Building Bridges (Literally and Physically)

Location: Chugchilan

One would think that children from the United States with plumbing would be upset that we decided to stay at the Black Sheep Inn. If you were thinking this, think again. The Black Sheep Inn has led to plenty of great times. In the morning, we split into two groups. The first group went to build a path and bridge between two mountains in Chugchilan while the other group went horseback riding through the Andes Mountains. Tomorrow the two groups will switch activities. As being a part of the community service group today, I will reflect on that. After riding in a truck, which everyone thought I would fall out of, we arrived at the sight. We had to slide down an extremely steep mountain with wood and tools. I’m not going to lie; it was quite scary. Even Carlos was scared a little bit. To improve said steep mountain, the group split up into two parts to create stairs, or at least attempt to create stairs.

Meanwhile, I was the lone soul to help build a bridge, across the two mountains. It was completed, and even though I mainly held the wood while the expert hammered a nail through the wood, I named the bridge, “The Jack Bridge.” While I physically built a bridge, the group made connections through sharing secrets and making jokes. The long day was not over yet. When we returned to the hotel and waited for the horseback riding group (more to come about horseback riding) some of us played darts, used the zip line, made origami turtles, and followed a yoga class led by Britta. There is also a llama which people were able to feed him grass. The only activity that went the badly was Frisbee golf. Lewis, bragging that he’s the best ultimate player out of all of us, got a four on the first hole. Shockingly, that was not the best score. I would tell you about the second hole, but it didn’t exist because I idiotically lost my Frisbee in the tall grass (yes: I’m that bad at Frisbee golf). After over two hours of searching for said Frisbee, the Frisbee went unfound. Sadly, I now have to pay a ten dollar fee to replace the Frisbee. If asked me before I teed off that I wanted to lose a Frisbee I would’ve said, “no.” However, the seven people who did play Frisbee, including me, bonded looking for that Frisbee. Though I have to pay a ten dollar fine, it was worth it at the end. The day ended with dinner and a campfire (no marshmallows because the hotel has free cookies and brownies). Overall, the life in the Andes Mountains provides an amazing view of the area, hard work, a good time and a bonding experience. Thanks for reading.