Our second week teaching in local schools (and my third in Peru) was eventful for many reasons. I especially loved the dynamic of teaching in classes – sometimes up to 25 children between the ages of four and ten. These children were so much fun to work with, they were eager to learn and they were excited to see us in their classrooms and playgrounds.
One particularly scary moment came when a drill started mid-way through a class. All the children and teacher immediately started to leave and I quickly followed. We gathered in the playground and, as the children started putting their hands on their heads, it was clear that they’d been taught to protect their heads in case of falling rubble in an earthquake.
On the back of similar seismic activities so recently in Venezuela and Colombia, it was frightening to say the least. In my limited Spanish, I asked one of the local teachers, ?es peligroso? (dangerous) – and she nodded gravely.
It soon became clear that this was only a drill (phew!) and we could breathe easily. Throughout the country, teams of emergency services had been visiting schools to show them how to act safely in a natural disaster. Delivering an impassioned lesson that I could just about understand using a portable microphone and stereo, the emergency services staff made their sentiments very clear.
But relief came in the form of a little dance party afterwards, where they played a whole playlist of songs so we could have a dance so the kids didn’t get scared. In that moment I was really struck by how much the staff there cared about these children, while they, oblivious, danced to ichi-wa, including all the actions.
That afternoon, a little bit shaken, we returned back to the volunteer house. To add to the day’s drama, we all received emergency notices on our phones (in aggressive capitalised Spanish) indicating that there might be an impending tsunami or high winds. Luckily, again, it was a practice drill, and as I bought detergent at the bodega on the corner, I showed the shop assistant the message, and they shrugged with a nonchalant air, so I assumed we’d probably be fine! After going through another sobering experience, we watched films to pass the time in the afternoon and felt a bit more relaxed.
Lima at night and Parque del Amor
On my third week, with the friends I’d met volunteering, I’d visit Parque Del Amor on the coast, the outdoor park reminiscent of Gaudí’s outdoor pieces in Barcelona and home to many of the talented Victor Delfín’s creations.
In our volunteer group, we’d go out in the evenings, to the cinema, restaurants, yoga and coffee. I really enjoyed these times and the freedom to explore Lima outside of work. Seeing the city come to life at night was particularly exciting and we had a lot of fun chatting about our travels, our lives back home and our plans for the future.
The Friday, for many of us, was our last day volunteering together. To celebrate the end of the week, we headed out into Barranco in the evening, returning to a ceviche restaurant that we’d loved visiting the previous week. That night was full of laughter, pisco sours and everyone promising to keep in touch when we all returned home.
Wildlife, wine tasting and dunes in Paracas, Ica and Huacachina
On my final weekend in Lima, one of my friends and I got up at 3am to spend a whole day touring to Paracas, a four-hour drive down the coast.
There, we saw wildlife including penguins (pinguinos), seals and puffins, which was amazing to see in South America. We continued our journey on to a beautiful vineyard and a restaurant in Ica called Nieto Rancho where had lunch, chatted to other travellers, and took part in a wine tasting involving some of the best Peruvian varieties.
And in the late afternoon, we ventured into the desert in Huacachina to trek up sand dunes, for my friend to go sandboarding. Much like Morocco, the dunes were otherworldly, and as the day turned into dusk we really felt the special kind of atmosphere that only comes over the desert at night.
I opted to spend a few, cool hours in the desert oasis just lower down from the dunes, where I came across the most colourful buildings I’d seen so far in Latin America, while sipping a drink and writing up some notes.
That day was memorable to me for so many reasons, but mainly it was because we got to spend that time together, and I really loved it. I also enjoyed having the time to myself to write up some notes on my app, to reflect and to slow down after two successful weeks of teaching, a job offer, countless new sites and lots of lifelong friends.
The more I think about how social media has changed travel, the crazier it seems. On the one hand, everything is so accessible, it’s so easy to travel, it’s amazing to be able to see places previous generations have never seen.
Sunday in Lima
After the marathon day-trip to Paracas, my friend and I had an idyllic Sunday back in Lima. We made sure to drop off some laundry, before heading into town for brunch. After brunch we had coffee and spent some time reading and writing. After that, we headed to a museum in the city centre, which was one of my favourite parts of the day. We came across an exhibition entitled La sombra de luz (The shadow of light), which included a room full of impressive, immersive artwork that took us a good hour or so to walk round and enjoy.
In the evening, avoiding the only downpour of the trip (it rarely rained in Lima, despite its position on the coast), we made it to a power yoga class and did a high-intensity workout before heading home. After such a full weekend, I had so much to be grateful for, and knew I’d marked my final weekend in Lima in the best way.
Reading, writing and lesson planning
One of my favourite things about my time in Lima was the chance to write, think and reflect. I also read a book, My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. I’d brought the book with me from home and, though I’m usually a fast reader, I enjoyed spending a whole month delving into this novel. I’d chosen it as a birthday gift from a local bookshop before I left, and spent time with it on the flight, in hotel rooms, on buses, in my dorm, and even with my friend one Sunday as we headed to a coffee shop after brunch to read and journal (so creative of us!).
The novel reminded me of the joy of being present, focusing on one thing at a time without distractions or advertisements, and how you can get absorbed in a story.
Reading a writer in translation always makes you wonder whether the sentiments conveyed fully match what they intended in the original language. All the more reason to study languages, teach abroad and explore how we communicate with eachother.
Below are some pics of the book while I was on the move, a quick reading break during a planning session for one of my lessons in my dorm, (and the results of the lesson, in case of interest!)
Coming home
I had one more Monday left in the volunteer house, and after placement my friend and I got coffee and cake, spent the rest of the day watching movies, and I packed up before a 3am uber to the airport the next morning.
The journey home was long and gruelling – a four-hour flight to Miami, a few hours’ stopover, and a nine-hour flight back to London. Even after arriving at Heathrow Terminal 5, it was a tub ride, a sit in the waiting room and an hour-and-a-half coach ride back home.
My trip to Peru was eye-opening and will sit with me for so many reasons. Most importantly, I feel as though this teaching experience abroad has aligned with my values and aims in life: working and travelling, exploring history, practicing Spanish and feeling connected to something bigger.
I’ve also had a lot of time to reflect. For me, a slower pace through a country is much more preferable than seeing ten countries but not being able to recall many of them. Spending a month in Peru, I’ve been fortunate to meet local people, to live alongside other volunteers, to practice Spanish and to feel like I’m contributing to something through more than just tourism.
My next steps are gradually shaping up and I’m excited to share them when everything’s ready. In the meantime, thanks so much for reading about my adventures and I hope you’ve been enjoying travels of your own. Where are you headed next? What are you most looking forward to? Let me know, and happy travelling.