After spending a full day visiting with friends, dropping by the homes of their Lima host families and shopping, Goshen College students spent the night at Miraflores House, a hostel. The students – who had taken overnight buses from their service assignments – said they had a wonderful night of sleep in comfortable beds and especially enjoyed hot showers, in some cases for the first time in six weeks. They next morning, after a hearty breakfast of tamales, they made their way to the Anglican Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Buen Pastor) for some final academic work.
Students take their final quiz.
First up: a quiz on the books they read during service. All did well despite, in some cases, struggling to remember key points of books they had read weeks earlier. Next, students took an oral Spanish oral examination with Bivi Goto and Moises Arce, two long-time teachers for the Peru SST program. To demonstrate their improvement in the past six weeks, students were asked to talk about their service experiences and their plans after returning to Goshen. Bivi and Moises said all of the students showed considerable improvement in their Spanish-speaking skills.
Malaina during her oral Spanish language evaluation.
After the examinations, students left in small groups or pairs for their final almuerzo (lunch) in Lima. For some students, lunch was an opportunity to revisit favorite restaurants and now-familiar dishes. Other students tried new restaurants and food. A few took a few minutes to make final store purchases.
Students wait for their time to take their oral Spanish language evaluation.
When they returned to the church, students gathered their belongings and boarded a bus. Our destination: a Christian retreat center called Kawai, located on the beach about a 90-minute drive south of Lima, for two days of reflection, recreation and rest. The mood: happy and relaxed.
The academic home of the Peru SST program is the Anglican Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Buen Pastor).Students wait for their time to take their oral Spanish language evaluation.Students take their final quiz.Derek and Thomas take their final quiz.Jake and Jackson take their final quiz.Malaina, Caleb and Maria take their final quiz.Natalie, Gretchen, April, Gina and Aimee take their final quiz.Dean takes his final quiz.Neal takes his final quiz.Aimee takes her final quiz.Natalie takes her final quiz.April takes her final quiz.Gretchen chats with Peru SST Co-Director Judy Weaver after the quiz.Moises Arce conducts an oral Spanish language evaluation with Derek.Derek during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Bivi Goto conducts an oral Spanish language evaluation with Thomas.Thomas speaks with his Spanish teacher.Natalie during her oral Spanish language evaluation with Moises Arce.Natalie speaks with Moises Arce.Aimee during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Peru SST Co-Director Judy Weaver enjoys a sun break.Jonathan speaks with Moises Arce.Jonathan during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Caleb speaks with Bivi Goto, his Spanish teacher.Caleb during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Students relax while awaiting their oral Spanish language evaluations.Jake during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Gina during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Gina during her oral Spanish language evaluation.April during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Dean during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Gretchen during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Neal during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Jackson during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Jackson during his oral Spanish language evaluation.Maria during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Maria during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Malaina during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Malaina during her oral Spanish language evaluation.Malaina says farewell to her Spanish teacher, Bivi Goto.