The return trip to the North America began with a 3:30 a.m. departure from Home Peru. There is not much traffic at that hour so we arrived at Jorge Chávez International Airport ahead of schedule. The students got checked in quickly and we said our final goodbyes.
A semester full of learning, service and adventure closed with a three-day retreat at a beach named Kauai. We began with final project presentations featuring research done while on service. The topics included: Ají Peppers The Day of the Dead The Hearing Impaired in Peru The Exciting World of…
How thankful we are! This morning ten students returned to Lima after spending six weeks volunteering in the mountains and rain forest. Tomorrow Joshua will return from Acopia and our group will be complete. The students are thankful for many things: new direction in life, a stronger relationship with…
Acopia, a town of several thousand inhabitants, sits between two lakes in the Andes mountains. At 3,715 meters (12,188 feet) above sea level, this is highest and most remote of the service locations this semester. We met Luis Delgado, founder of Yachay Wasi (House of Learning in Quechua), during…
Four students are serving in the Selva Central, the central section of the rain forest that lies in the eastern foothills of the Andes. Elevations here range from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, with rolling hills and luscious green vegetation. Ashley is volunteering at a school for special needs children…
Just say, “Yes”! This could be the motto for the three students serving in Ayacucho this term. Saying yes when asked to try something new has opened doors for each student and addressed real needs for the people they work with each day. Marta is volunteering at Vidas Health…
Three students are volunteering in the city of Huaraz and the nearby village of Tarica. At over 10,000 feet above sea level, these communities are nestled between the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountains) and the Cordillera Negra (Black Mountains). The views are magnificent, the sky is a clear blue each…
Before leaving Lima for service, we threw a big party to thank our host families, language instructors and coordinators for all they have done for us over the last 6+ weeks. Then we spent one more afternoon together, sharing and praying and preparing for the six weeks to come. …
Eduardo Arroyo is an authority on ethnic diversity. In a provocative lecture entitled, “The Cholification of Peru,” he described the major ethnic groups — andinos from the mountains, criollos descended from the Spanish and cholos from the mountains who have migrated to Lima. These and many smaller groups comprise…
The students have left for their six-week service assignments and are beginning work in Huaraz, La Merced, Ayacucho and Acopia. The directors’ visits to each location will commence next week. In the meantime, we’ll post photos of our final activities in Lima. After our return from the Andes, the…
