I wanted to do something different than the average student teaching experience, you know, go somewhere else where they do things differently so as to provide some contrast and perspective. Well, here I am, in Chiclayo, Peru and yes there are a few things that are different. The language, the food, the weather, my living arrangement and my daily routine. That's a good start. Things are really different, but I'm up to it. This is going to be fun!
Upon arrival I was met by the director of secondary academics, he is kind of like a principal as far as I can tell. In addition, I was met by a catholic priest who is the director of the school overall. The practice and study of the Catholic faith is an integral part of the student experience if they want it to be. It's not required. This is a private school, but apparently not a parochial school as we know it.
These administrators took me to my host family's house. They live in a suburb of Chiclayo. It is hot and dusty here; something like 90 deg. during the day and 70 deg. at night. The host family is very generous and are delighted to have an American teacher staying with them. They have a son in the school where I will be teaching. They have given me my own room and a private bath. Their house is very comfortable. Today they fed me ceviche made with octopus, scallops, shrimp and peppers. The food here is fantastic! Ceviche is not cooked, rather it is cured in citrus and vinegar, I think.
Everyone rides taxis to get around town. They have been described variously as "dangerous", "safe" and "I'm not sure". Some are cars and some are three-wheeled motorcycles. Another common way to get around is a "combi". This is a co-op van driven by someone who is familiar to you. To me they look like any old van on the street but if you look close you will see certain language on the van identifying it and its route. It's a cool idea since these vans travel short routes and carry a few of your friends to work or school. I took one to school and was amazed at how many there were. Effectively, this group of vans functions as a fleet of school busses in the morning and the evening. During the day they are elsewhere around town doing other regular pick-ups and drop-offs. You kind of have to be an insider to know which combi to take. At the moment I am not an insider.
I have been downtown to see the central markets and have walked around the neighborhood a little bit. As you can imagine the streets are extremely confusing to a new guy that is used to street signs and other indications of location. I did manage to find a bike shop, however, the bikes are what I would describe as "recreational mountain bikes". They are the throw away kind in the U.S. if something breaks because they don't really have interchangable parts. I've seen lots of "single speeders" around town. These aren't the cool kids with custom horizontal drop-outs in the rear and sweet looking crank sets with shiny disc breaks. Rather, this is what you do when your derailleur breaks on on a mountain bike while you are on the trail and you can't fix it. The locals are making do with what they have.
Too long of a story already. I'll get a camera and post a photo soon. Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment