Guest post contributed by Zara Araki (’18)
Once a year, ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY (IPA) holds an educational excursion that all eighth grade and high school students can participate in. During March of 2018, thirty-two students and four chaperones had the opportunity to travel 5,827 miles from Hawaiʻi to Peru. For some students, this was the first time out of the country. They visited three different cities, tried a variety of ethnic foods, but most importantly, built memorable friendships with each other in an unfamiliar place.
Sabine Yamamura, IPA’s Secondary History teacher, spent eighteen months organizing and preparing for this trip. Everything had to be enjoyable yet safe for all the students during their stay in Peru.
“I want to make sure everything is running smooth, parents are informed about everything, and the children are safe. All of the information is given in a timely fashion so no one’s scrambling. I meet with the students at least once a month to run them through everything, ask if there are any questions. I over communicate. But the process starts where you’re making sure they hear your voice all of the time, your care, and dedication are shown to the parents. I make a big deal out of it because I want them to know that your child is going to be okay with me,” said Yamamura.
Lima, Cusco, and Puerto Maldonado were the three major cities the group got to visit during their stay. Lima was the first destination to be explored on the first two days of the trip. The group had the chance to split up and shop around Larcomar. Some of them bought alpaca clothing, textiles, and handicrafts.
On the third night of the trip, the group took a flight to Cusco then traveled to Urubamba. They spent the fourth day in Sacred Valley located in Cusco Region, Peru. Corbin Lofton, a sophomore, thought that this place was the most captivating location they visited.
“My favorite city was Cusco because of the mountains and cool architectural features that were there. We also went to this place called Sacsayhuaman and it’s up on the hills and you can see all of Cusco. There were [also] real llamas and alpacas that almost spit on me,” said Lofton.
Although there were thirty-two students who attended this trip, Hauʻoli Carr was the only senior in the group this year. Being the oldest student, Carr had the opportunity to meet and bond with new faces.
“I actually really enjoyed being the only senior on this trip. It gave me a lot of opportunity to connect with students and teachers alike, those familiar and unfamiliar. It also gave me a chance to serve as sort of like an older sibling at times, taking younger students under my wing and making them feel comfortable and welcomed,” said Carr.
Kendall Tacon, IPA’s Secondary Math and Tech Design teacher, was one out of the four chaperones who attended the trip. He thought Peru was a very interesting place, especially the food.
“I didn’t try the guinea pig because I was just like nah I’m good but I had alpaca steak. It just tasted like regular steak but from alpacas. There were a lot of potatoes, which was really good. And Inca-Kola, which is like the soda there. It’s made by Coca Cola, but it tastes like bubblegum. It was kind of gross but we drank it with every meal,” said Tacon.
On the fifth and sixth day, the group caught a train to Aguas Calientes, which is a town in Urubamba River Valley in Cusco. This place is known for its famous and favorite destination, Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Sierra Swartz, an eighth grader, was speechless.
“Machu Picchu was breathtaking. It was just amazing. Also, learning about the Aztecs and Incas and the things that they used to build their architecture was super cool,” said Swartz.
Carr also agreed that the Inca trail entering Machu Picchu was the best part about the trip.
“My favorite place I visited by far was Sun Gate. The hike up to this point, from Machu Picchu, was roughly an hour and forty-five minutes. What I saw was unlike anything I could have ever imagined, I felt like I was on another planet, unable to fathom the true size of the enormous green mountains that seemed to continue infinitely. It was in that moment I realized how much of the world I didn’t know, and how much I longed to know the rest of what this planet has to offer,” said Carr.
Traveling across the world to a second world country taught many of the students different things about themselves and the world they live in. Connor Carson, a junior, thought that this trip was a learning experience, not just for himself, but the students he was with, too.
“I learned about myself, the history, and the culture. [Wherever] you travel I feel like you can always learn something from it. For the trip, I think for our group, it really opened a lot of people’s eyes to how privileged we are. By going somewhere where we see kids who don’t have fresh drinking water and they’re eating bananas that we would instantly throw away because they’re that hungry really opened some people’s eyes. I think it’s great that we had the opportunity to see that and really learn from it,” said Carson.
On the last two days of the trip, the group got to spend their time in the Amazon rainforest. Most of them described the Amazon as “gross” due to the non-adjustable weather. However, once they entered, they were very intrigued by the creatures living in the forest.
“It was really hot and humid and it was kind of gross, but it was really fun. We got to see a lot of different animals and huge spiders, which was pretty scary,” said Swartz.
Throughout their stay in Peru, many of the students made unforgettable memories with each other. However, Kailer Suerth, a freshmen, thought that his favorite memory from the Peru trip was shared with a little girl he encountered during a tour.
“My favorite memory was actually with one of the little girls from the school of poverty. I don’t speak Spanish, I don’t even take the class but, what I can do is communicate with people. I looked at one of the girls while listening to one of the lectures that the tour guides were giving us. I looked at her, I smiled, I waved and she did the same exact thing back. Then, I gave her a high five. We are from different parts of the world, different backgrounds, different ages, but yet, we can communicate just like people. We can connect through simple acts of kindness,” said Suerth.
Peru was a chance for the students and chaperones to take a break, see the world, and share new experiences with each other. Although organizing these out-of-the-country excursions can take a lot of hard work, Yamamura is already planning for next year’s 2019 Europe trip.
