Challenges and Beauties
Posted by Kathryn Schmidt
Photos by Sadie G.Z.
It has been a full week here in Lima. The students are settling into a more predictable routine, and are gradually becoming more acquainted with this enormous city, with the SST program in general, and with each other. It’s very exciting to watch them navigate the many varieties of transportation (bus, train, combi, taxi, walking) with more confidence. It’s thrilling to watch their Spanish skills deepen. And the best part? Hearing them sing together on the bus. Folk songs, Pop songs, Rap, you name it. This is a gifted and songful bunch!
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday afternoons and and Thursdays are spent at Buen Pastor, an Anglican church where we use their facilities for morning lectures, lunch, and afternoon Spanish classes. Lectures have been a wide range, from learning how to play the Cajon (Peruvian box-shaped drum); to the history of the Anglican church in Peru. Tuesday mornings, Kris and I lead the Colloquium sessions, which is a chance to discuss the many readings and journal assignments. So far everybody is keeping up, despite fatigue, as well as busy weekends spent socializing with each other, and various host family members.
Wednesday morning is a special time at our apartment (Casa Goshen) to share, sing, pray and bond. We all love it. This week we let ourselves go to the negative for awhile: what do we strongly dislike about this experience so far? What is very difficult? Some answers included: the difficult commute, general city busyness, host-family language barriers, some food frustrations. More challenging questions arose, too: the rampant poverty, and our inability to fix any of the large-scale systemic problems. How do people here live without electricity, without water? Some students were frustrated with the SST program in general: we have money to tour museums that most of the locals cannot afford, and this makes for awkward conversations with the host families. How do we even begin to talk about money with our host families? What do we say if they ask about minimum wage? For us, an amount that equals to “not much” is the exact opposite to a Peruvian. One student felt very awkward when she was asked to describe her college tuition payments. Very challenging indeed in a place where the average income is $500.00/month.
One thing Kris and I are seeing: this is an insightful, thoughtful, respectful group. They value these difficult conversations, and want to see personal growth as well as positive change around them. This is a beautiful thing.
In other news: we have shared some very exciting field trips, including a day-trip to witness real artifacts being made for the likes of “Ten Thousand Villages”, thanks to the Manos Amigas non-profit organization. The beautiful Museo Larco, the San Fransisco Monastery, as well as an overnight trip to Caral, one of the oldest civilizations in the Americas. Mind-boggling.
