Day 6 - Friday

Today, our group visited one of the most beautiful sites in all of Peru.  About an hour drive above Kusi, we visited Glacier Lake in between two large mountains.  It was beautiful to see the clear sparkling water and the tall waterfalls falling from the rocks.  Compared to Lake Norman, it was an unbelievable sight.  The best part of the day was watching the brave young men jumping into the ice bath of a lake.    They took a running start from a dock and jumped straight into the 45 degree waters!  As we watched from afar, it was funny to hear them yell once they reached the lake surface!  Our group also stopped at multiple places to take unforgettable pictures.  Some picture locations were in front of the lake and others included places directly in front of Huanday, the tallest peak in all of Peru roughly 18,000-19,000 ft. above sea level.  It was relaxing to finally get the opportunity to vacation around the grandest attractions in all of Peru after working the three previous days.  After five days in Peru, our experience has been unbelievable to not only see great sites, but to also work with the boys in Kusi.  It humbles me to see how content these kids stay with such little they have.  It is also humbling to lose to the boys every time we play them in soccer!  Our mission was to change these boys’ lives, but they have changed our lives just as much. 

 

-Corbin Hockensmith

 

Potatoes, beef, chicken, pork, corn, and other various items. We ate a traditional Peruvian meal, Pachumancha. What makes this meal so traditional is the way it was cooked. Kusi is equipped with something similar to an underground oven. It is basically a hole lined with stones. At a very early hour in the morning, a fire is lit in the oven. After, each ingredient is put into the oven. Next, the oven is covered with multiple layers of tarps. The food cooks for an hour all together. Once this hour is over, all the food is taken out of the ground. The meat taken out of the oven is perfectly seasoned and wrapped in something similar to a seaweed leaf. Also, an ear of corn is served with each plate of food and tastes rather plain. Next, a slab of corn and beans was served wrapped in a leaf. It was not my favorite simply because all the ingredients were mushed together into a slab. Potatoes and a root similar to a potato was given to us. Having so many starches, I was a little overwhelmed, but I was amazed by how well each one was cooked. Finally, there was a sweet mushed desert with raisins. It was wrapped in a different type of leaf. Again, this had the consistency of a mush and was not my favorite. Over all, it was a good experience that helped me dive into the Peruvian culture.           

 

-Sara Yang