A Pictorial Progression of the Green House

Step One: Mud with some straw mixed in

This mud is then crafted into a lot of bricks.

The mud bricks we used for the green house we made for us before we got there, but here you can see the workers fitting mud into a wooden tool (seen best near the guy on the right's foot). They do this for hours.

And here is the original site of the greenhouse, taken after the first day of work. There were already some plants growing in the middle, and we spent the majority of the day moving brick mountain near the sit of construction. We also put rocks in the trench, and made an outline for the cement with

 wooden boards (Kevin, Maria's son is sitting in between them and in a couple pictures below).

The rest of our work site

Day Two!

There was a team brick, and a team cement. Team brick continued to move bricks closer to the job site, while team cement started to make cement using pebbles, special cement powder (first picture below), water, and the machine in the below picture. The cement was going to be the strong foundation we would later put bricks on top of.

Team cement also began pouring the cement into the board skeleton we made the day before. We would pour some of the cement, throw rocks in the middle of the cement block, and then we would smooth out the top.

We also made another board mold for the one remaining side. Here is a nice action shot of Joe doing so.

Then we had a great weekend! Here is day three. Today was the day the mud pit began. We had a hose running through some dirt we had moved, and we mixed the dirt with water to make mud that we would use to fill in cracks between the mud bricks. We mixed the mud using our feet, shovels, and pick axes.

And we started laying the mud bricks! It was easy to see the results of our hard work today.

We layed the cement for the last side also.

Day 4, the mud pit got significantly smaller, but we worked really hard to make the greenhouse 8 bricks tall. It was so exciting to see our progress today!

Day 5 began with these giant trees (as Patrick Wilson put it, "the lost truffula tree"). We had to take hammers and pics and take the outer layer of bark off of them. It was a pretty fun task! These were going to be used to the structure of the roof and top of the windows.

Jamie flashes a winning smile at the trees she stripped

After that, we began to form the brick pyramid that would give structure to the roof. This part was deemed as two fragile for us to build ourselves, so we would hand the bricks up to experienced workers. This was also a rough day because we needed even more bricks, and we had to wheelbarrow 300 of them from a different site. The first brick pyramid was finished today.

Day six (Thursday) began with wheeling about 100 more bricks from a different site. The other brick pyramid was built, and the experienced Peruvians started to put up the rafters (the trees we had stripped).

Day Seven! Last day of the greenhouse! The morning started with the local women teaching us how to make ovens to cook potatoes--then, they let us try to build them! Unfortunately, I got caught up in the oven making so I didn't take pictures. Once we began working on the greenhouse, we started unrolling yellow plastic across the top. We held the plastic down as a team while a Peruvian worker would hammer wood over the plastic to keep in taut. 

And alas, we were done!! 

Cheers,

Katelyn Rowley

Macchu Pichu

I woke up to, "LAST DAY YEAH YEAHHHHH!!" ricocheting down the stairwell of our hotel...This was the end. The homestretch, 27 hours until departure to the states. Thinking of our time with Maria, so full of grace, as done and untouchable twisted my heart.

It was one of those rainy, misty mornings where there wasn't a ray of sun, the kind that of weather that made you feel like you're part of a Lemony Snicket novel and the weather has been bad for days, months, years, you've lost track.

It was about 7 in the morning, and our fuel for touring one of the wonders of the world would be a complimentary breakfast of an omelet, a piece of ham, and coco tea. Berta, our faithful tour guide who gallantly swept us through Peru, led us into the hazy fog.

We hitched a ride on our noble steed (a bus) and took the half hour winding route that thinly snaked up to the top of the mountain. The bus was completely enveloped in a cloud--we could only see about fifty feet in each direction--so whenever a view beyond the trees developed, it felt as though we were traveling higher and higher into a grey oblivion (pic below). Losing a reference point for how high we were, it felt as though we entered the lands of the Gods.

The bus dropped us off near a bathroom, a couple overpriced restaurants, a dark-wooden gateway with workers feverishly checking passports, and a hotel (the type Oprah could afford). And this was the entirety of our world--the rest was fog.

And we shuffled through the entryway. I think we were all quiet. We didn't know if letting our stomachs boil with excitement with the wonder we were about to see was appropriate or if the whole place had been swallowed by the cloud and the beauty had been lost.

Berta, our guide, took us to our first outlook--and this spot is supposed to be the chariot that oversees all of the mountain range--and it looked like this (below). She started laying down her knowledge, and we learned that the phrase Macchu Pichu had no meaning, that the Incans worshiped the sun, and that they built Macchu Pichu high in the clouds to be a sort of resting sanctuary to worship the sun.

Even though the view at the time seemed anticlimatic, the rock structures were impressive. We could see some of the famous Incan terraces wrapping around the mountain, an already impressive feat knowing that they must have been carved through an Amazonian jungle like domain (click for visual). We could see people exploring the same pathways the Incan people must have walked, except today the people walking up the paths looked like a pathway out of the board game Candyland via all of the colored ponchos (below).

But Sellvy insisted the day would clear up, and we would not leave disappointed.

Have you ever felt some sort of determination, or a visceral longing, pulsate through your ribcage...? I really wanted the showers to pass. And slowly...ever so slowly...

The paradise in the clouds slowly revealed itself to us. Something about the llamas (or alpacas?) grazing in the fertile, healthy grass and the perfect terraces that delicately carved the earth made it feel like such an escape, a sort of bliss in the most unexpected place.

On a quick side note, Berta, our knowledgeable guide through the back alleys of Peru, grew up in the mountains, and she saw a llama being sacrificed when she was very young. I will probably never be able to understand what seeing that meant to her, or to her people, but I was happy she felt comfortable enough to share an insight to her culture.

We continued to wander through the sanctuary of the Incans, seeing things like tombs, their homes (the stone base with a straw top), and old sewage systems, all while the clouds decided we were becoming more and more worthy of seeing the beauty surrounding us. Maybe it was a good thing the clouds receded slowly--let me explain.

Think of someone you love, and looking at them after a liaison. They are golden, perfect, and the overwhelming emotion in your chest ascents to your smile. But, if you saw them a little at a time, you could have time to appreciate everything-- the mole on the side of their face, the curve of their body, the depth of their eyes--and they are infinite. Witnessing the golden pieces of them unify allows you to have time to treasure everything about them.

And as the entire structure had so much beauty with the mountains, the terraces, the structures, and the great people around me--Macchu Pichu was infinite too. And I'm thankful the clouds let us focus on little pieces before admiring the bigger picture.

This is actually the view from the overlook that was foggy earlier in the day

 

And since the clouds cleared, we could climb Wayna Picchu! A mountain at an altitude of 2693 meters (8835 feet) above sea level (compare that to an 838 feet right now in Ann Arbor in my apartment)...this is Wayna Picchu below!

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And so the climb began! I'll do you a favor and leave how much I sweat as I trekked up the mountain. It was a rough climb in the thinning air, but we climbed and climbed...

And it was worth the pain! The mountain's peak we climbed to was only jagged rock, and we were rewarded with a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountain range, with Macchu Pichu casually resting on the mountain in front of us (below).

If the hike up was like trying to pass a calculus test blindfolded with a pen as a writing utensil, then walking back down was like drinking a juice box. But after the climb, it was maybe three in the afternoon. Most of us were starving and thirsty, and the energy from the omelet had faded at about 9AM.

Worth it.

We left the mountain sanctuary and went out for Jamie and Leif's birthdays--Sellvy arranged for some pizzas for us along with cheesecake for dessert.

And we did a little last minute shopping (aka I bought chocolate for the train ride), and departed. During the journey home, I witnessed the end product of an evolution. We began the trip, all of us getting to know each other with questions like, "What is your favorite Disney movie?" (Mulan obviously) and "Do you have any siblings?" On the way back to our homebase (about a 4.5-5 hour trip by train and bus) our questions had grown to, "What are the two or three things in your life that are most important to you?" and "Could you date someone with a different religion from you or your family?" We answered each other with uninhibited honesty, and I think this goes to show how much we matured as a community.

I am thankful to be a part of EGL. I am thankful I was challenged by all of the fellow EGLs to push my body for six hours a day. I am thankful to have seen something purely wonderful. I am thankful to Sellvy, Maria, Angelica, and Ramiro....I am so thankful, and I won't forget this day.

"I know already that I will return to this day whenever I want to. I can bid it alive. Preserve it. There is a still point where the present, the now, winds around itself, and nothing is tangled. The river is not where it begins or ends, but right in the middle point, anchored by what has happened and what is to arrive...There is no way to find a word to fit around this feeling. Words resist it. Words give it a pattern it does not own. Words put in time. They freeze what cannot be stopped."         -Let the Great World Spin

I'll miss my time in South America...and even wringing out my heart wouldn't be able to make words for how happy I am to have gotten this chance.


Best,

Katelyn Rowley
Junior in Biomedical Engineering

The Final Days (PERU)

Hello Blog Followers!


My name is Nikhil Patel, and in a couple days I will be starting my grad year at Michigan!
EGL finally returned to the USA last Tuesday after a riveting Volunteer Abroad Experience in Peru. The last week of the of the trip consisted of completing the greenhouse with the final mud-bricks and roof frame, a breath-taking experience at Macchu Picchu, a soccer game against the local Peruvians in the mountains, and a rewarding time teaching children about hygiene, sports, and education. 

The greenhouse was completed with the help of worker's from Peru's Challenge, and as some of us laid the final mud-bricks for the roof, a separate group lifted logs from the top of a hills down to the work site. These logs were used to create a roof frame that was used to hold transparent plastic of the greenhouse in place. As the house got closer to being finished members or the community joined us and helped us make the last push! Once it was completed, all of the mothers including Maria (for whom we were building the greenhouse for) expressed there tremendous gratitude for our group's work. Following tradition, the mothers adorned us with flowers they grew, large and colorful string necklaces, and confetti they called pica pica. Vicki, Gina, and I were also invited to break a bottle of champagne as a groundbreaking ceremony of sorts. 

The day before the house was completed, the local Peruvians who worked with Peru's Challenge challenged EGL to a soccer grudge match. Its no secret that soccer in South America, is equivalent to football in the United States.  The game was first team to 8 points. Let's say it was Team Peru vs. Team EGL. Team Peru eventually got to a 6-4 lead; however, Team EGL roared back and scored four consecutive goals to win the match! Simply running in such a high altitude proved to be a very humbling experience. The MVP of the game was probably Vicki, who scored two goals: one of which should have made SportsCenter's Top 10. 

On our final weekend we began our journey to Macchu Picchu, one of the original seven wonders of the world! A city hidden by clouds, proved to be a majestic, and awe-inspiring experience.  Be on the look out for more blog posts from other EGLs about their experience at Macchu Piccu!

Personally, the most valuable learning I acquired is the understanding of the importance of exceptional education geared toward the development of children's ambition and opportunity. Never before had I realized the value of a teacher like the way I did in Peru when I saw children blossoming in a community without internet or clean water. 

My First Experience Abroad (PERU) - Patrick Wilson

Hello Blog Readers! My name is Patrick Wilson and I am a Junior at Umich who had the privilege of joining 19 other EGLs on this  volunteer abroad trip to Peru. Im getting charged a wopping 1.5 soles/hour to use this internet (about 60 cents) so I will try to be brief.

This trip was the first time that I had left the country so I was feeling pretty nervous prior to departure. Upon arriving at the Detroit airport I was happy to see some of my EGL friends for the first time all summer. About 12 of us flew from DTW to MIA before catching our final leg to Lima. We filled the down time with several rousing games of Euchre (This has become the house card game). I was super excited for the flight to Lima since I had heard that international flights came with these mythical personal movie screens where you could pick any movie that you wanted to watch. But alas, this was not so. The people on our flight were fairly diverse with all the flight instructions being rattled off in both english and spanish.

Upon arriving in Lima and rendezvousing at the McDonalds (classic americanos) it began to hit me that I was no longer in the great US of A. I was starving so I trundled over to the local Dunkin Donuts and had my first Spanish language interaction. It went fairly well except for some guy yelling at me to go behind him in line even though I was there a good 5 minutes before he was (Joe McCormick can testify). From Lima we all hitched a flight to Cusco and thats where the first Peru Blog post picks up. I will just talk about a few brief fun things about our trip.

1. I was chased by a gallivanting Lama 

Our living quarters (a beautiful house with a fantastic staff) is connected to some sort of  animal pen. One day, we were tossing the Frisbee and I figured I would try my hand at the hallowed backhanded toss that I saw several lads doing. The attempt went horribly awry and the disk sailed into this unknown land. I scampered back into the pen to retrieve the toss and found myself face to face with the most majestic creature I have had the privilege of laying eyes on up to this point in life. Standing proud as a brilliant white sentinel, I gazed upon a powerful yet friendly looking white lama (click here for a look). For several seconds, we stared intently into each others eyes and for a brief moment, I felt truly free. Then the Lama, which we shall call Brunhilda for the sake of this story, began to approach. Slowly at first and then breaking into a brisk trot. By the time he had reached a full blown gallop, I had turned and was fleeing to the pen door. Brunhilda was breathing down my neck and had reached a speed I can only compare to a Seabiscuit or comparable racehorse. Fortunately, I survived, but continue to suffer lama related nicknames and jokes from the group to this day.

2. I acquired a fun debilitation known as altitude sickness

This one is pretty straight forward. Our first day on sight, I was going HAM on moving adobe mud bricks until I began to feel sick around the lunch hour. Next thing you know, I found myself in a van home where I proceeded to the sleep for the next 8ish hours, took a 1 hour bread chewing session, and then slept the remainder of the night. I felt like a dweeb for having to leave the camp on the first day as it felt like I was skipping out on work but it had to be done and I am glad it is all over. Several other kids have been having sicknesses throughout the trip including one of my roommates but everyone seems to be able to recover in due time. Also, as of today we are done with all of the lower level of our greenhouse, we only need to add support and the roof blocks / roof.

3. It is VERY HARD TO BREATH AT 11000-12000 feet of elevation

Seriously, I am sitting in an internet cafe right now dreading the 10 min uphill walk home. I am not sure if this is something that you get used to over time but it is brutal. All of our guides have allowed us to take breaks when needed which is much appreciated.

Although the tone of this post has been primarily comedic in nature, this trip has already made a big impact on my life. From the way I view the world, to what things are truly important, my experiences here have opened my eyes on several fronts. The fact that we are doing this work for such a worthy cause (helping Maria´s family after everything they have been through) makes the work so enjoyable. I have always thought that I want to make a positive difference in this world and I am thrilled that I have been able to do that thus far through this volunteer abroad experience. I have made a bunch of new great friends and look forward to every remaining day of this trip.

Thanks for reading! See you all soon in A2!
#gaspedal


And here is a picture of our greenhouse so far!

White Water Rafting

On August 18th, fourteen people out of our group went white water rafting.  We left very early in the morning and took a van to the river, which was about 1.5 hours away.  The workers at the rafting company had two large St. Bernard dogs-like big Teddy Bears!  We first put on wet suits, wet jackets, life jackets, and helmets.  Then we drove upstream to the start of the river.  I was in the only raft with 5 people, including our guide. I was a little bit nervous since I´d never been rafting before.  Our guide was very fun from the start.  We made a team name (Cusquena-a Peruvian beer) and would throw our paddles in the water and bump our helmets together yelling our team name.  We were quickly soaked from the water and Joe McCormick almost fell out of the raft towards the beginning.  Sometimes our guide would have us ´´surf´´, where we would paddle hard up a waterfall and then all lean towards the front of the boat, getting sprayed.  Our guide instructed us in Spanish when saying ´forward´ and ´backward´ and ´stop´.  The view was breathtaking while paddling the river surrounded by gorgeous mountains.  Our raft definitely laughed a lot, and I eventually was brave enough to go to the front of the raft-where you had the largest chance of falling out. 

After we rafted, we went in a sauna-very warm after being out on the cold water!  It was a tight squeeze to fit all of us.   Then we changed from our bathing suits into our clothes.  We then went zip-lining across the river.  I didn´t actually go because I´m afraid of heights.  I took pictures of everyone zip-lining across the river and some people were crazy and put their feet up on the rope. 

The rafting company provided us a yummy dinner with quinoa soup, chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans.  After that, we headed home and slept on the way back.  Rafting has been my favorite part of the trip so far!  I hope to come back to Peru someday and participate in the 3 day rafting trip our guide told us about.

-Christine Zugaro

Paragliding

Paragliding, also known as running off a cliff with a myriad of different materials combined into one, was one wild ride for the six most brave members of the EGL crew.  It all began once upon an early time when only the dogs were barking aimlessly and the alpacas were gnawing at the grass.  The time was roughly 5:30 in the morning when the gang first regrouped for the time of their lives.  Breakfast at 6:00 was the next order of business.  Without question, a few of us pondered the idea of this being our last breakfast we would ever experience, but alas continue your reading - no bad news will be reported in this story.

Once the food was scarfed down and the nerves were beginning to fire up, the most courageous group of men and women within EGL embarked on an epic journey via the one and only van, which we picked up at the Universidad Andina.  Leaving the bounds of the main streets of Cusco, the driver, aptly-named Edwin, lead us through the endlessly congested avenues of the big city.  Along the way, many seamingly-random members of the Peruvian society jumped in for a ride.  It turns out these civilians were the men and women with whome we'd be floating through the skies. 

With a van full of thirteen human bodies, we commenced to scaling the winding roads, taking us to our final destination upon a hill scattered with several radio towers.  The ride up was both smooth and rough, jumping from paved roads to solely dirt tracks many times.  The van's transmission took a toll, but the six of us with our new amigos settled in at the top of the mountain.  Here's where the fun starts.

After peaking over the edge of the pseudo-mountain, snapping a few photo gems, and being debriefed by our leading extreme sports guide Patrick, we were ready to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event.  Trevor was up first for apparently no reason in particular - maybe he was the bravest of the six(?).  Strapped in his gear with Elvis, another extreme sports enthusiast and expert, the two men sprinted off the cliff, parachute beginning to rise.  The breeze was light, but the wind gusts were present.  Almost immediately, Elvis and Trevor feverishly elevated to the empty skies.  Handling the wind turbulence like a pro, Elvis guided Trevor on a twenty-five minute ride of pure bliss.  Trevor was fortunate enough to video nearly all of the flight, obviously to share the experience with his loved ones.  Oddly enough, the landing was up there on the list of "most exhilirating happenings of paragliding."  Why, you ask?  Well, the landing was right in the middle of a field full of lambs, sheep, goats, and horses.  Don't you fear, though, because not one animal was injured in the making of the paragliding experience.

After seeing Trevor perfectly dismount from the cliff, Ryan decided to make things a little more interesting with her takeoff.  After running for a little bit, she opted to faceplant right before the edge of the cliff, doing everything in her power to not do what the instructors advised.  Although her run off the cliff wasn't much of a run at all, her guide fixed the problema, and they were then off to explore the skies like no one could have expected.  Up for roughly twenty minutes also, Ryan overcame her fear of heights and enjoyed every bit of the glide.

After failing to jump off the cliff after Trevor, Jamie regrouped himself and went after Ryan instead.  There were no issues with his takeoff, and his flight was definitely a good one.  He managed to some pictures of his day in the skies.  With a camera of his caliber, it was a bold move to risk losing his expensive equipment.

On deck was the one and only Kelly.  After running like Usain Bolt off of the cliff, Kelly and his instructor immediately soared the skies and rised to heights no other paraglider reached that day.  The expected height of flight was 1,000 meters - Kelly easily reached 2,000 meters.  Consequently, his flight was the longest, standing at roughly 30 minutes.  Without a doubt, Kelly had the best ride of the evening.

Next, Leif took flight.  After leaving the cliffside, Leif immediately muttered the word "alright."  It was an adequate word; however, "thrilling" or "I'm going to die" may have been more suitable.  Throughout his glide through the breezy Peruvian air, Leif could be heard letting out shrieks of excitement and enjoyment.  He landed in the fields full of farm animals with a priceless smile glazed on his beautiful face since he was able to get on video his meeting with the hallowed farmland.

The last member of Team Paragliding to explore the skies was Andrew.  After taking several videos of others running off the cliff, it was his turn to paraglide.  Without an issue, he dismounted the hill with his instructor tightly strapped to his back.  Although he didn't reach the altitude of that of Kelly, Andrew soared for a good twenty minutes, weaving back and forth through the empty sky.  He was rather nervous before his ride, but after there was no ounce of nerves in the man's body.

Alas, all six members took their turns floating through the air, and all six members enjoyed every ounce of it.  Many a times, Team Paragliding noted that rafting was the worse choice of the two options.  Whether there is any truth in that idea is up to the reader to decide.

The ride back to homebase was a long one, involving dropping off several of the Peruvian passengers and forking over some cash as expected.  Finally, the group reached the Santa Maria house all in one piece, brimming with an amazing story to tell everyone.  In all honesty, it was an utterly mind-blowing experience for each member, and each member can only wait to tell his or her grandchildren about it.  I mean, let's be honest, how many people can say that they've been paragliding in Peru?  Not many.
 

First Days in Peru

Hello from our primary bloggers, Katelyn and Andrew. We will be trying to post updates from the Peru VA trip every couple of days, however, we do not have access to Internet in our house so there may be some delay. We will also have several guest bloggers throughout the trip to share some of their reactions and experiences as well.

Greetings from Peru! After a few long flights we arrived in Cusco on Tuesday morning without any major issues with airlines. Upon arrival in Cusco we were met by one of the founders of Peru´s Challenge (the organization we are working with), Selvy. After a short 15 minute drive we arrived at the house we are staying at, in the mountains. The first day was fairly relaxing as we took time to get acclimated to the altitude and weather.

On day 2 we went to visit the community we will be volunteering in, Pumamarca. Selvy showed us some of the work that Peru´s Challenge had done in the community over the past six years. One of the major projects we saw was the school which they had helped build and operate. Many of the school buildings were painted maize and blue (coincidence, I think not). We had an opportunity to meet some of the classrooms, including 9 first graders who read us stories and sang us a traditional song from their community. Because our visit coincided with recess, we had a chance to play soccer with some of the kids.

After we left the school, Selvy went to show us the construction project we would be working on. For the project we will be building a greenhouse for a lady named Maria Flores, whom we had a chance to meet. Maria has struggled with health issues while working hard to raise her 3 children after the tragic death of her husband. The community identified her as someone they wanted to help so that she could use the greenhouse to earn an additional income for medication and sending her kids to school.

Maria and Selvy then led us to the site of the new greenhouse where we were welcomed by other mothers from the community with beautiful boquets of flowers, colorful necklaces, and confetti. They showed us the current greenhouse as well as some of the construction methods we would be using, including mixing mud with grass to make mud bricks (called adobe).

Later that afternoon we went on a visit to the actual city of Cusco and some other areas. One of the intersting sites we saw was an Incan archaeological site. Selvy also informed us that the Inca was actually the name referring to the king, rather than the entire people, which are called Quechua.

Day 3 was the first day of construction. We arrived at the site in the morning and immediately started moving bricks to the construction site. Each brick weighed 15-20 pounds and we moved several hundred by hand and wheelbarrow. We also worked on creating a foundation for the building and arranged materials for cement formation. After working for 6 hours we eventually made our way home to relax for the rest of the day and prepare for tomorrow.

We will have additional reactions and experiences later this week and will attempt to share some pictures as well, however, as we are writing from an Internet cafe, we are unsure that this will be possible.