Final Thoughts

Since it has officially been one week since I got back from Peru, I am going to end my blogging with a reflection on my study abroad experience.

This past week I have been very busy working so I have not had as much time to sit and think about Peru as I would have liked. Even so, I still find myself occasionally remembering different things that happened and reflecting on them. I have finally adjusted to throwing toilet paper in the toilet and I’m no longer afraid of drinking tap water but what I learned in Peru has not left me. I really enjoyed the study-abroad program because, in traveling to a different country, I was able to have an authentic experience in another culture. Rather than just “vacationing’ in a beautiful country and going to all the fancy tourist sites, we were able to truly experience a culture in a place where it had not been molded  to put on a show for tourists. Don’t get me wrong, we did visit a lot of tourist sites and I really enjoyed going to all of them, but what I most enjoyed about the trip was that its main focus was not tourism. We stayed in a poor city where we were able to see how real people live their daily lives and interact with people whose only desire was not to sell us things. I got the most out of my experience in working at the school, not in visiting tourist attractions; spending time with those children taught me so much and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet them.

I learned a lot of new words in Spanish and tried a lot of new foods but, most importantly, I experienced a country and a culture different from my own which opened my eyes and my mind to many new things. Most of all, I feel very humbled and grateful as a result of my time in Peru. The people of Canto Grande were so poor in my eyes, compared to how most people live in the US. Many of them lacked what we would consider even the most basic necessities such as running water and electricity. And yet, they did not seem to consider themselves to be poor. They were content with what they had and considered themselves blessed because, as we learned from one of the Holy Cross Fathers, they are so much better off than they used to be.

On my way home I began to make a mental list of all the things I am so much more grateful for now, things that before going to Peru I often took for granted:

-A roof over my head

-Heating and air conditioning

-Washing machines

-Nutritious food

-Healthcare

-Public toilets with toilet paper

-Being able to flush toilet paper

-Clean water

-Being able to afford my own technology

-Having a job

-Having the opportunity to go to college

…and so much more. I am so much more conscious now of all the blessings that I have and going to another country has given me new perspective in life. I am really glad that I decided to go to Peru this summer. Even though there were definitely stressful and very tiring days, the experience was worth it. I had a great time, learned a lot, and experiences a lot that I believe will stay with me forever.  I loved my time in Peru and I will definitely miss it. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to go back sometime in the future! ¡Adios!

Hogar Dulce Hogar

I am finally home! We arrived yesterday morning, 2 hours later than scheduled but safe and sound. The past 4 days were incredible and I have so much to write about.

Ok, so on Friday morning (3:00 AM!) we all woke up and got ready to leave for Cusco. Our bus was supposed to arrive at 3:45AM but ended up not showing up until about 4:30. When the bus driver finally did show up and we learned why he was late, we were all totally shocked. Apparently he got a phone call at 1:00 in the morning from some people saying that they had kidnapped his son and wanted ransom money. The driver spent hours trying to negotiate with the kidnappers only to find out later that his son had actually not been kidnapped and it was all a scam to try to get money from him. I don’t know how he found out that it was a scam and how exactly eh got away from them without paying the money, but we learned that this is actually a very common thing in Peru. Someone with inside access at a telephone company will get people’s personal information in order to set up a similar scheme to take money from people. I could not believe that something so awful could be so common, but it was definitely a “cultural” learning experience for us.

We took the bus to the airport in Lima and then hopped on a one hour flight to Cusco. When we walked out of the airport I was struck by how beautiful and clean everything is compared to Lima. The sky was clear and blue and beautiful and the sun was shining over the gorgeous green mountains that surrounded the area. We were then met by our tour guide, Eddy, who took us to our hotel in Cusco. Because of the high altitude (over 11,000 feet!) we were given coca tea to drink which is said to help prevent altitude sickness. It is made with the leaves of the coca plant, which are the same leaves used to make cocaine, but it is NOT cocaine. Don’t worry. Anyway, the tea was so delicious! It quickly became a favorite of the group over the weekend.  After drinking our tea we got back onto the bus for our tour of the area. Driving through the streets we saw rainbow flags hanging everywhere and our tourguide explained that they were the Cusco flag, not to be confused with the gay flag in which the colors of the rainbow are in a different order. The whole city was being decorated for the upcoming festival of the sun and everything looked beautiful.

We went first to a non-profit farm that rescues and rehabilitates animals. There, among others,  we saw many birds, a Peruvian hairless dog, llamas, and huge Condors which we learned are very important to Peru’s culture. I wasn’t able to enjoy this as much as I would have liked because I was so tired from a combination of the early flight and the altitude that I was falling asleep standing up. Even so, it was a nice little farm and I got some good pictures as well as enjoyed the beautiful surrounding landscape. From there we went to another farm, this time a llama farm that had several different species of llamas and alpacas. Since I love llamas so much, I was much more awake this time and I had a great time petting, feeding, and getting pictures with the llamas.

After the farms we went up to a mountain that used to be a farming site for the Incas. There we learned some of the history and got to explore the ruins as well as take some photos of the incredible view we had from up on the mountain. Then, we got to do a little bit of shopping at a big market that had tons of souvenirs at great prices and the shop owners were really great bargainers. We didn’t have much time there because we had to leave for lunch and boy, was that an experience for all of us. At the restaurant Emily decided to be brave and try cuy (Guinea pig) which is considered a delicacy in Peru. We were completely unprepared however for what the waitress brought over to our table. What we did not know beforehand, is that cuy is served whole. They brought over an entire guinea pig, roasted, with teeth and nails and everything. It was very disturbing but at least it was an “authentic” Peruvian experience for us. A few people at our table also tried alpaca meat but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it because llamas are my friends.

After lunch we went to Ollantaytambo, another Inca site. The site itself was beautiful but it was starting to rain and I didn’t go up the mountain because I was still feeling sick from the altitude and the thinness of the air makes it very difficult to breathe while climbing. After Ollantaytambo it was time to take a train to Macchu Picchu. This was the first time I had ever ridden a train and, despite how tired we all were and how many stops the train kept making, I did enjoy it. We were really happy to finally get back to the hotel though and were glad to hear that we would  be able to sleep a little later in the next morning.

Because we had arrived at Macchu Picchu late at night, I really had no idea where we were when I woke up. When I walked out of the hotel for the first time in the morning I was completely blown away. We were completely surrounded by massive, green mountains that towered over the city. It was a breathtaking site. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and clean, and everything was bright and colorful. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful, beautiful place.

We then wasted time by exploring the city until lunch and after that it was time for us to take our bus ride up the mountain. The bus ride was kind of scary because the trail up the mountain is narrow and steep and there are no guardrails. The scariest parts were when another bus would be coming down the mountain as we were going up because the trail was so narrow that it looked impossible for two buses to be able to pass each other. Even so, after much prayer on the part of our nervous group, we made it to the entrance at the top of the trail. When we got there we all needed to go to the bathroom and I was totally shocked because they charged us one sol to use the bathroom! It was such a tourist trap but I was still looking forward to seeing Macchu Picchu so I just paid the money and tried not to think about how ridiculous it was. We started climbing the narrow stairs up the mountain which, even though it was the second day, was still a challenge to those of us not yet acclimated to the altitude. The view from where we were standing when we got to the highest point was stunning. Even though it had gotten cloudier since the morning, everything was still breathtakingly beautiful.  After climbing to the highest point we then explored the Inca ruins for about 3 hours until it was about to close for the day. I was really impressed by the history and some of the ruins. The coolest part to me was some of the building we saw which are built without mortar, and all of the rocks fit perfectly together and have stayed that way for so many hundreds of years.  It was also really cool to sit back and think that Macchu Picchu had been discovered exactly 100 years ago, and imagine what it must have been like for the man who stumbled across such a magnificent place.

After climbing back down the mountain we had a quick dinner and then got on the train and then took a bus to head back to our hotel in Cusco. The bus ride was amazing and a perfect end to a perfect day at one of the most amazing places in the world. When we looked out the window and into the sky we were able to see thousands and thousands of stars, more stars than I have ever seen anywhere at any point in my life. Also, in the moon you could see what looked like the figure of a rabbit.We learned a legend about the rabbit in the moon that says that a long time ago the gods came down to earth and visit nature. All the animals lined up to bring sacrifices to the gods but when it came to the rabbit’s turn he did not have anything to give. Wanting to show his devotion, he jumped into the fire to sacrifice himself. Before he fell in however, the goddess of the moon caught him and saved him and told him that because of his faithfulness, she would put a symbol of him on the moon so that people would forever remember him.-I don’t believe in the legend myself, but I thought it was a really nice story and it was cool because the moon really does look like it has a rabbit on it.

The next day was another tour day that started in the afternoon. Before our tour we walked to the center of Cusco to find a place for lunch. On our way there we ran into a HUGE parade full of dancers and costumes and floats. We found out that it was a parade for Cusco’s birthday. It was so cool to see all the beautiful costumes and all the groups performing the traditional dances.  After watching the parade for a few minutes, we went to lunch at a really nice restaurant in the center of the town so we were even able to watch the parade from inside. I have to write about the food from there because it was the second most delicious “restaurant” meal I had in Peru(second to my meal at the Museo Larco). I had spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken breast covered in elderberry sauce served with mashed potatoes. It was so delicious! Even better than that though, was my dessert which I can definitely say was the most delicious dessert I have ever had. It was a red wine poached pear with cinnamon ice cream. So good!

After lunch we spent the rest of the day touring cathedrals and Inca ruins in Cusco. It was a beautiful day and by the time it was over we were all exhausted. We needed a good night’s sleep because the next day was a shopping and travel day! On Monday we got to sleep in later again and then we went to a huge market in Cusco where the people sell their handmade goods. It was so cool! There were so many stores that it was overwhelming and everything was so cheap! A lot of the time I didn’t even bother to try to bargain because the prices were so good! I was having so much fun that I skipped lunch with Emily to finish all our shopping since it was our last day in Peru.

After our shopping spree we headed back to the hotel to collect our things and go to the airport. We then flew from Cusco to Lima and then waited around writing in our journals and playing card games until it was time to board out flight home. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed 2 hours because of maintenance issues but I didn’t mind much because it was an overnight flight so I just went to sleep. When we finally landed on Tuesday morning I was so excited to be home! I had begun to really miss my own country. I loved Peru, but it’s not home so I was very happy to be back in the States.

Since I got back I have just been working on some class assignments and trying to re-adjust to life in America. I keep accidentally throwing my toilet paper in the trash because I forget that I can flush it here and I also keep forgetting that it’s OK for me to drink the water.

As for the whole of my experience, I think it will take me a few days before I have any real thoughts or reflections. When I figure it out all, I will be sure to post my final comments on my study-abroad experience in Peru.

Weekend at Ica and Paracas

Today begins our last week in Peru. It feels like we have been here forever, and at the same time, the last 2 weeks flew by. I’m at the point right now where I am still really enjoying myself, but I am also starting to miss a lot of things back home like American breakfast food (here breakfast is just toast with coffee or juice), showers with water pressure, and laundry machines. Oh yeah, and also my family and friends.

Even so, this past weekend we had a BLAST in Ica and Paracas.

We left early on Saturday morning and, after about a 5 hour bus ride, arrived at a vineyard in Ica which we toured. The tour was really nice; we learned about how they make wine with the grapes grown at the vineyard and about a yearly tradition of a party that is held when it is time to stomp the grapes. After the tour we also had a really nice lunch there, which, as has always been my experience with the food here in Peru, was delicious.

After the vineyard we took a tour of the city of Ica which eventually ended in front of an enormous, very beautiful desert. The best part was that, at this desert, there were dune buggies and we got to ride in them. The dune buggy ride was so much fun! It was like riding a roller coaster but so much cooler. During our ride we stopped at the top of a really high dune that overlooked the whole desert and got to take pictures. The view was breathtaking. The sand was so pure and beautiful and stretched out as far as we could see.

That was not even the best part though. After taking pictures we drove to the  top of a huge, very steep hill of sand…and then we were given snow boards, or sand boards in this case. In the states we have snow, here they have sand. We were not allowed to go down the hill standing up for safety reasons but we did go down on our stomachs and it was still awesome and tons of fun. Although I was terrified, I decided that this trip is all about trying new things for me so I went down the hill anyway and I’m glad I did! It was really fun and I ended up going down two more hills, each one bigger than the last.                                           

After our crazy sand-boarding adventures we headed to our hotel in Paracas for dinner and some much needed sleep. Restaurants and hotels are very different here from those in the US. For instance, when we go to restaurants, the service is different in a lot of ways. Instead of getting bread while we wait for our meals, we are give cancha, which are salted, cooked kernels of corn. Also, they do not ask what you would like to drink before you order your meal. Instead, they take both your drink and meal order at the same time. Then, they do not wait for everyone’s meals to be ready before bringing them out at the same time; instead, they bring out each meal when it is ready, which usually ends in one half of the table receiving their meal just as the other half is finishing theirs.

The hotels are also completely different. At even the most basic hotels in the US, you are given just about everything you could ever need. There are an abundance of towels, shampoos and conditioners, soap, lotion, toothbrushes, and plenty of pillows. Here, there are only the very necessities, even in nicer hotels. The hotel we stayed at was a very nice one and very confortable, but, with three people staying in a room, we were given only three shower towels (which were extrememly small). The hotel didn’t have any hand towels or washcloths, let alone a floor towel to keep the floor in front of the shower dry. And there was definitely not the excess of big fluffy pillows that I am used to. Also, we took cold showers because, since many people at the hotel were trying to shower at the same time, there was no hot water. Still, it was not terrible, just different from what I am used to. But I enjoy knowing that I am experiencing Peru to the fullest, and this is the reality of what things are like in this country.

The next morning, we left early for our boat tour of the Islas Ballestas. The islands were so beautiful! We also got to see a lot of the wildlife such as sea lions, TONS of different kinds of birds, and even penguins! Although the sun was not out yet, it was still a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the tour. After the boat tour we did some shopping and headed back to the Peyton Center.

Today was another day of service and class and in the evening we attended a very interesting lecture given by a social worker who taught us about the various social problems that exist within this area of the country. Although much of what we learned about the conditions here was very sad, his lecture also gave us hope because it taught us about the measures that are currently being taken to combat these problems.

Most of the rest of this week is going to be more days of service and class, but on Friday we are going to be leaving for Cusco!

Lima Adventures

It has been a while since our visit to Lima but I have been too busy to update until now!

Anyway, we left for Lima on Monday morning. Everyone was really excited for the change of pace and the opportunity to finally do some tourist-y things. The drive to Lima was actually terrifying. I thought the traffic in NYC was bad, but it is nothing compared to the traffic here. If there even are any traffic laws (which in most places it does not appear to be so) people do not follow them. Let´s just say that most of the time there are two lanes on the road and four lanes of cars. Yeah. Despite the fact that I was completely terrified and had to keep closing my eyes, it was at least a cultural experience and I will probably never complain about traffic in the US again.

In Lima we stayed in a very interesting hotel. I say interesting because on the third floor there was a dining area complete with and amazing view of the city and a collection of exotic birds. Although some of us are not exactly fans of birds, I think they’re really cool and I loved being able to see them up close like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After settling in at the hotel, we left to visit El Convento de San Francisco, a church from the 1600s in the center of Lima. The church was absolutely beautiful and we learned a lot about the history. The best part was that we also got to tour the catacombs, which was a little claustrophobic but still very, very cool.

After that, we went to the Museo Larco, a museum of ancient artifacts from the Incan Empire. The museum itself was SO beautiful. There were gorgeous flowers of many colors draping over the sides of the buildings. We also had a delicious (and very fancy) lunch at the museum. I don´t remember what my meal was called (Tacu Tacu- something) but I know that it was phenomenal, and so was my passion fruit dessert.

 

 

After the museum we went to La Catolica, a university in Lima for a lecture on discrimination issues that exist in Peru. It was very enlightening and really put a lot of what we have been experiencing and seeing here into perspective.

The next day began with a ride on the Metro to the area of Miraflores, which is basically the rich side of Lima. Because I am a person who enjoys her personal space, the Metro was an awful experience. There were SO many people crowded into that bus. Every time I thought it would be completely impossible for another person to fit, five more people would squeeze in. It was an experience for sure.

When we arrived in Miraflores we took a Mirabús tour of Lima on a really nice double-decker bus- and we got to sit up top! It was really fun and at the end of the tour the bus dropped us off in front of a Cathedral which we then got to tour. The Cathedral was probably the most beautiful building I have ever seen. There was so much detail put into every aspect of it and the art was just stunning.

After La Catedral we were supposed to go to the Inquisition Museum but to everyone´s dismay it was closed for some reason. We were all very disappointed because we had really been looking forward to that museum but the good news ended up being that we had time for shopping! This was actually our first real shopping experience in Peru and it was a lot of fun! It´s really cool because you get to bargain with the shopkeepers to get the best deal and there are so many nice hand-made things for sale there. After a long day of tours and shopping, we got into our taxis and headed back to the Peyton center and thus ended our time in Lima (temporarily).

Wednesday was a pretty average day of service and classes and then on Thursday we headed back to Lima for another day of tours and shopping. We started the day by going to Miraflores again, this time to visit a very big, very expensive mall. The city is absolutely gorgeous, and the mall is situated right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, which I got to see for the first time! We were all really excited to go shopping but it turns out we were in for a reality check.  All of a sudden it felt like we were the poor people in a city full of rich people and not the other way around as we had grown accustomed to. We were not in Canto Grande anymore. It was like we had been transported to another world. The city was beautiful, for sure. But it was a very interesting, enlightening, and somewhat humbling experience to walk through the shopping center in Miraflores. Since almost all our time up until then had been spent in the very poor area of Canto Grande, we were used to being the ¨rich Americans.¨ Turns out, compared to the people of Miraflores, we really aren’t. Being in the mall also made me upset because it really put some things into perspective. I kept thinking to myself, how is it that there are all these people here, spending ridiculous amounts of money on trivial things and displaying their wealth, when about an hour away there are people in Canto Grande without even the most basic necessities. Although I didn’t like the time that I spent at the mall, it definitely got me thinking about a lot of things and taught me a lot.

After window shopping and grabbing lunch at the food court, we headed to Pachacamac for our tour of the archeological site. Pachacamac was a really cool place. We learned that it is a site that has been around for over a thousand years before the Incas, and we got to see what remains of some of the important temples of the early civilizations. We also had our first llama sighting (!) but I don’t think it actually counts since we were at a tourist site and the llamas were on leashes (lol ).

 

 

My favorite part of the day (and possibly of my whole time in Peru so far) was a horse show that we went to at the end of the day. We went to a beautiful hacienda where they have Peruvian Paso horses, which are horses that have been especially bred for hundreds of years. The thing that makes these horses special is the way they walk, which is with only one leg lifted off the ground at a time. This special way of walking makes the ride completely smooth and does not jostle the rider like all other horses do when they are ridden. One of the riders even rode with a full glass of water and did not spill a drop! The riders and dancers were all dressed in traditional costumes and we got to see some traditional Peruvian dances but performed with the horses. The best part was that after the show we got to ride the horses ourselves! It was so much fun, and afterward we had a delicious meal which was prepared for us right there at the hacienda. After a long day and a big meal, we were all ready to get back to the Peyton Center to get some much needed sleep.

Today was a more relaxing day of service and homework and tomorrow we leave for the beach!

Week one: Reflections

So today marks one full week that I have been in Canto Grande, Peru. There have been challenges, but I would say that overall it was a good week. The rest of this week was really busy; we spent our days going to our service sites both in the morning and the afternoon, and we also started our classes this week.

Working at Fe Y Alegria this week was so great. Even on days when I was in a bad mood, after spending time with the kids I was always happy again and ready to experience more. We are not going to be going back to the school until Wednesday, and I am going to miss the kids so much! I have gotten so attached to them ,and they to me. When I left on Friday they all crowded around me giving me hugs and kisses- it was several minutes before I was able to make it out of the classroom!

 

 

 

 

On Thursday we met with our conversation partners a second time, and it was even more fun this time because we had already gotten to know them. We ended up talking for an hour longer than we were actually required to because we were having so much fun! It was really neat to be practicing Spanish by talking to our peers in an informal setting; I think it made speaking Spanish more comfortable and enjoyable for everyone.

Our classes have also been going pretty well; although at first  all of us were having a pretty hard time managing the work load with such busy schedules, things seem to be working themselves out and I am not so overwhelmed now that I have gotten used to the schedule.

This weekend has been very relaxed compared to the rest of the week. Yesterday we had classes during the day, and then a game of soccer against our conversation partners. Although Profesor Rafa tried very hard to coach and encourage us, we failed epically. It was a really fun game though, even though a couple of us, (mostly me) took a couple of hits and have the bruises to prove it. After the soccer game and dinner, we played a very entertaning game of Loaded Questions until 11:00. It was a lot of fun and by the time we all went to bed everyone was exhausted from the exercise-filled day.

This morning we left the Peyton Center at 7:00 am (SO EARLY) to go to mass at the local church. Even though I am not Catholic, I really enjoyed the mass and it was interesting the many ways in which it was both different from and similar to mass in the US. I also really liked that we were handed a song sheet at the beginning of the service, so we were able to sing along in Spanish. Basically, it was worth getting up at such an unholy hour to experience that side of Peruvian culture. The rest of the day we have just been studying, writing papers, and napping, as well as following the election coverage on TV and online. Today is the day of the presidential election in Peru, one of the most important (and dramatic) in Peru’s history. Because I am not interested in am not very good at understanding politics, I don’t really know what’s going on. I do know, however, that neither of the candidates is a good person, so the country is pretty much trying to choose the lesser of two evils. I also know that another aspect of this election that makes it a big deal is that one of the candidates is a woman, and if she wins she will be Peru’s first woman president. Although I don’t keep up with politics well, I do think it’s really cool to actually be in Peru for such an important event, experiencing the election rather than just hearing about it from back home. (BTW the woman on the poster is not the woman running for president. This is just an example of what the election billboards which are all over Canto Grande look like.)

Tomorrow we leave for Lima and we will be there until Tuesday night. I am SO excited for this. It will be nice to have a change of pace, and be able to do some tourist-y things. We will be staying at a hotel, visiting museums, eating at restaurants, and SHOPPING, all of which are things I am very excited for.

¡Tu eres blanca!

Yesterday was our first fully “functional” day and it was AMAZING. We started the day, as usual, with breakfast at 8:00AM. Then we attended an interesting lecture on politics and culture in Peru given by Father Farrell, a Holy Cross priest at the Peyton Center. After the lecture, we had lunch which was so so so delicious! (I expect that the amazingness of the food will be a recurring theme in my blog because lunch and dinner are always delicious!)

¡Que rica!

We had steak with vegetables, yucca, papas fritas (french fries), and arroz (rice). After lunch we walked to Fe y Alegria. It was a really nice walk because it was warm and beautiful outside. It´s amusing to see how much attention we attract when we are walking around Canto Grande because it is impossible for us to blend in. During our walk, a little boy and his two sisters walked out of their house and towards our group. I could tell that they wanted to say hi but were feeling too shy because the oldest girl kept trying to push the younger one in our direction, telling her to talk to us. It was very cute.

When we arrived at Fe y Alegria, Chelsea and I were asked to help with a class of seven year olds who were working on learning math. It was so much fun! The kids were so so excited to have us there. We helped them with their classwork when they had questions and helped the teachers by preparing parts of the lesson and cleaning up the bulletin boards. The kids’ reactions to us are always so funny! One boy said to me “¡Tu eres tan blanca!”  which means “you are so white!”. Later, one boy asked “¿Why are you so big?” to which a little girl replied, “¡Because she eats!”

The most fun part was at recess, when the boys were playing with their tops (trompos) outside. I asked them if I could try and they all became so excited that I wanted to play with them. It was very funny though because they made the tops look so easy to use but it was not as easy as it looked! I failed epically and the kids really got a kick out of it, but they seemed to enjoy trying to teach me how to do it. Finally, because I was so intrigued by the toys, I asked where I could buy one for myself. They began jumping up and down, screaming, telling me that I could buy one at the school’s gift shop which is open during recess. I decided to go buy one and as I walked a hoard of children gathered around me and followed me to the gift shop, thrilled that I was going to buy one of their toys.  The funniest part was that, as Chelsea and  I walked to the store, several children stopped us to ask for our autographs! We felt like celebrities!

After Fe y Alegria, we returned to Fe y Alegria for dinner, which was, of course, delicious. After dinner we had a dance class which was so much fun! We learned about the tradition of dance in Peruvian culture and then got to learn and try out some of the dances ourselves! I am a terrible dancer, but I really enjoyed the experience and would love to get better at it!

Today was another great day working with the kids at Fe y Alegria, as I expect most of my days will be. But today was a little bit different because instead of working with the 7 yr old class, Devon and I were in a classroom of 3 yr olds (and let me tell you, they were simply precious!) We helped organize the craft for the day, which was gluing yellow scraps of paper onto a drawing of a plantain. The kids made a mess and had a blast and so did we. Then, we go to play with them during recess and we played a game called “el lobo” which means “the wolf”. The kids stood in a circle, holding hands, and circled around while singing a song until the designated “wolf” ran up to the circle to “eat” on of the children. Then they all had to run away from the “wolf” as fast as they could and run to the wall which was the “house” and the safety zone. It was so much fun and I was amazed by how well behaved and polite they all were, especially for beingonly three years old.

 

 

At about 5:00 we left the school to head back to the Peyton center for dinner which was, you guessed it, DELICIOUS AND AMAZING AND SO SO GOOD! We had Chifa! The food that Isabel(the cook) makes is just too good. Everyone is always having second and third helpings of everything!

 

 

 

After dinner, everyone went outside to try out their new trompos and Fransisco (one of the workers at the Peyton center) was showing us how to use them. Unfortunately, just about everyone eventually figured it out, except for me. I am still working on it but I am determined to become a pro by the end of my three weeks here.

After playing with the trompos, we got to meet our conversation partners, who are people from the area who we have conversations with, first in Spanish and then in English so that we can both practice our second languages. They were all really nice and funny and everybody had a great time. I look forward to talking to them again and hopefully having just as great a day tomorrow as I did today!

Day one: Canto Grande

Our group, exhausted but excited after landing in Lima

It is officially the first full day of our stay in Peru. Yesterday was a VERY long day. I woke up at 6 because I was so excited and nervous that I couldn’t sleep. Everyone was at the airport by 11 and then our flight was at 2:20. The plane ride was about 8 hours long but it honestly felt like 8 days. The first 4 hours went by very quickly, but the last four dragged on for forever. I think it was just because I was so tired, and so anxious to just BE IN PERU ALREADY after months of working myself up for this. We did eventually land though at 9:00 (10:00 back home), and the process of going through immigration and customs went very smoothly. By the time we arrived at the Peyton Center in Canto Grande where we will be staying it was well after 1:00 (Peru time) so everyone was pretty exhausted, especially me. Even so, I was just happy to have arrived safely and ready to sleep so that I could be prepared for the next day. Even though I have been in Peru for less than 24 hours, I have already experienced a LOT of differences (and some things that really were not so different) from the US as well as learned some new things! For instance, they had these very interesting rotating billboards at the airport. We have also seen chickens and stray dogs which we learned are called “Perros Vagabundos” in Spanish. We also learned that you have to bring toilet paper into the bathroom stalls with you, and you can`t actually flush the toilet paper or you will back up the system. Needless to say this will take some getting used to! But I am looking forward to learning from this experience, and definitely realizing what a luxurious lifestyle I have back home, even though I had never thought of it as that before.

Today was a day to relax for us since we had such a long day yesterday. After lunch we toured the clinic, Fe y Alegria y Yancana Huasy where we will be volunteering during our time here. Leaving the Peyton center for the first time during daylight, I was shocked by my

One of the Peruvian houses

surroundings. I knew that Peru is a poor country, but I think I really had no idea. Many of the houses look like nothing more than makeshift shelters and there is dirt and debri everywhere. We saw TONS more stray dogs today on our way to the schools and learned that dogs are often not kept as pets here because the people do not have the money to take care of them so they end up just wandering through the streets. When we reached Fe y Alegria, the local school, I was amazed and excited by how friendly and happy the children were to see us. They immediately ran up to us, saying hello and giving us hugs and kisses as though we were family. At one point, a few us entered a classroom of 7 year olds who became fascinated by our cameras and began jumping all over us trying to see the pictures on the screen; they almost knocked me over! It was a great time though and I am so excited to work with the wonderful children of Canto Grande. The tour of Yancana Huasy, the center for people with disabilities, was also very interesting. It was great to see such wonderful services being provided to the people and their smiling faces as well as we passed through the center. We stopped at a gift shop in the center that sold products which were all handmade by the people at the center. Everything was so beautiful! I was really impressed by their talents and friendly spirit.

Some of the wonderful children at the school

After our tours, we came back to the Peyton center and had dinner which was absolutely delicious. Everything that Isabel (the cook) makes is SO good, especially after a long and tiring day. After touring the locations of our service hours, I am even more excited for the next three weeks. I can’t wait to spend time with, get to know, and learn from these wonderful people!

Peru Preparations

Currently, there are only 4 days left until I hop onto my 7 hr Continental flight to Peru and I’m starting to get nervous because I have never left the country before (Shocking, since I live only an 8 hour drive away from Canada). I am worried about the flight (having to use the airplane bathroom is my worst nightmare) and nervous about being in another country for 3 weeks but I am mostly totally absolutely crazy EXCITED for what experiences await me there.

I LOVE learning about and experiencing other cultures. Because my best friend of 20 years’ family is from Peru, I have always wanted to travel there but never imagined that I would actually be able to. Now, I am so excited to have this opportunity, a chance to immerse myself in another language and culture, sample Peruvian cuisine, and see llamas (of course), all of which are some of my most favorite things in life.

As much as I love llamas, I think I am most excited to interact with the people of Peru. I am really looking forward to the community service that I will being doing there, as well as the opportunity to practice speaking Spanish with people who are native speakers, in their native country. Although I know a lot of Spanish, while in Peru I will really be putting my 6 years of Spanish education to the test because we will be speaking only Spanish the majority of the time. I expect this to be difficult at first, but I also think it will be one of the most fun and rewarding parts of this experience because  I know that I will learn SO much from it.

So for now, I am just continuing the arduous process of packing, making sure that I have ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I will need in the next three weeks while also not letting my bag weigh more than 50 pounds (a nearly impossible task if you ask me). The next time I update this I will be in PERU!

(I can’t wait for Sunday!)