tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88170887568813815312024-03-08T14:35:45.506-08:00Peru 2015Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-33763391316313595532015-06-18T18:44:00.000-07:002015-06-18T18:44:19.015-07:00Trip 1 is in the booksIt is hard to believe that our trip to Peru has come to an end. Two years of planning, preparing, and hard work came to a very fulfilling end as our group of RHS students made there way home yesterday. Where do you begin to try and describe the impact that this trip had on the lives of these 30 young adults? It was an amazing opportunity and the experiences had and memories made will last a lifetime. So, to close out this trip I want to give you a sense of what we covered as a group.<br />
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The Peru 2015 Trip by the numbers:<br />
Miles traveled by plane: Just over 12,000<br />
Miles Traveled by bus: Just over 300<br />
Miles walking/hiking: Group average was 34 miles in 9 days<br />
Number of flights of stairs climbed: Just under 400 flights of stairs<br />
Number of major Incan ruins visited: 7<br />
Nunber of historical sites visited: 15<br />
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So, as you can see, this was a trip that not only pushed the group to explore a culture never experienced before, it also was taxing both mentally and physically as well. I can't say enough about how awesome these students were to have on this trip and how proud I am of how they represented not only Rugby High School, but also the United States as well while traveling through Peru.<br />
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This trip exceeded the expectations that I had going in and I have to say that Omar, and our EF tour team, were top notch and gave us an excellent experience. With the first trip in the books for the RHS study abroad program, I can say that I am truly excited and and grateful to have the opportunity to continue this program in our school. The 2017 trip is booked and I know that the 27 students from Rugby that will be partaking in that trip will have an unforgettable experience just like the travelers to Peru.<br />
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I want to thank you for reading and following along as we took this journey and I encourage you to talk to the students that took part in this trip. They will have a lot to say!Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-76547935469840517612015-06-15T16:42:00.002-07:002015-06-15T16:42:48.499-07:00Day 7 Lake TiticacaToday went by in a flash and the events that took place were nothing less than impressive. We started out by loading up on the bus and heading to the pier. From the pier, we set out to spend the entire day exploring and learning about this massive lake.<br />
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The first stop on the tour was the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. We actually got to go and hang out on one of the family islands and interact with the native people. There way of life is absolutely amazing and they actually continually build there islands to stay floating on the wáter. The kids actually got a chance to dress up in their native clothes and listen to special songs performed by the family's women. After the time spent with these groups of people was up, a number of our students got to take a boat ride over to another part of the floating community in one of the hand made boats which was very neat. The total population of this community was just under 2500 people living on these islands out in the reeds of Lake Titicaca. What an awesome thing for the kids to see and compare to life back at home in Rugby.<br />
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From the floating islands, we made a boat ride, a little more than one hour, over to another major island in the lake. The Island of Taquile has a very important place in the history of the people of ancient peruvian civilization. Here the group got a chance to hike up the island to see the local way of life and also experience another true peruvian meal. We sat under make shift tents on the hill side and ate fresh vegetable soup and fresh grilled lake trout that was nothing short of amazing. During this time, we also got a chance to see the local farming practices and also had a demonstration about the symbolism of the local dress. All in all, the experience was awesome and the group really enjoyed the trip. <br />
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From Taquile Island, we made our way back to the Puno pier and eventually to the hotel. At the hotel the group continues to hang out together and it is easy to see just how much of a bond they have made while experiencing this trip together.<br />
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So, what is next? This will be my last blog entry until I am home and have a chance to sit down and reflect on the entire trip. Tomorrow we will make our way to the airport outside of Puno. We have one more Incan site to visit in the morning and then we load up and fly back to Lima at 12 noon. When we arrive in Lima, we will have a chance to check out the city a little bit more before heading to our final supper destination. After supper, flight group B will head to the airport to board their flight back to the United States. Flight group A will get to hang back with our tour director for a few more hours until they head to the airport and fly out as well.<br />
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This trip has been nothing short of amazing in every sense. These 30 students from Rugby have had a chance to experience part of the world in a very up close and personal way and I know that they will come home to share their experience of a life time with anyone who asks. In the last blog entry I make, I will put together the actual numbers of the trip to put what we did into perspective.<br />
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From Peru, adiós until we see you in North Dakota!<br />
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Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-7867826903304767882015-06-14T19:21:00.003-07:002015-06-15T15:21:11.608-07:00Day 6 bus to PunoWell, today ended up being exactly what the group needed after two very demanding days hiking at Machu Piccu and in the Sacred Valley. We loaded up the bus at 7:30am and headed out of Cuzco towards Puno. In a matter of 20 minutes, the bus was silent as the kids were sleeping. We made a couple of stops along the way to get out and stretch our legs and use the restroom. One of the stops was at another Incan site called Raqui. This ancient city was a half way point in the Incan empire between Cuzco and Puno. As we walked around the grounds it was very interesting to listen to the students talk about the similarities and differences between the Incan sites we have visited and how much power the Incan kings had during their reign to commission such massive projects. I couldn't help but smile knowing that this history has really come to life for them as they start to really ask more questions. It's amazing how much they have changed over the trip and how they have adjusted to the cultural experiences we are having together.<br />
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Once back on the bus we headed out to complete our trip to Puno. We made one quick stop at the highest point of elevation we will visit which was just over 14,000ft. I'm amazed at how well the kids have handled the altitude and today the whole group, including Breanna, have been feeling great. Our drive to Puno was very interesting as Omar kept giving us bits of interesting cultural information along the way. The kids got time to sleep some more and have really rested up for the last two days of the trip here in Peru. Once again, the drive gave us a chance to see many different areas and also many different small communities. Hard work, family, hard way of life, and very little possessions are very clear to see as we drove past small agricultural communities. The perspective of life back in rugby compared to these communities has really started to sink in with the kids.<br />
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We arrived at our hotel around 6pm and the accommodations are great. Our hotel is located on the shores of lake titicaca. The views are beautiful and kids have had fun getting into the pool and<br />
playing ping pong and foosball to close out the night.<br />
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So, a day of rest has made a difference and the kids are ready to take on tomorrow in a big way! We will load up at 7am tomorrow to make our way to the pier of lake titicaca to take a boat excursion of the lake. This will be an amazing experience as the group will get a chance to mingle with the local people around the shores of the lake and learn about the history of the place where the Incan people originated from.<br />
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<br />Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-26863744443782918872015-06-13T21:49:00.000-07:002015-06-13T21:49:04.075-07:00Day 5 the Sacred Valley<br />
So, I think it is pretty hard to follow a day of sight seeing and hiking on Machu Piccu but we actually had quite a great and jam packed day. We loaded up on the train at 8:30am to make out trek back to Cuzco. On the way we got the chance to tour another very impressive Incan site. Ollantaytambo is a sacred Incan site located in the sacred valley. The ruins are very similar to that of Machu Piccu and that meant only one thing...... more stairs! Helen has been my physical activity tracker using her Fitbit. Between the tours of days 4 and 5, we, as a group, averaged 12 miles of walking which included climbing the equivalent of 325 flights of stairs! It was tough but the kids and adults did great and the rewards of their efforts were more than worth it with breath taking views of the ruins and the Andes moutains. After ollantaytambo, we loaded up in our bus and headed to the world famous Pisac market. Here we spent some time checking out local products and haggling prices. Soccer shirts seem to be a big hit in our group of boys. Together they have purchased enough to field their own team and probably another one to boot. The market was very neat and a great experience. We loaded back up on the bus and headed out to make our way back to Cuzco. <div>
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On the way back we got the chance to stop at an alpaca farm and check out the different breeds of alpacas. The kids took a lot of selfies and only Helen, myself, and Morgan got spit on! The sun started to set as we loaded back onto the bus and made the 40 minute trip into Cuzco city. On this last ride, the kids started a dance party in the bus and sang songs that our tour guides, Omar and Jennie, were requesting. A whole bus of high school kids singing shania twain is quite a sight and Omar and Jennie loved it!</div>
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To cap off the night we made our way to supper. Along the way we got a chance to watch a special dancing parade taking place on the Main Street of Cuzco. Tonight marked the start of a series of celebrations for the city's anniversary. The streets were jam packed and the music and dancing were amazing! This was just another lucky chance we got to see another piece of the Peruvian culture. </div>
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So, as you can imagine, we have seen and done a lot. The students have done an awesome job and Omar has commented multiple times on how great they have been. Nights have been easy because they are tired and ready to sleep by the time we get back to the hotel.</div>
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Tomorrow we will make our way to Puno for the last leg of the trip. We will be traveling by bus and the transfer will include a few stops along the way.</div>
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In terms of health, everything has been going fine. Other than being tired, Breanna is the only one still battling a head cold and some altitude effects. She has really come around the last day and will hopefully feel better tomorrow after a good nights rest.</div>
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Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-47243266438351098322015-06-13T21:21:00.001-07:002015-06-13T21:21:18.223-07:00Day 4 Machu PiccuWell, we are back in Cuzco and I have wifi to link up and share the last two days of the trip. So, I'll start with day 4.<div>
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We started the day getting up and taking a short bus ride to the train station to take the train to Machu Piccu. The train was very comfortable and the views were outstanding as we made our way along the tracks. It was very interesting to see the reaction of the kids as they got a chance to see some very poor communities along the way. The train ride took us up to a small mountain town called Aguas Calientes which is basically the base camp for Machu Piccu. After about a 2 1/2 hour train ride, we arrived and unloaded to make our way to the hotel to check in before getting to Machu Piccu. At this point we had a pretty interesting situation take place. The whole group expect for two made it to the hotel. At some point between the station and the hotel, two from the group got turned around and lost their way. Those two just so happened to be Mr. Blikre and Mr. McNeff. Within ten minutes of them being separated, the emergency contact info was used and we were together again. Needless to say, the kids haven't really let them off the hook for getting separated from the group! Once we were together we made our way to the train station to catch our bus up to the gates of Machu Piccu. The ride was by far the most intense bus ride I have ever been on and the switchbacks made for some great pictures and sweaty palms!</div>
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We arrived at Machu Piccu around 12:30 and started right away with our expert tour guides. Freddy and Cosomel did a fantactic job of taking us around the ruins and educating us about the site. Words really cannot describe the feeling of standing on that mountain and seeing the shear size and wonder of the location of Machu Piccu. After the tours were over the group got another 2 hours to go and explore on our own. A number of students made the trip up to the sun gate and took some amazing shots looking down on the ruins. The weather was perfect and the experience was out of this world.</div>
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We made our way back down the mountain after the park closed and went to the hotel to eat our supper. After supper, some kids stayed back with a chaperone to rest and the others went out to check out more of the town. Aguas Calientes really is a beautiful small town and easily the most unique place we have stayed at so far on the trip. That pretty much wrapped up the day and what a day it was! </div>
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Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-16908625835516000412015-06-11T22:33:00.000-07:002015-06-11T22:33:53.649-07:00The day 3 whirlwindHonestly, I'm not so sure where to even start! Today was incredible and again it was nothing short of jam packed education, fun, and full cultural immersion but that is what a history teacher would say....haha. If you asked the kids they would probably have list with words such as awesome, unbelievable, amazing, mind blowing, crazy, and on and on. There were things that happened today that were just complete luck and timing and the experiences the kids took away from them are better than I could have every thought.<br />
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We started off the day by flying into Cuzco around 10am and we hit the ground running. We stepped off the plane and right onto the bus to take an expertly guided tour of the city of Cuzco. Our guide Patti was nothing short of impressive and the student really enjoyed her personality. Cuzco served as the center of the mighty Incan empire and the kids got to jump right in with a tour of the first major Incan site "qorikancha''. Here we got a chance to get a background on the building process of the Incan temples and then more historical insight on the Incan empire. So, after visiting a place like this what do we do next? We took off on the bus and went to an Incan ruin site and here is where we had our first chance to climb Incan ruins. The views from this site were breath taking and a lot of ''selfies" we're taken. I would have to say that my personal favorite memory of this stop was watching 30 students chase around a herd of alpacas to take pictures!</div>
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Cuzco sits at just over 11,000ft for elevation. Luckily for us, our group did a great job handling the high altitude. Other than some light headaches and some shortness of breath from a few kids, we have been very fortunate to have everyone doing well and handling the highlands of Peru. Lots of water and slower paces have made the acclimation process very good. A good nights sleep with hopefully clear up the small headaches from those few in the morning. </div>
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So, from these ruins we got to go and have another unique experience. We stopped at a hand made alpaca fibre shop where artisans make original alpaca wool clothing. The kids got a hands on tutorial to understand how to tell the difference between different types of alpaca and llama fibers. They also got a chance to do a little shopping as well. </div>
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After the stop at the artisan shop, we went and ate lunch, the place we ate had amazing views of the city and the food was great. Yes, here a number of us actually ate alpaca and it was really good! We also had a surprise when a live Andean musical group came and played live music for us.</div>
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From here, the trip took the unexpected turn for the best! We had the chance to go down to the main city square and experience an event that has very special meaning to Peruvians all the way to Incan times. The Corpus Christi parade took place and we watched as statues were paraded around the<br />
square with bands, costumes, and thousands of people. This is something that we never planned for and had we been a day earlier or a day later, we would have never seen it. So, you would think this was enough for a day but we still had one more stop.</div>
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After the parade, we went to the Cuzco cultural center to a live show depicting traditional Peruvian dancing and music. Here the group got see the different traditional dances and then half of the group got up on stage and danced too! With close to 300 people in the audience, our group put on quite a show.</div>
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After the show we headed to supper and then back to the hotel to get a much needed good nights rest.<br />
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Health wise there has been only a few minor things. Jessica slipped and scrapped her knees so that<br />
was cleaned up and some band aides took care of it. Alyssa, Nolan, and Kassi went to bed with small headaches from the altitude. They have drank lots of water and just need to get some sleep. Breanna had a head cold come on so she has taken some cold medicine and if just getting as much rest as possible. Mckenzie is dealing with a sore throat but has been working through it. Everyone else is doing great and are just needing to get some sleep.</div>
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Tomorrow is going to be a BIG day. We will travel by train to Machu Piccu and spend the day walking and touring the ruins. So, with that, I will once again say goodnight and look forward to telling you about tomorrow's adventure.<br />
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Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-60219814080119322282015-06-10T19:52:00.001-07:002015-06-10T20:31:34.075-07:00Day 2 comes to a closeAfter what seemed to be a very short night, we were off and running this morning with our first full day on the ground in Lima. After having a great breakfast on the roof top patio of the hotel, we loaded up onto our bus and met our local city guide for the day. Omar did an awesome job describing the different districts of Lima and really helping the kids learn about the city and the country of Peru with a lot of humor!<br />
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The first stop on the tour was the Monestary of San Francisco in downtown Lima. The kids were in for a big surprise as we actually got to go down into the catacombs underground where over 25,000 people were burried. Yes, bones were included and it was an awesome experience.</div>
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After that we walked down to the main square of the city. Here the group got a chance to check out the changing of the gaurd at the government palace. The whole process actually takes about 1 hour and we had a chance to stand and watch the band play through their series of songs before we took off. At the center of the square the students got a chance to meet and mingle with some of the local school aged children in Peru. The girls had a blast as many of the little Peruvian students asked to take pictures with them. We found out very quickly today that the Peruvian people are extremely nice and want to engage us to speak english as well as to let the kids practice their spanish.</div>
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After the square we made our way over to the Larco Museum to check out a major private collection of early Peruvian civilization artifacts. Once again, our guide, Omar, made it fun and interesting for the kids and they went through taking part in a scavenger hunt to find different pieces of work throughout the grounds. We got a very great chance to really understand more about the early civilizations of the Peru area and the artifacts were amazing to see. This tour ended and we were just gettting to lunch!</div>
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For lunch we got a chance to actually go and eat at a small family owned restuarant in the Miraflores disrtict. With a max capacity of 42 people, our group basically filled up the place and they treated us to a great meal. We had a chance to experience real authentic peruvian dishes and the food was awesome! Hard to believe that some of us walked away from portions to big to finish for just $4 american dollars. </div>
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After lunch we changed our orginal plans to walk the Miraflores district and opted to take the kids to the beach. Although there is not nice snady beaches here, the kids got a chance to go jump into the ocean and feel the pacific. It was a great sight to see and the students had a blast.</div>
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We closed out the day by going and eating supper in one of the most unique places you could imagine. We actually ate at a very good Peruvian place that is located in a open air shopping mall built into the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The view was amazing and the food was too! This seemed to cap off a great first day and the kids were back in their rooms ready to sleep at 9pm.</div>
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Tomorrow is going to be another big experience. Starting at 5:30am, we will head to the airport to take a short flight to Cuzco. In Cuzco we are going to get a chance to experience some things that we had not known about previously and the cultural aspect of it will be a once in a lifetime event. more specifics will come tomorrow.</div>
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As for an update on the group, everyone is continuing to do great. We walked over 6 miles today so they are tired and ready to sleep. I hope to be able to link up my Ipad and post pictures soon but the wifi continues to be unstable. Thankfully the old desktop in the lobby can allow me to post the updates. As for tomorrow, I am not certain of the tech details and will do what I can to make sure that I get another update out. As for now, I will say good night and you can sleep easy knowing that our first day on the ground was a big success and that our group is safe and sleeping.</div>
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Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-44003368111640366422015-06-10T07:19:00.002-07:002015-06-10T07:19:20.065-07:00First morningSo we are up and getting ready to take off for the day. Things have gone great so far and the kids have just finished a great breakfast up on the open air balcony of the hotel. We are going to be busy today as we start off with a bus tour of the city with a local guide. We will also be visiting the major museum in Lima. Towards the afternoon we will get a chance to hang out down by the beach and then top off the day with dinner at a location up on the Miroflores cliffs overlooking the ocean. The kids are all happy and healthy and looking forward to a great day.<br />
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One thing to note is that the WIFI is very hit and miss. I will update as much as I can and hope to add pictures as we can.<br />
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AdiosKevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-9759433827861785132015-06-10T00:18:00.001-07:002015-06-10T00:18:37.186-07:00We have landedJust a quick message for parents. We made it to Lima with everyone and their luggage made it ok! We will have a lot more information to share tomorrow. As for now, we are going to get some sleep!Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-41195523007667486212015-06-03T10:29:00.001-07:002015-06-03T10:29:08.679-07:006 days and countingIt is hard to believe that we are only 6 days from finally taking off for the big trip. Remember that we leave at 1am on June 9th. I've had a chance to chat with our tour director in Peru and he is excited to have us as guests in his country. From the cuisine to the monuments and ruins, this is going to be an amazing trip. Remember to check back here for updates as we go along.Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817088756881381531.post-88622895327454446712015-04-17T08:27:00.000-07:002015-04-17T08:42:36.022-07:00The count down is on!Today marks 53 days until our group of RHS high school students take off for an adventure of a lifetime! On June 9th, a group of 30 students and 5 adults will be flying to Peru for a 9 day study abroad trip. After two long years of planning, fundraising, hard work, and determination, these students are just 53 days away from their final goal.<br />
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Through this process, these students have had to maintain a certain GPA, continue to uphold the required group behavior expectations, and finance their trip. Words cannot express how proud I am as their advisor for what they have done. Giving students the chance to set a two year goal and then help guide them to obtain that goal has been an awesome learning experience all the way around. These students have earned their way on to this trip and the experiences they are soon to have will be life changing and irreplaceable.<br />
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This blog will work to be our main form of communication as we head out on this adventure. I expect to write a few more blog posts on the updates of the trip as the departure date inches closer. On the trip, I, along with the other chaperones, will use this as a way to update the family and friends of all those on the trip of the excitement and learning that is taking place each and every day.<br />
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Stay tune for more to come!Kevin Leierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918330326930085417noreply@blogger.com0