RSIS UPDATE Issue 8 - August 2014 Greetings from Round Square Worldwide! We’ve had a really wonderful summer hearing about our three amazing RSIS teams, and all their adventures in Peru, Romania and South Africa. We hope you enjoy reading about their exploits as much as we have! Liz Gray, RSIS Projects Manager PERU Updates We were delighted to send our toilets and bathrooms was 2014 Peru team back to the Andean completed in very quick on July/Aug community of Yuncachimpa to carry on time and after a week of work that the 2013 started. Last year, hard graft, the team were projects our team built the first kindergarten rewarded with a couple of that village had ever had. This year, days in Aguas Calientes our team has built new toilets and visiting the Mondorpampa 3 projects: bathrooms for the kindergarten, rainforest and world- which will make school a much more famous site of Machu Peru, Romania, comfortable place for the smaller Picchu! children to be. South Africa During the second week of Project work However, before the hard work started, at Yuncachimpa, the team built guinea- “Yesterday we had our last the team had to get over some long pig stables for the community. Andean breakfast in Yuncachimpa. “Before we left our project, flights and acclimatize to the much people in Peru breed guinea-pigs, a Just before 9am, we said our the students shared their higher altitude. So four days were spent traditional source of food (in a similar goodbyes and presented our reflections on what they in the Cusco and Sacred Valley areas, way to how other communities breed donations to the community. had learned about the doing various activities designed to give chickens) but most of the animals are IDEALS over the course of Once again, Valerio and the the trip. They explained that them time to get to know each other, free-range around the house which as families wanted me to thank Internationalism involves get to know the culture of Peru and you can imagine is not the most hygienic the students, Round Square challenging yourself to see pit their wits against the environment of situations. So the community wants to and the parents, for making this the world from different during a tough climbing day! They be able to house the guinea-pigs more possible. It was difficult to perspectives. had a day in Cusco where they met comfortably in stables which are built avoid shedding some tears!” Democracy requires with our local tour operator, to hear out of mud bricks, wooden poles and a Project Leader patience to ensure that about the work they were going to do tiled roof. decisions are fair and just. in Yuncachimpa, and buy some much The team consisted of 22 students The team finished their time in the Environmentalism needed provisions. They then set off to who came from 16 different schools: community with a fantastic village teaches us to appreciate the Sacred Valley and the following day Gordonstoun School, Hotchkiss celebration and blessing of the new various comforts that we spent time with our friends at Apulaya School, Vivek High School, Wellington might take for granted. buildings they had completed. The where they were taught ancient Inca College, Aiglon College, Felsted Adventure involves team from Apulaya came up to the myths and artistic skills, and then given School, Bayview Glen School, Cate unexpected yet intentionally village bringing traditional costumes and their own pan- pipes and taught how School, UWCSEA, Saint Andrews induced experiences with drums with them, and the whole team to play traditional music! They were to School, Athenian School, Bishops the unknown. played their pipes creating a real fiesta Leadership doesn’t always put these lessons into practice later on College School, Daly College, Salem, atmosphere! mean you are in charge! during the trip….. Scindia School and Mayo College. Service requires significant Following their time at the village, the The next day they set off to climb the The Project Leader was Carlos and focused sacrifice.” team travelled back to Cusco for a few 300m via ferrata, a series of iron rungs Cazorla (Salem); the Deputy Leader days at the end of the trip for reviewing set into a huge rock-face overlooking was Sheila Kuyper (Appleby College) and debriefs, and also to visit the the Urubamba River. Our intrepid team and the accompanying adult was markets and take salsa lessons at a climbed up to the top, crossed a wire Joanne Dunn (Glenlyon Norfolk famous dance school. It was all rounded bridge and had their lunch. They then School). Maria Gracia Moran was the off by a last night dinner in descended down the other side on a Project Manager in Lima! a restaurant overlooking series of 5 long zip-wires! Truly a huge the main square with highlight for the team! Peruvian music and They then set off to Yuncachimpa dancing to see the night where the team was divided into four through! groups, each group going off to camp at A really successful trip family houses in the community. Each which has left a community family cooked breakfast and dinner with new school facilities for their little group, and our students and community guinea- helped them with chores and soon pig stables! got to know their Peruvian mothers and fathers! The building work on the www.roundsquare.org • +44 (0) 1225 320 854 • [email protected] • Registered Charity No. 327117 ROMANIA written by Clare Coverdale (Projects Assistant) This July, I dusted the cobwebs areas. They expertly showed us off my backpack and joined how to brush down the bark and the 20-strong team of eager lichen from trees and rocks before international students on the RSIS using stencils to paint on the fresh Romania project. We headed trail signs, and our team of bush back to the town of Baisoara in clearers cut down any overgrown the west of the country, to finish branches along the path and off the various projects that the ensured that the signs could be 2013 team had worked on last seen from a distance. The most year. Our mission was to finish physical and time consuming task the youth and community centre was installing the black and white that the 2013 team had built and striped marker poles as this involved complete the stone wall that ran digging a massive hole, extracting the length of the local primary any stubborn rocks that may be in school as well as build them a the way, wedging the pole in with sand play area. big rocks and mixing up and pouring cement into the hole for it to set. We flew into the beautiful old city of Cluj Napoca in the North West The next phase of the project was The team continued to work hard You can see a fantastic blog all of the country where Transylvania at the local primary school where in the final phase of the project about the team’s experience at College is to be found. We had we constructed the second half of work at the youth/community http://rsisromania2014.blogspot. a day to acclimatize and get the wall and by splitting into teams centre, plastering the walls with ro/ over our flights, so we took a of cement mixers, hole fillers, rock first rough cement and then fine The team consisted of 20 tour (accompanied by students movers and water bucket fillers we smooth cement and finally buffered students from 16 different schools from Transylvania College) and finished the task within a couple it so it was completely ready for - Herlufsholm Skole, Hotchkiss strolled around the historical of days. There was also the task painting. They also managed to fit School, Deerfield Academy, streets of Cluj Napoca. In no time of digging the foundations for the in painting and staining the stage Vivek High School, King’s at all we started our drive up to sandbox, and making the wooden at the major’s office which is used Academy, Felsted School, Cate Transylvania College’s summer frame that was to contain the sand for town events and everyone got School, Ermitage, Gordonstoun camp in Muntele Baisoarii. En as well as painting a seaside mural a certificate of excellence from the School, Salem, Athenian School, route we made a stop at the to put behind it. Last but not least, major! UWCSEA, Bridge House awesome Turda Salt Mines which an army of gardeners cleared the During their cultural phase School, Daly College, Scindia is a vast 750 year old mine that play area of weeds. the team went on a 4 day tour School and Brookhouse School. has been turned into a tourist Our mid-project break coincided to visit some of Romania’s The Project Leader was Chad attraction complete with rowing with a local celebration of St most fascinating cities and Detloff (Chadwick School) and lake, Ferris wheel, and mini golf! It Ille’s Day. So we dressed in our sights including Corvin Castle the Deputy Leader was Rachel has to be seen to be believed! finest clothes and visited the local (what everyone imagines is Cazabon (Lakefield College Our first day up at the summer monastery watching the service of Dracula’s castle, but isn’t!), Lake School). The accompanying adult camp consisted of going through songs and prayer on a specially Vidraru, Horezu and Polovragi was Alex Funnell from King’s all the safety briefings and playing constructed stage on the hill next Monasteries, and then a fantastic Academy in Jordan. lots of hilarious team building to the monastery.