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Goshen College

Week One: Settling in to life in Lima

May 9, 2019

Bryce, Ben, Ming, Bobby and Jehan review their homework with Profesora Irene.

Our first week of classes is well underway. Classes are held at Catedral Buen Pastor, an Anglican church in the Miraflores district of Lima. In the mornings, students have lectures on a variety of cultural, social and historical topics, as well as occasional field trips. This week, we heard lectures on the political history of Perú since independence, life in the marginalized sectors of Lima, and the natural resources of Perú. Students also had a chance to meet GC’s Service Coordinator, Willy Villavicencio, who talked to students about growing up in an Andean village and his transition to life in Lima.

In the afternoons, students have two and a half hours of Spanish class. Students are split into three classes. The low teacher-to-student ratio gives them lots of opportunities to hone their conversational skills as well as their confidence.

We also continued our learning outside of the classroom. On Wednesday, students completed an assignment in which they got a shopping list from their host families and then visited a local market to purchase the ingredients to make a Peruvian dessert together with their family. Students also learned how to navigate their way to class with the help of their host families. By Wednesday, they were all making their way to and from classes on their own.

We are off to a great start and looking forward to our first field trip on Friday, when we will visit the southernmost districts of Lima.

Evan B., Matthew, Joe, Evan K., Yejin and Gabe are ready for Spanish class with Profesora Ana.
Nick, Christian, Jen and Sharada are in good hands with Profesor Moisés.
Service Coordinator Willy Villavicencio shares about his life as a small boy in the mountain village of Vito.
Christian welcomes Ben through the church door after his long commute.
Evan, Yejin and Matthew discuss the personal qualities that will help them ace SST.
Ben, Bobby and Evan contemplate the meaning of life.
Jose Peralta discusses the effects of illegal mining on the human population of the Amazon.
After a lecture is cancelled at the last minute, we take an impromptu walk to Parque El Olivar, a nearby park with over 1,600 olive trees, some of which are hundreds of years old.
Students visited a museum on the park grounds which houses the works of sculptor Marina Núñez del Prado.
The museum showcases over 1,000 pieces of Núñez del Prado’s artwork, which was inspired by the indigenous peoples of South America, especially women and children.
Evan makes a fruit purchase from a market vendor.
Bobby and Ming make their first purchases.
Yejin and Jehan check to see if the market stall has what they’re looking for.
Joe finds the most important ingredient on his list — strawberries!
Jen smiles her way through her shopping list.
Happy birthday Sharada!
Ruben Cano talks to students about the complex (but never boring) history of Peruvian politics.