Peru 2017

EMILY VANHAITSMA – We adjusted to the altitude together, bargained in the markets together, and hiked up mountains we thought were impossible to climb.

TESS YOUMANS – I have always been comfortable with the discomforts that come along with travel; cold showers, unexpected weather, language barriers, running out of currency, the list goes on.

TIMKO BLYSNIUK – I understood that the early wake-up was to avoid the hordes of tourists that would overtake the archaeological site in the more reasonable hours in the morning, but even then my brain wasn’t convinced that it was the correct move.

KEIRA GROBBEL – While some visited the Temple of Sun, and others toured the coffee museum, I, along with Tess, Alex, Charlie, and Emily, wandered the streets of the city.

RACHEL WICKEY – I slowly, but surely, packed up all my things, trying my hardest to have my pack as weight free as possible because I was going to endure a 8 hour hike through the Inca Jungle.

JACQUES FINCH – As we were driving up the mountain, we started to drive into a cloud, which I assumed we would probably drive out of soon. But when we kept driving and stayed inside of the cloud, . . .

ALICIA ANDERSON -Today is the last day working with the ninos and I don’t think I have ever cried this much. I have gone through a lot of hard times and it surprises me that leaving a group of people I have only known for a week could hurt me more than ever.

ALEXANDRIA D’ANTONIO – Initially, Avishai wanted three strong boys to help with the compost project but instead he got Ashley and I as volunteers, and we hauled ass.

CHARLIE MEISSNER -Originally, the plan was to throw the plaster onto the walls with our hands, but unfortunately the plaster was always too thin, so we had to use brooms and brushes to ‘paint’ the plaster on, yet much of it somehow managed to cover US instead!

MACKENZIE BLACKWELL – Turns out being at 10,000 feet above sea level makes soccer a lot harder. The whole thing felt like something out of a movie.

BROOKE BLACKWELL – We gathered around a small pen-like area while a duck was brought out, and Avishai explained to us that the ducks and all animals here live a happy, healthy, and comfortable life. . . .

ABBY VANHAITSMA – This experience cannot be compared to anything else I have ever seen or done, and it is not something you can envision or imagine without actually seeing it. There were a few points where I almost shed a tear because of how emotional this was.

HENRY SMITH – I can only imagine the world the Spanish found in the 16th century. The ruins we saw today were magnificent, even after four centuries. Sacsaywaman in particular stood out for its megalithic architecture, but it was almost sad to see.