It was a busier day than usual for us in Ollantay, and as I sit here to recollect our day I am shocked by all that we accomplished. So here is the run down of the happenings, wonderings, and accomplishments...
We arrived at the school earlier than usual to make sure that we had enough time to finish our work. We quickly divided and conquered; some groups were working on the A-frame, others were prepping the courtyard for grass seed, others were preparing the concrete, others painted the interior of a classroom with kids from the school, and amongst all of these activities we were constantly cleaning up. The kids in our group wanted to make sure the students had clean play spaces, entry way, and exterior to the school. We really worked hard to get the A-frame erected and cemented into place. For most of the kids, this was their first exposure to mixing concrete. The sounds, the mess, the weight of the material, etc., were all a learning experience. We also were introduced to a plumb line and how to use it to make sure the A-frame sections were straight. After hours of mixing, pouring, mixing, and pouring, we finished the work and got the structure set. It will take 7 days for it to dry before any more work can be done, so we will not see that step of the process. Jose Manual, who was the project leader, will email me photos that I will certainly pass on to our kids.
The work took us a bit longer than expected, which we anticipated, so the kids had a quick turn around to get home, cleaned up, and fetch their host families for a celebration. Tonight is the last night for the home stays. For this event, we went to a local hostel where Adele’s brother, Alberto, had prepared a typical celebration meal call Pachimanka, or a meal cooked by mother earth. Pork, Chicken, Qui (guinea pig), and all sorts of potatoes, are buried in a rock oven that sits below the ground. The rocks are hot from a fire and more hot rocks are placed on top of the meats and potatoes. It is then sealed with whatever materials are available. As we arrived, Alberto was unearthing the food; the kids got to serve their host families and then speeches were delivered. I spoke for St. Anne’s, Susan spoke for World Leadership School, Carver spoke for the kids, and Lucy (Shaun and John’s host mom) spoke on behalf of the host families. It continues to surprise and humble us how important the home stays are to the host families. They were shedding tears that this experience has come to an end; just as they families and the kids begin to get familiar and learn how to live together the experience is over. While the kids are certainly excited to be in the comfort of their home and beds, they also are remarking on how much these people have meant to them. To demonstrate this, many of the host moms were rushing out of the celebration so they could clean the kids’ clothes. They wanted to make sure the kids left clean and most importantly happy. I also know that these experiences are a two-way street, meaning that the families feel this strongly about the experience and the kids because your children (and you) are gracious, appreciative, and respectful. While this is the most challenging part of the trip it is clearly the most rewarding!
The kids had a bit of free time in the afternoon before heading back to the ceramic studio to finish their pieces we worked on last week. It took this long for all of their work to dry, and today we polished them. Eduardo is firing all of them tonight and Adele will pick them up for us tomorrow to bring home (a father’s day present, perhaps?). The polishing took way longer than we expected, because, once again, the kids got into it. The wanted their work to be great, not good, and Eduardo was excited by this. He helped each of us perfect our piece. We ended our day preparing for the excursion to Machu Picchu tomorrow where the kids will deliver their graduation speech. This is not really a “speech” but rather a moment for them to share a reflection with the group. The assignment is set in 2050 and they are delivering a graduation speech at the commencement exercises of the university they attended. The types of questions they are expected to grapple with are: what do I care about? what motivates me? what are the experiences that led me to the connections and partnerships that I have now (in 2050)? If Angela, Susan and I can get our act together we will be writing and delivering one too! This will be the highlight and in many ways the pinnacle of the trip; I expect it will be their only opportunity to go through a graduation at Machu Picchu and as leaders we cannot wait to hear what they say.
We arrived at the school earlier than usual to make sure that we had enough time to finish our work. We quickly divided and conquered; some groups were working on the A-frame, others were prepping the courtyard for grass seed, others were preparing the concrete, others painted the interior of a classroom with kids from the school, and amongst all of these activities we were constantly cleaning up. The kids in our group wanted to make sure the students had clean play spaces, entry way, and exterior to the school. We really worked hard to get the A-frame erected and cemented into place. For most of the kids, this was their first exposure to mixing concrete. The sounds, the mess, the weight of the material, etc., were all a learning experience. We also were introduced to a plumb line and how to use it to make sure the A-frame sections were straight. After hours of mixing, pouring, mixing, and pouring, we finished the work and got the structure set. It will take 7 days for it to dry before any more work can be done, so we will not see that step of the process. Jose Manual, who was the project leader, will email me photos that I will certainly pass on to our kids.
The work took us a bit longer than expected, which we anticipated, so the kids had a quick turn around to get home, cleaned up, and fetch their host families for a celebration. Tonight is the last night for the home stays. For this event, we went to a local hostel where Adele’s brother, Alberto, had prepared a typical celebration meal call Pachimanka, or a meal cooked by mother earth. Pork, Chicken, Qui (guinea pig), and all sorts of potatoes, are buried in a rock oven that sits below the ground. The rocks are hot from a fire and more hot rocks are placed on top of the meats and potatoes. It is then sealed with whatever materials are available. As we arrived, Alberto was unearthing the food; the kids got to serve their host families and then speeches were delivered. I spoke for St. Anne’s, Susan spoke for World Leadership School, Carver spoke for the kids, and Lucy (Shaun and John’s host mom) spoke on behalf of the host families. It continues to surprise and humble us how important the home stays are to the host families. They were shedding tears that this experience has come to an end; just as they families and the kids begin to get familiar and learn how to live together the experience is over. While the kids are certainly excited to be in the comfort of their home and beds, they also are remarking on how much these people have meant to them. To demonstrate this, many of the host moms were rushing out of the celebration so they could clean the kids’ clothes. They wanted to make sure the kids left clean and most importantly happy. I also know that these experiences are a two-way street, meaning that the families feel this strongly about the experience and the kids because your children (and you) are gracious, appreciative, and respectful. While this is the most challenging part of the trip it is clearly the most rewarding!
The kids had a bit of free time in the afternoon before heading back to the ceramic studio to finish their pieces we worked on last week. It took this long for all of their work to dry, and today we polished them. Eduardo is firing all of them tonight and Adele will pick them up for us tomorrow to bring home (a father’s day present, perhaps?). The polishing took way longer than we expected, because, once again, the kids got into it. The wanted their work to be great, not good, and Eduardo was excited by this. He helped each of us perfect our piece. We ended our day preparing for the excursion to Machu Picchu tomorrow where the kids will deliver their graduation speech. This is not really a “speech” but rather a moment for them to share a reflection with the group. The assignment is set in 2050 and they are delivering a graduation speech at the commencement exercises of the university they attended. The types of questions they are expected to grapple with are: what do I care about? what motivates me? what are the experiences that led me to the connections and partnerships that I have now (in 2050)? If Angela, Susan and I can get our act together we will be writing and delivering one too! This will be the highlight and in many ways the pinnacle of the trip; I expect it will be their only opportunity to go through a graduation at Machu Picchu and as leaders we cannot wait to hear what they say.
Your children are feeling well, laughing a lot, and shocked by the sprint to the finish line that this week feels like. We will all come home to Denver in a few days with more to offer because of our time with the people in Ollantaytambo. Almost two weeks ago I struggled to spell and pronounce the name of our town, but for me, and all of us, it rolls off our tongue with comfort and fond memories. More to come tomorrow about our journey to the ruins of Machu Picchu!
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