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Goshen College

Two days of orientation in Lima before going to host families

September 4, 2016

Introduction to Peruvian Fruits.
Before the plates were quickly cleaned.

On Friday and Saturday the students had several activities interspersed with orientation sessions about living in Peru, including some quizzes on assignments.  Friday began with us picking up the students at their hostel and walking with them to Casa Goshen, with a stop along the way to change dollars into soles, the currency in Peru.   After some introductions and a devotional on living abroad as a pilgrimage (see below), we took a picnic lunch to the nearby ocean and did some exploring before coming back to Casa Goshen for more orientation, including topics on health, families, money, transportation, etc.

On Saturday morning we picked the students up again at the hostel, but this time we went to the historical center of Lima to see several sights.  In mid-afternoon we returned to the hostel for the last of the orientation topics.  But at the forefront of the students’ minds was the event at 6 p.m., the arrival of someone from their host families for the next 5 weeks.  One by one a representative or two from each family came to get their new adopted daughter or son and take them home.

 

This is the devotional on living abroad as a pilgrimage:

“. .  . we can use this opportunity for our own healing.  When we walk around in a [new] milieu, speaking the language haltingly, and feeling out of control and like fools, we can come in touch with a part of ourselves that usually remains hidden behind the thick walls of our defenses.  We can come to experience our basic vulnerability, our need for others, our deep-seated feelings of ignorance and inadequacy, and our fundamental dependency.  Instead of running away from these scary feelings, we can live through them together and learn that our true value as human beings has its seat far beyond our competence and accomplishments.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Gracias: A Latin American Journal

We ate a picnic lunch of “causa,” a Peruvian dish with a layer of chicken and mayo between 2 layers of mashed potatoes.
Lunch was at a boardwalk along the coast, overlooking a rocky beach a hundred feet below us.
Students had an interesting discussion of a modern sculpture, “Between Time,” in the park.
Walking down to the beach.
Getting a little Pacific Ocean on our feet. Because the current comes up from the Antartic, the water is very cold and the reason Peru’s coast is a desert.
Our housekeeper, Alicia, gave the students a tasty demonstration of a variety of Peruvian fruits.
Introduction to Peruvian Fruits.
Before the plates were quickly cleaned.
The names of the fruits, only a few that were already familiar, are on the left.
On Saturday we visited downtown Lima, including a walk through the Chinatown section.
Alex gets a picture of quail eggs, a favorite in Peru.
We got a tour of the Santo Domingo church, where two Peruvian saints are buried.
A wall of offerings left to San Martin de Porres, noted for his work for the poor.
The changing of the guard at the national palace.
We had a variety of new Peruvian foods at a downtown restaurant with baroque carvings in the walls and ceiling panels.
Group picture at the top of the the 1200-foot Cerro San Cristobal in the center of Lima.
Although a hazy fog hangs over Lima during its winter months, the views we could see where still impressive.
At the hostel, nervous students wait to meet their host families.
Lane and host father Walter.
Host mother Elizabeth and Emily.
Alex and host mother Marisel.
Rachel with host parents Norma and Carlos.
Alex and host father Percy.
Host mother Genoveva.
Tim with host parents Eliana and Ricardo.
Host mother Jessica and Josh.
Katie with host parents Christian and Nancy.
Maddie and host mother Jenny.
John and host father Eduardo.
Brad and host parents Lourdes and Antonio.
Achieng with host father Paul and cousin with her daughter.