Peru: More Than Machu Picchu

July 3-7: Lima

The Art Museum

Upon arriving at the Miami International Airport, I, along with everyone else, had to struggle to find other people in our group. Once we all met up, we played card games and asked each other about our different backgrounds. We finally met our counselors and played some icebreakers. Afterwards, we flew from Miami to Lima. We arrived at Hotel El Ducado, and I stayed in a room with 3 people. After

spending the night in the hotel, we took a tour of Lima. Because all the buses were stick shift, it was a bumpy ride on the way to the city. We saw the plaza of San Fermin and walked down a strip mall, seeing many street performers and trying a restaurant. The chicken was amazing and I got to try this soda called “Inca Cola”, which tasted like soda with a tinge of bubblegum. Upon returning, we exchanged dollars for soles and went to a souvenir shop and ice cream place. After that, we tried dinner and I ordered fish. Again, the quality of the meat was amazing. The next day, we went to the University of Autónoma of Peru. The students put on a show demonstrating the different cultural regions of Peru through songs, dances, and food. This was the first time I got to try cuy. I was a little hesitant at first, due to the fact that guinea pigs are a pet in the US. However, once I overcame that cultural boundary, I was treated to a very rich and delicious meal. Later that night, we tried churrasco and went to the commercial district, which was a huge contrast from the location of the university. The following morning, we went to the Art Museum and learned about Pre-Columbian, Colonial, and Republic eras of Peruvian art. It was fascinating to see how the art had evolved over time.

Lima's Commercial District

We got to experience a different form of Peruvian art the next day. We went to a dance workshop at the university, where we learned Marinara. In the afternoon, we started our first home stay, where I was with two other guys. We bonded with our homestay family through food, Just Dance, and songs. During our second day of our homestay, we went out to the market to buy ingredients and prepare meals for the elderly. I was in charge of washing the chicken and drying the dishes.

July 8-19: La Libertad, Homestays, and the San Narvaez School

My home stay family

La Plaza de Armas

We started our visit to La Libertad with a 10 hour bus trip to Trujillo, where we had lunch and television provided. I met my family at 10:00 pm and ate at a restaurant for dinner. The following day, my group and I got to see the ruins of Huaca de la Luna, which was part of the Moche capital. Every night, I got to explore Trujillo with my family, seeing sights such as the Plaza de Armas and the cathedrals, and I even saw my homestay sister’s marinera performance. I spent every morning going to the San Narvaez school. One course that I got to see that I had not heard of previously was “Logical Math”. We took a day off of school to see a museum detailing the history of the Mochicas and went to Huanchaco, a famous beach, to celebrate two of our friends birthdays through song and food. It was heartwarming to see that several classmates from the school had shown up. I also got to discuss with the Peruvian students the differences between the American and Peruvian education systems. Everyone had a voice in this discussion, and it was wonderful getting to share our school experiences. When we had Marinera and Festejo dance classes, I was nervous practicing in front of the school, but many of the students joined and even helped us. Another way we interacted with the students was through sports. I got to play soccer, basketball, and volleyball with different groups of students. During my free day with my homestay family, I tried surfing on the sandy dunes at a park. It was simultaneously fun and exhausting at the same time. During our farewell party, we danced and played games with the students of San Narvaez as a goodbye party. Later that night, we performed our Festejo and Marinara dances in front of our families and said our goodbyes.

Alpaca Farm

July 20-21: Pacasmayo

Sunset on the Pacasmayo beach

We took a two hour bus ride to Pacasmayo, where we got acquainted with the new beach hotel and ate out a restaurant that was a former university. It was somewhat strange to go back to exploring Peru as a traditional tourist rather than someone who had a unique connection to the country through the homestay families.The next day, we bought ingredients, cooked food, and played with the children during our Soup Kitchen. The government failed to deliver on its promise of providing food supplies, so we took over. It was a hard but rewarding group effort from all of us to prepare these meals. Afterwards, we hung out at the beach and saw a beautiful sunset.

July 22-23: Cajamarca

We took another bus ride to Cajamarca, which in Quechua means “Pampa Fria”. Since we arrived late, we spent the rest of the time exploring the plaza and resting at the hotel.

View of Cajamarca

The next day, we went hiking in Cumbemayo and got to see aqueducts, Los Frailejones rock formations, and the petroglyphs. One thing I have noticed is that both the natural and historical aspects of Peru are both rich and at times intertwined.

Los Frailejones

July 24-27: Cuzco

Moray ruins

We flew back to Lima, and flew from Lima to Cusco. Cuzco was called cosco (enlightening navel) because it represented Mother Earth “Pachamama”. Gold and Silver were spiritual, as they were connected to Pachamama. We had a hay day buying merchandise and clothes throughout the town. We went to Coricancha, where we learned about the precise, geometric architecture that defined Inca structures. Next, we explored the ruins of a citadel called Sacsayhuamán. Saqsaywaman means "full birds" or "full puma head". It was interesting seeing how the dry stone walls fit together perfectly. In the afternoon, we fed alpacas at an alpaca farm. We learned about how the natives weaved fabric from alpacas when we went to the mountains. Vicuña and huanacos are wild; vicuña fur is one of the most fine and is very expensive. huanacos used for leather and are bigger than llamas. Afterwards, we saw the Moray ruins. Moray has circular terraces with different temperatures and different altitudes

Machu Picchu

Terraces were used to domesticate plants and planted them to see their properties (dye, food, medicine), for corn, started in low, warmer elevation then moved up eventually to grow them in incan civilizations. Later that night, we took a train ride to the town of Machu Picchu. We went to the ruins of Machu Picchu and saw the plaza and temple of the sun. I learned that Spaniards never got to visit Machu Picchu, hence the name “lost city”. Beautiful women, persons of middle class, and some nobles lived here, and the water comes from natural springs. It was breathtaking being thousands of feet in the air and being in the presence of an ancient wonder of the world. While this experience was slightly soured by the long waiting line and the altitude sickness I got, it was nonetheless a once in a lifetime experience exploring this city and learning its history.

July 28: Adios, Peru

After flying from Cusco to Lima, and Lima to Cusco, we had an emotional farewell at the Miami International Airport. As we were waiting for our flights, we recounted what we liked and didn’t like about the trip, and played games. During this time, we left for our respective airlines.

Gracias

Overall, this experience helped foster a sense of community. I was able to forge friendships with the people of Peru, as well as with my Experiment group, who are all from from different regions of the country. In both cases, rather than letting these differences divide us, we used them to open up interesting (and often comical) discussions that only further united us. I want to thank you for this unique opportunity to study abroad for free, as I am once again reminded of the resources that MBA has. Without this grant, my high school experience would never have gone beyond simply the classroom. Plans for the 10th anniversary reunion in the San Narvaez school are currently being discussed.