In the summer of 2017, I studied abroad for 6 weeks in the town of Miraflores in Lima, Peru. The program was with International Studies Abroad, ISA. During this time, I lived with an amazing host family and took two courses: Medical Spanish and Community Medicine and Healthcare in Peru at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH).

This was an amazing experience and one which I will always remember fondly. The program encourages a complete cultural immersion. From taking dance classes at a Peruvian university, to living with a large primarily Spanish speaking family, to shadowing in a public sector health clinic… Lima truly became a home away from home for me.

My host family was a fun-loving, and dynamic group of individuals. My host mom Cathy and her 18-year old daughter Andrea lived with Cathy’s sister Mariela and her husband, and their 30 year old and 12 year old sons. Not a dull moment was spent in that house! Nico, the 12 year old, quickly became my pesky little brother who’d constantly bug me to play soccer, Andrea was sister with whom I’d gossip about life with, and Cathy became my “mamá peruana” as I’d listen to all her stories and follow her like a little girl to run simple errands. A major reason I could connect with my family was because of my language skills, and openness to make mistakes while trying. They felt just as comfortable and open to me, as I felt with them. Alongside, I saw real improvements in my fluency and comfort level with speaking Spanish.

In terms of classes, this program was extremely relevant to me and my academic interests. I took two courses at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia: Medical Spanish and Community Medicine and Healthcare. Expanding on the Spanish rhetoric and vocabulary pertinent to health care settings was very beneficial and will help me down the road as I’d like to serve Spanish speaking individuals as a physician. It was also very interesting to see how public health initiatives on the community level are developed and carried out in Lima. We’d shadow in free health clinic and were able to assist with some of the community outreach programs. I was able to assist with HIV screenings at the local police station, while also interacting with the officers and talking to them about their work and some of the obstacles they face in this city.

One of my favorite aspects of this trip was being able to use Spanish to talk to and get to know so many individuals I met throughout my time in Lima. Even the small, two-minute conversations at the clinic, at the grocery store, and on the bus made the trip so much more meaningful and enriching. I felt more like a resident, and less like a tourist.

As we would explore Lima and other regions in Peru, we couldn’t help but feel that Peru had it all! It’s an incredibly diverse country, with beaches by Lima, mountains in Cuzco, desserts in Huacachina, and lots of rainforest further North. With the program excursions, we got to take weekend breaks to do fun activities and venture outside of the Lima city center. These were some of the experiences I will never forget and always cherish. For instance, in Huachachina, we went sand-boarding and took a fast buggy ride up and down the sand dunes! In Iquitos, we took a night boat ride on the Amazon river and got to witness a sky that was filled more with white than black – an amazing experience!

Oasis de la Huachachina

While on a boat ride on a small river, which led into the Amazon river, our guide made a new friend! (a tarantula!)