Today has been an action-packed day as we get the high schoolers oriented and settled into daily life in Pisaq. The morning began with a fairly extensive scavenger hunt with the high schoolers and interns, meant to familiarize everyone with the city and culture. Val, Natalie and I walked to two of the local schools, Tambohuacso (the large public school) and Tambo de Gozo (a smaller private school where we volunteer in classes). I’d never actually looked through the gate of Tambohuacso until today, and I was shocked by how massive it is! Over a thousand kids from Pisaq and the surrounding towns normally attend Tambohuacso, which has sadly been closed for the past month due to the teacher “paro”. We also explored the market area, seeing everything from guinea pig castles, little girls dressed in traditional wear and carrying baby lambs, to a somewhat elusive dog shaved to look like a lion. La Virgen del Carmen celebration is now dying down, but we were still passed by multiple parades as we walked through the city. Throughout the day multiple cannons were fired from one of the hillsides circumferencing the valley, which I initially mistook as the sound of a bomb but have now come to accept as a noise that just makes the occasional appearance throughout the day (a cannon literally fired as I wrote this). One of the last parades is also currently walking down the street, many members of which are dressed in rainbow colored clothing and six of which (for reasons unknown) are carrying a decorative coffin.

After the scavenger hunt, the interns presented several posters about Peruvian history, culture, and demographics to the high schoolers. Did you know that Lima, Peru’s capital, is the second largest city in the Americas? We then headed to the Museo Comunitario to hold the daily STRIVE center. We had fairly low attendance today due to the festival, but several enthusiastic kids still made an appearance! Jenny and I taught Yadira and Chaska Diana, two of our beginner students, numbers from twenty to thirty, along with the English names of many animals normally found throughout the city. After STRIVE Center, some of the interns led the high schoolers on their first run in Pisaq and at 9,700 ft. altitude. The transition from running at sea level to running at such a high altitude can be a shock to your system, which many of the high schoolers may have felt today. But once again they all took the difficult effort with high spirits and are excited to continue their training over the next couple weeks!

This weekend also holds many upcoming adventures for the high schoolers. On Saturday the group will split into two, one group heading to a local bakery to learn how to make homemade empanadas, while another heads to Mt. Doom. The Mt. Doom hike begins in Pisaq and ends at the summit of Mt. Doom, a 4,500 ft. elevation change and around an eleven hour adventure. While mentally and physically exhausting, it is an extremely rewarding endeavor, both through the beauty of the landscape and the self satisfaction of having completed such a difficult feat. On Sunday, we’ll head to Cusco for a lower key day, where we’ll explore the city and learn about its history and culture. Check back soon for updates on the exciting adventures of the STRIVE group!