There are tons of things to see in Lima, Peru. The city is divided into districts. We visited the city square in Miraflora, the Parque del Amor (the place where the longest kiss was recorded), the Cathedral of Lima, a Convent and Catacombs museum (crazy) and found a Peruvian coffee shop that everyone was happy with. Oh, yeah…I’m the tallest person in Peru!
The State Department and IREX spared no expense when it came to feeding us in Lima. There are many things to try if you are an adventurous eater. Beef hearts, Peruvian “chitlins,” Octopus Kabobs, aguamyanto (fruit) and almost anything else you would want to eat. I stuck to the basics- chicken and beef! We haven’t seen Cuy (guinea pig) on the menu, yet. Maybe, it will be an option when we get to Tarma.
On Thursday, we finally got to do what we were looking forward to doing. Our cohort visited a secondary school (ages 14-18) in the Lima district of Comas. The students at Carlos Wiesse were very friendly to us. I was drafted by one of the religious teachers to be a part of the lesson and we got to interact with so many of the kids. This is why we all came to Peru!
This was a very educational day. I can’t believe that I had never heard about the political strife and conflict in Peru, even though, it is part of the Americas. Click here to learn more about Abimael Guzman and the Shining Path.
Teachers for Global Classrooms is a program sponsored by the U.S. State Department and run by a company called IREX. It is a branch of the Fulbright program that endeavors to bridge cultural gaps between countries by bringing people from different parts of the world together. I am one of 70 teachers out of over 2000 applicants who was selected to be a part of this year’s TGC cohort. 14 of us have been brought here to Peru to observe, learn and co-teach in a classroom. We will also share educational strategies, experiences and culture with Peruvian teachers and students.
We have arrived in Lima and have toured a lot of sites. We’ve eaten different foods and met many people. Since we’ve been here, we have been treated like ambassadors. On Wednesday, we visited the U.S. embassy and the Fulbright Commission in Lima. It was a great experience! We participated in a panel discussion on the relationship/history of terrorism and education here in Peru. The discussion centered around the professor, Abimael Guzman. The “Shining Path” was a terrorist group who was inspired by his discourse and who were active in Peru in the 80’s and early 90’s.
I am with an extraordinary group of teachers who are all dedicated to global education and cultural awareness. I consider it a privilege to be traveling with them.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Mr. Robinson's Global Classroom 