26 Peru Menlo Abroad

 ¡Hola, familias! Such amazing moments!! Today we were up bright and early at 6:30 to have breakfast at our homestays and walk from our homes to the main meeting area with tools for our work later in the day. We are all very comfortable at our homestay homes. Every home is a little different, but almost all of the rooms are connected by an outside patio, rather than by a front door and hallways. Our patio has some nice plant decorations, including a cactus and some small potted plants. After the group met, we walked to the high school that we will be working at during our stay. Chris, our main guide, introduced us to the work we will be doing. First, we took a look at the amazing murals that previous grades had painted at the school and discussed our ideas for the mural we will be working on with the current graduating class. Then, we mixed and shoveled dirt and gravel to lay the foundation for the greenhouse. Everyone worked really hard and was quite tired by the end. We walked ba...

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 p...

 The group has arrived safely at the hotel in Cusco! After a very long journey - it’s closing in on 2:00am there now - they’re turning in for a much needed night’s sleep.

Greetings from Miami! After a less than restful red-eye here, many in the group gathered on the oh-so-comfortable airport floor for a group nap. Waking from our slumber, some sought sustenance, while others decide to bust out the hackey sack, and still others are drowsily passing our last couple hours before boarding our plane to Lima. One nice benefit to passing through Miami on our way: we’re already hearing more Spanish being spoken here than English! We may not have time for another post during our layover in Lima because we’ll have to collect our bags, recheck them with a new airline, pass through security again, and find some food - but we’ll do our best to check in within a day of arriving in Cusco (though likely not right when we arrive at 1am!).  Till next time! 

Hi, Parents! Today we met as a group in the library classroom to break the ice and get to know each other better. Safe to say everyone is filled with excitement and nervousness, but overall, we are very ready to go! In our meeting, we reviewed group norms for the trip, did some "speed dating" to get to know each other, and discussed some of our fears. To end it off, we went over the packing list to make sure everyone had what they needed. Now we are off to go home to finalize our preparations, say our last goodbyes, and get ready to go! Best, The Peru 2026 group