After Goshen College students start to speak Spanish, adjust to their host families, learn how to navigate Lima’s chaotic bus system and start to enjoy living in Peru, they increasingly ask one question of their Peru Study-Service Term leaders: “What’s my service assignment and where will it be?”
Brian, Matt and Lucas talk about their goals for service.
It’s a natural question because service is an essential component of SST and as important as classroom learning. Service also can be the most challenging and rewarding part of the SST experience. Students get the opportunity to spend six week working for a worthwhile organization and living with a new host family – an experience that can transform lives and lead to new career paths. Just ask any of the more than 7,500 students who have learned and served in 24 countries, including Peru, on SST since 1968.
Edith, Jaime and Miranda discuss their goals for service.
SST leaders must sift through many variables in order to assign service placements and locations. The service placement is not an internship, but as much as possible should mesh with each student’s skills, experiences and interests. Some students simply ask for a placement where they will be useful, while others put a premium on the kind of work or where they will live – city or small town, mountains, coast or jungle. Some ask to be near a friend or two. But no matter where they will be sent, students understand that in some way, they will be pushed out of their comfort zones.
While Peru SST Co-Directors Richard R. Aguirre and Judy Weaver met with students to determine their preferences, Service Coordinator Willy Villavicencio was busy contacting service organizations and host families in numerous cities, setting it all up.
Easter eggs held slips of papers with the service assignments of the students and some candy.
Finally, students were invited into a second-story meeting room at la Catedral del Buen Pastor (where classes are held). Directors Judy and Richard had earlier hidden plastic Easter eggs in the room. Inside each egg: the student’s service assignment location and companions.
Students learn their service assignments.
It didn’t take long for the students to sweep through the room and find all the precious Easter eggs. Afterward, students cracked open the plastic eggs and read their assignments, service locations and companions. They then shared the information with their classmates and found their service locations on a large map.
Students find their service locations on a map of Peru.
Before they left Lima, the students came together for several sessions of orientation. They thought about their goals and expectations and discussed how they would handle problems such as too much or not enough work, illness, boredom and homesickness. They expressed the desire to immerse themselves in the experience and get the most out of what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some members of the group. For others, it may be the beginning of many future travels and immersion experiences.
Leah and Edith learn they will be working at a clinic in Ayacucho.
We recalled the advice of one of our speakers, Dr. Townsend Cooper, a medical missionary. Dr. Cooper said that to be as helpful as possible in our short six weeks of service, we should keep open eyes and open hearts, pay attention and evaluate. We focus on accompaniment, not accomplishment, as our best gift to our hosts. In the end, we know that we are here in Peru to learn and that we will gain much more than we can ever hope to give.
Students break into silly poses and bizarre facial expressions before leaving for their service assignments.
After the final orientation, the students gave each other hugs and said goodbye to each other. The next day they would be heading out in groups of two to four students, to the cities of Ayacucho, Chiclayo, Tarma, San Ramón, La Merced, Oxapampa and a tiny jungle village named San Miguel.
Jaime hugs her host parents.
The first group left the next morning. They came with their Lima host families to the bus station, where there were more hugs and a few tears. The rest left in the evening, on overnight buses. Although it was hard to say goodbye to the Lima host families, the students said they were ready to go and looking forward to the next part of the adventure.
Brody, Sierra and Leah collaborate on goals for service.Edith, Jaime and Miranda discuss their goals for service.Brian, Matt and Lucas talk about their goals for service.Joel, Stefan and Andrew collaborate on goals for service.Tim, Derek and Michael discuss their goals for service.Easter eggs held slips of papers with the service assignments of the students and some candy.Students hunt for Easter eggs containing their service assignments.While Jaime holds her precious Easter egg, Derek contains searching for his prize.Students learn their service assignments.Derek William and Michael’s assignment: teaching children and helping families in San Miguel.Andrew’s assignment: preparing food and teaching children in Ayacucho.Jaime and Miranda learn thatthey will be working with children in a rehabilitation hospital in Chiclayo.Leah and Edith learn they will be working at a clinic in Ayacucho.Sierra’s assignment: helping at a primary school in Oxapampa.Brody’s assignment: assisting teachers at a pre-school in Oxapampa.Stefan and Edith learn they will work at a support center for children in San Ramon.Alejandro learns he will work at a clinic (and later a school) in Ayacucho.Joel and Lucas are delighted to learn they will work at an orphanage in the central jungle, near La Merced.Brian and Matt learn they both will work at a primary school in Tarma.Tim’s assignment: help the medical staff at a clinic in San Ramon.Derek Peter learns he will work at a school for disabled children in San Ramon.Students find their service locations on a map of Peru.Peru SST Co-Director Judy Weaver passes out summaries of all the service assignments.Students review summaries of all the service assignments.Students play a rigged game of Monopoly to gain insights into income inequality.Students play a rigged game of Monopoly to gain insights into income inequality.Students learn a lesson by playing a rigged game of Monopoly.Students learn a lesson by playing a rigged game of Monopoly.Matt’s birthday cake.Matt was asked to wear a purple wig and matching eyeglasses to celebrate his birthday.Matt blows out a birthday candle.Another student shoved Matt’s face into his birthday cake, giving Matt an early taste of the chocolate goodness.Students exchange goodbye hugs.Derek and Jaime say goodbye.Emma and Brody say farewell.Andrew and Brian say goodbye.Miranda gives Edith a hug goodbye.Students pause for a group photo before departing for their service assignments.Students break into silly poses and bizarre facial expressions before leaving for their service assignments.Joel waves goodbye as he leaves Casa Goshen.Stefan and Emma in the bus station before leaving Lima for San Ramon.Derek William with his host mother, Krizian Mori Jiu.Emma with her host sisters.Matt with his host father, Jose Ramirez, and his host brother, Nicholas.Tim with his host parents, Norma and Carlos Seson.Sierra prepares to board the bus.Brody gets ready to board the bus.Lucas and Joel get ready to ride the bus to La Merced, in the central jungle.Michael gives a farewell hug to his host mother, Betty Lozano Cahuana.Percy Peralta (on the left) gives a virtual hug to his host son, Stefan, whose bus departs the station.Percy Peralta completes his virtual hug of host son, Stefan.Stefan, seen on the bus, holds on to his virtual hug with his host father, Percy Peralta.The bus carrying 12 Goshen College students pulls away from the terminal in Lima.Miranda chats with her host mother, Martha Castellano Morales, but her host sister, Antonela, is too upset by Miranda’s impending departure to pay attention.Jaime with her host parents, Enrique and Lucy Rodriguez.Jaime hugs her host parents.As Miranda wipes away tears, Jaime offers words of comfort.The Cruz del Sur bus that will take Jaime and Miranda to Chiclayo, on the northern Peruvian coast.Leah and her host parents, Fernando and Genoveva Angulo Ibarra and the family’s dog, Chispa.Leah’s host family dog, Chispa, has been brought along to witness Leah’s departure.Leah gets a goodbye hug from her host mother, Genoveva Angulo Ibarra.Andrew gets a goodbye hug from his host mother, Ines Orbegozo Sanchez.Alejandro says goodbye to his host mother, Livia Salas Achahuanco, and host sister, Barbara.Edith says goodbye to her host mother, Marisel Avalos Mendocilla.Edith, Andrew, Alejandro and Leah get ready to board the bus for the overnight ride to Ayacucho.
