Today we woke up and had breakfast with the group, then headed to a hike to see Inca ruins. As we looked across the town to see the sacred area for the citizens of Inca, we learned that it was shaped like an alpaca. The alpaca is seen as a center of culture and a sacred symbol to the Andean people. We then headed to Andahuaylillas, where we first stopped and had lunch at Tunupa, an authentic Peruvian buffet. We then stopped and visited a market, and we bought all sorts of goods for family and friends. We got to talk to all kinds of people and learn about their items and background/culture. A lot of us got to practice our Spanish! After that, we headed to the Quischipanchi Project to end our day and start our service. We played fútbol with a couple of the kids in the after-school program. After dinner, the group came together to discuss invitations to connection with the head of the project, Michael. As we discussed, we reflected over what we are expected to see while here and thought back to times when we grew as individuals. 

From our experience today we noticed how the community is different than ours back at home. The children were very eager to play all kinds of sports with us as soon as we arrived and were very appreciative of our small interaction. With this knowledge, we hope that this upcoming week can be filled with more genuine and curious conversation and encounters. While we may experience some discomfort, it will enable us to achieve greater self-growth and hopefully give a return effect to the community we are serving.