The Global Affairs Fellows woke up bright and early for breakfast at 7:30 at the Apu Lodge in Ollantaytambo, followed by a morning meeting with Bridget, our leader of the day. We took a break in the main square to exchange American dollars for Peruvian money (Sol). After exchanging money, we met two women who work with Awamaki and traveled with them to the community of Huilloc to meet the weavers that the company supports. Together we all drove up to the mountain, stopping twice to see terraces built by the Incas and one of the oldest Catholic Churches in Peru before reaching our final destination. We arrived around 11am, and were greeted by the women who welcomed us with smiles and offered to clothe us in their traditional garments. The Awamaki women proceeded to show us dyeing, weaving, and loom techniques, and were very welcoming towards us. They gave us flowers on a necklace, clothing so we felt less estranged, and provided us with a delicious lunch. We sadly left the women at 3 pm, to go back to the city for dinner, and to catch the train to Aguas Calientes. When we got home, everyone split for dinner, and met at back at 5:50 to plan on catching a 9pm train. Bridget did an amazing job keeping everyone in order, and the Awamaki women were amazingly friendly despite the language barrier we all experienced. -Annie Livingood ’21
