First Day of Service in Lima!

Monday, January 17, 2011

** La Molina **

Quote of the day: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~ Maya Angelou

The day began with anticipation as we headed off to our assignments with Jorge at the wheel of the van. Traffic didn't seem too bad as we headed to PPA and our group meeting. After a quick tour of that campus and a short lesson in Spanish we left for La Molina University.

Upon arrival we entered through locked gates and were greeted with graciousness by Consuelo, Claudia, and Martha. The campus is beautiful with much foliage and a peaceful atmosphere. Gorki, Maria del Carmen, and Olenka joined us in a welcoming room where we shared a glass of wine and toasted the success of our endeavor and the success of our partnership. In Gorky's welcome he indicated his pleasure in having us on campus. On the table in front of the room were examples of the beautiful produce of Peru; textiles, potatoes (417 varieties), chilis, maize, chicha morada (purple corn), clavo (cloves) and cinnamon. The pepper, aji colorado, a long dark pepper was given special recognition as the pepper used in many delicious Peruvian dishes.

We were given a packet, which included the list of our students, the schedule and the number of our classroom. Theresa and Jan will teach the beginning class, Greg and Marcia intermediate and Arturo and Pat advanced. A walk up the stairs to the teacher room introduced us to our lockers, bathroom, a small kitchen area, and a table around which we will be able to plan our lessons.

Each of our hosts is warm and welcoming. We have a good feeling about the time we will spend here even though the exact work we will be doing is yet to be determined. So much depends on the wants of the students and the degree with which they understand and use the English language.


Martha informed us that our task is threefold:

*provide an opportunity for the students to learn from a native English speaker

*encourage student learning and participation without a final evaluation from an instructor

*provide an enriching cultural exchange


We gathered with the Peruvians for lunch at one of the two restaurants on campus for chicken, rice, salad, and French fries.

After lunch our team took some time to brainstorm possible activities for the first day, which would encourage participation by the students in order to maximize the short time we will have together. Our first class will begin tomorrow - 1:00- 3:00 with conversational focus and the second class 3:00-5:00 and will include grammar, idioms, and other areas that will enhance understanding and proper use of the language.

Before leaving for home, we walked the campus enjoying the beautiful setting and the friendly people. Jorge picked us up at 3:45 and took us home in only 35 minutes, as the traffic at that time was light.

We rested and then met at 7:20 for a walk to the Italian restaurant and good conversation before meeting with Guillermo in the lobby for a short presentation on 2011 Peru.


Peace,
Volunteer Marcia