Maria and Caleb are working in San Ramón in the province of Chanchamayo – the entry point to the selva central, Peru’s central rain forest. In spite of busy work schedules, the students have found time to enjoy their host families as well as the flora, fauna and warm temperatures…
Gina and Natalie are volunteering in Tarma, a delightful city of about 60,000 residents located in a fertile valley about 3,053 meters, or 10,016 feet, above sea level in the Andes mountain range. Tarma was founded in 1538 in the departamento (state) of Junín, between the central coast and the…
This semester, five students in the Peru SST program are providing service in Ayacucho, a city of about 151,000 in the south-central Andes of the country. Ayacucho is famous for its 33 Catholic churches, which are said to represent one for each year of Jesus’ life. Because of its substantial…
The five students in Ayacucho are doing well and have some great experiences to report. We (Peru SST Co-Directors Richard R. Aguirre and Judy Weaver) visited them on a couple of sunny days, interspersed with refreshing nighttime rain – typical weather for this time of year in the Andes.
Malaina and April are spending the service portion of their Study-Service Term in the coastal town of Chancay, a couple of hours north of Lima. Chancay is a port and verdant agricultural area along the Peruvian coastal desert. The town of 54,000 people boasts a castle, a bustling central plaza,…
Less than two weeks after Goshen College students departed for their service assignments, we received the heartbreaking news that Father Jeffrey L. Klaiber, a gifted historian and a great friend of the Peru Study-Service Term program, abruptly died (March 4) due to complications from heart surgery. He was 71, but…
The morning after the despedida, or farewell celebration, Goshen College students gathered at Casa Goshen for their final service orientation. The Peru SST team gathered at Casa Goshen the last full day the students were in Lima. They are (from left): Lima Study Coordinator Celia Vasquez; Alicia…
The time in Lima drew to a close, and it was time for the Peru Study-Service Term students to say A Dios – go with God – to their host families in Lima. So the students planned a farewell celebration or despedida – a beloved Peru SST tradition. April…
Shortly before leaving Lima for their service assignments, Goshen students had a chance for individual creative expression during a jewelry workshop with Eliana and Ricardo Mauriola Carrasco, long-time host parents and friends of the Peru Study-Service Term program. Eliana and Ricardo make jewelry as a cottage business and sell necklaces,…
Why does an artist choose one medium over another? How does an artist stay motivated enough to create beautiful art year after year? Why would an artist get involved in politics? And why would an octogenarian artist continue to work 10- or 12-hour days instead of enjoying a carefree retirement?…
