We’ve been seriously lagging behind in our blogging responsibilities. And for that, I (we) apologize. This lag is in no way owing to a dearth of happenings, stories and advancements. In fact, the relationship has been an inverse one: the busier we are at the dormitory, the less productive we...
So, clearly there’s been quite a lull in our postings, and what’s more, at a time in which so much has transpired. I won’t attempt to recap the last two months. Truly it would be impossible. That, and I was inconveniently absent for most of it. My summer constituted navigating a...
In briefing, the inauguration was a success. Our six families arrived early in the morning to help prepare the inaugural feast and to get their daughters situated for their first daunting evening in the dormitory. Throughout the morning, mothers busied themselves gutting the cuyes and cleaning the house, fathers readied the...
Primera minca Faena, as it is know in the Sacred Valley, has no direct translation to English. It comes from the rich Incan tradition of communal labor. Schools, rural communities, community associations all require faenas. These faenas are used to improve water supplies, maintain communal land and build community buildings. On...
In Ollanta on a dismal and sodden morning. Today marks the third day of March and consequently the first day of school in Ollantaytambo. The rains continue and the newspaper reports ‘Otra Tragedia’ as the Quesermayo River inundates the Pisac region leaving seven dead in Taray and hundreds more without...
Yesterday Alex and I spent the afternoon playing pick up soccer with a group of guys who get together most days. It felt good to have an afternoon off from working on the dormitory, but it also felt productive. A big part of working in a town like...
Now that we had secured a place for the dorm, we shifted our focus to community outreach and student selection. During this process we suffered our first missteps and learned some tough lessons. Our plan was to spread the word to three of the most distant and impoverished communities in...
