First Days in Ollantaytambo

Hello, this is Ross Wehner writing at the end of a few very hectic and busy days. The students will post blog entries tomorrow, with pictures, but I wanted to bring everyone up to date. Today we hiked nearly eight miles -- and about 2,000 feet of vertical elevation gain -- to an Inca quarry high on the rim of the Sacred Valley. We began at the banks of the Vilcanota River and climbed along an Inca highway through stands of eucalpytis and the native molle tree. The entire group made the exhausting climb to the quarry in order to see the stones that were cut by the Incas and left mysteriously on the ground -- probably as a result of the Spanish conquest in 1533. We started at 8 a.m. and arrived back in the village around 5 p.m. and headed straight to their host families for dinner and sleep. This is the student´s second night with the host families and all seem quite cheerful and content, despite mostly lumpy beds and cold showers. The familes here take the responsibility of taking care of an additional ¨child¨very seriously and drop all farm chores to make breakfast and conversation with the students. This is planting season here in the Sacred Valley so many of the students in the coming days will make the hour-long march into the mountains above to labor in the fields. The students also made their first appearance at the local elementary school yesterday, where they will be helping to build a ¨children´s park¨for the kids. Cindy, Fred, Craig and I have just reviewed the final plans for the park and everything seems to be proceeding smoothly. Tomorrow the students will post an update with their perspective. All is well here in Ollantaytambo,
Ross, Craig, Cindy and Fred

Day 2 -- Ollantaytambo

Yesterday we arrived in Ollantaytambo through the ancient Inca gate, Punku Punku. Although we were all a little dazed and confused from our long flights from JFK (which didn’t leave until 2 am) and Lima (which we missed), we were all amazed by the natural beauty of the mountainous surroundings and friendly local people. After we settled at Hospedaje Las Portadas, we set out on a scavenger hunt to get to know the layout of the town and meet some new people. We then gathered around in a circle to discuss our hopes for the trip. After a delicious dinner at Pachamama Restaurante (where we will eat most of our meals), we were all ready to hit the hay.
This morning, we explored the sun temple ruins and climbed the many terraces, while learning about the Incan history of the town. After our morning activity, we split up and browsed the colorful markets. Now, we are enjoying our free time and trying out new games like Frogger. Some of us are continuing to explore while others are taking a break before our next meeting. This afternoon we have been invited by our new friend, Carlos, to play soccer with the local people.
So far, it has been an unbelievable beginning to our trip, and we couldn’t be more excited!

XOXO, Hannah, Jocelyn, and Jane

Fred and Cindy in Peru

Hello Groton students and parents,

This is Ross Wehner from World Leadership School writing from Cusco, Peru. Everything is all set for your arrival and the kids of Ollantaytambo are very excited to get to work with you on the Children´s Park, which will add a wonderul new education element onto the local school.

Joaquin Randall, World Leadership School´s Peru Program Director and I have spent the last two days with Fred and Cindy Beams in El Carmen, a small community on the coast of Southern Peru that was largely destroyed by the earthquake in August of 2007. We met there two nights ago, along with a teacher from a school in Easton, Maryland, to view an area where World Leadership School is attempting to start a new program. El Carmen is the center of Afro-Peruvian culture and, along with a tour of local schools and the earthquake devastation, we experienced Afro-Peruvian music and dance up close. Cindy stayed up very late at night practicing her new moves! We left the community awestruck by the resolve and the solidarity of the local people. After six months of living in tents, they are finally completing new homes that are being built in ways to withstand future earthquakes.

Fred and Cindy are now headed to the Ica Desert, which they are planning to explore with a local guide. Then they will stay a few nights in the colonial city of Arequipa before coming to Cuzco next week to be here for your arrival. Email is difficult for me at this point but if you have any questions, do not hesitate to call Erin Lasky at World Leadership School´s U.S. office at 303-679-3412. I look forward to meeting everyone soon!

Ross Wehner

Kicking Off the Groton Blog

Hola Peruvian Travelers!

We are kicking off this blog in preparation for our trip to Peru. During the trip, this is how we will be able to communicate with friends and family.

We thought giving you some ideas of our own fundraising initiatives would be a good way to begin communicating with you all. Because we love to cook, we are doing two things to raise money:

1. It's strawberry season, and we are making lots of strawberry jam that we will sell to friends. We are telling friends that their jam purchase is helping to fund the building of a children's playground in Ollantaytambo...and therefore the price per jar of jam is steep.....$10 per jar!

2. We are hosting a dinner party for friends. Again, we are telling friends that the dinner party is a fund-raiser for the Ollantaytambo project. I think we are going to charge $50.00 per guest; the cost of diner at a good restaurant.

Fred and Cindy