Peru: A New Adventure

Posted on April 4, 2012 by admin

Wow, I cannot believe that one month has already passed since I arrived in Lima. This trip has been more amazing than I ever imagined, the friends I’ve made, the places I’ve been to and the things I’ve seen are all unbelievable. Since I arrived, everyone has been very welcoming and so kind. My Spanish is improving, my understanding of the language is great and everyday I learn something new. I still have trouble speaking but I manage to explain myself with all the different words I know.

During my first week in Lima, I saw some familiar faces when I joined the LCC group on the Gold Duke of Ed trip for the afternoon at a service project in Las Palmas. Even though I only stayed for a couple of hours it was great fun helping, getting covered in cement and seeing all of the work LCC has done in the past year or so.

This week I went to Lunahuana on a four day trip as a counselor with 11 year old kids. Getting to know the kids was my favourite part. I had a group of 12 kids and we were three counselors: a French exchange student, a Markham Grade 11 student and myself. The kids all practiced their English with me which I really appreciated. I got very close to them and it was a different experience as before I had always been a camper but never a counselor. It was great to switch roles!

My favourite activity was white water rafting in level 3 rapids. We took part in lots of other activities like horse riding through the Peruvian mountains, zip-lining across a river, repelling and rock climbing and Inca-teering (exploring the old houses of the Incas, the founders of Cusco). Finally, we performed a service activity when we went to a primary school and made a vegetable garden!

Le weekend prochain, j’irai à Cusco et a Macchu Pichu ( une des sept merveilles du monde). Nous partirons pour cinq jours durant le congé de Paques. Je suis tres excitée mais en même temps un peu decue car une fois de retour de ce petit voyage dans les montagnes, il me restera seulement 4 jours à Lima et ensuite c’est le retour vers Montréal. Je suis tellement triste que cette merveilleuse experience se termine mais toute bonne chose doit avoir une fin!–Eloise MacIntosh ’14

Encore des nouvelles de Jouvence

Posted on March 23, 2012 by admin

Moi j’adore la nature. Aimes-tu la nature? En sixième année, on est allé à un centre devillégiature qui s’appelle Jouvence. Normalement, c’est la classe neige, mais cette année il n’y a pas de neige alors on a changé le nom pour classe soleil. Aujourd’hui, c’était le troisième et dernier jour de ce beau séjour. Ce matin, mon groupe a fait un rallye GPS dans la forêt pour trouver des objets cachés. C’était difficile parce qu’on devait marcher beaucoup, mais on a vu des animaux sauvages comme des couleuvres et des lapins. On a aussi appris comment utiliser un GPS. Même si nous nous sommes beaucoup amusés, c’est maintenant le temps de retourner à l’école. –Par Yen Tsai, 6B

Classe Neige 2012 – Partie 2

Posted on March 23, 2012 by admin

Aujourd’hui, nous nous sommes levés tôt, prêts pour la grande journée qui nous attendait. Une fois habillés et lavés, nous avons marché jusqu’à la salle à manger, où un déjeuner fantastique était déjà placé devant nous. Quand nos estomacs étaient remplis et notre sommeil parti, nous sommes montés dans l’autobus, à 9h00. La ballade n’a pas duré très longtemps: 10 minutes maximum. Même si tout était couvert de boue, je pense que tout le monde a oublié ce fait lorsqu’on a vu comment l’activité était géniale. Le nom “Arbre Aventure” la décrit vraiment bien: avec tous les arbres qui nous entouraient et la hauteur du parcours, c’était une vraie aventure. Le premier trajet, “Mini Tarzan”, n’était pas aussi difficile ou long que les trois autres, avec leurs tyroliennes et nombreux obstacles. Pour les gens avec une peur des hauteurs, c’était un vrai défi, mais tous les groupes ont réussi à monter au moins un parcours. Une journée formidable, en gros, surtout avec la tire qu’on a mangée pour le dessert!–Brooks Reid-Constantin ’17

Duke of Ed Gold Trip 2012: Peru Expedition Update

Posted on March 8, 2012 by admin

March 8, 2012

Upon my return to Peru, I did not know what to expect. I would soon find out that, although many landmarks were familiar to me, I was seeing everything in a completely new light. I was wiser and the shantytowns of Lima didn’t shock me. Rather they incited me to want to get to work immediately!

We spent four days in Las Palmas completing our community service project, which included a new set of stairs, a new fence, a fresh coat of paint and a new roof. By the fourth day, every student had mixed feelings about leaving Las Palmas. Although we may have been filled with excitement with the prospects of beginning the hike in Cusco, we would be leaving behind a community to which we had grown very close.– Emily Tiberi ’12

Five days ago, eighteen LCC students who would work on the service project in Las Palmas flew into the desert city, Lima. With last years experience doing the service project and the Salkantay Trek, I didn’t feel nervous. I was rather excited to see how things had changed over a year.

Every morning, when driving to Las Palmas, I noticed that the poverty levels hadn’t changed. The chaotic way of life and the number of shantytowns stacked on the desert was the same. It seemed as if I had not left Peru last March. When working at the community, the locals treated us with the same respect and warmth they had shown us in 2011. I remembered their names and faces and so did they. Under the scorching heat, we worked on the concrete roof until the very last minute. Today, we fly to Cusco. We are anxious about the hike, but at the same time, excited to walk the same path where Incas and adventurers explored.– Kenya Shatani (Pre-U ’12)

Duke of Edinburgh: Gold Winter Trip

Posted on February 28, 2012 by admin

From February 16 – 19, ten grade 11 students attended the Winter Duke of Edinburgh Gold journey. It was definitely a challenge, hiking and snowshoeing 44 km and dog-sledding 70 km within such a short span of time, and yet it was all so rewarding.

The part of this journey that remains so vivid in my mind is having the opportunity to hike through the sunrise. On the third day, we had to wake up at 4:00 am in order to accomplish our hike to arrive at the dog-sledding on time. Walking with flashlights when we commenced our hike and then slowly but surely seeing the sunrise is not only a memorable but also a beautiful experience.

Perhaps waking up at that hour was not ideal, but accomplishing such a unique hike was definitely worthwhile. After all that hard work, we spent two incredible days with the dogs we were dog-sledding with. The entire journey was one I will never forget and I am so proud to have completed it.—Caroline Ballard ’12.

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