Bridge Peru 2009: From Home to Lima to Cusco and Beyond!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

From Home to Lima to Cusco and Beyond!

After a scramble to get all the students on board last night, the Bridge Peru trip departed JFK headed towards Lima, Peru. At the airport in Lima they met up with another group member, Ryan, who flew in from Trinidad and Tobago. As I write this, the group is in the Lima airport getting ready to board the plane for Cusco. By 10am everyone should be headed towards Customs and getting ready to begin their exploration of Peru!

Today the group will meet up with their other leader, Nayeli, who has been in Peru for the last couple days putting the final touches on the trip. After leaving the airport, the group will travel to Ollantaytambo (about 60 kilometers northwest of Cusco in southern Peru) and check into La Nusta Hostal. En route to La Nusta, the campers will be calling home (around noontime EST) so keep your phones handy! Over the next couple days Bridge Peru will be doing group orientation/get to know each other games, visiting the Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo, adjusting to the altitude, exploring Cusco and beginning their Spanish classes. They are sure to be busy and having fun!

Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo

Phone Call Schedule

The Bridge Peru campers will be calling home on these dates and times (Eastern Standard Time). Please make sure you are available to receive these calls - we don't want you to miss the chance to hear from them! Call times cannot be rescheduled.

July 1 between 12 and 2 pm (quick call after arrival)
July 10 between 5 and 7 pm
July 20 between 4 and 6 pm
July 28 between 4 and 6 pm (quick call before departure)

Mail can be sent to the Bridge Peru group at:
Student's Name
c/o Rossana Huarcaya Revilla
Machu Picchu Spanish School, Director
Calle Arequipa #251
Cusco - PERU

The last day for mail pick up is July 16, please make sure your mail will arrive by then to ensure delivery. Families may send flat letters to the program participants. Place student's name in the bottom right corner of the envelope. Please do not send packages or money.

Meet Your Leaders

Nayeli Reyes

Nayeli has always been interested in programs that are fun, educational, and make a difference in people’s lives. In Argentina, where she grew up, she volunteered in disadvantaged areas and did extensive work with school youth groups. In the US, in addition to leading both Bridge Mexico 2006 and Bridge Peru 2007 for Windsor Mountain, she has taught Spanish in various settings, including a language immersion camp. She also worked for the YMCA where she was a Summer Camp Counselor, a trail guide, a Ropes Course Facilitator, and a leader for Project Common Ground (teaching children to appreciate diversity). At the moment she teaches Science and Language to fourth graders at an English immersion school in Córdoba, Argentina. She enjoys traveling and experiencing a variety of cultures by living within them. Nayu feels that any time or place can be a good reason to dance and laugh. She believes you can learn from everything and that everyone has something to teach.

Darren Ovitsky

An avid world traveler, artist, and educator, Darren is primed and ready to lead an amazing Bridge Peru program. This will be his second summer leading a student travel program with Windsor Mountain. In recent years, his travels have taken him through Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Canada, Alaska, Mexico and New Zealand. After his fall season working as a naturalist in California, he took the winter off to travel around the U.S. and Canada in search of bottomless powder. His search keeps leading him further north as he plans to attend guide school for heli-skiing in Alaska next winter. Darren has traversed the continent by car or plane an astonishing 12 times in the past two years, covering every U.S. state and Canadian province except for North Dakota and Hawaii (he had a hard time driving to Hawaii). When he’s not picking ice out of his beard, he enjoys visiting friends in faraway places, playing and listening to music, and being outside. Darren believes that the opportunity to travel and immerse oneself in another culture as a teenager is an invaluable experience which resonates throughout one’s life. He’s looking forward to helping his students through what promises to be a challenging and rewarding experience this summer on Bridge Peru.

Bridge Peru 2009

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

From Home to Lima to Cusco and Beyond!

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Phone Call Schedule

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What Time Is It In Peru?

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