DAY 4: Patch Blogger Heads to Peru

Cuatro, cinco, seis… We finally rode the infamous motorbikes today, as we made a trip to the local high school – which also services as the elementary and middle school. The way it works is that each group of students has school at a different time, i.e. elementary school at 7 AM, middle school at 11 AM, high school at 3 PM (numbers are just for the sake of example), to make complete use of the facility. Riding in a mototaxi was probably one of the roughest moments of my life, particularly because we exceeded the weight limit by at least 50 pounds. It’s similar to riding an UPS truck with no seatbelt, as you tilt from side to side at every turn and lack doors at your side to keep you inside the vehicle. Our entire group hired about 10 mototaxis, and the drivers participated in a bit of a race on the way there.

Upon arriving at the high school, I was a little surprised at how uniform the entire school was. The kids were all dressed in the same uniform and standing up in straight single file lines with their right arms stretching out to the shoulder of the individual in front of them. Someone from our group remarked that it was like a military academy for young children. We performed a couple skits and danced to some music, then passed out several treats to all the kids. We allocated several bags to the teachers to give out to their classrooms as well.

The awesome part of this experience was realizing the fervor the kids expressed in just receiving a simple gift. Simply holding up a couple flyers about a medical campaign we were holding at our mission site meant that a swarm of hundreds of kids would surround you in a couple seconds; they were just so innocent and eager for presents. We also handed out balloons for the kids to play with among themselves.

On the ride back we chose to take the bus, but one problem was that no one had Peruvian currency. Someone from our group tried to pay with American dollars, but apparently the driver scoffed at the offer. Eventually a Peruvian volunteer shelled out some change and we managed to have a safe, albeit crowded, ride to the mission site. The events we held today were somewhat bittersweet, being that today was the last day we’d be holding them. Regardless, the day panned out to be eventful and fun-filled - to be expected when you have hundreds of kids ready for activity.

One of the awesome things we did today was hold a picture station for kids to take pictures with their family. It was very popular, and because we brought over a portable printer from America, we were able to print out the pictures on the spot. I felt honored to have several of the kids ask for a picture with me, and it was very touching to share smiles with such bright souls.

Above all, I’ve become very satisfied with the time I’ve spent in Peru, and I’ve had many experiences I’ve learned to cherish and hold dear to my heart. ­­­­­­The city itself is very serene, despite the raucous lifestyle we were introduced to when we first came. The food has been excellent – which reminds me, we spotted some guinea pigs in the bushes today, and because I frequently talked about wanting to eat cuy, the locals asked me if I wanted to try it. I immediately said no – I’m not the type of person who’s vicious enough to kill my own prey just to satisfy my appetite; I guess I need to watch more “Man vs Wild.” I’ll get back on topic - the people have been amazing, and the experiences have been life-changing.

One interesting aspect to note is how, despite the conformity, it’s very easy to spot out the privileged from the non-privileged. For example, when talking about students, the more privileged students took mototaxis to school, had freshly ironed uniforms, and even stopped by for some treats along the way. The less privileged students had to walk to school, braving a fierce dust storm along the way (because of the dust created by the mototaxis), and often had dusty uniforms by the time they arrived at school. It’s easy to note the rough and gritty lifestyle kids here grow up in, especially when opportunities are limited to such an extent. Kids here either have to self-educate themselves or never learn, as their parents are often too busy to help them. It honestly breaks my heart to say goodbye to these kids, especially the young ones I’ve gotten to know over the past few days, but I need to remember that the hope is that the work we’ve done here will last a lifetime…and then some. Tomorrow will officially be the last day we have in Peru, and the majority of it will be spent with the awesome volunteers who helped us throughout the week. Until then!