Adios Peru; Full Circle

Lisa here. We are on our final hours of our stay in Peru and I just wanted to leave one last post.

When Kate and I arrived three weeks ago, the first thing on our agenda was to visit CPAL, a private, oral school for the Deaf in Lima. We met with the principal and some of the teachers, but as with all good planning, we did not plan well enough. We chose to come to Peru since we wanted to connect with a school for the Deaf in a S. American country and we knew that our summers translate into their winters, so school would be in session here. What we failed to find out was when they were on winter break, which as luck would have it, coincided with our time in Lima. So while we were able to meet with the director of the school, we were unable to see any classes or meet with any students. However, upon checking further, we found out that their school vacation ended last Friday and their first day back in school was today. While Kate would not be here, I made an appointment and was welcomed back to the school today to meet the students and see some classes that were in session.

As Kate and I mentioned in one of our first posts after we visited another school for the Deaf here, kids will be kids and Deaf kids will be Deaf kids no matter where they are in the world. In this same vein, schools will be schools no matter where they are in the world. The first day after vacation is usually filled with what did you do on your vacation stories, and today was no exception. The problem here was, for some odd reason, the 3 classes we (my daughter and I) spent the most time in, the discussion revolved around food, and eating cuy in particular. If you look back at the original pictures posted by Kate way back in May, you might have noticed two animals pictured, an alpaca and my pet guinnea pig. Cuy is Spanish for guinea pig, need I say more?

The visit went well though and I'm hoping that the two schools might create an international connection that will grow over the years. At this point, I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read and comment on our posts. By keeping this blog it has helped me reflect on the trip, the people we met, and the places we visited. It was truly an experience I will never forgot. And finally, I here, and Kate back home in the states, want to thank Fund for Teachers for granting us the opportunity to revive, learn and grow in Peru.