacked adobe bricks, sifted dirt to make mud, and leveled the ground. After dinner, we all went to a cafe where we played games such as heads up, fish bowl, and paranoia. For our night activity, we walked away from the city into some farmland to look at the stars. We saw the Southern Cross, some shooting stars, and the Milky Way.

-by Jaimee

Friday July 26, 2019

On Friday we had Spanish class in the morning as usual but both classes took a trip to a local cafe named Lily of the Valley. After the clase de español we had lunch at the home base.

Later we took a trip to pampallacta. Some of the group stacked adobi bricks while others leveled the inside of the building. Once we got home we hung out for a little until dinner.

-by Hannah & Lucy

Saturday July 27 and Sunday 28, 2019

We started the morning with a yummy breakfast followed by a lengthy drive to a rafting lodge. When we got there we were all crazy tired but super exited. We grabbed some harnesses and helmets, climbed a ladder and zip lined across a river! It was awesome. We then got dressed into our rafting gear and drove to the out starting point.

The water was freezing but it was so fun! Thankfully nobody fell out. We got back and had the best lunch ever. Huge chicken legs and rice. Probably the best chicken I’ve ever had like wowwww! We all rushed into the sauna after the cool off our freezing toes. After we played games, did yoga, and napped. For dinner we had some yummy pizza by the fire place! After we played a really fun card game that was the talk of the night. It was a pretty great day…one of the best

Today we hiked rainbow mountain. We woke up around 4:00 am and had a quick breakfast before leaving for the mountain. We arrived a hour later to a beautiful sunrise coming from behind some of the surrounding mountains. When we started hiking it was very cold and for some people the altitude made the hike a lot harder. Where we were it was around 17,000 feet above sea level and we definitely felt it as we started the harder part of the hike. We arrived at the top a few hours later and it was definitely worth it.

We had a beautiful view of the rainbow mountain as well as a better look at the beautiful snow topped mountains in the distance. We all stop and took pictures at the peak and rested before going back down. The hike back down was much easier because by then it was warmer and we were more used to the elevation. We got back to our hotel around 11 and ate lunch.

After lunch we had a break where most people took the opportunity to catch up on sleep before heading back to Pisac. Once we arrived back in Pisac we mostly rested and ate dinner and called it a day. My favorite part about the hike was the view of the snowy mountains. They were incredible to see and was something unexpected.

-by Mo and Liam

Monday July 29, 2019

Hola from Peru!

Today was our second to last day at Pampallacta. We worked on leveling out the ground, sifting dirt and digging a canal for plumbing in the building. We’ve all been getting a little emotional at the thought of leaving Pampallacta’s beautiful landscape as we’ve grown to appreciate the hard work we’ve done over the past few weeks.

In the advanced Spanish class we performed a play starring Hannah Darnell and Tim Holloway. Props to Tim for pulling off an emotional death scene that nearly brought us all to tears. In the lower Spanish class we made up songs in past present and future tense, and our lovely teacher taught us tongue twisters in Spanish.

Hasta luego,
Charlie and Lucia

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Hola todos!

Things are winding down on this Peru trip. Today we went to the Pisac chocolate museum. We learned about the history of chocolate in Peru and around the world; we were taught about the process of making chocolate as well. We made hot chocolate and tea from cocoa beans. Then we got to create our own chocolate with a variety of different fillings such as gummy bears and coffee beans.

We then headed to our last day of service at Pampallacta, after working hard for a couple hours we sat down and had a goodbye ceremony where we learned about their culture and enjoyed specially cooked potatoes. At night we talked as a group about what we are taking away from this amazing trip to Peru and how we will implement it back home.

-by Lucas

Wednesday July 31, 2019

Hola!

Today was our last full day of program in Peru. In the morning we enjoyed a special Spanish class that took place at one of the loveliest coffee shops in Pisac. Most students chose to eat breakfast there while practicing their Spanish. Teachers Gadel and Susana joined us and between yummy food and laughter we closed our cycle of Spanish classes.

For lunch we ate CUY! (guinea pig) – shout out to Tim for devouring his portion.

In the afternoon we had a Pago a la Tierra ceremony with a local shaman. We all received blessings and shared a very special moment out in nature. We then got to go to the art craft market one last time for some last-minute shopping. IN the evening we had our last dinner together at a nice restaurant and everyone loved the tequeños.

– Luismi

Time Capsule Letters

14-Day Group Letter

It has been a pleasure to work with students this year in Ollantaytambo, Perú and
hard to believe that our time together has already come to a close for some of us! It
was so hard saying goodbye to all of the children and friendly faces we met at
Patacancha, the rural mountain community where we put in many hours of service.
However, we were able to complete various projects that helped meet the needs of
the community.

First off, we started our service by removing wood and rubbish from an unused
structure that was to be repurposed as a reading lounge. We problem solved
moving all of the contents out of the structure, using anything from tarps, bags, and
buckets to carry everything down the hill to the greenhouse. The first day we also
participated in a football match against the students of the community, who got the
better of us despite our best effort. Some of us were lucky enough to give an
English class to the students of Patacancha, while others were unlucky enough to
break the spigot of a hose and end up flooding the greenhouse. Either way, service
proved to be a fun challenge for all.

Carlos served as our consultant for the photography component of the program.
His charm and passion for photography was reflected in his classes, as well as his
Peruvian pride. We learned about the ethics of capturing images of people and the
benefits of creating a personal connection with someone rather than just snapping
their photo and leaving. We covered the basics to more advanced photography
techniques such as astrophotography, which was done on the rooftop terrace of
Tumy House. We also had the chance to learn while we visited the well-preserves
Incan ruins of Moray and salt mines of Mara to gain a greater understanding of
landscape photography. Additionally, Brooke invited a Peruvian videographer, who
showed us his short, award winning film on the indigenous people living in the
jungle not so far from us.

Amid our daily routine of service and photography instruction, we had tours of the
ruins in Ollantaytambo, a football match against the other GLA program in the
village, and chocolate making classes at the Choco Museo. Although we lost the
match, it was a bonding experience and a pleasure to see our stellar players work
together as everyone else cheered them on. During chocolate classes everyone
made their own chocolates with a mold and delicious toppings according to their
tastes.

Our arrival to Aguascalientes was a much-needed break from our established
routine. After eating a buffet dinner in the city center, we found a plaza of the city
that was perfect for a salsa dance party where we got to show off all the moves
that Manuel had taught us during his salsa class. Our adventure to the Incan
monument of Machu Picchu allowed us to see one of Perú’s greatest treasures.
The four hour walk through the ancient city served as a window into the past.

Our tour guides, Javier and Jorge, explained to us the symbolic meaning of the
structure of the city and its mystic history as an important religious and social site
of the Incas. After coming back down the mountain, we refueled on delicious pizza
and ice cream before catching the train back to Ollantaytambo.
Before wrapping up the program we had a few important activities left to do. The
appreciation circle reminded us of just how close we all became and that we all
support and look after one another. We also made a meaningful goal together to
be applied upon return home:

“Take initiative to improve ourselves by collaborating and learning with others.”
Last but not least, we accumulated everything we learned in our photography
classes in a final presentation. Everyone shared three photos that followed a
concept and presented in front of everyone. It was a great way to demonstrate our
newly acquired knowledge and great experience for our future careers as
photographers.

I think it is safe to say that all of us photography loving nerds had an absolute blast
this summer in Ollantaytambo. From all of us here at Service Through the Lens, we
want to thank you all for being open-minded, curious and high-spirited individuals
and we cannot wait to see where life takes you next.

21-Day Group Letter

It has been a pleasure to work with students this year in Ollantaytambo, Perú and hard to believe that our time together has already come to a close for some of us! It was so hard saying goodbye to all of the children and friendly faces we met at Patacancha, the rural mountain community where we put in many hours of service. However, we were able to complete various projects that helped meet the needs of the community.

First off, we started our service by removing wood and rubbish from an unused structure that was to be repurposed as a reading lounge. We problem solved moving all of the contents out of the structure, using anything from tarps, bags, and buckets to carry everything down the hill to the greenhouse. The first day we also participated in a football match against the students of the community, who got the better of us despite our best effort. Some of us were lucky enough to give an English class to the students of Patacancha, while others were unlucky enough to break the spigot of a hose and end up flooding the greenhouse. Either way, service proved to be a fun challenge for all.

Carlos served as our consultant for the photography component of the program. His charm and passion for photography was reflected in his classes, as well as his Peruvian pride. We learned about the ethics of capturing images of people and the benefits of creating a personal connection with someone rather than just snapping their photo and leaving. We covered the basics to more advanced photography techniques such as astrophotography, which was done on the rooftop terrace of Tumy House. We also had the chance to learn while we visited the well-preserves Incan ruins of Moray and salt mines of Maras to gain a greater understanding of landscape photography. Additionally, Brooke invited a Peruvian videographer, who showed us his short, award winning film on the indigenous people living in the jungle not so far from us.

Amid our daily routine of service and photography instruction, we had tours of the ruins in Ollantaytambo, a football match against the other GLA program in the village, and chocolate making classes at the Choco Museo. Although we lost the match, it was a bonding experience and a pleasure to see our stellar players work together as everyone else cheered them on. During chocolate classes everyone made their own chocolates with a mold and delicious toppings according to their tastes.

Our arrival to Aguascalientes was a much-needed break from our established routine. After eating a buffet dinner in the city center, we found a plaza of the city that was perfect for a salsa dance party where we got to show off all the moves that Manuel had taught us during his salsa class. Our adventure to the Incan monument of Machu Picchu allowed us to see one of Perú’s greatest treasures. The four hour walk through the ancient city served as a window into the past. Our tour guides, Javier and Jorge, explained to us the symbolic meaning of the structure of the city and its mystic history as an important religious and social site of the Incas. After coming back down the mountain, we refueled on delicious pizza and ice cream before catching the train back to Ollantaytambo.

Before wrapping up the 14-day program we had a few important activities left to do. The appreciation circle reminded us of just how close we all became and that we all support and look after one another. We also made a meaningful goal together to be applied upon return home:

“Take initiative to improve ourselves by collaborating and learning with others.”

Our last activity for the 14-day program was when we accumulated everything we learned in our photography classes in a final presentation. Everyone shared three photos that followed a concept and presented in front of everyone. It was a great way to demonstrate our newly acquired knowledge and great experience for our future careers as photographers.

The following day we said our last goodbyes to the students of the 14-day program and headed off to a traditional weaving and dance class with the community of Patacancha, where we normally do our service. We all danced in a circle while two students were chosen to dance in the middle – one male and one female, who was tasked with whipping the male student with a woven lash. We learned about the process of turning sheep, alpaca, and llama wool into yarn and the process of dying it different colors. The village also shared their agricultural products and farming practices, which relies chiefly on the hundreds of varieties of potatoes that naturally grow in the mountains.

In the following days we invited the town of Ollantaytambo to see the photos that we took in an exposition at the restaurant Cuchara Llena. We had an excellent turnout including a professional photographer who happened to be in town and shared with us some of the amazing photos he took in the Sacred Valley. All in all, we took away valuable experience for our future careers in photography.

The day before Rainbow Mountain, we divided into two groups to go rafting. Although my group lagged behind the other, we made up for our lack of form with interesting conversation and “sun dances” to make the clouds go away. After warming up in the sauna and showering, we made all gathered around a campfire before dinner.

Rainbow Mountain proved difficult, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle. Everyone had different paces but we made it up to the mountain to take in an incredible view. Overcoming this challenge together brought us all together and it was a pleasure to see just how close we all got towards the end of the program.

I think it is safe to say that all of us photography loving nerds had an absolute blast this summer in Ollantaytambo. From all of us here at Service Through the Lens, we want to thank you all for being open-minded, curious and high-spirited individuals and we cannot wait to see where life takes you next.

---

This blog is for the Peru split session starting June 16, 2019, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student groups.

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

Tuesday July 16, 2019

A message from our leader of the day, Meredith:

After months of preparation, the day finally arrived for everyone to set off to Peru. We all couldn’t wait to experience the great culture of Peru, some of us coming from as far as Asia to participate.

After hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Cusco, Peru. Leaving the city, we traveled through the countryside to the beautiful town of Ollantaytambo, our home for the next 14-21 days.

On the first day, we were already able to begin forming new friendships and bond as we explored the cobblestone streets of Ollantaytambo. After today, I am very excited to see what is to come during Service Through the Lens.

– Meredith

A message from the Service Through the Lens mentors:

Welcome students of GLA’s Service Through the Lens program in Peru! From all of the staff here, we are so excited to share these next few weeks with you and show you the beautiful country of Peru. Sadly, we are still missing several of our participants due to flight complications. Isabella and Acacia, we can’t wait to meet you and we’ll see you super soon! A little bit more about us mentors: we’re Tona, Erin, Sam and Brooke.

All of us have at least year of GLA programming under our belt, and varied backgrounds in adventure education, archeology, language education and social work. We’re here to care and serve as a resource for your kids throughout the program. You can expect an update from us each day, so stay tuned for more stories, photos and shenanigans from our Service Through the Lens program! Thank you for trusting us with your kids; we are going to have so much fun, and we can’t wait to see how our participants grow and learn in the coming weeks of service and adventure!

– Tona, Sam, Erin and Brooke

 

Wednesday July 17, 2019

Today we woke up at 7AM to eat breakfast— heaps of eggs, pancakes, pancito, and fresh fruit. After, we went to the nearby soccer field to play some games. We started with an icebreaker, and then sharks and minnows, a human knot activity, and lastly, a team-building activity that involved blind-folding people and collecting water bottles. We had a lot of fun and had the chance to bond with everyone. Specifically, the human knot was really funny and challenging.

We then came back to Home Base and started orientation. We were happy to welcome Acacia and Isabela to our program shortly after! We had a lunch of rice, potatoes and pork with some type of sauce. After lunch, our National Director, Manuel, talked about the service we will be doing in the highland communities above Ollantaytambo. After we discussed the program rules and how we all want to be treated as a group; we also did a skit to demonstrate these rules.

We went back to the soccer field afterwards and played a game to find out our similarities and differences; the differences part was fun because we got to find out weird facts about each other and learn more about one another.

In the late afternoon, we walked around town and checked out the markets and local stores of Ollantaytambo. We had dinner and then the Peru Service in the Sacred Valley program came over to listen to a social media presentation by Erin. After, we broke out into mentor groups to discuss the presentation. We’re so happy that everyone is here and that we are getting along and connecting more.

-by Ryann

 

Thursday July 18, 2019

We woke up early to the sound of roosters, had a delicious breakfast and then loaded up into vans to go to our service site at 8.

We took a one-Hour, beautiful ride to reach the highland community of Patacancha, where we will be doing our service.

At the school, we learned that we will be making a reading lounge for students who live at the school, Monday- Friday. These kids come from even higher mountain communities, reachable only by foot, hours away.

There is a large shed on the school grounds we will be using as a base for our lounge. So, we first had to clean out the shed, which was filled with wood.

We worked together to carry pieces of wood out of the area and we made good progress.

Then, we played a soccer match with some of the school students. Although we lost, everyone had fun. Then we drove back to the home base and had lunch.

After lunch, we had our first photography lesson from a local photographer, Carlos. We reviewed camera basics and took pictures of llama key chains that we had been given. It was fun to think of creative ways to place the llama.

Then, we ate dinner and had a cake for Ali’s birthday. Finally, we had a Spanish and Quechua lesson in which we learned phrases in each language to help us communicate with the locals.

-by Sidney

 

Friday July 19, 2019

Today we woke up at 7:00 and had a delicious breakfast of eggs, pancakes, fruit and fresh squeezed juice. After breakfast was finished we headed to do our service where we split up into two groups. One group who leveled the ground and the other cleaning out the area for the reading lounge by taking the wood down. Half way through service we took a snack brake and had potatoes and eggs as a normal peruvian snack. We then played soccer and lost again but it’s ok because we tried. After that we went back to

Home Base and had lunch of avocado, rice and chicken. We then had a break and got to hang out with one another, until it was time for photography class. Where we went to the Incan ruins and took our class there. We took several pictures there and had them critiqued by Carlos. We went back home and had dinner of fried rice, it was delicious ;). Finally we headed to the WiFi cafe for our mentor groups and to call our parents. It was an amazing day!

Saturday July 20, 2019

Today we woke up to breakfast at 7:30 (30 more minutes of sleep, yay!) and then headed out to service at 8am.

We made a lot of progress in the library, the greenhouse, and the future greenhouse. We are almost done clearing wood from the deposit, which we will turn into a library. We also leveled some ground that will serve for the future greenhouse.

We came back to home base and had a nice lunch, and then got to explore Ollantaytambo through a fun scavenger hunt. We had the opportunity to talk with locals and take photos. We tried new treats in the local store, “tienda” and met vendors in the town market.

Finally in the evening, we had dinner and a friendly debate about creating a global code of journalism ethics.

Happy birthday to Madie (from Nick)!

-by Jackie

Sunday July 21, 2019

We started today with a great breakfast and then a walk to the Incan ruins in Ollantaytambo. We met a Peruvian tour guide who showed us around the ruins and gave us detailed information about the ruins and the Incan times. Then we got to walk around the Mercado to look at all the Peruvian pop-up stands and merchandise.

After that, we hopped into the vans and made our way to the archaeological site of Moray, circular terraces used for agricultural experimentation. Apparently, the Incas constructed this space from the crevasse made by a meteor. We then got to talk with Carlos, our photography instructor, and we took lots of pictures of friends and our mentors.

Following that, we hopped into the van and drove down to the Maras salt mines where Carlos gave us another challenge, creating movement in the front and in the back of a steady subject. After we got a hang of this, we got some cool photos. We visited the salt mines— thousands of white salt cools on the hill, active since Inca days. We then visited another Mercado where they were selling cool salts for very cheap!

We traveled home and prepared for our GLA Service Through the Lens vs GLA Service in the Sacred Valley soccer match. We got decked out in all black (including face paint) and sadly, besides our war chants and intimidating look, we lost.

To finish the day we ate a delicious dinner and then got to hang out before it was time for lights out.

– Ali

Monday July 22, 2019

Today at service, we finally finished moving all the logs, wood and rocks out of the shed! This space will be repurposed as a reading lounge for the students of Patacancha. It took four days of service and a lot of sweat and hard work, but it’s on the track to being complete.

After lunch, we set out to make advertising photos for Artisans of Inti. Brooke showed us videos on how to make a mood board for our projects. Photo shoots were held outside and one group got lucky enough to have a Peruvian join in on the photo shoot. Students got very creative with their photos, and it was fun to learn more about this less thought of, but important and challenging style of photography.

After dinner, all of us learned Salsa, a type of Latin dance. Sometime, we bumped into each other, and sometimes, we were completely out of sync with our partners, but we were having
fun all the while, through the bumps and hurdles.

Let’s have just as much fun tomorrow too!

Tuesday July 23, 2019

Due to rain, we were unable to go to our service site up in Patacancha today. After breakfast, we loaded into vans and drove 2 hours through the majestic, Sacred Valley to Awanacancha, an authentic market located above the valley town of Pisac. Here, we got to see and pet different breeds of alpacas and llamas. We also learned about the wild, Vicuña and Guanaco, from which domesticated llamas and alpacas have descended.

At Awanacancha, there are also many weavers that come from the surrounding provinces and communities to teach about the traditional way of dyeing wool for weaving textiles. We learned that plants, minerals, roots, tree barks, and even baby’s urine can be used in the tinting process to extract bold, earthy colors.

When we got home, we ate lunch before embarking on another amazing trip just down the road at the Choco Museo. There, we got to create our own chocolate creations while learning about the chocolate-making process, from bean to delicious treat.

After dinner, we got to go to a wifi cafe with our mentor groups, so hopefully you received a check in text from us!

– Acacia

Wednesday July 24, 2019

Today the GLA students and I got the chance to meet some children of Patacancha. We were given the chance to take their photos and got to teach them how to take one! We left service early today due to rain, and upon returning, we walked around the beautiful square of Ollantaytambo.

In the afternoon, a local film director, Hugo Pepper, visited our group to show us his new short film, Darikiken. His short is shot entirely in the Amazon jungle, inside the Manu National Park. He casted indigenous people from the Machiguenga tribe, and the whole film uses natural light and is in the Machiguengan language. All to say, we were left feeling inspired about the artistic possibilities in film.

We ended the day with an awesome night photography class. We learned how to adjust our cameras to capture the light of the stars and played with our apertures to compose some great photos!

– Anna

 

Thursday July 25, 2019

The GLA group had an amazing day today. We started out with breakfast at 7:30am. The pancakes are always the best.

After breakfast, the group took the usual trek up the mountain for service. We worked as a team today, moving rocks and bricks for the local community to use as building materials. It was such a beautiful day up in the mountains.

After service, we went straight to the town of Pisac where we met our local photographer teacher, Carlos. He led us to the artisanal market, teaching us the basics of street photography and how to capture the history of this very old market. After the lesson, we had some time to explore the market before heading back to home base.

When we got back to Tumy house, Zoila, our housekeeper and cook, surprised us with the meal of a lifetime. We all had the chance to try guinea pig for the first time.

That night we sat in mentor groups and had the opportunity to share our life stories. Today was definitely one of the best days of our trip so far.

-by Liam

Friday July 26, 2019

The GLA staff and students were ecstatic to have breakfast at 8:30 today compared to the typical 7:30 wake up.

In the morning, our photography teacher, Carlos, came to teach us our final lesson for the 14-day students; we learned how to edit pictures using the Lightroom app.

After, we walked to the Ollantaytambo train station where we boarded the PeruRail for a scenic, two-hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, the town that sits below the ruins of Machu Picchu.

Between 2:30pm and dinner we had time to explore the city in mentor groups. Some groups chose to explore the local market while others took a scenic hike along the river with views of Machu Picchu.

We later had an amazing dinner buffet at Inka Wasi. The night was finished off with a salsa dance party in the town square. We used our new moves from our recent salsa lesson and then sang along to a few pop favorites before turning in for tonight.

Tomorrow we visit the legendary, Machu Picchu! Stay tuned!

-Max

Saturday July 27, 2019

Today on this GLA journey we embarked upon the mighty Machu Picchu. We started our day at 6am with a hardy breakfast and then we were on our jolly way.

The ride was meant to take half an hour, however the trip was more accurately 10 minutes. After the bumpy bus ride we arrived at our destination. The air was thick and moist and it was hard to see due to the fog. However, when the fog finally cleared, the sight was breathtaking.

With guides we took a 2.5-hour tour of Machu Picchu and learned about the Inca civilization and culture. It was interesting to hear our tour guide’s perspective on the Incas, given his own Incan heritage. One fun fact was that the Inca empire fell before the arrival of the Spanish, due to a civil war.

Afterwards, we got fresh, wood-fired pizza to celebrate our accomplishment. The alpaca pizza was especially delicious and different from the usual pizza flavors available to us. We collected our belongings from our hotel and made our way to the train station.

When the train finally arrived to Ollantaytambo we walked home and were met with a delicious dinner, made by Mama Zoila.

Following dinner, we divided into mentor groups to further develop our photo concept ideas, which we will be presenting to the group tomorrow. We had the opportunity to flesh out our ideas and edit photos.

Until tomorrow!

-sending love from Peru, Isa and Ruben

PS: (Te amo y extraño mami, isra and papi)

Sunday July 28, 2019

Today we woke up, ate breakfast and went to service. Today was a make-up day, due to rain in previous days. As it was a Sunday, the community members in Patacancha (our service site) were attending church, so there were a lot of families out and about.

We continued collecting rocks and started building adobe bricks with mud and straw. The people in the community helped us a lot. They were really friendly and we were all working together which created a great, empowering atmosphere. We also got to play with the kids which was really fun and entertaining.

We came home and after lunch, we partook in an appreciation circle where we were instructed to anonymously tap on the back those who had impacted us during our trip.

We then split into our mentor groups where we reflected on our experience in Peru and talked about the lessons we want to apply to our lives and communities back home. After, we came back together as a big group and created a collective goal— to “take initiative to improve ourselves by collaborating and learning with others”. Before dinner, some of us went to get snacks and we tasted banana fritters which are really good.

After dinner, we presented our photo concept projects. It was really insightful and we got to see everyone’s pictures through their perspective. This is the last day for the 14 day students so lights out is at 11pm as we get to spend more time with each other before they depart.

We sure are going to miss those going home!

-by Fang

Monday July 29, 2019

Today started of with hugs and tears as we said goodbye to all of our friends in the 14-day program. After saying our last goodbyes, the remaining eleven of us in the 21 day program went off to service. As we were driving off our friends waved goodbye but we had forgotten our lunches! We went back, grabbed our bagged lunches, and said our final words.

Service started off low energy as we were all sad but luckily early 2000s music came to the rescue. We continued making mud to use for adobe bricks and began putting a bathroom together. Some of us even decided to take our shoes off and hop right into the mud pit to mix it up. Adam was the Adobe making master today and ended up making over 20!

After service we drove to Pumamarca, a pre-Incan ruins site where we explored and had a photography class about portraits. The hike up was a bit hard for a few of us but we stopped for photo shoots to break it up.

After dinner we played a few rounds of cards and then celebrated Isabela’s birthday! Later in the evening we learned about the history of textiles in Peru, specifically how knots connect us. Later, we put into practice what we Lesmes and made friendship bracelets.

Despite many of our close friends leaving this morning, the day was filled with exciting adventures and challenges.

-Nadia

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Today we were blessed with an 8:30 breakfast. Then, at 9:00, we drove to Patacancha, but instead of going to our usual service site, we went up into the heart of the village. There, we had the opportunity to experience their culture. We were great with traditional clothing and we were taught a typical dance. Nick was selected as the alcalde, or mayor and had to dance with a dead duck on his back (don’t worry they didn’t kill it).

Later, they showed us how they spin, dye, and weave textiles. It was truly amazing and intricate. We learned the history and the long process behind these textiles. We got to make our own bracelets too!

Back in Ollantaytambo, we stopped at a chocolate café and had some great bonding time eating these delicious crapes. Later, we had a great discussion on David Griffin’s TED talk and how a great photo should incorporate a visual narrative: (our definition) a visual piece that expresses emotion, tells a story, and provokes thoughts through it’s subject(s) and composition. Everyone gave some examples of photographers and photographs that they admire and we discussed the story they gave off.

Then, we got burgers for dinner!! They were amazing as all the food here thanks to Mama Zoila. And before bed we had a photography class with Carlos going over our portraits. Our homework the night before was to take a portrait of our partner, record the questions we ask them, and take a self portrait of ourselves with a description. Carlos has helped us a lot throughout our time here, and we are going to be sad after our last class tomorrow.

Wednesday July 31, 2019

Today was a more chill day. We went through out normal morning program of breakfast and service. At service the group continued on our task to help rebuild a dilapidated wall of a building. They helped strengthen the remaining rock wall by filling the spaces and cracks with mud. Another smaller group helped with building a roof for the newly constructed nearby bathroom. With not many locals around and lighter tasks, the vibe was much more laid back than previous service days.

Most importantly during service, we later found out that Manuel, in charge of the small organization we were working with, had met with both the mayor of the local town and with a businessman involved with Peruvian charity work, both of who approved of his work and our help, and wanted to help him out. This will allow Manuel to continue providing support to Peruvian highland communities.

Next we drove to have lunch at a local restaurant in Urubamba. We started with a salad made of mostly of edamame beans, tomatoes, some cheese and a light watery sauce, followed by a meal that looked like fish and chips, but was actually fried chicken accompanied by rice and coalslaw. There was also an ongoing debate as to whether the provided sweetened or unsweetened tea tasted better. I personally thought both were lukewarm and underwhelming.

Next we drove to Manuel’s house/hostel for a photo editing class with local photographers Carlos and Natalie. We spent time preparing for our upcoming exhibition, by picking photos and receiving one-on-one advice to edit them. It was very relaxed, and we spent a few hours going over our photos and hanging out.

The highlight of the day was pizza-making. The mentors brought out all of the ingredients: dough, tomatoe sauce, small cuts of beef, mushrooms, cheese, basil, mint leaves, cut up bell peppers, cut up jalapeño peppers, and cocoa leaves. At first it was a bit chaotic as all the groups were fighting over one rolling pin, but it soon mellowed out as the team found its groove. We cooked the pizzas in a fire oven for a few minutes, brought them back, ate them, then made some more. The pizzas were delicious.

Afterwards we set up around a fire pit and enjoyed some smores, music and conversation together. We stayed up relatively later than normal, and ended up leaving for home base around 10:00. Overall it was a chill and fun day.

Thursday August 1, 2019

Today in the life of the 21-dayers, many things were accomplished.

First, we went to service at the regular time in the morning and finished a wall we have been working on in a soon-to-be kitchen. Everyone was very happy and the community helped greatly alongside us. The local kids were very cute and loved to play with us.

After service we headed back to home base and cleaned ourselves up after a muddy day. The showers were especially cold today as everyone showered at the same time.

Afterwords, we headed out in small groups to pass out flyers for our photo exhibition. It was very interesting interacting with tourists and locals to get people interested. New Spanish phrases had to be learned to spread the word. At 6:00 PM we began our exhibition at Templo de Wow and had pizza for dinner. Our exhibit was a huge success as we had many locals and tourists show up alongside another GLA program group.

We ended the day with Tracey’s birthday celebration and cake and happiness. Tomorrow we will be headed to the town before Rainbow Mountain where we will be rafting. zip-lining, and resting up before the big hike. It’s been a fun day but there are still more to come in the remaining days left.

Friday August 2, 2019

Today we are going to a new base for only 1 night. It is near rainbow mountain and it’s a 3 hour drive. I am really excited and scared to hike rainbow mountain.

We arrived at the cabins. We all got rooms and then we got ready for the zip line. The zip line was really fun because it went over the river. We then got to go rafting. It was a little scary in the class 3 rapids but we all had a ton of fun. We got stuck on so many rocks. After, We got to all warm up in the sauna; and for lunch we got really yummy bread and chicken.

After lunch, we had the choice of either going out in town or take a relaxing nap. I chose to rest in the lodge, but I heard from people who visited the town that it was super authentic and the pictures they took were really pretty.

At 6:00, we started a bonfire and cooked marshmellows. We told some scary stories and Isabella screamed over a “surprise attack” from Alex. It was funny.

We had delicious pizza for dinner and went to bed early since breakfast is at 4:00AM for Rainbow Mountain tomorrow.

– Rachel & Tracy

Saturday August 3, 2019

This morning started very early with a wake up time of 3:30 am so we could get to Rainbow Mountain before the rush of tourists. We ate breakfast at 4 and then loaded on the bus for a hour long ride to the site.

The hike was, to say the least, very physically taxing but we all managed to make it up to the top by around 8 am. Tracy led the pack of us and was the first to the top. After taking pictures and enjoying the view for a while we slowly trudged back down the mountain and even ran into a 14 day camper, Francis, with his family heading up the mountain.

After that we all headed back to the lodge to eat lunch and pack up our things. Soon after eating some soup and spaghetti we loaded onto the bus and headed towards Pisac to do some shopping. Once we got to Pisac we split into groups of three my group specifically went to a little food shop and got smoothies and a sandwich.

Once we got back we headed back up into our small van and headed back it was about an hour drive then we were home again we had a great homemade dinner of spaghetti with a mushroom sauce and then we went out for some snacks and ice cream and cane back to watch Mulan and chill out after a long day!

Sunday August 4, 2019

The time has come where we spend our last full day here in Peru! We had breakfast late, at 9am, which was nice. Pancakes, eggs, and bread with loads of syrup of course. We all got ready for the day and spent the morning talking and laughing with one another for the morning at home base. Afterwards we hopped onto the bus heading towards Urumbama.

When we arrived at Urumbama we participated in a ceremony called Pago de la Tierra- and met a Shaman(An Incan/Peruvian man who performs spiritual ceremonies) named Toribio, who’s 49 years old and has been performing these ceremonies for 29 years. He lives in a town called Caros, one of the last true Incan rooted cities. It’s only 800 feet above sea level and has no hotels,pharmacies, shops, etc. and is all natural. It was interesting learning about his Incan roots and history.

We then started the ceremony where he blessed us with floral water, and lots of it. The shaman then offered many things such as cocoa leaves,beads,Llama fat, and cookies. All of which represented harmony, health, love, and many other things. After all the offerings were laid out on the paper, he wrapped them up and blessed all of us with all the offerings by tapping us with the bag. To end the ceremony the shaman and us burned the offerings to give thanks to Mother Earth and for this beautiful ceremony.

We then headed to downtown/more city area of Urumbama. There we got ice cream, looked around a bit and relaxed for a few.

Heading back to Ollyantaytambo took a while, but when we got back we got another delicacy here in Peru. Ceviche was what it was called. Basically it’s raw fish, served with rice, sweet potatoes, and spicy sauce.

Afterwards we started packing up for the travels back home and got to hang out for a bit. For the final time, we walked into the plaza of Ollantaytambo and went to the WiFi-cafe and the markets. We got to call family and friends as well as get last minute gifts for ourselves and others. It was a somber yet fun walk there and back to home base. When we got back to home base we packed a bit more and just talked with one another until dinner. Our last supper was alpaca steak, quinoa, and 2 delicately placed potato chips. It was delicious.

We finished the night with a sweet ending to the trip, a closing ceremony. We went over the trip day by day and then lit candles to represent the new light in all of our lives. It was very emotional yet needed and I think we all appreciated it so much as it brang us closer together.

Last day messages-To everyone on the trip I love you all so much and am gonna miss everyone. It’s been such a blast experiencing life-changing moments and just laughing and having fun. This whole trip has had its ups and downs but in the end we’re gonna remember every great thing we did for the rest of our lives no matter how small the moment. Goodbye Peru. Till next time<3

-by Hannah

Time Capsule Letter

It has been a pleasure to work with students this year in Ollantaytambo, Perú and hard to believe that our time together has already come to a close! It was so hard saying goodbye to everyone at Huilloc, the rural mountain community where we put in so many hours of service. However, the project of helping to build a new kitchen for the kindergarten has taught us so much.

First off, we learned that doing hard work at high altitude is challenging but also very rewarding. It’s easy to see this through all the huge rocks we had to remove tug-of-war style from the outdoor area of the kindergarten, namely Bartholomew, who we were never able to move. Jack, Brendyn and Charlie Joe were unofficially named the rock kings for all their hard work.

In the midst of our hard work, Jaci was able to fend off the infamous chicken Gertrud, who ate the many grubs that Audrey collected out of the soil as we picked away and leveled the mountain side. Parker had the mud mixing technique down from day one. Siena led the pack in the “barro” mixing operation also headed by Elyse who bravely took of her shoes and showed us how to get things done hands (feet?) on! Lavagirl, also known as Greta, was unstoppable every day at service always finishing with the dirtiest clothes. After a long day, I was so happy that Penny enjoyed my smash mix of Spanish music on the way back to homebase. Later at lunch, we could always count on Lucas to finish any leftovers to reduce waste!

Our adventure to the Incan monument of Machu Picchu allowed us to see one of Perú’s greatest treasures. The four hour walk through the ancient city served as a window into the past. After, we were able to take a dip in the thermal pools of the city. Many students took the plunge from the cold pool to the hot one, but everyone shared a refreshing experience despite the interesting smell that came from the river. We returned home for the soccer match against the other GLA program in Ollantaytambo led by Coach Eli. Lo gave it her all up on the front lines and we were sad to lose but had a great time regardless.

All our work paid off on the last day of service when we were able to play with the children, take their pictures as a gift for the school, and of course, play ring around the rosy. Stella really helped with reminding us about useful Spanish phrases. In working in a setting with children, we were able to learn much about ethical photography. We would like to remind students of the one meaningful goal that we created at the end of the program:

“Going forward, we aim to be more aware and mindful of the pictures that we take, the method in which we take them, and how we decide to share these photos.”

We learned how to ask permission before taking pictures. We learned how to give context and a narrative to our photos rather than using people and cultures as accessories. In doing so, we are less selfish as photographers and are able to share a story through a photo. We also learned a lot of photography tips thanks to students like Abi, who mastered astrophotography.

I think it is safe to say that all of us photography loving nerds had an absolute blast this summer in Ollantaytambo. Perhaps the most emotional part of our journey was when our dear friend Phillip, sounded us all off to My Heart Will Go On on his Peruvian pipes. Seeing students like Savannah and Josephine open up and become a total boss was also endearing to watch.

For students like Alex who had to take a trip to the clinic, we thank you for giving it your all after getting better. From all of us here at Service Through the Lens, we want to thank you all for being open-minded, curious and high-spirited individuals and we cannot wait to see where life takes you next.

Those students who joined us for 21 days were able to go rafting and Rainbow Mountain. Siena led her raft in a screaming match that could be heard all the way from Ollantaytambo. In light of all the shrill screams, it ended up being a fun, competitive, and rather wet experience for everyone who got splashed along the way. After warming up in the sauna and showering, we made all gathered around a campfire before dinner.

The next day, some of us made our way to Rainbow Mountain, the most intense hike of the program. It was thrilling to witness the endurance of Ellie, who gave it her all and was not about to turn away from reaching the top. We made it together with the company of our tour guide Anderson, who taught us all about Quechua culture along the way.

On our day back, we did a traditional weaving and dance class with the community of Patacancha. We all danced in a circle while two students were chosen to dance in the middle – one male and one female, who was tasked with whipping the male with a woven lash. When Audrey had her turn, she did not shy away from whipping Tona as hard as she could.

We learned about the process of turning sheep, alpaca, and llama wool into yarn and the process of dying it different colors. The village also shared their agricultural products and farming practices, which relies chiefly on the hundreds of varieties of potatoes that naturally grow in the mountains.

The inside of Tumy House has not experienced a louder night than when we did karaoke. There were many stars that night, but Brendyn shown brighter than the rest with his performance of “Toxic” by Britney Spears.

Our photography exposition was a success in light of a lower than expected turn out. Charlie Joe was able to rope in the two French ladies, who intently reviewed all of our photos. Josephine gave an in-depth and thoughtful explanation of her three photos that she selected to show.

On our last day together, we were able to close the circle that we started with this program through a meaningful and moving candle-lit activity led by Tona. During the closing activity, we told things to one another that we had been keeping inside during the entire trip. We unanimously decided that Savannah was the person who opened up most during the course of the trip, who has a positive energy and great sense of humor.

I think it is safe to say that all of us photography loving nerds had an absolute blast this summer in Ollantaytambo. Perhaps the most emotional part of our journey was when our dear friend Phillip, sounded us all off to “My Heart Will Go On”on his Peruvian pipes. For students like Alex who had to take a trip to the clinic, we thank you for giving it your all after getting better and pushing through. From all of us here at Service Through the Lens, we want to thank you all for being open-minded, curious and high-spirited individuals and we cannot wait to see where life takes you next.

-Sam Spadaccini, Mentor

 

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This blog is for the Peru Service Through the Lens split session starting June 23, 2019, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student groups.

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

Welcome students of GLA’s Service Through the Lens program in Peru! From all of the staff here, we are so excited to share these next few weeks with you and show you the beautiful country of Peru.

Today, most of us are settling into our new home in Ollantaytambo, an Incan town located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We’re relaxing after our long travel with coca tea, some traditional Peruvian food, and a few icebreaker activities to get to know one another, but not everyone. Sadly, we are still missing several of our participants due to flight complications. Ava, Lucas, and Philip, we can’t wait to meet you and we’ll see you super soon!

A little bit more about us mentors: we’re Tona, Erin, Sam and Brooke. All of us have at least year of GLA programming under our belt, and varied backgrounds in adventure education, archeology, language education and social work. We’re here to care and serve as a resource for your kids for for you throughout the program.

You can expect an update from us each day, so stay tuned for more stories, photos and shenanigans from our Service Through the Lens program! From all of us here, we’d like to thank you for trusting us with your kids. We are going to have so much fun, and we can’t wait to see how our participants grow and learn in the coming weeks of service and adventure!

Welcome video below! 🙂

Monday June 24, 2019

Today we explored Inca ruins, took lots of photographs and visited the artisanal market of Ollantaytambo. We had a full orientation to our program, which included lots of team-building activities and a briefing about the service we will be doing in the highland communities above Ollantaytambo.

We’ll be working with a non-profit called Chimpay which focuses on helping victims of abuse and giving primary prevention education to children in the schools, as a way to de-normalize violence in Andean communities. Our focus is to help Chimpay to be present in the community in other ways as well, such as constructing a new kitchen for the school. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and practice our newly-learned Quechua phrases with the people we encounter. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
– Penny Brackin

Some other special highlights from today:
– Philip and Lucas arrived in Peru! We are thrilled to have them join us!
– We celebrated the birthday of our house manager, Juan!

Tuesday June 25, 2019

Today, the group was introduced to our service project: building a new kitchen in Huilloc Alto, a highland community above the Sacred Valley of Peru. Each day, the mothers of the village cook lunch for the school children. Due to poor ventilation in the kitchen, the mothers put themselves at risk of respiratory issues each time they use the wood burning stove indoors. But this kitchen project is only a snapshot of the bigger picture of helping this village. Manuel, the head of the NGO that GLA is working with, aims to solve the problem of culturally-ingrained domestic abuse. But one cannot just force a culture to change. First, the village needs to understand we are here to help, thus the kitchen.

Still, not all of this GLA expedition is hard labor; the entire group had plenty of time to snap pictures of the mountains surrounding us, of locals in their intricately woven traditional clothes, and of our little llama puppets. Our photography needed a little help, so we now have a professional photographer, Carlos who will be giving lessons for anyone and everyone who has room for improvement. We reflected on another aspect of photography when our mentor, Erin, gave us a thought-provoking presentation on the ethics of photography, especially when taking photos of strangers, vulnerable people and endangered animals.

Tomorrow we’ll head back to Huilloc Alto for another morning of service, followed by a photography workshop in the afternoon! Stay tuned!

-Alexander Palmieri

Wednesday June 26, 2019

Today we continued on to our second day of service. While building on the progress we made yesterday, a challenge arose in the form of a giant boulder that had to be moved. With the help of our GLA group and the community, we managed to move it in light of its immense size. It was a challenge that we had to solve together.

In the afternoon we headed over to the nearby ruins. Carlos, our photojournalist instructor, provided the group with some essential tips and tricks for setting up our cameras. After his informative lesson, we put this new knowledge to work as we captured photos of the beautiful landscape and surrounding sights.

We ended the day by breaking into our mentor groups. After anonymously making a list of our hopes and fears for the program and talking through them as a group, we came to realize that our overall outlook for the next 2-3 weeks and our currents mindsets are more similar than different.

We also made a trip to the nearby grocery store where many of us had our first experience trying Inca Kola!

– by Elyse Null

Thursday June 27, 2019

Today at service we accomplished a lot. During service we proceeded to drag boulders across the school grounds (while the school children mocked our grunts and groans) as well as digging up what felt like mountains. With all of this hard work, of course we had to play a bit.

During our breaks many fun things occurred. We kicked a soccer ball around with the kids and shared snacks like potatoes and popcorn. We dug up grubs to feed to the chicken and played jump rope to pass the time while waiting for boulders to be unearthed. Overall, we were very productive today, and we definitely had fun doing it!

~Jaci A. Johnson

Other highlights from today:

We enjoyed a photographer’s rally (scavenger hunt) across Ollantaytambo, which included connecting with town locals to learn more about Ollanta’s history and culture.
We went to an Internet cafe to reconnect with you, amazing family and friends!
We had a structured debate on setting an international standard for the ethics of photojournalism.

Friday June 28, 2019

Today was a very normal day, or so we thought. Breakfast started with a display of eggs, pancakes, fruit, and coffee. Definitely Coffee. After a quick breakfast, we all got ready to go up to mountain for our last day of service. At 8am, we loaded into our buses hoping we would make it up the mountain. The previous night presented a rain fall that left us to question whether the road would allow us to pass. Without a hitch, we made it to our final destination ready to work. We got right to work making the mixture that would soon be used to make the adobe. This then will he used to make the kitchen. A few issues were thrusted upon us. There was a boulder that had to be moved.

A group of the willing, jumped to work moving the rock ending in triumph. The adobe mixture was almost ready, but it had to be mixed a little bit more. A crew consisting of Siena, Audrey, Jaci, Brendyn, Charlie-Joe, and myself, hopped into the pile to finish mixing. This left us with cold feet but a huge smile. Once this was completed, we started to make the adobe before we had to back to home base. After a calm descent of the mountain, we all headed to our rooms for a quick rest before lunch.

After a hardy lunch, we had a photography lesson where we learned about framing. We roamed the town using our newly acquired knowledge to further our photos. Dinner soon followed. We all shared laughs and lots of food( Myself and Philip). Dinner was followed but a very cool short filmed shown to us by a man by the name of Hugo. He explained the story behind the film as well as answered our questions. We learned about his favorite shots before crashing from a long day of work.

Saturday June 29, 2019

We started our day with pancakes and fruits for breakfast. We then headed towards Ollantaytambo’s famous ruins and learned about their history. We hiked and took pictures of the mountains, the city below, and of each other as well.

After, we hiked down the ruins and began waiting for Ollantaraymi to start, an annual festival that accounts Ollantaytambo’s Incan history. At 10:30, it began and we watched locals in colorful dress do traditional dances.

At 12:30, we decided to divide up into our mentor groups and walk through the market to buy gifts for our friends and family, and gifts for ourselves as well. There were so many colors and traditional clothes to look at!

We walked back to home base and ate cuy (aka guinea pig ). Some people enjoyed it and some people didn’t, but it was something new to try, and definitely something that is not offered in the states!

At 3pm, we headed towards the Choco Museo and made our own chocolates! We made two types of hot chocolate— Mayan and Conquistador. Mayan was very rich and spicy, and the Conquistador was more like a regular hot chocolate. After hot chocolate, we started to make our own chocolate and shape it with stencils that were given to us. We waited for about an hour for them to harden, and while we waited, we ordered sweets, like hot chocolate, ice cream, regular chocolate.

We headed back to home base for dinner and ate potatoes, beef and rice. At 7pm, we started our dancing lesson led by the one and only Manuel! He taught us several moves that we worked on for about 2 hours. We ended the night feeling encouraged with our new dance moves and very excited about leaving for Machu Picchu tomorrow. We are looking forward for what comes next!

Sunday June 30, 2019

A change in our wake-up time from 6:45 to 8:00 for the day proved to be a huge relief for some of us needing to catch up on lost sleep and energy used in service.

Departing from our home base, we visited some ruins across from our house. Hiking up the nearby mountain Pinkuyuna, we discovered an old Incan grain storage and a glorious view of Ollantaytambo.

Returning to home base, we packed for our trip to Machu Picchu. After a 2 hour scenic train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes, we found ourselves surrounded by sheer mountains, covered by trees. Most notably, people in this town are nicer to dogs. A trip to the hot springs wrapped up the day, preparing us for our trip up to legendary Machu Picchu tomorrow.

– by Lucas Tian

Monday July 1, 2019

Today was an earlier start for the group, we woke up at 6:15 for a quick breakfast before we got on the bus for Machu Pichu. Although we missed the comfort of the Tumy house, we enjoyed sandwiches and juice or coffee in order to gain energy for the day ahead of us.

We met our guides, Patricia and Evelyn, who were dedicated to giving us explanations and information about the historical monument.

The bus ride was about 30 minutes, which consisted of everyone listening to music and enjoying the views of the mountains. Upon arrival at Machu Pichu, we were surprised to have to pay 2 soles to use the bathroom, but it was all worth it when we finally got to see what was ahead of us.

After applying too much bug spray and removing layers, we began our tour of Machu Pichu. As we went higher up, the views became more and more beautiful, the shades of green and incredible architecture stood out in my eyes. It only got more interesting as we walked through the lower valley of Machu Pichu. We learned lots of new things like how the trapezoid shape of the roof protects the structure from earthquakes. Something I thought was very interesting was the different temples for worship, for example one for the sun and one for the moon.

We returned back to Carpe Diem, for a much needed pizza lunch. I was pleasantly surprised that i actually liked the alpaca meat pizza, always good to try new things.

For the remainder of our time we walked around the market and got delicious ice cream. The train ride back to Ollantaytambo was very relaxing and a good break because all of us were very tired. I listened to music and looked out the window as most other people slept soundly.

We returned to the Tumy house and got prepared for our very anticipated soccer game against the other GLA group. Although we lost 3-1 we put in a great effort and had a fun time. I was proud of myself for almost scoring and also met another Greta, which is only the third other Greta I’ve met in my lifetime.

We parted ways with the other group and had dinner which was rice with a squash and corn sauce. To conclude the night we will be stargazing and taking pictures on the terrace. Today was definitely my favorite day, full of beautiful views, good food, and lots of laughs. I am sad to acknowledge that I only have a few more days with everyone, but it’s not over yet!!!

-by Greta

Tuesday July 2, 2019

Today we started our second week of service, once again working towards building a better-ventilated kitchen for a school in the nearby community of Huilloc Alto. We spent the morning building the structure with adobe bricks, clearing out rocks in order to build an even floor, and excavating the land. We spent our break eating the classic meal of hard boiled eggs and potatoes, as well as taking a group nap in the sun.

After service, we ate a delicious packed lunch that consisted of sandwiches, fruit, and, as a special surprise, chocolate! We then hopped in vans and drove two hours on a very bumpy road to Moray, terraces used as a testing ground for different crop varieties during the Inca Empire. There, we had a photography lesson, focusing on landscape photography. After exploring and snapping pictures to our hearts’ desire, we drove to Maras. We got to see the legendary, ancient salt mines, take even more pictures, and some of us finished off by buying delicious chocolate.

Tonight, we are going to be having a product photography competition with our mentor Brooke. We will be taking photos for the brand, Artisans of Inti, which works with artisans in Cusco to produce handmade shoes and bags. Today was super fun and I am looking forward to making the most of the next three days I have with these great people!

-by Parker Murane

Wednesday July 3, 2019

Today started out normal enough with our 7:00am breakfast. We have quickly adjusted to the new plan of waking up ourselves, without the daily wake-up-call from our mentors. We had our usual breakfast to give us the energy necessary for our day of service. After everyone was prepared, we left for service.

At the schoolhouse, we continued building the kitchen with adobe bricks while simultaneously making mud and washing dishes of the old kitchen. Everyone worked hard, only taking breaks for water, sunscreen, and occasionally, to play with the local children.

Afterwards, we met with some locals who brought their livestock to become very cute models for a wildlife photoshoot. We refilled our energy with bagged lunches and returned to Ollantaytambo.

When we returned, we wrote a letter to our future selves to be delivered to us in a few months. Since we had a lot of free time between this activity and dinner, and we also needed to download the Adobe Lightroom application for the following day, we hit the local cafes in our respective mentor groups to rest up and log on to some wifi.

After dinner, our photography teacher, Carlos, came to give us a lesson on nighttime photography. With the new tips and tricks we learned, we took some amazing photos of the stars and headed to bed, ready to embrace the few days left.

-by Philip Chen

Thursday July 4, 2019

Happy Fourth of July!

This morning was nothing out of the ordinary. We had the delicious breakfast buffet prepared by Mama Zoila, and we loaded up in our vans to go to service once again.

Today at service, we split into two different groups. One group continued sifting the dirt, and the other used the adobe blocks to continue building the kitchen. There has been a lot of progress on the kitchen; we are more than halfway done!

After we finished with service, we went back to home base. Today for lunch, we had a delicious meal of a traditional Peruvian dish known as ceviche. The raw fish was a bit of a controversial subject, but it was nice to see everyone trying it with an open mind!

After lunch, (the people staying for the two weeks), had our very last photography class with Carlos. We practiced editing our photos on an app called “Adobe Lightroom.” We learned tips in editing such as adjusting the temperature of a photo and altering the colors.

After saying our goodbyes to Carlos, we had a celebratory dinner of hamburgers and fries for the Fourth of July.

To finish up the day, we presented our photo concept projects. It was interesting to see the different perspectives and ideas coming from our peers. Everyone did very well!

With the last day creeping closer, we are sad to leave, but excited to share our new experiences with everyone back home!

Stella Puopolo

Friday July 5, 2019

Sadly, today was the last day for the 14-day students. Despite our time together coming to an end, we all have made the most out of every moment.

At service, we accomplished our goal and built the kitchen walls. We were successfully able to break past language barriers and build something out of nothing! As a result, our service in Peru will have a long-lasting positive impact for the mothers and children of Huilloc Alto. We can now say with confidence that we are all wildly capable of anything we work hard for.

After such a rewarding day of service, we headed back to home base and spent the afternoon laughing hysterically and reminiscing about embarrassing childhood moments. To say the least, we were all quite interesting and particular children!

After lunch, we thought deeply about how knowledge isn’t power unless we utilize it. This idea spurred us each to create a personal goal— to identify one lesson from Peru that we could apply to our lives and community back home. In addition to our personal goals, we also came up with one group goal to work on. We committed to using our social media to spread positivity and influential messages.

Our final activity revealed to each of us the true impact we had on one another. Because of these 19 students, I will come home tomorrow with new eyes, a stronger self-awareness, and a mind open wide to possibility. They are my Peru family and they will forever have a place in my heart.

-Abby Bishop

Other notable happenings today:
• While at service, each GLA student got to take a portrait photo of one of the Huilloc Alto students. We have since compiled these photos and will be presenting a framed yearbook photo that contains all individual child photos and a 2019 class photo for the Huilloc Alto school.

Saturday July 6, 2019

Today we lost twelve students and our mentor Brooke. RIP Always remembered.

We began with our last breakfast together as a whole group. It was very sad but everyone was trying to make the best out of their last moments before departure. After breakfast, the people staying for 21 days had to leave for Rainbow Mountain.

Everyone definitely cried at this point for several minutes. The 14 day students went around Cusco on a tour and departed on their flights.

The 21 day students drove two and a half hours to the lodge by Rainbow Mountain and got to go white water rafting. There was a noticeable difference between the first and second raft, which could be heard screaming much louder.

Tona encouraged the people in the second raft off the raft into the cold water. The first raft all got in and it was a really entertaining experience.

After we finished rafting, most of us went ziplining for about half an hour. Then we hit the town nearby, and picked up six bags of trash and plastic along the way.

Once we got back to the lodge, we had a bonfire and got to know each other better. Turns out, we’ve got some pretty interesting stories.

Shoutout to the 14-day kids and Brooke for an awesome two weeks!!

Sunday July 7, 2019

Today some of our group got up for a bright and early 4:00am breakfast. At 5:30am we arrived at rainbow mountain to start our climb. After an hour of hiking we arrived at the summit.

We then descended and drove back to rejoin the group at the lodge. We ate lunch together while Tona took photos of hummingbirds.

At 11 we piled into the van to make the trip back to home base. But, before arriving there we stopped in Pisac to take pictures of and buy souvenirs at the famous textile market.

After arriving at home base we were greeted by 19 set places at the table to our 7. We were sad to see our friends go, but excited to continue on the rest of the day.

Ellie’s room then walked upstairs to the sight of dirty clothes that they forgot to bring downstairs for laundry.

Later that night we ate dinner and had cake for Mama Zoila’s birthday! We got to see some of her family and sang happy birthday 3 times in 2 different languages. Then finished up the night with a presentation about traditional weaving and learned how to make friendship bracelets.

Monday July 8, 2019

Today we woke to the gracious and rare gift of a 9:00am breakfast which proved essential from the previous day’s 4:00am wake up call. After gathering our essentials, we filled our single van and started the journey to the village of Patacancha.

After our journey up the mountain, we were greeted by warm smiles, big hugs and joyful music by the community. We then dressed in traditional vibrant Peruvian textiles and joined the locals in a fun traditional dance. Juan, the leader, took us through the entire process of turning alpaca and sheep fur into the yarn they use in their textiles. We watched fur being spun, an activity that we all tried ourselves but I think it is safe to say that they are way better than we we were, and then dyed. A color specialist laid out all the flowers and leaves in which they extract the colors from and showed us the salts they use to do so.

After enjoying Mama Zoila’s boxed lunch each student was paired with a local to make a bracelet together. They weaved the strings effortlessly as we watched in awe.

Quickly following our bracelet making session, the locals laid out all of their designs in the field. It was our own little market of authentic artistry. Your student probably bought something from today as it was an offer too good to pass up.

Carlos wasn’t able to come to our excursion today for our photography lesson on portraits (we hope you feel better!) but nonetheless we explored and took our photos among the intricate village.

Now, today was no ordinary day as it was our very own Audrey’s birthday! She turned sixteen today so the mentors and Tona pitched in to surprise her with a lovely orange cake. We sang, in English, and she blew out her candle with her beautiful, bright smile.

Finally, we spent the last bits of our day taking pictures under the star filled sky. Plenty of constellations were out tonight and it was a lovely way to conclude the day.

-Ellie

 

Tuesday July 9, 2019

Today we woke up at 7:30 and headed back to Huilloc Alto to continue service. We mixed more barro to finish up the kitchen and added the final adobes!The community all gathered together to help finish the roof of the kitchen. After we finished, we got back into the van and had our boxed lunches.

We drove to Pumamarka for our portrait photography class with Carlos. The ruins were beautiful. We got to work on portraits with each other. After taking pictures, we sat down with Carlos to learn more about taking portraits. Carlos taught us techniques for taking better pictures that use bokeh. The llamas came over to us and we all had a lot of fun taking pictures and posing with them. After a long day, we headed back to the home base.

We relaxed a while and chose pictures for Carlos to look through later on. After dinner at six, we showed our pictures to Carlos. He helped us narrow them down to about 10, and now we have to chose three to be shown at templo de wow on Thursday night for our exhibition. Tomorrow we are looking forward to doing a tour of Urumbama with Manuel and our last photography class on editing with Carlos. Another great day in Peru!

Wednesday July 10, 2019

With yet another much appreciated late breakfast, we ate then set off for the day’s activities.

We took a short drive to Urubamba, an small city with an authentic Peruvian feel. It was the perfect opportunity to take some photos and get to know a more authentic Perú. We explored the vast markets of the city, ate delicious ice cream of authentic Peruvian flavors, and relaxed in a café where we had cake, chocolate mousse, creme brûlée and brownies.Through the many clothing markets, Savannah decided to buy a pare of nock off Off White sneakers.

We then parted ways to explore and experience the city on our own. Later, we regrouped and made our way back to home base. Once back we had our last photography class with Carlos on editing. We worked on our final three photos that we will present at the show and said goodbye to Carlos.

After the class we decided to spend some time at the market. And to end the day we spent the night singing karaoke to an incredible repertoire of songs such as Hey Yeah, We Built This City, I’ll Make a Man Out of You and Hamilton.

🍦☕️👟📷🎤
– Josaphine Green

Thursday July 11, 2019

Today was a day for the books, let’s be real. Our little group of 21 day-ers made their way up to Huilloc, our service sight, one last time. Though we didn’t partake in much physical service today, we celebrated with the villagers, and lovely children. The kids were open to playing a couple of games we had showed them in the previous weeks, and simply bouncing a lot. The look of their mouths opening as wide as possible when we spin them around is unforgettable.

Not only did we enjoy our time with the cuties, we had a lovely brunch made by the community. We each got our own fish, caught in a nearby lake, along with a “garden salad”. You can’t tell me the best part wasn’t seeing Sam eat a fish eye. Lastly, we left the village with a bottle breaking ceremony that I personally got to break with Manuel and a woman from the village with a hammer decorated in beautiful flowers. We left Huilloc with a hurt in our hearts, and something that is indescribably unforgettable.

The afternoon held a bit of setting up for our photo exhibition that took place within the last couple of hours. We printed out three of our favorite photographs, not just from this trip, and then handed out flyers amongst the town of Ollyantaytambo to spread the word of our show. Manuel and Tona set up our photographs with short descriptions of each picture in a nearby restaurant called Templo de Wow, and had an amazing pizza dinner.

Unfortunately, only two of the two HUNDRED people we handed flyers out to actually made an appearance. This was no disappointment as Mama Zolia did surprise us and stayed to watch an aggressive game of pool, where Audrey may have lost her mind in the end. Though I did not play in the game, I can promise you it was much more amusing to watch Audrey’s extreme reactions every time she didn’t hit the ball (which may have been every time).

The night ended with the group crowding around Tona playing some soothing guitar, and i’m not going to lie, I may have teared up to “Hey There Delilah”. Tomorrow is our last full day in Peru. It hasn’t hit many of us yet, but the second we’re home, I’m assuming we all will be wishing to be back.

-by Siena

Friday July 12, 2019

The last full day our trip has come upon us. We awoke to an 8 am breakfast and at 8:30 we set out for Ñaupa Iglesia, a sacred Inca site for a ceremony called Pago a la Tierra. Before we left Ollantaytambo our shaman met us at home base.

After a short drive we arrived at where we would start our hike. After climbing through old Incan ruins and stopping in multiple sacred locations (old spirit houses) to pray to pacha mama (Mother Earth), we arrived at the site of our ceremony. Once there, we prayed with coca leaves for multiple different things like people we wish good health to, good luck, a harmonious life, and various other things.

After the ceremony concluded we hiked back down the mountain and came back to Ollantaytambo and explored the streets with our mentor Sam until 2, which is when we typically eat lunch. We stopped in both an “am/pm” and a coffee shop to get smoothies. After lunch everyone had to do a survey about the trip, and then we went on a goodbye walk around the city.

After the walk we came back for dinner at 6 o’clock. Everyone gathered back downstairs after dinner to do a goodbye ceremony to each other and pass around a tiny llama to symbolize a gift of saying nice things about each other. Once we had finished we went upstairs to the terrace for one last time watching the stars together.

Tonight is our last night at home base, and tomorrow we begin our journey home.

-by Bee

Saturday July 13, 2019

Today we bid farewell to our seven 21-day students–Siena, Ellie, Savannah, Audrey, Brendyn, Josephine, and Charlie Joe. It has been such a pleasure to help you explore Peru and have front row seats as you developed your photos, your leadership skills, and your Selves.

After a tearful last hug with Mama Zoila at Tumy House, we boarded the bus for our final journey with Ruben to Cusco. We explored the city a bit before a special lunch at Tunupa, where a couple of our braver foodies had a meal of papas y alpaca and we got to reconnect with our mentor Brooke.

We were sad to see Siena go, she was the first of us to fly out, and more tears were shed. The rest continued on to tour the city with our local director Manuel, until they too had to head for the airport.

Just outside the security checkpoint, we had one last salty group hug and the students said their individual goodbyes to the mentors.

Thank you all for joining us here and sharing your incredible gifts and some incredible experiences with us. We know you’ll excel wherever your next journeys take you!