Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Dear GLA Peru: STEM Water Conservation Internship parents,
Hello! Everyone arrived today- yay! We are awaiting one last arrival tomorrow and the group will be complete.
We got settled into our beautiful homebase in the Sacred Valley, in Pisac, and explored the town some. We will be busy over the next days with orientation, visiting the village we will be building a dam at, visiting the archaeological Incan water systems- and then starting work!
Over the next weeks we will be doing the beautiful Lares Trek, rafting the Vilcanota river, visit Machu Picchu, the Maras salt mines, have a 2 day homestay in a traditional community, and dig in to the engineering and environmental issues of building a reservoir for a mountain village. All while actually building a reservoir in a mountain village 🙂 And much more- local cooking class, guest speakers, more exploring, a dance class and more.
An exciting schedule!
Student leaders of the day will be writing a blog post every one to two days to keep you updated about all the great things they have been up to. Our schedule is packed so besides the blog we won’t be on our phones very often. We truly hope the students enjoy a break from their phones and fully immerse themselves into the life and culture of Peru.
We have 5 staff directly with the students, plus the support of our homebase staff for cooking and cleaning, and of course the 24/7 support of the headquarters staff.
We look forward to a great program. Keep your eyes open for the first student blog!
Best,
Clint, Hector, Stephanie (Tef), Alexa, and Kara
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Today was a busy day – we had a program orientation in the morning with some games, and then off to visit our service site at Santo Domingo (Ayallacta in Quechua). We stopped at the nearby lake first for a delicious lunch. Then at the service site we had a really nice greeting from the local townspeople and the town council and President where they gave us handmade alpaca wool traditional scarves.
After the greeting we had a hard hat ceremony, where we learned about all the meanings of the different colored hats on a project site – engineers wear white, safety people wear red, workers wear orange etc – and then each of us formally received our hat for the whole project.
We then walked to the site where the dam and reservoir will be. We learned about why the water is really needed in the dry season here, what materials we will use and other things.
Then we came back for dinner and had a fun game with the staff- the three mentor groups competing against each other- team Kara won- woo hoo!
Tomorrow we are off to visit Tipón, an Incan archaeological site- one of the ancient wonders of the world as far as water engineering goes, and a nearby town that specializes in brick making, and lunch while out exploring, and then in the evening we begin work on our internship materials.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Hello!
We woke up to bright sunshine on Day 3. After announcing the schedule for the day, we hopped on the bus.
Following a scenic 45-minute drive, the group arrived in the small town of Huambutio, home to just 124 families, many of whom specialize in making bricks and supplying villages throughout the surrounding area. We explored the brick-making process, watching the machines used to shape the bricks and the kilns where they are fired at temperatures of 1,800°F.
Next, we visited the very ancient Pre- Incan (Guari) ruins of a defensive settlement, where crumbling stone walls offered a glimpse into the past. Our local guide, Héctor, shared stories about the religious practices and beliefs the Incas used as they rapidly expanded their empire. Our other guide Alvaro explained lots of details.
After a quick lunch, we were back on the move, traveling a short distance to Tipón to see the andenes, a remarkable system of agricultural terraces and irrigation channels used to grow a variety of crops at different altitudes. Our guest speaker and team engineer, Álvaro, explained how the irrigation system functions and why erosion has had little effect on these 500-year-old aqueducts.
After a full day of adventure, the group made one final stop in the town of Oropesa, famous for its bread, which is made using some of the purest water in the region. We quite literally “broke bread” together before returning to home base, where we completed the first part of our internship and ended the evening with a delicious meal of trout served alongside avocado, rice, and beans.
by Nathan H. and Connor
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Greetings GLA Families!
Today we ventured to the esteemed Civil Engineering Lab Of Universidad Andina del Cusco where we learned about engineering processes and testing of highways and concrete. We got to see a brand new concrete that was just invented 3 days ago! While in the lab, we learned about Hydrodynamics from the head engineers and took notes for our dam project on the work site. While at the college we got to see the modern high tech drones that are used to scan and survey the Peruvian landscapes and highways up to 20km! We also learned about fluid dynamics and saw some cool machines that show how it works.
As we came back to home base we decided to switch gears, learning about leadership skills such as Executive, Influencing, relationship building, critical thinking. Tef let us choose which leadership skills we think apply to us the most and talked about how having the understanding of these skills we can create easier ways of learning for ourselves as well as being able to collaborate with other leadership styles.
We then met a Shaman from kaero! As we sat in a half circle around him, he said prayers and blessings for us and mother earth! The shaman gave us coacoa leaves and blessed them so we could embrace the culture and our hopes into the leaves. Then he collected the leaves and burnt them with many more seeds of high quality to burn. Then he went around the circle and blessed all of us and thanked us for respecting his culture and being able to sit with him and learn about his culture and history. After that we went to the local market and after did a fun game at the market. Then we went went to explore central Pisac some and shops around the hotel and went to walk around and spend some money! After that we came back to a great warm dinner of chicken potatoes and cucumbers! The a little of the World Cup and the to bed early bc tomorrow it the first full work day at the dam project.
by Ryan and Nate K.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
Hello everyone!! Today started off with an early parade that acted as a wonderful wake up call. We had a beautiful spread of pancakes with fresh fruit, including mango! After morning announcements, we headed to Santo Domingo for our first full work day which included a lesson on topographic surveying and location importance by our lovely engineer, Alvaro. Specifically, we learned how to operate a surveying machine to determine the difference of height between two points on an inclined surface and practiced anthropometry, measurements with our bodies.
After this lesson, our local director, Hector, took seven interns to collect rocks from Incan ruins to reutilize in the building of the dam. After the truck was filled, these students journeyed through the Cusco countryside and met local farmers and childhood friends of Hector. Meanwhile, our other team members worked on clearing dirt, transporting the collected rocks, and creating mortar for the dam site.
Once our work for the day was completed, we headed back to our home base and had a greatly deserved moment of rest. We had our chow circle before dinner where our new leaders of the day were announced, Julia and Natalie! After dinner, we were surprised with chocolate cake, card games, and the Bosnia vs. U.S. game match.
We are looking forward for a day of kayaking and exploration of the Maras Salt Mines!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Greetings from Peru! 🇵🇪
This morning, we started off with a 1.5-hour drive to a gorgeous glacial lake nestled in the clouds. We were above many of the towering mountains we drive past every day, and it was surprisingly warm outside! At the lake, we spent the morning kayaking and paddleboarding. The water was about 55°F, but the sunshine made it feel perfect!
We saw beautiful local wildlife, including flamingos and llamas along the shore, and enjoyed a homemade Peruvian lunch by the lake. After lunch, we relaxed in the sunshine. Some people tried new gymnastics tricks, and we even met their very cute pet dogs!
Afterward, we took another scenic drive through the mountains to the Maras Salt Mines, stopping along the way at a local market. There, we sampled exotic chocolates made with salt from the mines and tasted different varieties of salt (black, pink, spicy, gooseberry, and more). We then continued to the salt mines themselves, where we took breathtaking photos and got to try a local Peruvian fruit along the way. Scroll down to see everyone’s purple hands and tongues after eating the fruit!
Thank you for reading our blog. We hope you have an amazing rest of your day!
Love,
Natalie and Julia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Greetings families, today was the second day of our service internship. We kicked it off early waking up at a ripe 6 AM to indulge in a delicious set of breakfast made by the wonderful staff. After reading over the schedule, we prepared to embark to our service. After our long commute across the mountains of Peru, we arrived at our service prepared to face the challenges that today presented. After an intelligent conversion with Alvaro we started our work.
After diving into the dug up pit of the dam, we split into a well rounded, 3 separate groups. The first group partook in the throwing of rocks into the dug up ravine of the dam. The second group decided to indulge themselves in the maths of measuring and calculating distances and heights where the dam would be filled up to. Finally, the third group participated in the manual labor of shoveling dirt and making the dam deeper.
After a couple of hours we ate a warm meal for lunch of delicious fried chicken and rice and vegetables. Following this meal, 13 of us set foot on a journey to the high mountains Ayallacta in search of more rocks to build our dam. Reaching heights of around 15000 feet, we collected ancient Incan rocks from civilizations thousands of years old, now discarded in the fields. Following the collection of the rocks into the truck we decided to hike up a little higher and take photos of the beautiful peaks and valleys that Peru has to offer.
After a hike down and return to the service area we boarded our bus and prepared for our departure back to home base. During our bus ride back a lot of us were tired but could not fall asleep without a bedtime story. This is when the great storytelling emmenced as Oliver and Loki told us the greatest stories that put us to sleep with ease. After arriving back at home we ate dinner and watched the Argentina vs Cape Verde game and went to bed early after our long, eventful day.
-signing off
Jayden and Pearl
PS a few more photos from yesterday also from another camera 🙂
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
We started the day with a healthy breakfast at 7 to energize ourselves for a day at the site. After a quick two hour drive, we arrived in Santodomingo to find that the city did not have power. With many locals and city officials occupied, we were forced to change plans for the day. We at first thought this would limit the amount of work that could be done, but we got to our cement and had a day mainly consisting of laying cement and rock in the dam’s central structure. We worked fast and finished all the concrete and rock for the day and this allowed us to stop by a local soccer field and play a game amongst ourselves and some locals. A lot of fun.
On the returning bus ride our counselors were kind enough to buy us ice cream. A celebratory American dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs was served after a rundown of a project for our internship. A 9:30 bedtime will have us well rested to return tomorrow.
By Nico and Austin
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Hello from Peru!
Today was Inigo’s birthday and we made sure to sing to him at every meal! After breakfast, we went on the bus ride over to service and learned how to build adobe bricks. When we arrived at the site, there was a lot of dried dirt and rocks which we had to break apart and then pour water on. While some people used pickaxes to break apart the dirt, others went to harvest hay from the mountain nearby. After the mud was formed, we added the hay to make the final mixture for the adobe bricks!
Finally, we used square and rectangle molds to form the bricks that the locals will be using for a women’s center. The bricks took a lot of hard work to make and many people played around in the mud in the process. It was a tiring job, but in the end, the bricks were made well. After we finished with our service, we went back onto the bus and began the journey back to home base. Students were given the time to work on internships and our presentations about “glocalized” problems. We ate dinner and sang to Inigo again, as they brought out two cakes saying “Feliz Cumpleanos.” Tomorrow we are looking forward to another day of service, working on the dam, as well as listening to guest speakers – one about water in the mountains and another about our upcoming trek in a few days!
* Becca Clayton and Kye Carretero
P.S. In two days we are off to our Lares Trek, then straight to Machu Picchu! So we probably will be out of touch some and will catch up on the blog when we get back- stay tuned! But several days til next posts probably 🙂
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Today we started our day at 7:00 a.m., when we heard from our guest speaker, José. He briefed us on the trek tomorrow, explaining our destinations and how long each section of the hike would take. After asking lots of questions, we ate breakfast, gathered our things, and boarded the bus for the two-hour ride to our next site.
Once we arrived, we played games such as Four Corners, basketball, and several team relay races led by our International Director, Héctor. We then hiked up to our lunch spot, and after lunch, we visited the nearby trout farm, where we saw hundreds of fish swimming around. That was fishtastic 🐟—especially since we had fish for lunch!
After hiking back down to the buses, we headed back to home base. To keep ourselves occupied, we played games on the bus and caught up on plenty of sleep.
Soon after arriving, we heard from another guest speaker, Mark from Chasing Glaciers, who gave a presentation about the threats facing glaciers both locally and around the world. We learned that 67% of all tropical glaciers (those located near the equator) are found in Peru. However, climate change and other factors are causing these glaciers to melt at an alarming rate. In just six decades, Peru has lost 56% of its glacier coverage.
This rapid melting has serious consequences for nearby communities. As glaciers recede, toxic minerals that were once trapped beneath the ice are released into the water supply, contaminating drinking water. Other immediate impacts include flooding, avalanches, increased water acidity, and higher rates of cardiovascular and waterborne diseases. It is incredibly important that action is taken before entire communities are left without access to safe, usable water.
After discussing these challenges with Mark, we also learned about current initiatives working to help mitigate the crisis. Then, in teams, we debated our own ideas for possible solutions.
Grateful for everything we learned today, we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner, packed our bags for tomorrow’s adventure, and finally headed to bed.
See you later, alligator! 🐊 After a while, crocodile! 🐊
– Caitlyn T. and Finn D.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Hey guys, this is Erica and Nate!
We had breakfast at 6am and departed at 7am for our Lares trek. We hopped into busses and took a ride to where the trek starts. We walked about 4 miles through rough hills and jaw dropping hills. Everyone kept themselves hyped and energized with music and quick breaks together along the way. We were often greeted with friendly alpacas and rushing water as well as some locals. We stopped for lunch where we ate some soup and chicken. We were even able to buy some souvenirs from locals on the street!
After lunch we began the more challenging part of the trek, we walked up hill for about 15,000 feet and took some super cool pictures. After that peak altitude we walked to where our campsite was for the night and we were greeted by chilly temperatures and animals. We all gathered for some hot chocolate and popcorn and animal crackers and big cracker with jam – something warm and sweet was great after the long hike! – before dinner and looked at the thousands of stars in the sky. Some of us had never seen the Milky Way and stars so clearly. After dinner we all laid on some rocks outside and stared at the sky while we chatted for an hour before bed. Then we climbed into our sleeping bags with hot water bottles to keep us cozy and all went to sleep.
– Erica and Nate
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
On day 2 of our hiking adventure we woke up to a beautiful sunrise around 6 am. Before breakfast we packed up our tents and chatted about how the cold nights sleep went. At around 7 we had a delicious breakfast of bread, frittatas, and pancakes 🥞🥞 Shortly after breakfast we began our trek up the steep mountain side, our last uphill of the journey. After the challenging and rocky walk up we had a smooth sailing downhill walk until lunch. For our last meal of the trek we enjoyed soup, pasta 🍝, beef stir fry, and corn. After a short drive we arrived at Ollantaytambo at a very nice hotel. We took a couple hours to rest and reset before taking a short walk around town. Our dinner took place at a nice restaurant close to the market. We ate burritos with Narnia playing on the TV in the background. To end off the night strong we hungout in the open area outside the rooms. We fell asleep with the excitement of getting to see Machu Picchu the next day!
With lots of love,
Pearl
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Today we woke in beautiful Ollantaytambo and in the morning took the beautiful train ride through the river valley to Aguas Calientes. We had a nice lunch there and then took the bus up to Machu Picchu.
We split into three groups each with a guide and spent spent several hours seeing the incredible views, learning the history of the place, and sometimes petting the friendly Llamas that roam around. It was a prefect day for it.
We then took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes where we got to explore the town some and then had a nice dinner there. We then boarded the train back to Ollantaytambo (with some train delays) and eventually made it all the way back to our main homebase in Pisac. We had a night there to change over from all our trekking and Machu Picchu gear to our rafting and homestay gear. We are going whitewater rafting tomorrow and we will raft to a river lodge where we will spend the night, and then spend several days in a small traditional community
More to come!
The whole Peru GLA crew 🙂
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
Hello, families!
Today got a little extra rest after our late return from Machu Picchu (the train was delayed). After breakfast, we re-packed our bags and prepared for our next exciting three-day excursion!
We took a one-and-a-half-hour bus ride to Cusipata, where we stopped along the edge of a river to change into our wetsuits before going white-water rafting. After getting changed, we took a short bus ride to the launch point, had a safety briefing, and split into five rafts.
We spent the next two hours navigating Class I–III rapids, with our guides capturing videos of us each time we went through the bigger sections. We started in a hot sun but later the mountain clouds rolled in, making the water feel colder than it actually was. Everyone had an amazing time.
After rafting, we settled into our lodge, enjoyed the crackling eucalyptus fire, a late lunch, and had a couple of hours of free time. The chicken was roasting over our fire and was amazing! Crispy and smoked flavor. Many of us spent the time after lunch playing cards or getting henna. Afterward, we gathered for our chow circle, had dinner, and wound down for the evening, excited for tomorrow’s homestay experience.
– Varsha and Devin
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Hello everyone!! Today we woke up after spending a fun night in the lodge and had breakfast. After breakfast we all gathered around and we each presented our elevator pitches for our internships. Shortly after, we packed our bags and headed on our way for the home stay. On the way to the home stay we made a stop by a rural corn field to shuck some corn. We learned how they do it and it wa also helping a local family. Soon we arrived at the home stay in the Raqchi community and split into groups to go to each family.
After finalizing our groups we all head to our respective houses and settled into our rooms for the next two days. We then had a delicious lunch prepared by the families we are staying with. Shortly after we gathered together to paint clay bulls made by those in the community. Soon after we headed into a pretty plaza nearby where many stocked up on snacks and some bought jewelry.
After returning from the plaza we had some downtime before eating dinner which was another delicious meal prepared by the families. Promptly after dinner we got dressed in very cool outfits native to this community and took part in a ceremony to end the night where we all danced together around the fire to native music.
By Varsha and Devin
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Greetings, parents!
Today, Sunday the 12th, we woke up to our “home” at our homestay in Raqchi. Our “family” made us a traditional breakfast.
After breakfast we went straight to service. Along the way, we stopped to walk through a cow-feria. Where cows and livestock are sold. These events take place every Sunday, and start as early as 4am!
We arrived at service and had a lesson for how to do each job for the day from the local workers and our on-site engineer, Alavaro,
Students were then divided into three groups in order to make more progress on the community dam!
One group hammered nails into wooden boards to build the forms that would hold the concrete for the dam.
Another group mixed concrete using cement mixers, while the third group cut tree trunks into smaller pieces for the dam forms.
After service, we had an engineering workshop with Alvaro. He spoke more about the dam we are making, the impacts it has, and how engineering is more about calculating. It’s about communication, and emotional intelligence as well! It was also really interesting learning that there are calculations according to what crops are grown that are used to calculate the size of the dam.
We went back home for our second night at our homestay.
Tomorrow will be our last day of service!
– Anay
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Today our wonderful hosts made us breakfast at 7:30. Afterwards, we packed all of our belongings, said goodbye to the families, and hopped in the bus to head to service at 9:00. At the worksite we worked on filling the dam with the last few pebbles and buckets of concrete needed. After this last day of work we drove over to the local school to play games like four square, volleyball, and soccer with the students. We then ended the day by driving all the way back to Pisac and having a nice, warm dinner. So nice to back at our Pisac home! Tomorrow we are off to Cusco for the rest of the trip!
by Inigo
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