Contrasts

The past few days have been filled with tours of Lima. On Tuesday we returned to the Historical Center of Lima as a group, and with some help from UARM students, I got to learn a little more history of the area! Later, we went to Miraflores and to the cliffs on the shore. It was a lot of walking, but definitely worth it.


The next day showed a sharp contrast, as we went to Mi Peru, a developing part of Lima. We went to a Jesuit elementary school called Fe y Alegria. There are many of these schools all over the developing areas in Peru, and other countries in South America. The kids there were really excited to see us, and had a lot of good questions about what we think about Peru and about our lives back home.

This is a picture from inside the school of the community and where many of these students live.

A classroom of four year olds! They sang us "I'm a little teapot" in Spanish, and we sang it to them in English

Venturing to Mi Peru was important. I already value my education a lot, but this drove something home to me. I was born with a lot of privileges that have allowed me to have access to my experiences, and while my ambition certainly is important, there are so many other factors at play that I haven't even thought about. This school has a scholarship program that allows ten of their smartest students to study at UARM for free. But what about the 100s of other smart, talented students who can't afford to study after they graduate Fe y Alegria? I'm so grateful that I've had easier access to education and financial aid.