Bridge Peru Poem

One of the Bridge Peru students, Nancy, wrote a fantastic poem throughout the trip. Here is the culmination of her efforts:

Tuesday morning, and my flight is delayed
Sitting in the airplane, thinking astray
7 hour flight, then another six
Tired, hungry and curious, feelings that mix
Arrived Wednesday morning in Peru
Altitude sickness and stomach hurts, woo hoo
First couple of days were kind of rough
Slowly but surely, I began to adjust
It's winter here, but our group is sweaty
The food's great, with tomatoes and spaghetti
Every meal consists of potatoes and rice
The food's definitely different, but trying is nice
I've tried alpaca and guinea pig too
It was heartbreaking at times, but it was new
I'm sorry to have eaten America's pet
But you should try new things, so please don't fret
We traveled from city to city, going far every day
From Ollantaytambo to Cusco, without much delays
We went to markets, churches and many ruins
Life here is different and I miss my itunes
This trip is easier, unlike last years
More of a cultural experience, way less fears
Personal hygiene is not an issue
Thank goodness for warm showers, bathrooms and toilet tissue
We went to clinics to play and feed
Kids with cerebral paralysis, sad indeed
Many in wheelchairs, couldn't walk
Some spoke Spanish, others barely talked
It was definitely life changing, different than any before
I wish I could do something, and this I swore
I made kids smile and convinced them to eat
They didn't enjoy the food and some squirmed in their seat
I wish we could spend more time there instead
Kids with bright smiles, cheeks of pink and red
We went to performances of dances in Peru
Scary guys sit behind Darren, with eyes like glue
We've run into mean old white ladies here
Who think they rule the place, with smiles that smear
American tourists can often be rude
Giving you attitude, cold looks, how shrewd
Everywhere we go, we seem to cause trouble
Although it's not on purpose, the fun just doubles
There are times where I really just wanna go home
But I love this country, Peruvian streets I roam
So much to see and so little time
I'm trying my best to include it all in this rhyme
There are many moments I don't want to rid
Like Beryl's chickenbreast and Matt dropping kids
Or our hours of driving on the road
Like Sylvia's avocado, and Nayu's toad
Then there's Kyle's fake mud abs
And Kathryn's lovely gift of gab
Don't forget the one who owns the pants that resist flame
Her and Toni lit them on fire, didn't work, how lame
I'm so in love with Kaleigh's voice
The songs she sings, what a lovely choice
She always says I'm too California
Instead of "really", I say "hella"
Then there's Ryan and Andrew too
They became close, who would've knew
Sometimes they talk and you won't get a chance
Maybe it has to do with their Bro-mance
I enjoyed watching Paris Hilton's New Best Friend
Times like those I wish wouldn't end
And then there's Darren with his humungo beard
At first, i kinda thought it was large and weird
Just kidding Darren, it's very pretty
Makes you look like Jesus, and kind of witty
There's Tara who always has a smile on her face
In a game of hard labor, she'd win the race
Who could forget the one and only
A Summer Searcher like me, a girl named Toni
Actually her name is Antoinette
Which I don't want to say cause I can't pronounce it yet
Kay I figured that that part was lame
But the things in the poem for me will stay the same
This trip in Peru was really great
From ruins, to car rides to the Cuy that we ate
I'm hopeful that we'll remember the trip that we took
Keep in touch, through messaging and facebook
Maybe in December, we'll see each other
Meet in Boston, one flight after another
Although I think I'm going to be really far
I'll make it, so you guys better go by car
I'm running out of things to rhyme
I just looked in my backpack and found a dime
For some reason my arms really hurt
Because we just spent a whole day shoveling dirt
We're working on greenhouses right about now
We're surrounded by trees, pigs, horses and cows
I'm writing this now at the bottom of my bunk bed
I'm scared that Toni will fall on my head
No worries we all slept fine
Free of diseases, H1N1 or swine
We worked at a place with greenhouses and schools
Started by Oscar, he's no fool
This project began ten years ago
He had no money, just a dream, which began its flow
He grew and sold veggies for money
He hoped for days of harvest, as well as days of sunny
He provides food and education for many
He's the man behind the curtain, without him, there wouldn't be any
Then we went to climb some mountains
Hiking was hard, I sweated a fountain
It was called Happy Mountain, how cute I thought
Tall wooden ladders, with stone stairs I fought
We went to Machu Picchu, it took the shape of a bird
It forms pumas and lizards, crazy cool but absurd
Then there's those strikes, who could forget
Our plans changes and the schedule wasn't set
We watched performances and shopped around
Ate fast food in delicious restaurants we found
Ryan was called Barack while Toni was Michelle
Andrew was their child, but he's Guatemalan how swell
Kathryn yells like a monkey and dances around
She wrestles with Beryl, pins her to the ground
Matt is breaking toilets, and is always a foo
He seems to have trouble, trouble with poo
Kaleigh writes a song complimenting his hair
Says he shouldn't make fun and she should grow a pair
I'm sure going to miss everyone on this trip
The faces they make when I say I let one rip
The car rides we share the jokes that we make
The troubles we have, corrections of mistakes
I'm sad the trip is coming to and end
I won't get used to not seeing everyone, it became a trend
I loved singing with Toni, songs of rap and R&B
Usher, Mario, Neyo, Beyonce and Disney
Her presence really began to grow on me
Time I spent with her, I felt free
Remember Erin, Carlos, Fernando and Frank
There's Mathieu, Conrad, people I'd thank
Thank you for taking part in my life
The trip was difficult, but worth the strife
You guys made my homestay fun
I woke up with smiles, and when mountains hid the sun
Conrad always got his butt kicked
In FIFA 2009, he thought he was sick
Fernando and Carlos, the brothers I've known
Always made my day, I always felt at home
Erin lives in Idaho, a sweet sweet girl
There were times she was sick, I thought she would hurl
Frank from Taiwan, I've known him for 5
5 short days, but man that guy's alive
He gave me candy so I'd feel better
He made me smile in his alpaca sweater
Then there's Bertha, my home stay mom
She was always smiling, her attitude cool and calm
She was like a real mother, always cared for me
I miss her so much, I'll visit one day, you'll see
Then there's Leo, the cutest woman in the house
She cussed at the dogs and talked like a mouse
I can't imagine being so far away
But I'll remember the moments, each and every day
I'm curious on when to Peru I'll return
I want to come here again, so money I'll earn
Thank you to all the people I met
Who listen to my complaints, annoying I bet
Thank you to those at my homestay
Thank you to Wilbert who'd go out of his way
Thank you to my teachers who helped me at school
My Spanish sucks, I know, you probably thought I was a fool
Thank you to Nayu, Darren, the best of the best
Leaders in the group, far different from the rest
Thank you to Andrew, Ryan, and Eva
To Kaleigh, Kathryn, Beryl and Sylvia
To Toni, Tara, Matt and Kyle
No matter what happens, he'll never have style
I should probably end this it's really long
It would be interesting if I made this a song
Alright after this, it's the very last line
I Love You Windsor Mountain, Bridge Peru 2009