On our final half day of the Peru Trip, the GAF Fellows had a wonderful time exploring Cusco. The primary event of the day was the San Pedro food market. We spent 45 minutes roaming through aisles filled with various foods and accompanied by unique smells. It was a great experience to better understand the culture of Peru, since food is often the gateway to the heart of a culture, and in that sense we got to see and understand Peru in all its complexities.
Then the GAFs had free time to shop and eat lunch in Cusco. Brammy and I went into one of the beautiful churches on the Plaza de Armas, the central square in Cusco. Built on Incan foundations, the church’s splendor belies its savage creation.
Finally, the GAFs started the long trip home. Suffice it to say, Peru is an amazing country, and the Quechua culture hidden inside is even more amazing. It was an honor for all the GAFs to learn more about such an intricate and beautiful culture while having fun adventures along the way. Going on a trip like this changes a person, and all the 19’s and 21’s grew in one way or another, whether it be in leadership through daily jobs, or in knowledge through daily interactions with the local people. In the end, even with the jaw-dropping Machu Picchu and its incredible Inca engineering, the truly important part of Peru is the people, who still invigorate a great human culture. We are all thankful for the amazing opportunity to go to Peru, and excited to go back to continue to help the Quechua people and expand on the relationships we fostered with various NGOs during the trip.
-Daniel Moscoso ’19
