Global Experiential Service-Learning

The transformation from drawing to reality

2011-06-27T03:20:00.001-07:00

Hello teachers,

For everyone who has worked on the Tierra del Ninos project, I wanted to send you a quick update and some pictures from Aima Molinari, who has formally transferred the leadership of the project to a teacher at the Manco Inca school. Aima is now dedicating her volunteer time to a new daycare center in Ollantaytambo, which World Leadership School is also now supporting. I’m excited by the fact that a local teacher has taken on Tierra del Ninos and that it will continue inside of Manco Inca.

The first few pictures are the current state of the Tierra del Nino project – the last few are of the new green areas at the school, which were also inspired by the Tierra del Nino.. Here’s what she says – see original Spanish version below.

THANK YOU for all your work on this project and good luck finishing the school year. I am also copying Joaquin and Aima on this email, if you want to communicate with them directly.

Ross

“Tierra del Ninos at the Manco Inca school is in good hands . . . and being led by the right people. During the recent vacations, I was able to send the most active and involved teacher from Manco Inca to the annual ANIA (Asociación para la niñez y su medio ambiente) training seminar in Ica. Peru (this is the same training that I went to and which inspired me). Of course, she returned very motivated and with all the material and with lots of eagerness to work with her class of 30 kids. She is also going to speak with the other teachers and try to involve the director. She is a teacher who has worked at Manco Inca for more than 15 years and has a lot of influence. This year, ANIA will probably do another training in Cusco and this teacher and I are meeting to review her work plan for the coming year. I am working to support her but in the future I want her to be the principal voice for this project. The kids miss me so I go every week to meet with them, for now. Sometimes I get frustrated when I think about the fact that the Tierra del Ninos is completely open to intruders, who occasionally damage a plant or steal something. Other times I worry that the complex has become dirty and has to be cleaned . . . but then I remember that every problem has a solution, that this teacher is really on board and eager to school and that the school – by its own initiative – has created three more green areas in the school. One teacher showed me, very proudly, how the school has even planted fruit trees. The kids from the Tierra del Ninos club want to meet always and carry in their hearts care, conscience and happiness.

Aima Molinari.

Tierra de Niños en la escuela Manco Inca está en buenas manos…y en las manos en las que debería estar. En estas vacaciones pude hacer el esfuerzo de enviar a la profesora más activa y participativa al curso de capacitación que Ania brinda cada año en Ica (al curso que yo fui). Por supuesto ella regresó muy motivada y con todo el material y las ganas de trabajar con su clase de 30 niños. Además piensa hablar con otros profesores e involucrar un poco más al director. Es una profesora que trabaja ahí hace 15 años y es muy influyente. Este año es probable que se dicte otro curso de capacitación por primera vez en Cusco. Estamos reuniéndonos para ver su plan de trabajo. Yo me dedico a asistirla por ahora pero quiero que más adelante se sienta la promotora principal de la escuela. Las niñas me extrañan así que voy una vez por semana a reunirme con ellas, por ahora. A veces me desmoralizo pensando que falta seguridad en la Tini, o otra vez, dañaron una planta, o se robaron algo, o está sucia y hay que limpiarla…pero luego recuerdo que todo tiene solución, que la profesora está realmente convencida y tiene ganas de trabajar voluntariamente, que la escuela, por iniciativa propia ha creado 3 áreas verdes más en toda la escuela, que otro profesor me ha enseñado orgulloso como ha plantado frutales con sus alumnos y que los niños que han formado el grupo de Tierra de Niños siguen queriendo que nos reunamos siempre y que sobretodo llevan en su corazón cariño , conciencia y alegría.
Aima Molinari

Ross Wehner, Executive Director, World Leadership School
2135 Gilpin Street
Denver, CO 80205

o: 303-679-3412, f: 303-945-2229, toll-free: 1-888-831-8109, http://www.worldleadershipschool.com/

wow!!! International Collaborations and Manco Inca made this possible

2011-06-24T02:26:00.003-07:00

Climate change curriculum

2009-11-08T04:52:00.001-08:00

“In 2009, Will Steger Foundation created a new curriculum for high school students that focuses on global climate solutions, called Citizen Climate. This curriculum emphasizes civic engagement and helps teachers and students understand the critical and complex climate solutions being discussed on the national and international stage. It also allows students to formulate statements about what they would like to see happen in climate policy and how these policies and actions can be replicated in their states and local communities. These lesson plans build on the Will Steger Foundation’s original six lesson plans on the basics of global warming. The new lessons cover the carbon cycle, target levels for atmospheric levels of greenhouse gasses, cap and trade, carbon tax, new technologies, concerns of developed and developing countries, and how to formulate position statements.”

http://willstegerfoundation.org/index.php/programs/k-12-education-program/citizen-climate-curriculum

Next Steps: Sustainable Global Parnerships Proposal

2009-06-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

June 19, 2009

Matt Pena
Dean of Students
Casady School

Dear Matt:

Great to speak with you and Kari on Friday and I’m very glad the trip was successful. You and your kids did a wonderful job and our instructors in Peru, and our staff in Denver, have really enjoyed working with Casady School.

As discussed, a major focus of World Leadership School this coming year will be to help eight of our U.S. school partners make the transition from service learning trips to what we are calling Global Partnerships. This is the next stage in our strategy to help schools develop truly innovative global education programs.

On our service learning trips, students and faculty engage with a global issue, develop leadership awareness, and build important relationships in an overseas community. A Global Partnership continues the momentum of a trip and extends it into a year-round distance learning exchange between classrooms in different parts of the world.

Each Global Partnership will include regular interactions between two classrooms, one in the U.S. and the other in the overseas community; a sustained study of a global issue; and ongoing service projects, both abroad and perhaps in the U.S. as well. Ideas of leadership will be integrated, where appropriate.

These partnerships are designed to support and mesh with existing curriculum at each school. Our hope is that these partnerships will allow teachers to do a better job teaching Spanish, biology, environmental sciences, human geography, world history and other subjects.

We have had some early success with Global Partnerships at World Leadership School. This year, students from St. John’s Episcopal, a K-8 school in Olney, Md., are studying environmental sciences through a sustained dialogue on climate change with students in Belize.

After months of class-to-class contact, and student-led fundraising, a group of 14 students and three faculty from St. John’s arrived in Belize earlier this month. They brought five laptops and $2,000 in donations to set up a computer lab in Belize’s La Democracia elementary school. This lab will be used in the future to share information via class-to-class video conferencing, wikis, blogs, slideshows linked to voice threads, and other technologies. Here is their ongoing blog: http://belizeus.pbwiki.com/

These global partnerships create a lot of positive change for our school partners in lesser-developed countries. They are also an extremely cost-effective way for U.S. schools to:
· Fulfill school mission by offering life-changing global education programs;
· Blend global issues, service learning and leadership into the school curriculum;
· Have a huge and positive impact on school partners in lesser-developed nations;
· Offer a real-world context for applying Web 2.0 technologies;
· Stand out in a rapidly changing global education market.

We know these types of global partnerships are hard for schools to launch without initial support and help. Building and sustaining an overseas relationship takes a lot of time and energy, and the responsibility usually falls upon teachers who are already overscheduled with competing priorities. Even in the best cases, these relationships can fizzle out for no apparent reason. In addition, figuring out which technology to use and how to fit the interactions into pre-established curriculum presents further challenges. Yet there’s no question that these class-to-class global partnerships, as challenging as they initially are, will be a key component of global education in the future.

For these reasons, World Leadership School is launching a Global Partnerships program. We will work with no more than eight schools during the 2009 - 2010 school year.

Requirements. To participate in the program, we require that schools:
· Have a demonstrated commitment to integrate global issues, service learning and leadership into their school culture and curriculum;
· Have a World Leadership School trip scheduled for the upcoming summer or spring;
· Assign 2 faculty members who are committed, and have the time, to work with us on developing a global partnership in their classroom. Their work responsibilities to World Leadership School should be written into their contract and they should be willing to travel with students in the spring or summer. We cannot succeed without committed faculty.

Goals. The program goals are two-fold:
· Two Global Partnerships. We will work closely with two faculty members from your school to design curriculum, manage the technology and facilitate the relationships involved in the launching of two new global partnerships at your school. At least one of these global partnerships will be with a World Leadership School site overseas; the other we can help your faculty build from scratch, or we can connect with a school at another World Leadership School location.
· Faculty Training. Apart from the two faculty we work with, we want to help your entire faculty and administration understand how to build and maintain overseas distance learning relationships; implement a new array of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom; and integrate global issues, service, and leadership into the classroom. The hope is that other faculty will see the success of Global Partnerships at your school and, armed with knowledge and a few basic tools, be inspired to explore their own in-class service programs or overseas partnerships.

Services Provided. We will begin by visiting your school to conduct a Faculty Training Seminar, to be designed in accordance with your school’s needs. During this half- or full-day seminar, we will
· Present the research and new trends behind global education partnerships;
· Highlight the most successful global education projects in the United States, emphasizing what works and why;
· Showcase new video conference tools and other Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, widgets, Nings, Google Earth, TeacherTube, etc.;
· Find curricular tie-ins and explore ways to weave global issues, service and overseas partnerships into the existing curriculum;
· Facilitate hands-on activities and brainstorm possible projects for each participant, including an action plan for future work;
· Present the World Leadership School approach to teaching leadership, including curriculum guides;
· Brainstorm how to communicate your partnership’s success to parents and the larger community;

Throughout the school year, we will work closely with the faculty team assigned to launch the two Global Partnerships. The first meeting will be in-person and subsequent meetings will be via video conference. These meetings will address the following areas:
· Needs assessment;
· Strategic planning;
· Curricular design;
· Implementation and design of select Web 2.0 tools;
· Scheduling and coordination;
· Troubleshooting, such as the development of new overseas relationships or partnerships if necessary;
· Gathering student feedback and results;

We will provide on-site coordination and classroom facilitation for global partnerships offered in World Leadership School sites in Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, Guadeloupe and Kenya.

Our goal is to have success with every global partnership we start for schools this coming school year, but this may not be achievable. Some partnerships will fail for reasons beyond our control, including lack of commitment from overseas schools in countries where World Leadership School does not operate. In this case, we will do everything we can to re-design the partnership to make it successful.

Communicating the success of these programs is critical. Once the program is underway, we are glad to work with your development or communication office to help explain these partnerships, and why they are important, to your larger school community.

We will also provide feedback directly to school leadership on the progress made in establishing the global partnerships and what adjustments need to be made to ensure success.

Cost. The total cost to participate in the Global Partnerships program for the 2009-2010 school year is $6,250. Half of the fee, or $3,125, is payable on September 1, and the remainder is due January 1. This price is all-inclusive. World Leadership School will not bill any additional expenses for travel, accommodations, meals, communication, etc. Each school is responsible for providing basic computer equipment (laptop with web cam, microphone, and projector/Smartboard) in the assigned “global partnership” classrooms.

Staff. This effort will be headed by Alecia Berman-Dry, upcoming Global Partnerships Director for World Leadership School. As Technology Coordinator for St. John’s Episcopal, Alecia continues to develop what is to date World Leadership School’s most successful and sophisticated global partnership. This new position, which she starts July 2009, will allow Alecia to use her experience and knowledge to help other schools roll out similar programs. For more information on Alecia, see below.

I will also devote much of my time this coming year to working with Alecia and our partner schools on this new and exciting program.

Regards,

Ross Wehner
Executive Director
World Leadership School

Alecia Berman-Dry, Global Partnerships Director, is an experienced speaker and workshop leader who has worked in environments as varied as Washington, D.C. law offices, church basements and college classrooms. Along the way, she has helped school administrators, teachers, and parents make informed decisions about internet safety, social networking, website development, the use of computer programming to teach math, Web 2.0 tools and global education. Her summer teacher training sessions, "World Village Training," are her favorite hands-on workshops to present. Alecia is passionate about helping teachers establish and maintain their own meaningful classroom partnerships both nationally and internationally.

She currently teaches technology at St. John's Episcopal School, a K-8 Independent School just outside of Washington, D.C. Previously Alecia served as St. John’s Technology Coordinator for 8 years. She is a Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholar, as well as the 2006 Best White Paper award winner at MICCA, Maryland’s annual conference for educational technology. Alecia also served as the Technology Chair of the AIMS (Association of Independent Maryland Schools) Academic Advisory Committee for two years.

Alecia received an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Loyola College in Maryland in 2009. Her field of research focused on social networking communities, such as Facebook and Club Penguin, and how these communities affect identity development in adolescents. You can read her blog, entitled Ed Tech Axis, at www.ed-tech-axis.blogspot.com

Ollantaytambo Tini 2009 Project

2009-06-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

Several Casady students spent the first days of their summer vacation in Peru--not on a sightseeing venture but on a mission to help World Leadership School and the children of Ollantaytambo.

During their journey, the students moved a giant debris-choked hill of dirt and spread it around the new Children’s Land in Ollantaytambo, Peru. They also built a fence around the play area, painted the fence and put doors and windows in the thatched meeting hut built by the Shady Side students this spring.

"I really enjoyed getting to know some of you over the last few months and I want you to know that the students and Casady faculty who went on this trip did a really fabulous job," said Ross Wehner, executive director of the Denver-based World Leadership School.

The work is part of an ongoing project to convert a trash dump into a “Children’s Land.” This experiential learning area is part of an after-school program funded by World Leadership School that helps children in Ollantaytambo become stewards of their environment. Here’s the blog in Spanish from the Children’s Land: http://www.tiniollantaytambo.blogspot.com/ and Casady’s blog (in Spanish): http://casady-peru-09.blogspot.com/.

World Leadership School programs examine different global issues but all share the same three basic goals:

Learn to draw connections around global issues
Develop confidence to create positive change
Embark on a path of self awareness and leadership
For more information, visit its website at www.worldleadershipschool.com.

Meeting Cindy Beams

2009-04-13T03:42:00.000-07:00

I took a few hours to work during my b-day trip to Boston. I felt guilty leaving my family, but the gift of meeting a person like Cindy Beams is not something one gets often.

On Friday, Cindy was kind and changed plans to meet at Harvard Square to a meeting at the Sheraton Hotel where I was staying. It was like we had known each other for ever. We had in commom a passion for Global Education service for our schools and Ollanta's Land of Children. After a short period in which we shared our personal histories and sharing a bit of how the programs got started, we had to cut the meeting short because Cindy had a meeting that day. Cindy gave the book, she had inspired the kids from Groton to write about their home stay and work in Ollanta. Seeing that book was rewarding and inspiring. I will consult with the teachers going this year, but a requirement for such a book to be produced a few weeks upon return from Ollanta should be somethig we need to consider, not only as a reflecting tool, but as a marketing tool for future trips.

The second day, Cindy and I met for breakfast and we worked for a couple of hours sharing resources and stories. Three things I will follow-up:

1. Attempt to have a phone meeting with the teachers who went to Ollanta last year for Kari and Matt to have some background of how to handle the homestay from the experience the Groton group had last year.

2. Ask student to get the Spanish booklet provided by Cindy and teach that curriculum to the children in Ollanta. The kids from Groton will do the same.

3. Get Cindy to talk to the kids and parents going this year and answer questions at a meeting. Have her explain to the group the value of creating a bilingual picture book of their group adventure trying to preserve Andean culture through economic development through service tourism.

Children's Land Vision

2009-02-05T03:36:00.000-08:00

Kennedy and Jason WLS facilitators

2009-01-30T02:33:00.000-08:00

Ross sent message that the WLS facilitators for the 2009 trip this year will be Kennedy and Jason Hunter. Kennedy is a former Lakeside School graduate who has been coordinating the host family stay for US Schools in Ollantaytambo for at least two years. The 2008 group met Kennedy at the weaving site visit. She was an intern for the Catcco Museum. Kennedy returned to Ollantaytambo upon graduation from Georgetown University. She planned to stay 6 months. In 2009 she will have spent three summers in Ollantaytambo.

The 2008 team met Jason Hunter in Cuzco as he prepared to facilitate the stay of the Landon School in a small town, Chilka, between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes.

Ollantaytambo Tini 2009 Project- Tini Amphitheater

2009-01-25T04:24:00.000-08:00

Regarding the project, I had a nice talk with Aima today. We agreed that the
Casady kids would keep working on the Children's Park - what exactly they
will do is still to be decided, and we will not know for a few months most
likely. Remember it's all driven by kids and it's an involved process so I
hate to make any definite pronouncements now.

I think what seems most likely is that the kids will work on the
ampitheater, which is going to be used for musical and theatrical
performances. This is going to be built inside of an existing swimming pool,
which was built in the late 60s and then filled in with trash. We have
partially removed the dirt. The Casady students will build steps into the
ampitheater, a stage and some of the seating. Check out the attached vision,
recently done by our foreman, Graham.

Ross

Ollantaytambo TiNi 2009- Tickets purchased

2009-01-25T04:13:00.000-08:00

WLS purchased airfare from OKC to Lima. As soon as I get applications in from
all of the students - Lima to Cusco flights will be purchased.

10 tickets: Kendall, Megan,Filip,Will,Matt,Kari,Craig,Louisa.Natasha,Deric

From: DELTA 5519 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (OKC) Departs: 12:32pm
To: ATLANTA, GA (ATL) Arrives: 3:34pm

From: DELTA 0235 ATLANTA, GA (ATL) Departs: 5:15pm
To: LIMA, PERU (LIM) Arrives: 10:50pm

From: DELTA 0236 LIMA, PERU (LIM) Departs: 12:20am
To: ATLANTA, GA (ATL) Arrives: 8:10am

From: Delta 5519 ATLANTA, GA (ATL) Departs: 10:50am
To: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (OKC) Arrives: 12:02pm

Questions about travel arrangements: Erin Lasky, Programs Director, World Leadership School, 2135 Gilpin Street, Denver, CO 80205, o: 303-679-3412, f: 303-945-2229, call toll-free: 1-888-831-8109, www.worldleadershipschool.com

Children's Land Vision

2008-12-08T02:41:00.000-08:00

From: Ross Wehner [mailto:ross@worldleadershipschool.com]
Sent: Wed 11/19/2008 9:36 AM
To: Clay, Carmen; 'Cindy Beams'; 'Fred Beams'
Cc: 'Aima Molinari'
Subject: Children's Land Vision

Carmen, Cindy and Fred

See note below from Aima and the revised vision of the Children's Land. I'll
be sending along a slideshow shortly that has photos of the children's land
that you can send to your Peru service learning students, both past and
present. You can see considerable progress is being made!

The rains have come so things are starting to turn green. Aima mentioned
some good and bad news -- workers took away the hill to make adobe bricks,
but left a lot of stones in its place. The good news though is the hill is
basically gone.

Fred and Cindy, I've translated Aima's text below.

Ross

VISION
Translation: This is the first draft, we still have to add a few things here
and there . . . but I would like you to send me any suggestion or question
you have. The little house in the middle is a store and an information
center, the house with the steps is an ampitheater, there is a house in the
tree (to the left). The little tables next to the wall are made of
eco-brickes and are for playing table games, talking, socializing, eating,
etc. On the side where the palm tree there are actually more trees, about
20. The half moon (not by the palm but on the left side) is the "corner of
peace" also made of ecobricks and beneath trees to have shade. The boxes
that can be seen on the right back side are part of the recycling center
that does not appear very clearly in this drawing, but basically it si where
we separate the trash and we store what can be re-used. In the corners there
are boxes for storage and also for composting. I think we need a bit more
greenery, although as we have spoken, it's probably that they give us a
rectangular piece of land that is near the entrance of the schools, so that
it be a children's garden and it would be divided into sections. We still
have to draw the "living fence" (editors note: this is a fence made of
living, normally prickly, plants). Another element that is not here, and
appears in some drawings, is the forms of the farms and little homes.

This drawing has come out of the drawings of the kids themselves and some
ideas taken from the school professors.

Este es el primer borrador, falta agregar unas cosillas aquí y allá...pero
me gustaría que envíen cualquier sugerencia o pregunta. La casita del medio
es tienda y centro de informacion, la casita con gradas es un anfiteatro,
la casita pegada a la pared es un lugar para hacer arte y manualidades, hay
una casita en el árbol, ( a la izquierda). Las mesitas pegadas a la pared
están hechas de ecoladrillos y son para juegos de mesa, conversar,
socializar, comer, etc. El lado donde está la palmera en realidad hay más
árboles, son como 20. La media luna (no la de la palmera, la del lado
izquierdo) es el rincon de la paz también hecho con ecoladrillos y debajo de
los árboles, para la sombra. Las cajas que se ven en el lado derecho
posterior es parte del centro de reciclaje que no aparece muy claro en el
dibujo, pero básicamente es donde se separa la basura, y se guarda lo que se
puede reutilizar. En las esquinas hay cajas para depósito y me parece
también que son composteras. A mi me parece que falta un poco más de area
verde, aunque como ya lo hemos hablado, es probable que nos den un terreno
rectangular mediano que hay a la entrada de la escuela, para que sea el
huerto de los niños y estaría dividido por secciones. Faltó dibujar el cerco
vivo. Otro elemento que no hay y que aparece en algunos dibujos es la forma
de las chacras o de las casitas.

Este dibujo ha salida principalmente del dibujo de los niños y algunas ideas
de los profesores de la escuela.

Ollantaytambo Children's Land Progress Report

2008-12-08T02:27:00.001-08:00

As the Ollantaytambo 2009 prepares to return to Manco Inca School under the supervision of Spanish teacher, Kari Bornhoft and Dean of Students, Matt Pena,the news from Ollantaytambo are great regarding progress on their tierra de ninos. World Leadership School is maitaining contact and collecting funding for their needs as stated in the following e-mails.

From Ross: World Leadership School is using leftover donations from Groton to finance after-school activities, which is what she is talking about below.

From Aima: Me imagino que sabrás que tuvimos que viajar inesperadamente a Seattle a la ceremonia de la abuela de Joaquín. Recién me estoy poniendo al día, pero te mando fotos pronto. La visión se ha ido demorando porque sempre llegan nuevas ideas y cambios pero se está viendo bien y es la guía para el próximo año. Nuestras plantas están creciendo día a dia, con algunos bajones por ahí pero en general muy sanas. Ya hemos puesto los letreros y ahora cada niño va a poner su nombre. Hemos pintado los juegos de los niños y adornado con dibujos, hemos hecho los dos letreros principales de zona de plantas y zona de juegos, ambos en quechua, hemos contruido regaderas y este fin de semana hacemos pequeños cercos para la zona de plantas.

Estoy conversando con una amiga que es profesora y además sabe mucho de arte y fotografía para que trabajemos todo el año próximo juntas. Sería un gran plus al proyecto y creo que aportaría muchísimo. Pero para esto tengo que hacer números y asegurar su sueldo. Ya te estaré mandando más información acerca de esto.

From Ross: My parece muy bien – gracias por mandar informacion tan detallada. Me pudes hacer un presupuesto muy sencillo para pasarselo a Cindy? Ella estaba pensando un usar algunos fondos para terminar un libro sobre la experiencia – no se cuanto costara. Tengo $575 de donaciones en los EE.UU. (algunos cheques que fueron escritos a WLS por los estudiantes) y te voy a mandar los fondos por Joaquin y mandarselos a Cindy lo que ella quiere hacer.

Lo que nos ayudaria much es ver fotos de la TiNi actual y como se ha mantenio y avanzado, incluyendo todas las areas en que han trabajado los estudiantes.

From Aima: Cómo estás? Este es el plan de trabajo para las siguientes semanas. Algunas cosas se modificarán en el proceso pues siempre salen nuevas ideas, de los niños o profesores, pero es básicamente nuestra meta para el fin del año escolar.

Los niños que desean participar se han inscrito en uno o a veces dos de los cuatro equipos: "Plantitas felices", "Mi Tierra Limpia", "Organizados trabajamos mejor" y "Arte y Magia para mi Tini". Quizas Cindy le interese saber que Luis Fernando y Alex vienen a las reuniones de arte y también de plantas.

TiNi = Tierra de Niños

Aún no he sacado costos pero es el próximo paso. Si les parece bien se gastaría lo que dejó el colegio Groton en estas actividades. Más adelante les enviaría el reporte de cómo se gastó el dinero.

Chapel Speech: Nina, Mac, and Louisa

2008-10-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

In mid September, Nina, Mac and Louisa refined and presented the PP the Ollantaytambo 2008 group made in Peru at the end of the trip. The goal was to inform about their summer experience and begin the recruitment of a new group which must be in place by the end of November.

The trip will be different in 2009 because we will not stay in hostals; we will live with host families. The host families have had experience with US teens in the past because they have hosted students from Lakeside Academyof Seattle or Groton of Boston.

Another difference is the language component and the required readings and graded assignments. This year students are getting service and summer school Spanish credit.

The trip will be sponsored by Spanish teacher, Kari Bornhoft, our Dean of Students and Spanish Teacher, Matt Pena, and Spanish Teacher and Director of Service-Learning Carmen Clay. Mr. Pena and Ms. Bornholf will take care of students with previous Spanish experience and Mrs. Clay will be responsible for an introduction to Spanish for students who have not taken Spanish classes before.

Update of Ollantaytambo Children's work

2008-09-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Estas fotos son de Katia, una chica limeña que vino a enseñarnos un poco de como utilizar el papel y reciclarlo en el mes de Agosto. http://picasaweb.google.com/katia.nakamura/Ollantaytambo?authkey=dqxku8pvPQg
Aima

Juan Leguia's biography
Joaquín F. Leguía Orezzoli is the Executive Director and founder of the Association for Children and their Environment (Asociación para la Niñez y su Ambiente), a non-profit organization founded in Lima, Peru in 1995. The association's mission is to promote and to develop values and practices of social and environmental responsibility in children. Joaquín encourages stewardship of the land, through a program called Children’s Lands with the goal that 1% of Peru’s territory is sustainable managed with the involvement of children who represent 40% of the country’s population. By nurturing life and biodiversity in an area of one square meter or more, children are recognized for their contribution to the wellbeing of society. According to the extension and ecosystem where the children’s land is implemented it can become a “children’s forest”, “children’s lake”, “children’s mountain”, “children’s desert”, “children’s garden”, etc. The ultimate goal is that Children’s lands become an indicator of Sustainable Development. During the time he founded the association, he worked as a consultant, helping to secure the first Latin American Conservation Concession in the Amazon, with the aim of conserving the rainforest and benefiting the local population. He also is an Ashoka Fellow, an AVINA social leader, and a member of the World Youth Spiritual Council. Joaquín was named one of the top young leaders in Latin America by Business Week magazine. In 2007 was nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He earned his BA from Cornell University in Natural Sciences his MA in Environmental Management from Yale. He also studied Non-Profit Management in Washington, D.C.

News about the book:
Carmen,

Queria comunicarte que hace muy poco estuve reunida con 3 chicos, dos de Lima y uno de Colombia, todos muy conocedores en el tema de la fotografía, el arte y la narración literaria. Tienen muchas habilidades para el proyecto del libro así que he pensado que serían un perfecto equipo y que junto a mi podremos empezar a trabajar el proyecto del libro con los niños. Ellos proponen algo más que fotografía digital. Por ejemplo si un niño dibuja una escena del mercado cuando su mamá vende verduras, lo que vendría es guiarlo a que escribiera porqué dibujó esa escena y que narre un poco lo que sucedía en ese momento...finalmente tenemos la imagen digital de tal momento. Todo esto junto a dinámicas divertidas y mucho juego.

Ellos vienen este sábado a conocer la escuela, el pueblo y algunos de los niños. Esta propuesta se la voy a mandar a Cindy, una de las profesoras de Groton que estaba interesada en pagarle una profesora de inglés y arte a los niños con los que se quedó (se enamoró de ellos). Si le interesa el tema ella podría costearnos el trabajo y materiales de estos chicos. Empezaríamos con una vez por semana, los días sábados, como de 9am a 1pm.

Si te parece bien te envío también la propuesta y quizás si me falta dinero me puedes ayudar a ver a quién le interesa apoyarnos.

Permission to use Tierra de Ninos in the proposal presentation for Nashville
Carmen,

Ya hablé por teléfono con Joaquín esta mañana. Estuvimos casi una hora conversando sobre la conferencia y sobre su visita a Ollantaytambo. Ha dejado en mis manos todo su itinerario así que le voy a sacar el jugo a su visita e invitar a la mayor cantidad de personas claves para que escuchen su conferencia.

Entonces, lo que me dice es que lo que has escrito está super bien, que luz verde, que nos mandemos y solo que en la parte donde hablas de Ania, la niña, digas “ Ania is a character and hopefully soon to be made an animated movie...” Nos sugiere no mencionar el tema de disney ni decir que es algo confirmado aún.

Me ha dicho que aún no sabe si él podrá ir personalmente y que le parece bien que nosotros...tu sola, yo o juntas las dos presentemos. En caso yo pueda ir, el me ha dicho que me podría capacitar personalmente de tal forma que voy más preparada y con tu ayuda en la traducción podemos hacer un buen papel.

Me preguntó también la cantidad de asistentes a la conferencia central y si el taller que se haría es todo un día. Yo entiendo que nosotras estaríamos en lo del taller no? El quizás podría ir a la conferencia grande. Su única duda es saber si realmente es necesario que vaya, dice que se ha quemado varias veces en conferencias que se pintan como importantes pero al final la gente no es pilas o no se le da la debida importancia al tema central...Debido al poco tiempo que tiene realmente tienen que elegir bien en qué invertirlo. En todo caso, nos avisa eso por Diciembre.

Dime, te ayuda que te envíe su hoja de vida en inglés?

Bueno Carmen, eso es todo por ahora. Dime si necesitas algo más.

Picassa Album of the project

2008-07-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

View project pictures from start to finish at http://picasaweb.google.com/Cycloneservicelearners/TierraDeNinosProject. Now students will work on their follow-up project at Casady, Speak Week. They will finalize their chapel presentation, the goal of which is to share what they did. After that, students will work on their Speak Week project. The goal of the week is to promote service and fundraise for next year's trips needs ( help students and teachers go and for the needs of the project in Ollantaytambo). Finally, we are considering presenting at the NYLC conference in Nashville during spring break.

Words from World Leardeship School CEO

2008-07-04T04:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say how impressed I am with what a group of seven Casady students, plus one (very) determined faculty person, were able to accomplish in Ollantaytambo. I think you all did a wonderful job of overcoming the inevitable hardships of living in rural Peru and persevering to meet your goals. Joaquin and Paull very much enjoyed working with you and felt like you all made tremendous strides in personal awareness and growth during the trip. In the process, you made a tremendous difference in the lives of Ollantaytambo’s children and kicked off what promises to be a very fruitful, long-term project for the community – the Tierra de Niños.

Besides saying thank you, I also wanted to send you an evaluation form for parents to fill out and either print and mail to WLS or email back --- if you want to save paper, just open the document and type in your answer, save the document with a new name (e.g. Parent Evaluation – Liedtke) and send back to me. Each student has also filled out an evaluation form, which Carmen is sending me in the mail. I am going through all the paperwork from the trip andw will hopefully speak with Carmen soon.. We use your thoughts and input in order to keep improving our programs.

A few notes for students:1. We have established a Flickr photo sharing site for Casady School. It is an open group and accessible at http://www.flickr.com/groups/773350@N24/ This is a great way for students to share photos amongst themselves and you can always opt to use some of these for the blog as well. Please upload the photos you want to share – it’s very easy.

2. We have also established a Facebook Groups page for World Leadership School alumni. You can access the page here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/773350@N24/ or search for “World Leadership School” within Facebook. Again it’s an open group so no invitation is required. Please feel free to join the group if you are interested in receiving updates about World Leadership School and want to stay in touch with other alums. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Follow-up from Aima, Tierra de Ninos Coordinator

2008-07-03T02:40:00.000-07:00

Querida Carmen,

Perdóname por no contestar inmediatamente. Como imaginarás estamos super ocupados con el grupo de Lakeside, su proyecto en Tierra de NIños y la escuela es introducir el sistema de manejo y reciclaje de toda la basura de la escuela. Gran reto!

Hoy empezamos a difundir en todas las clases al ladrillo ecologico que nos ayudará a construir cercos, bancas, sillas y mesas dentro del terreno de los niños además de ayudar a la limpieza de toda la escuela y pueblo. Hemos organizado un concurso entre salones y todos los niños están entusiasmados por ganar. En fin, muchas cosas, pero todas positivas. Mañana sin falta te envío algunas fotos del playground que con tanto trabajo colocarons tus estudiantes y una foto de antes también para que se note el cambio y el trabajo.
Gracias nuevamente por tu interés en difundir la labor de Tierra de Niños a través de las conferencias o el contacto con otras organizaciones afines. Te pido un poco de paciencia pues necesito un tiempo para sentarme a revisarlo todo.

Un beso grande a todos! Aima

Student-Teacher blog

2008-06-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

Please visit http://casady-school-peru08.blogspot.com/ to see student/teacher entries in the World Leadership School blog of this trip. The choice of pictures and final reflections in the WLS blog will be posted by student participants.

I look forward to our PERUREUNION!!!

Lima-OKC: Reflections on board of plane

2008-06-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

After a difficult flight back to Lima because students were tired and one battled motion sickness, we arrived in Lima where we met our tour guide, Ivan and our bus driver Don Eduardo. Next year, I must remember to let students know that they need to wear motion sickness patches and have handy motion sickness medicine.

Ivan, our tour guide, was a freelance photographer by trade and kept the tour at very low key. We were thankful because we were exhausted.

I had a bad cold complicated with stomach virus which the paramedics at Mambo's restaurant told me would go away within 24 hours if I drank Gatorade and rested. Thank you to this beautiful restaurant for providing this service free of charge. I was not that bad, but it was nice to have that service as needed.

Ivan took care of the tour and the kids enjoyed mostly Larco Mar and Miraflores after a short trip to Barranco and the headquaters of the "Tierra de Ninos" where we received gifts and a CD to take home.

Now back at home, I realized how rewarding this trip has been.

Student responses to what they like the most were:
1. Bonding and playing games with my group and when the playground went up.

2. Getting to know the kids at the school and when our group got together at night and played games.

3. Seeing the children’s faces, when the playground was going up. I enjoyed the rafting and soccer.

4. The actual days dedicated to the project. I enjoyed the work as well as the company of the children who were helpful in fully immersing myself into the Peruvian culture.

5. Playing with the kids and climbing Wayna Picchu.

6. When I was teaching and when we finished the play ground.

7. Getting to experience a foreign third world country. All too often we choose to travel to the “best” places in the world, and we forgo the invaluable experience of getting to know people and places in a country as awesome as Peru.

What they liked the least:
1. Three students stated: Museum tours.
2. Meetings and conversations that were forced upon us. Not only did I feel uncomfortable, I felt they were not benefitial to the group at all.
3. The museums and the afthermath of Wayna Picchu.
4. I got sick in Macchu Picchu.
5. I did not enjoy not having any friends or other people my age on the trip.

Their impressions of the community
1. The community was very close and affectionate. It seem to be a care free life style and kindness was in abundance.
2. I loved the community of Ollantaytambo! Not so much Cusco though. Our accomodations worked. El Albergue was fantastic, but I would not recommend Las Orquideas.
3. Ollantaytambo was a beautiful town. The scenary was beautiful and the community was friendly. However, I did not stay with a host family.
4. The simplest way to describe the community of Ollantaytambo is to simply call it amazing. I absolutely felt in love with the people and the richnest of their culture. I want to go back as many times as possible because I absolutlely loved it.
5. I loved Ollantaytambo. It is one of my favorite towns. The children were amazing! The community touched my heart and someday I want to teach English here.
6. The community of Ollantaytambo was great. The kids were really enthusiastic about helping us. The town really feels like home now.
7. The community of Ollantaytambo was great. It was quaint, small, and comfortable. I really felt like I got to know some different members of the community, both kids and adults.

Their impressions of the country instructors and faculty leaders:
1. Our instructor Paul was very nice,and very knowledgable. He was very funny, and kind to everyone and still made sure our best interests were at heart.
2. Our instructor Paul was the best. He really became close with our whole group and seem to really care about us. His knowledge about Peru was also very impressive, and he is a great dancer!! Mrs. Clay was the best faculty leader I could ever wished for.
3. Joaquin Randall was a fun instructor. He took us to good restaurants and helped motivate us on the playground. Paul was also an awsome leader. He took us to explore the town, played games with us, and kept us interested.
4. Joaquin, Paul, and Mrs. Clay were all excellent leaders and instructors. They were all very responsible and helpful the whole time and each added their own individual spark of fun spradically. Mrs. Clay was basically our mom and Joaquin and Paul were very extremely knowledgeable about everything and very humorous at the same time.
5. Joaquin was a little scary at first, but after a few days, he became really great and understanding. He was very responsible. Paul was really fun. He loves his culture. Mrs. Clay was great as well.
6. Mrs. Clay was really great at getting us all pumped up and excited for the work. She also told great stories from her childhood in Peru.
7. Joaquin and Paul were amazing. They were knowledable and fun, as well as entertaining and personable.Mrs. Clay was a great asset to the trip; she made me feel extremely comfortable knowing I had a friend/translator/mom the whole time.

Was the trip changing or inspiriring to them?
1. The trip did not drastically change you. It made me realize how lucky I am and helped me appreciate it. It inspired me to help my community.
2. This trip really humbled me. I think I will return home much more greatful for everything I have including my friends and family. It inspire me to want to help more underpriviledge children.
3. This trip definetly changed me. I figured out that when I get older, I want to with children. Seeing how happy they were to learn English, made me feel wanted.
4. Yes, I think this trip has changed and inspired me in more than one way. I feel as if I have matured in my behavior and this trip really tested my maturity level. I feel like I am also more aware of Peruvian culture and that is the base of what inspired me. They people there that have so little always seem to be so happy and that helps me realize that I should be thankful for every single thing I have.
5. Of course it change me! It made me realize how much I want to help these kids and give them the love they deserve. The kids helped me stay positive, especially when I found out about a death of a dear friend.
6. The trip showed me just how much other kids love learning and how much they desire to learn. That has led me to be more hungry to help them.
7. I would not say it changed or inspired me as much as it did inform me. It is obvious there are problems in our world, and the best thing the trip did for me was remind me that outside of my sheltered existence in the USA, there are actual problems affecting real people.

Adios Cusco- Hello Lima

2008-06-20T03:26:00.000-07:00

Friday: Every one was tired, but in good health. We had a tour of the cathedral and the Inka Museum. After lunch the kids rested while Joaquin and I took care of travel confirmations. Our plane from Cusco to Lima was changed to an earlier flight. There was a problem with the date of the flight and changing it took a long time. Thank you to Joaquin and his contacts for making the change possible. We left Cusco at 7:45 Lan Peru flight 24 instead of at noon. Our plane tickets in Delta were confirmed without difficulty.

The earlier flight from Cuzco allowed us a few more hours in Lima. Aima had contacted the headquarters of our project´s foundation, La Tierra de Ninos and we hoped to meet its founder, but it did not happen.

Joaquin provided a beautiful closing exercise at the end of the day. It was heartbreaking to see how much the group has grown together and how much they enjoyed the service project, the highlight of their stay. I am thankful to Mac for not giving up on the trip when people did not easily sign-up. We had a transforming 15 days.

Sunday 15-Wednesday 18

2008-06-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

<<<<
Continuation report of end of project: We finished the project and had a tasty Pachamanca to celebrate.
It served about 45 people who included all the volunteers from Ollantaytambo and Casady, the Manco Inca School children and adults, the carpenters, their families and few dogs.

The kids sanded the playground and when it was partially finished, we saw how happy the children were. We have a great sense of satisfaction for all our hard work.

On Wednesday evening, since I am writing this on Thursday morning, Aima, the Tierra de Ninos coordinator gave a financial report of the total cost of the playground as of $1,200. Our $700 were matched by El Albergue and Tierra de Ninos resources to make the playground a reality.

As we left Ollantaytambo on Monday, the playground was as finished as we could leave it.
On our way to Macchu Picchu we received a report that the children and the carpenter had finished it and the children were playing but sad that we were gone. When told that a new group was coming, they said it would not be the same. Last night, Aima thanked the Casady kids for having made the time with the children unforgettable. She said, "You made them feel special when you played and paid attention to them, something they do not all get at home or at school. "

We were so sorry and sad about David that we concentrated in communicating with Casady and Jared in China. Thank you, Joaquin for understanding and changing schedules.

Then we continued the Market Place of ideas. The kids divided in groups decided what will be the next steps to keep the momentum going and bring sustainability to the leadership and work we started together in Ollantaytambo and when we go back home.

After suggesting creation of Tierra de ninos at Casady; following-up the book project, which is only at the preliminary stage with Internet penpals, and having a Speak Week; the kids decided that the easy thing to do as a group was a SpeaK Week. A week to focus on volunteering and fundraising for the next trip to Peru needs at Ollantaytambo and to provide funding for interested students who are unable to afford the cost of the trip independently. Students will work in collaboration with Student Council and officers of other clubs. Students discussed the projects and voted for Speak Week.
The Speak Week was tabled until the beginning of the school year.

On Sunday we took a field trip to the weavers' place.
The kids were very tired. The field trip was somewhat dissapointing because we did not get to see the weavers weaving, just working on a lesson on natural techniques. It was very cold and some of the students and I started to get a cold. I bought some local medicine for the group, which worked well.
Nina saw a practical application of Mrs. Zesiger class and everyone was invited to eat the local potatao with local salt and ginea pig. Some also bought weavings

Since it was father´s day, some kids e'mail parents from El Albergue. We did not have Internet at Las Orquideas. I was sick, so I went to sleep after dinner. Thank you Joaquin for allowing us to have a special good-bye dinner in Ollantaytambo.
It has been a memorable experience and you made it possible. Hope you will want us back next year!!! Nina bought chocolate roses for Joaquin and our day ended in a good note,

Monday June 16: We took the backpacker train to Aguas Calientes. The Presidente Hotel was nice.

We had a hike to Mandor Valley and Joaquin tried to have a fair trade talk with the students which I did not think went very well. mostly because everyone is very tired and sad about David.
Then we went to the thermal baths and had dinner at a place that was nice, but the kids did not enjoyed the food that much.

Tuesday June 17: The day started with Jake having something in his eye. We took him to the local medical post and headed to Macchu Picchu. Since his eye continued to bother him, Joaquin stayed behind and saw the doctor on duty at Macchu Picchu who cleaned-up his eye and placed a patch for prevention since he had scratched his eye.
Jake and Joaquin joined us in the hike to Hayna Picchu and Moon Temple.

When we returned to Macchu Picchu we were so tired, it took some time to get the kids to be willing to continue with the tour of the historical santuary.

At the end of the day we boarded the train first and then the bus to pick-up our luggage for our transfer to Las Chulpas where we stayed over night. We were exhausted.

Las Chulpas was a nice rustic, secluded retreat. The choice of meal was not the best. The rooms were very very cold. The water was cold in my bathroom so I could not take a shower that evening, which was fixed early next morning. Although the place was interesting, I do not think I will go back just for a night; too much work loading and unloading luggage in a remote area with hard accessibility to rooms. The owners of this hostel were very nice,

Wednesday June 18: Today is my son´s Brian B-day. We stopped in Pisac for the kids to buy crafts and to have lunch. The menu was nicer than the day before, but had quinua soup once more. It is a delicious soup,but a variety of soups would have been welcomed.
After lunch I found out that Mac had misplaced her camera. After looking around, we concluded that maybe it was stolen, but since we were already on our road to Cusco, there was nothing we could do.

At Saqsayhuaman, the kids tired and I with the heaviest cold, were reluctant to keep hiking, but it was interesting and the goal setting session in the beautiful environment was effective.
Here Rosie told me that she had also misplaced her camera, which was the camera we were to leave with the kids of Ollantaytambo. She thought she had to look at one one place to make sure and that she would do that as soon as we arrived to the hostel.

We had a couple of hours to shop in Cuzco after checking in San Isidro Hostel. Then we had dinner and Nina´s enthusiasm for dancing took the group to some discos.

Today is Thursday June, 19. We will tour Cusco and I will ask the kids to brainstorm their presentation because we cannot get together until August again after we go back, Grayson might not be able to be there and Rosie will go to another high school next year. Every one is a little more rested but with mild colds.

Saturday

2008-06-14T18:07:00.001-07:00

We are very sorry about our friend David Childs. What could have been a great date to report because we completed our project is now a very difficult time for our team.

June 12-13

2008-06-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

I did not have time to blog yesterday because we moved to our new hostel and we worked from 9-5 p.m. We were exhausted and sorry to move from El Albergue, but Las Orquideas is ok. We continued our work inside and outside the classroom,

Today we also worked all day and we finished preparing the area to pour sand and then the playground should come. We also cleaned up part of the school. Rosie, Mac, and Kendall were not feeling 100%. Today was somewhat of a difficult day. At the end of the day, we started our pottery introduction, ancient ways to make bowls.

Joaquin´s daughter had a b-day. It was interesting to see a two year-old birthday party in Ollantaytambo.

June 11, 2008

2008-06-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Salt Mines and saw the Concentric Cirles.
While we admired the Inca architecture, we worked on the personality tests and bonded as a group with Joaquin.
We also visited the Salt Mines. The scenery was incredible and the Urubamba river and valley beautiful. Our driver was the same man as last year incident with the flat tire. He now has a huge bus. I am so glad to see such progress in his life.

When we returned from our excursion, we cooked lomo saltado and cookies under the guidance of the Albergue chef, Juan. After that we did the egg drop challenge and continued trying to figure our leadership styles and how to use that knowledge to accomplish our goals, enhance our performance on our group project, and continue our transformation from a group to a team with a common vision.

I had the opportunity to talk to Aima about presenting her project in the USA, finding funding for the project with collaborations with What kids can do and the Shinnyoen foundation, NYLC and Clemson university. Aima told me that she wants training in education, which I will try to help after I return.

As we prepared to leave el albergue, the kids feel sad because this place has become a home away from home and the staff is very nice. We need to give a chance to Las Orquideas. We will see.

June 10, 2008

2008-06-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone is fine and the group is becoming a team.

Work day 2: Kids were divided between Tierra de Ninos work and English teachers. The classes at school Manco Inca were large, the teachers were welcoming, and the children loved the Casady kids.

After work, we had our ceramics workshop. It was interesting.

Monday, June 9, 2008

2008-06-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

10:00 a.m. Urubamba river rafting. It was almost perfect because one member of our team did not attend. Louisa was not feeling well and she decided to stay at the hostel under the care of Adela, a kind and caring hostel clerk who is like Joaquin´s aunt. Louisa had stomach ache in the morning, but a good rest allowed her to be with us at dinner and as we speak she is winning every action game the group is playing in the other room.

Back to white water rafting: The Urubamba river was beautiful and kind to our two boats. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Our instructors were professional and their equipment allowed us to take the rapids in comfort. I should not have feared the rafting so much. The view was breathtaking and after several level three rapids, our group felt accomplished. Sorry this dial-up connection is so slow for pictures. We had a good lunch and returned to the hostel to rest for a while. The kids were so tired that they decided to not play soccer today.

After an evaluative time with Grayson, we had our readings discussion. It was difficult for the kids because they and I had not read the books. Joaquin understood the circunstances and the worst part is now over. I hope the discussion will motivate the kids to read, but if not, at least they are aware of the intention of the project with the reading.

We had dinner at 7:30 and the kids and the Peruvian facilitators have been playing games for almost two hours.

Well, all is well in Ollantaytambo so far. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday, June 8, 2008. Tierra de Ninos, ofrenda

2008-06-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Peru:

I guess today was the first ¨real¨ day of the trip. We ate breakfast at 8 again, and afterwards, we discussed the plan for the day. Following our discussion, we gathered tools
and walked to the school where we will be working on our project, known in Spanish as ¨La Tierra del Ninos,¨ or the ¨Children´s Land.¨ When we got there we were all thinking the same thing: what did we get ourselves into? The land was a disaster. However, after just a few hours work you could already see a transformation. We spent the morning cutting trees,
hauling dirt, and throwing rocks. This is the ¨pre-work¨ that needs to be done before we can begin to put together the children´s play area. The land needs to be level and clear. After the hard work of the morning hours we had some fun. Local students, from ages 2-15 or so, came to assist us and had a call taking pictures with the cameras that were donated for our project. They prepared potatoes for us in a tradition outdoor Peruvian oven, made of rocks and covered with dirt. We ate potatoes and drank fruit juice while enjoying a break in the shade. After our work we went to eat at a restaurant in town,
followed by the opportunity to watch a local soccer game. We took showers before dinner as we were really dirty from working, and for dinner we had a simple soup and ham and cheese sandwiches. We also had the opportunity to experience a spiritual offering from a traditional high-altitude tribe shaman. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Afterwards we enjoyed the music of Cesar, one of the hotel employees. Everyone is pretty tired; however, I think they are all excited for the white-water rafting tomorrow. So far everyone is doing well; it´s hard to believe it has already been four full days!

We have dial-up Internet connection. The kids are writing their entries in this blog because the other one is not responding. I cannot enter my e-mail from school either.

Everyone is doing fine. We had our first day of Tierra de Ninos work. It was hard labor, but very rewarding to meet the children and some of their parents. We have many pictures. We are uploading them to our laptop.

The children loved taking pictures, filming,working, and playing with the Casady teens. Their school is poor and the land provided is in poor condition. Our kids were amazing workers. It will be rewarding to see the before and after pictures.

Our day started at 8:30 and we worked until 3:00. The children baked potatoes for us in an oven made of rocks as a snack. After work, we went to eat to another good restaurant. After lunch, we went to a soccer game between the Vilcabamba and Ollantaytambo municipalities.

We ended the day with an offering to the earth for good luck with the children´s project. The ceremony was interesting and different. I did not know anything about this side of my Peruvian culture. It is nice to learn so much about my heritage in the company of students.

The kids are now singing with Cesar´s guitar. Tomorrow we will do white water rafting.

Saturday, June 7

2008-06-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

I cannot update the WlS blog, Here is what Nina wrote:

Hola Parents from Ollantaytambo!

Today was our second full day and it started off early at 8 in the morning. Breakfast was great! After breakfast Paul took the whole group around town and gave us a brief history of the Incan culture. We climbed these Incan ruins today and it was beautiful because you could see the entire city. That was exciting! Sleepiness plagues the group. Everyone is always looking forward to siesta! Lunch was amazing with a soup called sopa de creole. That was one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Now we have just returned from our meeting about the project and it built up excitement. Dinner is coming soon so that is the last update until tomorrow. Hang Loose!

Love,
Nina B

8:00 A.M. Breakfast eggs, pancakes, juice, toast, home atmosphere, nice people, beautiful children!

Goals session: It was interesting to hear the kids goals. Learning Spanish,about the culture, making sure they completed their project, learn to be good listeners..

Joaquin read to us our itinerary and warned us that there were already some changes.

Tour of Ollantaytambo: Guided by Paul who speaks Spanish, English and Quechua. Paul loves his village and knows its history very well.

1:00 We had lunch at Pachamama Restaurant and the kids loved the criolla soup.

The kids were very tired and slept from 2-4.

4:00 Sessions with Aima, Joaquin´s wife and her school project The children´s land. I cannot believe how beautiful this project is. We are very lucky to be part of it. Grayson already visited with the carpenters that have been working on the playground needs and tomorrow we will, for the first time meet with the children and their parents to clean-up the area where the playground will be built.

7:00 Joaquin made the kids their favorite meal so far: Lomito Saltado. Everyone was very tired and went to bed after dinner because we have to be ready to go by 8:30 tomorrow.
Before bed I had a dance lesson from Aima and discovered that el Albergue has a eucalipus sauna. It is a refreshing way to end the day, but one needs to be careful of the spiders!

The group is becoming more cohesive, but we still have some ways to go. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Problems with e-mail

2008-06-06T00:35:00.001-07:00

Dear parents, Mark and Ross,

We had good flights from OKC to Lima. The kids had a great time at the jacuzi and the sauna at our hotel. Our travel agent in Peru had a wonderful guide waiting for us at the airport. We checked luggage and went to the spa, which is lovely. They tasted their first Lomito saltado and Inka Cola. The reviews were good.

We had a good flight from Cuzco. All the kids did well adjusting to altitude. Joaquin gave us a lot of water to drink upon our arrival to Cuzco and in a nice van we were on our way to Ollantaytambo.

The kids were very tired, but loved their accomodations. Grayson was vocal about how much he loved our hostel.

Kids had to adjust to the Peruvian meals. They are not used to three course meals and soups.

After lunch, we had an orientation to Ollantaytambo in a scavenger hunt. The levels of comfort of the kids were tested, but everyone did very well and as a result, when we had to draw a map of the places where we had been, we all did very well. The group decided that the hunt helped them get to know our small home away from home well in a few hours. The town is small and welcoming. The people are friendly and are willing to help with a smile and a good attitude. The children are beautiful. It is a town of contrasts.

Expectations and fears sessions:It was interesting to hear the kid´s fears and later on their goals. Three people in our group are not looking forward to white water rafting. Joaquin made us read the expectations we had dinner. We all went to bed soon after due to exhaustion.

Our bags are packed, we are ready to go!

2008-06-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

The last entry before the long awaited trip to Ollantaytambo, Peru. I pray for good weather, a group that works together well, a comunity that welcomes us and WLS facilitators that inspire us by example.

One question I still have not answered is: What is leadership? If interested share your thoughts in the comments!

Interested in my students'reflective blog? Visit: http://casady-school-peru08.blogspot.com/

Casady Prepares to Go: Final update for this blog-parents already have this

2008-06-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Andes Education
Prepare to Go Packet

Suggested Reading
You will get more out of the Andes Education program if you can do some of reading ahead of time. These three books are highly recommended:
• Three Cups of Tea. (Greg Mortenson). This moving story of an American climber’s efforts to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan will allow us to draw connections between what is happening in Peru to what is happening in other parts of the world. Please read the whole book.
• High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them (J.F. Rischard). This book lays out the huge global problems and opportunities that face the current generation of young people. The book is divided into three main sections – please read at least the first section.
• Moon Peru, 2nd edition (Ross Wehner, Renee del Gaudio and Kazia Jankowski). Basic overview of culture, history and arts of Peru with descriptions of all the places we will see in Peru. This book is a general travel guide good for background info and browsing.

Here are some other books if you have time or want to bring a book on the trip. A longer list is found on page 606 of Moon Peru.
• White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland (Hugh Thomson). British documentary filmmaker Hugh Thomson blends personal exploration in the Andes together with a Spanish chronicles and Inca history.
• Conquest of the Incas (John Hemming). The definitive, and well-written, history of the Spanish conquest of Peru.
• Deep Rivers (Los Rios Profundos, José María Arguedas). This novels the story of Ernesto, a schoolboy in the Andean city of Abancay. The conflict of the Indian and the Spanish cultures is acted out within Ernesto as it was in the life of Arguedas, one of Peru’s most important writers.
• Death in the Andes (Lituma en los Andes, Mario Vargas Llosa). This novel portrays a remote Andean mining town where police probe the mysterious disappearance of three men.

Keirsey Temperament Sorter
Before the trip, we ask all students to complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. This is an online self-assessment tool that we use to build self awareness. The survey consists of about 60 questions that can be completed in about 10 minutes. Here’s how to take the survey:
• Go to http://kts2.personalityzone.com/user/register.aspx and fill out the required information
• Answer the questions (don’t overanalyze yourself!)
• When finished, view the free mini report
• Print the 1-page report and bring on the trip with you

Flight Information and Baggage Policy
You are flying Delta Airlines from Oklahoma City to Lima and Lan Peru from Lima to Cusco. Your flight details can be found in the attached updated itinerary. Tickets are being handled by Carmen Clay.

Here is the baggage policy for both Delta and Lan:
• For carry on baggage, you are allowed one piece of luggage (max. weight 40 pounds, can not be more than 45 inches in height + length + width and one personal item (small book bag, purse, etc.)
• For checked baggage, you are allowed two pieces of luggage. Each checked piece of luggage should weigh no more than 50 pounds and not exceed 62 inches in height + length + width.

Passport and Visa
All students need a valid U.S. passport to enter Peru. Visas are not required. If you have a passport from a country other than the U.S., please confirm that there are no additional visa or inoculations requirements. For more information and links, see http://www.peruvianembassy.us/visas-visas.php

Please keep in mind that you are traveling as a tourist. When you fill out forms or pass through passport control, please indicate that you are a tourist only.

Vaccinations
The most up-to-date information on inoculations can be found at www.cdc.gov. Before taking any shots, please consult with your doctor. For the areas in Peru that we are visiting, we recommend shots for Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Yellow Fever is no longer required for the Cusco area. Please ensure that standard U.S. vaccinations are up to date, particularly Tetanus.

Itinerary
On the day before Machu Picchu, we have decided not to hike on the Inca Trail and instead hike up the less touristy and equally beautiful Mandor Valley to visit a waterfall, study orchids and bird life, and visit a coffee plantation. We will have a naturalist with us that day to engage the students in a discussion of sustainability in the local mono-plantations of pineapple, banana and coffee. The following day we will visit Machu Picchu and climb up Huayna Picchu, the mountain that offers superb views over Machu Picchu. If time permits, we will also hike the portion of the Inca Trail that leads to the Sun Gate.

The hotels we are staying in include El Albergue and Las Orquideas in Ollantaytambo, and Hostal San Isidro in Cusco (see description below under lodging).

Service Project -- Ollantaytambo
During our time in Ollantaytambo we will focus on an education infrastructure project, which is designed to empower local young people and challenge to think about sustainability. Specifically we will help launch a “children’s park” or “Tierra de Niños” in Ollantaytambo. The idea behind a children’s park comes from the Peruvian non-profit Ania (http://www.mundodeania.org/), which has helped start dozens of such parks across Peru and which is now present in other parts of the world. The idea is simple: children are formally given a plot of land (in this case donated by the school) to care for and manage as their own. In the process, young people lean to love nature and acquire the knowledge and tools they need to be effective stewards of the environment. The contribution for the Casady group is $700, which will be collected by Mrs. Clay before the trip and delivered to Joaquin Randall to purchase the necessary materials.

Working with local teenagers and children, students will help create a park with the following proposed elements: organic vegetable garden, seed ball reforestation (http://permaculturetokyo.blogspot.com/2006/10/seed-balls.html), a play area, and a basic outdoor structure that would serve as a meeting place. Nearby we hope to also work on establishing a compost and waste recycling system for the local school, which will be managed by the Peruvian students. Materials for these projects would be purchased via donations raised by students. The goal of the project is simple: help children become stewards not only of their land, but of their community.

In addition to the main project, each student can choose to work on an independent project according to his or her particular interests. We will arrange these placements based on information from the application form:
• Teach English to children and possibly adults
• Arts and crafts program with children
• Shadow a doctor or a nurse in a public health clinic
• Teach computer skills to children and possibly adults

The following students have submitted proposals so far:
• Jake Patton and Carmen Clay will be bringing reading books donated by the Metropolitan Library Systems. They will also start a project called In our Village. The goal of this project is to help the children of Ollantaytambo create a book about their city and share it with the world. World Leadership School is suggesting to check www.blurb.com for publishing books when it is ready for printing.
• Louisa Liedtke and Rosalie Atkinson will be working on arts and crafts.
• The rest of the group has expressed interest in working with sports, but formal proposals have not been approved yet. It would be great to get some English teachers!

Lodging
World Leadership School usually pairs students with host families, but the pilot program for Casady School includes stay at local hostels where students can expect clean rooms and bathrooms, hot water to shower, purified water to drink, and local food cooked with high standards of hygiene. Hostels are not luxury hotels, but provide a comfortable and safe place to stay and relax after a hard day of work or travel.

Students will be staying at Joaquin Randall’s El Albergue for the first part of the stay and then move to a Spanish-speaking only hostel, Las Orquideas, which is walking distance from El Albergue in Ollantaytambo. Please find information about El Albergue at
http://www.elalbergue.com/en/

Photos and other information about Las Orquideas are at
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g294319-d318414-Hostal_Las_Orquideas-Ollantaytambo_Sacred_Valley.html

In Aguas Calientes, students will stay at El Presidente Hostel, for which photos can be seen here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g304036-d309672-Hostal_Presidente-Aguas_Calientes_Sacred_Valley.html

And in Cuzco, we will stay at Hostal San Isidro, which is an upgrade from the El Balcon Hostel quoted in the original schedule. This hostel does was described in the following terms by the New York Times: “This is a pleasant, safe, and comfortable midrange choice, with just 14 rooms set back from busy Calle Saphy in colonial digs set around a long courtyard. Rooms are rather small but clean; several second-floor rooms have high ceilings, wood beams, and skylights.”

Students will sleep in room in separate beds. Bathrooms are inside the rooms or shared in an outside area. Mattresses tend to be made of foam or of harder materials, and students generally get used to sleeping on the beds within a few nights. We suggest bringing a sleeping bag for additional comfort.

Local Etiquette
You will be living in a traditional Andean community. Learning local manners will improve your relationship with your host family and friends. While you are living in the community you should:
• Say hello to people on the street whether you have met them or not. “Buenos dias” or “buenas tardes” are the proper greetings for adults, while a simple “hola” will suffice amongst younger people.
• When greeting residents of the community, you will shake hands most of the time. The exception to this is that female students from U.S. and Peru generally kiss each other on the cheek upon greeting. Female students generally shake hands with other male students, however.
• Do not wear tight or revealing clothing as this is considered disrespectful (see packing list for more detail)

Meals
While in Ollantaytambo, students will eat three meals per day provided by local restaurants and hostels selected by World Leadership School. Typical breakfasts include tea or coffee, fruit, bread, eggs, oatmeal; lunch and dinner involve plenty of hearty vegetable soups in chicken or meat broth, rice along with chicken, meat, beans and vegetables. There are many fruits from the jungle, including ones like granadilla that are not readily available in the U.S. Please note any dietary recommendations in the application form so that we can pass onto our host family.

When we are trekking or hiking, meals will be cooked and served on the trail. We will eat in restaurants while in the areas of Machu Picchu, Cusco and Lima.

We will do everything we can to ensure that the food you eat in Peru will be healthy and nutritious.

Gifts, Donations and Ideas for Sharing Who You Are
Students frequently ask about what gifts they can bring for tour guides, bus drivers, and friends they make. Think simple things that are not expensive. Make sure to bring photos of your family and friends to share. Bring something special from your hometown such as food, baseball hat, T-shirt, map, etc. For the children of the school, bring some small gifts for the kids. Magic markers, pencils, small water color sets, or small toys or dolls make for great gifts. You might also consider sharing your favorite candy, gum, or snacks.

Community donations are greatly appreciated. Clothing for children, especially babies and infants, are in great demand. Children’s books in both English and Spanish are also useful and can often be acquired in bulk at your local Salvation Army or thrift store. Basic medical supplies such as tongue depressors, latex gloves, hand sanitizer or bandages are appreciated. Volleyball and soccer are the two main sports in Ollantaytambo so any balls or nets are greatly appreciated. Basketballs, Frisbees, Nerf balls and baseball equipment can be fun to bring along to use during your stay and give away at the end of the trip.

Mrs. Clay has already started a donation drive and Jake Patton has received a donation of 70 books from the Metropolitan Library Systems. Casady Service-Learning Program will be donated some arts supplies as well.

Personal Electronics and Photography
Students are asked not to bring any personal electronics on this trip. Our experience is that iPods, MP3 players and movie/game devices only remove students from the overall trip experience and make them targets for theft. You are welcome to bring your U.S. cell phone if you need to use it in airports in the U.S. but it should remain off while in Peru, where it will most likely not work. Each instructor will be carrying a cell phone that can be used to call the United States in an emergency (see “Emergency Communications”, below).

Each student can bring a camera. Upon arrival, we will discuss, and decide as a group, how we want to handle photography. If everyone in the group is taking pictures all day, this can serve to distance us from those with whom we are working.

Past groups have elected to have a single group camera and a different person is chosen each day to take pictures for the group. Afterwards an album can be created and shared by the whole group. Casady is scheduled to receive a camera from a Climate Change grant which will be left in care of the CATCCO Museum to continue the book project and to take pictures of climate change in the region from time to time.

Your group can choose to have a group video recorder, which will be shared among group members. This video will help explain the trip to our school community back home. Your group can also choose to have a group laptop, which will allow you to blog and also work on any digital media projects. This equipment is not provided by World Leadership School and will be coordinated by students and/or the faculty person.

The voltage in Peru is 220 volts (not 120 volts as in the U.S.). Check and make sure that the AC adapter for your camera or laptop can accept 220 volts (most adapters now have ranges from 100 – 240 V). The plugs in Peru are mostly the same as the U.S. and, if not, adapters can be purchased easily in country.

Personal Spending Money and Shopping
Your program fee covers all your expenses once in Peru except for airport departure tax (estimated $36) which Mrs. Clay will pay from money left over after purchasing airline tickets, and personal spending money (souvenirs, snacks, toiletries, medications, internet, phone calls, shopping, etc.). For more detail on what the program fee covers, see the Application’s Terms and Conditions.

Therefore, students should plan on bringing at least $100 in personal cash to cover basic needs and more if they plan on shopping. Bring only crisp, new bills. Any aged or slightly ripped bills will be rejected by the money changers or exchange for a deep discount.

An ATM card, which can be used to draw money in Cusco near the end of the trip, can be brought as a back-up. There is an ATM machine in Ollantaytambo but it is not reliable. Travelers checks are difficult to cash at local banks. Credit cards are not necessary.

There will plenty of opportunity to buy gifts for friends and family when the group visits Pisac, Cusco and Lima. While in Ollantaytambo, we ask that students forego shopping until the end of their trip.

Communications
We will do our best to blog on a daily basis. Mrs. Clay will blog at http://cyclonexploringpossibilities.blogspot.com/. A blog will be set up by World Leadership School for students to blog prior to the trip and the link will be emailed to parents and students before the trip. Students and faculty will take turns updating the blog so that friends and family can receive regular updates. Mrs. Clay has provided the following blogging schedule in the best of circumstances, with a minimum of two entries per week, if time, weather, and work exhaustion do not permit more blogging.
• Jake: Mondays
• Kendall: Tuesdays
• Rosie: Wednesdays
• Louisa: Thursdays
Mackenzie: Fridays
• Nina: Saturdays
• Grayson: Sundays

Email, public phone and postal services are available in Ollantaytambo for students to communicate with friends and family. We ask that students be reasonable about e-mail use as we are going to Peru, in part, to take a break from modern technology! Families should expect email contact from students about once per week – the blog is designed to provide more regular updates.

Parents and friends should limit themselves to email when communicating with students. Any mail sent to Ollantaytambo will arrive after the students leave. Though certain host families do have telephones, we prefer that these are used for emergencies only.

Emergency Communications
In an emergency, parents can call World Leadership School in Peru on the following numbers. If you are calling from the U.S., add 011 before dialing these numbers.
Cell phone: 1-5184-984-820187 (to be carried by Joaquin Randall)
Land line: 1-5184-204-014

For routine messages, or if the cell phone does not work in emergencies, parents can also call World Leadership School in Denver anytime on the following numbers: (303) 679-3412 or 1-888-831-8109. The staff will relay messages onto instructors in the field.

Routine messages can also be sent to World Leadership School at info@worldleadershipschool.com. This mailbox will be checked on a daily basis and messages can be forwarded to instructors in the field.

In the case of an emergency, we will contact the emergency contact listed on the student’s application form. We will also have a parent email list through which we can send news if necessary.

Insurance
All students are required to have U.S.-based health coverage. Most healthcare providers will cover for injuries that happen overseas but we ask you to confirm this beforehand.

In addition, World Leadership School will provide emergency health and travel insurance to each student. This insurance is designed to pay for any necessary evacuation and also produce immediate payment for in-country medical expenses.

Information about this policy will be sent to parents and students before the start of the trip.

Health and Safety
When we first arrive in the Cusco (around 11,000 feet) we will drop down immediately to Ollantaytambo (around 9,000) feet to avoid altitude sickness. We will also drink plenty of fluids, rest, and avoid heavy exercise upon arrival. Consult with your physician regarding altitude sickness medicine. The local remedy is coca tea which students will be served upon arrival to Ollantaytambo.

The main health challenge we will face will likely be gastro-intestinal problems. These can be caused by bacteria, virus, or even parasites but most often they are simply caused by U.S. stomachs that are not used to Peruvian food.

We recommend that students take a daily “probiotic” two weeks before arrival in Peru and to continue until the trip is over. Probiotics, such as Jarro-Dophilus or Lactobacillus or Papaya Enzyme, are dietary supplements that contain potentially beneficial bacteria and yeast and help condition stomachs for a new environment. It’s always a good idea to consult with your doctor before taking any medicine or supplement.

Upon arrival in Peru, we will discuss ways to stay healthy as a group. The keys are:
• Drink only purified or boiled water (iodine and water filters are good, but not sufficient)
• Watch what you eat
• Wash your hands regularly and use hand sanitizer such as Purell
• Notify an instructor or faculty person as soon as you begin feeling sick so that we can begin taking corrective steps immediately.

Because of the altitude in Ollantaytambo, insects such as mosquitoes are not a major concern except for at dawn and dusk. During these times of the day, we ask that students use bug repellent and cover their skin as much as possible.

Each World Leadership School instructor has first aid training and will carry a comprehensive first aid kit. For convenience, students are also asked to bring a few basic first aid supplies (see packing list below).

The following information on health and safety is taken from Moon Peru and is worth reading carefully. For more detailed info, see 583 – 590.

TRAVELER'S DIARRHEA
Traveler's diarrhea pulls down even the stoutest of Peru travelers eventually and can be surprisingly unpleasant. It can be caused by parasites or viruses, but most often it is caused by bacteria carried in food or water. Plenty of other diseases in Peru are spread this way, including cholera, hepatitis A, and typhoid. Nothing is more important for you health-wise than thinking carefully about everything you eat and drink.

Only drink bottled water or water that has been previously boiled. Instead of buying an endless succession of plastic bottles, which will end up in a landfill, travel with a few Nalgene bottles and ask your hotel or host family to fill them with boiling water every morning. Refilling bottles is especially easy at hotels that have water tanks, or bidones, of purified water. When you order a drink, order it without ice unless you are certain that the water used to make the ice was previously boiled. Wipe the edges of cans and bottles before drinking or carry straws.

Avoid street vendors and buffets served under the hot sun. Instead, choose restaurants that come well-recommended for taking precautions for foreigners. If the kitchen looks clean and the restaurant is full, it is probably all right. Before and after you eat, and several times throughout the day, wash your hands with soap and water. Because soap is hard to find in all but the best Peruvian restaurants, a good substitute is Purell, the antibacterial gel.

The safest foods in restaurants are those that are served piping hot. Soups, well-cooked vegetables, rice, and pastas are usually fine. Eat salads and raw vegetables with extreme caution and confirm beforehand that they have been previously soaked in a chlorine solution. Better yet, prepare your own salads with food disinfectants for sale in most Peruvian supermarkets.

An exception to the no-raw-foods rule is cebiche, which is raw fish marinated in bacteria-killing lime juice. As long as you are in a reputable restaurant, fish cebiche is a safe bet. Avoid all types of shellfish, however--bad shellfish, even if it is cooked or marinated in lime juice, will still make you sick.

Be careful with dairy products. Before dumping cream into your coffee, make sure that it has been pasteurized. Only eat ice cream from top manufacturers like D'Onofrio, but avoid it if partially melted.

Market foods that are safe include all fruits and vegetables that can be peeled, like bananas, oranges, avocadoes, and apples. Many local fruits are OK as well, including chirimoya, tuna (the prickly pear fruit), and granadilla (a round, stemmed fruit with a hard skin and gooey insides). Dangerous items include everything that hangs close to the ground and could have become infected with feces in irrigation water. These include strawberries, mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. There are plenty of safe things to buy in the market and, when combined with other safe items like bread and packaged cheese, make for a great lunch.

ILLEGAL DRUGS
Do not take drugs while in Peru. Though smoking marijuana is rarely punished these days in parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe, Peru's laws are as strict as ever and tourists have ended up in jail. The penalties are even stricter for cocaine, which is common in Peru though it is often cut with all kinds of dangerous chemicals. Under Peruvian law, foreigners in possession of drugs are regarded as international traffickers and can face jail time from 15 years to life. There is no bail for drug trafficking cases, and the legal process can drag on for up to two years. Your embassy will most likely decline to get involved.

CRIME
Peru is generally a safe country, so travelers should not feel paranoid--we traveled for eight months with electronic cameras and laptops and had no worries at all. But you have to follow common-sense rules and realize that thieves target gringos because they have cash, passports, and valuable electronics on them.

Most important, be alert and organized and watch your valuables at all times. Your money and passport should be carried under your clothes in a pouch or locked in a safety box at your hotel. We carried small bills in the front pocket of our pants. Keep a constant eye on your luggage in bus stations. When in markets, place your backpack in front of you so that it cannot be slit open. When in restaurants or buses, keep your purse or bag on your lap.

Make yourself less of a target. Do not wear jewelry or fancy watches, and keep your camera in a beat-up hip bag that is unlikely to draw attention. Be alert when in crowded places like markets or bus stations where pickpockets abound. Go only to nightspots that have been recommended. Walk with a sense of purpose, like you belong exactly where you are. When withdrawing money from an ATM, be with a friend or have a taxi waiting.

Experienced travelers can sense a scam or theft right before it happens and, nine times out of ten, it involves momentary distraction or misplaced trust. If someone spits on you, latch onto your camera instead of cleaning yourself. If someone falls in the street in front of you or drops something, move away quickly. If an old man asks for your help in reading a lottery ticket, say no. If a stranger motions you over or offers a piece of candy, keep going. Be distrusting of people you do not know.

Physical Preparation
We will be working outside most days and also engaging in physical activities such as trekking at high altitudes. We recommend that students prepare by doing any kind of regular cardiovascular exercise (running, biking, swimming, etc.) before the trip. Life in the Andes requires strong lungs and legs.

Medical Facilities
There is a 24-hour clinic in Ollantaytambo where most student injuries and illness can be taken care of. There is also a local doctor who can make house calls if needed. There is a full-service hospital in Cusco, about a 1.5-hour drive from Ollantaytambo and ambulances are available for emergency transport.

Weather
June through August is the dry, winter season for the highland and jungle areas of Peru. Rains tend to be brief and happen mainly in the afternoon. In Ollantaytambo (around 9,000 feet elevation) temperatures during this time of the year are in the 60s and 70s during the day and down to freezing at night. Temperatures are slightly colder in Cusco (around 11,000 feet) and slightly warmer at Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes (around 7,000 feet).

Suggested Movies
Finally, here are some of our favorite movies about Peru. Many of these help to shed light on Peru’s political and cultural evolution.

1. Madeinusa (2006, director Claudio Llosa): this is a magical realist portrait of a small Andean village and traditional festival. It was made recently and to wide film festival acclaim. The Casady group will be seeing this movie during the June meeting at Mrs. Clay’s home.

2. Paloma de Papel (2003, director Fabrizio Aguilar): tells the story of a boy soldier in the Central Andes during the shining path era.

3. Ojos que no Ven (2003, director Francisco Lombardi): Through out six different and yet parallel stories that take place during the corrupted government during the 90s in Peru, Lombardi tells the moral decomposition that ran through all classes and generations of the Peruvian society.

4. The Dancer Upstairs (2002, director John Malkovich): A movie in English that contains a fairly good portrait of Lima in the 1990s Sendero Luminoso era.

5. Yawar Fiesta: Fiesta de Sangre (1979, directed by Luis Figueroa): based on the novel by acclaimed Peruvian storyteller José María Arguedas, this movie tells the story of a small Andean town conflict during festival time.

Packing List
Pack as few things as possible. It’s much easier to travel and stay organized if you pack lightly. Here are some general notes:
• Each student will do his or her own laundry by hand. You may want to bring medium to dark clothing; white is harder to keep white when hand washing.
• Standards of dress are different. Clothing should not be tight or revealing (e.g., nothing that shows your stomach or underwear). Think modesty, comfort and layers. Few local people wear shorts so we recommend that volunteers do likewise.
• All bedding and towels are provided.

Clothing
• 3 pair shoes (athletic shoes, light hiking boots that offer ankle protection, and flip-flops or sandals)
• 2 pair jeans and one other pair of pants
• 1 pair shorts
• 1 swim suit
• Optional for females: 1 skirt, knee to mid-calf length
• 4 short sleeved and 2 long sleeved T-shirts (at least 1 long-sleeve shirt should be of “wicking” fabric for hiking)
• 1 sweater
• 1 fleece or other warm jacket
• 1 light-weight rain jacket
• 6 pair socks, plus at least 2 pair of good hiking socks
• 6 pair underwear, 3 bras for females
• Hat for sun protection and one warm hat (can also buy in Peru).
• 1 hand towel

Other
• Medium-sized day pack for day trips and airplane carry-on
• Light-weight sleeping bag. Three-season down or synthetic bags work well.
• 2 1-liter Nalgene-type water bottles
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm
• Headlamp and extra batteries
• Toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, comb, lotion, razor, several small bottles of Purell hand sanitizer, hand wipes, roll of spare toilet paper)
• Personal med kit (any prescription meds plus Tums, Pepto Bismol, ibuprofen, insect repellent with Deet, Neosporin, a few bandages, tweezers, moleskin and 1-2 packets of oral re-hydration salts). The instructor will carry a comprehensive group medicine kit.
• Notebook that can be used for journaling, taking notes, drawing, vocabulary, etc.
• Pens and pencils
• Ear plugs for sleeping despite noise
• Passport and extra copy of passport stored in separate place.
• ATM card
• At least $100 in cash (clean, crisp bills of $20 preferred).
• Money belt or cash
• Spanish-English dictionary

Optional
• Donations and small gifts
• Pictures of family and friends to share with host family
• Binoculars
• Books
• Camera

New Delta Itinerary

2008-06-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

Bkng Meals/
Day Date Flight Status Class City Time Other Cabin
--- ----- ---------------- ------ ----- ---------------- ------ ----- -------
Thu 05JUN Delta 4582* OK U LV OKLAHOMA CITY 1007A Coach
AR ATLANTA 122P
*Operated by Atlantic Southeast

Thu 05JUN Delta 349 OK U LV ATLANTA 515P D Coach
AR LIMA 1047P

Sat 21JUN Delta 350 OK T LV LIMA 1225A B Coach
AR ATLANTA 815A

Sat 21JUN Delta 4801* OK T LV ATLANTA 1059A Coach
AR OKLAHOMA CITY 1210P
*Operated by Atlantic Southeast

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Passenger Information
CARMEN
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 11A
Delta 349 - 40G
Delta 350 - 41B
Delta 4801 - 2D

GRAYSON
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 11C
Delta 349 - 39G
Delta 350 - 44B
Delta 4801 - 3D

JACOB
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 11D
Delta 349 - 39F
Delta 350 - 43C
Delta 4801 - 7B

MACKENZIE
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 10D
Delta 349 - 40F
Delta 350 - 42D
Delta 4801 - 7C

LAURA
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 10C
Delta 349 - 38G
Delta 350 - 41E
Delta 4801 - 4A

KENDALL
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 10B
Delta 349 - 38F
Delta 350 - 42E
Delta 4801 - 4B

NINA
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 10A
Delta 349 - 37F
Delta 350 - 41F
Delta 4801 - 5B

ROSALIE
Seat(s): Delta 4582 - 11B
Delta 349 - 37G
Delta 350 - 46E
Delta 4801 - 4C

Parent and student meeting! 7:30-9:30

2008-06-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

My understanding of our meeting!

1. We will meet at the airport at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday as recommended by the Delta reservations agent after he changed the return flight. New information has been sent to parents.

2. Ross will contact parents via e-mail. Blog will be updated on a daily basis and will send an e-mail to parents when updated. Kendall will update it today and then we will follow schedule provided earlier, found at my blog: http://cyclonexploringpossibilities.blogspot.com/. Ross sent the password and username of the blog he created for students to the group. He recommended to sign the name at the end of the entry. Please use only your name, do not write your last name.

3. Parents and participants were made aware of trip changes, insurance and reason for photo. Students were asked to be flexible because itinerary might change a bit still. The group agreed that they all will take sleeping bags. Personal choice and judgment in shoes. Pack list encourages students to pack light to learn to handwash clothing.

4. I will take extra luggage with donations. If there is extra weight, Mr. Becerra has already taken care of cost with extra funding. Thank you Mr. Becerra!

5. Students are taken donated cameras. They will purchase extra batteries. Rosalie's camera is the only camera that stays in Ollantaytambo. Mr. Lietdke will donate an extra memory card

6. I will purchase needed supplies for printer that will stay at Ollantaytambo. Grayson will take his own camera. Nina will be the videographer and Mackenzie will handle the laptop. I will be responsible for the YAC digital camera.

7. I will take care of airport taxes, but at the end of the trip there might be a need for students to paid some airport taxes once the money provided is used. Tips are expected but not required.

8. Group members have not read the recommended books. The hours of layover and flight time should be used to read books. I have a copy of each recommended book.

9. Bathroom and washing clothing expectations were discussed. Students were recommended to take hand sanitizer and toilet paper, tissue or wipes anywhere they go.

10. $100-300 for spending money. Credit cards accepted in Cusco, Lima and at finer article stores in Ollantaytambo.

11. I will be responsible for passports! Students must take care of their money and have it with them everywhere they go in a safe place of low visibility!

Guidelines of group interaction: Group will use buddy system and help each other make wise decisions. The group wants me to have the last word in decision making. I was encouraged to give advice and input on culture related questions and issues. The group does want me to respect privacy, stay balance-not get emotional, and to speak Spanish. I asked to be considered a mom away from home. I will talk in Spanish with advance Spanish language students and in Spanglish with Spanish II students and Jake.

The group has in common: Casady, they like physical activity, the beach, and music

Group Meeting Agenda: June 3 from 7:30 p.m.-8:30

2008-05-30T02:45:00.001-07:00

Goals of the meeting:
1. Inform about Peru-SKYPE talk with Ross in Denver and Joaquin in Peru
2. Answer last minute trip questions
3. Create group rules of interaction - Environment where people feel safe to be creative, make mistakes, and take risks
4. Assign share of donated materials responsibilities
5. Assign group responsibilities (who takes cameras, video recording, laptop)
6. Check traveling documentation: passports, parental permissions, get $200 donation from students whose parents have not sent funding yet
7. Check list sent by WlS

Information sent to parents and students (From Ross and Carmen):
Dear parents,
In advance of Carmen’s meeting next week, I wanted to check in and see if you had any final questions for me. Please call or email me if you do.
Also I want to send out a reminder to please sign and mail the application and medical form to me this week at the very latest. You can either mail to the address below or fax to 303-945-2229. The only forms I have received at this point are from the Atkinson’s and the Liedtke’s.
The kids in Ollantaytambo are very excited to begin working on their Children’s Park with the help of the Casady students! Thank you for your support of this important program,

Ross Wehner, Executive Director, World Leadership School
2135 Gilpin St. Denver, CO 80205 Tel: 303-679-3412 Fax: 303-945-2229
Toll-Free: 1-888-831-8109 www.worldleadershipschool.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: June 3, TIME CHANGE TO 7:30 P.M. TO 8:30 P.M.
Dear Ollantaytambo student team: Parents: FYI
Hope you have completed and sent your application, medical form, and personality test to Ross.

Jake will be out of town and he has requested the meeting to be on June 3, 2008, 3-4 p.m.. It will be at my house (address provided) Please mapquest the address. My home phone is 562-1832. Rose Creek is a gated community, you will have to call me to get in if you come through the side entrance on 164th street.

Please bring to the meeting:

1. A copy of your passport to have in my files.

2. $200 in cash if your parents have not already sent a check . $100 for project supplies. I will give $700 to Joaquin Randall on behalf of the group for the playground and $100 per student, sponsor's handling fee. I have checks from four of you.

3. Your personal project plan. If you have not proposed formally yet, please go to http://www.casady.org/podium/default.aspx?t=107861 and propose your project after finals.

4. Be ready to discuss the first part, three chapters, of the book High Noon, 20 Global Problems and 20 Years to Solve them. You can contact Rebecca Roach, Josh Ou, Mrs. Johnson, Lauren Analla, Ankita Prasad, or Tori Smith to borrow a book from them.

At the meeting, you will receive:

1. Boarding passes if I can get them by then.

2. Your share of donated items to take as part of your lugagge. So far we have 70 children's books and if they arrive on time, 5 digital cameras with printers. We will decide how many to take. One of them will be left in Ollantaytambo. We also received a grant from the CPO to buy a video camera, which we will take and return to Casady after the trip. Mr. Bruce is helping me, but if you have suggestions of best video cameras to buy under $1,300, send them my way. We are able to take all the cameras thanks to the work done by Challenge 20/20 volunteers.

3. Last minute updates from Ross and Joaquin.

We will view the introduction PP I sent you long ago and I will answer last minute questions about the trip. I am trying to get one of the recommended movies so if you wish to stay, I have a projection room where we can watch it.

Thank you to the ones who made Mr. Rainbolt's presentation. He mentioned poverty as the most critical problem and global warming as the problem your generation cannot ignore.

Good luck in finals. See you on June 3, 2008. If you have questions before then, my cell is 520-1325. Carmen Clay

In transit details-Jorge Chavez Airport Stay and tickets to Cuzco

2008-05-30T02:28:00.000-07:00

To make our 7-hour layover a little nicer, World Leadership School is doing something special for our group, we will stay at the new Ramada Inn Hotel Spa area.
Here is the note from Ross, (Thank you because they could just have left us at the airport like they do with group with smaller time between flights)
"I called the Ramada Costa del Sol hotel this morning and sent them an email requesting a quote. Their normal room rates are $200 per night but they do have a spa where the kids could grab a shower, jump in the jacuzzi and then pull out their sleeping bags and sleep on some padded chaise lounges they have by the pool. It sounds perfect to me. I’m trying to get them to let us do this for $25 per student, which would be within our budget. They also pick you up at the airport, though you can also walk across the new bridge that has apparently been built. However, I don’t like the idea of walking anywhere near the airport so I prefer for us to arrange for the hotel shuttle. I’m calling them now and will let you know what I hear. The latest packing list I sent all the students (part of the Prepare to Go) asks all students to bring a sleeping bag, which would come in handy here."

Regarding tickets from Lima to Cuzco, our travel agent wrote: " los boletos serán llevados al hotel, te ubicarán ahí a eso de las 03:00 de la mañana estaría bien?
te proporciono los números celulares del personal que tenemos en el aeropuerto para que puedas estar conectada con ellos también ese día,no sé aún los nombres de las personas que tendrán turno, pero quien te conteste sabe lo que tiene que hacer
además de ayudarte al pago de los impuesto de salida : U.S$6.05 cada uno.
998-470571830*6340
999026081
999703089

Seguiremos en contacto hasta el día previo de tu viaje.

Cariños y saludos a la family
Chichi

Gracias

CELIA POSADAS LYNCH
Coordinadora de Productos
DOMIRUTH TRAVEL SERVICE - AMERICAN EXPRESS
Rio de Janeiro 216-218 Miraflores - Lima 18- Perú
Teléfono : (511) 215-6000 Anexo 2201
Movil : 9636-2274 / 9744-0380
RPM : #909373
Fax : (511) 421-3992
E-mail : cposadas@domiruth.com.pe
Web Site: http://www.domiruth.com.pe

Casady prepares to Go

2008-05-17T05:06:00.000-07:00

Suggested Reading
You will get more out of the Andes Education program if you can do some of reading ahead of time. These three books are highly recommended:
· Three Cups of Tea. (Greg Mortenson). This moving story of an American climber’s efforts to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan will allow us to draw connections between what is happening in Peru to what is happening in other parts of the world. Please read the whole book.
· High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them (J.F. Rischard). This book lays out the huge global problems and opportunities that face the current generation of young people. The book is divided into three main sections – please read at least the first section.
· Moon Peru, 2nd edition (Ross Wehner, Renee del Gaudio and Kazia Jankowski). Basic overview of culture, history and arts of Peru with descriptions of all the places we will see in Peru. This book is a general travel guide good for background info and browsing.

Here are some other books if you have time or want to bring a book on the trip. A longer list is found on page 606 of Moon Peru.
· White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland (Hugh Thomson). British documentary filmmaker Hugh Thomson blends personal exploration in the Andes together with a Spanish chronicles and Inca history.
· Conquest of the Incas (John Hemming). The definitive, and well-written, history of the Spanish conquest of Peru.
· Deep Rivers (Los Rios Profundos, José María Arguedas). This novels the story of Ernesto, a schoolboy in the Andean city of Abancay. The conflict of the Indian and the Spanish cultures is acted out within Ernesto as it was in the life of Arguedas, one of Peru’s most important writers.
· Death in the Andes (Lituma en los Andes, Mario Vargas Llosa). This novel portrays a remote Andean mining town where police probe the mysterious disappearance of three men.

Keirsey Temperament Sorter
Before the trip, we ask all students to complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. This is an online self-assessment tool that we use to build self awareness. The survey consists of about 60 questions that can be completed in about 10 minutes. Here’s how to take the survey:
· Go to http://kts2.personalityzone.com/user/register.aspx and fill out the required information
· Answer the questions (don’t overanalyze yourself!)
· When finished, view the free mini report
· Print the 1-page report and bring on the trip with you

Flight Information and Baggage Policy
You are flying Delta Airlines from Oklahoma City to Lima and Lan Peru from Lima to Cusco. Your flight details can be found in the attached updated itinerary. Tickets are being handled by Carmen Clay.

Here is the baggage policy for both Delta and Lan:
· For carry on baggage, you are allowed one piece of luggage (max. weight 40 pounds, can not be more than 45 inches in height + length + width and one personal item (small book bag, purse, etc.)
· For checked baggage, you are allowed two pieces of luggage. Each checked piece of luggage should weigh no more than 50 pounds and not exceed 62 inches in height + length + width.

Passport and Visa
All students need a valid U.S. passport to enter Peru. Visas are not required. If you have a passport from a country other than the U.S., please confirm that there are no additional visa or inoculations requirements. For more information and links, see http://www.peruvianembassy.us/visas-visas.php

Please keep in mind that you are traveling as a tourist. When you fill out forms or pass through passport control, please indicate that you are a tourist only.

Vaccinations
The most up-to-date information on inoculations can be found at www.cdc.gov. Before taking any shots, please consult with your doctor. For the areas in Peru that we are visiting, we recommend shots for Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Yellow Fever is no longer required for the Cusco area. Please ensure that standard U.S. vaccinations are up to date, particularly Tetanus.

Itinerary
On the day before Machu Picchu, we have decided not to hike on the Inca Trail and instead hike up the less touristy and equally beautiful Mandor Valley to visit a waterfall, study orchids and bird life, and visit a coffee plantation. We will have a naturalist with us that day to engage the students in a discussion of sustainability in the local mono-plantations of pineapple, banana and coffee. The following day we will visit Machu Picchu and climb up Huayna Picchu, the mountain that offers superb views over Machu Picchu. If time permits, we will also hike the portion of the Inca Trail that leads to the Sun Gate.

The hotels we are staying in include El Albergue and Las Orquideas in Ollantaytambo, and Hostal San Isidro in Cusco (see description below under lodging).

Service Project -- Ollantaytambo
During our time in Ollantaytambo we will focus on an education infrastructure project, which is designed to empower local young people and challenge to think about sustainability. Specifically we will help launch a “children’s park” or “Tierra de Niños” in Ollantaytambo. The idea behind a children’s park comes from the Peruvian non-profit Ania (http://www.mundodeania.org/), which has helped start dozens of such parks across Peru and which is now present in other parts of the world. The idea is simple: children are formally given a plot of land (in this case donated by the school) to care for and manage as their own. In the process, young people lean to love nature and acquire the knowledge and tools they need to be effective stewards of the environment. The contribution for the Casady group is $700, which will be collected by Mrs. Clay before the trip and delivered to Joaquin Randall to purchase the necessary materials.

Working with local teenagers and children, students will help create a park with the following proposed elements: organic vegetable garden, seed ball reforestation (http://permaculturetokyo.blogspot.com/2006/10/seed-balls.html), a play area, and a basic outdoor structure that would serve as a meeting place. Nearby we hope to also work on establishing a compost and waste recycling system for the local school, which will be managed by the Peruvian students. Materials for these projects would be purchased via donations raised by students. The goal of the project is simple: help children become stewards not only of their land, but of their community.

In addition to the main project, each student can choose to work on an independent project according to his or her particular interests. We will arrange these placements based on information from the application form:
· Teach English to children and possibly adults
· Arts and crafts program with children
· Shadow a doctor or a nurse in a public health clinic
· Teach computer skills to children and possibly adults

The following students have submitted proposals so far:·

Jake Patton and Carmen Clay will be bringing reading books donated by the Metropolitan Library Systems. They will also start a project called In our Village. The goal of this project is to help the children of Ollantaytambo create a book about their city and share it with the world. World Leadership School is suggesting to check www.blurb.com for publishing books when it is ready for printing.
· Louisa Liedtke and Rosalie Atkinson will be working on arts and crafts.
· The rest of the group has expressed interest in working with sports, but formal proposals have not been approved yet. It would be great to get some English teachers!

Lodging
World Leadership School usually pairs students with host families, but the pilot program for Casady School includes stay at local hostels where students can expect clean rooms and bathrooms, hot water to shower, purified water to drink, and local food cooked with high standards of hygiene. Hostels are not luxury hotels, but provide a comfortable and safe place to stay and relax after a hard day of work or travel.

Students will be staying at Joaquin Randall’s El Albergue for the first part of the stay and then move to a Spanish-speaking only hostel, Las Orquideas, which is walking distance from El Albergue in Ollantaytambo. Please find information about El Albergue at
http://www.elalbergue.com/en/

Photos and other information about Las Orquideas are at http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g294319-d318414-Hostal_Las_Orquideas-Ollantaytambo_Sacred_Valley.html

In Aguas Calientes, students will stay at El Presidente Hostel, for which photos can be seen here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g304036-d309672-Hostal_Presidente-Aguas_Calientes_Sacred_Valley.html

And in Cuzco, we will stay at Hostal San Isidro, which is an upgrade from the El Balcon Hostel quoted in the original schedule. This hostel does was described in the following terms by the New York Times: “This is a pleasant, safe, and comfortable midrange choice, with just 14 rooms set back from busy Calle Saphy in colonial digs set around a long courtyard. Rooms are rather small but clean; several second-floor rooms have high ceilings, wood beams, and skylights.”

Students will sleep in room in separate beds. Bathrooms are inside the rooms or shared in an outside area. Mattresses tend to be made of foam or of harder materials, and students generally get used to sleeping on the beds within a few nights. We suggest bringing a sleeping bag for additional comfort.

Local Etiquette
You will be living in a traditional Andean community. Learning local manners will improve your relationship with your host family and friends. While you are living in the community you should:
· Say hello to people on the street whether you have met them or not. “Buenos dias” or “buenas tardes” are the proper greetings for adults, while a simple “hola” will suffice amongst younger people.
· When greeting residents of the community, you will shake hands most of the time. The exception to this is that female students from U.S. and Peru generally kiss each other on the cheek upon greeting. Female students generally shake hands with other male students, however.
· Do not wear tight or revealing clothing as this is considered disrespectful (see packing list for more detail)

Meals
While in Ollantaytambo, students will eat three meals per day provided by local restaurants and hostels selected by World Leadership School. Typical breakfasts include tea or coffee, fruit, bread, eggs, oatmeal; lunch and dinner involve plenty of hearty vegetable soups in chicken or meat broth, rice along with chicken, meat, beans and vegetables. There are many fruits from the jungle, including ones like granadilla that are not readily available in the U.S. Please note any dietary recommendations in the application form so that we can pass onto our host family.

When we are trekking or hiking, meals will be cooked and served on the trail. We will eat in restaurants while in the areas of Machu Picchu, Cusco and Lima.

We will do everything we can to ensure that the food you eat in Peru will be healthy and nutritious.

Gifts, Donations and Ideas for Sharing Who You Are
Students frequently ask about what gifts they can bring for tour guides, bus drivers, and friends they make. Think simple things that are not expensive. Make sure to bring photos of your family and friends to share. Bring something special from your hometown such as food, baseball hat, T-shirt, map, etc. For the children of the school, bring some small gifts for the kids. Magic markers, pencils, small water color sets, or small toys or dolls make for great gifts. You might also consider sharing your favorite candy, gum, or snacks.

Community donations are greatly appreciated. Clothing for children, especially babies and infants, are in great demand. Children’s books in both English and Spanish are also useful and can often be acquired in bulk at your local Salvation Army or thrift store. Basic medical supplies such as tongue depressors, latex gloves, hand sanitizer or bandages are appreciated. Volleyball and soccer are the two main sports in Ollantaytambo so any balls or nets are greatly appreciated. Basketballs, Frisbees, Nerf balls and baseball equipment can be fun to bring along to use during your stay and give away at the end of the trip.

Mrs. Clay has already started a donation drive and Jake Patton has received a donation of 70 books from the Metropolitan Library Systems. Casady Service-Learning Program will be donated some arts supplies as well.

Personal Electronics and Photography
Students are asked not to bring any personal electronics on this trip. Our experience is that iPods, MP3 players and movie/game devices only remove students from the overall trip experience and make them targets for theft. You are welcome to bring your U.S. cell phone if you need to use it in airports in the U.S. but it should remain off while in Peru, where it will most likely not work. Each instructor will be carrying a cell phone that can be used to call the United States in an emergency (see “Emergency Communications”, below).

Each student can bring a camera. Upon arrival, we will discuss, and decide as a group, how we want to handle photography. If everyone in the group is taking pictures all day, this can serve to distance us from those with whom we are working.

Past groups have elected to have a single group camera and a different person is chosen each day to take pictures for the group. Afterwards an album can be created and shared by the whole group. Casady is scheduled to receive a camera from a Climate Change grant which will be left in care of the CATCCO Museum to continue the book project and to take pictures of climate change in the region from time to time.

Your group can choose to have a group video recorder, which will be shared among group members. This video will help explain the trip to our school community back home. Your group can also choose to have a group laptop, which will allow you to blog and also work on any digital media projects. This equipment is not provided by World Leadership School and will be coordinated by students and/or the faculty person.

The voltage in Peru is 220 volts (not 120 volts as in the U.S.). Check and make sure that the AC adapter for your camera or laptop can accept 220 volts (most adapters now have ranges from 100 – 240 V). The plugs in Peru are mostly the same as the U.S. and, if not, adapters can be purchased easily in country.

Personal Spending Money and Shopping
Your program fee covers all your expenses once in Peru except for airport departure tax (estimated $36) which Mrs. Clay will pay from money left over after purchasing airline tickets, and personal spending money (souvenirs, snacks, toiletries, medications, internet, phone calls, shopping, etc.). For more detail on what the program fee covers, see the Application’s Terms and Conditions.

Therefore, students should plan on bringing at least $100 in personal cash to cover basic needs and more if they plan on shopping. Bring only crisp, new bills. Any aged or slightly ripped bills will be rejected by the money changers or exchange for a deep discount.

An ATM card, which can be used to draw money in Cusco near the end of the trip, can be brought as a back-up. There is an ATM machine in Ollantaytambo but it is not reliable. Travelers checks are difficult to cash at local banks. Credit cards are not necessary.

There will plenty of opportunity to buy gifts for friends and family when the group visits Pisac, Cusco and Lima. While in Ollantaytambo, we ask that students forego shopping until the end of their trip.

Communications
We will do our best to blog on a daily basis. Mrs. Clay will blog at http://cyclonexploringpossibilities.blogspot.com/. A blog will be set up by World Leadership School for students to blog prior to the trip and the link will be emailed to parents and students before the trip. Students and faculty will take turns updating the blog so that friends and family can receive regular updates. Mrs. Clay has provided the following blogging schedule in the best of circumstances, with a minimum of two entries per week, if time, weather, and work exhaustion do not permit more blogging.
· Jake: Mondays
· Kendall: Tuesdays
· Rosie: Wednesdays
· Louisa: Thursdays
Mackenzie: Fridays
· Nina: Saturdays
· Grayson: Sundays

Email, public phone and postal services are available in Ollantaytambo for students to communicate with friends and family. We ask that students be reasonable about e-mail use as we are going to Peru, in part, to take a break from modern technology! Families should expect email contact from students about once per week – the blog is designed to provide more regular updates.

Parents and friends should limit themselves to email when communicating with students. Any mail sent to Ollantaytambo will arrive after the students leave. Though certain host families do have telephones, we prefer that these are used for emergencies only.

Emergency Communications
In an emergency, parents can call World Leadership School in Peru on the following numbers. If you are calling from the U.S., add 011 before dialing these numbers.
Cell phone: 1-5184-984-820187 (to be carried by Joaquin Randall)
Land line: 1-5184-204-014

For routine messages, or if the cell phone does not work in emergencies, parents can also call World Leadership School in Denver anytime on the following numbers: (303) 679-3412 or 1-888-831-8109. The staff will relay messages onto instructors in the field.

Routine messages can also be sent to World Leadership School at info@worldleadershipschool.com. This mailbox will be checked on a daily basis and messages can be forwarded to instructors in the field.

In the case of an emergency, we will contact the emergency contact listed on the student’s application form. We will also have a parent email list through which we can send news if necessary.

Insurance
All students are required to have U.S.-based health coverage. Most healthcare providers will cover for injuries that happen overseas but we ask you to confirm this beforehand.

In addition, World Leadership School will provide emergency health and travel insurance to each student. This insurance is designed to pay for any necessary evacuation and also produce immediate payment for in-country medical expenses.

Information about this policy will be sent to parents and students before the start of the trip.

Health and Safety
When we first arrive in the Cusco (around 11,000 feet) we will drop down immediately to Ollantaytambo (around 9,000) feet to avoid altitude sickness. We will also drink plenty of fluids, rest, and avoid heavy exercise upon arrival. Consult with your physician regarding altitude sickness medicine. The local remedy is coca tea which students will be served upon arrival to Ollantaytambo.

The main health challenge we will face will likely be gastro-intestinal problems. These can be caused by bacteria, virus, or even parasites but most often they are simply caused by U.S. stomachs that are not used to Peruvian food.

We recommend that students take a daily “probiotic” two weeks before arrival in Peru and to continue until the trip is over. Probiotics, such as Jarro-Dophilus or Lactobacillus or Papaya Enzyme, are dietary supplements that contain potentially beneficial bacteria and yeast and help condition stomachs for a new environment. It’s always a good idea to consult with your doctor before taking any medicine or supplement.

Upon arrival in Peru, we will discuss ways to stay healthy as a group. The keys are:
· Drink only purified or boiled water (iodine and water filters are good, but not sufficient)
· Watch what you eat
· Wash your hands regularly and use hand sanitizer such as Purell
· Notify an instructor or faculty person as soon as you begin feeling sick so that we can begin taking corrective steps immediately.

Because of the altitude in Ollantaytambo, insects such as mosquitoes are not a major concern except for at dawn and dusk. During these times of the day, we ask that students use bug repellent and cover their skin as much as possible.

Each World Leadership School instructor has first aid training and will carry a comprehensive first aid kit. For convenience, students are also asked to bring a few basic first aid supplies (see packing list below).

The following information on health and safety is taken from Moon Peru and is worth reading carefully. For more detailed info, see 583 – 590.

TRAVELER'S DIARRHEA
Traveler's diarrhea pulls down even the stoutest of Peru travelers eventually and can be surprisingly unpleasant. It can be caused by parasites or viruses, but most often it is caused by bacteria carried in food or water. Plenty of other diseases in Peru are spread this way, including cholera, hepatitis A, and typhoid. Nothing is more important for you health-wise than thinking carefully about everything you eat and drink.

Only drink bottled water or water that has been previously boiled. Instead of buying an endless succession of plastic bottles, which will end up in a landfill, travel with a few Nalgene bottles and ask your hotel or host family to fill them with boiling water every morning. Refilling bottles is especially easy at hotels that have water tanks, or bidones, of purified water. When you order a drink, order it without ice unless you are certain that the water used to make the ice was previously boiled. Wipe the edges of cans and bottles before drinking or carry straws.

Avoid street vendors and buffets served under the hot sun. Instead, choose restaurants that come well-recommended for taking precautions for foreigners. If the kitchen looks clean and the restaurant is full, it is probably all right. Before and after you eat, and several times throughout the day, wash your hands with soap and water. Because soap is hard to find in all but the best Peruvian restaurants, a good substitute is Purell, the antibacterial gel.

The safest foods in restaurants are those that are served piping hot. Soups, well-cooked vegetables, rice, and pastas are usually fine. Eat salads and raw vegetables with extreme caution and confirm beforehand that they have been previously soaked in a chlorine solution. Better yet, prepare your own salads with food disinfectants for sale in most Peruvian supermarkets.

An exception to the no-raw-foods rule is cebiche, which is raw fish marinated in bacteria-killing lime juice. As long as you are in a reputable restaurant, fish cebiche is a safe bet. Avoid all types of shellfish, however--bad shellfish, even if it is cooked or marinated in lime juice, will still make you sick.

Be careful with dairy products. Before dumping cream into your coffee, make sure that it has been pasteurized. Only eat ice cream from top manufacturers like D'Onofrio, but avoid it if partially melted.

Market foods that are safe include all fruits and vegetables that can be peeled, like bananas, oranges, avocadoes, and apples. Many local fruits are OK as well, including chirimoya, tuna (the prickly pear fruit), and granadilla (a round, stemmed fruit with a hard skin and gooey insides). Dangerous items include everything that hangs close to the ground and could have become infected with feces in irrigation water. These include strawberries, mushrooms, lettuce, and tomatoes. There are plenty of safe things to buy in the market and, when combined with other safe items like bread and packaged cheese, make for a great lunch.

ILLEGAL DRUGS
Do not take drugs while in Peru. Though smoking marijuana is rarely punished these days in parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe, Peru's laws are as strict as ever and tourists have ended up in jail. The penalties are even stricter for cocaine, which is common in Peru though it is often cut with all kinds of dangerous chemicals. Under Peruvian law, foreigners in possession of drugs are regarded as international traffickers and can face jail time from 15 years to life. There is no bail for drug trafficking cases, and the legal process can drag on for up to two years. Your embassy will most likely decline to get involved.

CRIME
Peru is generally a safe country, so travelers should not feel paranoid--we traveled for eight months with electronic cameras and laptops and had no worries at all. But you have to follow common-sense rules and realize that thieves target gringos because they have cash, passports, and valuable electronics on them.

Most important, be alert and organized and watch your valuables at all times. Your money and passport should be carried under your clothes in a pouch or locked in a safety box at your hotel. We carried small bills in the front pocket of our pants. Keep a constant eye on your luggage in bus stations. When in markets, place your backpack in front of you so that it cannot be slit open. When in restaurants or buses, keep your purse or bag on your lap.

Make yourself less of a target. Do not wear jewelry or fancy watches, and keep your camera in a beat-up hip bag that is unlikely to draw attention. Be alert when in crowded places like markets or bus stations where pickpockets abound. Go only to nightspots that have been recommended. Walk with a sense of purpose, like you belong exactly where you are. When withdrawing money from an ATM, be with a friend or have a taxi waiting.

Experienced travelers can sense a scam or theft right before it happens and, nine times out of ten, it involves momentary distraction or misplaced trust. If someone spits on you, latch onto your camera instead of cleaning yourself. If someone falls in the street in front of you or drops something, move away quickly. If an old man asks for your help in reading a lottery ticket, say no. If a stranger motions you over or offers a piece of candy, keep going. Be distrusting of people you do not know.

Physical Preparation
We will be working outside most days and also engaging in physical activities such as trekking at high altitudes. We recommend that students prepare by doing any kind of regular cardiovascular exercise (running, biking, swimming, etc.) before the trip. Life in the Andes requires strong lungs and legs.

Medical Facilities
There is a 24-hour clinic in Ollantaytambo where most student injuries and illness can be taken care of. There is also a local doctor who can make house calls if needed. There is a full-service hospital in Cusco, about a 1.5-hour drive from Ollantaytambo and ambulances are available for emergency transport.

Weather
June through August is the dry, winter season for the highland and jungle areas of Peru. Rains tend to be brief and happen mainly in the afternoon. In Ollantaytambo (around 9,000 feet elevation) temperatures during this time of the year are in the 60s and 70s during the day and down to freezing at night. Temperatures are slightly colder in Cusco (around 11,000 feet) and slightly warmer at Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes (around 7,000 feet).

Suggested Movies
Finally, here are some of our favorite movies about Peru. Many of these help to shed light on Peru’s political and cultural evolution.

1. Madeinusa (2006, director Claudio Llosa): this is a magical realist portrait of a small Andean village and traditional festival. It was made recently and to wide film festival acclaim. The Casady group will be seeing this movie during the June meeting at Mrs. Clay’s home.

2. Paloma de Papel (2003, director Fabrizio Aguilar): tells the story of a boy soldier in the Central Andes during the shining path era.

3. Ojos que no Ven (2003, director Francisco Lombardi): Through out six different and yet parallel stories that take place during the corrupted government during the 90s in Peru, Lombardi tells the moral decomposition that ran through all classes and generations of the Peruvian society.

4. The Dancer Upstairs (2002, director John Malkovich): A movie in English that contains a fairly good portrait of Lima in the 1990s Sendero Luminoso era.

5. Yawar Fiesta: Fiesta de Sangre (1979, directed by Luis Figueroa): based on the novel by acclaimed Peruvian storyteller José María Arguedas, this movie tells the story of a small Andean town conflict during festival time.

Packing List
Pack as few things as possible. It’s much easier to travel and stay organized if you pack lightly. Here are some general notes:
· Each student will do his or her own laundry by hand. You may want to bring medium to dark clothing; white is harder to keep white when hand washing.
· Standards of dress are different. Clothing should not be tight or revealing (e.g., nothing that shows your stomach or underwear). Think modesty, comfort and layers. Few local people wear shorts so we recommend that volunteers do likewise.
· All bedding and towels are provided.

Clothing·
3 pair shoes (athletic shoes, light hiking boots that offer ankle protection, and flip-flops or sandals)
· 2 pair jeans and one other pair of pants
· 1 pair shorts
· 1 swim suit
· Optional for females: 1 skirt, knee to mid-calf length
· 4 short sleeved and 2 long sleeved T-shirts (at least 1 long-sleeve shirt should be of “wicking” fabric for hiking)
· 1 sweater
· 1 fleece or other warm jacket
· 1 light-weight rain jacket
· 6 pair socks, plus at least 2 pair of good hiking socks
· 6 pair underwear, 3 bras for females
· Hat for sun protection and one warm hat (can also buy in Peru).
· 1 hand towel

Other· Medium-sized day pack for day trips and airplane carry-on
· Light-weight sleeping bag. Three-season down or synthetic bags work well.
· 2 1-liter Nalgene-type water bottles
· Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm
· Headlamp and extra batteries
· Toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss, comb, lotion, razor, several small bottles of Purell hand sanitizer, hand wipes, roll of spare toilet paper)
· Personal med kit (any prescription meds plus Tums, Pepto Bismol, ibuprofen, insect repellent with Deet, Neosporin, a few bandages, tweezers, moleskin and 1-2 packets of oral re-hydration salts). The instructor will carry a comprehensive group medicine kit.
· Notebook that can be used for journaling, taking notes, drawing, vocabulary, etc.
· Pens and pencils
· Ear plugs for sleeping despite noise
· Passport and extra copy of passport stored in separate place.
· ATM card
· At least $100 in cash (clean, crisp bills of $20 preferred).
· Money belt or cash
· Spanish-English dictionary

Optional· Donations and small gifts
· Pictures of family and friends to share with host family
· Binoculars
· Books
· Camera

updated itinerary

2008-05-17T04:32:00.000-07:00

June 1: Prewriting: What makes a great leader?Prereading: Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea; J.F. Rischard’s High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them

June 3: 3-4 Meeting at Mrs. Clay's home

June 5: Be at airport at 8:30 a.m. Plane leaves at 11:03. Delta 4259 to Atlanta, then Delta 349 nonstop to Lima. Breakfast and nap in Jorge Chavez airport.

June 6; Board 6:15 am Lan flight to Cusco, arrive 07:30 a.m. Transfer to Ollantaytambo, lunch and rest. Walk around town. Orientation to Ollantaytambo by life-time resident Joaquin Randall, dinner. Reflection session: group expectations; fears and goals. Stay at El Albergue

June 7: Reflection session: Pre-reading and pre-writing discussion. Introduction to Global Education Crisis, Joaquin RandallTour of Ollantaytambo town and temple. Cross-cultural workshop. Dinner and offering to the Pachamama with Quechua shaman. Stay at El Albergue

June 8: Rafting on the Urubamba River with lunch. Return to Ollantaytambo. Lunch again, mayber. Meet local high school students and play soccer game. Dinner. Free time. Stay at El Albergue

June 9: Community project, day one. Introduction to project and team planning. Begin work. Free time with local students. Dinner. Reflection session: Leadership styles and temperaments. Stay at El Albergue

June 10: Community project, day two. Pre-Colombian art and ceramics workshop with local ceramicist. Free time. Dinner. Reflection session: Analysis of local leaders and the legacy of Inka leadership (led by historian Peter Frost). Stay at El Albergue

June 11: Visit the concentric circles of Moray and the salt mines of Maras. Lunch. Hike down the Pichingoto valley to the Urubamba River. Dinner. Circle of questions with local students. Stay at El Albergue

June 12: Community project day three. Lunch. Soccer Dinner. Reflection session: Marketplace of Ideas I and school presentation. Transfer to Las Orquideas, Ollantaytambo

June 13: Community project day four. Lunch. Afternoon basket weaving workshop. Dinner. Reflection session: Marketplace of Ideas II and finish school presentation. Stay at Las Orquideas

June 14: Visit indigenous Quechua village for textile demonstration. Reflection session: the recovery of Inka weaving (Joaquin Randall). Hike back to Ollantaytambo via the pre-Inca ruins at Pumamarca and the scenery of the Patacancha Valley. Dinner, stay at Las Orquideas

June 15: Last day in Ollantaytambo. Complete school presentations. Complete final work with service project, if necessary. Free time or soccer game. Guinea pig and pachamanca “earth oven” celebration with Ollantaytambo residents. Stay at Las Orquideas

June 16: Train ride along Urubamba river to Aguas Calientes. Day hike up the tropical Mandor Valley and visit to waterfall. Exploration of tropical biology, agriculture and fair trade exchange.Reflection session: Rewrite-- what is leadership?Dinner. Relax in hot baths. Overnight in town of Aguas Calientes at El Presidente hotel

June 17: Sunrise in Machu Picchu. Early tour of historical sanctuary, before crowds arrive. Hike to Moon Temple and reach summit Huayna Picchu. Train to OllantaytamboDinner Stay at Las Orquideas in Ollantaytambo

June 18: Tranfer to Cusco via Pisac market and ruins time permitting. Visit ruins of Saqsayhuaman. Picnic overlooking the city. Reflection session: Goal setting. DinnerOvernight in Cusco, Hostal San Isidro

June 19: Tour of Cusco cathedral, museums and QoricanchaFree time for shopping. Reflection session: candle circleCelebration dinner. Overnight in Cusco, Hostal San Isidro

June 20: One-on-one evaluations between students and teachers 11:05 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. Lan flight to Lima Ceviche lunch. Visit to Gold Museum Walk around Miraflores Dinner Return to airport by 10:30 p.m.

June 21: 12:30 a.m. - 6:30 a.m. Delta 8131 with change of planes in Mexico 9:25 a.m.- 1:45 p.m Delta 8086 from Mexico to Atlanta 3:45-5:05 Delta 4386 Atlanta-OKC

Rosalie and Louisa's project: teaching arts

2008-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Louisa and I would like to work with the kids doing arts and crafts
for our project. We can collect supplies and coloring books for them.

The project was approved with the following recommendations: I do not want your parents to continue purchasing supplies for your project. Please go to Target, Wal-Mart to request donations or write a grant for $500 available http://www.dosomething.org/. This organization gives grants on a weekly basis, but you have to have a clear path of action and connections to academics. Your grant proposal will be helped by deciding what art principles you want to like to teach as they color. I do not think the kids get any arts' instruction. The Metropolitan Library Systems might have some coloring books you might be able to take. Jake is going to get reading books today. We will also look for coloring books for you too.

Group Project - Main Project

2008-04-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

During the work days the Casady students have in Ollantaytambo, they will be working with children. Casady students will be able to engage children in arts and crafts activities, English classes, and discussions centered on pre-arranged topics.

Casady students will also commit to a singleschool-related infrastructure project, a playground. The materials to build this playground will be bought with the donations raised by the Casady students. This playground will be the first step towards building a planned children's park in Ollantaytambo, the goal of which is to build cultural and environmental awareness in Ollantaytambo's children.

We will be working this summer to begin the children's park of Ollantaytambo, which will be built on land donated by the school to the children of Ollantaytambo. The children themselves decide what will be done with this land .
There is also a possibility that it will be a recycling center.

I think what is appropriate at this point, since we don't want to rush the children's decision-making process, is that we talk in general terms about an infrastructure project on the children's playground. For more information about the organization behind this and other similar children park efforts around Peru, see:http://www.mundodeania.org/

I have as of April 16, 2008 $300 from students for this project. Parents were asked to donate $100 per child and the deadline is at their convenience by June 1. We are also trying to collect used cell phones for this purpose, but we have not had much luck. The Casady environmental club is helping our effort.

Personal Projects

2008-04-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

Jake's Project: Jake will teach English and the kids from Ollantaytambo will teach him Spanish. Jake has contacted the Metropolitan Library Systems Outreach Coordinator and he will be receiving as many books as he can take to Peru from the Come and Read with Me Program. The donation expects a book in return. A book created by the children of Ollantaytambo about their village.

Jake will join efforts with Carmen Clay as the youth facilitator of:"In Our Global Village Project" Jake and Carmen will help the kids of Ollantaytambo create a book similar to the one created by kids in Tanzania: http://inourvillage.whatkidscando.org/. We have digital cameras, a laptop computer, and a process on how to create a book demonstrated to Carmen by Free Spirit Publishing http://www.freespirit.com/ at a workshop led at the publishing company by service-learning author Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A during the 2008 National Service-Learning Conference in Minneapolis.

Next week we will be requesting additional funding for resources such as book writing software and a computer and video equipment for the village from the In our global village project http://inourvillage.whatkidscando.org/global_village_project.html and What Kids Can Do http://www.whatkidscando.org/ organization, as well as from the Do Something. org and Shinnyoen Foundation http://www.sef.org/grants.

Communication while in Peru

2008-04-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

Will we hear from the group or you while you are on your trip? When Jake traveled to Costa Rica last year, we received updates form his advisor guide every other day or so via a group email. As you would imagine it allowed us as parents to rest a bit better while he was gone.
Anwers:
Ross: Yes, there is internet access and there will be a blog. It would be great to find a student who took personal care of organizing students to update it on a regular basis.
Students will be required to take turns updating this blog on a daily basis.
Jake: Mondays
Kendall: Tuesdays
Rosie: Wednesdays
Louisa: Thursdays
Mackenzie: Fridays
Nina: Saturdays
Grayson: Sundays
The same schedule will be followed sending this group e-mail to parents

Carmen: I have already set-up a blog which I will be updating while in Peru as often as time and schedule permits it. http://cyclonexploringpossibilities.blogspot.com/. Please check updates for students projects there now.

I have asked students participating in this trip to send me their project proposal this weekend. I have only received a formal proposal from Jake. Students can use the online project proposal available at http://www.casady.org/podium/default.aspx?t=107861 or simply e-mail clayc@casady.org.

Yellow Fever Vaccine NO LONGER NEEDED

2008-04-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

I received the following message from Ross regarding "yellow fever shots."

I checked on the CDC web page and Yellow Fever is now not required for Cuzco and Machu Picchu. This is a change over the last six months and it must be based on the fact that Yellow Fever is no longer in these zones at al and has not been for some time. It was still required by the CDC six months ago when I last checked. Can you alert your parents to this change? Thanks for sending this along. I still would recommend the Typhoid booster, however, though parents should always follow the advice of their doctor. Ross

Plane tickets bought-Project Plans

2008-03-30T02:39:00.000-07:00

The summer of service in Ollantaytambo became more of a concrete reality after the tickets were purchased. Now we need to start fundraising and gathering supplies for our "community project" and our personal projects. Students have been asked to e-mail their personal project plans and the big project is the beginning of a construction of an ecologically friendly playground for Ollantaytambo children. Our OKC Junior League had a similar project. Students participating in this project should investigate: http://www.jloc.org/?nd=junglegym.

Andes Cultural Preservation Service-Learning Trip

2008-03-01T03:31:00.001-08:00

March 1, 2008: After a long period of insecurity, almost all checks are in to make airplane reservations next week. I will be taking the first global education service-learning trip to Peru in June, 2008. It was planned by Joaquin Randall's new company in the USA: "World Leadership School." Ross Wehner,CEO of World Leardership school and author of Peru-Moon Hand Books visited Casady, gave a brief chapel speech, and talked to Spanish classes about the trip and his experience as a reporter. We increased the numbers of students attending this trip by two and secured the ones willing to take a chance and create the first global education service learning trip for Casady School.
See itinerary details at: http://www.casady.org/podium/default.aspx?t=107862. On B-days during Activities we started training for the trip. The group will meet to see and discuss
1. Introduction PowePoint
2. Make plane reservations
3. Plan personal project
4. Discuss fundraising, partnerships, and sponsorship for personal projects
5. Discuss daily itinerary and supplies, clothing, parental permissions, and vaccinations
6. Plan journaling and blogging in collaboration with the Catcco Museum-Take YAC apple laptop for that purpose
7. Research Ollantaytambo-Catcco Museum- Connect with World Leadership School for last minute details

Belgium

2007-07-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

Brussels was an amazing city, especially because Ankita was there to present her projects. The hotel was nice. The conference lacked participants and better logistical organization, but there we met four amazing people.

1. Our co-presenter Adrienne Marshall who shared her program and gave us ideas on how to improve ours. We even found a building her school, Phillps Andover Academy helped build in a town near Brussels.
2.
Bart Dankaeris from the International School in Brussels: www.isb.be, a social studies teacher who remembered Carrie"04 from the NYLC presentation in Minneapolis. His students were preparing for a youth-led service conference. After time spent with Ankita"08, Bart is considering having his students read High Noon and discuss it with Casady Cyclones interested in global problems and possible solutions. UPDATE (March 1, 2008): This actually happened. We have had sporadic, but meaningful communication with the kids from Brussels: See a website managed by a freshman student, Josh'11: http://web.mac.com/casadycrier/iWeb/Challenge%202020%20Website/Home/Home.html
3.
Yolande Iliano, attended Ankita's presentation and stayed for a while trying to find more details because Ankita's project had elements of something she was doing with her students. Yolande is a computer and foreign language teacher at St. Joseph School in Brussels: http://www.ens.irisnet.be/3046//index.htm, a free Catholic School. Yolanda is also the President of WCRP-Belgium (World Conference on Religion and Peace). Yolanda has several amazing service-learning projects with her Saint Joseph elementary school students http//www.stjosephuccle.be. After spending time with Ankita Yolanda hopes to come to Oklahoma in November to observe the Casady Cans Do Project. She is hoping to bring students and teachers. Ankita and I will ask permission for Casady to host this wonderful group. I hope my YAC and our Lower Division will consider a service partnership with her school. I also see possibilities for our French classes. We will see what time and our effort to make this opportunity a reality will bring. Update (March 1, 2008) This never happened. We lost communication with this teacher, but her work and passion for peace education inspired me to undertake a new project at school called PEACE JAM.

4. Dr. Robert Shumer, a lecturer from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota. He has contacts with researchers at the University of Oklahoma. He is a resource for statistical analysis of our program. He also offered to help us finding cheaper accomodations for the NYLC conference in Minneapolis. Update(March, 1, 2008) I wrote an e-mail to Robert telling him that I am taking a group of 5 students and our school librarian to the Minneapolis Conference. I have not heard back from him yet. It sure be nice to see him again.

It was nice to hear the author of High Noon talk about his book and to find out that if we go to Peru next summer; he wants to come with us. Update (March 1,2008) His book has been difficult to read this year. We do not seem to have time to read and have hands on activities, bring guest speakers, see the inconvenient truth and plan local solutions to the problem of global warming. We undertook fundraising against poverty at the beginning of the year with the Challenge 20/20 group.

Heading to Brussels: First International Conference in Service-Learning for Educators

2007-06-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

My Challenge 20/20 leader Ankita'08 and I will be presenting her projects and our program at the first International Conference in Service-Learning. She will have the opportunity to listen to: the author of High Noon, 20 Global Problems and 20 Years to solve them, Jean-Francois Rischard; Edward Zlotowski, Senior Faculty Fellow of Campus Compact (S-L at the college level) on Education, Globalization and Democracy: Taylor vs. Dewey Deja Vu, and my personal favorite, Andy Franco Service-Learning Researcher from Berkeley. I hope to get ideas, resources and tools to promote s-l at my school and community. If I find a computer, I will blog in my conference blog.

Service-Learning Possibilities in other areas of Peru

2007-06-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, Arequipa and Huancayo are possibilities. I recommend starting with Joaquin Randall and his enterprise in CATCCO. Students could learn ancient ceramic making and weaving from the weavers. In turn, we could start with environmental initiatives such as an Adopt a Street Program. We could also try to bring computers to the school in order to continue communicating all year around. Joaquin will have suggestions. He is dealing with a homestay program from Shady Side Academy in Seattle now. There are 15 high school students living in Ollantaytambo homes. I hope to find out about their experience in the future. I am not ready to deal with a homestay yet. Read details of Lakeside Global Service Learning at http://www.nais.org/indexPrint.cfm?print=Y&ItemNumber=146988

NAIS Challenge 20/20 Santa Maria and Villa Maria Schools partnerships possibilities

2007-06-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

I was unable to attend a meeting with the Santa Maria School http://www.santamaria.edu.pe/index.html , Director Regional Marianista of Colegio Santa Maria. Santa Maria is a Boys School and its sister school is Villa Maria: http://www.vmaria.edu.pe/web/inicio.htm. My cousins children and my sisters' friends children attended this school. Mr. Robert Robinet made the appointment which I followed with an eomail to Santa Maria contact address. I hope to hear from them soon. If not Challenge 20/20 YAC needs to follow-up this lead csmm@santamaria.edu.pe

Colegio La Recoleta: Challenge 20/20 Possibility

2007-06-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

I visited with the Academic Affairs International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Mr. Luis Felipe Gonzalez del Riego Collomp at the Colegio SS.CC. Recoleta. www.recoleta.edu.pe. jgarcia@recoleta.edu.pe. We talked about starting a Challenge 20/20 collaboration with his English classes based on reading the book High Noon, 20 Global Problems and 20 years to solve them. He will discuss the possibilities with his faculty and we will continue to keep in touch.

Another school that granted me time was Colegio Santa Maria, where my cousins attended school. I was to talk to Dr. Carlos Raynusso, Director Regional Marianista, but my illness prevented that from happening. Challenge 20/20 YAC has a name and a school address to follow up: csmm@santamaria.edu.pe, http://www.santamaria.edu.pe/index.html. This is another great school in Peru for boys, the girls school is Villa Maria

Taller de los ninos-A Great Possibility in Lima

2007-06-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

My cousin Charito put me in contact with "Taller de los ninos" www.tallerdelosninos.org.pe representative, Mrs. Yelena Brujic. brugar@terra.com.pe. Taller de ninos is a Swiss organization that has won awards for their work with the children and adolescents of Peru.

Mrs. Brujic has connections with an art school in Peru,the Leonardo Da Vinci School. She analyzed the reality of our possible arts empowered service learning opportunity and invited us to explore working with her organization. There is an application process and we need to provide a plan of action. We will also need to fundraise the whole year for our supplies and cost of our trip. The more I learned about this organization, the more I feel we need to try it. I hope they will consider us worthy.

My understanding is that we would arrive to Lima and provide our own accomodations and transportation. Mrs. Brujic would become the contact person between her taller de ninos en Canto Grande (children and adolescents) as well as with the progressive Leonardo Da Vinci School, a private school in the area. She felt this to be the safest way to provide an opportunity for Cyclones to be the change they would like to see by empowering needy Peruvian children with their talents, skills, and academic preparation.

My students' job would be very similar to the site visits to Boys and Girls Club. They would have to take an area they would like to develop with the children they would be given, but instead of doing it in three hours, they would have 5 days since we would be working in Lima for a week. The needy schools do not have arts, sports, or English instruction. This could we the beginning of our partnership with the Taller the ninos organization. The art work produced could be auctioned or taken to the USA to provide further revenue for the taller.

I did not have a second meeting with Mrs. Brujic because I became ill (Must remind my students NOT to have ice. I was the only one in my group who had a drink with ice and I was the only one who got sick.) I feel that is a great possibility YAC needs to continue to explore. The reputation as a business woman of my cousin Charito is the best guarantee we could have.

Here is what I found on the web:(They were updating their page)

2006 Asociación Taller de los Niños. Todos los derechos reservados.
Calle María Parado de Bellido 179 - Magdalena del Mar
Teléfono: 461-9389 Tel fax: 461-2195
e-mail: ceitani@terra.com.pe

"Le bon départ" - El buen principio, es la base de trabajo inciado por Taller de los niños en el año 1978.
Se sabe que todo cuanto se puede hacer con y para lo niños y niñas menores de 5 años tendrá un efecto positivo sobre su desarrollo futuro como ciudadanos.

Decidimos trabajar en Canto Grande con el fin de construir con la población, un espacio diferente.

Taller de los Niños, se ha convertido en nuestra manera de decir NO a la injusticia.
Taller de los Niños quiere ser para los niños, las niñas y los adolescentes pobres, un factor de resilencia.

My Peruvian Family

2007-06-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

It was a great way to end the trip!

Memory Lane

2007-06-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Charito took us to the place where my husband and I spent our wedding night, La Granja Azul, El Pueblo. It was so much bigger, but just as nice

Sunday lunch with Charito's Family in El Pollin

2007-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

The drink was wonderful, but it had ice.

My cousin Ceci, her husband, Coqui, and Carmen

2007-06-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

A B-day family party

2007-06-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Feliz Cumpleanos Victor Jose!

Our very special papi

2007-06-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Nuestro patriarca

2007-06-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

The women of our family

2007-06-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

The men in our family

2007-06-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

My first with Charito's first

2007-06-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

The new married couple

2007-06-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

My prima Charito and Cecilia's children and girlfriend

2007-06-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Another very special dinner

2007-06-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

At my cousin Cecilia's house, here is my dear uncle Victor, Mariana and Carmen a friend of my sister Florchi.

Amazing

2007-06-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

A native vegetables center piece

2007-06-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

My high school friends

2007-06-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

I wish I had eaten more

2007-06-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Avocado Salsa, Seviche, Humitas, Que Rico!

Great Native Dishes

2007-06-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Lima Party

2007-06-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

The 70's tunes

2007-06-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

Back to Lima

2007-06-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

I want you to meet my cousin Charito. She is amazing. Between Roxana, my sister's friend from college, Hernan, Coqui, Carmen and my special prima, Charito, our Lima stay was a joy!

San Blas District: The Artistic Area of Cuzco

2007-06-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

We were but a few hours in Cuzco. This city needs greater time in a comfortable hotel. There is so much to do and learned, especially during the Inti Raymi time, June 24.

Cuzco

2007-06-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

I walked this street when I was in the first or second grade. I wished I had time to visit my old school.

Our hotel in Cuzco

2007-06-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

As part of the packaged bought, we stayed at the Hostal Amaru. The breakfast was good, the beds a little softer, but getting to my room was like climbing Waynapicchu one more time. I went to see the Hostal where we were originally scheduled to stay. It was very nice. I want to stay there when I come back to Cuzco. It is centrally located.

Sample menu with prices

2007-06-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

The exchange rate is 3.14 soles per dollar

Time for Lomito Saltado!!!

2007-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

There were great restaurants everywhere we went.

Much easier!

2007-06-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

We climbed Waynapicchu in one hour. It only took 45 minutes to go down. We had great weather. I wonder what is it like if it is raining!

Much easier going down!

2007-06-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Julia was a great hiker friend!!! Thank you!!!!

Will I make it down?

2007-06-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

I made it to the top

2007-06-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

I have to be in better shape for the next trip, but I made it!!!!

Look at the beginning of the jungle!!

2007-06-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Macchu Picchu from Waynapicchu

2007-06-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

No matter your age, it is a challenge!

2007-06-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

We are getting closer to the top

2007-06-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Future Hike: La Luna

2007-06-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Macchu Picchu from Waynapicchu

2007-06-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Will I make it to the top?

2007-06-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Climbing Wuaynapichu

2007-06-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Machu Picchu through our guides knowledge: Milton

2007-06-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

A Window?

2007-06-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

A temple

2007-06-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

the Clays

2007-06-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Like Father, Like Son

2007-06-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Best Macchu Picchu pictures

2007-06-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

To be young and in love!!

2007-06-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone for a Waynapichu hike?

2007-06-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

A wonderful background for a family picture

2007-06-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Our group in Macchu Picchu

2007-06-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

I wish I had taken my hat off!

The "other Wonder of the World"

2007-06-29T12:35:00.001-07:00

I repeated to Brian as my father once said: Be proud of your Inca heritage!!!

Global Experiential Service-Learning

The transformation from drawing to reality

wow!!! International Collaborations and Manco Inca made this possible

Climate change curriculum

Next Steps: Sustainable Global Parnerships Proposal

Ollantaytambo Tini 2009 Project

Meeting Cindy Beams

Children's Land Vision

Kennedy and Jason WLS facilitators

Ollantaytambo Tini 2009 Project- Tini Amphitheater

Ollantaytambo TiNi 2009- Tickets purchased

Children's Land Vision

Ollantaytambo Children's Land Progress Report

Chapel Speech: Nina, Mac, and Louisa

Update of Ollantaytambo Children's work

Picassa Album of the project

Words from World Leardeship School CEO

Follow-up from Aima, Tierra de Ninos Coordinator

Student-Teacher blog

Lima-OKC: Reflections on board of plane

Adios Cusco- Hello Lima

Sunday 15-Wednesday 18

Saturday

June 12-13

June 11, 2008

June 10, 2008

Monday, June 9, 2008

Sunday, June 8, 2008. Tierra de Ninos, ofrenda

Saturday, June 7

Problems with e-mail

Our bags are packed, we are ready to go!

Casady Prepares to Go: Final update for this blog-parents already have this

New Delta Itinerary

Parent and student meeting! 7:30-9:30

Group Meeting Agenda: June 3 from 7:30 p.m.-8:30

In transit details-Jorge Chavez Airport Stay and tickets to Cuzco

Casady prepares to Go

updated itinerary

Rosalie and Louisa's project: teaching arts

Group Project - Main Project

Personal Projects

Communication while in Peru

Yellow Fever Vaccine NO LONGER NEEDED

TOP 6 QUESTIONS: TRIP PREPARATIONS

Plane tickets bought-Project Plans

Andes Cultural Preservation Service-Learning Trip

Belgium

Heading to Brussels: First International Conference in Service-Learning for Educators

Service-Learning Possibilities in other areas of Peru

NAIS Challenge 20/20 Santa Maria and Villa Maria Schools partnerships possibilities

Colegio La Recoleta: Challenge 20/20 Possibility

Taller de los ninos-A Great Possibility in Lima

My Peruvian Family

Memory Lane

Sunday lunch with Charito's Family in El Pollin

My cousin Ceci, her husband, Coqui, and Carmen

A B-day family party

Our very special papi

Nuestro patriarca

The women of our family

The men in our family

My first with Charito's first

The new married couple

My prima Charito and Cecilia's children and girlfriend

Another very special dinner

Amazing

A native vegetables center piece

My high school friends

I wish I had eaten more

Great Native Dishes

Welcome back to Lima Party

The 70's tunes

Back to Lima

San Blas District: The Artistic Area of Cuzco

Cuzco

Our hotel in Cuzco

Sample menu with prices

Time for Lomito Saltado!!!

Much easier!

Much easier going down!