This post features student writing.

On Thursday morning, we all ate bread, chicken, tomato and avocado for breakfast. After that, we split up to do service work which included carrying sandbags for construction, painting murals for the villagers’ houses and transporting fertilizer to the greenhouses. Before lunch, we broke into small groups to teach basic English to the children of Qenqo. Most of the kids were very eager to learn, and the experience was very rewarding. For lunch we had pea soup and delicious fried rice. We then had the opportunity to play a 3 hour long soccer game with the villagers. This was a great time to get to know the people in the community. Even the president of Qenqo joined and his team lost 9-11. Exhausted and ready for a good night sleep, we had pasta with meat sauce and peaches for dessert.

On Friday morning, we had bread and eggs with a chocolate drink. Splitting into groups again, kids transported fertilizer and carried wood. The third group was able to paint the president’s house, which consisted of many rooms. We painted the names of the people in his family and drew sacred areas of Peru on the walls. To paint the walls, we used handfuls of sheep wool to paint, which was made out of clay found in the village. After a nice hour of rest, we ate chicken and yucca soup, followed by a plate of rice with beans and vegetables. The villagers then showcased their merchandise.

~Kayla and Jack A.