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Day Eighteen: Last Full Day in Peru!!

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 ¡Hola from Ollantaytambo! It's Kaitlyn and Katelynne! Today was our very last full day in Peru. We started the day with a breakfast of freshly baked bread with avocado, jam, cheese, and eggs. We spent the rest of the morning discussing our trip experience as a group and writing reflections. It was a really meaningful to realize how close the group had gotten and how much we had learned over the past 3 weeks. We then had an amazing lunch at a local restaurant, where they served meat on sizzling hot rocks. Much of the group went to a nearby coffee shop afterwards for crepes, milkshakes, and ice cream as a last day treat! In the afternoon, we explored the plaza and the many souvenir shops, and visited the ruins of Ollantaytambo. We all really enjoyed walking through such ancient structures and learning about their history. Finally, we returned to our favorite dinner spot for some more Peruvian burgers and pasta. We've really enjoyed our trip together and are hanging on to the las...
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Day 17: Machu Picchu

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 Hello from Ollataytambo!       Today was an eventful day filled with wonder (the seventh, to be precise!). After our best sleep in weeks and a relaxing hotel breakfast, we were off to a tour of Machu Picchu. We took a bus up through steep switchbacks until we finally glimpsed the majesty of the mountain city nestled on the summit. Our tour guide, a fast-talking character named Ulysses, had us in awe and doubling over in laughter as we navigated through ancient streets and temples.  Ulysses told us several fun facts about the city; for instance, Incas likely didn't build the foundations of the city, they simply inhabited an abandoned settlement and built on top of it. We also learned why the city had been left untouched for centuries: Spanish colonizers denounced traveling to the mountains in order to strengthen a reliance on one 'true' deity; they saw no use in seeking a god other than that of Catholicism.       Our tour ended with a sm...
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Día 16: Travel to Aguas Calientes!

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¡¡Hola Familias!! Today we woke up at 6:30, like normal, for our last morning with the homestays. After breakfast, we walked together to Don Tomás's house for the goodbye ceremony. We took lots of pictures, hugged lots of times, and shed a few tears. We gathered in a circle, when Doña Gladys, the wonderful mother who facilitated all of our meals at the house, presented us all with small painted pots as a gift so that we always remember Zurite. We all thanked her profusely for her hospitality and promised that we would never forget them or the town. Then, Johannes gifted us all custom mugs with pictures of Zurite and Machu Picchu, telling us that every time we had a drink, we will remember them. After many tears, hugs, and goodbyes, we bid Zurite farewell and embarked on our bus ride to the train station in Ollantaytambo. When we arrived, Kurt, Daniel, Nilesh, and Sam needed to use the restroom, which costed money. We didn't have any cash on had, so we tried bargaining our way i...
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Day 15: Performances and Pachamanca

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Hola, familias,       Today was a special day. We woke up in performance mode. Lights, camera, action. The morning was packed with performances combining both American and Peruvian cultures. We started with a beautiful rendition of Hotel California featuring Matt and Jonah on guitar. Right after, the dance Murohn and Nilesh made was lit and we performed with a 110% energy. After a farewell at the school, we quickly scurried back and started to prepare for Pachamanca.       We worked tirelessly: stoking the fire encased in the rock oven, washing potatoes, making the sauce, and grinding the corn for tamales. Once the fire was prepared, we watched as Don Tomas and the Tios steadily dismantled the oven and covered the food in rocks and spices. To fight our stomachs groaning, we passed time by making friendship bracelets, playing street games, and enjoying each other's company.      The Pachamanca was finally ready, so we gracefully line...
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Día Catorce: Last Work Day in Zurite!

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 Hola from Peru! The whole group can't believe that its our last day working in Zurite! However, before we got to finish our projects at the high school (working on the greenhouse and painting the mural), we took the morning to visit a local cheesemaker.  Our cheesemaking experience started when we were first led into the back door of a small yellow house, where the cheese was made. A man with rubber boots and gloves then started teaching us how to turn milk into curds and whey. Then we took turns straining out the curds from the liquid whey, plopping them into the cheese moulds. Last, we flipped each mould and added salt. We all loved learning about the creation of the dairy products we eat every day in Zurite and had a lot of fun making cheese! In the afternoon, we returned to the high school and continued working on our projects. Again, we split into two groups. The first group finished the lettering and detail work on the mural alongside some of the local high school stude...
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Día Trece: Finishing Touches

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  ¡Hola familias!  Bella and Audrey are back again! We are coming to a close on all of our projects. This morning, we split into three different groups: the  biocorridor, mural, and greenhouse. The group visited and worked with the biocorridor for the last time this trip, while the other two groups started to wrap up our part of the mural and greenhouse! The mural is coming together beautifully, and everyone is done with their month and finishing the outline. We put plastic up for the most insulated part of the greenhouse and also worked on the compost section as we mixed our cow poop fertilizer with fresh soil.  Lunch was, as always, amazing, and everyone continued their friendship bracelet making process. Right after, we all got into the trailer of a huge, open-air truck in which we drove 45 minutes and 3,000 feet up into the mountains. Good thing we packed our layers, because we needed them at the top. Around 14,000 feet (way higher than Lake Tahoe), the air was f...
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Día Doce: Final Full Work Day

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 Salutations familias,     Today, Kurt and Alex are writing the blog. Buckle up and hands and feet inside the car for the best ride in Zurite!     The morning, as usual consisted of a yummy breakfast for all. At our homestay, we had banana pancakes alongside fresh fruits and veggies. When everyone converged onto Don Tomás's house, we went around with our routine check-in + stretch circle. After the check-in concluded, the boys snuck in a quick game of Quadritos, a local street game that is the equivalent of four-square but you can only use your legs.      At the school, the group broke up into four groups: the greenhouse, the mural, the dancers, and the musicians. At the greenhouse, we started putting up the plastic lining around the structure. This will ensure that when the seeds are brought to the greenhouse, they are given the best living conditions. At the mural, the team worked on finishing up individual sections, and finding the best paint c...
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