June 26, 2012

Peru has been wonderful so far! We arrived in Cusco on Sunday morning after over 24 hours of traveling, which included a 3-hour delay in Houston. By the time we landed, most of us were running on only a few hours of sleep and were both relieved and excited to begin our time in Peru.

We met up with our World Leadership School guides, Tai and Kennedy, in the Cusco airport and boarded a bus to Ollantaytambo. On the bus ride over, we saw the beautiful Peruvian countryside, which was filled with green fields surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Wild flowers ran along the road and the sky was the brightest shade of blue. When we reached Ollantaytambo, we settled into our hostel rooms and explored the town in groups. Afterwards we had several leadership activities and ate a great meal at a local restaurant.

            The next day we went white-water rafting on a tributary of the Amazon. Despite it being winter in Peru, the weather was quite pleasant. After rafting, we moved out of our hostel and headed to Piscacucho where we met our homestay families. I am rooming with Mary Rae, and our homestay family, consisting of a mom, dad, and two young sons, were very welcoming. They fed us popcorn and spaghetti while we all played card games around the dinner table. Although the language barrier is troubling, we are still able to have a great time together.

            Today is our first day working on the local elementary school. We began the day sanding off several walls in preparation for a mural. Then our WLS guide, Kennedy, informed us that there is currently a nation-wide teacher strike, which isn’t uncommon in Peru, and that the kids haven’t been able to attend school. After hearing this news, a few of us got together and began teaching local kids, who were hanging out near the near the school, basic English in a classroom. Now we are working in shifts between sanding walls and teaching.

            I can’t wait to continue learning the culture, working on the school, and exploring all that Peru has to offer. I can already tell that I will miss this place!

Ciao,

Blair