The wake-up call was well before dawn to get to the airport on time. Eleven SSTers departed for O’Hare via Miami (three others stayed in Lima for a few days) on a 7:55 a.m. flight. Flying and driving time should put them into Goshen before midnight.

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Each of the students presented a final project, and we heard about a wide range of topics related to Peru: the effects of international tourism; machismo culture; the evangelical movement in Ayacucho; the status of individuals with mental disabilities; the importance of saints; recycling practices; single motherhood; the significance of dance to youth in Chimbote; the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission; folk literature in an age of globalization; geriatric health in rural areas; early childhood education; the 2011 presidential elections; and mandatory voting.

The two political projects were particularly timely: We listened to the presentations on election night, just as the results of the presidential race were being reported. It was an exciting evening, and the numbers kept shifting with every update. (Stay tuned for the runoff election between the top two candidates, Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori, in June.)

We were fortunate to have such a beautiful beach setting to reflect on the last three months! It was great to hear some of the many personal triumphs that occurred on SST. Here are just 14:

My patience level has gone way up. Having five younger siblings on service helped me to learn how to take a deep breath and go with whatever came my way.

A week of translating taught me that sometimes you just have to do something to learn how to do it—you can’t know always know in advance, and you have to have the courage to go ahead anyway.

Learning how to navigate Lima, and then Ayacucho, and feeling comfortable with both.

Being less concerned about germs. (I’m kind of a germ freak, so that’s really a big deal.)

Knowing that when things are hard, they’re going to get easier. Some things that seemed so overwhelming to me I was able to feel comfortable with just a week later.

When someone said to me: “Your Spanish is really good—are you from Mexico?”

Just experiencing city living for the first time. To me, even Goshen is big!

Asking for help or directions when I needed to—which is something I usually don’t even like to do in English.

Translating a sermon into Spanish, and having people understand.

Pushing myself out of my comfort zone—to try new things, to be more independent, to connect with my host family.

Before coming on SST I liked to schedule all my time and be in control of things—something I really couldn’t do here. That’s helped me to go with the flow better.

Learning to take a back seat sometimes and do what I’m told.

Learning to improvise, especially on service—how to get where I needed to go, and, once I got there, figuring out something to do, even when there wasn’t a lesson plan or much direction.

I learned I could handle working with kids every day for six weeks and not get too overwhelmed.

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In the Plaza de Armas

In 1540 Spanish conquistadors in southern Peru settled in a mostly sunny spot—shaded at times by the nearby volcano, El Misti—that, for centuries before their arrival, was home to indigenous Aymara people. Today that settlement is Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa, with nearly 850,000 residents and a strong tourist industry that features nearby snowcapped mountains, deep canyons, and rivers, as well as impressive colonial architecture that led UNESCO to designate Arequipa as a World Heritage Site.

For six weeks Zach and Nick are teaching English at two schools in addition to serving at San Luis Gonzaga, a government-run residential care center for at-risk boys, where they work with 8-to-11-year-olds during classes and recreation time. Their schedule requires a fair bit of transportation time (six buses a day!) but they find the commute worthwhile. “The kids are always happy to see us,” Zach says. While neither has previous teaching experience, they’ve jumped right in with their English students from all levels of primary and secondary school, teaching them colors, animals, the family tree, and giving an introduction to verbs.

During the morning and early afternoon Ashley is working at Colegio Cristiano Salamon, where she assists in the 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old classrooms. In the evening she’s been working with a physical therapist associated with Medical Mission International (MMI) to provide therapy for low-income clients, many of whom are children. Ashley says the young clients she works with have “the most determination and most genuine smiles I’ve ever seen.” She has appreciated the connection between her service sites and her social work major.

Hannah is also working with MMI, where she has been doing PR and design work. So far she has set up an MMI Facebook page, created posters for upcoming health campaigns, and produced health information cards for common medical problems that volunteer doctors and nurses can distribute to individuals seeking treatment.  In the evenings Hannah has been working at a church-run café called Berea, where she makes coffee drinks, washes dishes, and has ample opportunity to practice her Spanish.

Ben is working three days a week at a church-affiliated farm, where he’s been building a tractor shed out of sandbags. He also works with MMI two days a week, organizing their warehouse and helping in the office. And two nights a week Ben puts his musical skills to work during the church’s worship band practice, where musicians have been learning and practicing the keyboard, guitar, and drums.

The students have just 10 more days at their service sites before returning to Lima for our final retreat.

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Two are welcoming in the new academic year at local schools. Chelsea is teaching English at Institución Educativa Cristiana William Thompson, an elementary school with about 60 students. Her first two weeks were at the end of summer vacation here, so she helped paint the school, created lesson plans, and met the staff and new students. She stays busy with her host family, which includes five siblings, ages 1 to 18.

Marita is working at Institución Educativa Privada Inicial Vidas, a preschool and kindergarten where she is assisting the teachers and helping her 2- to 5-year-old students learn some English. In her first two weeks, Marita also helped paint the school, organize classrooms, and recruit students. Her host mom is the supervisor for Jessie, who is in the same building during the week, working at a small clinic where she sees several patients a day—most of whom are indigenous Quechua speakers (and some who pay their bill in vegetables). She’s also helping the clinic develop a safer system of prescribing medication. On the weekends, she’s in the village of Quinua, a 50-minute drive on winding mountain roads. There she’s helping re-open a larger clinic that was closed for several months due to lack of funds.

Lauren is at Kawsay Asociación Cristiana, an organization that produces materials in the Quechua language for Bible study and religious radio segments. She has been researching and collecting faith-based Spanish-language resources on family issues (domestic violence, alcoholism, child development) to be translated into Quechua and produced and distributed to a network of radio stations. In an unexpected service opportunity, Lauren recently helped prepare a variety of Peruvian dishes for a group of visiting U.S. engineers who were working on a new building for a local orphanage. The week’s menu included, among other things, ají de gallina, lomo saltado, causa, and sopa criolla.

Becca is working at Iglesia Asamblea de Dios de Los Olivos, a church of about 70 people, mostly indigenous, where she is teaching Sunday school and leading children’s programs four days a week. In addition, she’s been accompanying the church’s pastor and his wife—who are also her host parents—on home visits, prayer meetings, and other church activities. The church services are mainly in Quechua and, when asked, Becca has led the congregation in prayer—although in Spanish rather than Quechua!

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It´s true that much of the reality here is bleak. According to the Pan American Health Organization, at least 45 percent of Chimbote’s residents live in conditions of extreme poverty. The international aid organization CARE reports that the average Chimbotano earns only around $300 each year, and the Worldwatch Institute reports that life expectancy in Chimbote is 10 years lower than Peru’s national average.  But more than 400,000 people continue to call Chimbote home–including four SSTers who are living there for six weeks, working at the Los Amigos Center.

In areas where Los Amigos operates, the unemployment or underemployment rate is believed to be as high as 87 percent. So when Jackson, Julia, Kayla, and Tim arrived in Chimbote they had an idea of the harsh reality that they would be facing. While they’ve found that, they’ve also found some amazing people at Los Amigos—both the Peruvian staff and volunteers from abroad—working in their various programs and creating a vibrant community.

Jackson has been helping with preschool-aged children in the cuna (nursery) at Los Amigos in the mornings, while Julia teaches English to children at the different bibliotecas (libraries). Their hands are full with young, active learners. On Wednesdays Julia shadows a social worker making home visits. In the afternoons Jackson and Julia are joined by Kayla at one of Los Amigos’ several casas de prevencion (after-school programs), where they provide homework assistance, teach English, and direct games for the children there.

Kayla and Tim are working with teenagers in the Casa de Juventud. They both provide homework help to high school students, and they both are able to share their own passions: Kayla teaches dance classes three mornings a week, and Tim has been teaching art classes, making the most of limited resources to encourage creativity.

The SSTers´host families live within a few blocks of the center, so they can easily walk to work. And four times a week, all four SSTers take to the soccer field with other volunteers and Los Amigos staff members.

One day during our visit they held a despedida (going away party) for one long-term volunteer. The SSTers made a cake and decorated the party space—and had a great time at the despedida!

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Three days later 10 students met at the Cruz del Sur bus station to depart for their new cities. Ashley, Ben, Hannah, Nick, and Tim headed south about 550 miles to Arequipa, while Becca, Chelsea, Jessie, Lauren, and Marita drove southeast about 250 miles to Ayacucho. The next morning the final group, Jackson, Julia, Kayla, and Tim, left for Chimbote, about 275 miles north of Lima.

Everyone made it safely to their new locations, and they are all starting their service assignments this week.

Our blog updates will be a little less frequent for the next six weeks; Kevin and Heather will be visiting each student while they’re on service (Chimbote is up first–Kevin will be going next week). We’ll post updates when we return with photos and news from each group.

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Manco Cápac, Mama Ocllo, the sun god Inti, and the cast of thousands

To mark the special occasion of our despedida—our host family thank you and service sendoff party—Lima was graced with a few unusual raindrops and, more significantly, a beautiful rainbow that seemed to end right at the Good Shepherd Cathedral hall, where we gathered Friday night to celebrate with our host families, language professors, coordinators, and other friends of the program.

The students put together an impressive evening of entertainment, including music (both singing and a drumming performance on the Peruvian cajón), dance, a juggling act, and an individual speech (in Spanish!) from each student to their host family. They also treated the audience to a variety of theatrical performances, including the comical “Five ways to spot a gringo” skit and the dramatization of the Inca legend of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo.

The entertainment was followed up with some excellent refreshments: plenty of Inca Kola, chicken sandwiches, guacamole and chips, and the very popular “puppy chow” that Goshen students have introduced to Peru over the last several years.

The despedida fell on Julia’s birthday, so we took the opportunity to celebrate by singing “Felíz Cumpleaños” to her, as well the four (!) March birthdays: Ben, Hannah, Lauren, and Tim. Fortunately, we had many people on hand to help us enjoy the five delicious birthday cakes.

The evening was a meaningful and very fun conclusion to the SSTers time in Lima.  Unfortunately, our camera malfunctioned and we missed too many great shots—we are grateful that Becca’s host brother shared many of his photos with us to share with you.

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On the road to somewhere interesting!

Our travels around Lima took us to three interesting places in the last week: La Inmaculada is a primary and secondary school run by the Jesuits, a Catholic religious order. The school has two distinctive facilities on campus: a zoo (which helps protect endangered species from Peru) and its own water treatment facility. The water treatment facility began almost 20 years ago; it takes advantage of one of the city’s major sewage pipes that runs nearby and eventually drains into the ocean. The school siphons sewage from the pipe and sends it through a series of filtering pools. The end result, free of toxins from the waste, is used to water the school’s sports fields, landscaping, and a variety of produce grown on the grounds, including avocados, figs, olives, pecans, and oranges. In a city where water access and availability is a serious issue, this innovative system is encouraging to see.

We also visited a summer program for children run by the Anglican Church in a working-class neighborhood in the southern part of the city, where we played with kids who were enjoying the last few days of summer. (The new school year starts here on March 1—just in time for autumn in the southern hemisphere.)

Finally, we visited the studio of one of Peru’s best-known artists, Victor Delfín. The students had a beautiful day to explore his unique cliff-top art space/home/studio that features his paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and a terrific ocean view. Delfín’s most famous work in Lima is his massive sculpture “El Beso” (“The Kiss”) in the city’s Parque del Amor. During our visit Delfín was painting in his studio, and he stopped to talk with us for a bit about his art.

The SSTers are anxious to find out exactly where they’ll be doing service (which starts next week!)…and they’ll find out this Wednesday, when all will be revealed.  Before then, however, they’ve got a final to take (on Tuesday) and our despedida party to prepare for (on Friday). So they’re keeping busy!

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Preparing a pachamanca feast

Our week began with two lectures focusing on the indigenous peoples of Peru. First we heard from Mennonite Pastor Jose Manuel Prada Bernal on how the oppression of indigenous peoples continues to this day, as many have been forced off of their land to make way for commercial enterprises such as logging, mineral acquisition, and oil excavation. Next we heard from Catholic priest and professor of indigenous studies Jaimie Regan about the lives of indigenous peoples in the Amazonas region, and how their environment affects their daily life.

On Thursday, we continued our study of native cultures by visiting the nearby huaca (sacred place) Pachacamac, a museum and huge archaeological site just south of Lima that dates as far back as 200 A.D. and remained in use (by various groups for various purposes, but most often as a religious center) for more than a millennium.

Finally, we enjoyed a traditional Andean feast: pachamanca, which means “earth oven” in Quechua. Our friend Alicia directed the cooking crew and served up a tasty meal of chicken, potatoes, tamales, beans, and sweet potatoes, all cooked underground in a pit full of heated rocks. It’s a special meal that we were glad to share right before the SSTers last week in Lima.

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Ready to set sail!

One of Lima’s more impressive features is the city’s extensive park system. After a morning of delivering water to households that lack plumbing in Villa El Salvador, we visited the nearby Parque Huascar. This beautiful park is situated in one of the poorer communities in Lima. With its ample green spaces, big pond, sports facilities, pool, and zoo, it truly is an oasis. Admission of 1.5 soles (about 50 cents) per adult and just half a sol for students makes an occasional visit in reach for most residents.

It exists in large part thanks to the perseverance of former mayor (and current presidential candidate) Luis Castañeda Lossio, who worked  to provide recreation areas for poorer communities. We admired the variety of animals in the zoo, including tigers, llamas, alpacas, horses, monkeys, iguanas, and turtles. Some SSTers opted for a boat ride, while others took a stroll and sampled some delightful Peruvian ice cream.

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