Category: 2025 Tufts Civic Semester Peru

by Janessa

The view out to the sea leaves me feeling like I’m in some sort of purgatory. A sky full of clouds that has created a thick blanket over the heavens, leaving a sort of grayness to the distance. Birds that fly but never come close enough for me to stare into their eyes with wonder and try to see my thoughts in their own. A picture so dull yet vast you can’t help but be entranced.

Last Friday, the cohort bid farewell to our host families, to Urubamba, and to our home for the majority of this program.

When I first started the host family experience, I questioned my ability to make it through the last part of the semester. Being welcomed into the home of a group of strangers yanked me from the comfort of the group house Rocafuerte and into a place of learning, and more often than not, panic. Over the couple of weeks with my host family, a variety of moods fell over me:

Discomfort as I struggled to understand Spanish and respond using my limited vocabulary.

Panic as I broke the key to my host family’s door, then proceeded to be locked inside a couple of days later.

Loneliness as I longed for the familiarity of an environment where I could express myself with my native tongue, even more so for the comforts of my relatives back in the US.

Among these moods of low pleasantness, I also had the pleasure of accepting the warmth that comes with immersing oneself in a new culture:

Bliss as I tasted delicious new dishes with my family at the dinner table.

Energization as I danced with my host brother, sister, and mother in the living room to Shakira.

Joy as I allowed myself to savor the dynamic of a five-person family (plus crazy dog) and be roped into conversations about everything from family to pop culture.

I didn’t think I would get emotional as I gave my host mother the last hug goodbye in Plaza de Armas (not before she gave me a mandarina, concerned over my eating habits… even as we parted ways).

Throughout our week of goodbyes in Urubamba, promises were made to stay in touch and return. In the back of my mind, I know the chances of returning to the Sacred Valley are indefinite. Even if I did, I often wonder, “Would these people remember me and our times together?” Even if they wouldn’t, I can look back on this era with gratitude. The Sacred Valley took a piece of my heart and filled it with memories that I hope will stay with me years down the line.

If you had told me a year ago that I would spend a semester abroad in Peru, I would look at you with a raised eyebrow and snort in denial.

On this coast, the cohort and I are now in some sort of in-between. All ready to go back to our homes, yet saddened to leave behind the routines we’ve created, even more so the people that fill our days with laughter, excitement, and love.

I think the location is appropriate for this stage of the program (reflecting in the humid rainforest of Puerto Maldonado would not have ended well).

As I look out the terrace onto the sea, I can not see anything but miles of water ahead. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I can rely on the space and decorations of each moment. The crispness of the ocean air. The sun kissing my skin. And most importantly, a space with people I can rely on. As I venture further and the clouds part, I can continue to realize my strength and the beauty of humanity.

by Abby

So I have a bit of an untraditional approach to this Yak board. I really love poetry. Love writing it, reading it, and feeling it. And some things I can really only express in the style of poetry.  It’s how I express my love of vocabulary and the many many different emotions enveloped in the human experience. So this past week I wrote a poem inspired by Dia de Los Vivos (or Santos)  and Dia de los Muertos. Also my lifelong hatred of eating oranges. For reference my host family has three different farms located around the region of Urubamba and that Saturday my parents had taken me to them all and showed me around. I understand poetry isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. But I hope you appreciate it nonetheless. Also huerta is the word for like a vegetable garden and chacra is a farm or farmland.

I’ve Never Liked Oranges,

Pero, el sabor es más rico acá.

So sweet, con mucho jugo,

It’s incomprehensible.

I’ve never liked oranges,

but I’ve never shared their beauty

while visiting chacras differentes.

I’ve never liked oranges,

pero nunca probado cuando tomando una camioneta

en una chacra llena de fruta y árboles.

I’ve never liked oranges.

But, i’ve never been covered in their juice

visiting ofrendas of loved ones.

Never shared their essence with the spirits del pasado.

Nunca had them fresh from la huerta.

Never had them with wind holding me in the embrace of the coming lluvia.

Never had them without questioning their tango with pesticides.

Never had them cradle my heart in such a way.

I’ve never liked oranges.

But, I’ve never given myself

the opportunity to try again.

by Shuntavi

This was certainly an unforgettable weekend. While Saturday got off to a rough start, with forgotten student ID’s and an early morning trip to the doctors, we were on the road by 9:30am. We drove for 5 hours through the valley. Santa Teresa appeared out of nowhere, a stunning city nestled between the mountains. We settled into our hotel with new roommates and rested for a while. For lunch, Ruben, our bus driver and friend, brought us to his family’s restaurant where we ate a delicious meal of soup, rice, chicken, and plantain. In the evening we went to the hot springs where we got yummy drinks.

Sunday we hiked all day in order to reach the city right next to Machu Picchu. Shelley, Abby, and I played Contact for 2 hours and sang trail songs to distract from the bugs, cold, belly pain, fatigue, and rain. We reached Machu Picchu town utterly exhausted and collapsed in the reception room of our hotel–or what we thought was our hotel. It was the wrong building. Once we were arrived and settled in at the right location, we were able to get out and explore the city. It was spectacular. A large river split the main street into two smaller walking paths. There were three bridges arching over the water covered in small metal locks–names and initials preserving the memories of families and couples that had been there. That night a bunch of us bought our own locks to hang up.

Monday was Machu Picchu. Around three quarters of the group hiked. I wasn’t able to hike and took the bus instead. We made our way up the mountain on wide switch backs until suddenly we were above the houses and roads where we had just been. We could see the trail we had hiked the day prior and the massive river that ran alongside it. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We were up in the ruins for 3 hours, the whole time eyes wide, jaws dropped. It was unreal to be so high in the mountains and yet be walking through an entire ancient city–by far one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

It was no doubt a feat to get to the top. As a group we had 2 sick bellies, 94 bug bites, 1 incomplete flip flop pair, and only 14 empanadas, but we made it with memories we will never–ever–forget.

by Tammy

Before I left for Peru, my friends advised me to keep a journal, or some form of notebook, on me at all times.

“You’re going to write so much,” one friend told me. “It’ll be so important to document everything.”

A few days later, they sent me an Instagram Reel. It featured a young woman in her twenties talking about the most precious possession she owns: a notebook. But it wasn’t just any notebook- it was filled with notes, advice, doodles, and kind messages left by people she had met during her travels. Inspired, I decided to do the same during my time here in Urubamba: carry a little notebook and ask people to leave a piece of life advice or kind words I could carry with me for the rest of my life.

So, here are some of my favorite messages from the past week, written by people we’ve met from all over:

Marisabel – Pottery Teacher

Last Wednesday, we got to choose from four community activities: pottery, cooking, silversmithing, or salsa. Five of us decided pottery sounded interesting. After about twenty minutes on the local bus, we arrived at a charming outdoor studio surrounded by plants and flowers. Sitting around a long wooden table, we began painting ceramics with delicate patterns and bold colors inspired by Incan culture. Some of us even gave real pottery a try. I won’t lie- it didn’t go too well for me- but our friends Ana and Julia managed to make beautiful plates. Julia even decorated hers around the theme of Pachamama, the Earth Mother. Marisabel guided us the whole time; she felt more like a mentor than a teacher. She stood on the side, complimented our creativity, and helped us when called upon. At 70, she brought so much spunk, creativity, and fun.
“Que sus sueños se hagan realidad. Con cariño, Marisabel” (Translation: May your dreams come true. With love, Marisabel)

Jousseppe- Quecha Guest Lecturer

Jousseppe, an invited guest speaker from Dragons, joined us in the beautiful Roca Fuerte garden to give our very first Quechua lesson. That evening, we learned simple phrases and greetings, and soon the air buzzed with excitement as everyone began firing off questions: “Como se dice bano? Como se dice me gusta jugar al futbol? Wait wait no it’s my turn!”. Hands shot up one after another, and laughter was echoing through the garden. By the end of the night, I’d found my favorite Quechua word: Tupananchiskama, which means until we meet again.
“Inhala gratitud, exhala pasión” (Translation: Inhale gratitude, exhale passion)

Diana – Founder, Green Heroes, Urubamba

The fourth piece of advice was written by Diana, the founder of Green Heroes, a local Non profit organization dedicated to interactive climate education in Urubamba. We visited Green Heroes last Friday with high hopes, partly because it was so close to where we lived (thank god we don’t have to commute for an entire hour again!), but also because the mission of the organization excited many of us. As we arrived at Green Heroes, we were greeted by some of the warmest, friendless staff members. We warmed up by playing an intensive (but nevertheless super fun) round of Ninja and later toured around the organization’s interactive “outdoor classroom”, even joining some of the lessons happening on the side. Green Heroes really inspired me. Back home, I was working on climate education with many schools around Taiwan through Fridays for Future, and the visit to Green Heroes really changed my perception on how education should be approached. I valued their priority of having fun and making the experience memorable for the kids. They also paid a lot of attention to the details of their outdoor classroom: there was a compost, many drawings, multiple little farms, a greenhouse and so many other facilities that gave kids the opportunities to learn about our planet. In the end, Diana left me her favorite quote:
“Do your best until you know better. When you know better, Do better <3” – Maya Angelou

Mario – Community Member, Paru Paru

During our three-day excursion to Paru Paru, we immersed ourselves in the local culture through hiking, fishing, mural painting, learning about local herbs and potatoes, and even participating in a Pachamanca ceremony. Before leaving, I asked Mario to give me some advice. After a thoughtful pause, he wrote a heartfelt note- not exactly a piece of advice, but it’s a sweet message I will carry with me moving forward Mario’s message:
“Hola hermana, estoy muy agradecido por vuestra visita es una experiencia con grupo dragones pasamos super experiencia mot alegre muchas gracias” – Mario (Translation: Hello, sister. I’m very grateful for your visit. It was a beautiful experience with the Dragons group; we had a really joyful time. Thank you very much.)

Carrying this little red Dragons notebook has already taught me far more than I expected. Through journaling, reflections, and the messages I’ve collected from the community, each footprint left in ink is a feeling I can carry long after leaving Urubamba. To me, these notes aren’t just memories; they’re tiny pieces of life that will continue to inspire me wherever I go.

by Shelley

This past week here in Peru was one full of next steps, familiar routines and celebration…

Saturday marked a major milestone for everyone in the programme – moving in with our host families. After a game of icebreaker bingo which allowed parents and students to learn some fun facts about each other, the pairings were announced. There were warm embraces between the new-found families in a circle of applause. Then it was officially ‘Goodbye group-living’ and ‘Hello homestay’. Sunday was a dedicated family day, which meant different things for different homes: some families headed out for picnics, others stayed in for movie days, and others held family gatherings. No matter the activity, our new rooms, siblings and pets made for a huge change from Rocafuerte for all.

At the same time, some things last week stayed exactly the same. Work at our NGOs on Mondays and Fridays continued as normal, and spending time together as a cohort remained just as important as ever. Wednesday saw some members of the group bring out their inner supermodel for the day, and on Thursday, the cohort gathered at the new group house for a movie night. While the film itself may not have been a fan favourite, it was the perfect way for us all to come together again. And as ever, book swapping continued within the group like reading was going out of fashion (Ana currently leads the reading table with a whopping SIX BOOKS read so far).

Finally, this week was one of celebration. On Sunday, the group got together for Tammy’s 19th birthday which included a surprise party, a piñata, far too much Inka Cola and just enough cake. In addition, on Saturday we celebrated another huge milestone: reaching the halfway point of our time in Peru! We met early for a short hike, during which we reflected on our takeaways and best moments of the semester so far.

But despite having fewer days left in Peru than we have already spent here (yikes!), we are nowhere near ready to leave. With our long awaited trip to Machu Picchu coming up this weekend, the group is excited for the whirlwind to continue…

by Shuntavi

Today we celebrated reaching the halfway point of the program! It has been a week now since we have met our host families and begun to settle into our new life. Adjustment to family living has been easier for me than I expected. I was told my parents and two younger brothers were matched with me because we all have lots of energy and there is no doubt it is a perfect fit. I did not have time to be nervous on the first day as my brothers, Santiago (10) and Gabriel (7), were hugging me, running in circles around me asking questions, and handing me sweets the minute I introduced myself as their sister. From that moment on it was all teasing and laughter–about how my brothers speak so fast I can barely understand them, about how my Spanish sounds even worse when I am wearing my retainer, about how I eat more than anyone they’ve ever met in their lives because I love Peruvian food so much.

I was not sure what to expect before I came here, but integrating into their family has felt surprisingly natural. On the first day, I met Abuela and Abuelo, who live downstairs and my 4-year-old cousin who lives next door. Just like at home, family and friends are always walking in and out of the house to say hello. On Thursday, my host mom’s brother and his family arrived after 15 hours of driving, surprising us all. His 4-month-old baby and 4-year-old were precious and quickly became family as well. I spent all Friday night playing tag with the 4-year-old, watching her when the rest of the family went out and making sure she ate all of her dinner as an older cousin would. That night we watched a movie and she curled up on my lap, comfortable with me as if I was family.

While I will miss Roca Fuerte dinners all eleven of us in the cohort, reading together on the hammocks, movie nights, and the simple joy of sharing the mundanities of life, I am excited for this next chapter. I am excited for all the Spanish I will continue to learn and all the connections I will strengthen in my time here–whether that be with Mama Flora at the corner store down the street or my adorable 4-year-old cousin. I know that no matter how much Spanish I misunderstand–which will be a lot inevitably–there will be much laugher and joy in the next month and a half because in just the last week there has been an abundance of the two.

– Shuntavi