Ceviche, a weird green drink, and a large market.

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June 16, 2012

HELLLLLOOOOOOO SLEEP! After such a long (but fun!) night out with Sr. Daniel's family, we slept in for a bit and then went to have breakfast. It was wonderfully colorful-- a giant bowl of fruit! Then we headed off to the school for the morning because Aimee and Erin had their culture class. Meredith and I didn't have much to do, so we brought our computers along and typed typed typed away, Facebook'd a bit, and took some photos. Well, that got really boring and repetitive after about an hour, so we decided to head out for a walk! (On our way out, the gentleman at the door was very concerned about us leaving, and he kept saying, "Be very careful!") There's a market (literally) across the street from the school. So, after we started our adventure and had been out for about 5 or so minutes, we found that the market was MUCH larger than we anticipated. there was the outdoor part that was set up and town down each day, but then there is also a more permanent part that is inside a building. Each little store has a sort of cubicle that can be closed up and locked. After we had taken a quick jaunt through this, we still had about 20 minutes until we knew we had to be back at the school, but we started heading back that way. Who would we meet in the middle of the market but Janina and Sofia! They said that they were concerned about us and that it wasn't safe for us to be out on our own. We told them that we just wanted to get out for a bit to stretch our legs since we never get any walking or exercise in during the day because we drive everywhere. They were completely understanding, so they took us for walk past our apartment and down by the park and some other schools.

They were able to answer so many questions for us about the education system here. Remember when I mentioned the school for students with disabilities? Well, they were able to help us understand that concept more. The students with certain mental disabilities, Autism spectrum, psychological issues, psychomotor issues, etc. have two options for schooling. They are a. to be homeschooled, or b. to be sent to a privvate institution such as the one here in Callao, which are very expensive. However, these students cannot attend a regular school, public or private becuase it would "hinder" the other students' abilities to learn material. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is something that is frowned upon (and is illegal) in the US. I completely understand why they separate the students, but, from a real world perspective, they aren't always going to be separate from those people without disabilities. My question is-- why start separating them if it's only temporary and unrealistic? It seems silly, but I suppose that's just the culture here.

Students here are in primary school and secondary school, much like in the US. However, they are in first through fifth years of primary school and first through fifth years of secondary school. (It basiscally works itself out to grades 1-10.) Anway, using B. Group as an example, students take an exam prior to entering the school for the first time. This will determine whether they are above, below, or at level for their grade. From there, the lowest students in a specific grade level are all grouped together to be in one classroom and likewise for the intermediate and above grade level students. (This is why there are usually three classrooms for each floor in B. Group. Each floor in the buildings represents a grade level. For example, on the first floor of the primary building is first grade. The second floor in the primary building is second grade... You get the idea.) Now, the students are not only segregated from students with disabilities, but they are also separated into different academic levels. It's bizarre. The students in the secondary school are tested again every three months and can move from the "below grade level" classroom to the "intermediate" or "advanced" if they score well enough. (The students in the primary school cannot move. Once they test the first time they enter the school and are placed in a specific academic level, they are in that level for each grade until they reach secondary school.) Like I said, the school system here is strange. However, it's very traditional for Peru, so I'm not going to fight it.

I mentioned the exam that the students take to get into the school... Even though they'll separate students with disabilities, they cannot deny a student entrance into a school if their scores are extremely low, even if the school is private. This seems so strange to me, but, like I said, it's their tradition, so I'm not going to fight it.

After this long conversation, Meredith and I realized that we were supposed to be back at the school almost a half hour ago, so we booked it back. Then the four Americans and Sr. Daniel went to the location for the Centro de Idiomas. (Sr. Daniel is building a brand new bulding for the language center. It's going to be so awesome when it's finished! Stay tuned!) After this it was time for lunch, which I had been dreading since day one. It was time for.... Ceviche. This is a traditional Peruvian dish that is basically "raw fish." Except it is marinated in lemon juice and some other acidic juices which (essentially) "cook" the fish. Now, I hate fish, so this one was difficult for me. It actually wasn't too bad. Just a little salty.

After lunch, we headed to downtown Lima to look at some of the historical sites there, including the President's palace. There was a tank outside! Intimidating much? We walked around for a bit, and then we tried this weird green juice/tea concoction. I called it "pond water," but it was actually really good. It was a little bit like green tea. Mmmmm. We realized the time and had to race back to go to church. (The next day was Father's Day, so the church service got moved to Saturday evening instead.) We got to church and no one was there. (Come to find out that church wasn't until 7ish, not 6.) Once church was over, we headed to Oso Panda for dinner. Aimee ended up not feeling well, so we headed back to the apartment so she could sleep. I went right to bed. I was (unknowingly) mentally preparing myself for Sunday's adventure. 😉

Stay tuned for some cool pottery!

Monique

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Photos

Disability school
This is one of the schools where students with disabilities can go.

Serious business
Sr. Daniel talking with some of the contractors.

La piscina!
This is where the pool will be going in the new Language Center! It's going to be sweet!

Ceviche
Essentially raw fish... But sort of cooked with the acids in some juices. It was OK but not something I'd regularly order.

Dinner and a show!
These were some of the dancers at the ceviche restaurant!

President's House
This is where the President lives. Holy Hannah that's massive!