Now in its third year, the Service Learning and Language Immersion Program in Peru is a collaboration of the Center for Civic Engagement, the Master’s of Public Administration Department in the College of Community and Public Affairs, and the Office of International Programs. It combines a course at Binghamton University with 3 weeks of on-site language immersion and service-learning in Peru.
Participating students arrived in Cusco, Peru, last weekend to begin their intensive learning through service experience. Below are excerpts from their reflections as they prepared to embark on their adventure abroad. Students were asked to reflect on what they were most apprehensive about, most excited about, and what they expected to gain from the experience.
Please stay tuned to our blog and Facebook page for updates from the students throughout the next four weeks.
"I am most excited about directly engaging with my host family, other members of the community, and the leaders of the development projects we will be working on. I am anticipating gaining firsthand knowledge of how foreign nonprofits operate on a local level." --Bridget Kunz
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"I am most apprehensive and most excited about the home stay with the host family; particularly, I am interested about learning Spanish, their home cooked meals, and their living style.
I also feel excited because I can live with Peruvians and will force myself to speak Spanish with them. There is no better opportunity to practice Spanish than by living with Spanish speakers." --Jianhang Xiao
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"I am the most nervous about getting sick while in Peru. Relatives who have traveled to the region tell me that the altitude sickness is very real and extremely debilitating. Despite this, I am most excited to meet my home-stay family, teachers, and other Peruvian residents, from whom I can learn a lot and practice my Spanish." --Dina Truncali
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"I'm really excited to travel to an area I have never experienced before and interact with a culture that is pretty different from my own! I am most apprehensive about my complete lack of Spanish skills. I really hope that I am able to pick up the basics of the Spanish language quickly." --Karly Armstrong
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"Discovering more about myself and the ways in which I can help the people of the Peru is the part I am most excited about. I'm also a little worried about how well I will be able to communicate with others. I keep having to remind myself that making mistakes is okay; this is going to be one of the biggest learning experiences in my life!" --Charlecia Chung
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"These three weeks will serve as a learning experience and also as a retreat from the fast life that the New York City life is. I am also very excited about Peruvian food, because as much as I am skeptical of trying new things afraid that it may upset my stomach, I am ready for my taste buds to get some new action!" --Carolina Garcia
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"I am pumped. Stoked. Thrilled. Absolutely buzzing to get to Peru. We have been taught so much about the richness of the culture, the amazing cuisine, the storied history of the country, and our role as global citizens, and I cannot wait to put all of this knowledge into action." --Sarah Glose
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"There has been considerable talk discussing the recent popularity spike in the native Peruvian foods. What intrigued me the most was a dish titled "cuy," which is actually wild guinea pig. My banker suggested trying the famous ceviche dish." --Alison Gryzlo
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"I hope to gain innovative ideas about different cultures and individuals. I am also very excited to meet my host family and hope to seek future friendships. I can’t wait to explore new surroundings and dig deep into service learning in Peru." --Helen Li
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"I have been trying to speak Spanish here at home with a friend who is fluent to start acclimating. That has certainly helped in preparing me for communication. I am most excited about immersing into another culture that is rich in history and beauty and adding more experience and knowledge to my own personality and life experiences." --Elizabeth Pisani-Woodruff
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"I also expect to acquire immense knowledge about the history of their local development and the role of non-profit organizations. I am curious to continue to learn about the help both Corazon de Dahlia and AbrePuertas offer to locals and I can barely imagine the fulfilling experience I will have while volunteering at these organizations." --Ally Sanchez
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"I'm super anxious about traveling by myself to JFK, it will be my first time on an airplane alone and it doesn't help that I lack a sense of direction. Yet, at the same time, I'm so excited to all the "firsts" I will be experiencing over the next few weeks. Overall though I'm most looking forward to meeting the children at corazon de dahlia and abrepuertas and learning Spanish." --Elizabeth Saturnino
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"I'm most apprehensive about learning how to get around locally. I like improvising when I explore a new place, but I also need to make sure I know how to improvise a way back to my starting point. So, I'm going to be anxious to learn what questions to ask and to learn the public transit system. Or maybe I'll stick to what I know and find a bicycle :)." --Mohini Sharma
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"I am very excited for all the sites I will see, the food I’ll be able to try, and the people I will be able to meet. There are so many different learning experiences in Peru, and no amount of nervousness could deplete the excitement I have for my departure in just three days." --Meredith Summers
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"I feel as though I have always lived in a “bubble” because I have spent most of my life in a middle class home in the United States. I have briefly seen areas affected by poverty before, but I believe that on this trip I will see it in a totally new way due to the fact that I will be in a culturally different country for an extended period of time." --Anton Vlahek
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"I’m going to see the real Cusco, with a unique culture, language, history, government, and a huge range of other qualities that differ greatly from ours. I will learn so much about Cusco and Peru, and I will spend time working with, living with, and getting to know Peruvian people, taking in and learning as much as I can along the way." --David Zatyko
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