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THOMPSON — Nine Marianapolis students traveled to Peru during their spring break in order to perform community service and to learn and experience the Peruvian culture.
The students, accompanied by faculty member Karen Bowley, along with co-leader Fanny Vera Via Cava from The Groton School, and her son Stefano Via Cava, worked at the compound of the Sisters of Mother Theresa in Lima.
The compound, located in the district of La Victoria, houses children and elderly, many of which are physically and mentally challenged, as well as orphaned. Here, the students worked with elderly and severely disabled and deformed children. They fed and cleaned them, washed clothes, helped with physical therapy and socialized with both groups. The students were able to donate $1,271 to the compound which they raised through dress down days, weekly doughnut sales and a sumo wrestling tournament at Marianapolis.
The students were also given a VIP tour of the Government Palace and went to the Museo Luna and gold museum in Lima. The students also enjoyed a folkloric dance exhibition, cultural activities in Lima and Cuzco, and visited the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in Cuzco.
Students who went on the trip were sophomores Lauren George, Danielle Tata, Emily Teixeira, Mike Yang, Yuchen Zhang and Patrick Ni, junior Eric Bordua and seniors Jennifer Lutz and Catherine Dee.
After the trip, the students were required to write a reflection on their experiences. Jennifer Lutz had this to say, “In a sense I feel that now I have a global family, starting with the residents and staff of La Victoria….Their positive spirits no matter what their condition made me never want to quit. They taught me this message and made me want to forget all the little things we worry about.”