On Thursday afternoon, 1st September, Tom and I departed for Peru. Our trip began with a flight from Manchester to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Santo Domingo, then to Panama City where we were almost refused entry to Peru. Minutes before the flight to Lima took to the air, we were given permission to fly and ran across Panama airport to board the plane. Upon arriving at Lima airport, we took a taxi to a hostel in the city centre, where we spent our first night in Peru.
The following day, we took the Cruz del Sur night bus to Arequipa. After 16 hours, we awoke to find blue skies and snow capped mountains awaiting us. Arequipa is known as the 'White City' due to the volcanic rock in its architecture, which makes it a beautiful place to be.
On Monday, we visited Flora Tristan school and met the other volunteers and the students. The area is a deprived area on the northern outskirts of Arequipa. Many of the inhabitants are still without waste water disposal and have only recently been supplied with running water. Some of the children attend school, but others do not.
Our working day commences around 2.30pm, when we take a 45 minute bus journey to the school. The purpose of the school is to provide English lessons to the young people of the community. English is seen as a valuable asset, as tourism is an important source of income to Arequipa. A good grasp of the English language also acts as a gateway to further career opportunities.
Around 20-30 students attend the school, although not all of them attend every day. The school is split into 4 classes. Tom will be working with 2 classes; currently beginners aged 5-8, then from next week an advanced class with young adults. I am working with the babies class, aged 2-5.
We are very excited to start making a difference to this community. Thanks for reading!
Sophie & Tom
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