by Ana
This past week, 11 of us arrived in Peru not knowing just how much there is to explore. We all dived headfirst into the experience, eager to learn all there is about ourselves, Peru, and its rich history and culture. Each week we will visit various non-profit organizations before we begin our internships in October. The internship aspect of the Civic Semester is incredibly important when it comes to learning more about Peru and the ways we as tourists have an impact in the community.
This week we were able to visit four lovely organizations that serve the people in the surrounding area of the Sacred Valley. Monday, we visited Niños Del Arco Iris, which is a school that provides free education and health services to over 200 hundred underprivileged children in Urubamba. We also visited an organization right down the street called Valley Camp, that provides outdoor educational activities to children and families in the surrounding areas, providing children with opportunities to try new things. On Friday we visited another two organizations, Yanapasun and Casita Huarán. Yanapasun works with children and adults with various disabilities providing them with services such as speech and physical therapy. Casita Huarán is an organization that gives educational opportunities to kids in rural Andean communities. As we spent time at these organizations, we got to meet the founders and various staff that are so incredibly passionate about what they do. It is truly wonderful and inspiring to meet such passionate people, the change makers, and know that I can become one too. We are all passionate about something, and once we find it, we are able to embark on great adventures and make a big impact on the people around us.
But oftentimes we don’t realize the consequences being a tourist has on a community. As travelers we tend to arrive in a country, take a couple pictures, and fly home without engaging with the local community and reflective on what it means to be a good tourist. This past week we have reflected on each organization and their various missions and the ways we can learn from them. During these reflections we ask questions such as: “Is it the job of society to prioritize minorities?” “What is the role of education in society?” and “What do you think about the term ‘White Saviour’?”. As one can imagine, these are difficult conversations to have, but we all approach them with grace. During this time, we give space & make space for everyone to share their various opinions and personal stories without fear of facing judgement. As we learn more about ourselves, we are able to learn more about what strengths we can bring to our placements when we begin in October. It allows us to see how we fit into this new society as more than tourists and how we can help create a bigger positive impact during our time here. We are all incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spend our first semester at university abroad and are excited to see what is to come. At the end of this week, I asked everyone to share a phrase or a word that reflects how they felt after visiting these organizations and they are the following:
- Insightful
- Hope
- Optimistic
- Reflective
- Understanding
- Excited to Learn
- Motivated to see More
- Eager
- Inspired
- Community
- Love
- Passion Changes Everything