Month: July 2022

Throughout our time in the program there were three more school visits. Each school was different than the one that preceded it.

Institución Educativa N°6152 Stella Maris

As we walked through the front gate the students were interested in us but there wasn’t the excitement that we had seen at the prior schools. We walked through one of the courtyards and entered the secondary section of the school grounds. As we walked by an 8th grade math classroom the school administrator asked for four volunteers to go into the room and I was one of them. The other teachers would go into different rooms. Once we entered the room the teacher stepped aside and we were left in the front and center of the room with no introduction. After a brief awkward pause we started a brief question and answer session until we were picked back up.

Next up was a walk over to the primary section of the grounds. While there we entered a classroom (3rd grade?) and did a little group activity with them.

For the last part of our visit we were brought into their English classroom and several of their students performed some folk dances for us. After some goodbyes we were on our way.

Institución Educativa N°5143 “Escuela de Talentos”

Our welcome to this school was completely different than the other schools we visited. Instead of seeing traditional dances, their orchestra performed for us in the main courtyard. This would set the tone for how different this school would be.

Once the students started to pack up their instruments and some introductions were made, we were brought into a math classroom. Every student had a brand new laptop and there was an interactive whiteboard in the front of the room. Of all the schools we visited, this one resembled schools in the United States the most. When we left the math room we were broken up into groups and brought into different rooms. My group was brought into a robotics lab where students were working on building remote control cars that would be programmed with an Arduino. Later in the year they would be building drones.

This school is a public school but students need to apply to get in. From what I understand, this school is also sponsored by an oil company and that explains why they have so much more in the way of resources than the other schools we saw. Prior to leaving the school some students gave brief presentations on some of the projects that they had worked on. Some students gave presentations on a tiny submersible that could be piloted remotely and was meant to collect garbage in the ocean. This was just a functional model but it was impressive. Another group gave a presentation on a disinfecting robot that they created.

One of the students gave a presentation on a voice assistant app he is creating for people who are visually impaired. The last group of students gave a presentation on their studies of electromagnetism, Faraday’s Law, and electromagnetic induction. The electrical grid is not very reliable and students want to look for ways that they can work towards improving it.

Institución Educativa Dora Mayer

As we walked through the front gate there were students holding up a metal hoop covered in red, white, and blue balloons that they had us walk through. From there we were escorted to their auditorium for an assembly in our honor. We were seated on on side of the room, students on another, and some educators on a third. Students performed traditional dances, a student sang a song for us, and we were presented with certificates of appreciation.

The rest of our visit to this school was a whirlwind. We were broken up into small groups and went from classroom to classroom. In one classroom students performed a conversation in English that they had created. In another classroom we got to see some 1st graders learning to count using manipulatives like beer bottle and soda bottle caps. Another classroom gave us some arroz con leche and bracelets. In another classroom we joined the class in drawing our three favorite things in Peru. While this was all taking place other students were playing in the courtyard. In between rooms students would come up to us and ask for the occasional autograph or selfie.

For the first time I got to go into an actual science lab although no students were currently in it. There were long lab tables covered in porcelain tiles with science supplies lining some of the walls. One of the things that I found interesting was that they had preserved specimens of some human organs like a brain and they had preserved human fetuses at different ages. After a quick walkthrough I got to enter the physics classroom. The physics teacher was sitting at his desk just relaxing and was super laid back like pretty much every other physics teacher I know. We spoke very briefly but then I had to move on. Of all the school visits, this one was by far the most fun. The students and faculty really didn’t want us to leave but we didn’t either. It probably took us at least 45 minutes to head out due to the constant requests for group pictures and selfies. Unfortunately we had to leave as our day was completely packed full.

Access to Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly scarce so posts are going to be even fewer and farther between. I’ll be completely off the grid for the next 72 hours.

We were originally scheduled to have our third school visit on this morning but it turns out it was a holiday, Día del Campesino, and public sector employees were off so school was not in session. This holiday was originally meant to celebrate the indigenous population and the farmers of Peru. Most people would not consider this much of a holiday from work as they would have to work extra to make up this missed time (for example, working an extra hour a day). With our morning plans cancelled, we learned more about the city of Lima itself.

Huaca Pucllana

Huaca Pucllana is a solid pyramid made of adobe in the district of Miraflores. The location of this pyramid really catches you off guard. You are driving through apartment buildings, stores, hotels, and restaurants and then right in the middle of that is a pyramid! The Lima culture likely built the first pyramid here with the Wari and Ychsma cultures expanding on it. From what we were told, the top is flat which was most likely acted as some sort of trading post. The adobe bricks are stacked vertically (bookshelf technique) which is not as effected by seismic activity. There are over 300 Huacas (holy sites) in Lima but none are this preserved. We just drove by it on our way through the city.

Additional Landmarks in Lima

The Plaza San Martín was built in 1921 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Peru’s independence.

Plaza Mayor is where in 1535 Francisco Pizarro laid foundation for the city of Lima. Pizarro and his men did a lot of really bad things to the Inca people prior to this happening. This spot was chosen because of its proximity to three rivers, the fact that it does not see extreme temperatures, and it is close to the ocean. The fountain in the center is from 1651 but most buildings are from the 20th century due to damage from earthquakes. Around this plaza you can find the presidential palace, city hall, and the former Archbishop’s palace which is now a museum. Fransisco Pizarro’s body can be found within this cathedral. For some reason I don’t have any pictures from this plaza so here is a picture of another church (Iglesia y Convento La Merced). This is the oldest church in Lima although it has required frequent renovations due to earthquakes.

Our final morning stop was to the Catacombs of the Basilica of San Francisco. This is a Franciscan monastary which was founded in 1546 and like so many other buildings has faced earthquake damage over the centuries. The tiles on the wall were from the early 1600’s and came over from Seville, Spain. The wood used in its woodwork comes from cedar trees cut down in Central America. In the catacombs beneath the monastary are the remains of 25,000 people. It was a public cemetary and all demographics were buried here. Use of these catacombs ended in 1821 when Peru became an independent nation. Within the library there are over 25,000 books in different languages and different topics dating back to as far back as the 15th century. Due to humidity and sunlight many of these books are damaged beyond repair and cannot be removed from their shelves. The monastery does not allow photography within its walls so I have no pictures to share.

Festival of Folk Dances at Las Brisas del Titicaca

After yet another fulfilling meal, we were off for a cultural activity. We would get to see some traditional folk dances. The Brisas del Titicaca Cultural Association is a non-profit organization with 60 years dedicated to preserving, promoting and disseminating the various cultural expressions of Puno and Peru. Due to a morning that took longer than expected and a long lunch we missed half of the show.

Overall it was a pretty relaxing day. It was nice to see some of the historical parts of Lima.

This is the second of two parts on our third day in Peru. Eventually I will get caught up! I promise that the rest of the blog posts won’t be this long. There is just so much to say! It was an incredible experience.

Institución Educativa N°5117 Jorge Portocarrero Rebaza

From our first school visit we immediately went to lunch and I definitely ate too much. This is a recurring theme and it is a result of large serving sizes, multiple courses, and all the food being so good. Once lunch was finished we were back on the bus and headed to a different part of the city. This school was located in the Comas district which is one of the poorest districts in Lima. Although significant progress has been made in building infrastructure it still has a long way to go to ensure that all residents have equal access to necessities. As we grew closer to the school the homes became much more dilapidated and the roads were no longer paved. I’ve wavered back and forth about sharing a picture of the neighborhoods surrounding the school but I decided against it. Instead here are pictures of the program for our school visit.

This part of Lima has a large population of people that moved to the city from the Andes and therefore many of the students speak Quechua in addition to Spanish. In some households, the parents/guardians only speak Quechua. When we walked through the main gate we found lines of students along both sides of the walkway. Many of the students were dressed in native attire. As each of us walked in a student took us by the arm and escorted us to the main courtyard. Once we entered the courtyard another student escorted us to a line of chairs at the far side. The rest of the students, and many family members, sat on the bleacher-style seating that surrounded the courtyard.

Once we were all settled there were several speeches and introductions made. After all those were completed students from the school performed some of their native dances in front of everyone in attendance. There was some sort of ceremony with these four groups coming in from four different corners and I would find out several days later that these four groups represent the four quarters (Suyu) of the Incan empire: Chinchay Suyu (NW), Anti Suyu (NE), Conti Suyu (SW) and Colla Suyu (SE). I don’t have any clear pictures of any of the groups but I do have some videos of some of the other dances. Enjoy!

As soon as the dances were over everyone just got up and left. I figured that this was the end of our visit to this school. Walking through the courtyard was a gauntlet of excited students. Just like the previous school, many students wanted selfies with me. At one point I looked up and I could not see anybody from my group. Where did they go?

Was I Left Behind?

No, no I wasn’t. Apparently the school visit was far from over. As I walked around the wall I found another courtyard and this is where everyone went. Around this courtyard were tables set up for different disciplines and students stood around each one to present what they have been working on in school. It was hard to really hear what was going on because of all the excitement and the neverending stream of students looking for autographs/selfies. There was a table for la interculturidad (interculturality) which to be honest I wasn’t quite sure how it fit this theme. It was a collection of objects students had created.

At the conclusion of their presentation students walked to the table, picked up the objects, walked to a teacher, and presented it as a gift. I got a nice basket made out of recycled newspaper. They must have known that I have recently discovered my ability to construct baskets. Another teacher got a large garbage can made out of recycled paper while this other teacher got this elaborate box made for fathers day which consisted of family photos.

The next table I visited was the science table. At this table students were talking about the Peruvian biodiversity. I was able to admire the incredible posters that students created and I was able to taste a delicious tea made out of a plant called muña. The science teacher at this table was so excited to meet me she kept inviting me over to the table for more pictures. We may look to see how we could create a partnership between our classes in the future.

The third table I will discuss was for mathematics. Once again, students demonstrated some impressive work. I was only able to catch a small part of it but students tried to model how to use a quipo, a system of knotted strings used to record numbers. After the presentation I spoke with the student that is holding the microphone in the picture below. He is 15 and has an interest in physics. When he found out that I teach physics he was very excited! At the age of 15 he has already started taking physics classes and has already taken calculus. We briefly spoke about the joys of integration.

Not too long after this the crowds of students started to disperse. There were a few more selfies/autographs and I spoke to the science teacher one last time. Our visit to the school was finally coming to an end, an hour or so after we were scheduled to leave.

The Visit Was Not Over

We were now brought into one of the classrooms for a dinner prepared by the teachers. The dinner would consist of traditional Andean foods as well as chicha, a traditional corn beverage. They claimed that it was not fermented but we could tell what fermentation smelled/tasted like. Over dinner we introduced ourselves to several of the teachers from the school and they introduced themselves to us.

Next came the gift giving. This school was so generous with the gifts that we were provided and just like with the morning school I felt bad that they spent some of their limited resources on us. I was grateful for the hospitality and their generosity.

The last thing on our agenda was that two of our teachers gave brief presentations to the faculty that had attended dinner with us. Once those were completed we were able to say our goodbyes, take a few more group photos, and return to the bus. We were scheduled to leave around 5:00 p.m. but left closer t0 9:00 p.m. I’m glad we had the opportunity to visit this school. Its amazing just how much pride these students have for their school and just how late they would stay to meet us. It was definitely worth the late night and I do hope that I can build a partnership with this school in some capacity.

But the Night Was Not Over

Yes it was. This time it was over.