PERU – Service in the Sacred Valley – July 10 – July 30, 2015

7/10/2015

We arrived in the morning to a chilly but sunny Cusco. The view from the flight from Lima to Cusco was breathtaking : we had an overhead view of the Andes that were going to hike a week later. Walking off the plane to see the city with the mountains behind gave all of us a taste of what we were about experience. Although exhausted and jet-lagged, we all were able to enjoy meeting our new found friends, mentors and staff. We played games and walked through Cusco. We experienced our first meal of the three weeks consisting of chicken, rice, potatoes and carrots. The weather was cold in the morning but quickly warmed up in the afternoon and was very pleasant. Unfortunately our good weather only lasts until the sun went down, it got extremely cold then. We had a excellent first day and are looking forward to starting service tomorrow!

– Gillian, Flore, and Jade

7/13/2015Today, we woke up as usual and went to work at the school. We continued for the first two hours building the walls of the green house, some of us were making mud others were digging and some were adding bricks to the wall. We then had a one hour break where we were finally able to meet the kids from the school. We got to jump rope with them, play soccer, go on the swing and learned about them despite the language barrier. Afterwards we joined together back at the hotel where we ate lunch and we were able to chill.At 3.00 pm we had the chance to go to a textile market which was far away. The ride there had some of the best views we’ve seen so far. When we arrived we were welcomed by wonderful ladies who were excited to teach us how they make yarn and their traditional clothes. Everyone was shocked to learn that the textiles take up to 4 months to complete and we were also able to see how the colors were made ( some dyes are even made with beetles! ). Before leaving we all bought bought a large amount of hand-made sweaters, hats, socks, scarfs, purses and even dolls! We then drove back home and arrived just in time for dinner. We ended the night with a documentary which explained the Inca Rebellion, which we are learning more about tomorrow on our tour. We had a busy day though it was rewarding and totally worth it.by Nina, Flore, Chandler and Capucine

7/14/2015We started the day off sleeping in until 8:00 am (it was amazing). We ate breakfast and left the hotel at 9:00 am to start our day of touring Cusco. The first place we went to was Tambomacha, where we learned about the Incan monks and how they were initiated using the water falls. Then we went to Pukapukara and walked around the military base and looked at the beautiful scenery that surrounds the ruins. After we went to Sacsayhuaman and went through the caves (they were very dark, small and scary). We also slid down a naturally formed slide made out of rocks, which was very fun. While in Sacsayhuaman we were able to get an amazing view of Cusco and the mountains surrounding it. After, we went to lunch and some people tried alpaca (which tasted like stake). While eating the amazing Peruvian cuisine we enjoyed the musical stylings by a Peruvian band. They played songs like “Planchamacha” and many students purchased their CD. When lunch was over we hopped back on the bus and went to the Incan Qoricancha and the Basilica Cathedral. We saw many gold paintings and learned a lot about the history of Cusco and the Incans. After a long day of touring we went back to the hotel, ate a delicious dinner and got to know more about one another through speed dating. The day was very fulfilling and the students are ready for a long nights wrest for tomorrows volunteering.7/15/2015To start yet another remarkable day in Peru, the sun escalated over the mountainous horizon and gave off a luscious orange glow. We embarked on our journey to the school to continue our construction of the greenhouse after a relaxing day off touring the city of Cuzco. We continued working on the adobe wall and transferred the trees to the sides of the greenhouse. After a delicious lunch we listened to a Cusqueñean nurse who enlightened us on the health issues and malnutrition of the children of Peru. There is a definitive correlation between poverty and malnutrition in Peru. We had lots of free time today and everyone had fun hanging around the hotel. After dinner we were told that our “surprise” activity was going to be a visit to Playland, a small amusement park across our hotel. Our group had a blast doing the bumper cars, hurricane ride, and twister. It was “turnt”- as Max would say. We feel that the group has connected a lot through the various activities from the past couple of days and look forward to many more adventures.Robert, Shannon, Rodolfo, Max7/16/2015

Not going to lie, waking up was rough this morning. After getting slightly used to later wake-ups, having to scamper out of bed into the freezing Peruvian air at 6:00 sharp was less than pleasant, to put it lightly. Breakfast consisted of the ever-classic scrambled eggs, along with the perpetually available bread, butter, jelly, and fruit. I would give it 3.8 stars. We left the lodge at 7:00 am, filing onto the bus in a melancholy manner. Once we were on the bus, spirits lightened up. The grumpier among us fell asleep, and the cheerful engaged in friendly banter. Service was mostly business as usual, with a few exceptions. We didn’t have anyone working on digging and sifting dirt for the mud, due the the excess created by previous groups. Because of this, we had more people than jobs, which lead to minor confusion. This was overcome, however, by strong leadership exemplified by our leaders of the day — living up to their title. During our breaks, we played with the children attending the local school. “Playing” consists mostly of pushing kids on the swings, kicking a soccer ball around with them, and having large difficulty deciphering the cryptic Spanish insults thrown our way when we do something that the kids don’t like. They’re all very creative. After service, we marched back on the bus and drove back to the lodge for lunch. I would rate our midday meal an enthusiastic 4.3 stars, due to the overall strength of the entree: the pork chop. It was complemented by the expected rice and potatoes, which were solid, but not exceptional. After a few hours of napping, showering, and general recovery from the morning’s work, us GLA students hopped back on the bus and drove to a Peruvian rock formation known as Zona X. It’s famous for its numerous winding tunnels permeating the ancient rock formations. As soon as we saw the massive mossy playground that was ours for the evening, the cantankerous mood that had hung over the crowd vanished, leaving the feeling of excitement and adventure in its stead. Some students explored the seemingly endless caves and tunnels together, climbing and squeezing into increasingly impressive places. Other students practiced their yoga on top of the entire formation, experiencing the fantastic view and surrounding nature fully in between their grunts and stretches. Morale was high when we finally clambered back onto the bus to return — once again — to our lodge. We had another hour to chill out before dinner: a disappointing 2.9 stars. The rice was drier than expected, and the potatoes, although cooked to a respectable softness and texture, were disgraced by the accompanied sauce. The main dish — steamed chicken — was what pulled this meal above 2 stars. It was sweet, and fell apart at the bone. After dinner, we played a game titled rather morbidly “Murder in the Dark”. It supported the running joke that GLA is obsessed with blindfold games, as the game consisted of a group of kids running around, blindfolded, of course, trying to kill each other and catch the murderers. After 3 rounds of chaos, everyone fell silent when we learned that our night was ending with cake. We all sat at tables as the leaders of the day cut the cake into 36 slices for all of the students and some of the mentors. The cake was quickly devoured, and the children scuttled upstairs to their respective rooms. Soon they will be asleep, ready to repeat the day’s cycle again.Thank you all for reading! We miss you all (probably, I know at least 3 kids who have mentioned missing their parents)!Sincerely,Dylan, David, Annie, and Jade

7/17/2015

This morning started out like your typical day. We woke up at 6 and had breakfast, then we went to service. During service we worked on building the walls of the greenhouse, digging dirt for mud, cutting hay, and a new job which was preparing walls for painting murals. Andy, had the idea of using his hi-tech camera to take pictures of the kids to create a yearbook for the school. We also had a chance to play with the kids at the school and learn about a new teacher. We came home to a delicious lunch and set out to finally get wifi and to spend time in the plaza. At the plaza we were able to exchange money, contact family and friends, and shop around. After we gathered together, we walked forty minutes back to base and ate another great meal. Then we had a talk about what was necessary for our trip to Machu Picchu which is coming up on Monday. After the meeting we were able to have our clothes washed for laundry day. We then hung out until lights out at 10:00.

– Khalil Brooks, Lena Wencker, Gillian, and Regina Olivares

7/18/2015

Today we woke up later than usual at about 7 am. Although we got to sleep an extra hour, we had less time to work on the greenhouse. The greenhouse is coming along very well and it is a possibility that we could finish it by the end of our trip. Today we also started work on a trench that will carry a water pipe directly to the greenhouse. After lunch we headed to a llama farm where we learned the differences between llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. We got to feed them, pet them and obviously take selfies with them. After dinner we talked about our trek which we will be embarking on as well as the essential things we will need. We ended our day by watching Emperor’s New Groove which not so accurately represented Incan rule.

7/19/2015
To start off the day we woke up later than usual at 7AM as opposed to the usual 6AM. We had the regular breakfast of 2 eggs with the beverage choices of orange juice, water, or pineapple juice. After that we went to an open air market called Pisac. There we bought various items including, sweaters, scarfs, necklaces, tapestries, soaked in the local culture, and even tried their had at haggling with the vendors. Max impressed everyone with his freestyle rap skill by dropping so called “fire bars”. Everyone then faced the daunting task of balancing essentials for the hike while still keep everything as light as possible. A few last minute purchases were made to ensure warmth and overall happiness during the trek to Machu Picchu. After dinner, the group viewed a local dance troupe and a few students even got to go up on stage and partake in the ritual dances. Everyone said there goodbyes to the 2 Weekers who will have left by the time the groups returns to base camp from Machu Picchu. Everyone is looking forward to the trek and the opportunity to get closer in touch with nature while camping in the great outdoors.

-Andy, David, Shelby, and Brenden

7/20/2015

We woke up in Cusco at the hotel early in the morning. Then we left and drove for 4 hours, on the way we stopped at a small town to buy snacks. After the 4 hour drive we arrived at the beginning of the trail where we stopped to eat lunch. After a quick break and lunch, we began our trip to Machu Picchu with our first leg of the hike being 4 miles. When we arrived at the first camp site after our 4 mile uphill trek we all had tea and ate dinner while we tried to warm up. We tried to sleep but it was difficult for most because of the cold weather. Most found themselves sleeping like a baby, waking up every hour crying because of the cold.We woke up at seven, ate breakfast, packed our stuff and left for our hike. That day was mainly uphill and it was 8 miles. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed beautiful scenery despite our exhaustion.
We finally made it to the camp, where most people had pooping troubles. A group gathered to practice constipation exercises and luckily all were successful. After tea and dinner, everyone was able to fall asleep. We woke up at six, to tea and breakfast and began the last part of our hike. We hiked two miles down hill, then stopped for lunch in a local village, where buses picked us up. It was an amazing bus ride through the jungle for two hours. We were dropped off at a train station, where we walked another 2 1/2 hours along the train tracks. We arrived at our hotel for the night where everyone was excited to shower after two nights of hiking. We went out to a fun and delicious dinner and went to bed early.
In the morning, part of our group left at six to hike the stairs up to Machu Picchu and the rest met them at the entrance. We were able to take a three hour tour of the ruins and explore. Everyone was exhausted by the time we left and went out to lunch. After lunch we walked around aguas callientes and shopped in the local market place. At 3 o’clock we took a two hour train ride, followed by a two hour bus ride. We arrived safely at home base and enjoyed hot showers and dinner.
-Regina, Chandler and David

7/24/2015

To kick off Peruvian Independence day, we arose from our slumber at 7 AM. We had a typical breakfast of eggs, and it was off to the service site to continue our speedy progress on the greenhouse. The house is looking larger than ever, and everyone is doing their best to achieve our final goal. The sun beat down as we worked all morning, and spent a greater amount of time with the kids due to their upcoming winter vacation. It was hard for some to say goodbye, as we shared lots of constructional experiences with our little amigos. After a productive day of work, we returned to the hotel to a lunch of yummy meatballs and rice. After some much deserved rest, we embarked on a bus ride to the top of a nearby mountain to get a full experience of Peruvian music from a local musician who shared with us his many different instruments. We learned to play various wind and percussion instruments and had a wholesome experience. We came back to San Borja Hotel to a dinner of stuffed chicken and rice. We then took a trip to a local food market, where we stocked up on snacks for our rooms. Time here in Peru is running short, and we are excited for the upcoming adventures that await us in the next week!
-Laura, Max, Aiyana, and Shannon

7/25/2015

Instead of usual service today, we went to Patabamba to help out 5 different families with their chores so they are prepared for going to the market the next day. What we did was hulling corns and washing the lettuce. We had quinoa soup with potatoes and cheese as lunch. It was really delicious! Afterwards, some of the students had an intense soccer game with the town kids. In the middle of the game, some kids brought a dead bird out of nowhere and kick it around the field. Then, one of them threw it to the audience and scared the heck of them. We came back had dinner with some beef and rice, and ended our day with a game of hide and seek.

-David, Annie, Khalil, and Rudy

7/27/2015

We started the day off sleeping till 8! We then packed our bags for an adventurous day of white water rafting. We arrived at the raft launch and immediately began paddling through the beautiful mountains of Peru. It wasn’t long before friends started turning on each other, jumping onto their pirate ships and throwing their women, children, and food overboard. After numerous water fights in the freezing 10 degree Celsius water, we finished the the trip off with a nice warm lunch. Lunch was yummy chicken and potatoes.Then we started on our 3 hour drive back to there hotel. But then we stopped at Oyantatambo , a market place with beautiful Incan Ruins, and people shopped for bracelets and food. We continued on our long drive back to the hotel and ate a great dinner.

7/29/2015

Dear readers,