Day Three: We Made It!!
We made it to Zurite! After a long day of travel (more than a day) and a couple of power naps, the group made it from Miami to Lima with just enough time to gather all our bags (including 5 giant ones full of soccer equipment we're gifting to the community here) and recheck them for our second red-eye in two days. Although we arrived quite late into Cusco, we spent the night at a super cute hotel: a well-deserved treat after sleeping in chairs for more than 24 hours! The next day, the group headed around Cusco to explore the ancient Incan temple known as Qorikancha and its history with our superb tour guide, David. We were also introduced to coca leaves and interesting cinnamon-derived remedies for the altitude. As this day was focusing on acclimation, we took it easy and slept more on the one-hour bus ride to Zurite.
When we arrived, we were greeted by dressed-up homestay families with music, homemade hats, and flower rituals (see below!). Family dogs such as Sammy, an adorable puppy, wandered around in search for pets from us new arrivals. After some introductions to each individual homestay parents, children, and various animals, everyone frolicked together in a huge circle down to the city square, where we learned more about the history of Zurite. From there, we could see huge mountains, resembling what some might describe as similar to mountains in Lake Tahoe.
Following our arrival, we ate a delicious dinner with our homestay families--soup with noodles and chicken. We sat with our homestay families and expanded more on our respective backgrounds and favorite foods. From there, we were shown around what will be our homes for the next two and a half weeks. All somewhat near the dining and gathering space, the homestays are close together and super easy to walk to from one to another.
Everyone has been so welcoming and generous with everything. We can't wait to have an early start in the morning to get to work on the biocorridor and building the greenhouse at the local high school.
- Bella and Audrey
First, we met our homestay families:
