The Final Day

July 4, 2013

Ciao, people at home, this is the last blog post brought to you by William. I was given the task to wrap up the trip and I’m scared it will not be easy. Peru has been an amazing and enlightening experience that I can already look back on and say I have no regrets. From seeing what it is like to live in a village with homestay families, to enjoying amazing Incan ruins such as Machu Picchu, this trip has been everything I had hoped for. Yes, there were obstacles to endure, but in retrospect, I think it made it all more worthwhile. During our trip, we were challenged with an 18-mile hike, the crazy Andean altitude, and a few other minute things that didn’t go quite as expected. We all learned to “roll with the punches” that the craziness of Peru can bring. Along with the challenges, there were many great moments that every one of us enjoyed. My most memorable was after a hard day of working on the kitchen at the school, we were all on our way back home and two kindergarteners, one boy and one girl, came running up behind me and grabbed my hands. As I walked them home, I saw one of the trains on its way to Machu Picchu pass by about 5 yards away from us and the thought hit me about how lucky we were to have our experience. Anybody is able to go to Peru and see all of the great sights it has to offer, but we had a chance to see first hand what it is like to live in the situation that these people are living in, but it is not only that. We got to see the love that all of these people have for each other and the happiness they share, even with how much less they have—all while making an impact on the community that will last many generations to come. It truly was an amazing experience to which every person in our group contributed, and for that, I say thank you to all of the parents for allowing us niños to come on this trip. Lastly, Mr. K and Mrs. Wallace would like to remind you all that our flight is American Airlines number 1360 arriving in Nashville at 4:45am on Saturday, July 6. Can’t wait see you all and happy Independence Day! –William