Real work begins

Chanel speaking, it’s my turn for a go at the blog. Today we finally got to work at Manco Inca, one of the elementary schools here where some of our siblings attend. We started by moving desks and chairs out of the way of the new soccer field that will soon be constructed. Then, we played with the kids for recess. Melissa’s little sister and some of her friends played with us. Recess was long, but was fun and reminiscent of childhood games. We played a riveting game of volleyball, followed by a thrilling game of dodge ball. After the kids returned to class, we went back to remove rocks from the future field. The work was tiresome, but rewarding when we looked at the huge pile of rocks that had accumulated. Then it was off to a quick lunch so we could reunite for soccer at 2:15. The game was a one-to-one tie, keeping with Mr. Pomeroy’s philosophy that “There are no losers.” We returned to El Tambo at 4 to attend our final Quechua class. We concluded by learning parts of the body, colors, shapes, numbers, and days of the week. Mr. Pomeroy also enlightened us with an interesting tidbit about Quechua; in one scene of Star Wars the characters speak in Quechua, which fit the need for a rare language without having to make one up. At 5:15 our busy day concluded with Peruvian Jeopardy by none other than...Mr. Pomeroy! We were split into teams, but the competition did not end at answering questions. After each question the team had to compete in a challenge in order to win a point. The challenges included things like catching marshmallows in your mouth, trying to make someone laugh, and an Inca Kola drinking challenge. I participated in a rap battle about Francisco Pizarro, which I lost, but ultimately my team won. I’m tired and slightly sick, but am excited for the trip to continue. Tomorrow is my little sister’s birthday, so shout out to Kusci for a happy 10^th birthday!