Two for Tuesday

We have the benefit of two perspectives today!

Hola Amigos!

My name is Tyler Sar - aka Tito to my Peruvian friends - and today was quite a wonderful day full of awesomeness. So, my day started out at 7:30 with a savory omelet with cheese and a nice heaping helping of Peruvian bread. Following that, I ventured through the colorful streets of Ollantaytambo to El Tambo, Groton's meeting place (Tambo literally means safe place).

When we all finally arrived in our safe haven, our day full of awesomeness officially began. Poncho, our main man who collaborated with Mr. Das to organize the entire trip, and his esposa were waiting for us at the safe haven to help us make baskets. In order to get the reeds needed to make the baskets, Poncho had to hike up a mountain for two hours, then spend two hours picking out the cream of the reed crop (to ensure they would make the best baskets), and two more hours to return.

Some enjoyed the intricate craft work and concentration needed to weave the sturdy reeds into a basket and found solace in the comforting meditation the process provided. Some screamed in agony as reed after reed broke and tangled in a mess of sticks. I was part of the latter group, in pain from my lack of aptitude in the business of baskets. However, after several hours of hair pulling, screaming, stomping around like a rhinoceros, I finally finished the basket; or rather, Poncho and his wife finished it while I stood in awe at their basket-making skills.

Following that, each of us parted ways to eat hearty lunches at our homestays. After lunch, we engaged in a good old fashioned soccer game in a concrete stadium. While playing, my heavy lunch consisting of chicken and spaghetti soup and trout weighed my belly down, making running almost an impossibility. I still managed to score on poor Iftikar several times. Nonetheless, we lost. Sadness.

After the game, our group congregated back at the safe haven for Quechua classes. The room filled with laughter as we butchered pronunciations and, at the end of the lesson, sang raucous Quechua songs about fish and spiders. Then the leaders of the day (Tyler and Jae-Hee) started off a shortened version of ANCHOR - AHL (Announcements, Highs, Lows). It must have been a pretty great day, because almost nobody had a Low to share, except for Nailah, whose low was that she cut her hand (not badly, just a scrape). Sadness.

Tito

Iftikhar and Field:

I hope this message finds you well in your homes this evening. Today was another action packed day down here in the mountainous Andes. Our main events were basket weaving, a traditional Groton School soccer throw-down, and Quechua classes. Basket weaving was difficult for some but was rewarding for all. Many failed to finish in the time allotted except for the three basket weaving naturals Wells ‘16, Stefano ’16 and Feild ’17. The process of weaving baskets is an ancient one that has been passed down through the generation of Poncho’s family. He and his wife patiently put up with us as we struggled to complete the simple task. Thankfully, at the end of the day everyone now has a basket to bring home to their families. The second event of the day was a pickup Groton soccer match- pitting those dressed in darker colors against those in lighter. The final score is unclear (as Mr. Pomeroy always says, “Hey! There are no losers.”) so everyone is a winner. One highlight from the game was Mr. Pomeroy’s courageous display of soccer prowess as he galloped down the pitch losing not only the ball but also his pants. The day was wrapped up in a Quechua lesson for the ages- the type ballads are written about-increasing not only knowledge but also our understanding of the language. We realize we can’t learn the entire language so we focused on some basic phraseology and have found great success in doing so. Tomorrow promises the start of the trip’s community engagement programs. As we all switch our focus from engaging just one family of Ollantytambo to engaging the community as a whole. SEE YUH LATER!!!