the journey so far…

Today is May 2nd, and it already feels like we´ve accomplished so much.  We arrived in Lima on Wednesday, April 28th and our first official day of class was Thursday, April 29th.   On this day, at the office of the Ashoka in Lima, we were told a beautiful story about how sometimes all people need is a bridge to come together to accept and appreciate their differences.  Sara, one of the Ashoka fellows we have had the privilege of meeting, told us that through our desire to come here and to volunteer, we are acting as both the bridge and the carpenter that creates it.  This analogy displays something we hope to accomplish during our stay in Peru.

On April 30th, at our first volunteer site at Deporte y Vida, we were able to learn about Peru´s people and its culture within the span of only a few hours.  The mothers and other relatives that help the children there discussed everything from the weather to the current economic state of their city; and though it took a little while, the children, curious and accepting, wanted to learn about us and share information about themselves.  They accepted us as people who want to learn about their culture, and they invited us to the beach to experience one of their festivals first hand.  They also shared some of their own life stories, and we had discovered so much about each other that by the time we had to leave, it was difficult to say goodbye.

We´ve already had one wonderful experience with volunteer work at Deporte y Vida in Lurin Chincha, and I look forward to the volunteer work I will get to experience starting tomorrow in Arequipa.