WE ARE IN PERUUUUU!!!

It took over 24 hours to get here but we made it! The traveling was insane. We started off on a bus to NYC. From Port Authority, we took a subway and an air train to JFK Airport then spent around 6 hours sleeping in and roaming around the building. The flights took about ten hours, stopping in Miami in between for 2 hours. Then, to make sure we were safe, we spent 3 more hours in the airport in Lima, Peru. Then we took a taxi to the bus stop and traveled 3.5 hours to Pisco. Then we got the real cultural experience with a rickity bus driving down an old, bumpy dirt road. We were all squished in and were holding on for our lives. But we made it, all very tired and ready for our beds.

In the morning, or afternoon we had a good Peruvian meal and relaxed for a while waiting for our coordinator, Jorge, to arrive. We went to the work site, met the families we were helping and saw what we going to do.

Some exciting things/funny things that have happened so far:
-Kevin had a baby named after him at our work site
-We learned how to do the "@" sign on the Peruvian keyboard (2 ways!!!!)
-We were in a earthquake tremor!!
-Today, a pòlice truck carried the whole group to the house today
-Our hosts played guitar for us with traditional Peruvian songs
-TuTuts are super awesome -- little taxis that drive people around
-All we hear when we walk down the street is "gringos", "blanco", or "chino" and lots of whistles (gringos=white people, blanco=white, chinos=chinese even though Kevin`s not)
-Ray has really bad luck in Peru
-We built the whole foundation of a house in one day
-We saw a monkey!!!!!!!!
-We almost painted the whole mural in one day
-We have yet to eat cuy! - guinea pig is a specialty here
-Food in Peru is AMAZING!

Friday our plan is to explore the country in different ways then we already have and it´s super busy!!

In the morning, we are going to Reserva de Paracas which is the National Reserve, an island off the coast where we will see so much wildlife and plants. Then from there, we will go to Huacachina which is an oasis in the middle of the dessert where we are going to go sandboarding and ride dune buggies. Then, we are going to Ica, Ica to visit Laura`s family and have dinner. After dinner, her cousins have promised to take us to a discoteca!!! Lots of fun but very busy!

We are proud of what we have accomplished so far and ready for another day of hard work but I don`t think anyone wants to leave quite yet. We will write a lot more about the trip when we have the time but for now, enjoy our pictures :)




















Keep checking back for more updates!
And keep supporting!

4 DAYSSS!!!

and we are all SOOOOO PUMPED and ready for a great time! (and great tans and great muscles from building! :))

We have been doing a great job with fundraising through yard sales! We have been selling lots and still have so much more stuff to get rid of! Sunday, a few people set up camp in Market Square with all the clothes and sold their hearts out in the nice, sunny weather. Today, some of us set up inside the 15 West lobby trying to catch some people in and out of the building. We also sold some of the t-shirts that we made! It has been a good weekend for the Peru group and we are hoping to continue selling throughout the week earn that last bit that will help us on our trip!

Pictures to come!
Keep Supporting!!

Good news and bad news..

... but not too bad.

The bad news is, Battle of the Bands has been postponed.. but just postponed! We really would like to do the Battle of the Bands later this spring so that we have more time to make it a great event! So keep your ears peeled! It will be coming around!

The GOOD NEWS is.. we have still been working really hard on some select projects - the t-shirts, the yard sales and the cookbook! The first big event where we have been quite profitable is the yard sale that we had last weekend. And since we had such and overflow of donations (Thanks everyone!!) we are having another one this weekend!



Come out and get super cool stuff!!

Also, we have great t-shirts that are hand-dyed by our group and hand printed! We have printed over 100 t-shirts so far!!
You can buy them at the RISD Store for $16! We will be setting up an ebay account soon!



As for the cookbook, keep submitting entries please! We made a slight change, we are going to try to have people handwrite them and send them to us to make the book more interesting! Please send some out to mgelina@g.risd.edu

Keep supporting!!

Work, work, work

It's been busy amongst the Peru group these days! We have been getting ready for this great event (as seen below) -- THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS!! So everyone has been working very hard to make this event possible and big!!




On Saturday, a few of us from the group traveled down to the textile studio to do some silkscreening on t-shirts with some original designs by one of our group members - Sunny. We whipped off tons of t-shirts in a screening marathon that lasted around 4 hours! we are planning on selling t-shirts both at the RISD Store and at the Battle of the Bands so be on the look-out!





While some of us were screening t-shirts, Egle was printing off tickets for the Battle of the Bands on paper that was generously donated by the RISD Store. We got a lot done and are still working to make this trip a possibility!





Make sure to buy your tickets for Battle of the Bands at OSL!!

Sumbit your Recipes for a Good Cause!!

Support RISD ASB Peru and submit your recipes from home to be made into a cookbook that will be sold around RISD campus. Please give recipes along with your name and hometown as these will be noted next to your recipe in the cookbook. Faculty and students may submit recipes to mgelina@g.risd.edu until March 2nd. So call your Mom and find out her secret ingredients to your favorite dish!

Video Game Nights!!

ok, I know... it may seem like we are all about video games but, it just seems like something people liked. So we are out to try it again weekly!!

Every Thursday night at 6:30 pm we will be having a video game night in the upper Met so come and join us for some fun!!



(I found this image on google and it was so cute so I had to.. haha)



Also, we are going to start having weekly 50/50 raffles to raise money. We will be selling tickets all week, and then at the end of the week we will have a drawing to see who gets half of the money raised. The tickets will be selling at $1 each.


We have also been making plans for a Battle of the Bands!!!! This is going to be a great event as our group wants this event to be huge and amazing!! We are working so hard to get everything ready for it and it is going to be awesome!

Obviously, our group is working really hard to get to Peru and fundraise as much as possible which is awesome!

Ready Peru? Because here we come!!

Nads vs. Brown Bears and Super Smash

On Sunday, the ASB Peru group traveled down to the Brown ice rink for an exciting game accompanied by frosted cupcakes, brownies and hot chocolate. It was a good time for all and quite a big turn out for the game.




We also just had the Super Smash Brothers Tournament last night which was a great turn out too! Everyone had a lot of fun kicking each others character butt and eating yummy dominoes pizza.





Everyone in the group has been working hard to make all of these fundraisers possible and doing amazing!! Stay tuned next time for more on ASB Peru. :)

SUPER SMASH BROTHERS TOURNAMENT!

Make sure you attend our Super Smash Brothers Tournament this Thursday at 6:30 pm.
It will be held in the upper Met and is ONLY $3 per entry!!!!
And there will be FREE FOOD and AWARDS!!!
(this just keeps getting better right?)

The Awards: (drumroll please)
Gift cards to Nice Slice because who doesn't love pizza.

1st Place: $30
2nd Place: $20
3rd Place: $10

Oh yeah it is good clean fun and you play for a wonderful cause!
SO come on up to the Met and be a reckless gamer - if only for one night.

Yummy!

Bake Sale!

Last Friday, the ASB Peru Group had a bake sale at the Met and the Portfolio. The bake sale was stocked with goodies that we had all made out of our own kitchens. Yummy!! Here are some pictures from the sale:









Look for the next post on our upcoming events!

The reason why we are going to Peru.

This is the BBC News report on the Earthquake that hit Peru in August 2007.


Scores killed in Peru earthquake



The quake destroyed roads and cut power supplies in southern Peru

Quake aftermath
A powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the coast of Peru, killing at least 337 people and injuring hundreds more, Peru's civil defence institute says.
All but one of the deaths were in the coastal province of Ica, about 265km (165 miles) south of the capital, Lima.

In Lima, buildings shook violently during the prolonged tremors, prompting residents to take to the streets.

President Alan Garcia said he was sending three cabinet ministers to the worst affected area.

The earthquake struck at 1841 (2341 GMT) on Wednesday and lasted for several minutes.


See map of the affected area
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was beneath the Pacific Ocean, about 145km (90 miles) south-east of Lima. Four strong aftershocks ranging from 5.4 to 5.9 followed, the organisation said.

Rush-hour traffic in Lima came to a halt as buildings shook with the force of the powerful tremors and hundreds of people spilled onto the streets.




In pictures: Peru quake
Eyewitness accounts

"Usually you don't feel a tremor when outside, but the pavement was rippling, so I fled to the park where the ground continued to move under our feet," a resident of Lima, Bronwyn Davis, told the BBC News website.

"What was even more frightening was the roar of the quake coupled with the sky lighting up. It was surreal - if felt like we had stepped onto the set of some war movie."

Berenice, another resident, said the earthquake was the strongest she had ever felt.

"For some it seemed like the end of the world, and most people I know are still nervous," she said.

But the full devastating force of the earthquake was felt closer to the epicentre in the southern coastal province of Ica, where it brought down buildings, cut power supplies and disrupted communications.

Low-lying coastal areas in Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia were evacuated after a tsunami alert was issued, but the warning was later withdrawn.

Church collapse

Deputy Health Minister Jose Calderon described the situation in the city of Ica, where 650,000 people live, as "dramatic".

The National Institute for Civil Defence said 336 people had been killed in the province and 827 others injured. One person was killed in Lima.





TV reports said 17 people were killed and dozens injured when the Senor de Luren church in Ica collapsed during evening mass.

Callers to Radio Programas del Peru (RPP) said many homes in poor neighbourhoods in Ica and nearby Chincha had collapsed and that several cities had no electricity. The town of Pisco, 60km east of the epicentre, was also badly affected.

Hospitals are reported to be overwhelmed by the number of casualties. A cameraman for the Associated Press said the floors of the hospital in Chincha were covered with dead bodies.

The mayor of Ica, Mariano Nacimiento, said he had asked the government for medicine, blankets, tents and all help that could be given. The weather in the region is very cold at the moment.

Rescuers have struggled to reach Ica, however, as parts of the Pan-American Highway have been blocked by huge cracks in the tarmac and fallen power lines.

Unconfirmed reports said a bridge north of the city had collapsed.

State of emergency

President Garcia thanked God that the earthquake had not caused "a catastrophe with an immense number of victims".

In 1970, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake high in the Peruvian Andes triggered a landslide that buried the town of Yungay and killed 66,000 people.

"We have declared a state of emergency in Ica province and we are going this evening to ensure that regional and local governments, civil defence institutions and ministries can spend what they need to, rapidly and immediately," Mr Garcia said.

The president ordered police onto the streets of Lima to keep order, and schools are being closed because the buildings may be unsafe.

In Lima's poorer suburbs and shanty towns, news of the damage is still coming in, reports the BBC's Dan Collyns. However, he says the feeling in the city, where one third of the population lives, is that it may have narrowly avoided a major disaster.

The First Fundraiser

Our first attempt at earning money and it was a good one! Both for the hockey team (who won 5-2) and our group!



At the Nads vs. Wheaton game, we decided to sell hot chocolate to all of the dedicated fans that support. Our turn out was great and we made a pretty good profit for just the one game!








We'll be attending more of the games to sell hot chocolate again. :)

WELCOME TO PERU!

Hello everyone!
Well - to start off - this blog is about a wonderful group of people who are using their spring break from college to travel miles away and help a small city in Peru to rebuild. Here's the "official description" written by one of our group leaders:


Alternative Spring Break is a service trip organized and undertaken solely by students. The term "Alternative Spring Break" is known across the country for service trips during spring vacation, but our trip is completely independent.

The group going to Peru will be about 14 in number, all from RISD. We will fly to Lima, Peru, and then bus to Pisco, Peru where the Organization we are working with, Awaiting Angels has a project base. We will join the Earthquake Recovery program in Pisco, where the people need a lot of help rebuilding their houses and neighborhoods. The community of Pisco will love to make a mural with us, the artists - it would be wonderful to see a mural in a city where help doesn't arrive as was promised after the earthquake. We will also do activities with kids in the village in the afternoons.

We will stay in dormitory style housing and be fed three Peruvian meals a day - all included in the cost. We estimate the trip to be around $800, which we will raise through writing letters to people we know (from home, church, neighbors, etc) who will donate, and by doing fundraisers - here is where we need to be dedicated and creative! On past trips we have been successful in raising all of the money! The price will be more definite as we buy the plane tickets and figure the cost for the mural.

We hope to work in some excursions and exploring as well, Peru is a beautiful place of culture and nature.

~ Kirchin


We are all so excited to go and we are starting fundraising tonight at the RISD Nads Hockey Game!
Pictures will be posted soon after the game.

Also, make sure to check us out on facebook !