The students are all with their host families now after having spent 2 days together in orientation activities, including introductions, walking to the ocean, tasting a variety of new fruits, and going over many basic housekeeping details for SST life in Peru. On Saturday we traveled by bus to visit the historic center of Lima, including a monastery where 3 Peruvian saints are buried as we learned about the influence of Catholicism in the country’s history.
At the end of Saturday came the most anticipated time of the day, the moment when each student meets one or both of their host parents for the next 5 weeks. We returned to the hostel where the students had slept their first two nights, and we found that parents had already started to gather. Each student will spend Sunday with their family, and then Monday morning someone from each family will show the student how to use public transportation to get to classes. In the afternoon each student will also be escorted home, and likewise for Tuesday and Wednesday as needed.
For lunch on Saturday we walked 3 blocks to an ocean overlook where we spotted surfers and dolfins.Lunch was “causa,” a Peruvian favorite made from chicken salad and mashed potatoes.Walking down to the ocean.Only a few wanted to brave the cold ocean waves.Ice cream with Peruvian fruit flavors.Alicia, the housekeeper at Casa Goshen, prepared her traditional fruit-o-rama sampler plates for all of the students.While a few of the Peruvian fruits were familiar, most were new.Josh enjoys trying to figure out which parts of this fruit can be eaten.Caleb isn’t sure what to make of this fruit flavor.At the historic Santo Domingo Monastery in the center of Lima.Our guide shows us tiles from 1606.Climbing up the monastery’s bell tower.From the bell tower we saw dry hills jutting up from the irrigated city below.Alia, and in the background Cerro Cristobal that we would visit later.In the main plaza, waiting for the changing of the guard at the presidential palace.The changing of the guard.On our way to lunch we stopped to watch some living statues.At lunch students got to try a variety of typical Peruvian dishes.Back on the street, walking to another important landmark.A statue of San Martin, one of the liberators of Peru, in the plaza bearing his name.While waiting for the bus some students started a game of hacky-sack …… and this kid was not shy of asking to join.Cerro San Cristobal, our next destination.Although students didn’t know most of their classmates beforehand, bonding happens fast on SST.Austin with host father Percy.Dez with host mother Gladys.Josh with host mom CeciliaCaleb with host mom Jeny.Hans with host mom Eliana.Christy with host dad Christian.Marisa with host parents Rina and Willy.Olivia with host mom Alicia.Maddy with host mom Livia.Clara with host mom Sara.Alia with host mom Maria Luisa.Nathan with host parents Ruben and Jessica.Connor with host parents Biviana and Dalmacio.Mara and host parents Juan and Celedonia.Erin with host mom (on left) CarmenKarina and host parents Marta and Luis.Jordan with host parents Francisco and Maria.Meredith with host parents Christopher and Maria.Anja with host parents Antonio and Lourdes.Cassie with host mom Francisca.Landon with host parents Maria and Eddy.
