Hotel Radisson Decapolis in the Miraflores section of Lima was waiting for us after midnight on Monday. It was quite a logistical undertaking to get 17 teachers from 11 states to Miami and then on to Peru. On Tuesday morning we dove into Peruvian history and culture with our in-country consultant Violeta Tenorio. After lunch, we were driven to the Fulbright Commission office for a meeting with Laura Belbuena, PhD, who describes herself as a "political scientist, philosopher, actress, gender expert and feminist." She briefed us on Peruvian social reality, including the intersectionality of those oppressed because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and disability. "We respect the culture, but not the people who belong to the culture," was the way she described how Peruvians can be proud of their indigenous roots, but still be subject to discrimination. Fully one-third of the population lives in the capital Lima. The current president, Pedro Castillo, is a schoolteacher and union leader from the Andes. Our welcome dinner was in the beautiful restaurant of Museo Larco, a privately-owned museum of pre-Columbian art.
1 Comment
Despite being one of the first countries to impose a lockdown, Peru has suffered 120,000 cases and 3,500 deaths, according to Vox news website. Less than half the citizens own a refrigerator or freezer, forcing them to go to the market each day where there are large crowds to buy food.
The Peru group gets the email that our trip has been postponed. We agree to fill out the Fulbright survey asking our preferences by saying we want the group to stay together.
The field experiences in Morocco and Senegal have been postponed indefinitely and our Peru group is asking each other on What's App whether we will be affected. Others report that student trips over spring break have been canceled as has a teacher conference in San Diego. Discussion turns to our schools closing and the prospect of virtual classes. One member reports that 25% of the world's students are not in school because of the virus.
By the next week, all our schools were closed. Today I shared the Prezi that I created in the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program with my high school's faculty. The audience of about 60 were polite, but not exactly enthusiastic. Maybe I need to work on my sales pitch.
This website posts lesson plans, stories, photos and films from around the world. Today they posted The Offering, a 6:38 minute video on Peru's Scissor Dance, Quechua Danza de Tijeras, which is believed to have been created as an indigenous form of protest against Spanish imperialism. The trance-like performance on one foot is accompanied by fiddle and harp. Originally viewed by European settles as a form of devil worship, the dance has since been incorporated into Catholic village festivities.
The Offering Hollywood High School Principal Dr. Mary Reid Gaudio accompanied me to the Fulbright Global Education Symposium Jan. 23-25, 2020 in Washington, D.C. While teachers attended a session to prepare for our international field experience, administrators learned about school leadership tools for global education. We also attended a joint session on increasing students' competitiveness by improving global knowledge and an exhibition of learning where each TGC fellow displayed a lesson we created for global learning.
|
Karen CusolitoI am a National Board Certified Teacher of English at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. I also advise the student newspaper, which is an elective class. When I am not teaching, you can find me traveling, hiking with my dog, or doing yoga. Guiding Questions:
How common is it for girls in Peru to attend universities? How does their rate compare to boys? How has the rate of university attendance changed over the years? Archives
July 2022
Categories |