Update # 3: Llama or Alpaca!?

Bridge Peru Families and Friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!
Another wonderful update from Jim Whitmore and Katie Colby, our fabulous Bridge Peru leaders, again keeping life our lives simpler by writing email updates themselves.
And now, direct from Bridge Peru - Email Update Number 3:
"Since our last check in, we finished off the last few days with our homestays in Cusco, completed our last service projects, and came together as a big group again to visit Machu Picchu!

On Wednesday after classes we went to visit an alpaca and llama farm and got to pet the animals. Now we know how to tell the difference between a llama and an alpaca and which one you eat! We also visited the ruins at Saqsaywaman, an amazing feat of Incan architecture. Thursday we visited the kids again at Clinica San Juan de Dios, and this time got to know more kids and learned how hard the full time nurses work to take care of these incredible kids. On Friday we had our last day of Spanish classes, spent some quality time with our host families, and had a pizza party at the Director, Rossana´s house.

This weekend we spent time at Almeria, a community development project that is improving the lives of people in a small pueblo through education and agricultural diversity. We learned how to make adobe bricks out of mud and straw, collected garbanzo beans from the greenhouses, and taught games and activities to elementary school students at the local school.

On Tuesday morning we took the train to Aguas Calientes to visit Machu Picchu! The first day we hiked up a nearby mountain, Putucusi (Happy Mountain), which involved climbing up some very steep and tall ladders – a definite challenge for those of us who are afraid of heights! Wednesday we woke up really early to visit Machu Picchu before the hoards of tourists showed up. Since last year, when it was named the 4th wonder of the world, it seems as though everyone and their brother wants to visit. After touring the Temple of the Sun, Temple of 3 Windows, and Temple of the Condor, half of the group decided that despite their aching thighs and cloudy weather that a trip to Peru would not be complete without climbing up to Huana Picchu. Fortunately, the clouds lifted during the hike, and the group could see out over the entire valley. The other half of the group hiked to the nearby Inca Bridge and then enjoyed the panoramic view of the ruins.

Today we are back in Cusco resting and doing laundry before heading down to Llachon to visit the Uros of Lago Titicaca. Then it´s on to Colca Canyon and Arequipa.

Student Notes:

Meghan is the “Tom Sawyer” of the group, fearless during the hikes up mountains, and a really strong worker while making adobes. She also learned all about the Peruvian system of bureaucracy while going through all of the necessary steps to secure a new passport.

Nora loved playing in the mud when we were making adobes, and happily stomped around in the mud to mix in the straw. She is challenging herself by reading Harry Potter in Spanish, and helped the 3rd graders at Almeria make multiplication calculators.

Ali has been a great team player and happily helped wash dishes after our pizza party, singing with Leah and Nella the whole time. She also challenged the group to live up to our group goals of respect and inclusivity while debriefing our Full Value Contract.

Ben misses his host mom, Bertha, who used to hug him and tell him “¡Suerte!” before he left the house. He did a great job teaching the other group members how to smoosh mud into the adobe frames, and has modeled higher level Spanish comprehension and usage by “playing” with the language, omitting the ‘s’s, or talking with an accent from Spain.

Rachel H. noticed a big improvement in her Spanish after making a conscious effort to speak with her host parents. She also illustrated her patience while feeding a particularly challenging child at San Juan de Dios, and ended up really enjoying the experience.

Kayla surprised us all by breaking out into perfect Spanish during a meal after climbing Machu Picchu. After only 2 ½ weeks of learning Spanish, she has shown her ability to transfer the skills learned in class to the every day practicalities of living in Peru.

Michael´s Spanish skills really came in handy when he had to explain the directions to a game to over 40 Peruvian students, and they understood everything he said! He also had fun wearing masks with Dwayne and entertaining all of the kids with their antics.

Nella was psyched about Machu Picchu and threw up victory poses after completing each goal at Putucusi, Machu Picchu, and Huana Picchu. She has been a great group member, laughing and joking with everyone, and keeping the group in high spirits.

Charlotte has worked hard through the whole program, and on all the hikes, despite some continual knee pain. She and Leah taught “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” to a classroom full of second graders, and she and Ben played hide and seek with the kids during the fiesta at Almeria.

Rachel O. has been a positive role model for the group. She encourages others, takes on lots of responsibility, and consistently presents a positive attitude. She always volunteers to translate for others in the group, and did a great job doing so at Machu Picchu.

Daniel was a great leader on all of the hikes. He was always the first one up the ladders, and encouraged all of the others when they completed a difficult section of the hike. He also showed his strength by pushing heavy wheelbarrows full of adobe mud up the hill to the wooden frames.

Liz succeeded at juggling the needs of multiple children on the playground at San Juan de Dios. She also had fun at Almeria and learned some new games from the 3rd and 4th grade girls.

Leah conquered her fear of dogs and enjoyed petting a very nice one named Leon at Almeria. She was really excited to teach songs to the second graders in her classroom, and helped Ali and Nella wash dishes at Rossana’s house.

Noah was nicknamed the “gringo pequeño” by the boys at Almeria and they had a great time playing soccer with him. He also conquered his fear of heights on the Putucusi hike by taking the ladders slowly and carefully, and brags that he will be the only one in the group not to have a GIA!

Dwayne is a kid magnet and allowed the kids at Almeria to climb all over him. He has enjoyed talking to Nella about their wilderness programs last year, and encouraged her during the hike to Putucusi. He is also very proud that he is now able to order food in Spanish all on his own."

So that's it folks and you can expect the next Student call on Thursday the 24th of July....and shortly thereafter you will have your world travelers home on the 27th.

Student Notes:

Meghan was a role model during a group challenge in Tipon, and helped the group accomplish this challenge in record time and in a way the leaders had never seen. She also did a great job interacting with the boys at Salesiano by incorporating English phrases into an Ultimate Frisbee game.

Nora has been challenging herself to try new foods, and surprised herself by trying cuy and even liking it! She also was able to modify a game of human knot at the Salesiano school and the boys were able to complete the challenge in two smaller groups.

Ali impressed us all with her great singing voice when she taught an African song to a group of girls in Kirkas. It was a great cross-cultural interaction translating from an African language to English to Spanish to Quechua. She also had a great time at the zoo and practiced her Spanish with her teacher the whole time.

Ben adds a lot during our service learning debriefs, and reminded the group how much more we gained from our interactions at Kirkas than the children may have learned from the short time they spent with us. He was also thrilled to buy a charanga at the Pisac market, and with help from Dwayne, serenaded his host mother, Bertha, when she was sick with the flu.

Rachel H. has been challenging herself to interact alot with her host family and with other members of the group, has made connections with the other girls in her home, and has been doing a great job adjusting to life in Peru. She calmly and continually encouraged the Salesiano boys to keep practicing their English, even when some of her group’s activities were a challenge.

Kayla has really enjoyed going to the market and learning the names of new fruits, and has been practicing her Spanish during the MMTs in Ollantaytambo, Cusco, and Pisac. She also proved to be a responsible group leader in Kirkas by carrying the group supplies, helping to prepare lunch, collecting trash, and checking in on everyone during the whole process.

Michael did really well translating information about the ruins in Tipon for some members of the group who did not understand all of the explanations in Spanish. He has also enjoyed visiting the markets in Cusco with his Spanish class and has been excited to show his trinkets to the rest of the group.

Nella was especially impressed by her interactions in the village of Kirkas and has been inspired to try to raise money for this community when she returns back home. Although she did not have any formal Spanish training before arriving in Peru, she has been doing a tremendous job communicating by using her knowledge of Italian as a reference.

Charlotte was the first member of the group to learn in depth about the Peruvian medical system when she visited a clinic for her sore knee. Along with the leaders, her host mother, Emma, and the other girls in the homestay, Rachel O. and Ali, have been taking great care of her. Despite this setback, she has been in great spirits and does not want to miss out on any of our adventures in Peru. She especially has enjoyed going out in Cusco with her Spanish teachers.

Rachel O. says she has never used Spanish more in her entire life and has been relishing any opportunity to communicate with her homestay family, her Spanish teachers, people in the market, taxi drivers, etc. She had a great time learning new salsa moves with Ben, and had a very positive experience teaching the Salesiano boys with Dwayne.

Daniel has been the most adventurous eater out of the whole group. He devoured his cuy lunch in Tipon, and also tried the chicken in the Pisac market and reported that the resulting GIA was well worth it. He truly understands a common phrase uttered here: “Lo barato cuesta caro”. He’s also proven to be a superb bargainer in the markets, and has had fun getting to know his host brother.

Liz showed off her dance moves with Dwayne during salsa night, and learned some new moves from Katie as well. She has also been doing a great job communicating in Spanish, has been helping out the other group members, and enjoyed an hour and a half long conversation with her Spanish teacher.

Leah consistently uses her strong Spanish skills, whether it is conjugating verbs in Spanish class, conversing with her host mother, Marielena, or talking with local Peruvians during MMTs. She always volunteers to read in Spanish or translate for others, and gets along with everyone in the group.

Noah has been accomplishing his goals to be more independent by conversing with his host family, communicating with taxi drivers, and learning how to successfully navigate a foreign city. He enjoys bargaining with vendors in the markets, and bought some really cool organic paints during his MMT in Pisac.

Dwayne is constantly entertaining local Peruvian kids, whether miming actions wearing a traditional mask, playing soccer with kids at Kirkas, or giving handshakes to the boys at the Salesiano School. He was also very popular on Salsa night, both dancing with the other members of our group, and with local Peruvians."

Update # 2: Working with Schools

Bridge Peru Families and Friends,

In the Travel Office we are very lucky, because Jim Whitmore and Katie Colby, our wonderful Bridge Peru leaders, are making life easy for us by writing all these email updates themselves, directly from Peru. All we have to do is copy and paste!

Without further ado, here is Bridge Peru Email Update Number 2:

"Since we checked in last, the Bridge Peru students have been getting to know their host families, improving their Spanish through morning classes, and learning about different aspects of Peruvian society through several service projects.

Last Thursday after the students visited the zoo with their Spanish teachers, we had the opportunity to work with kids with special needs at La Clinica San Juan de Dios. We played with the children outside, colored with them, and helped feed them during dinner.

Our students were really surprised how well they could communicate with these children through body language, gestures, and facial expressions, even if some of the kids could not talk or walk by themselves. We will have the opportunity to go back again this Thursday to spend more time with these children.

On Friday we visited the village of Kirkas, which is an hour drive up the mountain on a windy dirt road. We sang songs, played soccer, and played “Pato, Pato, Ganso” (Duck, Duck, Goose) with the little kids in this poor village before coming together as a community for lunch.

The people of Kirkas showed us how they cooked potatoes underground using hot rocks and everyone ate these along with cheese, ham, and oranges that we had brought. We also fulfilled a community need by bringing backpacks for the younger students to hold their school supplies, and replacing some of the broken windows in the school. Our students fell in love with the kids at Kirkas and were pleasantly surprised by how welcomed we were by this community. We had a different kind of 4th of July celebration by going salsa dancing at night!


This weekend, our group hiked up two different Incan ruins, one in Tipon, and one in Pisac. We also had a chance to try cuy (guinea pig), a local specialty, and to experience a Sunday market using all of our five senses.


Monday and Tuesday this week after Spanish classes, we are teaching English to boys at the Salesiano School, a middle class school here in Cusco. In pairs, our students each work with a class of 20-30 students, helping them practice English through fun games and outdoor activities.


On Wednesday there is a transportation strike in the morning, and our students will be able to learn first hand the interaction between unions and government here in Peru, and will have their Spanish teachers to help them navigate these cultural and political issues. In the afternoon, we’ll have some more group bonding time and then go visit some llamas and alpacas!

Update # 1: Safe in Cuzco

Bridge Peru Families and Friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!

Bridge Peru 2008 is off to a great start. The journey from New York to Cusco went well, aside from a couple of minor glitches here and there, like leader Katie's missing backpack, and Rachel Holoff's unfortunate delay! But all that is resolved now: Katie has her backpack, Rachel is with the group, and everyone is all settled in with their home stay families. Yesterday was the first full day of Spanish classes at the Macchu Picchu Language School, and everyone is totally psyched, and ready to learn more Spanish.

After three days of international cell phone tag, Katie, Jim, and I had a great check-in call late last night--they are very excited, and couldn't be happier with the way the trip is shaping up. They love their students! The group is very flexible, open, and everyone is 100% willing to jump right into their Peruvian Adventure.

Right now think that I will step aside and let you all read about the program straight from the source. Here is an email report directly from Jim and Katie in Cusco:

Peru 08 first update:

June 29th
The group arrived safely and headed to lunch at Naturales Hecho en Peru. They tried new foods right off the bat and then we were off to Ollantaytambo. On the way we had a phone call marathon in Urubamba and went on to our hostal in Ollantaytambo, La Nusta. We relaxed a bit and then went over some safety info. At dinner the students really liked the traditional music performance and at our evening meeting we had a great and varied conversation about cultural differences that was started by student observations of local dogs. Dogs led to cultural differences, politics, economics, etc. Then the power went out and some tried to shower and to bed.

June 30th
Breakfast at la Nusta. Full Value Contract on a flag of Cuzco [WMI Note: A Full Value Contract is a Windsor Mountain Student Travel tradition--the group collaborates to create what can best be described as a group "Constitution"--a set of rules and values that everyone agrees to live by while on the trip] and then a hike through the ruins of Ollantaytambo. Students read aloud descriptions of the ruins and how the Inka used the mountains as a giant clock to show when it was the summer solstice to help them in their agricultural endeavors. The sun rises through a carved face in the mountain and first shines on giant pink granite stones that represent the eye of a llama. After the visit to the ruins we ate a late lunch and various members ate alpaca on the first full day - even the vegetarian! Then we sent group off on their first MMT. There were many great interactions during MMT and all the students used their Spanish! After we debriefed, we ate pizza and students performed skits acting out possible home stay scenarios. After all that, it was early to bed.

July 1st, 2008
Travel back to Cuzco for an MMT in the Plaza de Armas where students successfully used local phone cards to call leaders and tell Jim the number of benches around the fountain. (Somewhere between 83 and 103. There are a lot.) Then we had a wonderful dinner with our host families. The students sat in groups and each group had one or two of their host parents there to talk to and get to know. It was a beautiful scene. Many great interactions and bilingual conversations were taking place at one time. Everyone was engaged and speaking in Spanish various times throughout the evening. Truly a victorious moment in WMI history, and a thing of beauty [WMI Note: this is exactly what we are looking for--genuine cultural exchange, in Spanish!]. It also made the students more comfortable about the move the next day. The group then did some journal writing while drinking mate de coca and then went home to bed.

July 2, 2008
First day of class and first night in home stays.
The group took all their things from the hotel to the school and began classes. Two hours in class and two hours in small groups around town using what they learned in class: naming fruits in the market, buying masks or hats, or simply having conversations with locals. Students returned from second part of class to see Rachel H. who arrived earlier in the day and then all went with their host parents to their new homes in Cuzco. After lunch, the parents showed them how to take a taxi from their houses to school. A great group meeting followed where the students checked in about the homes they are in and we had a group orientation for Rachel. They reenacted all the important points of safety, the ruins at Ollantaytambo, proper diet, EAP (Emergency Action Plan), cultural passport, basic expectations and requirements, repeated leader messages, etc... We then went over our service project for July 3rd, where the group will work at a school called San Juan de Dios and help nurses organize and feed children with special needs.

Cheers, and now for the students:

Meghan was a great leader on the ruins of Ollantaytambo. She set the mark along with Dwayne as the first pair of group leaders, choosing the route, and making sure we all stayed hydrated and protected from the cold and sun.

Nora started off a little quiet but was able to use her Spanish to make a very complex request of two different items from two parts of the menu once in Cuzco. With a little assistance she got up the courage and approached the waitress with her respectful request and was rewarded later with exactly what she wanted to eat!

Ali is trying very hard to learn more and more Spanish. Even when hiking the ruins she was talking and getting Spanish lessons form Leah and the other members of the group. She is always very positive and was very articulate during the dog-culture-politics discussion, and expressed her views and positions on a variety of topics from politics to cultural differences.

Ben tried alpaca the first day in Cuzco! He said being a vegetarian wont stop him from trying things. His Spanish is great, and he had a wonderful conversation with his host mother Bertha. She says he is a flirt. He was also happy to learn a new verb tense in Spanish with his group and is always making the group laugh and lifting spirits.

Rachel made it down to Peru on her own and figured out how to use a Spanish language phone card on her own in Lima airport to call the Windsor Mountain Office. She got here tired and a little hungry but jumped right in anyway! After going to her home stay with her house mates she participated in her own orientation skits to catch up with the group.

Kayla is observing a lot and trying more and more to use her Spanish. She repeats phrases in Spanish games and is able to order on her own after practice. She will be making pancakes for the host family tomorrow morning.

Michael really helped out with the formation of ideas for the full value contract. He expressed that we should feel comfortable enough to say if something is truly wrong or one doesn’t feel well, etc. He had a great time playing with the local children around the school in his new mask!

Nella is doing great in Spanish and uses her understanding of Italian to help her out. She even read aloud from the cultural passport in Spanish on the first day. Wow! She is very mature and was into the ruins at Ollantaytambo and thinks her home stay in Cuzco feels like home.

Charlotte is trying hard with Spanish and the group helps at every chance they can. She volunteered to be the secretary for the FVC and is always positive. She has added great insight to conversations discussing comparisons between US-Canada-Peru.

Rachel has done great in Spanish and even translated the MMT aloud in English on the spot! She loves her teacher, Sony, and screamed twice during the ghost story, and soon she will be enjoying a fiesta for the great grandmother of her home stay!

Daniel won the prize for the first GIA (gastrointestinal adventure)! He beat last year´s record by 5 hours. He is doing great for the youngest member of the group and was very motivated and encouraged others to eat alpaca. He may have even shared his meal with everyone at his table. He is very excited to meet his home stay brother, who is almost the same age.

Liz is able to understand and communicates very well in Spanish both with the group and locals. She had no troubles with her first day of classes and hopes to be challenged throughout the next weeks. She has been a great help to the girls in her home stay. She is really looking forward to salsa dancing classes.

Leah is very excited about everything. She tried a bit of Jim´s alpaca and has been facing her fear of dogs daily on the streets of Ollantaytambo and Cuzco. She is awesome at Spanish and also translated MMT on the fly. Ina a word, Leah is great! Along with Kayla, she will be helping to make pancakes for her host family first thing in the morning!

Noah really enjoys the political conversations during meals. His Spanish is great and he was happy to learn a new verb tense in one day that he could not learn in a year of classes back home. He had a big plate of alpaca on the first day and is a rock-solid group member.

Dwayne fell in love with Bertha, his host mother. He calls her his “lady”, and says he will go home and cook for her. He was a member of the first set group of 'Leaders of the Day' and set the bar high by checking on everyone, including his leaders. He is trying at every opportunity to speak Spanish and whips out his cultural passport to help."

Well folks, that is it, straight from the source on the ground in Peru. Back here in the office in New Hampshire, we are thrilled that the trip is off to such a great start. Not to mention jealous that we aren't there with them!

Our next scheduled check-in call with Jim and Katie is next Monday, July 7th, and all Bridge Peru Families will receive Email Update #2 the following day, Tuesday, July 8th. All Bridge Peru students will phone home the day after that, Wednesday, July 9th--if everything goes according to schedule, please expect this call in the evening.

If you have any question, please call us in the Travel Office.

Best,
Angus, Marjorie, Lou, and the entire Windsor Mountain Team

From Jim to the Peru Travelers

Hello Bridge Peru Students,

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the summer! My name is Jim Whitmore, and I’ll be one of your co-leaders for Bridge Peru. Right now, I am sweating down here in Honduras where I teach 5th and 6th grade. When not working, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, or camping in the cloud forests, just generally traveling around takes up my time. I cannot wait for this summer!
I’m originally from Indiana. Please don’t ask me what a Hoosier is. After college at Ball State University, I moved out to Durango, Colorado and taught middle school for a couple of years. When I wasn’t teaching, I was of course enjoying the mountains and all they offer. The continental divide in the Weminuche Wilderness is one of my favorite places I’ve been lucky enough to know. I’ve now been in Honduras for six years, and plan on returning after our summer together.
This will be my fifth summer leading with Windsor Mountain. My first year, I co-lead the LIA New England trip. I co-lead on LIA Bequia twice, where I had the privilege to work with, and learn from the best: Dianna Hahn. Last year I led Peru! Since we have such an awesome and experienced group, I have no doubt that this program will be a magical experience we all remember. The crew at WMI has been working hard with our Peruvian contacts to ensure we all have a wonderful learning adventure together.
I’m sure you have started researching some of the details of your upcoming adventure. If not, here are some topics you might find interesting: How did Francisco Pizarro treat Emperor Atahualpa? What is Quechua? What is the story behind The Lemurian Solar Disc? What kinds of new foods might you try in your home stay in Cusco? Along with those topics, I do have some personal questions I would like you to answer for me. I will collect them when we first meet and we will discuss them at the conclusion of trip.

1. What are three personal goals you have for yourself on this adventure?
2. How would you rate your conversational Spanish skills?
3. Describe yourself as a traveler and how you represent yourself to people from
other cultures.
4. What do you think will be your biggest personal challenge on this trip?

These should get your brain started. I look forward to reading your responses. Until then, have a great end to your school year, and remember to pack for a variety of weather conditions. Make sure you bring a pack you can carry! I am so excited to see Cusco again, visit the market, see Macchu Pichu, HELLO MACCHU PICHU!, paddle in the highest navigable lake in the world, and learn about the Inca/Peruvian culture. Wow, I’m smiling big! We will be in touch before the trip, so if you or your parents have any questions you can be sure we will talk in June.

Truly,
Jim Whitmore

From Katie to the Peru Travelers

¡Hola!

¿Están listos a explorar Peru este verano? En Cusco, el grupo aprenderá mucho de la cultura Peruana con las familias, y practicaremos español durante las clases en las mañanas. Los niños en la escuela nos esperan para aprender inglés y jugar con ustedes. Tambien, disfrutaremos a Machu Picchu, Lago Titicaca, y Arequipa.

¿Y sus guías este verano? ¿Quìenes somos nosotros? Me llamo Katie Colby, y con Jim Whitmore, nosotros guiaremos el grupo. Yo voy en avion con ustedes y vamos a encontrar Jim en Peru. Este es mi quinto año con Windsor Mountain International. Antes, yo guié un programa a Québec, por dos años, yo desarrollé y guié un programa en Francia, y el verano pasado, yo era una guía en Peru.

Yo vivo cerca de Chicago, pero me gusta mucho viajar y aprender idiomas diferentes. Yo espero que ustedes traten de hablar en español con nosotros, y con los Peruanos. Yo soy bachillerata en francés, y tengo un master en los estudios internacionales. Me gusta mucho hacer yoga y bailar musica “swing”.

Estoy muy feliz de visitar Peru con ustedes y tambien espero que ustedes disfrutarán de nuestro viaje. Antes de salir a Peru, tomen algunos minutos de meditar sobre sus objectivos por ustedes y por el programa. No olviden que hablaremos en español durante el viaje, pero no se preocupen; nosotros nos ayudaremos!

Hasta luego,
Katie Colby