This past June, I had the opportunity to participate in a 6-week Roundsquare exchange in Lima, Perú. While there, I immersed myself in the Peruvian culture while attending classes at the San Silvestre School. I took English, Spanish, psychology, visual arts, math, biology, a class called Theory of Knowledge, and World Religions. It was different attending an all-girls school, and I found San Silvestre to be very integrated with their middle school, something I am not used to at Cate. To make the most of my experience, I also participated in many after-school activities such as field hockey, soccer, badminton, MUN, debate, and even joined their video newsletter, The Scoop.
I couldn't have asked for a better host family. I shared a room with my host, Araceli, in a small apartment with her older sister, mom, and helper, Ana (basically a family member), located in Miraflores, Perú, just a few blocks from San Silvestre. They took me around Lima and even to other parts of the country and introduced me to aspects of Peru's culture and, of course, the delicious foods! Some of my favorites dished included Alfajores, a cookie made of two thin pieces of shortbread in between a layer of dulce de leche sprinkled with a thin layer of powdered sugar, Chicha Morada, a drink made of purple corn and spices, and trucha con arroz morada, native trout cooked in a tangy gooseberry sauce served with purple rice. Something that surprised me was that there are over 4,000 varieties of potatoes in Perú.
During my first weekend, my host family took me on a tour of the city, stopping at La Plaza de Armas, where we saw the government palace and went on a guided tour of the Lima Metropolitan Cathedral. Being built in one of the oldest districts of Lima, the architecture was unlike anything else in the city.
During my second week, I was invited to go on the Form 2 (8th grade) trip to Lunahuaná as a Form 5 (senior) leader. There, I river rafted on the Cañete River, rock climbed, repelled, ziplined, and visited the local plaza where I tried Chocotejas (a homemade local treat consisting of dulce de leche and toasted pecans covered in chocolate) for the first time. As someone who has learned to love the outdoors during my time at Cate, I had a special appreciation for the nature on this trip. Despite having to reapply repellent every half hour to avoid what felt like millions of mosquitos and the possibility of Dengue Fever, it was a fantastic trip.
On the third weekend, I went to the countryside (Los Condores, Chaclacayo) about 1.5 hours west of the city and stayed at my host’s grandmother’s house for the weekend. It was nice to get out of the city and get some sunshine since Lima is constantly cloudy and grey during the winter.
One thing I noticed while in Peru is that life runs slower. Although I was warned before coming that Peruvians often speak adding the ending -ita to much of their everyday language, such as ahora (meaning "now") to ahorita (meaning "I say now but actually mean 3 hours from now”), it wasn't until I was there that I actually started to notice anything. People take their time, eat slower, walk slower, stop and start conversations with people passing by on the sidewalk, and aren't constantly worried about rushing to whatever is next. They live in the moment, appreciating whatever is happening in the present. This is something I am working to incorporate into my daily life.
Week four was Arts Week at San Silvestre(their version of our spirit week at Cate). On Monday, students came to school dressed in their sports uniforms with a shirt of their house’s color. Tuesday was “step on stage,” an event hosted by the school's activity committee during lunch where students (and faculty) could perform with their friends. Wednesday was Folklores! Folklores is an annual dance competition at San Silvestre between the four houses, Hope, Kufal, Conroy, and Evans. Each house had a group of dancers that competed by preparing and performing a traditional Peruvian dance. There was no school on Thursday because of parent-teacher conferences, but on Friday, there was a Peruvian dessert bake sale.
On Saturday, the 24th of June, my host had an MUN conference, so I stayed back. Araceli’s mom and her friend, Lucho, took me out to lunch at the restaurant at Huaca Pucllana, the ancient Incan ruins in Lima. Here I had honestly some of the best food I have ever had. We had empanadas fritas de yuca rellenas de queso con ají de cocona (yucca and cheese empanadas with cocona and aji sauce), causa con escabeche caliente de camarones (potato causa with sautéed crayfish and pickled onions), clásico cebiche de corvina o charela y sus acompañamientos (classic fish ceviche marinated in lemon and Chile, served with corn and sweet potatoes), uñas de cangrejo y langostinos apanados con salsa Chifera de limón y canela china al sillau (crab claws covered with shrimp in a lemon-soy and five spice sauce), and conchitas en salsa de mantequilla y limón gratinadas a la parmesana (broiled scallops with parmesan cheese and lemon butter).
After lunch, we walked through John F. Kennedy Park on our way to the Peruvian Marketplace. Walking through Perú, not as much Lima or many of the wealthier cities, but more throughout the not-as-well-off towns, you will find many stray dogs; this was something I noticed as I drove to Lunahuana, which was southeast of Limá. There were many stray cats in John F. Kennedy Park, but they didn't seem to bother the locals and tourists as they minded their own business and kept to themselves, sprawled out in the grass. At the market, I found many souvenirs to bring back, as well as hand-weaved baskets and handmade and dyed blankets and scarves. That same evening, one of my friends, Martina, celebrated her birthday with some friends. It was a small get-together with sushi and bite-size desserts, but I relished the time spent with everyone together.
The next day, my host family, along with their close family friends, took me out for lunch at a Chifa restaurant. Since the first weeks in Perú, locals raved about the Chinese-Peruvian fusion they called Chifa, so it had been on my list of things to try. We ordered family style, sharing large portions of Chaufa, fried rice with Peruvian flavors, and Tallarin Saltado, pan-fried egg noodles. Inca Kola is a must-have when eating Chifa, and although Inca Kola isn’t my favorite, tasting much like bubble gum, my host family proved correct as it accompanied this cuisine very well.
Although I did attend school the six weeks I was there, I found that most of my fondest experiences, other than meeting and getting to know so many amazing people, were the weekends. My host family went above and beyond, taking me to Chiclayo and Trujillo (Northern Perú) with the family of my host’s best friend, Gaby. I can’t express my gratitude enough for this life-changing opportunity. While in Chiclayo, we stayed at GCP, an organic avocado, blueberry, and asparagus farm that exports most of its produce to the US. I was able to see how they grow their produce and the science and careful attention to agriculture that goes into maintaining such a large-scale organic farm that also oversees its own production. The farm also had horses, and I was lucky enough to go horseback riding for the first time, which I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to do again. While in Chiclayo, we visited the Sipan Ruins and tombs at Huaca Rajada. We then drove about 3 hours to Trujillo, Gaby’s hometown, where we visited Chan Chan, the largest man-made, earthen city in the World, and Huaca de la Luna, ruins that have yet to be fully uncovered due to lack of funds to do so. Huaca de la Luna was my favorite ruin that I visited because, unlike all the others, the colors of the paintings on the walls were still preserved, allowing me to more accurately picture what life would have been like thousands of years ago. In Trujillo, we had stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Big Bens, which felt like a true tribute to Mr. Williams. After lunch, Araceli, Gaby, and I surfed at Playa Huanchaco. On our way back to where we were staying, we stopped for Picarones, a Peruvian delicacy that can be most similarly described as a sweet potato donut dipped in a syrup made from cane sugar.
My last few days consisted of many bittersweet moments. While fitting in lots of final sightseeing, we visited the Peruvian market, where I bought souvenirs and gifts. I slowly began to say my goodbyes. Among all the friends that I had made along with my host family, one of the hardest goodbyes I had to make was to the housekeeper, Ana. Only speaking Spanish, I had many memorable conversations with her about her experiences growing up and living in Perú. Despite the language barrier, we were able to connect in a meaningful way. Despite only having known me for less than six weeks, she cared so deeply for me, and we are still in contact today.
If anyone reading this is interested in participating in an international exchange, DO IT! It can be scary and a huge adjustment, but it was one of the best experiences and decisions I have ever made, and I strongly urge everyone presented with the opportunity to go for it!
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