I have just returned from the most incredible trip to a small Peruvian village named Lunahuana. My last four days have been packed with adventure and memories that I will treasure forever. As I rafted the rapids, zip-lined across the beautiful lands and climbed the Inca ruins, I was amazed with this beautiful country.

Lunahuana is a very poor area that was hugely affected by the earthquake that hit Peru in 2007. On Friday, we packed into a small van and drove to a nearby school. Along with 15 other students, I was given the task of building a garden for the children to play in. I will never forget it; the faces of the children brightened as we walked into their tiny rundown building. As I began to work, I suddenly felt small warm hands on the back of my leg. I turned around and saw three little girls looking up at me with the sweetest expressions. For the rest of day, those girls were attached to me. I was amazed by how much affection they showed me. It was very hard to say goodbye to them.

When I arrived back at the campground and started to change into warmer clothes I heard soft Spanish whispers outside my tent. As I peered outside to see where the voices were coming from, I saw two little girls covered in dust and wearing worn-out clothes. They quickly approached and motioned for me to come sit with them on the grass. Although we could barley understand each other, I sat with them for over one hour. At one point, they kept repeating one question over and over again pointing towards my shoes. I kept telling them I didn’t understand them but they wouldn’t give up until they had the answer to their question. I finally asked another student to translate for me and found out they had been asking me how expensive my shoes were. I had never thought twice about my shoes, I’ve been lucky enough to always have something to wear on my feet. When I was their age the price of shoes would have never crossed my mind. As I thought of an answer, I looked at them; neither girl was wearing shoes. Both had filthy feet covered in cuts. Lunahuana was an unforgettable experience. –Alexia Miller ’13