12
Location: Ollantaytambo
As we continued our adventure of service and fun, the Go Beyond and MySmallHelp family took a trip to a small school where we helped as we could. Starting with welcome songs from the school of 30, the group was ready to bond with the students- as well as get our hands dirty as we sanded and varnished all of the school’s tables and chairs. Bella and Sienna went with Riley, from MySmallHelp, to teach a group of students key phrases in English, while the rest of the group got ready with the larger task at hand. In the classroom, the students learned things like greetings, the days of the week, and the months of the year. It was a very rewarding experience to watch the kids be able to learn a new language with the help of the GoBeyond girls. Once finishing the lesson, Bella and Sienna rejoined with the group to continue sanding the tables and chairs. After sitting in the hot sun and getting our hands dirty, the group took a trip to a small restaurant for a nice lunch of soup, fish, vegetables, and crepes. All very much needed after the first half of the day! After finishing lunch, we returned to the school for varnishing the chairs and tables, along with playing with some of the kids still around. Today was a very amazing experience for the group, as we got to learn new kids from a new school along with being able to give back in a way that is very beneficial for the students. All the kids we met today come from low-income families, and being able to help in the ways that we could, made the day one-hundred times better. After our long day at the school, the GoBeyond group returned back to the hostel for pizza and the soccer match. As some of us watched the game, and some stayed upstairs (to listen to music, as it was phone day), everyone got a chance to rewind and reflect on everything that they had gained from today, and their thoughts from the day, and school. As our trip comes closer to an end, it was days like this, with these kids and students, that we appreciate all Peru has offered us.