One Week!

In one week, I will be in Cusco, Peru with the STC 002 spring term class of Alma College. From April 30 until May 22, my classmates and I will be staying with host families in Cusco and studying Spanish at the Academia Latinoamericana de Espanol and also volunteering in the area. Some students will be working in zoos, orphanages, or businesses, but the majority of us will be working in school systems. As an elementary education major, I'm very excited to work with the students of Pronoei--Programa Escolarizado de Educacion Inicial! I believe the experience will be very beneficial to my future by teaching me how to work with students from different backgrounds.

Our class will also get to experience the rich culture and history of Peru through weekend trips. We'll be visiting many prominent sites, including Chincheros, Machuu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, Arequipa, and the Plaza de Armas. I can't wait to learn more about the Incan empire!

This blog is part of an extended project for the Center of Responsible Leadership (CRL) of Alma College. Last summer, I went through the life-changing Ghost Ranch experience in New Mexico. Over the period of one week, I bonded with about twenty-five other students and learned more about who I am and what I can do as a leader. While there, I met and became instant friends with Elisabeth, a dedicated, kind-hearted, and faith-driven art education major who will be my roommate on this trip. I'm so excited to be her roommate and be working in the same classroom with her! Through CRL, I also met Andria, a hardworking elementary education major who is always willing to take the lead in any organization that she's in, and Alexa, a fun-loving elementary education major who shows compassion to all around her and plans to serve in an orphanage. All of us are hoping to learn more about who we are as leaders through our experiences in Peru, and hope to keep helping the community of Cusco even after we return to Alma College. I am excited to go through this adventure with these amazing women as well as the other students on our trip and our fearless leader, Dr. Seals.

I titled this blog 'The Peruvian Classroom' because this will be the main focus of my trip. Not only will I be serving in a Peruvian classroom, but Peru will also be serving as my classroom. I hope to learn something new every day.

If you'd like to know more about me, please check out this link:
http://mahara.org/user/view.php?id=15810

I hope to update this blog 2-3 times a week and keep in touch as much as possible! Please keep checking in. :) Until then, adios!

Love always,
Chels :)