2010 Peru Immersion

July 22nd, 2010 | 2010 Peru Immersion, Blog

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After taking in the breathtaking sights of southern Peru and getting acquainted with the language, we arrived in Ollataytambo, the city that we have called home for the past two weeks. Ollantaytambo, or Ollanta, as those who live here call it, is the last living Incan city in Peru. We live among the mountains of the Sacred Valley and ancient Incan ruins with families that have welcomed us into their homes. While each student on the Peru Immersion program is having a different experience with their Peruvian host families, each is getting accustomed to the local food and culture. Students practice their Spanish and get to know their families during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which they eat at their homes each day. Many students, like Abby, have attended local celebrations and festivals with their families. Other students, like Talia and Katherine, also help their younger siblings with nightly homework. While living with another family always comes with some trepidation, it is safe to say that all the students have forged comfortable and caring relationships with their families here. Sydney and Chloe have a lively 2-year-old brother Rio Ferdinand who constantly dances to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which rivals Tara and Emily’s 4-year-old brother Edwin’s affinity for make believe action games. Robert and his host brother decided to wake up early hike up to the ruins before work.

However, our days in Ollanta are devoted to the group service project. We have been working long satisfying days at La Escuela de Las Mujeres building a cafeteria for the students. We began the project by digging trenches that would serve as the foundation for the building. After digging out and collecting rocks from the river here in town, we created the foundation. But the majority of this project was laying adobe blocks to create the walls for the building. This incredibly strong group of students hauled in over 3000 adobe blocks and 2500 ceiling tiles and got to work. Mixing dirt and water to create the mud to keep this building together has been an essential daily task and one that gets us all dirty. After laying the foundation and building the walls, we have finally reached the ceiling. Our maestros de obra or our foreman at the worksite, Renaldo and Jaime, have been teaching us step by step during this process so that we all had the confidence to get up on the roof and lay the layer of reeds. Take a look at the pictures to check out our progress. This group has been working incredibly hard to complete this project and is looking forward to celebrating its completion with the students and parents that attend this school here in Ollanta.

TO VIEW THE ONLINE PICTURE GALLERY, FOLLOW THIS LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/homesurgery/sets/72157624555150646/

Jonathan, Debbie and Judson