Hey there GLA Alumni!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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Hola GLA Alumni!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With big hugs and admiration,

Caitlin, Scott, Brooke and Adrienne

 

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Hola Estudiantes de GLA!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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Sebastian, Lila, Sydney, Becca, Simone, Avery, Galit, Lindsay, & Sofia –

Can you believe how much time has passed since our Peru trip together!? It seems like yesterday that we were standing at chow circle before dinner and handing off alpacita to each other. Do you all still have your alpaca!? I hope you have adjusted okay to life without soup before every almuerzo and postre after every cena. I imagine at this point you are back at school (or if you are Becca you are at college… go Becca!) but we wanted to remind you that in Cusco Peru there is a school that is a little bit better off because of your visit. Thank you.

Our time spent together here truly did make an impact – and you should all know that when you flew out of cusco you left nothing but good energy and a positive impact (and maybe some hand warmers, shampoo, and towels). Whenever the children walk by the playground they will have fond memories of playing and getting to know you all – and when they climb the stairs to Mario’s school they will look up and remember to “aprender, jugar, y crecer.” I am not sure when the new school will be complete – but when it is done it will stand as an example of what can be accomplished when many hands come together to work towards a common goal.

Another part of the trip that is heavy on my mind is how much we all truly enjoyed each others company. Weather it was rocking out to music in the car with Don Roberto, trying to not be a rotten banana in banana-grams or playing essence at happy hour with a warm cup of chocolate, you all are truly a special bunch. I wonder if you remember the steps to salsa and if Galit, Lindsay, and Simone have managed to stay out of the hospital!

We really worked hard together and had fun while doing it. As you continue to learn and grow as leaders, we hope you remember the lessons that you took away from this place and taught each other. Thanks for helping to make Children of The Andes a once in a lifetime trip for everyone.

Some special moments from the trip:

-Celebrating Sofia & Becca’s birthday – and Becca having her face smashed in the cake!
-Learning about the Andean culture and Inka history with our guides Mary Luis, Santiago, Sonya, Jose, and Naty.
-Building a snowman while our horsemen built snow alpacas when we were unable to go on the lares hike because of all of the snow!
-Lila bringing the spirit during classroom day and proving that “dance is art”.
-Mixing cement and painting fences while singing our favorite throwback songs.
-Having our futures revealed during the “pago a la Tierra ceremony”.
-Playing soccer against the Peruvian team at la cancha.
-Eating more galletas and helado than our stomachs could handle.
-Delicious food at home base such as those amazing tacos, papas rellenos, and wonderful warming soups.
-Our end of program talent show that included a beautiful dance, one fish two fish slam poetry, wonderful acapella music, a guest appearance from Freddy, and a playing card disappearing into an orange!

Much Love –
Mel Canna (International Mentor) & the GLA Peru team

 

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Dear Addy, Drew, Anna, Austin, Avery, Bridget, Campbell, Elizabeth, Ella, Ethan F, Ethan S,
Eva, Fatima, Fedora, Hank, Ishaan, Julia, Kat, Lena, Maddie, Max, Mika, Nicky, Nina, Sara,
Shannon, Shey, Sophia, Tyler and Westray,

I can’t believe I’m sitting here, post-program, reflecting back on all of the time we’ve
spent together and the memories we made in the very short time-span of 21 days. Although our
time together is far behind us, the legacy of group 1 has not been forgotten, even as new
students came, and still continue to come and work on the same projects as you all once did,
your impacts are still seen to this day.

It’s hard even for me to believe that the period of a long-lasting chow circle, endless
shout-outs, food, food, food and more food, watching intense soccer matches with Rolando, the
ability to sit and chat with a new person everyday, early morning-wake ups and walking to our
school site while seeing local people go about their days has long passed.

While you guys are no longer passing around the alpacita, going on endless tienda runs
(shoutout to those Sublime Bars and Inka Cola) and making lesson plans to work with our
students, the impact of your group was truly something unseen before in the children’s lives as
well as the progression of the construction. It’s been said that the first steps of contraction are
the hardest. You guys are literally breaking the ground to set forth the the foundation of a
school. While in the moment the jack-hammering was tiring, we as a group want to thank you for
your intense dedication to the mission of providing an education to children much like those you
worked with. It’s the selflessness of you all that gives the school of San Gabriel hope for a
brighter future.

Thinking back on the summer, a few memories in particular stick out in my head I’d love to
remind you all of:

-Buying a ridiculous amount of sweaters and random items from our amiga at the store with the
“wholesale prices”
-With that being said, just the memory of alpaca sweaters deserves its own bullet point (I’m
wearing mine right now p.s.)
-Mika, Drew, Hank, and Julia (among many others) jack-hammering the ground for three hours
straight.
-The Lares trek, our amazing campsite, the DANK food (excuse me if that’s my dinosaur
terminology) Nicky’s “spot” to watch the stars, and our offering of coca leaves once we reached
the peak of the trek.
-Machu Picchu.. nuff said.
-Hank’s finale of his final magic trick, pulling a card out of Jenzor’s pocket (I’m still not over that).
-Creating our amazing mural of the Andean Cross, the final reveal and our goodbye dance party
with the students.
-Having our fortune told by the Shamen at our “Pago de la Tierra” Ceremony.
-Being told that Ethan S’s spirit Animal is a guinea pig and Kat’s is a Cow by the Shamen (lol).
-Fatima showing us her amazing braiding skills.
-Feeding and making long lasting friendships with the llamas, alpacas and guanacos at Awana
-Kancha <3
-Singing “Umbrella” by Rihana before one of our last chow-circles.
-Practicing and learning more Spanish everyday.
-Eating mad cookies everyday
-The walk to service, while difficult, was satisfying to feel more able to do it day-by-day.
-The awesome house staff, including Patty, Rolando, Jenzor, Yesica and Ale.
-The Soqma trek and all it’s beauty.
-The “sick” or “six” squad bonding POST evacuation from Soqma.
-Our final appreciation circle, anonymously letting everyone know how they’ve affected our time
during the program.

I know you all will continue to carry the memories of this trip with you for years to come.
As I’ve mentioned to many of you, my time in GLA as a student, while a lot shorter and in a
different location, still stays with me seven years later, as I still think about the lessons learned
and remain friends with my close friends from the trip. Our time in Peru has ended but many
new doors have now been opened, whether that be in friendships, career objectives, a change
in perspective or a new appreciation for our own lives. Don’t let that slide you by as the time
passes.

Sending love and appreciation for the time we’ve all spent together.

Gaby & the GLA Peru Team

 

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