The 4th Peruvian Style

Well a site to see tonight who needs hot dogs when you can have Inka Cola and Peruvian chicken on the mountain top of Cuzco. On our last night here in Peru the students danced the night away in their own private party in the back of hostel in Cuzco. We sat around the fire and told each other our favorite parts of the trip and as Jason, our fearless leader pointed out that everyone talked about their connections with the community. Most people point out the ruins and the food but this group pointed out their connections with the mothers, daughters, fathers, children, and of course the livestock of Chilca. Our home away from home.. where having a toilet seat was a luxury. As a teacher and as a leader on this trip it made me proud to see how this pioneer group opened their hearts to a world that has nothing to do with their lives and made it their own.

The place where we are staying is amazing. It is this beautiful family who made their money by the father who was a rock singer. He set up a sound system for the kids and as a strange surprise Spencer finally came out of his shy shell and sang and took over.. The only thing was that he got kicked out of the band he started that night... it is hard to be a rock star. We might have missed the fireworks on 2nd Ave but I feel like we created our own little independence from the world we have known our whole life.

We set sail tomorrow. We fly to Lima in the morning. We will have a bus waiting and will be taken on a 6 hour tour of Lima. There we will have our last dinner in the airport. There has been spotted a Starbucks and a Burger King so no worries they are getting nutrition. Our flight leaves late at night and we will be home in the afternoon. We look forward to seeing yo on the other side.

This has been an amazing journey for everyone. I look forward to watching The Peru mission grow for the entire student body at Ensworth....

Thank You World Leadership Program

happy 4th

well this is our last evening in peru. we are staying in a hostal in cusco and after a day of site seeing, the hostal owners treated to a celebration. the father to the mrs. of the house was a peruvian pop star in the 70´s. he set up speakers and amps and played us some songs and then played us peruvian techno music. it was quite an evening. i´m sure that most of you remember how shy your children are...fortunately their stay in peru brought them all out of their shells and since there was a microphone most of them decided to belt out a few. it was beautiful. once again, you would have been so proud. or, your belly would have been hurting from laughing. right now they are all packing their bags because we leave here early tomorrow to go to lima for a day of site seeing and then home. some of them are feeling sad and commented that they would love a few more days to go back to their homestay families for just a little more time.

it has truly been an incredible journey. we´ve seen amazing sites, beautiful landscapes, and have eaten until we are bursting most days, but the most outstanding thing about this trip is the relationships that have developed and the love that has been shown. your children have been selfless both in their interactions with one another, but more importantly with the people of peru especially the children. liz and i have been blessed beyond measure to spend this time with them.

we´ll see you all sunday. love,
trina

Coming to an End :(

Wow! I cant believe how quickly this trip has flown by. We have basically 1 more day left which consists of a flight from Cusco to Lima, and a tour of Lima during the day to pass the time during our lay over. Currently we are staying in a cool little bed and breakfast in Cusco, a town that is much much different then the town where our homestays were in Chilca. It is a very large very busy city with vendors all along the streets. This morning Paull our Peruvian tour guide who has accompanied us on our journey these last two weeks, gave us a tour of historic Cusco.


These last two weeks have been a truly life changing experience for me. I have not only learned about a completely different culture but I have learned how to give to others and how to see life through the eyes of a peruvian! I even got to see Machu Picchu, which other than the bug bites, was breathtaking! My only hope is that I can bring some of the good Peruvian Spirit back to the states and if I can´t do that then I definitely have enough souvenirs to share my experiences with everyone I know!



See Ya´ll in 2 days,

Sarah

Greetings from Macchu Picchu Part 2

Hello all, Chaps just gave a quick recap of the last few days for you all so I won't bore you with similar details. I am also unable to bring pictures due to my own inability to remember simple tasks after being exhasuted to the point of almost falling over. In case Chaps somehow managed to already forget our little ordeal I will mention it here. We hiked what seems like several miles uphill to get to the renowned Sun Gate. If you don't know what that is it doesn't surprise me one bit. On the other hand the view was absolutely breathtaking and as soon as I can get the pictures up you will understand why we hiked in the sun, with the bugs (which bite and leave blood and red spots. Chaps's legs look like he has some sort of terrible skin disease.) and with Sydney who tripped and sprained her ankle on the way down doing nothing to improve her temper (actually she was very good about it and didn't complain at all.). So now our feet hurt, we no longer have access to showers or beds and we won't be leaving this city until 7:00. After that we won't get to our next hotel until 10:00. Ah well, I have to go we have food soon and I need to make sure my baggage is where it needs to be.

Chow, Jack

Greetings from Macchu Pichu

So it is official, we have left our homestays. This is Chaps and I´d like to start with a correction. On my first blog post I called Jason, our guide, Robert. Red cheeks and a lot of good nature ribbing ensued but I´m taking this chance to apologize and clear up any confusion that might have existed about that.
So after we last blogged we spent Sunday in Ollantaytambo. We were hoping to climb the ruins there but instead we were treated to an interesting (awful) play about Ollantay and were denied the privilege of climbing up the ruins. In the afternoon we got to make some pottery which we had missed out on doing the day before. Then before departing for our last day away from civilization we stocked up on any and all necessary supplies.
The next morning we finished our work on the Chilca Guinea Pig Barn. We were able to completely finish all work on the walls and they are now about six feet high. That afternoon we had our going away party, called a Pancha Manca. We were treated to excellent food, pork and chicken, and got to say our thank yous to our host families, who were wonderful to us throughout our whole week there.
The next morning we awoke at 5 in the morning to catch the train to aguas calientes. It was an hour and a half train ride here all along the urubamba river. Yesterday afternoon we went on a hike to an orchid garden and waterfall and ate lunch on location by the waterfall. Then we returned to the hotel and our first hot shower in a week, EXCELLENT! Then we had dinner and went back for a restful night asleep away from the lowing of cattle and crowing of roosters.
Then we woke up this morning to go to Macchu Pichu. We hiked around all day and were all blown away by its beauty, although unimpressed by the bugs and heat. We did hike up to the sun gate and were greeted with a wonderful view of Macchu Pichu.
Now we are back in aguas calientes waiting for dinner and blogging. Tonight at 7 we leave to go to Urubamba and are looking forward to more Incan ruins tomorrow. We´re all looking forward to seeing you all soon and are doing well except for some minor bumps and bruises.

--Chaps--

Ollantaytambo again

Hello parents and friends, we are once again in Ollantaytambo for the day, a visit to see some ruins a museum or two and to update the blog. With any luck here there will be pictures and even one or two videos. We also have blogs from every student, hooray! Actually never mind about pictures. Apperently the computers here can´t handle that. Stupid Windows crap. Anyway while internet speed is slow and pictures may be some time in coming there will be at least one or two here no matter what! I have to say the this is easily the most fun I have had in a while. The people here are amazing and the food is actually really good despite what the descriptions said. James and I, who share a homestay, have had some of the best food up to and including fried potatos (french fries) with steak and rice and fruit. Unfortunately the people here are determined to make us all gain 15 - 20 pounds each day with the amount of food they give us and each time we say "Not so much" they think we are sick and need more food. It is a vicious cycle.

Hey here is the first picture! This is a picture of a festival in a village about 4 miles from Chilca where we stopped for about 20 minutes to see the people and the costumes.


(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Festival.JPG

This next picture is from when we first arrived in Chilca. Almost immediately after we got here we were ushered into the schoolyard and made to sit. The entire school then came out, lined up, and sang the Peruvian national anthem for us. Pretty good welcome, eh?

(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/School.JPG)




These next two pictures are of two of our favorite kids in all of Peru. The first is Daniel (Da nee el) the coolest little kid ever. He has chicken pox right now and so isn´t in school but he still comes with us everywhere we go and helps with all sorts of manual labor like chopping up dirt with a pickaxe and doing his best to help carry 20 lbs. adobe bricks. The other little boy is Jose and he is simply amazingly cute and utterly hysterical to watch. He loves having people to play with and he can be the most punkish little twerp sometimes, but in a good way.(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Daniel.JPG)

(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Jose.JPG)


This picture is a view of Chilca from a bit of a distance, the school is the blue building in the middle.


(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Chilca.JPG)


This picture is of the entire Chilca valley including the mountains beyond. Absolutely beautiful.


(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Chilca_Valley.JPG)


This is a little girl living in our house, cute as a button but I cannot for the life of me remember her name. So I call her Isabella


(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Isabell.JPG)


This is Navesca, I think thats how to spell her name, she has Down Syndrome and we have christened here with the nick-name Nabisco for no particular reason.


(http://www.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Nabisco.JPG)


Here we see our entrepid guide Paull with Alli after a hard days work slinging mud (literally).


(http://ww.deviltools.com/peru_trip/Blog_Pictures/Paull_e_Alli.JPG)


--
Jack

Here is everyones blogs at last!

James:
Peru has been an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I have been given the opportunity to help a community in their effort to improve the quality of their school and their kid’s education. I am so glad that I took advantage of this opportunity because it has been such a great time working to build a guinea pig barn and to get to know the people on this journey. I love being in the mountains and that is pretty much where we have been for the entire trip. Every place we travel to we end up right in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. One of the kids in the house where I am staying named Daniel has attached to entire group and follows us every place we go inside Chilca. He will probably miss the EHS group more than any other person we have met inside Peru. It has been so nice to come to a place like Peru and to get to know what the villages here are actually like and to help them to become a better place. I can’t wait to see the completion of the barn and to move on to Macchu Picchu and Cuzco. Can’t wait to come home and tell of our adventures!

Chaps:
I’m pretty sick today but I’m still happy to be in Chilca, Peru. The scenery is so beautiful here and everything is so nice, even though I feel bad. We’ve got a lot done and done a lot since I last blogged in Ollantaytambo. On Tuesday we did the 6-8 mile hike to Chilca. On the way we stopped and ate lunch by a river and had some skipping stone contests. Also we stopped in a small town for a festival and found out that Paull, our guide, is actually running to be the mayor. When we got here to Chilca we immediately went to the school and were welcomed by all of the students and teachers. They did a local play and dance for us before we went to our house. When we got to our house I was pretty surprised, it had been both over and under sold. Over sold because instead of having a window with a beautiful view of Mount Veronica Spencer and I were, and still are looking at two large blue tarps. Undersold because instead of having two chickens we had about seven. We had our first meal that night and it like all of our food it was very good. Then on Wednesday we started to build the guinea pig barn, which is needed because all of our families have a lot of guinea pigs. Since then we’ve basically been working every morning and doing activities in the afternoon. Our work thus far has been hauling adobe bricks and dirt, and doing some actual building assemblage. One afternoon we did some group building activities and the next we discussed education in the third world. The third afternoon we did a hike after eating some guinea pig. That was yesterday and I’m never going to do that again.

Spencer:
The Devil wants us to quit. But we, as a group, disagree. While others fall along the way, we will prevail. Just recently, I walked a Goat and it was a very rewarding experience. I go to sleep with blue tarps as windows, but it is a very rewarding experience. The family I stay with makes fun of me and will chapell because they know we cannot understand what they are saying, but it is a very rewarding experience. This trip, overall, has been an incredible experience for everyone, teachers included.. Adjusting to the Peruvian culture has been an incredible experience for me. I now see how lucky I am these days and it has been so rewarding to see life in someone else’s shoes that is less fortunate than me. To experience what these Peruvians have to go through every single day and to physically be able to have empathy for them has been one of the better experiences of my life. We have incredible leaders who are taking great care of us and our teachers are a ton of fun as well. Again, this has been a very rewarding experience for not only me, but for the entire group, and I cannot wait for this next week. To be honest, I was not so sure about going on this trip before we left, but now I feel as if it was one of the better decisions of my high school career.


Sydney:
HOLA! This week has really been a mind blowing experience. From eating delicious meals in Ollantaytambo to performing the tiger rumble in front of the school in Chilca this has been one of the most eventful weeks of my life! As a group we have embraced the Peruvian spirit and left most of our American customs in Nashville (like taking hot showers). Yesterday I had my 1st and last taste of guinea pig, which reminded me why I miss Krystals so much. But I’m having a great time and I cant wait to see what happens next!!

Lili:
Peru has been a life changing experience. Through my time here I have realized how selfish and ungrateful I can be. The people in Chilca couldn’t be any happier, even though they have dirt floors, cold showers, and a small stone stove. It’s so refreshing to be rid of the unnecessary items that fill everyday life at home. I love being surrounded by beautiful mountains, smiling faces, and a fun and exciting group. I’m having a wonderful time and dread leaving.

Emily:
It is absolutely gorgeous here and so far I have had an amazing time. I have really learned about the value of hard work and a good attitude through building the guinea pig farm. I know that I appreciate everything I have so much more and will have a new perspective on life when I go home. Everything from the food to the landscapes have broadened my views on the world and I am sad to that I will have to leave. I can’t wait to share my experiences when I come back.

Alli:
Living with a Peruvian family that speaks absolutely zero English and hauling adobe bricks to build our guinea pig farm has been a huge struggle, but is also the reason that this trip will be remembered forever. It has been such a rewarding experience staying in Chilca and it is safe to say it has made all of us very thankful for everything we have in the U.S. We adopted a boy named Daniel, who goes with us everywhere and is our little amigo. We all love him so much and are trying to find a way to pack him in our bag to come home with us. Our group is getting along great and we couldn’t have asked for better leaders, Jason and Paull. Paull is a Peruvian native who has been showing us the ropes, with a smile, since he picked us up in Cuzco, and Jason, a history teacher from Chicago who worked with the peace corps in Paraguay. Although he misses his two little ones back at home very much, he has been an awesome leader making sure everyone is feeling well and happy. We are all getting to know each other too well and making sure to laugh until we cant breathe at least once every day.

Sarah:
This first week has been an amazing experience! Everything here is so different from the United States. All of the people here are very kind, the kids are adorable and the view is breath taking. Me and Alli have really began bonding with our family and I am going to miss them all very much especially the two little boys, Marco and Jimmy. I will miss playing soccer and walking the sheep with them everyone morning. However, the mom constantly asks us for things like shampoo, money, hair brushes, and bananas.
I find myself on constant alert living in a community where no one speaks my language but I am also surprised at how well I can communicate with the people in my family and all the other people around me. I am so happy that I haven’t felt the least bit sick, or had a drop of diarrhea! This place is beautiful and I hope to bring some of this beauty back to America.
One thing however that makes look forward to coming home is the food. I can’t wait to eat a big burger and fries with some some sweet tea. Oh, and my family. Love ya’ll!
P.S. Jason is my favorite leader. He has made this trip so enjoyable and really built up my self-confidence 

Liz:
Spencer talks to cows. Lili plays with every child. Sydney has developed nicknames for every child in Chilca. Jackon keeps us grounded. Will jumps in the mud. James defends his new brother at a drop of a hat. Alli always steps up even when it means carrying Adobe by herself. Emily smile has never gone away. Trina and I have regressed into children enjoying our morning mountain view. Paull our Peruvian guide has kept us safe. Jason had been steadfast and has become the groups uncle.

Besides the fact that the Ensworth group has fallen in love with their lives every morning. It has been amazing as a teacher to watch our students radiate beauty to each other and to Peru. It has been a gift to watch them fall into a different world and land on their feet. Although it has only been seven days I feel as if we have been through a vortex of change and realize that we are lucky but also that the world is much larger then we are. We have also become very close talking about every issue under the sun from the various meals we have had to our relationship with the toilet or not with the toilet to what makes us tick. I do not believe that Peru has changed our students but has just been a canvas for them to express themselves further. It has been a pleasure to watch them paint the portrait of all their splendor.

Trina:
I think that I mentioned in my previous blog that I would say something about the taxi ride that Liz and I took the other day. I told the students that it was like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disney. The taxis are little cars that zoom around winding roads at a break neck speed, they often zoon on the wrong side of the road around a curve…yikes. Another form of public transportation is the autobus (mini-van). Usually when you see these, people are literally crammed into every space in the van and perhaps several people are on top of the van. Wild, Peru…OK the food…you wouldn’t believe it. It was said to us prior to the trip that we may begin to feel frustrated at some point with the monotony of the food in the home stays. Nothing could be further from the truth. Liz and I are going to attempt to document each meal that we have had. Each meal has been delicious and unique. You wouldn’t believe what we have eaten and where it was prepared. The kitchen and dining area in our home is probably…well I’m bad with dimensions but trust me it is small, the cooking done over fire and they use limited utensils. The meals that Hilda put out are simply remarkable. I honestly believe that if, Rachel Ray or one of the food network people came and filmed the rural Peruvian women cook, they would be blown away. The work ethic of the Peruvians and their ability to make use of everything that is in front of them is amazing. Oh yeah the clouds and the stars as seen from Peru…it seems that we can reach right up and touch them. Have you ever chewed coca leaves that a Peruvian shaman has given you? We have. Have you ever eaten a guinea pig that is a favorite meal in Peru? We have. Walked where the Inca’s walked? White water rafted in the Sacred River? Seen farmers plow with oxen and a wooden plow? These are just a few of the many things that we have experienced and we still have a week packed with adventure. I’ll say it again…families of the Ensworth students, be proud of your kids. They have been great. Thanks for allowing us to share in this experience with them. People often talk about life changing experiences and honestly I think...maybe…(sorry to sound cynical, but you probably know what I mean), but this may be one of those life changing experiences for some of us. To walk away from this and not have a deeper understanding of how we are all connected and the implications of that would be nearly impossible. We are so far from home and in such a different culture, but people are people. Our Peruvian friends love their families, want to work, want an education and want a nice meal and bed to sleep in at the end of the day just like all of us. How nice. I’m excited to see what happens next.

We miss you and love you. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Trina

Paull:
well, I think 8 days ago I went to airport to pick up the Ensworth group it was 9 in the morning but we waited more time with Jason…. When we saw them we knew they were with a lot of energy and happies…. In the car to Ollantaytambo I knew the DIVAS hahahahaha were fun..and then I saw them working in the CHILLCA school those were great…. I made really good friends… in the rafting I got my team in the boat he was Will in Chillca the divas, Alli and Sara, the other guys Spencer, James and Jakson, the teacher always were great person happies and talk a lot… they bring a lot of adobes, land they work whit muddy specially Alli and Will and I always say tou Emily whit Alex, hahahhahahaha,the group were happy whit Daniel Pereyra he is 8 year old…… well always I spend great time , I am lucky and glad because them.. exelent peolple from Nashville in Tennessee.

Jason:
As my boy Paull has alluded, we have loved being with these kids from Nashville. Their attitude and enthusiasm are infectious. They have adjusted to their host families with little trouble. In fact most of them think of their host families as their own. I have been very impressed with how seem less they have become accustomed to the Peruvian culture. Not only do they all take cold showers but they all tried guinea pig, chewed coca leaves and use el bano without a seat. We only have one week left and it is going to fly by. The guinea pig barn is getting built and hopefully we will finish the walls before it is time to leave. I can honestly say I have loved every minute of our time together. I can’t wait for the next week.

you would be so proud

okay here is the first adult perspective i think. a direct note to the parents...you would be so proud of your children. liz and i are so filled with pride for how they are doing. they are working hard, bonding with their families and being so good to us and each other. i couldn´t imagine things going any better. well so, what are we doing these days. yesterday we spent the day at the school in chilca working really hard. we carried adobe bricks up a hill to the building site for the guinea pig barn. i´m guessing that none of you have ever carried an adobe brick, i had not either let me tell you epps and perk would be proud. the ehs fitness program is paying off and still in practice in peru.

today we carried dirt up a hill, taught english and played volleyball with the students.

have to go quickly, but i´ll leave you with this...we are all getting really close. we check in daily with each other about our bowel situation...too much or too little...it is really a big deal. don´t fret, everyone is well. just had to share, maybe too much information, but it is a big deal to us here in the third world.

we love you and miss you. having a great time, words won´t really translate how great. more later the taxi is waiting. remind me to tell you about that. yikes

trina