At the airport Rae Ann returning from Pucallpa greets Renee returning from Cusco.Students returning from service assignments in Pucallpa, Cusco, Ayacucho, Arequipa and La Merced gathered for a welcome-back supper. Several students were able to visit host families in the afternoon.Alicia cooked one last meal for the group. She and her granddaughter Brithanie said their goodbyes.Nate and Seth received traditional clothing from the San Miguel indigenous community where they lived.Students spent three days in retreat. Rae Ann reads from her journal in a sharing session.In a skit about a time when they “got it,” Stephanie, Stuart, Josh, Jonah, Brooklyn, and Martin tell the story of their lost water bottles and phones during service in Ayacucho.Seth’s Lima host father leads a morning Chi Kung exercise session on the lawn overlooking the Pacific.Anne models her dress from the Shipibo indigenous community. Her research project focused on the music of the Shipibo women she met in Pucallpa.Stuart celebrated his birthday on the Peruvian national holiday.Lydia and Martin share with the group what they will leave behind and what they will take with them from their pilgrimage in Peru.Martin, Josh and Luke’s skit anticipates responding to “How was SST?”Rachel shared words of appreciation for each member of the SST group.Retreat ended on a joyful note with dancing to Latin American music.At the airport Rachel and Stuart shared a few last laughs in Lima.Natalie, Sadie and Alyssa prepare to board COPA 0264 en route to Panama and Chicago.
