Monday- (5/23/16)
After spending our first week
touring Lima, discovering its history, learning about its culture, learning
about its famous historical figures, and visiting local attractions, we would
end up spending the next few weeks visiting schools and universities and
interact through intercambios. Intercambios is the Spanish word for exchange
and through intercambios, students were able to exchange the many cultural
differences between the United States and Peru. Our first week, we would spend
with the children of Fuerza Aérea del Peru, or better known as FAP.
The students at this school
were on the younger side, and were taught primarily at the elementary to high
school level. Upon our arrival at FAP, we were greeted by a welcoming ceremony
that incorporated dance, music, and snacks. We were greeted with open arms.
Literally, we were treated like celebrities on campus. Kids would rush up to
you after the ceremony and swarm you for pictures, selfies, and hugs. A few
requested pictures with kisses on the cheeks which I looked at Monica to make
sure that was normal. Well, Monica just smiled and gave me the thumbs up. I
didn’t know what she meant by that honestly. But I would submit to the request
of the kids and take selfies. They were adorable. We would spend the rest of
our remaining time chatting with the kids and learning names. I didn’t remember
a soul.
After spending our first day
at FAP, I’d come to really enjoy it. I was looking forward to the next four
days of getting to know the students and the school.
Tuesday- (5/24/16)
My first day at FAP was just
paparazzi. It was cool the first day and very flattering, but as we showed up
on our second day at FAP, most of us were suddenly forced into mosh pits. I
felt like I was at a concert – one that I didn’t really prepare for and wanted
to be at. I was already growing tired of the publicity. I always wanted to go
to Hollywood and become and an actor, but I’m getting my small taste of what it
would be like and I could safely say that I think I’d would be better off as an
Emily Dickenson – you know just turn full recluse, shelter myself from the
world. I’d be full of talent but won’t want anyone to see or acknowledge it.
Ugh. What a pity. For the world.
We started our second day just
chatting it up with the students, and I would attempt to use the little Spanish
I knew at the time. The students and I would exchange introductory greetings
like “What’s your name, what’s your sign?” And asks what their interests are, “Who
they be with?” and “What numbers to dial?” It was safe to say, I learned a lot
about the students at FAP. Most of the students at FAP were actually sons and
daughters of people who worked for the Peruvian Military, so you could tell
that this was a pretty privileged school.
After conversation, we would
return to the auditorium for some lecture and Peruvian history classes. We
learned about the Spanish conquistadors and Francisco Pizarro and how he came
over and made Peru what it is today. Peru has quite a morbid past, but you can’t
blame them for the what the Spanish did to them. We would finish lecture and
head outside to wait for the bus to take us home. We had about 15 minutes to
spare, so a bunch of us rampaged the basketball courts and volleyball courts to
get in some exercise. A group of five of us decided to play pick-up basketball
with five of the FAP girls. So, there I was on the playground where I spent
most of my time, chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool. And shooting some
b-ball outside of the school until the bus arrived and we would head back home
to Miraflores.
Wednesday- (5/25/16)
Definitely my favorite day of
the week so far! After class at El Sol, we headed to FAP for a day of physical
education! Today, we were scheduled to play a soccer scrimmage against the school.
As soon as we showed up we immediately went straight to the field to do warm-up
exercises, stretch and run around the track to get our hearts pumping. Now I
spent most of warm-up playing tag with the girls and I mean it just looked
wrong. I’m a grown male specimen frolicking with pre-teens, but it didn’t
matter. I had to warm-up and prep myself for an utter annihilation that I was
going to bestow on the students in the soccer game. We had finished warming up
and the soccer ball came out. I was so disappointed. The soccer game ended up
being played on a quarter of the field with small posts and a game of twenty
girls against five Northeastern students. So lame. The game ended very, very
short – about five minutes. I grab my things in complete disappointment and
headed straight to lecture. I sat in lecture in misery, longing for more.
Class ended and unbeknownst to
me, we started walking outside towards another campus. I could see lights,
large fences and students screaming. I
didn’t know where we were going until we had reach the corner and turned, I
would see a bunch of grown high school students, all geared up, playing soccer.
My eyes lit up. Yes! We’re going to play these kids! First the girls of FAP and
Northeastern were up to play. An official scrimmage of 8 versus 8. This was
what I was waiting for. Our girls actually held their own because some of them
actually played soccer, and it didn’t help FAP that one of our girls was on the
Northeastern soccer team. Also, women playing soccer was not normal, but it was
a growing commodity. Good for them. The girl’s game had just finished and the
boys were about to take the field. The Peruvian boys were serious about this
game, but so was I. While the girls were playing, the boys were juggling,
running, and doing laps in preparation for the game. We sucked. Only two of us
had played soccer, and one of them played goalkeeper, so we were short on
talent. Thankfully, I had a boot and I would go on to score our lone goal – as a
goalkeeper.
Thursday- (5/26/16)
It’s our final day at FAP and
I really enjoyed my time here at the air force base. The students here greeted
us with open arms and treated us very well, so there wasn’t much to complain
about. I loved it. I was going to miss them. We started the day like any other
day at FAP with a lecture. After lecture, a few of us had prepared speeches as
a farewell to the school and to express our gratitude for having us there. I
had hoped they learned a lot of the United States because I had definitely
learned a lot about the Peruvian culture, especially the one in Lima. After all
was said and done, the president of the school would greet us and hand us each
a congratulatory diploma to say that we graduated from our intercambios between
FAP and Northeastern University.
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