Ollantaytambo day 2
On Friday we spent a full day in and around Ollantaytambo. We visited the Sacred Valley Project in the morning. It is a large building which houses 18 local high school aged girls, provides them with food, clothes, and academic support, and allows them to further their education without burdening their families. The project was started by an SIT alum in 2009, and it has had a crucial impact on the villages surrounding Ollantaytambo. In the past, girls were frequently unable to attend school past primary school (6th grade here) due to inadequate transportation (imagine walking 3 hours each way to school) and/or familial obligations (primarily having to pasture animals from 4am-dark every day, but also including cooking and cleaning, etc.). The sacred Valley Project allows these girls a place to sleep that is within close walking distance of their school, and pays for their housing, food, and education so that their absence is not as much of a financial burden on their families. If you’re interested in learning more, check them out here: http://sacredvalleyproject.org/
Next, we took a bus to Huilloc, a tiny village in the mountains about 45 minutes outside of Ollantaytambo. We did our first field observations, got rained on, and had paint and water balloons thrown at us in the lingering spirit of Carnaval. Honestly, the field observations were really hard. It feels uncomfortable to observe communities going about their business, and even more awkward to talk to locals and a respectful and non-objectifying way. I felt out of place and like I was encroaching on a very private space, and I struggled to write about people and instead focused on the environment. Alas, hopefully it will get easier with practice.
In the afternoon, we decided to climb a mountain. This is going to have to get its own post.
Dinner was delicious, as always, and we went to bed early in preparation for out LONG day at Machu Picchu.