Peruvian First Impressions
I did not think I would be able to study abroad while in college, but Marquette’s month-long “Education in the Americas” program convinced me to step outside my comfort zone and venture into a foreign country. The program is led by a professor from the College of Education, is attended by other Marquette education majors, and incorporates two education courses, Critical Inquiry into Contemporary Issues and Philosophy of Education. While in Peru, we will be visiting schools from various socio-economic classes, taking language classes with students from the local Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (UARM), and embarking on a comparative study of educational systems and practices to help us become better educators.
We have spent two full-days in Peru. These two days have been very busy, including orientation, tours, soccer, and classwork. However, I now have some time to reflect on my first impressions of Peru. My first thought when I got off the plane in Peru was, “Wow, it’s humid.” Since Peru is in a different hemisphere, they are entering fall, which means cooler temperatures — but the humidity is unavoidable. This also means that while back home, the days were getting longer, the sun is setting earlier here. As I was on my way to my homestay, the next thing that I noticed was how many people are in Lima, Peru’s capital city. The buses were full, the streets were packed with cars, and the sidewalks were crowded. Before this, the biggest city I had been to was Chicago, which has a population of around 2.7 million people. Lima’s population is about 10 million people. After a long day of travelling, the amount of traffic was a bit overwhelming; I was relieved when we arrived at the quieter street of our homestay. Our host mother was waiting for us and helped me with my oversized bags. Her immediate warmth and kindness helped ease some of my nerves. During breakfast and dinner, I have done my best to converse with her using my limited Spanish knowledge. She has great stories to share. (And the food is good too!) While speaking with her and other native Spanish speakers, I have also noticed how patient and considerate they are as I try to conjugate verbs and remember vocabulary. It is uncomfortable to be in a place in which I don’t understand the dominant language, and these first couple of days have helped me further understand the struggles that English Language Learners in the U.S. face.
Our first full day in Peru was spent at UARM, getting acquainted with the university, learning about its programs, and talking to Peruvian education students. From our initial orientation at the university, I was left thinking about the similarities between Marquette and UARM. UARM’s campus is much smaller than Marquette’s, but the classroom set-ups and offered majors appear to be similar. UARM has posters throughout the campus that are written in Spanish and the indigenous languages of Aymara and Quechua, giving the university a sense of cultural awareness and inclusivity. In addition, both Marquette and UARM are Jesuit universities, so some of their educational pedagogies and ideologies overlap. For example, the idea of cura personalis, the idea of “care for the whole person,” was stressed during both my Marquette and UARM orientations. Further, the two universities’ slogans are similar: UARM’s is “Be bold enough to be the change,” and Marquette’s is “Be the difference.” Both institutions emphasize the necessity of making a difference and working towards justice. Based on my initial impressions of UARM, I am looking forward to studying in this environment over the next few weeks.
On our second day, we got to learn more about the work the Jesuits are doing in Peru. They have implemented various programs to help Lima’s mst vulnerable populations, including children, women, and the disabled. Like many former-colonies, Peru faces various issues, including unsafe living conditions and social inequality. Like the United States, the distribution of wealth is uneven. According to a report done by Oxfam, approximately 60% of Peru’s population is poor or vulnerable. During this second day, we visited El Agustino, one of Lima’s poorer districts. Many of the homes are built up in the large hills surrounding Lima’s center. In addition to problems with water and electricity, these multi-level structures are not stable and an earthquake would prove to be disastrous. As I heard the statistics about El Agustino, one of my initial reactions was shock. I thought, “If everyone knows how dangerous it is to live in these places why isn’t more being done to move these people to a safer, more sustainable location?” Of course, there are many complicated answers to my initial, naïve question. Among many other things, even if there was more space available for housing (which there is not) relocating such a large population of people would be extremely costly. But as I listened to the presentation about the Jesuits’ efforts, I was inspired by the amount of hope and determination they have. They work with the communities, harnessing their assets to improve their neighborhoods, and they help organize and mobilize the people to pressure the government to enact real reforms that will bring about positive change.
During our first days in Peru, one of the most important things I noticed was how much I can learn from the Peruvian educators, students, and social reformers. As the month continues, I hope to see more examples of social programs and efforts, of pedagogical strategies, and of Peruvian culture that will help me as I work towards becoming a licensed educator. Some believe that the values and systems of the United States should be implemented throughout the globe, despite differences in histories and cultures. But from my first couple of days in Peru, I can see this is not the case. Peru’s rich history and culture as already proven to be one that the U.S. could learn from, and I am looking forward to learning as much as I can over the next month.
