Bridge Peru Families,
Here's our first quick update--an email from Jim and Nayu which arrived last night. We hope to have full individual student updates by Friday. Enjoy!
Hi to everyone there at WM. I hope all is well. Nayu and I are having fun with the group. All is going well, the group has been wonderful and we are all enjoying ourselves. They all seem to get along well thus far. When we arrived, many students tried alpaca at our first meal and everyone is ordering their own food in Spanish.
We hiked the ruins in Ollantaytambo on a beautiful day, and things are going smoothly. We are in Cusco right now on our way to Almeria. We stopped at a Chicaria where we learned to make Chicha (a traditional drink made from fermented germinating corn that dates back to Incan times). We saw guinea pigs (coy), but didn't eat any yet, and visited Chincheros where we learned from a cooperative that supports indigenous women how they color sheep and alpaca thread and then make their goods. Very beautiful, and the whole group got hats!
We are starting some great projects tomorrow in Almeria. We are trying to find out more specifics on the friendship camp starting next week. We will not have communication out other than our cell phones. Student phone calls will be on Sunday the 11th after lunch. Please let the families know.
Great news! No GIAs (gastrointestinal adventures) yet.... No sickness of any kind, all happy and eating well. We are currently at the Plaza de Armas in Cusco and will be shopping for snacks and all the stuff we need for this week.
Much love,
Jim and Nayu
Blog Archive
Check It Out!
To see the trip calendar with a list of daily locations and activities, check out this link:
Bridge Peru Calendar
Bridge Peru Calendar
Mail Stop
You can send mail to the Bridge Peru group at:
Windsor Mountain Student Group
Urbanizacion Manuel Prado
Calle Sacsahuaman
N-11 Cusco, Peru
There is no postal code.
The main addressee should be "Windsor Mountain Student group," the student's name should be placed in the bottom left hand corner of the envelope.
Families may send flat letters to the program participants. Please do not send packages or money.
Mail to Peru often takes 10 days to 2 weeks if sent by regular post. If you would like one of the students to receive mail from you during the trip, we recommend sending it the first few days of the trip or using an expedited carrier (such as FedEx or DHL).
The last day for mail pick up will be July 16, please make sure your mail will arrive before then to ensure delivery.
Windsor Mountain Student Group
Urbanizacion Manuel Prado
Calle Sacsahuaman
N-11 Cusco, Peru
There is no postal code.
The main addressee should be "Windsor Mountain Student group," the student's name should be placed in the bottom left hand corner of the envelope.
Families may send flat letters to the program participants. Please do not send packages or money.
Mail to Peru often takes 10 days to 2 weeks if sent by regular post. If you would like one of the students to receive mail from you during the trip, we recommend sending it the first few days of the trip or using an expedited carrier (such as FedEx or DHL).
The last day for mail pick up will be July 16, please make sure your mail will arrive before then to ensure delivery.
Meet Your Leaders
Nayeli Reyes
Nayeli has always been interested in programs that are fun, educational, and make a difference in people's lives. In Argentina, where she grew up, she volunteered in disadvantaged areas and did extensive work with school youth groups. In the US, she taught Spanish in various settings, including a language immersion camp. She also worked for the YMCA where she was a summer camp counselor, trail guide, ropes course facilitator, and a leader for Project Common Ground (teaching children to appreciate diversity). At the moment, she teaches Science and Language to fourth graders at an English immersion school in Cordoba, Argentina. She enjoys traveling and experiencing a variety of cultures by living within them. Nayu feels that any time or place can be a good reason to dance and laugh. She believes you can learn from everything and that everyone has something to teach.
Jim Whitmore
Jim is always trying to meet interesting people and go to interesting places to keep him excited about life and the world around him. This can be seen in his wide travels that include studying world views in a rural school in Jamaica, five months in Austria exploring European culture, and three years teaching at the Escuela Internacional La Lime near San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He continued teaching for four years in a small bilingual school at Zamorano. This 2000 graduate from Ball State University enjoys working with Windsor Mountain during his summers and is currently working on his Masters Degree in International and Comparative Education. Jim and his wife (Fanny) are now living in Bloomington, Indiana. He enjoys hiking and camping, kayaking, scuba diving, and loves photography (you probably saw his pictures when you signed up for the Peru trip!) This will be Jim's sixth student travel program with Windsor Mountain (Random Acts of Kindness '03, Bridge Caribbean '04, '05, Bridge Peru '07, '08).
Nayeli has always been interested in programs that are fun, educational, and make a difference in people's lives. In Argentina, where she grew up, she volunteered in disadvantaged areas and did extensive work with school youth groups. In the US, she taught Spanish in various settings, including a language immersion camp. She also worked for the YMCA where she was a summer camp counselor, trail guide, ropes course facilitator, and a leader for Project Common Ground (teaching children to appreciate diversity). At the moment, she teaches Science and Language to fourth graders at an English immersion school in Cordoba, Argentina. She enjoys traveling and experiencing a variety of cultures by living within them. Nayu feels that any time or place can be a good reason to dance and laugh. She believes you can learn from everything and that everyone has something to teach.
Jim Whitmore
Jim is always trying to meet interesting people and go to interesting places to keep him excited about life and the world around him. This can be seen in his wide travels that include studying world views in a rural school in Jamaica, five months in Austria exploring European culture, and three years teaching at the Escuela Internacional La Lime near San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He continued teaching for four years in a small bilingual school at Zamorano. This 2000 graduate from Ball State University enjoys working with Windsor Mountain during his summers and is currently working on his Masters Degree in International and Comparative Education. Jim and his wife (Fanny) are now living in Bloomington, Indiana. He enjoys hiking and camping, kayaking, scuba diving, and loves photography (you probably saw his pictures when you signed up for the Peru trip!) This will be Jim's sixth student travel program with Windsor Mountain (Random Acts of Kindness '03, Bridge Caribbean '04, '05, Bridge Peru '07, '08).
Peruvian Flag
What Time Is It In Peru?
Map of Peru
Program Information
Bridge Peru is a Windsor Mountain Student Travel Program. For more information about Student Travel Programs or our International Summer Camp, please visit our website: www.WindsorMountain.org or call 1-800-862-7760.