We began our Lima study program at Catedral del Buen Pastor (Cathedral of the Good Shepherd), our venue for lectures, workshops and Spanish classes. The host families helped each student find their way to Good Shepherd using public transportation, a small but significant feat given the complexity of Lima’s…
We returned from our 19-day adventure in the Andes and were warmly welcomed to Peru’s capital city by twenty-three eager host families. Several of the families who live near the Lima airport met us there while the others gathered at Catedral Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd Cathedral) in Miraflores. Our…
One of the seven wonders of the modern world. UNESCO World Heritage site. Best-preserved Inca city in South America. Probably the most-visited tourist destination on the continent. There are many ways to describe Machu Picchu (“old peak” in quechua). For the Inca people, this was a sacred place, somewhere…
We said goodbye to the host families in San Jeronimo, Huacarpay and Lucre and prepared for the last leg of our adventure in the Andes — an exploration of the Sacred Valley. We began in Pisac, touring the vast archaeological site high above the valley. Then we hiked down,…
In the early 16th century, the Inca Empire extended over all of modern-day Peru as well as parts of Colombia and Ecuador to the north, Brazil to the east and Bolivia, Chile and Argentina to the south. Twelve million people lived in what was called Tawantinsuyo, the…
The music of the Andes is distinct for its use of native wind instruments — including quenas (flutes) and sikus (pan flutes). Early versions have been found in archaeological sites dating back thousands of years. Charangos (lutes that resemble a small guitar) and other stringed instruments…
How many trees can a group of SST students plant in two days? 246. We ventured up to the town of Acopia to meet our host, Luis Delgado, founder of Yachay Wasi (House of Learning). Yachay Wasi is part of an international movement to plant a billion…
Quechua is the language of the Incas. It is the second-most common language in Peru. We asked one of our Spanish language instructors, Luz Atapaucar, to give us a lecture on Quechua. Luz, a native of Cusco province, grew up speaking Quechua to her grandmother and other…
We began our first full week in Peru with a presentation on Peru’s economy. The average Peruvian earns only a fifth as much as the average US resident, but incomes are increasing quickly and the poverty rate is falling. Mining and tourism are helping to drive the…
We enjoyed two gorgeous days in the Andes, where the rains have returned and the hills are green. We spent the first day beginning the process of acclimation, taking it easy as our bodies slowly adjust to life at 3,399 meters — 11,152 feet. It’s not often…
