It has only been one week since all arrived in DC, which is really hard to believe. In so many ways I feel like I’ve been here for much longer than that. Today was mostly an interactive day of training. During our language class we took the “combi” or mini-bus to the closest big town, Chosica. The combi prices seem to vary depending upon who you ask, but we arrived intact. Most people take the combis everyday, but I live close enough to walk most everywhere. The combis are quite an experience; they seem to be packed full of people most all of the time, and barely stop to let more people on. My head almost hits the ceiling of these buses, and holding on can be a test of your balance.
While in Chosica we spoke with various natives in order to better understand the city and some of the basic things we need to know, including money and transportation. It is a pretty little city, but the poverty is quite blatant. Children sell candies and offer to shine shoes in the parks, and the city is surrounded by “pueblos jovenes” which are poor neighborhoods situated on the steep hills on the outside of the city.
During the afternoon we interviewed members of the community to get a better idea of the educational system within Chaclacayo and Peru. There seems to be a significant divide between both private and public schools as well as rural and urban schools. State-run schools seem to be overcrowded, lacking resources, and have poor teaching staff while private schools have smaller classes, more opportunities, and better trained teachers. The universities here are quite competitive, and the entrance exam seems to be incredibly important. Also, universities are located almost entirely in Lima or other large regional capitals, so many rural youth have extremely limited knowledge of educational opportunities after graduation from la escuela secundaria at age 16.
After dinner I spent the night talking with my host parents for a solid 3 hours. We ended up talking about just about everything you could imagine; the pros and cons of a capitalist society, the existence of God, the end of the world, political corruption, etc. It is really cool to get a different perspective on world events, and my host parents are much more open about touchy topics than most people I know from home, so their direct questions open a lot of doors to interesting conversation.
While in Chosica we spoke with various natives in order to better understand the city and some of the basic things we need to know, including money and transportation. It is a pretty little city, but the poverty is quite blatant. Children sell candies and offer to shine shoes in the parks, and the city is surrounded by “pueblos jovenes” which are poor neighborhoods situated on the steep hills on the outside of the city.
During the afternoon we interviewed members of the community to get a better idea of the educational system within Chaclacayo and Peru. There seems to be a significant divide between both private and public schools as well as rural and urban schools. State-run schools seem to be overcrowded, lacking resources, and have poor teaching staff while private schools have smaller classes, more opportunities, and better trained teachers. The universities here are quite competitive, and the entrance exam seems to be incredibly important. Also, universities are located almost entirely in Lima or other large regional capitals, so many rural youth have extremely limited knowledge of educational opportunities after graduation from la escuela secundaria at age 16.
After dinner I spent the night talking with my host parents for a solid 3 hours. We ended up talking about just about everything you could imagine; the pros and cons of a capitalist society, the existence of God, the end of the world, political corruption, etc. It is really cool to get a different perspective on world events, and my host parents are much more open about touchy topics than most people I know from home, so their direct questions open a lot of doors to interesting conversation.
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