On this overcast Tuesday, we were supposed to leave our hotel to go to a lecture by Maria Elena Planas at the University of Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. Unfortunately, she got into a car accident on her way to the university so our group just sat down and talked until they found a replacement lecturer.
Before the replacement was ready, me and two other girls went with Dr.Garcia to the daycare that UNO has helped build in years past when coming to Peru. Most of the time we were there, Dr.Garcia was talking to the mothers and teachers while us girls entertained the children. The kids loved taking pictures and making us run around. Somehow, in this roughly hour and a half, I managed to get sunburned despite a rather cloudy day. Either way, we certainly enjoyed playing with all of the kids and had an extreme amount of fun. I was glad that the mothers welcomed us right into their arms. They actually wanted to help us find a way that we can further help them and that is a great feeling. They asked us to take pictures of them and with them. As we were getting ready to leave, we exchanged emails with several of the mothers (who were all incredibly thankful) and received several slobbery kisses on the cheek from the kids.
When our group with Dr.Garcia returned to the university, we joined everyone else for lunch. I tried the soup and personally liked it the best. I also tried a rice and chicken combo and found it pretty appetizing as well, despite not being a fan of rice or meat. We had the option to try some mazamorra, a lukewarm gelatin-like substance with slivers of a fruit in it. I would say it was pretty good, even with such a foreign texture. To drink there was a citrus-flavored juice, which I found absolutely delicious. At first, I skipped right over it, thinking it was the same tea from the previous day. However, this drink was like heaven compared to the tea, but mainly because I dislike tea. Overall, it was a satisfying Peruvian meal.
After lunch we had a lecture by Carmen about the social policies in Peru. First, she talked about inequality and poverty in Peru. We learned that Peru is a very diverse country, with 67 languages (64 of which are in the Amazon), and 71 ethnic groups. There are many indigenous groups that prefer to live in isolation as well. The Incas were the first to try to conquer this diversity and despite their vast empire, there is much diversity that still remains. The inequality factor was not helped when the Spaniards came and started legal segregation. This continued even into the Republic.
Today, typically the poor are non-Spanish speaking, Andean or Amazonic, and have low access to education, employment, health services, and political participation. Carmen showed us some maps and simply looking at poverty, Peru doesn't seem to look in very bad shape. However, when living conditions become factored in, Peru looks like it's in a lot of trouble.
From 1980-2000, Peru suffered from the terrorism of the Shining Path. It is estimated that 80% of the dead and disappeared from this time spoke Quechua. There was at least one case of genocide in the Amazons of the Ashaninkas, where they were forced to be slaves.
Peru has had a period of sustained economic growth since about 2001. It is considered "The Peruvian Miracle" that from 2001-2010, their economy grew over 73%. This is considered a miracle after the hyperinflation of 1,722% in 1988 and 2,775% in 1999. However, this economic growth does not mean there is sustained development for everyone due to all of the inequalities that still exist.
To help with this inequality and poverty, many programs were founded such as MIDIS, MINEDU, and EIB. These groups have goals such as eliminating extreme poverty, fostering respect and tolerance towards cultural difference, and bilingual education. Due to many challenges, the country seems to be at a standstill, since growing from having 5 to 65 million soles still isn't quite enough to make the progress wanted.
After the lecture, we had the salsa dance class hosted by the UARM students. It was an incredible experience to be able to learn from the students themselves. The auditorium was filled with "Uno Dos Tres, Cinco Seis Siete!" It was a blast!
We headed back to our hotel after our direct learning experience to eat and get ready for our salsa night out. Most of us went, along with several students from UARM, to Sargento's for their special salsa night. We were able to experience tasting another country's alcohol options and culture. Most of us loved the Pisco Sour, and we all enjoyed dancing with each other and talking to the native Peruvians.
All in all, this Tuesday was a great experience for everyone. We learned a lot and had an unbelievable amount of fun.
--Kira
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