¡Hola y bienvenidos (hello and welcome) everyone to another post of There Be Dragons!
My name is Jada Ball, a current English major with intended Spanish and Creative Writing minors. This summer I was able to go on the journey of a lifetime to Cusco, Peru thanks to being a part of Global Honors at the Lloyd International Honors College and receiving the Gilman Scholarship.
Participating in the faculty-led Spanish immersion in the heart of the former Incan Empire was a dream come true for me. However, it wouldn’t have become a reality for me if it weren’t for the support of my family, professors, the Gilman Program, and Global Honors. I never would’ve made it to Peru if not for the financial and emotional support I received from home. In a similar fashion, I never would’ve thrived in Peru were it not for my host family. They cared for me as well as my roommates far beyond just making sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table. They taught us much about the day to day life in Peru by showing us how to take the bus, taxi, and getting our laundry done. They also showed us the best spots in the city to shop from and encouraged us to learn more about Spanish and Peruvian culture just by
encouraging us to explore the city. I loved the simple moments when we were at breakfast or dinner, laughing and talking about our day.
Peru was a first for many things for me: the first time I was in charge of a group of children, the first time I ordered a taxi, the first time I tried alpaca (yum!) and cuy (guinea pig), the first time I had to stay in a hospital overnight, but most of all it was the first time I was putting my Spanish skills to the test. Thankfully, my Conversation class helped me focus on pronunciation, vocab, and grammar, as well as the culture, history, and country we were currently in. It’s what made the excursions and interactions we had in the city much more meaningful. My LLC class also enabled me to put my speaking into practice as not only were we sanding and painting a room for an afterschool site, we were also making lesson plans for the children who went there.
Some of my favorite memories from the site was listening and creating stories with the kids in both English and Spanish. We did this by playing Storycubes: a game where players make stories out of images on the dice.Whenever they got the goblin one, they would call him el diablo, the devil. It was fun to hear how the heroes managed to thwart his evil plan. That was, if they were able to. Most of the time they died in the fight, but that was just how the stories went. Sometimes, the work we were doing felt like a fight against the devil. It could be overwhelming to make sure the kids were playing safely outside or even a mildly annoying thing like making sure the paint wouldn’t get on clothes or bookbags we set aside, but in the end everything worked out because we listened and paid attention to one another when all madness descended.
Some of the most memorable moments I had with my roommates was when we explored the city. The more we went out, the more I realized how interconnected Peru was not just to the United States, but to the rest of the world. They had KFC, Star Bucks, Popeys, and Chili's just like we do here. They also had Korean, Mexican, Chinese, and French cuisine throughout the city. Crepes were very popular in Peru. One of my favorite places we went to had tacos and crepes right next to each other. During June, we decided to go see the new Lilo and Stitch movie. The theater was packed with kids and families. It was incredible to watch the remake of such a beloved film from the US in Spanish surrounded by those who loved that same story.
to have been preserved over the centuries. When we first toured the city, our guide shared with us that the Spanish invaded, but they never conquered the Inca. Though they had erased a lot of Incan culture, they could not tear down the mountainous city they called home. Because of this brave act, they gave not just their descendants, but also all the world invaluable knowledge on how they lived in one of the most difficult terrains on Earth.
The day before I got sick, my friend and I stopped by the church St. Domingo in the heart of the city. We had been inside once before, but hadn’t realized it’d been the main temple of the Inca: the Temple of the Sun. The original foundation is still at the lowest level of the church, the sanctuary built on top of it. One of the galleries inside displays a painting of the Milky Way, showing how some of Incan astrology focused on the dark space of the Milky Way (called dark constellations), finding many animals coming to drink from its waters. This image created a sense of wonder at the hidden things of this ancient culture, of how much we still don't know still about the Inca. Yet this made me gratefully appreciate the things that did endure and the culture that has come from both the good and bad of Peru’s history.
The day before I left, I got sick. I had to spend the night in the hospital, relying on the Spanish I knew and the English the doctors and nurses spoke to get through the night. I was one of those animals searching in vain for the water of the Milky Way. In a way though, I was able to drink from the starry water. My relief came from despair, my water came through the kind acts of my friends. They shopped on my behalf, ordered a taxi for us so we could make it to the airport on time, and one even brought me a change of clothes. They, my teachers, my host family, and my classmates were all bright stars in the Milky Way I got to see and be grateful for.
It was bittersweet to leave Peru, but thanks to my community both at home and abroad, it was well worth it.
