As much as we do during the STRIVE program itself, there is an amazing amount of preparation and organizational work required to get our programs ready. With the first batch of STRIVErs under the watchful eyes of my co-director, Rob, and our two amazing interns, Riley and Craig, I hit the road with intern Olivia Beltrani on a circuitous path from Ollantaytambo back to Lima. Olivia and I were in charge of visiting all of the various hotels, transport, restaurants, tour agencies, and volunteer organizations with which we’d be working this summer to confirm that they actually were expecting us and were ready for our group. In Perú, one can often make a reservation on the phone or online which may or may not be remembered or even written down. Thus, it was our responsibility to visit all of these people and places in person, as that seems to be the best way to really get someone to accept that you´re coming (though, even still, sometimes we find ourselves being greeted by receptionists who seem to have no idea who we are). Such is Perú…
2013 STRIVE Spanish Immersion Program students and interns on the way to their first day in Ollantaytambo
We left Ollantaytambo on Monday morning after a beautiful run along the Urubamba River with the interns and headed to the town of Calca, about an hour down the road by bus. In Calca, we met with Zaandra, one of the sweetest women I know and also the super-intendant of the school district which covers most of the Sacred Valley. We were greeted with hugs and kisses and welcomed into her home, where we were served a local Peruvian juice – a mixture of carrot and beet juice. After a surprisingly quick and efficient discussion, we confirmed all of the information we would need for the scheduling of our work with this year’s school – la escuela primaria de Pisaq.
This school is located on the outskirts of the town and serves the greater population of Pisaq and the nearby towns of Taray and San Sebastian. Because of this, the school is quite large, with 14 sections of primaria (grades k-5), with whom we will be working during the first session, and a similar number of classes of secundaria (grades 6-9) with whom the second session will work. The school seems excited to have us, so I can’t wait to see what kind of impact our students can leave here in Perú!
From Calca, we boarded another local bus filled with traditionally clothed Peruvians and made what was for me the extremely familiar trip from Calca to Pisaq (STRIVE-Perú worked in Calca last year, and so I made this trip every day!) After the still-breath-taking 30 minute ride up-river, we arrived in the always-charming little Pisaq. I wondered if much would have changed and, besides a few newly-painted streetlights and some road construction, I was pleased to find that the town was more or less exactly as I remembered it.
Lucita, our adopted cat from last summer, was still alive and well at Hospedaje Beho
Olivia and I made the long slog up the hill through town (where I was reminded that we were, indeed, at over 9,000 feet above sea level) until we arrived at my home-away-from-home, Hospedaje Beho. Beho is a guest-house run by a family, one of the few options for travelers wishing to stay overnight in Pisaq. Over the past few years, I’ve spent many, many nights living in Beho and getting to know the family. The owner, an older gentleman by the name of Hipolito, has truly welcomed me into his family over the years, and greeted me with a very un-Peruvian man-hug. It was so great to see the man who dubbed himself my “papá Peruano.” Our college interns will be staying at Beho this summer and I know that they will be welcomed with the same warm arms that I was – I’m almost jealous!
Having confirmed our reservations at Beho and Royal Inka (for the STRIVErs and group leaders), Olivia and I went for a nice run along the river road before heading up to Cusco the next morning. The dizzying bus ride (due to both the winding mountain roads and the high mountain pass of about 14,000 feet through which the buses travel) brought us into the red-roofed sprawling metropolis of Cusco by mid-morning. Once there, we meandered through the city, visiting the tour agency which would be helping arrange our hike to Machu Picchu, the project which we were thinking of working with, and the hotel in which we’d be staying at the end of the trip. At our hostel (“The Puma”), we just happened to be stopping in as the hotel’s namesake, Puma the cat, was going into labor! We first-hand witnessed the miracle of life and petted and calmed Puma as she welcomed three beautiful, healthy (and large!) kittens into the world. My friend, Flor, who works at El Puma, said that I could name one of them, the oldest, a yellow little guy, who I named Andrés, my Spanish namesake. I now can’t wait to get back to Cusco and visit them in 3 and 6 weeks!
A tired momma-cat, Puma, and her three newborn kittens
After our exciting and unexpected afternoon spent with Puma and her newborns, we finally made our way to the bus station in time to catch our 8:30pm bus to Arequipa. The bus – which was extremely comfortable; think first class international airlines – took about 10 hours, carrying us into Arequipa as dawn was breaking this morning. Here, we’ll spend a day or so recovering from a busy week and work on the last of the computer-based prep that needs to be done before the Session 1 STRIVErs arrive in Lima on Saturday night. We’re currently staying at La posada del parque, another lovely family-run hostel in the heart of the city, with a lovely, sunny roof-top terrace with stunning views of the snow-capped volcanoes surrounding the city (where I’m currently writing this!) I’ve stayed here several times in the past few years and the family remembered me immediately (I always seem to be remembered as “el maratonista” (the runner). Maybe I’ll even get out for a run this afternoon; I’d better start getting in shape so I can keep up with the group!
A panoramic shot of downtown Arequipa with Chachani and El Misti Volcanoes in the background, taken from our rooftop terrace (click for full resolution)
¡Hasta luego!
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