A Turn for the Worse.

Urubamba, Peru – What had otherwise been a great day suddenly took a turn for the worse for me this afternoon – literally.

Playing an impromptu game of futbol, I rolled my ankle, which left me writhing in pain as blood seeped from my hands and knees. Suddenly, the ‘glory’ of an earlier goal became insignificant as I wondered how I could continue to help the team on its last day of construction tomorrow, and hike Machu Picchu the next.

The morning began wonderfully, with the students performing a dress rehearsal of a historical play that teaches about poverty and terrorism in Peru. It was a pretty special experience, not to mention cute; however, watching nine-year-olds wearing yellow masks fall to the ground shaking their legs as though they were being shot was mildly disturbing – despite the historical accuracy.

All in all, it was an inspiring way to begin the day: after watching them, how could you not want to work on their school? And work we did, carrying more than 1,500 pounds of cement in 100-pound bags across the lawn and up to the roof. At 2,800 metres above sea level, it is easy to become winded.

Carrying, mixing and pouring left us covered in dust, which trailed us like puffs of smoke everytime we moved. Grey globs of dried cement clung to our legs. But, we finished one of the classroom floors and felt a tremendous accomplishment at what we had achieved in a few short days. One more day to go for Team Esperanza to leave its mark.

At the end of the day, we handed out donations we had brought for the students and walked many of them home, ambling hand-in-hand as we scattered throughout the village. Dogs and bulls pushed by, and citizens watched with curiosity. Common themes emerged from a number of these experiences, including the hospitality and graciousness of the children’s families, their desire to point out local plants and animals, and to ask questions about us.

Naturally, linguistic differences presented a few challenges, but the act of being together spoke more words than any of us could. Eagerly gathering back at Villa Marcelo as the sun set over the hills, we absorbed the warmth of another day full of experience.