Ten nervous Jesuit boys arrive at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport at 5 A.M. on a Thursday morning. If you looked past the bags under our eyes, you would see a mixture of nervousness and excitement for the trip that was before us. Questions raced through all of our minds: What will my host family be like? What would my host brother be like? Will he like me? Will I be able to communicate with anyone there? These are just a few of the many questions all of us were thinking of as we said our goodbyes to our teary-eyed mothers and fathers.
Carlos Riddle ’17 said, “I remember being very sad leaving my mom and dad for two weeks and going to live with a family I had only Skyped with 1 or 2 times before. But I also remember that rush of excitement I got in my gut as I looked around at the brothers that were going to be on this journey with me.”
The first night in Lima was unlike any other night any of us had ever experienced, from the moment we lugged our bags to the bus we took to Collegio Immaculada (the Jesuit school in Lima), to the moment we had our nightly reflections in the rooms we stayed in at the school. When asked about this first night, sophomore Finn Maguire confessed, “I was feeling very uneasy the first night. I remember getting on the bus and looking around at all of the unfamiliar surroundings and just thinking to myself, ‘Wow, this is not Dallas anymore.’ The bus ride to the school was the worst part of the night just because of the amount of traffic we had to fight through to get to the school almost an hour away on a good day. The traffic in Lima is unbearable, it doesn’t matter if its 5 in the morning or 11 at night, there is bumper-to-bumper traffic.”
All of us woke up the next day, anxious to go on our first tour of the collegio. Speaking for all of the boys on the trip, the most unique part of the school is undoubtedly the zoo inside the school. Yes that’s right, a zoo…inside the school! The zoo included a bear, 2 tigers, a variety of birds, deer, and much more.
After we spent time admiring the beautiful animals we took a bus up the mountain behind the school, where on the top, the school has its own water system and grows its own olive trees to make their own olive oil.
Finally the most awaited moment of the day, we were meeting the families we would be spending the next two weeks with. When asked about this experience, senior Nathan Corey said, “I was very anxious to meet my family. Even though, I had only known some of the guys on the trip for a couple of days, it was still hard to leave people you’ve become comfortable with. But after meeting my family, who all luckily spoke fluent English, I realized how stupid it was of me to be nervous.”
As we said our goodbyes to our Jesuit Dallas brothers and teachers, we all went our separate ways for the first weekend alone with our families, some of whom didn’t speak any English whatsoever. Each family had different activities planned for each kid, some went to exotic resorts and white water rafted, others stayed in town and had experienced Lima the way the locals would, by eating guinea pig!
The weekend went by extremely fast and before we all knew it we were back at the collegio, going to our first real day of classes. We took some very unique courses throughout our time in Lima including, drawing, juggling, music, dance, and many more, all in Spanish of course.
David Morgado ’17 had this to say about his schooling in Lima, “While in Lima, I spent much of my time comparing my schooling in Dallas to my schooling in Lima. Luckily, I am a native Spanish speaker so it was easier for me to follow along in class than it would be for some guys who don’t know Spanish that well. I realized how similar the classes were, everyone at the school was so relaxed and generous, as everyone in Jesuit is.”
Our first week of school not only included going to class but also a visit to an extremely unique service site. The first of two service sites was an old folks home in one of the worst parts of town in Lima. Carlos Riddle described his experience there: “Walking in, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had previously spent time at old folks homes in America but I didn’t know if this would be similar or different than that. So when I walked in, I was almost shocked at some of the sites I saw. Many of the people there had some of the worst physical disabilities I had ever seen. I was assigned to do laundry at first so I didn’t get a chance to interact with the people there until the end. But once I was out of my comfort zone, I realized that everyone there was exactly like myself, we were all just people looking for someone to talk to and care about us. I remember sitting down with this old man who spoke very rapidly, and even though I couldn’t understand a word he was saying to me I could sense that just sitting with him and being attentive made him happy.” I believe that after that experience, all 10 of us truly came out of our comfort zones and began to express how we truly were. That service site will forever be with each of us as we carry on with our lives.”
Taking a poll from all 10 of the boys on the trip, at least 8 of us said that our favorite part was the 3-day trip to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world. We took a flight from Lima to Cuzco on that Thursday, all of us anxious to see one of the seven wonders of the world and get to experience that momentous feeling with one another. We arrived in Cusco and went straight to our hotel to settle in. The town of Cuzco was a fairly small town up at a very high altitude in the mountains.
After a night in Cuzco we traveled to many Peruvian cultural sites and got to experience the charm of Peru’s immense history. Davis Kepple ’17 believes that “Peru has one of the most interesting histories of any of the countries he’s ever visited.”
Finally, we rested in the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu to prepare for the day we had all been waiting for; the day we saw a wonder of the world. We woke up the next morning and took a bus up the amazing mountain. We arrived a tourist filled attraction and got to admire the amazing sites of Machu Picchu, we all were silent for a couple of minutes to reflect on its beauty. We went on a tour through Machu Picchu and looked at all the beautiful historical backgrounds that each part had to offer. Finally, we packed unto the bus and traveled back down the mountain and drove back to Cuzco where we stayed the night. Ms. Maggard thought, “this trip influenced all of the boys greatly,” which for her was one of the goals she had for the trip.
We finally traveled back to the Collegio and spent our last nights with our families, doing activities such as participating in the school Olympics, similar to our Ranger Day, and having an end of the trip barbecue with all of our families. All of the boys finally, teary eyed, said goodbye to their families and departed back for Dallas.
Personally, this trip was my favorite trip I have ever taken, and I think everyone should get to experience Peruvian culture first hand, the way myself and 9 other Jesuit men got to experience it. You can sign up starting next month for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
