Today we saw a lot of monkeys and sloths and had an adventurous end to our trip. We will let the students tell you more about the day when we get back. For our blog tonight we thought it would be fun to give you the chaperones top highlights from the trip. They are in no particular order. We hope that this list will lead to further conversations between you and your child. Enjoy! 

1. Taking pictures...especially of the monkeys 
2. Empanada runs 
3. 6 sloths 
4. We studied science at the Biomuseo 
5. Snorkel face 
6. The 5 of us doing room checks together. Ask students about the ninja room checks. 
7. Kayaking 
8. Watching the students laugh and enjoy the trip 
9. In Chitre we had a middle school dance after dinner 
10. Feeding and milking the cows 
11. Canal quiz 
12. Jumping ove the Panama Canal
13. The weird dinosaur noise that half of the girls make at each other 
14. Karaoke at dinner
15. Monkeys on the boat 
16. Watching new friendships develop
17. If this is a stick, and this is a stick, is this a stick? (Ask your child) 
18. Gabe our tour guide or the G.O.A.T. 
19. Raul drives like a Boss
20. The anaconda 
21. Panama 
22. Our students. We had such a wonderful trip with them. 

A short blog post tonight as we spent a good portion of our day traveling by bus. We had a lazy start to our day and didn't have to leave our hotel to till 10:30 am. 

Here are a few highlights from the day in no particular order. 

1. Empanadas - Gabe took us to his favorite restaurant for a empanada snack. 
2. Sleeping in is a rare treat on an EF trip. 
3. Panama Canal. So cool. It lived up to expectations for me. With our EF admission we were able to get a private tour and get on the floor of the locks as a ship was passing through the lock. 
4. As a special treat Gabe surprised us with a dance show at the Panama Viejo ruins. 
5. Getting a jumping picture at the canal. I have jumping pictures from all over the world; Great Pyramids, Equator, Machu Picchu, Washington DC and now the Panama Canal. 

Tomorrow is our last full day in Panama which is sad. However I am excited to go see the monkeys. For the parents all the students are requesting chicken and rice for their first dinner back in the States. We wanted to give you advanced notice so you had time to go to the store. 

Mr. T 

Tonight we have two guest bloggers. I hope you enjoy their blog post below. 

It is hard to believe that we are past the half way point of our trip. It is at this point in the trip when things start to become bitter sweet. We have made many memories, made new friends, and learned a lot about Panama. We are eager to see more. Sad to know that our time is almost up, but excited to know that we will soon see our families again. 

Tonight we passed out the letters from all of the parents. Each student took his or her letter and found a quiet place around the pool to read and reflect. It was a special moment. 

As chaperones we are so glad that we have been able to be apart of this journey with these wonderful students. We hope that they will come home looking at the world with a new set of eyes. 

Mr .T 

The Internet connection has been weak tonight so I will be posting pictures when we get back to Panama City. 

Wow did we get up early to trek 4 hours across the country of Panama to the city of Chitre!  Sierra travelers were awesome listening to Gabe as he told us about the different regions we travelled through from crossing the canal to developing a new hospital centered town. 

We made it to the farm "Las Cabras", run by a gracious host Maria, around 12:30.  We were treated to traditional Panamanian food like whole chicken and local yam soup, and a drink made from sugar cane and lemon, which everyone devoured and asked for more.  We were then given a hands-on tour of the farm where the students, chaperones and our guide Gabe were able to milk a cow, feed baby cows from a bottle, ride a horse, make homemade corn tortillas along with cheese made from the milk of the cow we milked!  Our students were delighted to meet the children of the farm workers and attempt to talk to them in Spanish, ask about the pictures they took with little Jesus and Belkis.

We made a brief stop in the town of Chirte for a walking tour that lead us around 2 plazas as well as some local shops.  The people of Chitre are amazingly kind and completely enthralled with meeting our group of students.  People waved and stopped to talk to us all over the town!  We even had a few moments to shop at some local shops and pick up some entertaining souvenirs!

Our last, well deserved stop for the day was the Cubita Hotel.  It is a luxurious hotel with a spa, restaurant and shell shaped pool with multi-color strobe lights!  We were treated to dinner in a private dining room and topped the night off with some night swimming.  Once again our students have awed all of us chaperones with their interest in the culture and energy to experience everything Panama has to offer us!

Mrs. Worsham

Tonight we have a guest blogger. I hope all the families enjoy reading the blog post from Noelle. We had another great day. It was really nice to have a slower paced day on the Caribbean Sea. We spent some extra time on the beach thanks to our tour guide Gabe. He was able to work it out so that our lunch could be delivered by boat to the little island we were spending the day on! Kids had a blast snorkeling, swimming, and kaiaking in the sea. 

Gabe also worked really hard and was able to deliver a charger for me. His dad actually went to the Canon store and then delivered it to me at the hotel this evening. Since we spend so much time on the water I don't have tones of pictures anyways for today. 

Mr. T 

Here is the post from Emmalee that we weren't able to post due to the Internet connectivity. 

Today was the last day on the 2017 Peru Trip and I have to say it was full day of events. So today we ate this widespread breakfast. Probably the best breakfast that we have had this trip. After breakfast we took a bus ride to a supermarket where we bought snacks and water. Also there was a group of girls who have bought 6 liters of pineapple juice. After that we met our tour director for the day and he took us to a small community in the Sacred Valley, where he explained the development of the town and the idea of Peru’s Challenge. A challenge where they would provide education for each kid. Here we met a silversmith and visited a primary school where we played and interacted with the students. After that we went to the center of Cusco where we ate lunch. Once everyone finished eating lunch they went to the center of the plaza that we ate lunch in, and there were street dancers of all ages gathered to celebrate the festival of the sun because the winter solstice is in a few weeks on June 21st. When everyone had congregated in the front of the Western Union (the assigned meeting place for the two groups). We separated in the two groups where one was supposed to make chocolate and the other ones went on a hike. After that we walked 20 minutes uphill to our hotel. Then at 7:00 pm we went to dinner about 5 minutes away where we all ate a meat stew and an apple pastry for dinner. Once we got back to the hotel we went to the top floor, and played a packing game. Then once everyone played one round we all went to bed. So I can come to a conclusion that this trip is so spectacular trip that I have ever been on so I would like to give a special thanks to my Mom and Dad who have made it possible for me to come on this trip. ~ Emmalee

We are on our way home. It has been an amazing trip. Students are sad to leave Peru, but are also excited to go home. 

Please check the blog again later this week. I have several posts and lots of photos that I wasn't able to upload due to the Internet connectivity issues. 

Mr. Thornton

Tonight we have two student bloggers again. The first is Hannah T and the second is Zoe T. 

Today was our 5th day in Peru, which was mostly spent inside the train and on a cramped bus. After one side of my body getting scorched and burned by the hot sun we finally got to get out and walk around. We were then crammed on a bus where we drove in to Cusco. We got to admire pottery made by a proffesional and watch in aw as people in brightly bedazzled costumes banging big drums walked down the narrow street. We arrived at a llama farm where we were able to feed and pet both llamas and alpacas. Although it was a load of fun, Noah and I can both say that the llamas got salty and spit a lot when people fed them the bad grass. We all squeeze back into the bus where we got to admire the beautiful scenery and the well known destination spot known as Saqsaywoman. Driving down narrow brick roads, laughing and sightseeing on this beautiful Sunday, we had a lot of time to reflect on this whole trip and experience. I have met and made friends with so many new people that I am happy to say I won’t forget! Rooming with people I may not have talked to on my own has allowed me to get to know people through a different set of eyes. Although some may feel homesick and tired, pictures have been captured, videos have been recorded, and memories have been made. This trip has been such a great experience and I have loved getting to know new people, laughing at jokes and pictures taken of Mr. Sheffield and Mr. Thornton, and both liking and gagging while trying new and unknown food. This is a trip that I will remember forever!  

~ Hannah T

The 5th day certainly wasn’t the most exciting day of travel, in my opinion. However, the long, grueling trips on PeruRail and in the bus offered new opportunities to make new friends and to learn all sorts of neat things. We departed from Wiracocha Inn early in the morning to board the train for a 2 hour ride back to Ollantaytambo. To pass the time, my seat partners and I played card games to pass the time, such as Irish Pub, BS, Blackjack, and a very short game of Go Fish (Ms. Sanger won almost every time). After a brief stretch to relieve my stiffness, it was time to hop onto a bus for a ride to a clay shop, run by a Peruvian artist that has had several pieces of art displayed in Washington D.C. I had learned a lot on how they make their pots. The process, although simple, has so much more time put into it than I had originally thought. Meanwhile, the town we visited was having a festival. Dancers passed by our bus wearing sparkly, flashy, and unrealistically large costumes to entertain the townspeople with. In Pisao for our lunch and to shop in the local market. I tried a great new food called Empanadas (Like Hot Pockets, but better). The markets that line the streets are possibly one of the greatest parts of Peru, other than Nila. Despite the constant persuading from the shopkeepers, they’re full of life and many items that you could never find in the United States. To congratulate our tolerance of the bus rides, we pulled over to visit a community with a large roadside farm filled with Llamas, Alpacas, and everything in between. Mounds of alfalfa were grabbed to fill the animals’ endless stomachs. Noah had to deal with an upset Llama’s spit. He probably would’ve been better off handing it some alfalfa. Today had many surprising experiences and foreign things to try. I can’t believe that this trip is almost to an end, but I know that not a single second of it has been wasted.

P.S: I’m confident that our group has created a new religion revolving around Inca Kola.

~ Zoe

Today was packed full of activities! We woke up early as in breakfast at 5 a.m. with a departure from the hotel at 6 a.m. Parents don’t let the students fool you. They can wake up early. All of the students were up and at breakfast on time. Our early departure time was so that we could take a train to Machu Picchu. The scenery on the train ride was amazing. After checking into our hotel we had lunch and then rode a bus up a bumpy road to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu was something I have been looking forward to for a long time. You could feel the excitement and anticipation from the students as well. We spent the entire afternoon exploring Machu Picchu. We actually entered and exited the site twice! The first time was with a tour guide and the second time was to explore the ruins on our own. I think all of us enjoyed the freedom to wander around Machu Picchu for two hours. We were very lucky because in July Peru is starting to limit the number of visitors to the ruins. Groups will only have one opportunity to explore and will have to be with their guide at all times.

After dinner we had time to go do some shopping at a market and then time to explore the city. My group bought some snacks, got some donuts from the street vendor, and then watched some locals play soccer.

On a different note we are so proud of all the kids. They are making smart decisions, trying new things, and having lot of fun. They are very tired which I think is a positive.

Mr. Thornton

Today we have two guest bloggers by the name of Carson and Cole! They have a fun and different take on the day than our last two female bloggers. Enjoy!

Day 4: A New Hope By Carson L, Script by Carson L

Waking up this morning to my Smash Mouth alarm was exhilarating. I got in the shower of my new hotel room, only to be confused by the strange handles. I twisted and turned the handles but it was no use. My roommates were confused as well, the shower was against us all. We ate a scrumptious breakfast and got on the bus. It was a long bus ride. I am not a huge fan of the bus. We traveled to a weaving place with a bunch of ladies, who taught us about their culture. The weaving sticks they gave us were basically fidget spinners (NYOOM). I purchased a hat, people were surprised but it was only 20 bucks. The ladies kept trying to sell us scarves, which I know I would never wear. We then went to the Salt pans where a purchased a refreshing, delicious, Inca Kola. They said I wouldn’t get hooked after my first hit, they lied. We walked downhill a lot there and saw a sheep tied to a cliff. There were many dogs with disease. After that amazing event, we went to a small town square to provide nourishment for the whiny children, I got pizza that took about an hour to get and 10 minutes to finish. My group was the last one back. That was probably the worst part of my day, but was made better by the company of Mr. Thornton. We then went to an Incan ruin called the Temple of the Sun. It was amazing to actually see the face in the mountain that the Incans knew as their god. They had some nice architecture but yet again had too many stairs. The Incans are evil just because of their love for stairs. They probably died because they spent too much time building stairs. I bought another Inca Kola. On the drive back everyone got mad at me and my friends for singing weird songs. Finally, we got back to the hotel and celebrated Brian’s birthday by eating cake, chicken, and a deceased guinea pig that most people didn’t enjoy. I on the other hand believed it to taste like beef jerky.  

“Today was a good day.” -Ice cube 1993

Day 4 as written by Cole H

I dreamt of the delicious frozen beverage known as frosted orange. It has been three days since the drink has caressed my taste buds.  But, today started out with me feeling like an All Star. After Smash Mouth woke me up, I had to get my roomies up from their slumber. One of my roomies was being a little bit uncooperative and one was up in a jiffy. We had a delicious fruit salad (yummy yummy) for breakfast along with a yogurt drink that looked like Pepto-Bismol, but it tasted like a new day of opportunities. We got in the extremely hot bus for one full hour. We went to a weaving place and learned about the wonders of weaving. Dylan and I got super cool hats with flowers on them. I bought a bracelet. Then we went to the salt mines where the drink known around these parts as Inca Cola.It gave me flashbacks of the frosted orange. I fell down in the salt mines and got a boo-boo on my knee. After we had left the salt mines, I jammed out to some

All Americans Rejects, The Killers and Smash Mouth on the ride to the central plaza of Cusco where we had lunch. I had three delicious empanadas and an Inca Cola. We walked around the plaza and looked at some shops. I bought another Inca Cola. After lunch we went to a place called the Temple de Sol. There were more stairs there than I had ever climbed in my life. We learned all about the Incas and saw a rock which looked like a dude’s face which the Incans thought was their god. We left the temple and then all the kids (including me) in the back of the bus started becoming a Smash Mouth cover band. We attracted lots of H8ers because we were singing while people were trying to sleep. While I was listening to some Fifth Harmony, I missed my American flag fidget spinner. I drank another Inca Cola. When we arrived back at the hotel and approximately 6:46 pm Central Standard time, I pet the doggo that was staying at our hotel. The doggo was by far the best thing about the hotel. For dinner, we had potatoes as an appetizer, chicken as our entree. After the chicken was eaten and digested, we had got birthday cake because it was Brian’s 14th birthday. The cake was a tad on the dry side. Then the tour guide came around with a massive plate of chopped up Guniea Pig. Personally, I thought the Cuy,as it is called here in the country of Peru, was not that good. After we finished out cuy, we popped open a cold Inca Cola with the boys. I pet the doggo again because it is super fluffy. Today was fun. We did a lot of fun things. I had my first encounter with an Inca Cola. So overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give today a 9.

Breakfast was bright and early this morning. We traveled from the city of Lima to Cusco. The flight was about an hour and was so far the least painful flight. Cusco is what I envisioned Peru  to look like. We went to ancient Inca ruins and saw temples, gardens, and churches. We saw an alpaca store and learned how to identify fake alpaca material. We met our new tour guide and she took us on a walking tour around the city to get a better grasp on the culture. We went to a restaurant and got to try alpaca meat. It was really tough but it tasted pretty good. As we ate, there were dancers on stage dancing to popular local music. At the end of our meal, they came around and asked a few students to dance with them (me being one of them). At first it was embarrassing, but it ended up being very fun even though I wasn't sure I was doing it right. Overall, the day went very well and it's been the best time of the trip! 

Suraya

Our internet tonight is really slow tonight. So I am doing the blog from my phone. I hope to have photos up once I get a better connection. We love comments on the blog and we do share them with the kids each day!

Mr. Thornton

Day 2

Today was a day filled with sightseeing, new experiences, and new knowledge. We started out eating breakfast at the hotel. It was a great selection of food with food that we are familiar with, and food that was new too us. After breakfast we walked through Lima to the friendship park. It has this huge statue of two couples kissing, and every year on Valentines Day the park hosts a longest kiss contest! The park was beautiful and was full of mosaics. It also had a full view of the ocean. I've personally never been to a rock ocean and I like it even better than the traditional sand ocean!

After seeing the ocean veiw for so long from the friendship park we finally made our way down what seemed like hundreds of stairs to the beach. This was my favorite part of the day,  we watched the waves crash against the rocks, and occasionally run away when the wave became too big and rushed towards us. After we couldn't stand it anymore Kaylin and I took off our shoes, rolled up our pants and waded into the ocean. We laughed, running away from waves. Something was bound to go wrong, and soon enough Kaylin fell down while running from a wave! Her entire back was soaked, so we decided to dry off and take pictures. 

From the beach we walked what seemed like forever to lunch. The chicken and fries were very good, and I tried a Peruvian drink called Chicha. It was very sweet, but also very good. Directly after lunch we didn't have much time, but we rushed over to the grocery store to get water. I ended up somehow also getting pomogranite seeds.... 

As we ate our snacks on the bus, our tour guide Omar talked to us about the history of Lima and the monuments around us. We stopped at a Montessori and took a quick tour of it, and a creepy tour of the catacombs below it. There was tons of femur bones and skulls, and lots of low doorways. As we left the Montessori there were tons of vendors trying to sell us anything, and there was some awkward conversations trying to tell them no. 

To end off the night we went to a beautiful museum and did a scavenger hunt with our chaperone groups. We were all really tired and mostly slept on the bus to dinner. Dinner was delicious, and we got to walk to the hotel from the resteraunt and got a good feeling of how the streets are. Along the way, our friends and us laughed and told many jokes. It  practically made our night. Once we got to our hotel, we stopped  momentarily and disgusted the times and  schedules! The finish the night off strong, we finally got to lay in our beds and fall asleep, but with the disappointment of knowing that we have to wake up at five! 

- Kaylin and Nicki

Day 1

Our first day was really long. We all made it to Peru safe and sound! However by the time we got to our hotel and bed it was 3 a.m. in the morning. We were up and I breakfast by 9 a.m. the next morning for day 2. This made for a very tired group on Day 2