27 Days and Counting

Glad that everyone on the Peru trip has all their permission slips in and documents ready. Now comes the tricky part - making plans for how each of us likes to travel. We will have out last meeting as a group on the 16th of March - everyone HAS to be there. We will go over a number of important points, review necessities, and get ourselves prepped to go. So what do we think about before that meeting? Here are some ideas:

1) Packing and traveling light. I can only recommend you travel as light as possible. We will be handling our items numerous times on the trip - into the bus, out of the bus, onto the plane, off the plane. Follow the advice of others - make a big pile of what you think you will need to take to be properly clothed, then set aside half to leave behind. You really don't need a completely new outfit everyday. Just the necessities. Look at the temperature in Lima and Cuzco and then figure out what you need to be both warm and cool. Bring comfortable shoes - I will bring tennis shoes and sandals, for example. Along with some good socks. Get a multi-purpose jacket that isn't too heavy and might even double as a pillow in pinch. Be creative.

2) Souvenirs. Check out websites about Peru before you go - and identify somethings you want to bring back. What are the specialities in Lima, Cuzco, Pisac? We can get some nice quality items without bringing back scale models of Machu Picchu. This is another good reason to not pack too much - a little space in the bag for memories is a wise idea.

3) Think about where we are going to be - altitude matters. Take some time over the next few weeks and build up your walking legs. I have already started. We might well feel a bit ill from the altitude - and there will be lots of things we can do. Drink lots of water. Take medicine. Get rest. But you don't want to spend the trip in the Andes feeling miserable. Build up your leg muscles, get that oxygen flowing, and make sure that you have considered the altitude. You are going to need to drink a lot of water quite regularly. It will definitely help.

4) Friends and friends. We will all be in close contact with each other for over a week. We are bound to get on each other's nerves (well, not mine of course, because I think each and every one of you is the best!) so be prepared to be open-minded and caring. Getting upset because you can't sit next to someone on the bus? You'll catch them the next time. Hurt by someone you were sure was your best friend because of something they said? Give them another chance, and then another. Worried that your fears or concerns won't be paid attention to? That's what we adults are here for - to pay attention to you. Just relax on this fabulous trip, let the water wash off your shoulders, and psyche yourself up to be the best you possible. It will be worth it.

If you have any great ideas in support of 1-4 above, just add them as comments. Let's all take care of each other.

Places to look forward to . . .

I am going to highlight some of our destinations so that students are a bit better prepared. The Convento de San Francisco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_San_Francisco,_Lima) is a church and monastery in the heart of Lima - and we visit it on that first, sleepy day in Latin America. We can't fault ourselves for not having heard of the church (if that is the case) but we can hold ourselves accountable for not remembering it after we leave! But I don't think we'll have much trouble with that.

Like many cathedrals and churches in Roman Catholic countries, San Francisco is sure to be held in high regard. Although a major tourist stop, it is also a sacred place that is still a going concern - so we will need to be respectful. Monasteries and convents were significant players in pre-Independence Latin America - and even beyond. Wealth and power were held by these religious institutions - and the buildings they erected are bound to reflect this. At the same time, austerity and self-sacrifice were the personal goals of the monks. Think of the contradictions that could play out in that setting!

Although I would love to believe that all of our students will walk out of the monastery with a profound understanding of the role of the Church in early colonial America, my guess is that the highlight of the tour will be the catacombs. Yes, catacombs.  Burial was a different story back then - and underneath many churches can be found sacred spaces to rest forever. There are up to 70,000 individuals in the catacombs, and they are apparently arranged in very interesting patterns. I know I am looking forward to what we now see as a macabre spectacle - and my guess is our students will use up a lot of battery power catching sight of the bones of the interred.

Of course, I can't but help wonder how the early Spanish practices of religious burial will contrast with those of the Inca - who tended to put their ancestors high on Andean peaks. A good topic for further discussion!

Early musings on Peru

Ms. Henderson has recently sent out a lot of important information and I urge everyone to look at it closely. I am going to be posting the itinerary and flight information on a separate page in a day or so. Please make sure that you have all your papers and everything ready to go - let's avoid last minute anxieties!

With less than 40 days to go, I hope students are getting excited - I know that I am! I have checked out some books to read in Spanish, I am going through guide books, and I am trying to figure out what souvenirs to bring home. For the first time on one of these trips, I will be covering new ground - a trip to Peru fills an important gap in my travel history and I am eager to see it with my own eyes.

I have always been fascinated by the cultural history of Peru. We are looking closely at the Inca, but they are only the last to occupy this part of Latin America. Like with an onion, archaeologists peel back layers of mud and rock to reveal ever-older civilizations. The west coast of the continent has been a rich place for human history - fish are brought to the surface by upwelling cold ocean currents, small and narrow valleys protected intense agriculture. The Incas (and the Aztecs in Mexico) absorbed the lessons from those who went before, putting their name on a veneer that really extends back for many thousands of years.

I encourage those who are equally fascinated by the cultural touchstones of Peru to check out Wade Davis' writings. I heard him speak at an IB conference a few years ago and found his presentation (and his books) to be eye-opening. He loves to turn convention on its head. He vividly describes cultural rites that continue today from historical precedents, and effectively explained how the Amazon was the site of a large, pre-Colombian civilization. Recent archaeological studies have continued to confirm this understanding.

Obviously, Peru holds great interest for me - and I hope for your children or (if Deal students are reading this) for you who are traveling on March 31 to Lima. Que divertido!