All Good Things Must Come To An End

My experience in Peru was simply amazing and unforgetable.  The people at the Institute were great, the family was amazing, and most of all I was able to help out while learning a lot at the same time.  Instead of boring you with a long post on how this experience has affected me, I’ll simply list a few things that I think are most significant for me.

• I was able to combine two of my interests (technology and Spanish) into the same service-learning experience.
• I was able to help out with my technology know-how.
• I was able to learn and practice many practical, hands-on skills in the computer field.
• I was able to practice and develop my Spanish-speaking ability.
• I was able to learn about and participate in the Peruvian culture.
• I was able to become part of a Peruvian family and interact with them as such.
• I was able to make new friends in a different part of the world.
• I was able to adapt to a new culture, a new living environment, and a new way of life for 11 weeks.

The hardest thing for me now is to be able to summarize and describe this experience to other people when they ask me about how things went in Peru.  I have found that there really is no good way to summarize all of my experiences and all of my emotions in a brief and concise manner.  If you want to know what the experience was like, why not go out and try it for yourself?  I’m glad that I decided to do it, and I challenge you to do the same.  Believe me, you won’t regret it.

Thanks again for your continued support of my ETHOS trip and your willingness to read about my experiences.  I’ll leave you with a quote that I heard from one of the administrators of the ETHOS program, which I believe summarizes where I’m at in my life right now.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”

An Apology To My Readers

Dear readers of the ETHOS Peru blog,

As you may have noticed, there has been a lack of new content in the past few weeks.  Unfortunately, as my time in Peru started to come to a close, I became very busy with finishing up my projects in the Institute and spending time with my host family.  As a result, I have failed to update my blog with any new information recently.  I am deeply sorry as this was not my original intention.

I left Peru and arrived back in the United States today, thus officially ending my ETHOS internship.  In the coming week, I hope to post some final thoughts and reflections about the experience.  Again, I apologize for failing to provide new updates, and I hope that you will return soon to read my final post.

Thanks again for your interest and support of my ETHOS experience.

John

A Few Thoughts

Nothing too important has happened this week, so I’ll just share a few random thoughts:

• Last week was the first time that I’ve ever done a significant amount of traveling by bus.  I took a 21-hour bus ride from Lima to Cuzco at the start of the week, and then at the end of the week I took a 16-hour bus ride to return back to Lima.  They certainly weren’t the most enjoyable experiences, but the tickets were cheap and it gave me a chance to see a lot of Peru.
• Machu Picchu is an amazing sight to see.  My group went early in the morning so that we could see the sun rise over the mountains.  We also had the chance to climb Wayna Picchu, which is the big mountain that sits behind the ruins that you always see in the pictures of Machu Picchu.  If you visit Peru, you have to make the trip to Machu Picchu.
• High altitude + Winter = Cold weather
• I celebrated the Fourth of July in the city of Puno, which is located by Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake.  Thanks to the equation above, I spent the evening shivering in 30-degree weather.
• By some miracle, we had sunshine in Callao during each of the past three days.  The sun hardly ever comes out here during the winter.
• Strange dishes that I have eaten in Peru:  cow heart, cow stomach, and cow liver.  The cow heart tasted good, but the stomach and liver had strange tastes to them.

I will try and have some pictures from my trip posted soon.  Here is one of me at Machu Picchu.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone in the U.S.A. has been enjoying their Independence Day celebrations.  I haven´t seen any such celebrations here in Peru, but there was a marching band playing some music earlier today.  I have no idea why.  I´m writing today from the city of Puno, which is located in the southeast part of Peru on Lake Titicaca.  The high temperature today is a scorching 55 degrees, which feels a lot colder than it actually is.  Needless to say, I have been shivering for a good part of the last day and a half.

Why am I in Puno you ask?  Well, for the past week I have been traveling with a group of 5 other people to visit some places in Peru.  We first spent a day in Cuzco and then visited some Incan ruins on the way to Machu Picchu.  We spent an entire day at Machu Picchu, which included watching the sunrise over the mountains and hiking up to the top of Wayna Picchu, which is the mountain that overlooks the Incan ruins.  That experience was absolutely amazing.  Pictures certainly don´t do Machu Picchu justice.  After Machu Picchu, we returned to Cuzco and then headed off to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca.  We had hoped to go to the rain forest instead, but a lack of time and money prevented us from doing that.

I will be visiting the city of Arequipa tomorrow and then heading back to Callao on Sunday.  This trip around Peru has been a great opportunity for me to see and learn more about the country.  Until next time, chao!

Life in Peru – Part 3

And now, the long-awaited conclusion of “Life in Peru”…

Spanish

Before arriving in Peru, I felt that my Spanish skills were pretty good.  I was by no means fluent, but I at least felt that I was adequately prepared to be able to speak Spanish for 11 weeks.  When I first arrived, I was actually surprised at how well I was doing communicating with people.  That feeling lasted all of about 3 days.  For those first 3 days, people asked me the typical “getting to know you”-type questions, like “Why are you in Peru?” and “Tell me about your family”.  After that, though, I was living with my host family and had to be able to talk about any topic that happened to come up.

Think for a second about all the different things that you talk about with other people on a daily basis.  Now, imagine trying to convey all of that information in a foreign language.  Even after about 6 years of Spanish in high school and college, I was amazed at how many things I wanted to say in Spanish but didn´t exactly know how to do so.  After living in Peru for a month now, it is much easier for me to communicate with other people.  I still continue to struggle with learning vocabulary and grammar, but I´m trying to improve a little bit each day.

In addition to speaking with people, understanding what they are saying back to you can also be challenging.  There are people who speak at an easy-to-understand pace and others who talk as though they are trying to cram as many words as possible into a 5-second span.  Sometimes I know exactly what is being said and other times I find myself completely lost.  Overall, I´ve improved considerably from where I was when I first arrived in Peru, but I still have a long way to go to reach the level where I would like to be at when I leave.

Food

It will be a miracle if I leave Peru not having gained any weight.  The food is delicious, and my host mother insists on serving me a full plate of food for lunch and dinner.  Breakfast usually consists of these small sandwiches that are filled with either jelly and butter, cheese, eggs, or (I´m not kidding here) lettuce, chicken, ketchup, mustard, and mayo.  Breakfast is usually served with a fruit juice/smoothie drink.  For lunch and dinner we almost always have rice and potatoes in addition to some type of meat, including chicken (the most frequent), steak, or fish.  Also included with some of the dishes are beans and vegetables.  Lunch and dinner are always followed by dessert consisting of some type of fruit.

My favorite meal so far is called “Bistec a lo Pobre”, which includes a thin-cut piece of meat, french fries, rice, platano, and a fried egg.  It is absolutely delicious.  I´ve also started to develop a taste for some spicier foods.  They have a condiment that I always put on my rice called ají, which can really add some kick to the food.  One thing I´ve noticed is that every dish seems to have a name, which I can never seem to remember.  My family always gives me a hard time by quizzing me on the names of dishes.  I´ve learned that “chicken, rice, and potatoes” is not the correct answer to those questions.

Weather

Peru is located in the southern hemisphere, which means that as of this past Sunday, it is winter here.  The temperature during the day usually stays in the low 60s, while at night it drops into the mid 50s.  During this part of the year, the sun doesn´t come out much because it is covered up by something called “garua”.  “Garua” is a low-lying cloud caused by dry winds hitting the mountains.  Also, it hardly ever rains here, and when it does rain, the rainfall is equivalent to what I would call drizzle.  I really can´t complain about the weather, although the people that I´ve seen walking around in winter coats probably wouldn´t say the same.

Sorry for the lack of any posts last week.  I had quite a few things to work on at the Institute.  Next week, I will be traveling with some friends from the ETHOS program to Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and the rain forest.  It will be the first time that I´ve had the chance to travel outside of Callao and Lima.  I´ll be sure to let you know how the trip went and put up some pictures when I get back.

Hopefully you enjoyed reading this “Life in Peru” series that I put together.  If you have any ideas for other topics that you would like me to talk about, feel free to send them to me.  Until next time, chao!

Life in Peru – Part 2

And now, the continuation of “Life in Peru”…

Instituto Chaminade Marianistas

Above:  The view of the Institute from the roof of the Peña house.  The Institute is the two-story building with red trim.

For eleven weeks this summer, I am working at Instituto Chaminade Marianistas, which I often refer to simply as “the Institute”.  Located in Callao, Peru, the Institute is a post-secondary technical school that offers a three-year career program in information and communication technologies as well as a program in business administration.  The Institute seeks to provide an affordable education to students, preferentially the poor from Callao, who otherwise would not have the financial means to attend school.  The Institute was founded in 1998 on the belief that empowering these students with a strong technical education rooted in Marianist values will enable them to find jobs and be successful in an increasingly technology-driven workplace.  The curriculum is comprised of a variety of computer and technology courses that are supplemented by humanities and English-language courses.

My role at the Institute is more or less to serve as a technical support assistant for the school.  I have been helping out with any computer problems that have come up, and there sure hasn’t been a shortage of them.  The Institute has three computer labs that require constant maintenance since they are used daily for classes.  There are two people who manage and maintain the technology used within the school in addition to teaching a few classes themselves.  There is also a group of student assistants who help to maintain the computer equipment.  I have primarily been working with the student assistants as a way of learning about the technology and techniques used at the Institute and trying to help them out with any problems that arise.  I will be starting to work on a bigger project next week, which I am looking forward to doing.

We are also anxiously awaiting the arrival of the shipment of donated computers from the University of Dayton that I coordinated before leaving the U.S.  I was able to collect 31 desktop computer towers and other computer accessories from the School of Engineering at UD to send to the Institute.  I think the Institute will benefit greatly from having these additional computers, so I will be really excited when they finally arrive.

In addition to working, I have also gotten involved with some of the student activities at the Institute as a way to interact with the students.  I have been participating in a youth group, taking a guitar class, and helping out as part of a volunteering group.  These have been great experiences for me because they have allowed me to interact with the students on a personal level while participating in some fun activities.

I have much more to share as part of this “Life in Peru” series, so stay tuned!

Life in Peru – Part 1

This is the first in a series of posts so cleverly entitled “Life in Peru”.  I thought it would be fun to try and describe what everyday life is like for me in Peru.  This includes writing about my host family, the school that I’m working at, and other random information that you might find interesting.  I’ll start with my host family.

The Peña Family

 

From left to right:  Felipe, Max, Adela, Me, Cintya, and Mariella

Simply put, living with the Peña family has been absolutely amazing.  I couldn’t have imagined a better host family.  From the first day I arrived at the house, Adela, my Peruvian mother, made it clear that I would be treated as if I were a member of the family.  This has helped me tremendously by making the transition to living in Peru very easy.  The family has been very interested in learning things about me and life in the U.S., and they also have been very willing to tell me about themselves and teach me things about Peru.

Max and Adela are my Peruvian parents.  They run a small bodega at the front of the house that sells food, drinks, toiletries, and a variety of other products.  They also earn money for the family by renting bedrooms in the house.  They both have been great in making sure that I feel comfortable in the house and that I have everything I need.  They enjoy giving me a hard time, which usually results in Adela jokingly threatening to send me back to the U.S.

Felipe (age 21) is my Peruvian brother, and Cintya (age 24) and Mariella (age 26) are my Peruvian sisters.  All of them are attending school at universities located in or around Lima.  In addition, they all have jobs.  Classes and work keep them very busy during the week, including Saturdays, but the entire family is usually able to spend time together on Sundays.  I’ve been helping Mariella and Cintya practice English, and I’ve played basketball a couple of times with Felipe.  We have a good time hanging out and joking around, usually at my expense.

One of the things that I have enjoyed most about living with the Peña family are the conversations we have had after lunches and dinners.  Called “sobremesas” in Spanish, these conversations after meals have led to interesting discussions about Peru, the family, myself, life in the U.S., and a number of other topics.  These have been neat experiences for me because it has allowed me to learn and share a great deal as well as observe and participate in the interactions of a Peruvian family.

Hopefully you now have a general idea of who my host family is and what they are like.  If you want to know anything else about them, feel free to send questions to me.  I’ll be sure to include more information about them in the coming posts of this “Life in Peru” series.

I’m All Shook Up

I was awoken on Saturday morning not by an alarm clock, not by a dog barking, not by someone listening to reggaeton or cumbia music on the radio, but instead by an earth tremor.  I had never experienced an earthquake or anything like that before, so you can imagine how confused I was when I woke up and found everything around me shaking.  The tremor eventually stopped, and I went back to sleep.  Apparently, there were two tremors that morning, but I had slept through the first one.  I was later informed that it would be a good idea to get out of the building if there are earth tremors again.

FYI, I added a few more pictures to the photo gallery from a trip I took to Lima with two UD students who are visiting Peru.  You can access the photo gallery here.  I will hopefully have some more pictures posted sometime this week.  I am also planning on writing a series of posts that discuss the various aspects of life in Peru.  Look for the first one to appear soon.

The Greatest Spectacle in Driving

It has been said that if you can drive on the streets of Lima, Peru, then you can drive anywhere in the world.  After having experienced the public transportation system of Peru for a little over two weeks, I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.  Traffic on the streets of Peru can best be described as organized chaos.  Think of what traffic on a go-kart track looks like.  Now apply that to city streets with cars, buses, motorcycles, and semi-trucks.  Three lanes of traffic magically become five.  Right-of-way at an intersection is determined by who honks their horn first.  Ignoring a red light occassionally is common practice.  Amazingly enough, the majority of the taxi drivers I’ve ridden with have used turn signals regularly.  Needless to say, a trip on the streets of Lima is not for the weak of heart.

I have had the pleasure of experiencing a variety of forms of transportation while in Peru.  Taxis are always interesting because the vast majority of them look like they could fall apart at any minute, which isn’t surprising seeing as how they race around the city.  A taxi fare is negotiated before getting in, so the taxi drivers do pretty much anything to get you to your destination as fast as possible.  One memorable trip included a taxi driver who gave us a history lesson about Peru, pointed out interesting buildings in Lima, bought a fake mouse while stopped at a traffic light, and let go of the steering wheel to scare a pedestrian who had stopped in between two lanes of oncoming traffic.  We got our money’s worth for that trip.

Other notable forms of transportation include combis and custers.  These are basically oversized vans used to haul as many people as possible around the city.  You would be surprised at how many people can cram into a vehicle at one time.  The interesting thing about these vehicles is that they have a person who is constantly yelling out the window about where the combi or custer is heading.  Somehow, the combis and custers manage to dart through traffic with the same speed as taxis, which makes for an interesting trip especially if you’re standing up.

Overall, I really enjoy the public transportation available in Peru.  It’s not only fast; it’s cheap, too.  Just be sure not to look at what’s happening around your vehicle because you probably don’t want to know.

In other news, I added a Links section to the sidebar which includes links to some blogs that other ETHOS students are keeping this summer.  If you want to find out about some of the other ETHOS projects that are going on, I would recommend checking out those blogs.

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!