Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
This blog is for the Peru split session starting June 26, 2022, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student group.
Here are a few things you can expect:
- 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.
- Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- 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.
Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them throughout the program during designated spaces of time we call ‘tech time’. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.
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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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Hi friends and family!
It has been quite an arrival day!!! All of our students for Spanish Service Adventure in Peru have arrived safe and sound! Everyone made their flights on time which is amazing. We got to meet each other and hang out for a while at the airport while we waited for most of the group to arrive. We were exhausted but driving from Cusco to the small town of Pisac was beautiful. The mountains are enormous and we got to see the beauty of the Sacred Valley as we descended to Homebase. Our Homebase is an hospedaje here in the pueblo of Pisac.
We’ve played a lot of get-to-know you games, chatted, and got to walk around Pisac on a tour given by our Local Director Javier. The people who live here work the land for corn, we saw plots of land with tons of corn laying out drying. Some of our first impressions of Peru: the landscape is beautiful, the people are very kind, and there is color everywhere! Also, at night, it gets very cold. Luckily we have piles of blankets on our beds to keep us warm. 🙂
Check out some of our pictures from today.
Saludos,
– Peru SSA program and Staff Team
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Written by Kai and Aidan M.
We love Peruvian food and the chefs and staff are very kind and good at what they do. After breakfast we had a “snowball fight” which was a game that helped us get to know each other’s interests. We had Spanish lessons in small groups which were challenging but interesting and helpful. Lunch was an AMAZING hot “chicken salad” with rice. The group then split to get a tour of Pisac, with Javier’s group taking a hike through the corn and wheat fields which were recently harvested. Then the group visited the horse stables which many loved. Diego’s group walked up the mountain to get a view of the landscape. The view was beautiful and many took notice of the wildlife near the bridge ;). The groups met at the market where many beautiful textiles and souvenirs were bought.
We came back and had dinner which was great and filling! The best part of the day was the visit to the Shaman. We had a cleansing ritual which also helped us connect to our souls and allowed us to reflect. We danced around the fire to the music the Shaman played and everybody loved it! Overall, the day was long and interesting with the Shaman being something totally new and the market being beautiful. It was a great start for the trip.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Written by Ben Schlotterer and Colby Gilmore
So first, we were served avocado toast with tomato to start the day. Over the past couple of days the GLA students have learned that the key to a successful and good day is a great and nutritional Peruvian breakfast. Slightly after breakfast, we got ready for our trip to a local pottery place. We learned about the different forms of pottery and about the dying out of pottery culture in Peru. We were also able to create our own pottery and learn the ancient techniques. For lunch, we went to a local restaurant called Dona Clarinda and chowed down on a variety of Peruvian dishes. After the feast, we headed out to the ancient Inca ruins of Pisac and hiked through the centuries old ruins. After an exhausting day, we replenished with a chicken fried rice dish made by our amazing cooks. Then we watched a very interesting documentary about the potato farming culture in the andes called the Potato King. Then we got into groups and discussed amongst ourselves and our peers, and then went to get some good sleep to be ready for service tomorrow.
