Chilca Reflections

Well, we have already been in Peru for about two weeks and this is my first blog entry, so I will have a lot to talk about. In short, I am having a really awesome time: my homestay family, the kids on the trip, and are the areas in which we have been traveling are all great.

Our few days in Ollantaytambo were a nice way to ease into Peruvian culture. There I was introduced to coca té (tea from coca leaves), the frog game, and short door frames…ouch. I really enjoyed the shaman’s Despacho, offerings to the earth and mountains. I was completely captivated by the massive “cerros” as the Peruvians call them. “Cerros” translates to “hills”, but the “hills” are much larger than any mountains I am used to seeing. After a few days, I was ready to get out of Ollantaytambo, which is a very touristy town, to see authentic Peru.

Our rafting trip was a lot of fun. We went through some fairly soft but fun rapids, got out and swam down one, threw pounds of seaweed at each other, went down one very big rapid, and jumped off a bridge into the water. Cullen threw Halter off his boat into the water.

We got off the river and took a cool walk for about two hours to get to Chilca. Along the way saw some interesting rural homes and families as well as stunning views of snow-capped Veronica, a roughly 19,000 foot peak.

Chilca has been awesome for me. Unlike a few of the kids on the trip, I can’t get enough of my Peruvian home and Peruvian family, and I think Cullen would say the same. I’m living with a very nice family of six: the parents José and Isabel, their son Alex (age 16), and their three daughters, Nevesca, Eliana, and Graciela Angélica (ages 10, 7, and 4 weeks respectively). Alex is really cool; Cullen and I have spent a lot of time helping and hanging out with him, and the parents are so nice and very funny. José and Isabel constantly (jokingly) pressure Cullen and I to find a Peruvian girlfriend to take back to America, take one of their adorable children back in our luggage, and to learn Quechua. So far we haven’t done any of those things. I think we might be somewhat of a disappointment: according to our Peruvian mother “they don’t know how to do anything but eat and sleep.” We get laughed at a lot.

Our house supports healthy populations of guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, cats, cute children, and one dog. Our family also owns pigs, cattle, and horses; luckily they live outside. They also harvest corn and what looks to be enough wheat to solve the world’s hunger problems.

Our family also operates a store where they sell a lot of grain and beer. Cullen and I have returned from our evening meetings several times to find some of the locals sharing bottles of giant Pilsner beer. They always excitedly invite us to drink with them, insisting on sharing their beer with us. Usually we say “No, drinking is not allowed for us” about fifteen times before they pass out and leave us in peace.

Cullen and I have been fishing with Alex a few times after I expressed my love for trout fishing to them. We usually fish briefly then get distracted or too cold (we wade in the water and use our hands), but one night, on my way to the evening meeting, Sergio, a slightly crazy but very funny 14-year-old friend of Alex’s, stopped me as I passed his house to invite me to fish that night with his cousin and uncle. I returned to his house well after dark and we set out with headlamps and a cast-net. Turns out Sergio’s uncle, Beltrán, is the man: because of the darkness, the fish could not see him or his large net, and after about a half hour he hauled in three beautiful trout. I left early, but they went on to catch five more that night.

Before I get into the amazing overnight hike we finished yesterday, I will briefly summarize Peruvian meals. We have been eating very well. Everything that our family serves is steaming hot, plentiful, and delicious. We eat a lot of rice, potatoes, carrots, corn, fried eggs (laid daily by their hens), fried bananas, and bread. Chicken and beef are the two main meats and we are still waiting to try the guinea pigs. Breakfast always comes with coffee while lunch comes with some sort of juice. Every meal is served with a lot of tea.

Although Chilca has been tons of fun, I thoroughly enjoyed escaping to the Andes for two days on the most amazing hike I’ll probably ever take. Despite the thin air we breathed at up to about 15,000 feet, a mid afternoon snow storm, and sneakers, we managed to trek for about 8 hours up the steep Peruvian Andes to our beautiful campsite about three quarters up a massive “cerro” surrounded my snow caps to spend the night at 13,500 feet and like 20 degrees. I’m almost positive I fell asleep but I can’t be sure. Along the up we saw many funny looking alpacas, a massive and endangered Andean Condor, and absolutely no humans or buildings. On our way down, we passed through some extremely primitive, impoverished, and remote villages located at least a 4 hour hike from any road.

The trip has been just about paradise for me so far. Immersing myself as best I can in the Peruvian life (an opportunity afforded to me by my Spanish studies at Landon) has provided me with an amazing perspective on humanity. I can’t even explain how cool it feels to be out here living this simple but satisfying life that the rural Peruvians live, where lack of material wealth exposes the substance of their sustainable, simple, beautiful, and seemingly incorruptible happiness: strong personal relationships. My family lives less than a half hour walk from about 4 families of aunts, uncles, and cousins. The trust, respect, love that they share is contagious and breeds good emotions. The work ethic and loyalty amongst my Peruvian extended family provide an example to follow, one which will make me a better friend, brother, son, leader, and person if I can manage to remember it when I return to my opposite world. I can’t thank the World Leadership School, Landon, Mr. Mayer, my parents, all the kids on the trip, and my Peruvian family enough for this phenomenal experience.
--Brian Reilly

Hi. We are just finishing our second week in Peru and going into the homestretch. So far the trip has been amazing there has been so much culture to experience and absorb. The people are some of the nicest I have ever met. My homestay family has treated me so nicely. Whether it is the meals, boiling water for me to drink, or just treating me like their own son they have been so nice. They have a 2-year-old daughter named Lucia, who is the cutest little girl in the world, a 10 year old son Daniel who we are teaching English, and playing soccer with, a 16-year-old daughter named Carmen who goes to school in Ollantaytambo. Then 2 older daughters and a 24 year-old-son son who are not around the house that much, I have loved staying with this family so much they are such wonderful people, I am happy we are able to help them out with our service project.

The service project is going great. Today we hope to finish the guinea pig barn which would be awesome. Then tomorrow we would start a cafeteria also for the school. I am really excited to see what this barn will look like when we finish. Lately more towns’ people have come and helped out with the barn which has made the work a little easier and a little faster.

Yesterday we got back from an awesome hike through the Andes. We started at about 10,000 feet and then hiked to about 15,000 feet where we hiked through a snowstorm which was one of the top ten coolest things I have ever done. Then we continued hiking to the camp site (13,500 feet). When we got to the camp site then tents had been set up and then hat hot drinks for us which was so nice. We had a good dinner and then went to sleep. I barely slept at all maybe 10 minutes total, it was tough to breathe in the altitude. The next morning we woke up watch the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. Then ate breakfast, packed up and started our descent back to Ollantaytambo. The whole hike was amazing it was also nice to get a short break and change of pace from Chilca, but I was ready to get back to my homestay after the hike and be in a real bed.

We leave for Aguas Calientes (hot baths) on Saturday morning and then Machu Picchu. I am really excited to go to these places but am sad to leave my wonderful homestay and Chilca. After Manchu Pichu we are off to Cusco and the Pisac market. Then we fly to Lima for a day of sightseeing and then back to the airport for the flight back to America.
--Halter Cunningham

I am writing to you all from Primavera. Last night around 8 o’clock we arrived back to our homes from some relaxation time in Ollantaytambo, and before that a grueling two day hike, most of it at close to 15,000 feet. The first day of the hike started slow because the bus broke down and we didn’t leave until close to 10:30 that day. The first leg of the hike was full of steep and demanding passes that left most exhausted and ready to tank by the time we reached our camp site, around 4. It was first class camping all the way. When we arrived our tents had been set up and the cooks of the trip had already begun preparing food for us. Although I realize that the two entries prior to mine say that they barely slept, like most people, I slept close to perfect and I wasn’t cold at all. I actually started sweating during the night. I awoke to a beautiful sunrise, one of the coolest things of my life and prepared for our descent into Ollantaytambo. The hike back was easy and fun and once we arrived in Ollantaytambo Joaquin allowed us to use his sauna and we had an incredible meal in his restaurant. Although the first leg of the hike was awful and was not fun at all, once I had completed it I had an amazing feeling of accomplishment and it was fully worth it.

The family that Charles Gage and I are staying with is incredible. We don’t see much of the father but he seems like a very nice man. The mother, Rosa, and the 9-year-old, Daisy, are awesome. They couldn’t be nicer or more hospitable. We are in a beautiful valley with amazing views of Mt.Veronica right from our room. The food is all tasty (except for the beets) but completely lacks variation of any kind. One in our household (or any from what I have heard) is guaranteed one bowl of soup daily, and either rice or potatoes in every meal, usually both. The other factor that could cause on to become tired of the food we are served is its over-abundance; the portions are massive beyond belief. Chilca is a incredible place and our family could not be better, but I am definitely ready to move on to the last portion of our trip. Early Saturday morning we’re taking a train to Aguas Calientes for a relaxing day, followed by our day at Machu Picchu. The trip has been great and a ton of fun so far, but at the same time it makes you miss certain aspects of life at home.

The building we are working is a guinea pig breeding barn. It is meant to bring in revenue for the school and to act as a model for the kids who want to do something other than farm. It is a great idea and I really hope that it is a success and that they maintain the business.
--Pat Yarborough

Hola amigos. We arrived in Ollantaytambo yesterday afternoon after our overnight hike. We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in town after a long descent from our campsite. After a week and a half in Chilca, the basic comforts available in Ollantaytambo seemed like paradise. The group divided their time between the internet café and Joaquin’s hostel. At the hostel, we could either use the sauna or just relax in a hammock with a cold Inca Kola. We ate dinner at the hostel’s restaurant, where I had alpaca for the first time. The restaurant was a nice break from the monotonous meals of soup, rice, and potatoes in Chilca, with incredibly large portions of each. After our delicious dinner and dessert, we headed back to our homestays. I welcomed the return to my bed in Chilca after getting little to no sleep the night before at our campsite. With the exception of our alarm going off three hours early this morning, I got a perfect night´s sleep. This morning, after a large breakfast of rice and chicken, with instant coffee to wash it all down, Pat and I headed to the school. As we left the house, our family was already back out in the fields after breakfast. At the school, with the guinea pig barn nearing completion, most of us began to work on the cafeteria, hauling rocks for the foundation.

As our time winds down in Chilca, I’m looking forward to the last leg of the trip. With one night in Aguas Caliente, another in Ollantaytambo, and two more in Cusco, our stay in Peru will be nearing its end. It will be sad to leave our farm in Chilca, with an amazing host family and great mountain vistas, but this experience has definitely made an impact on my view of third world education.
--Charles Gage

Greetings, family and friends. A lot has happened since my last blog; most prominent was the overnight hike 15,000 feet in the Andes mountains here in Peru. The views on the hike were unlike any other I’ve ever witnessed. There have been so many unique and new things I’ve done recently on this trip. Building and seeing sacrifices that ensure the mountain gods provide protection and safety was certainly one of those things. In the middle of the hike, our group had to trek through a hail/snow storm. This made the trail very moist and slippery; therefore, we all had to watch our step even closer than when the sun was out. It was awesome to stand 10 feet away from packs of llama, alpaca, and rams. Also, never before have I ever encountered a condor with a 10 foot wingspan circling over a nearby mountain. The hike was grueling and definitely a good test of both mental and physical strength. Seeing out tents waiting for us after coming around the last bend was one of the best feelings of my life. Our camp was set up on this huge cliff overlooking many mountains and even a glacier. The sunrise in the morning was, again, one of the most unique sights of my life. The hike back wasn’t nearly as tough because it was primarily downhill, as opposed to the previous day was very much an up-and-down journey. Finally stepping foot in Ollantaytambo at the very end of the trip gave me a great feeling of accomplishment.
--Evan Conley

I came on this trip to Peru thinking I would learn the most from the locals in Chilca and also have the most fun with these people. I ended up gaining more wisdom and being the most entertained by the other kids in my group from school. For me, the best part of the trip has been the times when the group is all together. In addition to working together from 8:30 to 1:00 everyday, we also gather at one of the houses around 5:00 every night. During these meetings we discuss how the day went and the plans for later in the week. We also have conversations regarding third world education issues, specifically those of Peru. One night we read Bill Gates’ Harvard commencement speech, in which he says that during his time at Harvard global education problems were unknown to students in the U.S., but now that the class of 2007 is conscious of the world around them, it is their moral duty to solve the problems. Gates’ entire speech fit in very well with what we are trying to do here in Peru, and it is from conversations like these in which I am able to learn a tremendous amount about the purpose of our service work. But for as much time that we spend being serious, at least four times as much time is spent joking around with each other (not to mention the jokes thrown in during serious times). After our meetings we try to play as many rounds of Mafia as possible and also just hang out around the house. It is because of those times that we have been able to bond and get to know one another extremely well. So, the point of me writing this blog is to tell you that the most memorable and important experiences don’t necessarily come from time spent with your host family or from the places you visit, but from all the fun time you spend with the other kids and leaders in your group.
--Jack Feely

Our days in Chilca are winding down and we have been working hard to get the roof of the guinea pig barn done. Since that project will be finished by the end of the day, we began laying down the foundation for the next project, a cafeteria. Though we will not be able to complete this project in our last couple of days here, we want to put our time to use and get a good start on what seems to be a necessary part to their school. Even though the two weeks we spent in the rural valley of Chilca have been enjoyable and very peaceful, I think everyone is about ready to move on to the final week of our trip. I am really looking forward to our travels to both the hot springs and Macchu Picchu following our last day here. I’m really glad I got a chance to go on this trip and hopefully make a strong lasting impression on the people of this village.
--Ethan Joseph

Although I miss Bethesda , when I woke up this morning I realized how peaceful it is here in Chilka. After eating breakfast , consisting of coffee, bread, rice and eggs, we went to the school at 830 to finish up our project. Everyone has put a great amount of effort into this project; moreover, we have hauled near to 1000 adobe bricks from the valley up to the school grounds, which helped us put around 8 layers of brick on the guinipig house. When I hopped down off the roof today, I looked at our almost finished project, a feeling of pride struck me; Pride in the fact that we have given up three weeks of summer to go to Peru with a set goal, and we have almost met that goal and even started to work on a cafeteria. I do not regret coming to chilka and living a different life for two weeks. Thanks to the world leadership school and Ross’s hard work it was all possible.
--Matt Morrison

I sat in on an hour long social studies class in Chilcas local high school. I entered excited, ready to brainstorm solutions to the educational problems I inevitably would witness. I left depressed and overwhelmed, a once optimist eager to help was now plagued by the intangible problems of the system. If solely a lack of resources was the issue, then the solution would be simple. The quandary, however, was that of a teacher who read directly from a guide-sheet throughout the entirety of the lesson, and students who were expected to do nothing more than take notes for wrote memory. The outcome was as expected, some students could maintain concentration for the first fifteen minutes, but most were unengaged the entire time. We cannot change a system. All we can do is aid in the direct (donation) and indirect (building of barn which will increase monthly revenue) advancement of resources. In doing so, we hope that more textbooks and possibly internet access will do something to address the more complex problems of inattentiveness and lack of motivation. I keep my fingers crossed, but I am not so sure.
--Ben Sandalow

Hello Landon Bears Community. This is my second blog entry, the first of which, traditional in nature, Ross misplaced. Thus I had to verbally give to him via Nextel direct connect. For this reason, and seeing as we are all blogging today, I am going to mix up the format a bit to keep things interesting. Conley doesn’t like soup. Or hot drinks. Too bad for him, because they are, along with either rice or potatoes are a staple at meal time. Matt and Jack are living together and have enjoyed the company of there 10 and 8 year old younger brothers. A favorite activity is playing cars at 6:30 am. Halter has made friends with a chicken at our homestay. She laid an egg on his bed three days running. Many were amused. Halter was least amused. Ben got really sick. Ethan and I got kind of sick. A lot of people are sick of rice and potatoes, so we talk about delicious Landon lunches during work breaks. Brett jumped of the bridge, about 30 ft, without testing the depth of the water. The water looks nice but he came out with brown stuff on his face. He showered after; Morrison still hasn’t. We have enjoyed many games of Mafia. Reilly loves to narrate and does a wonderful job. Conley can’t lie and Jack is very talented. Gage seems to get eliminated first or second every game. Jason has been a great trip leader, though he thinks Rex Grossman is a good quarterback. He felt bamboozled when Jauquin took us way up hill on day two of the hike to see pre Incan ruins. He said he had seen many before and wished he was down in the valley with the mules. Cullen has sometimes acted like a pack animal. In all seriousness though, he has worked hard on the job site and is picking up some Spanish. His month long beard is coming in nicely and is darker than his hair. Yarborough has remained even keeled most of the trip. He did get fired up at some members of the group on the hike though. He was not alone in this way, and some sang Landon Forever to remain calm. He is also the only one who has a cool sun hat. Conley and Jack got conned by Ross into buying touristy imitations. Many have spent many minutes on the phone to home. We hear all is well in the Northern Hemisphere. We have all had a great time in Chilca and are looking forward to our remaining days here in Peru.
--Conor Cassidy