Peru: Spanish Intensive and Cultural Immersion

 Sadly… spanish classes in Peru have come to an end, after 56 hours of instruction.  Pictured at left is Carmen, my Practica teacher, who led me around the city and helped me run errands when I needed a fluent speaker by my side.  On the right side is Nayut, my classroom teacher, who painstakingly ran me through the schools Basico I,II and Intermedio I program in three weeks.  It was difficult to say goodbye, after seeing them nearly on a daily basis for almost my entire time in Peru.

Before class I ran to the artesan market and hunted for gifts for my profesoras.  With the first money I´d given her, Nayut had bought earrings she thought were silver, only to find out that they were an incredibly cheap knock off after a few days wearing them.  I found her new earrings.  I bought Carmen a very nice white scarf, which may or may not be made from Alpaca.  While the two presents were being wrapped, I saw how uneven the sizes of the two presents were, and was sure that I would be interrogated if one present was larger than the other.  Quickly, as I was already late for my last day of class, I bought some knitted gloves for Nayut and threw them in with her earrings.  The wrapped presents were nearly identical in size.

They appreciated their presents, and we had heartfelt goodbyes throughout the morning.  As our last mission, Carmen and I went to a photo shop and printed two copies of the picture above.  One for Carmen, and one for Nayut.

I shall say goodbye to my host family over drinks tonight, and then head to the Plaza de Armas for my last look at the main square of the city.  I leave for Northern Peru tomorrow morning.  Until then, cheers!