Some of the wall
Monthly Archives: June 2011
Gwen with Student – pic
Gwen with Student
Monday – 6/27/11 – First Day of Classes!
(from Gwen)
The morning started with a long, hearty run around the small town of Urubamba. Shane, Robiny, Mark and I decided to go a different way than usual; through the small and treacherous alleyways of the village. Jumping from rock to rock, Mark enjoyed the “cross country” experience with Shane while Robiny and I dragged along behind, bringing up the rear. We skeptically questioned Mark’s choice of route due to its unfamiliarity, but luckily (editorial note from Mark – luck? I think not!!) we found our way back. Upon return, we were greeted with a large, scrumptious warm breakfast. This is usually the case- the cooks are incredible. With our bellies full followed lesson study, from 8 to 8:30. We did lesson study by rooms, which changes from day to day. Finally it was time to start our journey to Huatata!
We have around a 20 minute walk to the bus station every morning from our house, and then a 40 minute bus ride to the school where we are volunteering. The bus usually becomes quite crowded on our ride to the school, and chivalrously the boys as well as the girls stand for the Peruvian people to take a seat. Many of them sleep on the bus so it is respectful for us to let them have that quiet time before they return to a hard day of work on the fields, which is where most of them will be working for the day.
Upon arriving to the school, we were greeted by numerous little Peruvian children excited to see their new “professors” arrive. But we had no time to waste playing with them and learning new Spanish phrases from these little ones. We needed to start the greenhouse walls. Right away we started to work, lifting adobe bricks that were around 25 lbs each that had been made and dried by the workers themselves as well as mixing the mud, “Baro,” with our bare hands! I thought I would never be able to get the dirt out from under my fingernails.
Staggering off and on from working on the greenhouse, we started our first classes. All went as harmoniously as it could have. I was teaching Music with Collin and Robiny to the 5th and 6th graders, who are apparently the most difficult to work with, although we had no trouble engaging them in our lesson plans. We started with an introduction (spoken by Collin since Robiny and I are not the most fluent Spanish speakers) and then went right into different rhythms. They caught on quite quickly with clapping rhythms, so we brought out the 100 plastic recorders I had ordered for the class and they went ballistic. We then did the rhythms with the recorders, and after that we finished the class with a cup game we knew from camp.
After the class and working on the greenhouse, the Music committee and the Dance committee went on the first house visit of the trip. We drove with Jane and Selvy, the heads of Peru’s Challenge about half an hour into the village of Huatata. This was an unannounced house visit, and it was very hard to see where they lived, but we saw them in their own homes in their life experience and it was very eye-opening. We gave the mother a box of food as well as shoes for the children, and I gave her a leftover bag I had designed and sold as a fundraiser for the trip. They were so grateful for us being there and invited us back on Wednesday.
It was an eye-opening and incredible first day of classes and house visits!
Sunday 6/26/11 – Shop ´til We Drop
(from Hannah)
Today we had the great opportunity to travel to and explore Cusco. We woke up at staggered times due to running, walking, and as for me, sleeping in. We had a very good breakfast followed by Sunday school that we all did together. The bus ride to Cusco was around an hour and a half but we stopped halfway to go to a textile market where we learned how the people in Peru made their yarn, clean it, dyed it, and then weaved it. I found it really enjoyable and a great insight into their culture. Arriving at Cusco we started to exchange our money as it seemed all the vendors started to swarm us trying to sell paintings, hats, carved gourds, postcards, sunglasses, and jewelry. The American tourists had clearly arrived.
In the market, we all went in and out of the little stores looking at the bright colors of bags, sweaters, and pants. A normal store was usually packed with tourist items all over tables and walls. However, I think the one thing we really took away with us was how to barter. We would soon realize when we got ripped off and who played a good bargain. But whether we learned the trade or not, we all walked home with bags full.
After doing most of our shopping, we decided to walk the streets of Cusco. We all enjoyed the Spanish architecture of the churches and buildings along the streets. We also walked along the ancient Inca wall that was still part of the modern day foundation. Very hungry after our long day, we ate at a restaurant on the plaza. We enjoyed soup and a chicken dish for our first course. Our second course most of us decided to eat the alpaca and chicken. Finally dessert we had amazing banana-blueberry ice cream or chocolate cake. Exhausted, we talked and slept on the way home. Overall it was a great day!
Love,
Hannah
35K foot view of our days – Mark
(from Mark) My sincere apologies for the lack of posts. It is taking a bit to get into the rhythm of the days here and fitting in an excursion to a further Internet cafe than first anticipated. I will do my darndest to post remarks for the past few days after tomorrow´s work day. Here´s a brief look at our daily schedule. We begin around 6:45 AM with a run for some, a walk for others, and reflective time for others. Breakfast at 7:30, followed by lesson study. We walk downhill about 15 minutes or so to catch a bus to Huatata, the small village where the school is. Once at school, we join about 4 fathers for construction. Classroom teaching is interspersed throughout the day with lunch coming at 1:30. More construction and we call it a day around 4:30 for a standing room only trip back down to Urubamba. We typically take some free time to get cleaned up before reconvening for a daily recap and gratitude sharing at 7 before our 7:30 dinner. Last night we played Catchphrase after dinner, but most nights will be reserved for ¨curriculum¨time. Bed time around 10 or 10:30.
The kids are doing an amazing job. We are ahead of schedule on the greenhouse construction which will allow us to paint the classroom constructed by NLC 2012 and attend a futbol match on Friday to support the school kids.
Thanks for the continued interest and prayerful support!
Mark
At the work site
Day 2 – All Together
(from Japhet & Robiny)
Today was our first day all together! After a variety of different travel days, we all met at the Cuzco airport to greet those whom we hadn’t seen yet. This proved to be, like all other meeting experiences, a lengthy session of hugs and excitement. Those who had already been in Cuzco informed the others of everything they had done there, and those arriving were stunned by the tall Andes Mountains surrounding them and the saturated colors that appeared everywhere. What stuck with them the most, though, was the warm kindness of the people here in Peru. They always are eager to help anyone who needs it, and give a smile to a stranger. One girl in our group tried to buy a drink in a café at the airport, and when they didn’t have the correct change in U.S. dollars for her, they simply gave her a free one! This is just one of the many examples of their selflessness.
Following the greetings at the airport, we all piled into a comfortable bus to drive a little over an hour to Urubamba, with a stop at an incredible view of the valley and mountains that surrounded us. We unloaded into our new home after squeezing our large tourist bus through a teeny village, which looked quite out of place! The home is a true beauty. With white walls, colorful windows, and a spacious garden, this has already proven to be an amazing house just by a glance. The inside includes a kitchen equipped with cooks for each of our meals, as well as many bedrooms for us to settle into after a delicious three-course Peruvian lunch of corn soup, chicken and rice, and a surprise birthday cake for Denali. Happy 16th birthday, brotha!
After some relaxation, we took a nice walk around Uuabamba, where we practiced going to the bus stop for our future adventures. Streets were narrow, and they were lined with stray dogs and vendors selling various candies and textiles. Kids played soccer on the soccer fields placed randomly throughout the city. Then we circled back to our new home and took a break outside and sang joyous songs exuberantly until we were called inside to brainstorm expectations and qualities we wanted to express over the course of this trip. We took a break for another great meal that consisted of three more mouth-watering courses. After dinner and joking around we reconvened and decided on our three qualities of the trip which were: awareness, “one-ity,” and genuineness. Then we all ran away to bed.
GOODNIGHT. Love Japhet and Robin.
Day 1 in Peru – 6/23
(from Jess & Meg)
Welcome to Peru! Today, Tom’s and Jen’s groups arrived in Cuzco, Peru and spent the day immersed in the culture. The day began with a quick flight from Lima to Cuzco. We were amazed by the gorgeous views of the mountain ranges and the tiny communities nestled into the peaks and valleys.
Arlich, our Peru’s Challenge liaison and guide, gave us valuable advice about local shopping, food, culture, and customs. From the airport we boarded a bus which took us to the beautiful hostel deep in the city. We enjoyed the spectacular views from the rooftop garden and soaked up our new environment with awe.
After some time to settle into our rooms, we walked across the plaza to a great restaurant where we enjoyed our first real Peruvian meal. Alpaca on pizza, Calzones, Chica Morada (a beverage made from purple corn, very sweet) were just a few of the many enticing choices on the menu.
After lunch, with soles in our pockets and smiles on our faces, we headed out into the crowds of people enjoying the festivities. We found ourselves in the heart of a traditional Peruvian festival called Corpus Christi, a Catholic celebration of the fourteen saints. They had a parade of statues of the saints with musicians dispersed throughout the procession. Tomorrow, they will take each saint to its own church in the city. The whole city was in celebration, both offering their handmade crafts for sale as well as dancing, playing instruments and watching the parade. We split into two groups for shopping and exploring, and spent the afternoon developing our bartering skills and finding the perfect gifts for friends at home. Some of our greatest finds included: jewelry from the stone of Machu Picchu, soft alpaca sweaters, a traditional Peruvian horn, and colorful belts, hats and bracelets.
Satisfied with our purchases, we enjoyed an equally satisfying dinner with beautiful Peruvian dishes in the plaza. Thinking the festivities were quieting down with the setting sun, we began to prepare for bed. To our pleasant surprise, the festivities had only just begun. Moments after returning to the hostel, a band of musicians began to play in the plaza and the people danced around the bonfires. The party was so loud that it was impossible to even think of going to bed, so we joined the party on the roof of the hostel. We tried to pick up on some of the dances and had a great time looking out at the city lights. The sounds of music and fireworks came from all sides and the whole valley was filled with life and happiness, or as they say, “felicidad”. The celebrations were still in full swing when we finally went to bed around 11:30 pm. Although we didn’t want the night to end, we knew that the next day held even more incredible adventures as well as the arrival of the other half of our NLC family!
Special thanks to Jane, Selvy, Arlich, and Julian for a warm welcome to their country and home.
Ciao, “Yessica y Margarita”
In Peru – 6/24
Hi Everyone!
(from Mark)
Group M [Robiny, Japhet, Gwen, Robin, Hannah, Cassidy, Shelby, Parker, Dean, Shane & Mark] has arrived safely in Lima 20 minutes ahead of schedule. We are now at the Manhattan Inn for a quick slumber before returning to the airport to catch a 10 AM flight to Cusco. A text message from Jen and confirmation from Jane (Peru’s Challenge head, who met us) has the balance of the group safely in Cusco. We shall rendezvous with them by lunchtime and be all together!
The flight down was smooth and uneventful. Immigration and customs ran smoothly as well.
Robiny is showing real promise with her Spanish, although admits the pronunciation is difficult to transition from French. Dean continues his quest to be included in at least 50% of the blog posts. Check! Shane has impressed everyone with his packing skills, at least compared to Cassidy – while both have the same bag, one is strikingly bigger than the other!
As we continue to get smaller in city size and more remote in accommodation, we can’t promise an exact science to our check-ins and posts but will certainly do so when next possible. Posts to the blog are welcome via comments!
Buenos noches!
Mark
nlcclassof2013 