All 7 of our Spanish Immersion high school students are settling in to their day to day life in Ollanta.  After an early morning wakeup on Tuesday, we headed to the airport for a brief but breathtaking flight to Cusco.  We stumbled out of the plane in a state somewhere between sleeping and awake and took our first deep (ok, maybe rapid and shallow) breaths of the air at over 12,000 ft.   We hopped in a mini van in slightly cramped quarters and began our drive to the Sacred Valley.  We stopped for a photo op that can be seen on the STRIVE facebook page and descended into the valley.

After a 1 PM arrival to the main square in Ollanta we were immediately greeted by the staff at Awamaki and hugs, kisses and smiles from the host mothers where we would be spending our week.  It was a very warm welcome and everyone was quickly hustled off to their individual homes for a homemade Peruvian lunch.   We met back up after lunch for an orientation and everyone headed home for dinner and an early bed time.

Each of the homestays has their own unique quirks and benefits and the students have enjoyed figuring out life with a Peruvian family.  Bruce and Aaron are staying with a retired chef who prepares 5 course meals and feeds them more than their bellies can hold.  Caroline and Sophia have a 2 month old puppy to play with as well as a cage of guinea pigs to keep their attention…and possibly to eat???? Rachel and Isabela have their own little cottage that seems able to retain some warm air (which is a hard thing to find up here in the mountains) and Amelia and Laurel enjoy soaking up the rays of sunshine on their second level patio.   Most of us are learning that hot water is a luxury that we take for granted as lukewarm showers have become the norm for most of us!

The whole group has settled into their schedules and seems to be adjusting well to the altitude.  A typical day starts with breakfast around 8:15 or so, pickup for Spanish classes, class from 9:00-12:00, a break for lunch at home, class from 2:00-4:00, an afternoon run and wandering around the city (we may have bought out the chocolate store of chocolate yesterday) and back homes around 6:30 for dinner and bedtime.

Updates will continue to come so stay tuned to the blog and facebook page for news!