Hola!
I’m Taylor Bould, and I’m currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin Madison studying Marketing, Management/Human Resources, and Risk Management and Insurance. I also have been an intern with Campo Alpaca for the past 2 years, in which I have done everything from social media, event coordination, data analytics, and more!
This summer I spent a week re-learning my high school Spanish skills with Katie Lorenz, the founder of Campo Alpaca and Myles Storey, UW-Madison student and Videography intern in Peru! Being able to see the roots of Campo was an invaluable experience that made me fall in love with this company even more.
Obligatory Intern Heel-Clicking Jump
During our time we were welcomed with such hospitality and warmth as we met the men and women that are behind the scenes making our products. We spent our first chunk of time in Lima, meeting Milagros’ team who creates our beautiful sweaters. We were able to interview the team and learn why they are passionate about their work.
We then flew to Cusco, where we spent the majority of our week taking pictures/videos, eating delicious food, and visiting some of Peru’s top attractions. One day we got up at 3:00 am to head to Rainbow Mountain, where we rode ATVs to the peak. We saw many fuzzy alpaca friends along the way and took in breathtaking views. The altitude got the better of us, but the adventure was much worth the headaches.
Pro Tip: Always give yourself an altitude acclimation day before climbing a mountain :)
The following two days were spent exploring downtown Cusco! We ate cow hearts (sounds gross, but actually very tasty), shopped in the markets, learned how to salsa dance, and continued to curate content for Campo. Cusco has so much to offer that one could spend weeks exploring the alleys and stores. One of my favorite spots was an adorable cat cafe, where we enjoyed Chai and cat snuggles.
On our last day in Cusco, Katie, Myles, and I were able to visit our partner nonprofit, Chaska aka Fair Services. Check it out here: www.ChaskaCusco.org It was awe-inspiring to meet the girls and volunteers that make this program possible. We were able to tour the facilities and interview the girls to understand how imperative the NGO is to them and what value it has already provided in their lives. We laughed with them as the girls enthusiastically told us that Myles looks like a character from a TV show they regularly watch.
Sadly, our trip had to come to an end, but it left me excited to return to Peru and inspired to continue working hard with Campo!
1 comment
Sounds amazing!