Service Projects, Learning Spanish and Life in Peru

Program Details

My program was through Iowa State University and I was the youngest of 12 members of the group. The program was through ProPeru, a member of Proworld ,and you can also participate if you are attending a different college. Proworld's website includes details on how to get started on your service-learning experience.

Classes

In Peru I took 9 credits (6 credits were in Spanish and 3 credits in English, reflecting over the service projects that we completed). My class size was very small and I received great individualized attention. My biggest class was 12 people and my smallest was 4. We learned intermediate Spanish and about the Peruvian Culture in Spanish. The Peruvian Culture class would take field trips to local museums and explain the artifacts. My reflection class was taught in English and we learned about the communities that we were helping.



Incan Sites

The program also included excursions to local Incan Ruins, most notably, Machu Picchu which is considered to be one of the new seven wonders of the world.

We also saw several other ruins such as Saqsaywoman, Pisac, Ollantaytumbo, Moray, and Salineras. All the ruins were spectacular.

The service projects that I participated in included Construction projects, Health Campaigns, and stove construction. My tuition money helped pay for the projects that we completed.

For the construction projects we were told to dig a septic tank for a school that previously had no bathroom. The work was strenuous, but we went at our own pace. Locals from the community helped us work and my classmates and we worked as a team. Working with my friends from class, the work was fun as we joked around. We knew we were completing a project that was needed for the community and would benefit many generations of Peruvians.

Another day we also built the base of a school. The school would educate children of all ages and give them the chance to live an easier life.

We also participated in health campaigns. We checked children in the community for malnutrition and parasites. In one school half of the students were malnourished and half had a parasite of some kind. We taught the children to wash their hands to brush their teeth using our newly acquired Spanish skills in a puppet show. We also read to the children and they were quick to correct our Spanish mistakes. Other students measured the height and weight of the children and took blood samples.



While the mothers were receiving OBGYN testing, we were supposed to entertain the children. At first the children were very shy, but they warmed up to us. We were probably one of the first blond-haired, blue-eyed people to visit their communities. We played tag, soccer with a bottle, and I even took a child in each hand and swung them in circles. I was a pretty popular playmate and sore the next day. Other members of the program took pictures of the children and showed them their image. The children were fascinated at our digital cameras and loved to see their images.

Stoves

Before we built a stove for families in the rural mountains of Peru, the people cooked their food over an open flame. The smoke would leave ash residue on the ceiling, walls, and the family would breath the ash in too. Their lung capacity was greatly diminished. The families already lived at 13,000 feet where oxygen is not very abundant, but our stoves made from mud and bricks removed the smoke from the house and increased their health. The families appreciated the stoves immensely. Living in a one room mud house without heat or air-conditioning, the families gave us potatoes (There are over 2,000 varieties of potatoes in Peru.), chicha (corn beer), bracelets, and even a full meal. It is a great feeling receiving a gift from a family that has so little. Their lack of material objects did not mean they lacked kindness.



A concerned mother and a reminder
The little girl in the picture above was the child of a very concerned mother. After completing our first stove of the day, my partner and I decided to return to our base camp to eat lunch. The mother frantically begged us to build her a stove. She explained that the little girl needed the stove because she had no father and that the stove would make their lives a lot easier. We tried to tell her we would build her a stove after lunch, but she mostly spoke Quechua (language of the Incas). After hand signals and a little acting we convinced her that we would come back. The mother understood that a simple stove made from mud and bricks would make her and her daughters life easier. We built her a stove and later completed another one for another family.

After seeing all the suffering it is important to remember how lucky we are. We are able to receive an education and are not forced to work the family farm. We have clean air, water and adequate shelter. We are lucky and we must do what we can to help others in need. Together we can stop suffering.



Together we can stop suffering.

On top of the mountain,
I see a light.
The path is dark,
but I have no fright.

For this is my Journey,
to discover the unknown,
and understand myself,
and conquer it alone.

Each monster I conquer,
and each friend I meet,
makes me stronger,
as I continue this feat.

Sometimes I stumble
and sometimes I fall,
but I continue to persevere,
because I can still hear the call.

With the help of friends,
I made it this far.
For I am not alone,
while I reach for the star.

The Journey was long,
but the end is near.
I remember my triumphs,
and I have no fear.

Reaching the summit,
I conquered my goal.
My life felt complete,
filling my hole.

The light was a mirror,
reflecting the sun.
I saw my reflection,
and my Journey was done.

My reflection revealed,
a clear image of me,
an understanding of self,
And now I am free.

On top of the mountain,
it was quite a site.
For I saw thousands of mountains,
and all had a light.

For each person a journey,
to learn something new,
so please take a chance,
and discover your you.