This post features student writing.

Hola! It’s Erica and Brooke. Today was our third day in the village. We went to Inti Raymi, the Sun Festival, and it was such a great experience. The Sun Festival is a day when different villages come together to celebrate the sun through singing, dancing, and bright colorful clothes and costumes. It was amazing to hear and see so many communities combined into one celebration. All of us got to dress up in traditional clothing that we borrowed from the women in our community. We wore long skirts and matching colorful, floral shirts. When we arrived at the festival, we danced with the local people to the music. Our group then went to lunch in Cayambe. After a few hours of enjoying the local tradition, we took a van back to our house. There we took a couple of hours to play fun games to get to know each other better. We walked up the street to visit the local market and try bizcocho, a light bread like cookie. Afterward, we walked back to our house and took in amazing views of the surrounding mountains. We finished off the day with a beautiful meal the local cooks made for us.

— Erica & Brooke