Thursday, July 22, 2010

Final Blog



To everyone,

I hope you have enjoyed our journey. We will be leaving tomorrow but I believe that this journey will be a blessing to us all for years to come. We are honored that we could be apart of the global community and express through our work on this trip our kinship with our Peruvian family. I think that we will leave this country with more than we were able to give and I believe that not only have the lives of the Peruvian people we were able to work with changed for the better but our lives have been enriched even more.

I would like to give special thanks to Mrs. Ann Smithwick who has been an absolute blessing to the children on this trip as well as to me. She has been supportive and thoughtful and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Also, I would like to thank Jorge, Chris, and Adele for everything that they have done. We could not have had any better knowledgeable, thoughtful, and good people guiding us on this trip. Finally, I would like to thank the students who have endured great challenges but have risen to the task at hand. I am truly proud of you and I hope this trip will help be an inspiration to you on your path in life.

We look forward to seeing you all when we return. Until then be blessed.

Luther

Day 11 ( Anne Smithwick )


I am an idealist. That's what the Kiersey model says. Basically, that means I am a cry baby. Fortunatley for me, there are many of us idealists on this journey. From the moment our auto car began it's decent into the Sacred Valley nearly two weeks ago, I had tears streaming down my face. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. The simplicity that was evident in this special place was apparent from the start. The woman down the dusty road selling flowers from five buckets in the midst of nowhere was my first impression. Why was she so far from real commerce? Was she really considering a sale or did it matter to her? It did to the woman high in the Andes mountains who scaled the mountainside slinging handmade wares in front of a few travelers on a foot path at 9000 feet. She made one sale but was content. These are just two large impressions amongst hundreds that I have experienced alongside your children. Even if they are not Kiersey modeled idealists, they have all been moved by such impressions. Some have come from scenery. Some have come from children's faces. Some have come from way too out of the ordinary dishes served. But, I have seen them all embrace the newness that has been their recent home. And, I mean, a wholehearted embrace. They should be so proud of themselves. And, you as parents, will be too.

So, here we are, on the last leg of our togetherness. We are in Cusco surrounded by ancient Incan energy. We are awaiting our dinner in this twinkling city. I cannot express to you all the bond that we have forged with our WLS leaders. They have lovingly guided us at every turn of this memorable experience. We are leaving with three amazing new friends. Chris, Jorge, and Adela, we thank you. We are returning with alpaca hats, dirty toes, and a greater appreciation for all that we have back home. We have been stretched to great limits and have grown. Mr. Mercer has, despite bumpy Peruvian road commuting, been sensitive to recording every day's activities. Peru and it's gracious, simple people will always be a part of the fabric of your children's lives. I am grateful to have been a part of this experience with them. As we prepare to leave, of course, I am crying.

Ann

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Machu Picchu Pictures





Piscacucho School Farwell






Another birthday in another continent; fifteen in North America (Memphis, Tennessee), sixteen in Asia (Beijing/Long Fong, China), and this year, my seventeenth in South America (Ollantaytambo, Peru). This years birthday, although, is the most special so far because it was spent on the top of Machu Picchu looking over the Peruvian rainforest and mountains. The day started at about five in the morning when Chris told us to be outside the hotel at five till six because our train left at six thirty. The train ride was cold, long, and awesome. The ride was about two hours long. When we got to the train station in Machu Picchu we went to the bathroom, boarded a bus and drove twenty-five minutes to the top. Some of us were not feeling so well but we all overcame our headaches and our tiredness and enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings. We spent many hours there, a few receiving a tour and then we made our way back down the mountain by bus again. We shopped around a little and I bought an awesome alpaca sweater. After the shopping I came into contact with technology for the first time in over a week because Mrs. Smithwick was talking to Brannon who wanted to say happy birthday to me. It felt weird but it was great to finally have communication from the other Americans. Once that short call was over we boarded the train and headed back to Ollanta and shopped some more. Dinner was at six thirty tonight and we ate at a great pizza place for the second time. The rest of the night will be filled with playing cards and doing ANCHOR and hopefully sleeping well. We only have two more night of sleeping left and hope to enjoy every bit of the rest of the trip and cannot wait to get home and see everyone!!

Clay

P.S. Happy Birthday Clay!!!!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Community Send-Off and Shaman Despacho Ceremonies





Earth Oven Ceremony (Pachamanca)

The process is to build an oven, stick the food inside and on top of the oven and bury the oven in the earth. Let the food cook for a few hours, dig up the oven, and eat hearty.






Day 10


Hola amigos! Last night was a very interesting night. A local Shaman came to the school to perform a Despatcho ceremony. We spent THREE hours in a classroom going through the Despatcho. We were given leaves, other grains and seeds to give as an acknowledgement of the Earth as our mother and for the betterment of the human race. He told each of us what he saw in our future and then we wrapped our despatcho up and set it on fire, while the Shaman blessed it. It was an extremely long ceremony, but it was very interesting. Our family stayed up waiting for us to get back for dinner after the ceremony. We stayed at the table talking for hours and then all of our family’s relatives came over to meet us. We spent our last night dancing and singing with our family, and then Zac, Zach, and Clay came over to help us pack. We woke up and had our last bread, butter, and jelly breakfast. Our father, Carlos, walked us to the school with all of our bags and told us goodbye. We then played with all of the children until they called us all around for a farewell ceremony. The kids had prepared songs and dances that they performed for us all. The kids were adorable and the traditional dances were fun to watch. The kids all dressed up in traditional dress and told us how much they appreciated us being there. After the ceremony, all of our families brought us lunch to the school and we ate our last meal with our families. Our three little sisters were very upset that we were going to have to leave, but we had to say our goodbyes and then we finally headed to Ollantaytambo. We are now all in our hostel and rested. We’re going to miss our homestay families a lot, but meals without potatoes and real showers are much appreciated.

Mary Morgan

Monday, July 19, 2010

Hiking pictures







Homestay Pictures





Day 9


Hello Everyone! I hope all is well back home. As Katie said the weather has improved from our trip up the mountain and it is a beautiful day here in Piscacucho. After getting home last night Olivia and I had tea with our family then went up to bed. After a restless night in the tent we easily fell asleep by 8:30! It’s crazy I know. We woke up this morning and our dad made us pancakes for breakfast and then they watched us walk up toward the train tracks for school. When we arrived we went through our usual stretches and then began working. We finished the SG crest and signed all of our names to the mural and then “finished” the side with the multi-colored bricks. After we finished the mural we split into groups and went into separate classrooms and talked to the kids about ourselves. Allie, Taylor, Caroline, and I talked to the 5th and 6th graders and afterward we taught them a few songs such as the Hokie Pokie. As we walked out of the classroom toward our Earth Oven Ceremony many of the children ran up to us asking for our phone numbers and we took pictures with them.

We all plopped down in a circle and Adela began to serve us our food. There were massive amounts of meat and potatoes and vegetables piled high on our plates. We had 3 or 4 different types of potatoes and chicken and pork and guinea pig. Yes, we ate guinea pig. Despite the fact that we were consuming what we once considered to be household pets, everything was absolutely delicious. After our feast with our families we took pictures and now everyone, well almost everyone, is down on the field playing a quick game of soccer. It’s our last night here and we’re all trying to soak up the fresh air and enjoy the peacefulness that is surrounding us!

Ashton

Day 8


Hola amigos y familias! As you have heard from Allie, the hike up the mountain was obviously not the greatest day of our lives. However, I think I speak for the whole group in saying that Day 2 of the hike was MUCH more pleasurable. We woke up to fog surrounding our tents around 7:00. It had stopped raining/snowing, but it was still so cold. There were also random horses and llamas around the campsite. The Peruvian cooks with us brought coffee and hot tea to our tents…I had coffee (yes, Mom, I really did). Some locals were setting up little markets outside the tents, enticing us with warm alpaca wool hats, gloves, scarves, and socks. We got out of our tents to eat pancakes with maple syrup, toast and cheese, and hot chocolate. Then we packed up and headed down the mountain finally (no hot springs…it was either six more hours of hiking or a five hour bus ride both ways). This was the hike we had hoped for the whole trip—bright blue skies, clear views, and great pictures…plus it was mostly all downhill. At some point, some local kids booked it down the mountain in an effort to set up shop in time for us to buy things. Anyways, everyone made it safely down the mountain and were in much better moods.
Instead of the hot springs, we went to a 4 star hotel in Ollantaytambo. There, we were able to enjoy the sauna and a much-needed shower. We also dined on alpaca steaks and had brownies & ice cream for dessert (just like home!!). We waited in crazy Ollanta traffic and finally made it back to our homestays. Allie and I are staying with Gilma (27), Willie (31), and adorable Liseth (8). She and a friend came running out of the house yelling our names and greeting us with huge hugs. That simple act instantly made Allie & I feel better. It will be hard to say goodbye!! We were still full of alpaca, so we had to say no to dinner…our mama had fixed spaghetti because we told her pasta was our favorite. We had our nightly hot tea and headed to bed. Everyone has enjoyed their time in Piscacucho but we are ready for some relaxation in Ollantaytambo later this week! I’m off to finish the rest of the mural…adios for now!

--Katie

Day 7



Hello everyone! I hope all is well back in the U.S. Today was quite the adventure. It started with everyone meeting at the school at 6:15 in the morning. We then proceeded to Ollantaytambo where we gathered all of the necessary supplies for the hike, including the excellent cooks. After that we went to the village of Patacancha. It was beginning to rain and it was very cold. In the village there were women weaving underneath huts. They were making many different beautiful things, such as, scarves, blankets, belts, etc. After some people bought some things, we left the village for the adventure of a lifetime. I personally would describe the hike up as miserable. I think others would agree. It was extremely cold. The weather would switch between rain and snow. It was pretty at some points because we were surrounded by mountains. Thankfully Olivia was with me. It took us almost 4 hours to complete the hike, while it only took around 2 ½ hours for others to complete it. Once we got there, there was hot delicious coffee waiting for us. We had soup, beef, potato, tomatoes and onions, and rice. After lunch we huddled in our tents and got warm. Once we got into the tents and were warm it was a much more enjoyable experience. People played card games and chit chatted. We even got dinner in bed ,which was delicious. It was cheese wontons, popcorn, hot chocolate, and chicken spaghetti. My tent, which consisted of Taylor, Katie, Ashton, and Olivia went to bed soon after dinner. But unfortunately during the night Taylor, Sarah, and I got sick. But we did get to sleep some of the night. We are doing better though.
Besides the getting sick part and the unfortunate hike, I have loved every moment of the trip. I have fallen in love with the children of Peru. My family loves Katie and me. They constantly laugh at our attempt to speak in Spanish and at our expressions. Our little sister is adorable! Even though there has been some sickness with Sarah, Mary Morgan, Caroline, Taylor, and me, I think we have all had a lot of fun! Mom- Happy Birthday!! I hope you had a great one! I miss you and the family. Tell everyone hello and that I love them. I am doing fine, don’t worry about me.

Allie

Day 6


0 0 1 363 2071 St George's Independent School 17 4 2543 12.0

Well, right now I am sitting in the courtyard of the school. Its around 3:45 on Friday. We just walked back from our houses, since we had an extra hour of rest today since we worked so hard this morning. This morning at 8 after a delicious breakfast of toast and a warm milk drink with Ashton and my family we met up at the school like usual for morning work. We stretched and split up into groups. I was a part of the sloping group, which created a slope for the outdoor dining area we are constructing. The work was strenuous, but we felt accomplished. We then started working on the second wall for a mural. Ashton and I planned a design for Peru meets St. George’s, which is coming along well. Lunch back at home consisted of rice, potatoes, carrots, peas, broth, and a chicken leg.

Ashton and I took a warm bucket bath in the latrine today after lunch. Even though the wind was fierce and cold, it was the first time we had a shower since Sunday and the first time we had washed out hair since Tuesday. At this point, anything to get us clean was amazing.

Our family is very nice to us, and the house is located only 3 minutes from the school. We walk along the railroad tracks to get to each day. My little brothers, Abel and Grec, love us dearly, and my mom is very protective over us. One night we left for ten minutes to go next door and she came to look for us.

I am very excited for our hike tomorrow, and I hope all is well back in the U.S. Miss ya’ll!!

Olivia

Today was a very exhausting day, but it was great because we got a lot of work done. For three straight hours Thomas and I hauled dirt that was used for the foundation outside of the school. The wheelbarrow we used was in awful shape with a flat tire, so the already tiresome work was even harder. After we finished my back including Thomas’ felt like a wooden board. It feels better now and the trip has been a great experience. The culture is completely different. For example, yesterday Davis told our mom that he was not hungry and did not eat. About ten minutes later we were up in our room and she brought him a bowl of noodles to eat, because she thought that he did not like what she was serving. It was unbelievable. We are staying in a valley right now that is surrounded by mountains and is one of the most terrific sights I have ever seen. Today the clouds are hovering on the mountain tops to make it look even more incredible. We are having a great time and hope to see everyone back in the US soon.

Matt

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Hello

We just returned from our hiking adventure and we are all very tired. You will have a unique set of blogs coming in the next two days to catch you up to all of our activities.

We look forward to sharing our stories.

Luther Mercer

Thursday, July 15, 2010

ATTENTION!

We will be hiking down to Lares thermal hot springs for a few days. We will not be able to update the blog for a few days. I hope to have the blog updated Sunday night.

Be blessed,

Luther Mercer

Day 3,4, and 5 Pictures



The President of Piscacucho and his wife. They have become great fans of St. George's and the Memphis Tigers :)







The Piscacucho School












A Great Day for Work












Working on the Mural














Mural is getting better















Unbelievable!!!














Breathtaking!!!!













One of our wonderful host moms just doing daily chores











The Woven Basket