In addition to helping with English lessons, we put in some physical work at the Kuska School today. We applied polyurethane to many stakes that we are using to fence off their garden area, sanded them and pounded the stakes into the ground. We also dug post holes and poured cement for the posts in what will become a small shop that will be used to sell items the students produce. This shop is made possible by the fundraising we did prior to the shop. Kuska is a farm school with a major component of outdoor education. The tuition is the equivalent of about $1500 a year, an incredible bargain through a NJ lens but that is double the family income of our host families, if not more. Kuska does provide financial aid for most of its families and is committed to serving local families regardless of income. The pictures are of Tomas, Sreeja, Kelton, and Jack digging the post holes, and a picture through the entrance gate of the school.
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Jack S:
We met at 7:45 and walked down to the plaza in Ollantaytambo. My group went to "The Coffee Tree," where we sat on the second floor overlooking the plaza. It was beautiful. Then we walked to the Kuska School, where we made world maps. We realized how little geography we knew and how artistically challenged we are. Some of us helped the children work on their maps while others got interviewed by the students in English. After snack time we worked with the younger students helping them with posters for their class zoo. We also helped them learn songs about animals which they will perform infront of parents. After Kuska School we went to eat at the sunshine cafe with Laura, Sreeja, Tomás, and Andrés aka Mr. Webster. We are some delicious quac and chips. Then we continued our journeys back to our homestays. Kevin: As the others went to their respective NGOs, the Awamaki Crew (Emily, Alex, and I) had first gone to the Awamaki store to help out the renovations going on. Paint fumes may make only some people nauseous, but with how much wet paint was in that tiny store, I am most certainly surprised that no one minded. After painting the store a new coat of white and brown and cleaning up of the layers of dust on the windows, we returned to our homesteads for lunch. After that quick intermission, we went to the awamaki office for help with the yarn. A simple contraption made with a bike wheel loosened the yarn into a nice loose circle. This circle is held tight by one person's two arms while another rewinds it into a round ball of yarn, the type you see kittens playing with on cheap calendars. This process takes absolutely ages! An hour and a half was needed to make a single ball (or egg, depending on who you ask). Although, seeing the ball take shape is the most satisfying you can ever see! Some of our travelers have had the opportunity to learn some pottery skills. Quiz of the day: identify the hands of the artist.Teaching hand washing in Pomatales with Sacred Valley Health. Teaching tooth brushing in Pomatales with Sacred Valley Health
I got my first full night of sleep the whole trip. Hooray. We spent most the day with our home stays. We had bread and (cheese or butter?) for breakfast. Afterwards, we went to Ollantaytambo with the host families and dropped like 200 soles on more gifts despite the fact that we already brought gifts. It's cool though. Everyone was kinda tired afterwards so me Kelton and Webber chilled on our beds with the host brother and played some wooden flutes. We were quite bad at it. We started to help prepare a huge lunch of pizza. Guinea pigs, pasta, and potatoes. We got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hold the dead and shaved guinea pig. We saw it gutted also and that's horrifying if you have to eat it later. Didn't taste too great, especially with us making comments about how warm and lively the used to be that morning. We also made pizza and it was good. We played a quick game of "volleyball" with a girl named Asumi or something like that. We went back to Ollanta for a scavenger hunt and ended up tying for first. The bean challenge went fine, and so did the dancing one with Adela, shout out to Sra. Reyes. The most interesting one happened when we ended up accidentally chasing a random man up a mountain but that's kinda a long story and this is a pretty long post so let's just leave it at that. Finally we did a game where we had like 6 tiles and everyone had to cross the river and someone had to be touching one at all times. The game included Chris wearing a Peruvian Devil dance mask and using an absurd voice. It was actually pretty fun. This thing is getting long and Kelton and Jack are being somewhat annoying so I guess it's time to stop. By Tomás back from the tRekThe morning of our hike was bright and sunny with scarcely a cloud in the sky. We boarded a bus to drive us to the mountain town of Patacancha, joined by our hike leader, Elder, an experienced guide. We headed off with spirits high through a landscape of staggering beauty. Soon, though, many of us struggled when the trail gained altitude, with shortness of breath and headaches. We took frequent breaks, but it was difficult going. It was satisfying though to see our base village shrink into the distance. And it was wonderful to hike alongside herds of alpaca and llamas in their grazing fields. By the time we reached our lunch stop, we were weary. And a bit worried because the steepest climb lay ahead of us. Lunch was set up for us next to a glittering alpine lake, and we took some time to regain energy to make it up over the pass, after which it would be mostly downhill.
The hike up to the pass was indeed difficult. We had to just keep focused on the next step and the one after that and trudge forward. When we reached the pass, we were rewarded with the most incredible mountain views. We celebrated briefly, and soon began our descent. As we moved down from the pass, with its gaudy height of 14,400 feet, a spring returned to our steps, though some still struggled awhile with headaches. The descent was long and our legs grew rubbery. We continued to marvel that no matter how high we went and how remote the area, we were never far from inhabitants, farmers and herders in adobe and thatched huts eking out a difficult living in a very tough climate. We finally reached a road and walked through a small village. Our group by that time had split into a forward and rear group. A heavy fog rolled in and we hiked on but did not find the campsite. As it grew dark and visibility was poor, Elder returned to the village we had passed through and hired a bus for the rear group. That moved us down the road more quickly and before long we spied the campsite and rejoined he forward group. We enjoyed a campfire and dinner in the dining tent, though we were exhausted and a bit out of sorts. The hike had been longer and more challenging than we anticipated and we were sore. The fog and clouds cleared and allowed us splendid views of the night skies. We enjoyed those for a little while and then climbed into our tents for a well-earned sleep. I was deeply impressed by the stamina and resolve our students showed. For many of them, this may be the hardest physical challenge they have faced. But they pulled together and helped each other overcome it. Today is pure rest and relaxation. We have soaked ourselves in a local hot springs all morning to revive our tired bodies. Pictures of the hike to come, but below is a view of the hot springs: Sreeja
After waking up at 6'o'clock and eating breakfast the entire group met at the teacher's house to discuss what we'd be doing for the rest of the day. The three NGO's split up into their designated groups, our group included Laura, Jack S, Tomas, and Megan. After talking a long walk down to Kuska school we enjoyed running around with the kids and playing many games while they patiently taught us, overlooking the language barrier. We then assisted them during art class and made a collage out of magazines, something that I've never done before! There was snack time and we enjoyed some red corn which is a dessert similar to peach cobbler and they served some boiling hot chocolate which paired perfectly with the cold breeze. Then we taught the kids English where we sang a name song to introduce ourselves, did a project about famous places around the world, and drew a class zoo in order for them to learn about animals. All in all, the first day spent with our NGO was unforgettable and it definitely opened my eyes as to how kids around the world are educated as opposed to ourselves. Dazlyn: We had a long night with barking dogs and clucking chickens but we woke up at six and Alex and I had breakfast with our host family. They are so nice and after we broke into our NGOs. My group included Kelton, Webber, Jack, Mr. Webster, and Chris. We are a part of the NGO Sacred Valley Health and we went to a local preschool to teach the children how to wash their hands and brush their teeth. We made posters and scripts and I actually taught in Spanish! After we went to ruins behind a local high school and then we went to a nice bakery. We also learned about pottery and we made our own pots, and I know mine will sure look interesting. We gathered back as a whole group at our teachers' homestay house in Puente Inca and enjoyed a Peace Rap, ANCHOR, and trekking briefing. I am very excited for our hike tomorrow! Alex- Today was another exciting day! Emily, Kevin, Miss Martin, Joy, and were lucky enough to ride in a bus to a beautiful church, and climb up in a watch tower to see the beautiful view. Although the door of the tower was incredibly small, it was worth every step of the climb! After getting back on the bus, we stopped at the main hut of the women's weaving center, enjoyed some tea, and learned all about weaving. First we were able to spin the yarn from alpaca fur, learn how to die the fur using plants and other natural items, and lastly we were able to weave our own bracelets! The process was amazing, but hurt your back like crazy! We only spent about a half an hour making the bracelets, but most weavers spend anywhere from minutes to months making various good to sell. The day was truly amazing, and I can't wait for tomorrow! Today we split into groups to work with our chosen NGOs. The group focusing on preventative health, working with Ayni Wasi aka Sacred Valley Health Network, visited a preschool to teach about hand washing and dental hygiene. The photos below show two of them in action, then the group on a bonus hike to some ruins behind the high school, and then the last is just a random dose of cuteness. The girl in that photo is a host sibling of Laura, Emily, and Sreeja, and the family dog has recently birthed nine puppies. Anyone want us to bring one home?
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