Getting Oriented: Day One in Lima
Well, we’re off and running! The first days here in Lima have been so full it’s been hard to stop long enough to post a blog. That said, we do want to share a bit about orientation and give you a glimpse of the adventures we’ve been having as we explore a new part of the world together.
Students spent their first two nights in Lima at Albergue Miraflores House in the Miraflores section of the city, about halfway between our apartment (“Casa Goshen”) and El Buen Pastor, where classes will be held. Since the hostel served breakfast, our first morning started with a 9 AM walk to Casa Goshen, allowing everyone to sleep in a little.
Following a time of worship and reflection, we spent the morning learning about the Southern Hemisphere, plowing through the orientation handbook (with lots of Peruvian tea and coffee to keep us energized), and reviewing the goals and fears students had written down in anticipation of their SST experience. Many had goals related to language learning and relationship building; a few wanted to learn everything there is to know about Peru! Some feared how hard it would be to be away from home for 3 months; others feared getting lost on public transportation or not being able to communicate with their host families. Everyone had questions about where they would be living and what their host families were like.
For lunch we made our way down to the malecón above the ocean, a few blocks from Casa Goshen, to a park-like area. Alicia Taipe Tello, who will be cooking for the students several times each week, prepared individual causas for our picnic (a potato dish that looks a little like a potato layer cake, served cold, with chicken or veggies layered between the mashed yellow potatoes). We were blessed with sunshine, which is pretty rare during Lima winter, even though we are moving on toward spring. A few games helped us to get better acquainted. One that required us to talk about our names proved to be very insightful. The other, which Danielle won, required each person to get signatures from different people in the group after they answered a question or performed certain tasks. If you see people looking a little awkward in some of the attached photos, this should explain why!
Following a walk through some of the lovely parks along the malecón, we had to head back to finish our orientation and enjoy a fruit-tasting experience with Alicia. All the leftover fruit ended up in the blender as juice to accompany our evening meal (cena). First, however, we had to take a walk to the Ovalo Gutierrez (one of many large ovalos, or traffic circles), which students will use as a landmark for traveling on public transportation to and from class — and Casa Goshen. Our Lima study coordinator, Celia Vasquez de Aguirre, met us at the Ovalo and gave the students an introduction to Lima’s public transportation system. Of course before leaving, we had to take an orientation day group photo.
Back at Casa Goshen, we enjoyed a meal of chicken, rice, and ensalada rusa (which include potatoes, beets & other veggies) and flew through our Peru Syllabus. Celia helped us to end the day with plenty of laughter as we practiced how to greet our Peruvian families and learned some useful phrases to get us through the weekend ahead. Given that Saturday was to be a holiday, students were warned that many would be spending time with extended family members and should be prepared to do lots of hugging and cheek-kissing!
At 9 PM, we took combis (a type of small bus) back to the hostel in groups, where MOST students were ready for an early bedtime.
