Photo Gallery Updated

Hello everyone.  The photo gallery has finally been updated with some pictures from my trip.  Below is a description of what you’ll find.  Sorry for not having more pictures; the amount of space I have to post pictures is limited.

Dinner at the Rustica:  This past semester, I helped to coordinate a project to donate used computers from the University of Dayton to the Institute in Peru.  We are still waiting for the computers to reach Peru, but in the meantime one of the people who helped me tremendously with the project came to Peru on a business trip and visited the family.  We all went out to dinner at a place called the Rustica.

Callao & La Punta:  Callao is the city in which I am living.  It is located on the coast of Peru and borders the Pacific Ocean.  La Punta (in English, “the point”) is a narrow part of Callao that extends out into the ocean, thus it is called “the point”.  I went with my host father and brother to visit La Punta.

Plaza de Armas:  The Plaza de Armas is located in the heart of Lima and is the center of the Peruvian government.  It is the location of the national cathedral, presidential palace, and various other government buildings.  The family, a few of their friends, and I visited the Plaza de Armas at night so that we could see all of the buildings lit up.

Circuito Magico del Agua:  The “Magical Water Circuit” is a park located in Lima that was created last year as part of a revitalization project for the city.  It consists of 13 different water fountains, all of which are illuminated at night.  One of the fountains is included as part of a laser-light show, which we were able to see.  We visited this park after leaving the Plaza de Armas.

NOTE:  The photo gallery is no longer accessible.  Sorry!

Greetings from Peru

I arrived in Peru last Friday and have been loving every minute of it.  The family I am living with is great.  All of the people at the Institute have been very welcoming.  Right now, I am still in the process of figuring out what projects I am going to be working on at the Institute.  I am also hoping to participate in some of the extracurricular activities with the students, such as a youth group, volunteering, and possibly even a guitar class.  My abilities to speak and understand Spanish have improved dramatically since I first arrived.  It is becoming easier to talk to people now that I can better converse with them.  It’s still difficult at times, but I’m trying to improve a little bit each day.

I’m hoping to have some pictures posted in the photo gallery by next week.  If you have questions about anything, feel free to send them to me.  I’ll start sharing a little bit of information every couple of days about life in Peru and anything else exciting that happens.  That’s all for now.  Chao!

Welcome

The ETHOS Peru blog is officially underway!  This summer I will be participating in an 11-week service learning internship organized by the ETHOS program at the University of Dayton.  I will be living and working in Callao, Peru, which is located west of Lima, the country’s capital, and is part of the Lima metropolitan area.  The organization I will be working with is the Instituto Chaminade Marinaistas, a post-secondary technical school that offers career programs in computer technology and telecommunications for economically disadvantaged students from Callao and the surrounding area.  The Institute seeks to increase employment opportunities for these students by way of quality technical training integrated with Marianist educational principles.

While at the Institute, I will be assisting with improving the computer technology used within the school as well as helping with any other projects that may arise.  I have also been coordinating a shipment of donated computers from the University of Dayton to the Institute, which will arrive in Peru within the next week or two.  Upon receiving those computers, I will likely help to get them set up at the Institute.  During my time in Peru, I will be living with a host family just down the road from the school.  I also hope to travel within the country and visit places like Cusco, Machu Picchu, and the rain forest.

I hope to use this blog as a way to keep people updated while I am in Peru.  Feel free to send me questions or comments about anything, and I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.

The adventure begins this Friday!