5 minute read
Cultural Immersion Trip to Peru
REFLECTING ON THE INAUGURAL SOLIDARITY AND CULTURAL IMMERSION TRIP TO PERU
Over Easter break in April, eleven Dons were accompanied by Mr. Anthony Zehyoue, Mrs. Leah Zehyoue, and Ms. Bethany Gentry to Peru to take part in our inaugural Peru Solidarity and Cultural Immersion Trip. Created in partnership with the educational travel company EdOdyssey, the trip provided students an opportunity to connect both culturally and personally with people in another country through service opportunities and cultural experiences. “We wanted our students to learn about the country’s rich history, customs, and local traditions which impact Peruvians’ daily lives politically, socially, and economically,” said Mr. Zehyoue, Loyola Blakefield history teacher and head football coach. “This included trying all sorts of Peruvian cuisine and sightseeing around their beautiful country at various locations on the Pacific coast and in the mountainous regions of the Andes.”
Students documented the trip through several video reflections, which can be viewed on our YouTube channel, but Jack Francis ’23 also wrote a reflection on the trip, which can be read below.
The experiences from which I gained the most on this trip, on both a spiritual and emotional level, were through immersing myself in Peruvian culture. It was incredibly fun doing the tourist activities, but the times I learned the most about myself and the world around me were through spontaneous and unplanned events.
One such event took place during our afternoon in Villa El Salvador, a district in Lima, Peru. After visiting a family in that community, we came across a group of local children playing soccer and decided to join in their game. The game felt electric and everybody playing was overjoyed. While playing, I realized how significant a group of visitors could be to the people of Villa El Salvador. At that moment, our differences did not matter at all; we were all just a group of kids playing soccer together and having fun. Recognizing how significant our mere presence was, I was inspired to connect further with other Peruvians.
Another impactful event during the Peru Trip were the nationwide protests, which disrupted our plans to visit Machu Picchu. I remember exactly how I felt when the group leaders informed us about the protests and their impact on Peru at that time. As a result, we were not going to be able to go to Machu Picchu after all. I was devastated. The main eye-catching feature of the trip that I had dreamed about for two years was getting to see Machu Picchu with my own eyes.
That night, I blamed not being able to go there on the protestors and questioned why the whole situation had happened the same week we came to Peru. I spoke with my roommates, and they helped me realize and accept that there was nothing any of us could do about it. We each had a choice to make—either allow this disappointment to ruin our trip or choose to accept it and move forward.
This experience presented a pivotal moment for me to recognize how life does not always go as planned, but there is always a choice in how one chooses to respond. It is an extremely hard concept to come to terms with, particularly for someone who stives for perfection, but it was a particularly important lesson for me to learn.
By the next morning, I had decided I would make the best of whatever was to come for the group that day. In times like these, it is important to draw from and rely on our faith. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” The times we feel most lost are exactly when we must trust in God the most. That day, God did make my path straight. He blessed me with an open mind so that I could fully experience and understand everything else that was to come.
While visiting Moray, our guide Luis told us all about the situation in Peru. Their government does not give them the same freedoms and security that our government provides us. In Peru, the government still displays remnants of corruption that disproportionally affect more at-risk citizens. Awareness about governmental corruption is one thing, but watching it play out firsthand helped me see this problem with a whole new perspective. Through the entire Peru experience, including the difficulties of our trip, I had a new understanding of what Peruvians go through on a daily basis.
It is easy to let your emotions spiral out of control when something bad happens, but the most important thing of which I was reminded during this trip is to trust in God and not let anger and disappointment run your life. By the end of the trip, our group had grown closer together and returned as better young men. This trip was a very impactful experience for me and my fellow Dons and taught us many profound life lessons at such an early age.
