Today is our last day in Arequipa :( This is the city that we will probably know the most out of all the places we will visit and where we know the most people! We met two girls from England/Australia who took a gap year to go travel before starting university. Then there are two sisters from California that we met as well. Some others from Brittain and Australia. We had the best time goingout with them and going on random adventures in Arequipa.

The past two weeks at the school have been great! We studied fruits in Spanish and in English because I was the teacher for the younger class, so they don´t even speak Spanish proficiently. This week our theme was nature, so the first two days we talked about animals and where they live. We also talked about cleaning our trash because in the community there is not a big hooplah about pollution because of the lack of education about littering. So we got them to clean up the school yard one day. I really wanted to instill in them that this is their school, not ours (the teachers). So on Wednesday and Thursday we talked about plants and the parts of the plants. We made an irrigation out of our conserved water bottles that will provide the deep roots with water. We cut holes in the bottles and then stuck them in the trenches around the plant because the community Flora Tristan is basically in the desert. I tried to ingrain upon them that this is their plant and their responsibility because the way that this school will have a profound effect on the community is by the kids believing that this is their school and their responsibility to take owenership of their community, school, and education. On Fun Friday we painted the big rock outside of the school and painted the little rocks that provided a perimeter around the plant. After that it got out of control and paint got everywhere! On the kids clothes, on their hands, and everywhere. It was fun to see them having the time of their lives, but some of the kids only have one pair of clothing, so we´re going to have to leave some money for them to get some new clothes.

On the contruction side of the school, we completely finished the back wall that separates the school yard from a neighbor´s yard. I got here about two and half weeks ago and the wall was barely started and now it is about 6 feet tall and about 15 yards long. Next they will lay the foundation for the bathroom that will one day have two flush toilets (the only flush toilets in the community) and a sink. Right now there is not running water in the community, so the way they collect water is to wake up from 5-7 a.m. and collect water in huge buckets. We averaged needing about three five gallon buckets of water a day, but we didn´t arrive until around 10 a.m., so Señora Victoria, a mother of one of the students, Estefany, was so kind to fill our buckets up every morning. Parents like this are a huge asset to this community because they can see outside of their individual situations and decide to go the extra mile for the community as a whole. There is always something to be discouraged about, but after just two-and-a-half weeks of working in the community and with this organization, I am filled with encouragement and hope for the people of Flora Tristan because there is such a desire to learn from the older students who realize this opportunity they have. I have older kids who come to my class because I can speak pretty good Spanish compared to the other volunteers, so they understood me. They also said my class was more fun, but I let them stay because there was such a sense of community in the classroom because they would help me with the activities and keeping the littler ones on track. I also got to talk to them individually about what we were learning and take it to the next level of learning. After the lessons, they would come to the board and write down all of the English words we learned for the day.

In the older classes there were also some students who were older than I am. They were they coolest guys ever, all with their own stories. David was 15 years old and had no father ... I don´t know if he passed away or just wasn´t in the picture, but he provided for his mother his sister Carmen, who was the best basketball player for her age that I have ever met, and his other younger sisters. He was a pretty short guy being that he is Peruvian, but he was always around to help out with construction when we were doing something wrong, and always was up for a broken conversation. Then there is Tony who is 20 years old, and who has already spent two years in the army in the jungle fighting "terroristas y narcotraficantes" terrorists and drug traffickers. He learned how to parachute with the army as well! He served from 2007-2008 in the "selva" or jungle. Then there is Richard who is 24 and is a security guard in the walking street Calle Mercaides. He is a bit bashful and always smiles nervously around the girls. We took all of these guys out to dinner one night this week because we wanted to just hang out with them outside of the school setting. We then came back to the house to watch a movie. There is a possibility as the organization grows that they are going to hire tour guides from the school for local trips. This is great incentive to learn English for the kids/young adults so that they have a tangible goal to reach.

Andrew and I ate Mixtos everyday, which an awesome burger! It has lettuce, tomato, a fried egg, french fries, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and ahí. Ahí is a type of hot thousand island dressing, which made the burger. We ate here everyday and got to know the workers really well!!! Whilton made the best burgers and worked the morning shift. He is studying biomechanical engineering in the afternoon at the local university.

That´s all I can think of now. We´re leaving for Cuzco tonight at 8 p.m. and going to arrive tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.