Groton School -- Andes Education Slideshow

Greetings from Machu Picchu

Hello Parents,

We are writing to you from the beautiful mountain top of Machu Picchu. We arrived yesterday just after sunrise when half the group hiked along the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) overlooking Machu Picchu while the other half went straight to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu, for a separate hike. The second group hiked up Putu Kusi which is straight across from Machu Picchu. We climbed ladders up the rock face, and after facing some of our fears and sweating a lot in the jungle like heat, we reached the top and had a great view of Machu Picchu. We all needed some rest, so after the two groups reconvened, we had some time to relax before heading over to a fancy-shmancy hotel to see the beautiful orchids and birds. Famished from our active day and loooong garden tour, we all filled up on pizza and hopped right into bed for some much needed sleep.

This morning, we all "slep in" until 730, and after a good breakfast and some tea and coffee, we got on a bus and headed up to the beautiful ruins of Machu Picchu. Our tour guide Juan Carlos led us through the magnificent Incan stone work while we took in the fantastic views of the mountains around us and the rich history of the site. After a yummy box lunch next to the old incan draw bridge, we had some time to explore Machu Picchu on our own. Machu Picchu is a breathtaking sight to see and we all are so lucky to have spent the morning there. We are now having some time to rest and relax before heading over to the hot springs that give this town in the valley beneath Machu Picchu its name. After that we will all have dinner together and board a late night train back to our "home" in Ollantaytambo. A day and a half in Cusco and a few hours in Lima remain until you are all blessed with our smiling faces. While we can't wait to get home and see our families, we are surely enjoying our last days here in Peru.

Hasta Luego,

Annabel and Xandie

Leaving Ollantaytambo

Two days ago, we returned from our much-anticipated two-day trek in the Andes. For many of us, it was the highest altitude climb (at over 16,000 feet) that we have ever accomplished and as tired as we were, it was beyond satisfying. Including a once-in-a-lifetime view of the sunrise, 16 hours of hiking over very challenging yet exciting terrain, a brief tour of the Pumamarka ruins, multiple encounters with llamas, a walk through a remote Incan village, and the most satisfying ice cream upon our return, the trek was an incredible and extraordinary experience for all of us.

Today is our last day staying in Ollantaytambo and we are finishing up our Tierra de Ninos project with the school. After two nights of rest, we are pretty much recovered from the hike (except for Jocie and Hannah, who got up this morning at 4 to bake only to find out, after walking across town in the pitch black, that a power outage prevented the baking), and are trying to enjoy our final day as much as possible. We are busy visiting classes, weaving baskets with Tucker and Ud’s father, Pancho, (a.k.a. the coolest person in the world), farming with Reynaldo and Alicia, making ceramics, and trying to do as much as possible before we have to leave. In what has actually been a short amount of time, we’ve all gotten so attached to the families, the town, and the project that we are reluctant to leave so soon. For lunch, we will have a “Pachamanca” cookout with all of our families to celebrate the amount of work we have accomplished here and to wrap up our time here.
Bright and early tomorrow morning, we will say goodbye to our families and catch a train to Macchu Picchu, where we will hike the Inca trail and see one of the greatest sights in the world. For the remaining 6 days here in Peru, we step into the role of tourists more than community members to visit some of the most renowned tourist attractions in Peru. For now, we leave you to plant the trees in the park.

Hasta luego!

XOXO,
Hannah, Jocie, and Juanita (Jane)

Back Home from Trek

Dear Groton community,

We are back home from our trek tonight after a fabulous two-day march through the high Andes. The students all did very well on the trek, despite freezing temperatures and high (above 15,000 feet!) altitude. After a 6 a.m. car ride up to the crest of the Andes, we began walking up what would turn out to be one of three high passes we would have to walk over on our first day. That day we made camp under a horizon of snow-capped mountains and had a lively group conversation in our cooking tent. After a star gazing session, the students were fast asleep. The next morning we were up at 5:30 a.m. to watch the sun rise over the Andes, a memory which many of us will not soon forget. Today we hiked from that high camp down a glacially carved landscape that led through indigenous stands of quenua, a tree endemic to this part of the Peruvian Andes. We stopped briefly in a Quechua village, where we observed weaving techniques and had lunch. After several more hours of continuous descent, we came upon the pre-Incan fort of Pumamarca, which was a giant fortification built around 1000 A.D. to overlook the surrounding valleys. We continued downwards and the group made the decision to march all the way into Ollantaytambo, where we celebrated with ice cream cones. Tomorrow we continue work on our service project, along with kids from the local school. We will try to post another blog tomorrow. A wonderful trip with extrordinary kids continues!
Ross and Craig.

Waiting for Sunshine

Yesterday marked the arrival of cloudy weather and light rains. The locals tell us that this kind of weather usually remains for 3-4 days, so we have adjusted our schedule as we wait for the sunshine to return. Instead of leaving yesterday for an overnight hike into the high country, we remain in Ollantaytambo. In addition to continuing our construction work at the local school, today each student is participating in a two-hour ceramics workshop with Ollantaytambo master potter, Señor Eduardo Huaman Aquino. Students are building coil pots with the help of a hand-turned wheel. The pots will dry for a couple of days and later we will fire and finish the surface of the pots. Apparently polishing the surface a dry pot with a river stone and then packing the pots in cow dung for firing in the kiln produces an elegant, black finish. That remains to be seen!

Later this afternoon, many of us will assist Pancho, a local basket maker who is hosting Tucker and Ud, prepare the strands of wood we will use in our upcoming basketmaking workshop.

Tomorrow all the students are going to Urubamba to watch the children of their host families participate in a folkloric dance contest and attend a soccer game. To say that the Peruvians are wild about soccer would be putting it mildly. After we finish our work at the school, many students head to the local stadium for pick-up soccer games with Ollantaytambo residents of all ages. It’s a great scene to behold, and the soccer cleats Tucker Fross brought with him have been greatly appreciated here.

On Sunday morning we plan to set out on our overnight hike, stopping a few hours into the trek at the well-known weaving village of Patacancha.

Following you will find a comment I have gathered from each student as he or she pinches, pounds or sculpts away at the nearby ceramics table.
Salud! Cindy Beams

Comments from Our Student Potters

Jon, a.k.a. “Juanes”: I didn’t know that rice and mush could taste so good!

Ud, a.k.a. “Lionel”: It’s tough to make two ceramic masterpieces in a row…..everyone asks me about my hair.

Tucker, a.k.a. “Santiago”: Having contacted my “inner child,” I’ve progressed from making simple clay cylinders to free-form dinosaurs. I am also formally changing my name to “Santiago.” I’m getting tired of relocating dirt.

William, a.k.a. “Guillermo”: I’m not coming home. Hi, Mom. Tucker also sends you his regards, as does Cindy Beams.

Connor, a.k.a. “Baja”: “I bet that of every person currently in Peru, I am the best ice hockey player.”

Sidney, a.k.a. “Syyyyyyyyyyney”: I want tomorrow to come even faster because I’m excited about going to Urubamba where I will see the soccer game everybody’s talking about. It’s the district championship.

Caroline, a.k.a. “Carolina”: I want to do another rafting trip! I am going to use the clay cylinder I am making for pencils.

Elise, a.k.a. “Elisa”: I loved making bread at 4:30 this morning. It was amazing. I’m also looking forward to a warm shower.

Josephine, a.k.a. “Josephina”: I want to get the hike over with.

Xandie, a.k.a. “Alejandra”: No puedo hablar inglés.

Annabel, a.k.a. “Annabella or Francesca”: I’ve forgotten the rules of general hygiene. But, on the upside, I have found the two loves of my life: Luis and Alex, 10 and 8 year-old brothers.

Hannah, a.k.a. “Ana”: Joci needs to shower.

Jocelyn, a.k.a. “Jocelina”: Hannah needs to shower more.

Julia, a.k.a. “Hulia”: Annabel and I eat dinner in 3 sweatshirts, sweatpants, jeans, gloves, a scarf, and a hat. We also have the best parents in the world, Adela and Adolfo. I know it’s awkward, but we love you guys too.

Gerrit, a.k.a. “Osito Muñeco”: The hikes are amazing. The mountains here are spectacular, and I’m looking forward to the overnight hike on Sunday.

Taylor, a.k.a. “Taylor”: I really hope that I can improve upon a Peruvian child’s life while here in Peru. Hannah needs to shower.

Jane, a.k.a. “Juanita”: Taylor and I get up at 4:30 in the mornings to help our parents bake bread at our house, which is MUY RICO (delicious). Now we are going to learn how to do ceramics so I’ve got to go! Adios!

Getting Ready for the Trek

Today was a day of diverse and productive work all over Ollayantaytambo. Taylor and Jane have set up a schedule to gain help for their family’s baking operation, and different pairs of students are assisting in baking bread at 4:30 am every morning. Work continues to progress rapidly in the Terra del Nino project, and twelve of us moved, sifted and raked rocky soil from 8am until 1pm alongside local laborers in preparation for the arrival of the “black earth” tomorrow. Yet another group hiked an hour into the hills surrounding Ollayantaytambo in order to plow highland corn fields with my host family; in this outing, Hannah and Caroline were allegedly the first women ever to work an ox-driven plow in Ollayantaytambo. Footage was taken and will be available on this blog soon.

Tonight we will meet to make final preparations for our ambitious two day trek in the highlands above our village. We will be accompanied by three guides, two horses, and two burros and are quite excited to climb through the clouds to a few peaks over 17000 feet. We will return on Friday night and rest prior to our visit to Urubamba on Saturday to watch local friends participate in dance and soccer.

The Peruvian people are teaching us much and are exceeding our lofty expectations. As well, the group has exceeded all expectations and is both learning and contributing much. We are blessed to be with them.

Sincerely,

Fred, Cindy, and Craig

Settling into Ollantaytambo

Dear Padres,
Yesterday we set off on what was advertised as a “short walk” which soon escalated into a nine hour hike. We saw the quarries where the Incas gathered their stones to build their massive empire. From personal experience we can tell you that it’s really damn far and those are some big stones. Our fearless leader was Julia Annabel and Josephine’s padre, Adolfo, led us at a breakneck pace and was much amused by our constant need of breaks due to our weak sea level lungs. We saw amazing views of one of the highest snow capped peaks in the Andes, Veronica. Even though the trek was hard, it was rewarding to be in such a beautiful setting with good friends and rich history. One of the ultimate highlights was able to see an Incan tomb that contained full-on skeletons!
On Friday we all suited up (quite literally) for white water rafting. We raced down class two and class three rapids, splashing each other and having boat wars all the way down. We rafted alongside the ancient Incan trail, seeing beautiful terraces and Incan remains. It was a beautiful day and lots of fun.
We miss you all and have only partially replaced you with our new parents. We are starting the work on the Children’s Garden today and have to go get to work!

Love love love,
Julia, Xandie and Annabel

To add to what Julia, Annabel and Xandie have already said Friday’s rafting excursion was non stop fun. During one of the many splash battles a fellow crew (Xandie) was hoisted right out of the boat and taken hostage on the foreign vessel. After some negotiations we managed to retrieve her. One particular boat got so into the mood that they hung seaweed from their helmets and painted their faces with mud.
As for the hike, well let’s just say I slept twelve hours last night. I was so exhausted when we finally reached level ground that our guide kindly hailed a taxi for me and two other tired souls. The rest of the group was perhaps not as lucky and had to walk the last half hour.
Must go. Snacks are being served.
XOXOXO
Sidney