When an acquaintance of only two days invites you to their wedding, you always say yes. The question came up as Anita (a classmate) and I were busy spreading natural yellow paint over the wall of our host dad’s new adobe brick house. “Of......Read More
Parque la papa received us full of colors, rose petals and music. We learned about the culture through some workshops on weaving, planting, natural construction, medicinal plants, and Quechua. But moreover, we learned by visiting families during the......Read More
Hello Friends and Family, Los saludamos del Valle Sagrado de Los Incas! Ever since landing in Cusco on the 1st of September we have been exploring the valley. First during our orientation, then in Potato Park or Parque de la Papa, and now in......Read More
When I was young, home was the little apartment crowded by my parents, my grandparents and I, where the specific arrangement of furnitures, the smell of old books, and unique voices of family members made up the picture of “home” in my younger......Read More
I have walked foreign cities before, but this one feels different. On a family trip to Paris I tried walking slowly, savoring every smell and every street vendor. I tried walking fast and with a purpose, relieved to be going somewhere and to have a......Read More
Often, when we’re far away from our loved ones, we say “Don’t worry, we’re underneath the same moon.” The stars, the moon, they all shine the same no matter how far apart we are, no matter the time difference—or so we say. These are......Read More
Today, the Wera Cocha group explored the city of Urubamba. We exercised our limited Spanish in the local market, chatted with locals in the central plaza, and snacked on treats from a cafe. After asking tons of local citizens, we finally made our......Read More
Hola todos! Our group is currently in an internet cafe called Tin@jani near la plaza de pintacha in Urubamba. We´ve explored the market, talked to a ton of locals, eaten some delicious vegan and gluten free food, and taken a great group photo (not......Read More
After splitting up the Civic Semester group into three units, our group (Chiamaka, Claire, Jason, and Waideen) headed off to have a delicious lunch in the growing town of Urubamba, the place we will call home for the next three months. Succeeding......Read More
¡Buenos días! Yesterday our morning started bright and early, heading out of Casita Huarán at around 8am. Our lovely friend Jesus drove us to the trail head where we started our journey to Cancha Cancha. The way up took us about three hours, and......Read More
10,500 feet. That’s the rough difference between the elevation of my hometown in Florida compared to the town of Cancha Cancha, a place in Peru that I had the pleasure of visiting recently; after making the three hour trek I, along with the rest......Read More
I have always had a fascination for stars. My dad, the very person who brought me into the early business of watching stars, owns a small telescope that he uses weekly till this day. Living in a compound full of apartments and not many gardens, my......Read More
Buenos días dear families and friends. After almost a week at Casita Huaran, our orientation place where we had days full of reflection and learning, we are about to embark on a new adventure. We are heading to Paru Paru, a beautiful place at 4,000......Read More
Hello friends and family! We are here in Huarán, a beautiful Andean town just 30 minutes east of Urubamba. Here we are getting to know each of the students in the group, the instructors, and our surroundings. There is a river that reassures us as......Read More
On the first night, we arrived at Casita Huaran. Monica, Teto, Raquel and Tania led us in a group meditation, reflecting on the long-awaited process of getting here (applications, classes, orientation, travel). When we opened our eyes, we saw our......Read More
Everyone has landed in Cusco!!! After months of preparation, we are finally all together and ready to begin our experience here in Peru. We now have a 50 minutes drive to Huaran, our orientation site. We will be there for about a week, acclimatizing......Read More
