trip summary

Waterloo SOS sent a team of 22 volunteers down to Peru for our second annual educational development project. It was an unforgettable experience for all involved!

We arrived in Lima (the capital of Peru) around 3:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, August 21. Lima is a vibrant metropolis on the Pacific coast home to almost 9 million people. Over the next day, we had the chance to explore the Barranco district near our hostel on foot, and the rest of the city through a bus tour. Highlights included a tour of Lima’s archaeological museum, with artefacts celebrating Incan and pre-Incan culture; a visit to the catacombs of the Basilica of San Francisco, featuring thousands of human bones and skulls; and a lovely buffet dinner of classic Peruvian dishes, including ceviche (national dish of fish cured in lime juice), causa (chicken/fish salad encased in potato), escabeche (fried fish tossed in lime juice or vinegar), and queso fresco (soft white cheese ubiquitous in Peru). We also had our first round of Pisco Sours, the national drink of Peru consisting of Pisco brandy, sugarcane syrup, lime juice, and egg white. More on Peruvian cuisine later!

After a three-hour delay, we flew to Cusco the following morning. Cusco is perched 11,200 feet up in the heart of the Andes Mountains. Until the Spanish conquest in 1533, Cusco was the capital of the thriving Inca Empire. Cusco is still home to a variety of surviving Incan sites, and as such its main industry is tourism.

We set off on a guided tour of the city and surrounding attractions, namely Saqsayhuaman; the remains of a fortified Incan complex in the shape of a puma), Pukapukara (an Incan military fortress), and Tambomachay (an Incan bath). In the evening, we explored Plaza de Armas, the central square of downtown Cusco. Over a dinner of alpaca tenderloin, trout, and lomo saltado (marinated beef), we met Jorge Sanabria. Along with his wife Jenny, Jorge runs Voluntarios Sin Fronteras (Volunteers Without Borders), also known as Awaiting Angels. Their NGO aims to increase educational opportunities for Peruvian children and young adults.

Upon arriving at the volunteer residence (Jenny’s and Jorge’s house) for the first time, we were pleasantly surprised to be living in relative luxury: four bedrooms, hot showers, and home-cooked lunches and dinners every day. The majority of our group managed to adjust to the abrupt change in elevation with few side effects, although some of our group members vomited and/or suffered from headaches the first night in Cusco (there was some unrelated diarrhea as well).

On Monday, August 23, our building project began. The goal of the project was threefold: to build a pronoi (kindergarten) for about 30 three to five year-old students; a technical sewing room to teach the trade to 16 to 25 year-olds; and an English language training centre for locals aged 15 to 24. We also planned to construct an office, storage room, and two washrooms to round out the complex.

We arrived at the worksite in the impoverished community of Tica Tica, on the outskirts of Cusco. By my crude estimation, the site was about 20 feet wide by 75 feet long; mostly barren save for a dilapidated brick wall, two empty rooms, and a makeshift washroom; and on a steep decline. The first day primarily consisted of gruelling levelling work: using pick axes and shovels to remove stone, cement, and dirt to flatten the terrain. On Tuesday, the wood frames for our three modules (schoolhouses) arrived. After placing the frames on their wooden foundations, we started varnishing the wood and painting the office and storage room.

Work continued to progress quickly over the next two days, as we placed corrugated roofs on the modules and finished the varnishing and painting work. We also engaged in the complicated art of making cement, which involves mixing gravel and dry cement in the ratio of 40 shovels of the former to one bag of the latter, moving the pile back and forth 3-4 times to incorporate the dry ingredients, creating a ‘volcano’ in the pile and adding water, and continuing to add water until the proper consistency is achieved. The 100 pound buckets of cement were then poured to form the foundation of the washrooms, office, and storage room. On Friday, we began work on rock paths linking the various rooms, and we installed doors and locks on the modules.

Going to Peru without visiting Machu Picchu would have been sacrilege. Needless to say, we were extremely excited to travel to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Our trip began Saturday morning with a 2.5 hour bus ride to the town of Ollantaytambo, and then a 1.5 hour train ride through the Urubamba Valley to Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs), the traditional jump-off point for Machu Picchu. Saturday afternoon and evening were spent enjoying the hot springs (maybe a little too much) and browsing through the 4-for-1 happy hour drink specials and 15 soles ($5.50) three-course dinner deals. Then it was early to bed in preparation for our 3:00 a.m. wake up Sunday morning.

The first tour buses to Machu Picchu arrive around 5:45 a.m. every morning. To beat the crowds, it is necessary to complete a hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu consisting of 1,094 vertical steps. After a taxing hour-long climb, we made it to the entrance gates in plenty of time to secure one of 400 coveted passes to climb the narrow Huayna Picchu, which overlooks the world-famous archaeological sites. Ironically, we didn’t end up scaling Huayna Picchu, but the accomplishment of making it to Machu Picchu on foot and being there for the sunrise was well worth it.

Machu Picchu was home to approximately 1,000 venerated members of Incan society from the 14th to 16th century. Fortunately, it was left virtually untouched by the Spanish during their conquest of Peru; 80% of the original complex is preserved. Machu Picchu was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham almost 400 years later, in 1911. It is quite the ‘site’ to see.

We explored the grounds by ourselves for an hour, and then went on a guided tour of the spectacular archaeological site for the rest of the morning. Machu Picchu is divided into several broad areas: an agricultural zone where thousands of different varieties of crops were cultivated; the ‘Sector of the Temples’, which contains many sacred buildings; a rock quarry; and a residential sector, just to name a few. Academics are still puzzled as to how the Incas created structures of such scale and intricate detail using relatively-primitive technology.

There was so much to see and learn throughout our tour, but there were several highlights that stood out in my mind. The Temple of the Sun was constructed so that, on the Summer Solstice, light will shine directly through the ‘Sun Gate’ in the surrounding mountains, into the window, and along the line formed by the raised altar within. Almost as impressive is the Temple of the Three Windows, formed out of massive blocks of stone and also devoted to the Incan Sun God. The interplay between sun and rock shows up in numerous other areas of the site, including the Intihuatana stone (thought to be a sundial) and this nameless rock, which casts a shadow in the shape of Chakana, the Inca cross. The most mind-blowing revelation about Machu Picchu for me was that, when you lay your head on your shoulder, the mountains surrounding the site resemble a face!

After getting our fill of history and ‘Wow!’ moments in the morning, we were ready for another strenuous climb. ‘Machu Picchu’ means ‘Old Mountain’ in Quechua, the ancient language of the Incas, and literally refers to the tallest mountain surrounding the ruins. Distance-wise, the climb up Machu Picchu was shorter than the hike to the site that we completed earlier in the day. However, the path up Machu Picchu is virtually straight up the mountain. The steepness, combined with the heat of the mid-day sun, made this second climb much more difficult than the first.

Bypassing some llamas that initially blocked our path up the mountain, we set off for the top. Unlike in the first hike, rest breaks were certainly necessary (and appropriate, as the views during the climb were spectacular). We were told that the ascent would take about an hour and 20 minutes. You can imagine my surprise—and relief—when after 40 minutes, my ‘brother in climb’ Andrew and I saw the flag at the top of Machu Picchu peeking out over the trees. Five minutes and two removed t-shirts later, we were at the summit looking out over a 500 metre vertical drop to the Urubamba valley below. It was breathtaking in every sense of the word.

Over the next 70 minutes, the rest of our sweaty and exhausted group slowly trickled in. For all 22 of us to make it to the top was a great accomplishment and a testament to the determination and persistence of our team of volunteers.

Although not nearly as physically demanding, the hike down the mountain was much more precarious. There is no protection on the sides of the hiking path, so one misstep can spell disaster. Fortunately, using all four limbs at times, we all made it down safely.

After a wonderful night’s sleep back in Cusco, we returned to work Monday morning determined to finish the project over the next three days. We continued the rock paths begun on Friday, this time with some help from the locals. The sewing machines also arrived, complete with faulty assembly instructions and missing parts; had I been on the assembly team, we would probably still be in Peru. In the afternoon, we celebrated the completion of the washrooms, and we started the electrical wiring within the modules, which was finished over the next two days. By the end of a very cold day on Tuesday, nearly all of the functional work was complete. Wednesday was primarily devoted to aesthetics: painting the tables and chairs for the kindergarten, seeding grass and planting flowers, and stencilling the façade outside of the complex. We were thrilled at the transformation over eight days from an empty parcel of land to a fully-functioning three-room education centre.

Now all that was left to do was party! On Thursday, the community was invited to celebrate the opening of the complex. In lieu of a ribbon cutting, Jorge from Awaiting Angels smashed the ceremonial bottle of sparkling apple cider to officially open the education centre. Well over 100 people came out to enjoy a Canadian-Peruvian fiesta featuring lots of food, free giveaways, and fun.

Over the previous week, we had opened registration to each of the three classrooms to the community. The response was overwhelming; each program was substantially over-registered! We didn’t have to wait long to see the fruits of our labour, as classes began Thursday afternoon.

Back in the residence that evening, we were served a congratulatory dinner of cuy, or guinea pig. This Peruvian specialty is generally reserved for weddings and other special occasions. Delicious! After a night on the town to celebrate, we packed our bags and departed for Lima Friday morning. A 13-hour layover and a 7-hour flight later, we were back in Toronto.

All in all, it was a challenging, eye-opening, and infinitely-rewarding fifteen days. We completed the project and had loads of fun along the way. I was fortunate enough to share the trip with 18 old friends and three wonderful new ones. The community and Awaiting Angels extended an open invitation to members of our group to come back as volunteer instructors in the English language training classroom, so hopefully a return trip will be in the near future!

VERY IMPORTANT TRIP INFO

Hey Guys,

Our trip is only 4 days away. Yayyyyy! This is a very important email and I suggest that you read it with extreme detail in order to ensure everyone has an extremely enjoyable experience.

The email contains the following information:

1) Flight Information along with meeting time
2) Very Important FAQs - See attached link at the bottom of this post
3) What to bring during the trip - See attached link at the bottom of this psot


Flight Information

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ARE AT THE AIRPORT (TERMINAL 1 - IN FRONT OF AIR CANADA CHECK IN) BY 2 PM ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 20. International flights require that we arrive at least 3 hours before and since we will be checking in as a group it is VERY IMPORTANT that we arrive by 2 PM.

PLEASE DON'T BE LATE SINCE YOU WILL BE HOLDING BACK THE ENTIRE GROUP AND EVERYONE WILL GIVE YOU A LONG DIRTY STARE WHEN YOU DO ARRIVE (we do not want that).

From Toronto to Lima
Flight: AC 80

From: Toronto Pearson - Terminal 1 International
Date: Friday, August 20, 2010
Time: 17:25

To: Lima
Date Arrival: Saturday, 21, 2010
Time: 00:15

From Lima to Toronto
Flight: AC 81

From: Lima
Date: Saturday, September 04, 2010
Time: 01:45

To: Toronto Pearson - Terminal 1 International
Date: Saturday, September 04, 2010
Time: 10:50

Flight from Lima to Cusco

FROM/TO         FLIGHT            DATE    TIME

 LIMA           P9216             22AUG   0930
 CUZCO          

 CUZCO          P9217             3SEP    1110
 LIMA           

Air company: Peruvian Airlines
I have also attached the Air Canada tickets for your reference. There is a ticket which has incorrect Title for the person and there are 2 tickets which have an incorrect middle name in the ticket. We have confirmed with Air Canada that this will not be a problem as long as the first and the last name are correct. IF YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME ARE INCORRECT IN THE TICKET, PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAPP!

Air Canada tickets: click here

Cusco: Q&A

Things to bring

Plague Outbreak in Peru

Dear Volunteers,

We have received notice from one of our volunteers that there is a plague outbreak in Peru.  More information regarding the outbreak can be found here.  We've contacted Awaiting Angels to learn more about what sort of precautions need to be taken.  Here is what Awaiting Angels says:

The region where the plague outbreak has appeared is located far in the northern coast of Peru. It's an industrial city crowded of fish-meal factories. The local authorities have stated that the plague is under control and does not represent a risk for public health in the near future. Lima and Cuzco both cities are located far away from that northern region where sanitation and the environment are totally different. Please tell the group that they will be safe in regards of this plague outbreak.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact any of the outreach trip directors by e-mail.

Thank you

Construction Gloves | Volunteer meeting

Hey Guys,

Good News - You do not need to buy your construction gloves for the trip. You will be provided with them by National SOS. Yayyy!

We are hosting a volunteer meeting in TORONTO on AUGUST 14, 2010 in the afternoon. I highly suggest that you attend since we will be providing all the volunteers with their gloves, t-shirts, journals and some other stuff. Also, there will be people there from National SOS who will be giving us a better idea of what to expect and how to make the most out of this experience. Finally, we will be going over what to bring, how to dress and other related information.

Can you please go to the following link and confirm your attendance: Link



The details for the meeting are as follows:

When: August 14, 2010
Where: Jack Astor's Front Street (144 Front Street West, Toronto,ON, M5J 2L7)
Time: 1 PM

We will be having lunch there as well. So come with an empty stomach.

Thanks,

Rishi Dhir

SOS FINAL SOCIAL: RSVP ASAP

Hey Guys,

This is just a reminder that we will be having our SOCIAL tonight in Dooly's at 7 PM.

Please remember there will be FREE FOOD and FREE POOL. Also, we will be handing out "Certificate of Appreciation" to all our volunteers for their hard work and dedication. I would love to see all of you there and thank you personally for a great semester.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Cheers,

Rishi Dhir

Insurance follow-up

I'll clarify a few things further. Here's a chart comparing the two policies (both attached).

SOS’s Plan (through TIPS)	UW’s Plan
Emergency Medical $1,000,000 Trip Cancellation & Interruption $5,000 Trip Delay $200 Missed Connection $1,500  Added Air Related Expenses $200 Baggage & Personal Effects $800 Limit Per Item $300 Mislaid Baggage $100 Personal Money $100 Lost or Stolen Passport/Travel Visa $500 Lost or Stolen Travel Tickets $250 Airflight Accident $25,000	Emergency Medical $1,000,000

The UW insurance plan is okay, but it is not a travel insurance plan. It misses a lot of potential scenarios that you don’t want to be stuck in:
If you happen to get sick prior to departure and can’t go (has happened to volunteers in the past), UW will not reimburse you for your flight cost.

If you lose your passport on the trip, it can cost upwards of $500 to coordinate with the Canadian embassy to get a new one

If your bags are lost or damaged, the insurance provider will reimburse you on top of what the airline does.

Costs incurred for a missed connection (if weather is bad or there are mechanical problems) are fully covered

Although these are unlikely situations, we have had some of these come in previous trips (trip cancellation due to sickness / unforeseeable issues a big one). UW's basic travel plan simply does not cover a lot of instances that we want to ensure you are safe from.

Additionally, it is important to us as an organization that all volunteers on a trip are covered under the same plan so that we are able to take any necessary course of action to assist participants, so you are cared for in the best way (which doesn’t cost you lots of additional money to do so).

Lastly, although we acknowledge that some individuals may have coverage through their parents' plans (only 10 of you are covered under this UW policy), with over 60 students travelling around Latin America in August, we cannot make specific arrangements for each individual's insurance situation. To expect your volunteer leaders and SOS national here in Canada to know the in’s and out’s of every insurance plan could result in missing a step in a particular insurance policy process, which could result in having to pay for any issues that arise. Therefore, in order for us to offer the optimal amount of care, all participants have insurance included in their base trip fee.

Once again, we are not trying to circumvent the unique situations of each volunteer, but rather taking the proper measures to ensure participants receive the best care, mitigate any/all potential issues, so you can have the best experience possible (and your parents can have the peace of mind that your health and safety are in good hands).

Hopefully this makes sense, please let me know if there is any questions or issues with this.  Click here for the UW Insurance Policy.

Thanks,

Mark McLean | National Outreach Director
mmclean@studentsofferingsupport.ca
Students Offering Support

Things to Know and Things to Bring

Dear Volunteers,

I know you are all very excited as the days get closer to our outreach trip to Peru! To prepare you on this trip, we have created a list of things that you should bring. For the time that we are working in Cusco, we will be living in the volunteer residence provided by Awaiting Angels. There will be 4 bedrooms with 3 bunk beds in each dorm; 3 bathrooms with hot showers; a large dining room for breakfast and dinner (we will be having lunch at the work site). Each bunk bed is supplied with sheets, 1 pillow, 2 fleece blankets and 1 eiderdown (not feathers).

THINGS TO BRING

• toiletries - unscented shampoo/soap*, toothbrush/paste, towels, tampons/pads, toilet paper 
• clothes - bring warm clothes as August-September are the coldest months (also bring soap to hand wash your clothes..); bring extra just in case! 
• old clothes, tennis shoes, work gloves, big hats, etc for the work site 
• sunscreen, bugspray, after bite, mosquito net, water bottles 
• snacks 
• camera/journal 
• dictionary or translator 
• band aids, tylenol, plastic bags and ziplocs 
• medication if needed 
• padlock 
• money (for emergencies, shopping or dinners during the excursions) 

* We don't want to be attracting bugs by bringing in anything that is scented.

If there is something that you're not sure if you should bring or not, please do not hesitate to contact us! It is not necessary to bring things like hair straighteners, blow dryers, make-up, or formal clothes. Also, remember to travel light! There are no liquids allowed on the airplane.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Keep in mind that the goal of the trip is to help out the community and build a positive relationship with the community. Since we are building classrooms, there will be lots of physical work, and you guys will be exhausted at the end of each day. Make sure you bring a waterbottle and keep hydrated throughout the day! The most common reason for people to get sick is dehydration. Also, because we are visiting a new country, your body and immune system may not be used to the foods and the new bacterias in the new environment. Be prepared for diarrhea: it's normal!

DONATIONS | WAIVER | FUNDRAISERS
We would also like to make donations to the community of Cusco. Sally will be organizing the donation list. If you have any old clothes, toys, things with UW logos or the Canada flag logos that is no longer useful to you, please contact Sally! If you haven't signed the waiver yet, you need to contact Jasmine. We also have an Ice Cream Soda Float fundraiser happening tomorrow. Please volunteer some of your time to this event as it will help offset the cost of this trip of you!

Insurance

Hello UW SOS Volunteers,

I am writing to address some of your questions about using SOS's insurance coverage for your trip to Peru and whether you can opt out of it in favour of UW's travel insurance policy.

To clear things up on SOS's policy, we require all participants traveling on one of our volunteer trips to utilize our insurance coverage. The following points explain our position on this in more detail:

1. Having encountered situations of severe illness and natural disasters in the past, we take the safety of all volunteers very seriously. Therefore, we have spent a considerable amount of time analyzing insurance plans to ensure proper coverage of the unique experiences volunteers have on our trips. I encourage you to read over the attached insurance package to see how comprehensive SOS's plan is.
2. Building on that point, utilizing a group insurance plan ensures that administration of insurance runs smoothly through one source point and avoids any risks of juggling individual insurance plans or situations where individual plans may not cover necessary procedures.
3. We have also gone to great lengths to offer volunteers as affordable an experience as possible -- including fighting for low insurance rates. I acknowledge that your trip has been more expensive due to the flight cost, but appreciate your patience and commitment in the matter. I can assure you that, despite the cost, this will still be an incredible volunteer experience!

On behalf of SOS's national team, I apologize for any confusion that has happened over this. However, I hope this clarifies the reasons for our position. Should you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to send them directly to me at mmclean@studentsofferingsupport.ca as I am more than happy to answer them.

In the meantime, I hope you are getting excited for your trip and look forward to meeting with you at some point to discuss some of what you can expect and gain from your experience in Peru!


Please check out the insurance policy here.

Mark McLean
National Outreach Director
Students Offering Support

Ice Cream Soda Float Fundraiser

Hey SOS volunteers,

Students Offering Support would like to hold an ice cream soda float on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 from 11 AM to 4 PM. If you can help out by signing your name in two of the shifts slot, then that would be awesome since it is only 30 minutes for each slot so if you can volunteer for 1 hour then that would be really great:) Two volunteers per slot would be ideal:) Please go to this link: http://www.doodle.com/miuwxzyisbb9kbzn and sign up by Monday, July 26, 2010 at the latest.

Thanks and have a great day!

Record Cold Weather in Peru!

http://world.globaltimes.cn/americas/2010-07/555739.html Be prepared with warm clothes when we go!

T-SHIRTS

Hey Volunteers,

Please visit http://www.doodle.com/yz7sv5y7x7nec22x to choose your tshirt size. We will be submitting the order on Monday, so please make sure you fill out the doodle by Sunday July 25th, 2010, latest.

Thanks everyone!

SOS Social

Hello,

In order to celebrate a very successful semester of Waterloo SOS, I would like to personally invite you to our social. The details of the social are as follows:

• When: July 28, 2010
• Where: Dooly's (University/Regina)
• Time: 7 PM

We will have a good time playing pool, eating, drinking and will also be recognizing our achievements for this term. There are tons of gifts that are going to be given out so make sure you are able to make it.
Looking forward to meeting you all there!

Cheers,

Rishi Dhir

Student Life 101 Fundraising Barbeques

Hey Guys,

Hope everyone is doing awesome. I know this is kind of last minute but it is a great opportunity for us to raise a lot of money in a day. So here is the deal:

This Saturday, July 24 (Tomw.) there is Student Life 101 that will be taking place on the University of Waterloo campus. Around 6000 people are expected to attend this event. FEDS will be doing BBQs around the campus for the individuals who will be visiting the campus. Last year they raised around $8000-$9000 through their BBQ. They need volunteers to help out with the BBQ and all the money raised through the BBQ is divided amongst the clubs who were represented at the BBQ by their volunteers.

For example: suppose 10 individuals volunteered last year where 8 were from club A and 2 were from club B. Suppose they raised $8000 from the BBQ. In this event, club A would have received (8000/10)*8 = $6400 and club B would have received the rest.

Now this is where all of you come in. We would reallyyyyyyyyyyyyy appreciate if you guys could sign up to volunteer. There are two, 3 hour blocks to volunteer in. They are 9 am - 12 pm and 12 pm - 3 pm.

I would really appreciate if you guys can go ahead and enter your information in the following Google Doc along with what time you will be available to volunteer.

We really appreciate your help!!!!!!

Thanks,

Rishi Dhir

Desert = immensity

Hi all!

First I would like to apologize for taking so long to write this well overdue post. Having to sit down and reflect on my experience here in Peru is apparently a task that I have yet to learn and master. In order to make a mense, here is a super special post relating to the trip I took two weekends ago, i.e. July 9th to 11th.

If you only have time to make one trip (besides Cuzco), go to Huacachina. In my opinion, the desert and the sun are things that just cannot be overlooked. We left late Friday night on a bus heading for Ica, a little city in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand. From Ica, we taxied to an even smaller place called Huacachina -- basically a tiny oasis with a few hostels. As soon as we got there, I could feel the touristy vibe coming through. Later that night, we met at least a dozen of European and American travelers who were also seeing the desert for the first time. Honestly, it was a very warm and welcoming place. People there are very in touch spiritually with nature and don't seem to be hastled by our day-to-day troubles such as climbing ladders and keeping busy. They just take things as they come. On Saturday, we booked a 4 o'clock dune buggy ride, not even fathoming what that implied. It's only once we were strapped into the gigantic metal contraption that we understood how crazy this was going to be. To ride a dune buggy is to be on a rollercoaster for about two hours. Fast. Loud. Adrenaline-filled. What a ride is all I can say really. Then, in the middle of it all, our guide stops on top of a very steep dune, takes out a few sketchy looking boards and tells us to lie on top of them. Apparently, we were about to go down this miniature mountain head first. After a lot of convincing and peer-pressure, I finally conceded to sandboard down a less scary looking part of the dune in question. Luckily, I survive the whole thing only to learn that I have 4 more times to go. The second one was fairly easy as I even got to do it standing up. By the third one, I felt in total control of my body and physical abilities. I was now a sandboarding pro. Unfortunately for me, our guide, who firmly intended on traumatizing the squeemish tourists that we were, had a few tricks up his sleeve. So on we go, dunebuggying quietly through the beautiful desert, when suddenly we stumble upon this - seriously - vertical dune. We drove down it a couple of times, each of them filled with free fall jumps. Then, after our third descent, our guide brings us back up and stops the buggy. Oh no, is this really what I think it is? Yep, we were to sandboard down this wall of sand. As you might have guessed, I am not brave nor stupid enough to attempt such a stunt so instead I jogged down the hill twice (which in my opinion was also a lot of fun). At one point in our dune tour, we got to stop and witness the sunset. How happy I was that we had booked an afternoon ride and not a morning one. Sunsets are priceless moments that never stand still. Everytime you look up, the light and colours have changed. Really something to see once in your life! 

On Sunday, we drove to Nazca, a little shack of a city two hours away from Ica. The first thing you would notice is how dry and desertic it looks. Water is obviously a rare thing in this place. The reason for our visit : the Nazca lines. If you don't already know about them, you should most definitely look them up. Basically, they are giant and ancestral carvings in the middle of a rocky plain. There are 14 different shapes such as a spider, a monkey, a hummingbird and (my personal favorite) an astronaut! The whole point of the trip is to get on to a tiny little plane and fly over them. A tip from me to you : bring Gravol if you know you're sensitive to motion sickness. I thought I wasn't until I got into that flight. The pilot twirls and flips so you can get the best view and pictures of the incredible lines. Good for your Facebook albums, not so good for keeping your food in. Nevertheless, the stop in Nazca was highly interesting seeing as we got to see this educational video beforehand in order to better understand the history of these marks. Finally, if you were to do this trip, I would recommend flying with Nazca Travel Air. You can never be too careful when it comes to South American planes and, in my opinion, they are reliable.

As a last side note, I'd like to mention that on that day the FIFA final match was playing. I missed the first half while flying through Nazca, but got in front of a screen just in time for the overtimes. All day long, I had worn my Torres spanish jersey in hope that it would bring them good luck. What a great moment it was for me to be sitting in the middle of nowhere, in South America, and to be able to watch my team win the World Cup. No words can express that kind of joy.

Waivers

Hey!

Click here for waiver form from National SOS.  This must be signed and e-mailed back by Friday, July 30th.

Thanks, and can't wait for the trip :)

Jasmine Chan
SOS Outreach Director

San Francesco

A week ago, we took the Mirabus tour. You know, those two-decker hardcore-tourist buses? That one. Its purpose is to serve the ultimate 3-hour Lima tour, including a long stop at a cathedral/museum called San Francesco. The place is huge, and I mean massive. And it was filled with people, since it was time for Mass. I can't imagine what it's like to go to pray and all these tourists rush in and take pictures. I tried my best to take as less as possible but the decoration and architecture was so interesting it was hard to resist. But I must say, the beauty really lied in the Peruvians faith. In a country where christianity is still strong, it is heartwarming to see them show such a continuous dedication. Like this one time, I was riding the combi (local buses that will be explained later) and the route in question passed in front of a church. Both coming and going, the guys sitting next to me would always make the sign of the cross. Such superstition! And although, the cathedral was spectacular, it wasn't even the best part! Under the cathedral were these enormous piles of bones! The catacombs of San Francesco are quite famous here and in my opinion, kind of creepy. We got to walk around in these very low, tiny tunnels (beware claustrophobes) and on each side were boundles of bones. Most of them only had femurs and humeruses, but there was this one deep hole filled with skulls and other bones and they were arranged to form some sort of pattern. The whole time, I kept thinking "I hope my glasses won't fall in one these bins." In a way, this whole display seemed somewhat disrespectful if you ask me. Those people remains just lying there to be gazed at by any given tourist. Besides, how gross would it be to be the guy who had to place all of that. Ew.

Other highlights of the bus ride : awesome ruins in the middle of downtown Lima, being wacked by branches at pretty much every street, locals waving and smiling at us, my glasses being driseled by the sheer humidity of the air.

¿Invierno?

As some of you might know, the month of July (known as julio) is the beginning of winter here. Yes, when you switch hemispheres you also switch seasons. So, my first reaction would be to not fear this "south-american winter". How bad could it be? If I check the Weather Chanel, they'll inform me that an average temperature at this time of year is around 15ºC.  So I packed a leather coat, a few hoodies, certain to have all the warmth I would need. This would be nothingcompared to those dreaded -30ºC! And that is where I was horribly wrong. First, it says 15ºC, but it feels like under 10ºC. And the humidity will seep into all of your clothes, sink into your bones and make you shiver all day long. What is a few minutes in the sub-zero cold to living non-stop in this kind of cold? In my first night, I woke up shivering uncontrollably. I forced myself to get up, find my coordonator and with the little strenght and coherence I had, I said : "One...One another blanket... Pleeeease!" Since then, I go to bed with multiple layers of clothes, always have my hood up and at least four blankets. In the meantime, I keep getting these emails from friends and family saying that they are breaking heat records up in Ottawa -- 38ºC! For some reason, I have a feeling us gringos are colder than people who live here ; maybe because of the psycological effect of knowing that you could be working on your tan right about now. Rumor has it that it is even colder in the rural parts of Peru, so let this be a warning! Guys, bring a coat or you will regret ever leaving your record breaking Toronto heat. If this sounds terribly bleak to you, I must add that I am one of those people who are always cold, no matter how hot it is. I think it has something to  do with our peripheral cardiovascular circulation. Anyways, I can assure you that Peru will be much more charming if you can admire it under a nice warm blanket.

First Impressions

Hello everyone! Buenas dias.

First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Sabrina and I am an SOS volunteer at the Ottawa chapter. Presently, I am sitting in a cozy little house in Miraflores, one of the better neighbourhoods of Lima. I study Health Sciences and am doing a two-month placement here to learn about their healthcare, el español and see South America for the first time.

So far, I've been enjoying this city a lot! I'm fortunate enough to be living with a wonderful bunch of people, the location is great and the people are nice and especially patient with gringos like me. You can definitely tell that they often get the "Espacio por favor!" from tourist who just can't keep up with their rapid tongues. Luckily, they always seem quite pleased with my spanish effort and my will to understand them. Peruvians are very proud of their culture and are happy to share it with anyone who takes the time to come and visit, so don't be shy and try to strike a conversation with the little Spanish you know. I promise you'll learn immensely! 

But since I've only been here for about a week, I must admit that these entries are far from those of a Peru expert nor have I observed witty and insighful points about this culture. So while I am still learning, here are a couple of anecdotes about my first days here that might give you a few tips on how Lima works. Although I should point out that there is a major difference between Lima and the rest of Peru, i.e Cusco. For example, there is no sun here during the winter whereas anywhere else will get at least a glimpse of it. My guess would be that the pollution is causing this constant greyness ; you'd be surprised at how harsh the quality of air can be sometimes. Also, it is much more populous and americanized here so you feel right at home as soon as you land. Many places, such as Plaza Vea, will sell everything from macaroni and cheese to fresh baked churros. Churros are a sort of desert they serve here ; a little roll of buttery dough filled with delicious dulce de leche (known here as manjar blanco). You will see them everywhere... on the streets, in restaurants. Have one! They are heavenly, as every other desert they bake here. I swear, at this rate, I'm going to gain one million pounds. Who cares! ¡Yo estoy en Peru!

Flight Information

Going to Cusco From Toronto
Toronto - Lima (Reserved)
Depart			Arrive
Date	Time	Flight	Date	Time
Friday, August 20, 2010	5:25 PM	AC 080	Saturday, August 21, 2010	12:15 AM
AUGUST 21 NIGHT AT A HOTEL IN LIMA (Already Booked)
Lima - Cusco (Already Booked)
Depart			Arrive
Date	Time	Flight	Date	Time
Sunday, August 22, 2010	9:30 AM	Peruvian Airlines	Sunday, August 22, 2010	10:40 AM
Coming Back from Cusco to Toronto
Cusco - Lima
Still working this part out due to time conflicts.
Lima - Toronto (Reserved)
Depart			Arrive
Date	Time	Flight	Date	Time
Saturday, September 04, 2010	1:45 AM	AC 081	Saturday, September 04, 2010	10:50 AM

BBQ - Volunteers Needed

Hi all

Outreach will be holding a BBQ fundraiser for the trip this Wednesday, June 28th, 2010. It was originally planned for June 9th, but we had to postpone it for 2 weeks due to  perpetual Wednesday showers.

We will need volunteer from 10 30 am to 2 30 pm. These following people have signed up for the last BBQ, please reconfirm that you can still come and when you can help out.

• Andrew Zhuang
• Tom Wang
• Anna Du
• Rishi Dhir
• Harpreet Pandher
• Vince Chan
• David James
• Jay Ryu

If your name is not on the list, we need you too! Just email us when you will be available to help.