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.

Breakfast in Urubamba.

Urubamba, Peru – The sun seems to rise earlier here at the equator.

Wandering into the dining room at Nevo House, I am greeted by sunshine that gleams over the mountains, spilling onto the white walls and blue baseboards, warming the patterned tile floor below.

Looking out the short, narrow wooden doors toward the courtyard, idyllic pyramids of rock, brushed green, rise from the horizon in every direction. Three laminate-surfaced tables rest at the centre of the room, framed by wooden chairs, spaced around all sides to (tightly) accommodate the 20 members of our team. On the walls hang posters of popular destinations in Peru, a smattering of maps and correspondence and pictures from those who have formally lived and worked here.

At the centre of each table rests a plate with discs of bread, jam, margarine, a thermos of hot water for tea and a bowl of hard-boiled eggs. Spanish radio chirps from the kitchen and my nose dances to the aroma of lunch wafting out with the tune. Lost in the beauty of my surroundings as the sun kisses my skin, I am suddenly rousted from my reverie by an eye, peering around the corner.

Clutching a slice of tomato in one hand, year-old Danery, daughter of one of them women who works here, looks shyly, blinks and unleashes the largest smile possible, saying “dada.”

My morning is complete, and it has yet to begin.

Counting on Success.

Urubamba, Peru – With Alison leading the count of “Uno, dos, treis…cuarenta y cuatro, cuarenta y cinco…ciento cincuenta y dos,” the numbers rose, as did buckets filled with rocks.

Throughout the day, several hundred more loads of water, cement mix or clay bricks were passed, fireman style, along a line and up to the roof of the Villa Marcello school, where Team Esperanza has begun construction on a second storey – under the watchful eyes of Salbatore and the Maestro.

At various points, you may have found John or Doris swinging a pickaxe, or Larissa and Cassandra F. using a heavy iron mallet to drive a spike into the roof. In the process, they were roughing up the concrete enough to ensure the new cement floor will stick better.

Or, you may have encountered the long line of buckets being passed between Nina, Ellie, Anisha, Sam and Cassandra C., to Douglas, standing atop a school desk, and up to Jessie and Vivek, perched over the edge of the school’s roof. Sunitha created a sport for those returning the empty buckets, setting up a tire as a basketball net.

Looking down toward the school's tarmac soccer field, you may have found Jared, Mike and Deanna, perfecting the mix of cement and sand, their shovels glinting in the bright sunlight. Baking on the roof, Kelly smoothed out the mortar holding the new bricks in place.

During recess, children from all grades flooded into the courtyard and Carling and Shannon quickly recruited them into games of Frisbee, futbol and duck-duck-goose. Canadians and Peruvians alike lit up, fun activities superseding linguistic challenges. A smile is a smile anywhere.

And these smiles melted our hearts.

Younger children played games in a circle and posed for pictures holding their hands in the shape of a Western ‘W’, while girls in skirts vigorously bumped a volleyball and a spontaneous game of ASB vs. all-comers erupted on the soccer pitch. Weaving around us with ease and passing balls through our legs toward an awaiting header by a teammate, they beat us to nearly every ball – despite wearing burgundy wool sweaters and slacks in the 30-degree heat.

The whole while, the verdant mountains loomed majestically around us. It’s really no wonder Peruvians have so long tied nature to the gods. In reflection, 'Optimistic' and 'Excited' were key words describing the outlook for tomorrow. After today's complete team effort that was both tremendously fun and rewarding, it's easy to see why.

Down to the Task at Hand.

Urubamba, Peru – Building on the day’s earlier theme of the sensory smorgasbord we have been presented with, we were greeted at the city market by vegetables of all colours, and spices of all scents.

The colourful blankets people wear blended right in.

A number of team members had wandered into the community after settling in to our three homes for the coming week. What better way to learn about a culture?

We later revisited the area on a guided tour that provided us with a more comprehensive overview of Urubamba. In the process, we also visited the merchant market, a couple of churches, the plaza and some Incan ruins. While it was nice – and no doubt helpful – to see the community in which we are going to be working, the team has been particularly vocal today about its excitement for becoming engaged with our service learning partner tomorrow.

And that, of course, is the whole point of being here, isn't it?

Coming to Senses on the Road to Urubamba.

Urubamba, Peru – Having flown from Lima early this morning, we drove by bus through the mountains to Urubamba, which provided everyone with an opportunity to absorb everything that surrounded us.

And there was much to absorb: from the smells of eucalyptus and diesel to the panache of colourfully dressed women sporting a variety of top hats, bowlers and cowboy hats – set atop long black braids that hung down their backs, tied together at the waist. 

From stray dogs loping through refuse piled in the gutter and dodging rocks thrown by an impatient man, to the persistent buzz of three-wheeled motorcycle taxis, there was so much to see, to smell, to feel.

Some absorbed the multi-coloured patchwork fields nestled into valleys punctuated by the jagged teeth of the glacier-tipped Andes. (Tufts of cloud appeared to nest atop many of the peaks like whipped cream.) Others were struck by the roughly constructed clay homes topped off by steel sheeting, or by mechanics trying to repair a rusted-out truck resting on the edge of a precipice.

Passing through stunning vista after stunning vista as we rounded hairpin turns with our luggage strapped to the roof of the bus, there was never any question of our surroundings attracting rapt attention – especially given that this was many team members' first experience in the developing world. 

Though dulled, all senses remained on alert – even with bleary eyes from the extent of travel and lack of sleep we have experienced over the past two days.

Yes, it really is that incredible here.