Sunday, July 18, 2010

Day Seven

Gia Kim and Molly Lyons
July 18, 2010

Yesterday was a day of adventure for the Groton group as we traveled up the valley to Patacancha where the Awamaki Weaving Center is located. Those who live in Patacancha are direct descendents of the Incan nobility, and most are only able to speak Quechua, the indigenious pre-Columbian language. After a 40 minute bus ride to the village, we enjoyed a new cultural experience with the women there who are able to create some amazing and beautiful woven pieces. We all learned about the process of weaving, and many students bought presents for family members back home. Despite the rain and cold, our two host-brothers, Alex and Luis accompanied us, hoping to bond with the Groton group. After everyone got on the bus to leave, Craig, Lilah, Nancy and Molly ran the eleven miles home through the beautiful scenery. Craig helped Lilah complete her 14 mile run, as she is training for the New York marathon in November. Molly and Nancy had a great time chatting and taking in the landscape as they made their way down. Once back from Patacancha most of the group made their way to the local soccer stadium and enjoyed a fun pick up game with some locals. Later that night everyone feasted on wonderful food from their host families and fell fast asleep, preparing to work the next day.
Although quite chilly when we woke up, we arrived in Anco Pacha and the sun shone brightly. Today, we are hoping to finish the beautiful mural next to the school and begin our work on the bus stop. We are also hoping to finish painting the borders on the station houses and finish most of the fence around the schoolyard. Once again, Luis and Alex joined us to help our progress on the work site. We are eager to get back to work, so we will blog more later!

1 comment:

  1. It is great to read all of your blog posts! We love hearing the news. It sounds like you all are having an incredible time. We can't wait to see all of the pictures and hear even more stories! Love to Molly from Mom, Dad and Geo (he is having his other knee operated on on Tues :()

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