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…
Blue skies, white clouds, expectant smiles. We began the day with a walk from the hostel at Home Peru to the director’s home, Casa Goshen. Along the way we passed a pre-inca archaeological site — Huaca Pucllana — a cluster of decidedly post-inca institutions — McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Starbucks…
Twenty-three North Americans stepped into the balmy night air at Lima’s Jorge Chavez Airport, anxious to get their first glimpse of South America. It’s summer here, which may take a little getting used to. After a snag with a missing bag, which was soon found, we boarded a bus for…
Our family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our next group of students. Over Christmas we traveled with our program assistant, Alicia, and her husband, Oswaldo, to their home communities near Huancayo. We had lunch near a trout farm, spent Christmas eve in the town of Orcotuna, celebrated Christmas…
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…
