Just 50 years ago, Lima’s population was close to 1 million. Today the greater metro area is approximately 8.5 million, or nearly one in three Peruvians. The stories behind that spectacular growth are sometimes tragic: earthquakes and floods that decimated communities drove people into Lima, as did the terrorism…
Even if the SSTers were able to try a different Peruvian dish for each breakfast, lunch, and dinner of their semester here, they’d still miss many of the country’s hundreds of traditional offerings. Peru is known in culinary circles for its tasty diversity, and gastronomic tours here…
Atop Machu Picchu We donned our hiking shoes, grabbed our cameras, and headed out to some fantastic archaeological sites during our trip to Cusco and the nearby Sacred Valley. Of course one stop was Machu Picchu, the magnificent “lost city” that was (re)discovered by American Hiram Bingham…
After service with Clemencia at her house in Lucre We recently spent a week in the Andean city of Cusco, a short flight and a world away from our base in Lima. Most tourists visit Cusco to explore its archaeological sites—the city was the capital of the…
Peru has more than its fair share of beauty, from the mountains to the ocean to Peruvians themselves. Last week the SSTers paid special attention to beauty found in the arts, first with a workshop on joyeria (jewelry) presented by Mike’s host parents, Ricardo Mauriola and Eliana Carrasco. The…
We’ve been busy here in Lima. In the last week we tried our hand(s) at the cajon, a wooden box-type drum that originated in Peru. Our instructor, Camilo Ballumbrosio, comes from a family of cajon players. Our other guest speakers included Father David Farrell, a Massachusetts native who’s…
close quarters for our ride south It’s hard to believe only a week has passed since our last update. The last seven days have been filled with a little bit of everything: Spanish classes, sightseeing, presentations on Peruvian politics and traditional medicine, mountain hikes, an…
Outside of the building where we'll be attending lectures and classes Our two days of orientation covered the basics of life in Lima—transportation, communication, money, health, and safety, among other topics—as well as some long walks, short bus rides, and exciting taxi rides. The students got their…
Safely on the ground After a long day of travel the Peru SSTers landed safely in Lima. Director Kevin Gary and coordinator Celia Vasquez met the group of travelers at Jorge Chavez International Airport and escorted them to Home Peru, their lodging for the night. Since Lima…
Heather & Kevin--Peru SST directors for 2010-11 Tucked between the Pacific Ocean on the west and the foothills of the Andes on the east, Peru’s capital city, Lima, has nearly 9 million residents—almost a third of the country’s entire population. On September 2, 11 more people will…
