May 17th, 2018 - Chris Torres

My day officially started at 7:57 a.m. when I jumped out of my bed and quickly rushed into the shower because breakfast was almost ready. As I got into the shower I turned on the water and leaped in without realizing that I had to turn the switch to get hot water, and instead I was fully awakened by a blast of cold artic water. After I finished, I quickly ate my breakfast and Papa Jesus, my homestay dad, then drove everyone to the International Study Abroad (ISA) office.

Once we arrived at ISA, Alberto, our professor, covered a brief summary on the corruption of Peru, social services in Peru, as well as the racism that still occurs in Peru. The lecture was really shocking because it was really sad to see that racism is also a problem that occurs in Peru even though 45% of the population are indigenous and 5% are Afro-Peruvians and most of the racism is directed towards them. Not only that, but I also learned that Peru has several social services for students and that their health care is pretty much free, but the problem is extending it into sectors of the jungle. After the lecture we began the daily debrief and I learned that everyone has their own personal battle that they must go through and that even though society is more modernized we still face similar problems from 100 years ago, like racism.

As the day continued, we later went to the Museo Historico Regional de Cusco. After arriving at the museum, we learned about the different types of dinosaurs that roamed Cusco and covered all of the city’s history until the arrival of the Spanish. Hearing and seeing the different artifacts of ancient Cusco I felt sad for the indigenous people because they were stripped from their culture and were forced to follow a religion they had no idea of. I think it made me think a lot more because I am part of this history as I am mestizo and knowing that my ancestors had to experience this made me ponder of the cruelty of the Spanish’s actions. 

When the evening approached, I decided to eat typical American food because at this point of trip I began to feel homesick. As a result, Josh, Jake, Jacob, and I went to a place called “Rupha’s” and ordered some delicious burgers! As I ate my Ibiza burger I was filled with delight because it was comforting to feel like I was at home. After I finished my burger, I stood there in silence blocking the chatter and music around me and thought to myself of how glad I am to be given this opportunity and how much I have grown both mentally and emotionally. As everyone continued to talk I smiled and thought, “What else is to come?”