Wednesday, April 1, 2015

We're Back!

Monday Reflections Continued....

Maddie

Yesterday was our last full day. It was bittersweet. I'm happy to go home, but I also really don't want to leave. Even though there were many goodbyes, yesterday was amazing. First we went to the school for the last time. I'm going to miss all the kindergarteners. After we went to the school, we saw how they prepared a special meal called Pachamanka. That was cool, but my favorite part of the day was probably the candle ceremony. First we said goodbye to our host families. Then we began our candle ceremony. I loved it. It was a good way to end the trip. We stood in a circle and passed around the candle. When each of us held the candle, we said what we were going to miss/ bring home from Peru. It was amazing, but really sad. This trip has been life-changing. I'm going to miss Peru so much.


Zachariah

Hello everyone. Yesterday was our last full day in Ollantaytambo and our last time seeing our host families. To celebrate our last day, we were made a special meal called a Pachamanka. The way they cooked the food was especially interesting because they had rocks on a fire for many hours. They put these rocks under, on, and around our food. Then, they buried the hot rocks in dirt. This was cool yet confusing because if you did not know what it was you would think it was a pile of dirt. This was cool because I have not seen anyone cook food by burying it in rocks and dirt. When we finally got to eat the food I was expecting it to taste okay but I was suprised at how delicious it tasted. This food was probably some of the best food I have had including the guinea pig.


Nelly

This trip has been life-changing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Yesterday was basically a mess of tears and hugs and I hated having to leave. Saying goodbye to my wonderful family here was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. This experience and the wonderful people inside and outside of our group have changed my perspective on everything. I have said this countless times, but I do not want to leave. I love having a second family here and I will never forget my brothers and sister and mother and father here. I can remember many times we were laughing so hard we couldn't breathe. Also, the language barrier slowly started to disappear after the first few days and I didn't even notice it the last few days. I loved being able to communicate with people who don't have the same culture or language as me and I became closer with them than I ever thought possible. Overall this trip is the best experience of my life and I have been happier here than ever. See you all in a couple days!

Final Thoughts...

Describe the past two weeks in one sentence...


"Coming to Peru taught me life lessons that I couldn't have learned if I didn't come on this trip." -Andersen


"An amazing experience consisting of memories, laughter, lessons, and a new perspective about the world." -Lauren


"Coming to Peru taught me to be grateful of the little things and learning about new cultures." -Cristina


"A life-changing experience that has changed my view on the world." -Max


"A life-changing experience I may never be able to experience again." -Logan


"An exclusive opportunity that will never come again." -Zachariah


"An incredible series of events that I was fortunate to experience a second time." -Ryan


"A life-changing experience that I will never forget." -Andrew


"A life-changing opportunity that changed my whole perspective." -Matthew


"The experience of a lifetime with an amazing group of people, during which I learned a lot about myself and the world." -Nelly


"The opportunity to show God's love and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ." -Gabbi


"A series of moments that will forever guide my life in a pursuit to obtain pure happiness through helping others." -McKenna


"A breathtaking place, amazing people, and extraordinary experiences that will turn into extraordinary memories." -Grace


"A beautiful experience while I tried to figure myself out." -Anna Sophia


"A rare and amazing experience that has truly changed me." -Hannah


"Peru was an amazing and life-changing experience where I made so many memories and new friends." -Maddie


"Peru was a life-changing experience where I got to share Jesus' light with others and make new friendships and memories." -Lily

Morning in America

We have arrived in Atlanta and are about to go through customs!