Now in its fifth 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 Education and Global Initiatives. It combines a course at Binghamton University with 3 weeks of on-site language immersion and service-learning in Cusco, Peru.

Below are excerpts from participating students' reflections on their first few days in Cusco, Peru. They discuss what has been the most surprising thing thus far, what they have seen that is different than what they are accustomed to, and what they have seen that is similar to what they are used to.

Stay tuned to our blog and Facebook page for updates from the students throughout the coming weeks.

"The most surprising thing so far about Peru is the amount of food Peruvians eat! Since coming here, I feel as though I have dinner for each meal, so three dinners a day. The first few times when I asked for less food, my host family thought that I was on a diet or that I didn't like the food. [Peru] also shares some parallels with the US, in that there is a range of people in Cusco, making it similar to large cities in the US. --Sedonia Lake

 ---

"So far I've been having an amazing time in Peru! [One] thing that I was amazed by was the protests. The whole city shut down for them. Restaurants, buses, taxis and other places were closed as a result of the protests. The protests resulted from the buses raising the fare, which is unfair for the university students. The only thing I can equate this to in New York is the fact that the metro cards have continually been increasing, however never would a protest result in this way in New York. The city is too large and the mentality of the culture too different for everyone to ban together in this way. The Peruvian culture is much more collectivist while the American culture is much more individualistic." --Sara Herlands 

 ---

"We have officially been in Peru for about 5 days now and I think the most surprising thing that I have witnessed thus far pertains to the children in Abres Puertas, our first service site. I noticed that some of them had ripped clothing. I guess I found ripped clothing surprising because I am lucky enough to be able to afford new clothes every so often. This experience was much needed and definitely eye-opening because if I was forced to wear ripped clothing due to socioeconomic status, I think that I would be extremely upset; however, the children in Abres Puertas retained the sweetest and brightest smiles on their faces, enjoying their time in the program no matter what clothes they were wearing." --Danielle Schulman

---

"The greatest cultural difference I have seen so far from being in Cusco is the willingness to band together for a single cause and protest. Our first two days in the city, there were protests about the increasing bus fare. This type of banding together would be unprecedented in cities around the United States. The protests are also similar culturally to the United States because student protests have become a norm in expressing discontent with the government or unpopular policy changes within a University." --Alison Jones

---

"In terms of cultural similarities, the idea of community is seen in how children are treated. While in Peru children do seem to have more freedom, in both [Peru and the United States] there is definitely an idea of the community caring for all kids and everyone keeping an eye on the children." --Sydney Dunn

---

"The most surprising thing thus far has been the kind nature of the Peruvian children. While at AbrePuertas, I picked up on the amiable nature of the kids. They have all the right in the world to be selfish as we are Americans, who may appear wealthy to them, coming into their home. However on multiple occasions I had kids coming up to me, giving me pieces of their fruit and dulces. While I was playing cards with them, 2 of them were whispering tips to me while giving me valuable cards. Their inherent nature made me reflect upon myself and realize I can be more giving with what I have." --Garrett Holmes

---

"Cusco is a beautiful city, and I am glad that I chose it as the place where I wanted to do my experience abroad. Before doing the trip, I knew that I would love the culture, the people, and the food because it is similar to what I am used to from my experience in Haiti. Many of the foods offered here are similar to what I eat at home, the rice, the yuca, the oatmeal, etc. So the meals were not at all something to get used to because it felt like I was just having homemade food. What was surprising is the size of the meals. Lunch here is very large, and many times, hard to finish. I really love living this experience with a host family. This makes the integration into the culture more profound and amazing." --Jennifer Augustin

---

"I think the biggest difference I’ve noticed between the United States and Peru is the difference in diet. In Peru, there are very light breakfasts and dinners (which are delicious), and lunch is the heaviest, most important of the three meals. This, in tandem with walking a lot at altitude has had me feeling really good physically and mentally. The biggest similarity I’ve noticed is the hospitality offered to us. My host family has been incredibly hospitable and warm to me and my roommates. They prepare us delicious food for all of our meals, deal with our sub-par attempts at speaking Spanish, and make us feel very much at home. They are definitely a major reason this trip has been so great thus far." --Zachary Malik

---

"The impact of tourism in Cusco is astonishing. I had an idea that tourism would bring some revenue to the location but actually coming here I’ve noticed that almost every business in the municipality caters to the tourist. I also got the chance to speak to a woman from Cusco who works in the tourism industry and it was shocking hear how all the natives are pressured to learn English to better cater to the foreigners." --Elizabeth Cruz