Days 19 and 20- July 14th and 15th

Hi everybody, this is Caroline M. We are currently at Almudena's house in Lima and are leaving for the airport in about 45 minutes. Yesterday we left from the hotel and went to Casa Luna, which is the house of one of Sra. Viacava's friends. The house has a nativity museum connected to it. After walking around the museum for a bit, we ate a 3 course lunch in their house. Then we left for the Kuczinsky's house in Ceneguilla. When we arrived, we had a quick tour and some time to settle in before Mr. Kuckinsky and Padre Jose from Manchay gave us a lecture about the Peruvian economy followed by dinnner, where we had roast chicken, suckling pig, and a lot of dessert. We spent the night at the Kuczinsky's, and then we left the next morning for the school in Manchay, which is one of Peru's most impoverished communities. A pair of people were each assigned to a different section of the first grade, and acted as "teachers of the day." The kids were very excited to spend time with us; it was a very fun, busy day. When it was time for us to leave, we were all attacked with hugs and begged not to leave. Then we left Manchay to have lunch at Almudena's house, where we are right now.  We are are moments away from heading to the Lima airport.  We had a an amazing trip and can't wait to come home!

Day 18-July 13th

Hi everyone! This is just Claire this time. Today was our first full day in Lima. The day started at our hotel in Miraflores, Lima. We all dressed up for the Government Palace which is where the President lives (sort of like the Peruvian White House). We got there around 10 AM and met our guide named Julio. Julio said that he had given 53 Government Palace tours. Julio took us to the Grand Hall first which included a rectangular table with about 30 chairs around it for all of the important ministers and guests, and of course, a special chair at the head for the president. There was a massive crystal chandelier given to the Peruvian government by Slovakia above the table. Next, Julio took us to a small room and showed us a plaque that immortalized the time the Pope came to Peru for the first time. Julio pointed to the right of the room we were in and told us that there was a movie theater in which the President would watch the movies before they were released in Peru. He would need to approve in order for it to be released. We entered the Front Hall after that. Around 20 busts were placed on the sides of the hall. The busts were the heads of Peru's greatest leaders. Simon Bolivar was there, and Tupac, an indigenous leader from Cusco.
We saw a long hall covered with mirrors and gold leaf after the Front Hall. In this hall, you could see the French influence because it looked like a room from Versailles. The last room we saw was where they kept all of the artifacts/gifts given to the Peruvian President from villages in Peru or cities in other countries. The changing of the guard happened around 12 PM. It was an extremely elaborate changing of the guard with the navy playing in a band for the ceremony. The guards were marching in synch and swinging their rifles. We left the palace after that ended. We went to lunch at a Peruvian McDonald's called Bembos. It tasted much better and probably was healthier than McDonald's. The World Cup finals were on after lunch and we watched Germany beat Argentina. At the end of the day, we went to a Chinese Peruvian restaurant for dinner.
Ciao!
Claire

Day 17- July 12th

Hello from Lima! We had a busy day yesterday which began with an early departure from Ollantaytambo. After saying goodbye to all of our family members, we boarded the bus to Cusco. We arrived in Cusco around 9 a.m. and spent an hour exploring an artisanal market. From there we went to the Plaza de Armas, a historic main square, where we had free time to get lunch and explore. 

At 3:00 we headed to the airport. Once we arrived in Lima, we boarded yet another bus and hurried to Sra. Vera’s marinera exhibition – she did her makeup on the bus, which was very impressive! We arrived and watched a number couples dance before the grand finale, Sra. Vera and her partner Miguel. It was very interesting and exciting to experience a bit of this unique Peruvian culture. To conclude our day, we ate Pollo a la Brasa, a Peruvian specialty, for dinner on our way to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel, showered, and headed to bed for some much needed rest. We all slept in a bit and are now gearing up for an exciting day in Lima. -Delaney

Day 16- July 11th

Hi everyone, it’s Allie. Today was our last day in Ollantaytambo with our families so we all got in some time with them as well as some last minute shopping. Claire and I walked around town after breakfast with our families and had the pleasure of running into “Pablo Picasso,”  the street artist again, who, even though it was his third attempt of the day to sell us his art, didn’t recognize us.

At 6 our families started showing up at El Tambo for our “despedida” (going-away party) where we had a buffet dinner of alpaca, beef, chicken, quinoa, and purple maize. Once we were finished we stood up one by one and told our families how much their patience and hospitality these past two weeks have meant to us along with some anecdotes from our time in Ollantaytambo; we spoke in English with Sra as our translator. Then we all brought our families out to dance to some traditional Peruvian folk music provided by a small girl singing accompanied by a harp. Soon, though, we turned on some of the top hits from los Estados Unidos including “Love Story,” “Timber” (again), and “Turn Down for What.” Sra demonstrated her amazing dance moves, proving that she is not only a talented Marinara dancer, but could pull off some moves.

After a few more songs, we headed home with our families.  In the morning we head to Cuzco and then onto Lima!!

Day 15- July 10th

Hi friends! Mims here. Today was our last day working with the kids in Rumira. We met at 9:00 and drove over to the school at 9:30. Once we got there, we spent a few minutes making the finishing touches on the playground: putting up the Groton sign, picking up a couple rocks, and making sure there wasn’t any trash. After it was perfect, the kids had us all line up, and they sang songs for us. Some of the songs were sung in Quechua and some in Spanish. Next, the kids gave us cards and hats that they have made for us and threw confetti on us. Then all the kids lined up and every single one gave all of us hugs, it was very touching. We played with the kids on the playground and then at 12:00, we had to say goodbye.

We all went home for lunch, but met back at El Tambo for the much anticipated soccer game with Lakeside. Lakeside is a school in Seattle that we became friends with over the course of the trip. We split up into two teams made up with players from Groton and Lakeside. The game was a whole lot of fun and everyone had a good time, even though the score was 6-3, and my team lost.

Today was very fun, and tomorrow we have a day off in Ollaytaytambo. Anyway as the Peruvians would say, “Buenas Noches!”

Team photo before Lakeside match

Day 13- July 8th

Hola! Ivana here. For the last time this morning, we helped our families. I went to my mom's store but hardly sold anything because there are no tourists in the morning. Today was our last day of workshops. The last hour we went to El Estadio with kids from all the workshops and flew kites. It rained a little bit but otherwise there was a beautiful rainbow and the weather was perfect. All the strings got tangled but we had a lot of fun. After the meeting, we played a fun game of Salad Bowl to be continued over the next days. Tomorrow we'll be visiting Machu Picchu! Hoping it's as remarkable or even better than all the pictures and postcards.

Day 14- July 9th

Allinchu cashiankichis? (Hello, how are you? in Quechua) Yesterday, we woke up around 5 in the morning to catch the early train to Aquas Calientes. Allie and I took moto-taxi through the perilous streets of Ollantaytambo to the train station.  We went on the Inca Rail through the mountains, into the vast unknown of the Peruvian jungles. You could see the clouds enveloping the mountains and even some of the snow-capped peaks. When we got the Aquas Calientes station, we met our guide, Beto, and took a bus up to Machu Picchu. The bus ride felt more treacherous than the taxi ride! There was no railing, and it was a one way street.  After we finally reached safety at the entrance of the site, we quickly passed through the gates and entered Machu Picchu. Our guide took us on an extensive tour of the complex and told much about the history of this mystical place. He explained how a fellow Grotonian parent, for which our boathouse is named after, was the first one to document and name Machu Picchu. There are 18 different kinds of architecture, some finer than others, depending on their religious importance. Also there are LLAMAS!! They even posed for a couple selfies. There were pretty white flowers in one part of the complex… but don’t let their beauty fool you; if you get too close you will start to hallucinate. After the guided tour, we took a group picture on the famous ledge where all those picturesque Machu Picchu pictures are taken.

Then we had the option of hiking the Incan Bridge or the Sun Gate. While most of us opted for the easier Incan Bridge, a few of us with adventurous hearts decided to climb the harder and longer hike to the Sun Gate. We had to stop a couple times to catch our breath because of the thin air. When we got up there, it was well worth it. The views were spectacular. You could see everything from up there! After we were done, we met back at the entrance and took the treacherous bus ride back down. We ate lunch at a hotel buffet in Aquas Calientes. I’m never taking cheesecake for granted again! After lunch, we went upstairs to watch the Argentina-Holland game. Those penalty kicks were one of the most stressful moments of my life! In the end, Argentina won, and I can’t wait to watch Argentina win the World Cup in Lima on Sunday, though I wish Brazil had won and that would have been an even better final to remember. After the game, we got on the train back to Ollantaytambo. When we stepped off the train, we all walked back to our respective homes. I went straight to sleep because I was so tired. I can’t wait for our soccer rematch today against the Lakeside kids!
-Malik