The time in Lima drew to a close, and it was time for the Peru Study-Service Term students to say A Dios – go with God – to their host families in Lima. So the students planned a farewell celebration or despedida – a beloved Peru SST tradition.
April with her host sister, Daniela.
Since television game shows are popular in Peru, the students decided to include games in the program. Families laughed as volunteers tried to knock over cups with tennis balls tied to the back of their belts, eat donuts on strings, find a small piece of candy in a pile of whipped cream or catch candy tossed toward their mouths. There was even a candy-filled piñata for the children.
The doughnut eating game begins.
The biggest laughs of the evening were for three short plays written and performed by the students. Jonathan Mark as the famous Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio, stole the show with his enthusiastic performance. Other scenes showed students being served dog meat after insisting to a waiter that they wanted to be served “perro caliente” (hot dog), going to a disco, riding on a crowded bus and being thrown from the heights of Machu Picchu by the ghost of the Incan emperor Atahualpa.
Jonathan, playing famous Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio, objects when Jake tells him that April and Caleb want a real cooked dog for dinner.
Students served “Puppy Chow,” the famous sweet snack of Goshen College dorms, and a variety of other goodies to the families. There were songs, short speeches of gratitude and photos with Spanish teachers and families. Peru SST Co-Directors Richard Aguirre and Judy Weaver thanked parents for the love and support they gave the students. There also words of gratitude by Lima Study Coordinator Celia Vasquez and Service Coordinator Willy Villavicencio.
Students sing for and applaud their host families.
The best part of the evening, however, was simply time for the students to sit and chat with their host families one last time before leaving for their service assignments. Two days later, students were boarding buses to cities all over Peru.
The farewell celebration, or despedida, for the Peru SST unit was held at the Anglican Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in the Miraflores district of Lima.Dean, Natalie, Gretchen, Jackson, April, Jonathan, Aimee and other students prepare the farewell celebration.Jake and Aimee prepare decorations.Natalie, Caleb and Gina celebrate after making “puppy chow” for the farewell celebration.April and Malaina prepare flowers.Delicious cakes laid out for the celebration.An especially tasty treat was a “Negra Selva” cake, the Peruvian version of a Black Forest Cake.April with her host sister, Daniela.Dean with his host mother, Edith Acosta.Natalie with her host sister, Claudia, and her host mother, Marisel Avalos Mendocilla.Maria with the Calderons, her host family.Jonathan with his host parents, Carlos and Norma Seson, and host nephew, Leonardo.Natalie with her host father, Cristian Mucha, and host sisters, Eva and Lucia.Caleb with his host parents, Sonia and Percy Peralta.Alicia Taipe Tello is Gretchen’s host grandmother and is the superb cook for the Peru Study-Service Term program.Peru SST Service Coordinator Willy Villavicncio and his fiancee, Candy.Aimiee embraces her host sister, Maria.Jackson serves snacks to his host father, Daladier Orbegozo.Thomas serves snacks to Sonia and Percy Peralta.Bearing snacks, Derek greets his host mother, Betty Lozano.Natalie and Aimee capture the festivities.Jackson, Derek, Neal and Dean ready games for host family members to play.Dicxier Orbegozo, Jackson’s host brother, tries to knock over cups with a tennis ball attached to a string that is tied to the back of his belt.Eduardo Nue Pereda, Jake’s host father, tries to knock over cups with a tennis ball attached to a string that is tied to the back of his belt.Jackson, Dean, Neal and Derek prepare to dangle doughnuts on strings for host family members to try to eat quickly.The doughnut eating game begins.Natalie’s host sister, Lucia, devours a doughnut.Juan Calderon, Maria’s host father, seems wary of the doughnut-eating contest.Jake opens wide in the doughnut-eating challenge.Host family members try to find a small piece of candy hidden inside a mound of whipped cream.Nicolas Ramirez, Neal’s host brother, and Glicerio Huarac, Gretchen’s host father, try to find the hidden candy.Jackson and his host brother, Dicxier Oregozo.Jackson, playing a Peruvian waiter, prepares to hand menus to Natalie and Gina, who are portraying visitors to Peru with limited Spanish-speaking skills.April and Caleb, playing visitors to Peru with limited Spanish-speaking skills, try to order from Jake. Seeking a hot dog, they mistakenly order a real cooked dog.Jonathan, playing famous Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio, objects when Jake tells him that April and Caleb want a real cooked dog for dinner.Thomas narrates the humorous play of mistaken translations.Jackson serves Natalie and Gina.April and Caleb are shocked to discover that their “hot dog” order was misunderstood. Jonathan served them a cooked dog.Students take a bow after their play.Lima Study Coordinator Celia Vasquez thanks host families for helping and caring for the students.Lima Study Coordinator Celia Vasquez.Peru SST Service Coordinator Willy Villavicencio explains the volunteer service the students provided while in Lima.Service Coordinator Willy Villavicencio.Malaina narrates the next play about a group of students “Lost in Peru.”Gretchen, Maria, Aimee, Derek, Dean and Neal act in “Lost in Peru,” an original play the students wrote. In this scene, they have arrived early in Lima and without their faculty leaders.Students recreate their awkward first experience ordering food in a Peruvian restaurant. They didn’t get what they wanted.Aimee is shocked to discover that she has mistakenly ordered a roasted guinea pig for lunch. That prompts her to leave the group and launch a campaign to save the guinea pigs.Students dance in a disco in Lima. Derek abruptly leaves the group for a brief marriage to a Peruvian.Students show what it’s like to ride on a crowded bus in Peru. Jackson is the driver.Derek portrays the ghost of Inca Emperor Atahualpa, the protector of Machu Picchu.Neal falls from the heights of Machu Picchu after being confronted by Derek, who played the ghost of Inca Emperor Atahualpa.Dean struggles with his emotions after he is left alone in Peru.The students celebrate after being reunited.Gretchen, Neal, Dean, Derek, Aimee, Maria and Malaina take a bow after their spirited performance.Dean, Jake, Jonathan and Aimee thank their Spanish teacher, Irene Arce.Irene Arce, one of our Spanish teachers.Thomas, Caleb, Malaina, Maria and Jackson thank Bivi Goto, their Spanish teacher.Natalie, April, Derek, Gina, Gretchen and Neal with Ana Bracamonte, their Spanish teacher.Students line up to thank their host families for their love and support.Natalie, Gina, Caleb, Aimee and Jake.Neal, Gretchen, Jackson and Maria. There were some tears when students thanked their host families.Host family members.Students sing for and applaud their host families.Dean with a host brother and his host mother, Edith Acosta.Neal with host brother, Nicolas, and host parents Blanca and Jose Ramirez.Jackson with host brother, Dicxier, and host father, Daladier Orbegozo.Natalie with host mother, Marisel Avalos Mendocilla, host sister, Claudia, and host nephew, Adriano.Maria with the Calderons, her host family.Gina with host parents, Cristian and Nancy Mucha, and host sisters, Lucia and Eva.April with the Mori Jius, her host family.Derek with the Mauriolas, his host family.Jonathan with host parents, Norma and Carlos Seson, host sister, Normita, and host nephew, Leonardo.Jake with host parents, Celia and Eduardo Nue Pereda, and host brother, Richie.Gretchen with host parents, Sara and Glicero Huarac, host sisters, Zully and Galeth, and host grandmother, Alicia Taipe Tello.Caleb with his host parents, Percy and Sonia Peralta.Aimee with host parents, Juan and Rosario Laos, and host sisters Jimena and Maria.Thomas with host mother, Eliana Mauriola, and host brother, Mathias.
