Another School Visit

 So the very next day we loaded up to go visit another school. Talmage and Orrin stayed home this time, ostensibly for homework and Orrin because he "wasn't feeling well," but I think they just were tired and didn't want to go. Which is understandable. We had been go-go-going since our trek, and we were going on our next trek the next day. (This is when I wished I had spaced out our excursions much more, but I had done it with the intent to have them all before rainy season, but in the end it never really rained.) But hey, at least we weren't so squished in the taxis. 

Here's Ethne looking like a celebrity trying to hide from the paparazzi.

So we drove a really long way again, and then were at the village where we would start going straight up the mountain to the high-elevation village, when the road suddenly just ceased. There was construction, and the road was all broken up and just actually gone for a good bit. It was one of those South America moments where no one could have foretold this. But anyway, Natalia and Doug and the taxi drivers scurried away and talked to people and figure it out. We walked past all the construction, and then got into two different taxis farther up. Because now we had the previous taxis two drivers as passengers, Wyatt and Navy had to sit in the trunk on the way up all the hills and switchbacks. (Thanks to Hazel's good journaling or I would have forgotten that detail, and many of the others.)

These were older kids. The girl in the orange cardigan walked 2 or I want to say 3 hours to school each day. Which is absolutely mind-bogglingly crazy.

The kids helped hand out the supplies and little things.

And then we were done. We stayed much shorter of a time and felt a lot more useless. :) 

To get back down to our two taxis, we had to cram into one taxi this time. So, were were taking the 2 taxi drivers, Doug, Natalia, me and my kids, and then the teacher and one of the students rode down to the bottom village with us, so we ended up cramming THIRTEEN people into a little dinky car with five seats. It was quite the feat. Hazel sat on my lap and pretty much everyone but the driver either had someone on their lap or were on a lap. Luckily there was a little room in the trunk space, so we squished that area full. I thought at first that someone was going to sit on the top of the car, but I don't think they ended up doing that. It was exciting! 

Then, when we reached our original taxis (walking past the construction zone again), one of them had gotten a flat tire and so they had to repair that before we drove home. 

Then we got dropped off near where Natalia's and Doug's music school was and walked through Cusco back to our apartment and packed up for our Machu Picchu trek the next day!

And while this has nothing to do with the rest of this post, I'm going to take this moment to add in all of the quotes from Hazel's Peru Quotebook:

-“Adapt and overcome” -Hazel

-“Say it with authority” 

-“Red hair and left handed? She is doubly devils spawn.” -Hazel

-“Dude, don’t spit upwind!” -Dad

-“I’m not comfortable! You’re sitting on my head!” -Navy

“Mom, do you want my fake bacons?” -Navy

“It’s bulking season” -Jethro

“Reet” -Talmage 

Talmage, referring to lomo saltado: “If this doesn’t become a staple in our house, you’re in trouble!”

N: “Why are Grandma and Grandpa getting set apart?”

M: “Because they’re missionaries.”

N: “They can’t go together?”

“It’s egg whites. Slurp it up!” -Orrin

“Why is fresh mozzarella so expensive?

They kiss each one when they make them. 

They bless them!

You guys don’t know how cheese is made.”

“That put a stopper over his capers.” -Jethro

“Ship-shape ship-sheep.” -Ethne

“We’re not that type of family! We don’t promote safety!” -Talmage

“Orrin, no tables at the hat!” -Dad

“It’s a parade! Of people!” -Ethne, referring to the protesters on strike

“You don’t understand! The piglet grows!” -Mom

“Candid photos are not my forte, okay?!” -Hazel

“You don’t have to be a dog because you’re a human.” -Orrin

O: “Are they wrestling?”

M: “No, this is the park of love.”

O: “Oh…”