Laramarca.

Before I finish my detailed account of our journey to Laramarca I just wanted to let everyone know about my current state. I arrived to Laramarca on Wednesday. The small, pueblo sits isolated high up in the Andes Mountains. I´m not sure of the exact number of residents but you can walk the town in an hour. I am actually in Laramarca with one of the other interns named Kate. The two of us are being housed in some humble accomodations in the municipal building. Most of the homes are made of adobe bricks and the kids of the village all have red cheeks and aged hands from the intense climate conditions. These conditions include nights where temperatures dip below 30 degrees and days where temperatures skyrocket into the high 80´s. Laramarca is quite impoverished yet the people in the town are hospitable and glad to have us in their small pueblo. The view of the moutains from the town is incredible. On Thursday, I did some exploring of the city and made my way up to the ´mirador´ which sits high above the town giving adventurers an extraordinary 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. Although they don´t have many of the creature comforts we have come to expect in the US such as hot showers and internet, I am learning to adjust. Things have not always been easy but I have learned to always remember the reason I am here and that is the children of this developing country.

Although I have only been able to spend one day in the school of Laramarca which consists of six classrooms each with its own teacher, I have seen something amazing in the kids who attend this school. I spent Friday morning with the first graders and you should see the potential they possess. They were quickly writing their names, pronouncing simple words, and matching words with their appropriate drawing. Even from just one day I can tell that the XO laptops have brought an excitement to learning that these kids desperately need to justify even coming to school. For the last 45 minutes of class the children got to use the laptops to enhance the lessons they completed during the first half of class.

This weekend we are in Ica which is the nearest city to Laramarca. As I mentioned before Laramarca is not equipped with internet so I will not be able to update my blog for at least a week. This experience is truly making me appreciate everything and everyone that I have and has given me the drive to make a difference in the lives of these children. They are no different than our own children in the USA except that they were born into this world in a different place. They deserve every bit as much of an opportunity to live a decent live as we do. Over the course of the next two weeks Kate and I will be working in the school to help enhance learning using the XO´s and creating a project that the teachers can use to address one major problem the pueblo faces each day.

I love and miss all of you!
Ryan

Church in Plaza of Laramarca


Kids taking photos using their XO laptops in Plaza of Laramarca


Yo


View of Laramarca from Mirador


Proof that God does exist