WV Executive

After several months of English classes, an hour and a half of English studies daily and additional practice outside the classroom, Luis was still not confident in his ability to speak the language. Carrying on conversations with his fellow students as well as his teachers and even visiting with Americans who had no formal knowledge of Spanish wasn’t quite enough to confirm to Luis that he could speak English. He needed an opportunity outside the comfort of the institute where he studied to prove to himself what he was capable of. That opportunity came quickly, and not only would the outcome confirm his knowledge of English but it would also decide the next step in his career. After nearly finishing his studies at a local university, Luis had his first serious job interview.

After several months of English classes, an hour and a half of English studies daily and additional practice outside the classroom, Luis was still not confident in his ability to speak the language. Carrying on conversations with his fellow students as well as his teachers and even visiting with Americans who had no formal knowledge of Spanish wasn’t quite enough to confirm to Luis that he could speak English. He needed an opportunity outside the comfort of the institute where he studied to prove to himself what he was capable of. That opportunity came quickly, and not only would the outcome confirm his knowledge of English but it would also decide the next step in his career. After nearly finishing his studies at a local university, Luis had his first serious job interview.

There it was, his confidence sealed and a new door for a career widely opened. As his professor and his friend, I was proud of him, and in that moment, I knew that I didn’t regret making the decision to move to Peru to teach English as a volunteer for San Agustin Language Institute (SALI).

Called to Teach

Only one year ago, I was in a similar position as Luis in my life. I was looking at graduating from college soon and trying to decide which direction I wanted to take. I had moved to South Carolina from West Virginia to attend Anderson University and would soon have my bachelor’s degree in psychology. The next step, I thought, was to either continue in school or look for a job. That perspective changed in May 2007 when I experienced my first short-term missions trip to Trujillo, Peru. On that trip, my team provided labor in the construction of a church, worked with kids and spent time in conversation with college students from local universities at SALI.

Working with the mission for that short time and helping those students practice their English heavily impacted my opinion about which direction my life was headed. SALI recruits college students or recent graduates to teach English in their institute, and when weeks had passed and I was still dreaming about moving to Peru to work with SALI, I decided to start the application process. After much prayer and completing the interview process, the mission invited me to go to Trujillo to work for them and I began preparing to finish college and start a new chapter in my life teaching English in an underdeveloped country. Now, eight months into my one-year commitment, I have many Peruvian friends who are students with stories similar to that of Luis, and I am planning on extending my stay in Trujillo beyond the one-year commitment.

Life in Peru

Living in Peru has changed my life in more ways than I ever imagined. I quickly went from the life of a college student in a small town in a wealthy country to the life of the average Peruvian in the large city of a developing country. I have had quite the adventure growing accustomed to my life here. The diet on the coast of Peru, where Trujillo is located, largely consists of chicken (one of my students has a farm with more than 12,000 chickens!), rice, beans and various forms of freshly squeezed juice. Peruvians are experts on making juices from fruits. In the U.S., we usually eat a small lunch and have a large dinner; in Peru, the larger meal of the day is lunch. Lunch is a big deal here—no one skips it. Many families go home to eat together, while others opt to find a restaurant that offers what they call a menu. A menu is a special for lunch for the day and usually includes an appetizer such as a small salad or soup, a dish of meat, rice and beans, a juice and sometimes a dessert. All of this typically costs close to five soles, which is less than two dollars.

Since the water system here is not stable, we don’t drink the water from the tap. We buy bottled water, even in restaurants. The first time I returned home for a visit after living in Peru, I was surprised when I remembered that I could drink as much water as I wanted for free.

In addition to eating large lunches and drinking water from bottles, I have also become acquainted with a new way of doing my laundry—by hand. While washers and dryers are slowly becoming more popular here, oftentimes Peruvians still do their laundry by hand.

Not all of my free time is spent on laundry, though. Huanchaco Beach, which is only a 20-minute ride by public transportation, is popular for surfers, and it’s very common to see tourists there. Dancing is also very popular in Peru, and oftentimes Peruvians go out to what we call “discos” to dance into the night. Some discos are more traditional with Peruvian folk music, and others are more contemporary where the music is more similar to Hip-Hop. Both places also play traditional music such as Salsa and Merengue.

Recently I visited Cajamarca, a town in the mountains that required an eight-hour bus ride to get there. Cajamarca is a beautiful mountain city where the lifestyle is different even from Trujillo. The town is more traditional and more relaxed, and it is home to the Inca baths. The Inca found natural hot springs there and it is popular for tourists to visit Cajamarca to, literally, take a bath.

Creating a Community of Learning

SALI is a growing language institute established as a branch of Peru Mission in Trujillo, Peru. SALI was first opened in 2004 and since then has grown and continues to grow as we increase not only our number of students but professors and types of classes that we offer. There are several language institutes in Trujillo, the third largest city of Peru, but our program is unique in that our students can learn English from a professor with an American accent as the majority of our professors are from the United States. The variety of classes we offer also makes SALI many students’ first choice, in addition to traditional classes, after which our students are prepared to take the TOEFL exam, an exam which officially labels them as fluent English speakers. We also offer conversation classes for students to practice outside their classroom as well as a fast track program. The fast track program is a shorter version of the traditional classes and is ideal for students that need to learn English quickly for travel, school or work-related business. In addition to classes within SALI, we have also had the opportunity to extend our services outside our doors and into local businesses. Many businesses have contacted SALI to teach English to their employees, and recently we began work with a top law firm in Trujillo, going into their place of work to teach a class to their employees.

Not only does SALI offer a variety of classes for our students’ needs but SALI also strives to stand out to our students in a different way than the typical language institute. We desire to make SALI a very welcoming environment for our students. We have a library and a living room for students to relax in, and soon we are opening a café for our students. It is not uncommon to see teachers and students spending time together outside the classroom both in SALI and outside of the institution as our students not only learn English and about American culture but in turn teach us about their culture, too.

My favorite part of working with SALI is the way that I get to be a part of each student’s life. My students don’t just come to my class to learn English; they also teach me Spanish, laugh at my mistakes and teach me about their country, their culture and their lives. These students mean more to me than a seat in my classroom—they have become my close friends. I have students that are from the coast of Peru, the mountains and the jungle, and each one has incredible stories about their lives. It is fascinating to learn where they are from, why they are in Trujillo, why they are studying English and where their lives are taking them next.

This month, one of the very first classes that I began teaching at SALI will be graduating from our program. I am so excited for them after knowing them for eight months and seeing them grow in the English language. I am very proud of each of them. In addition to Luis, Jennifer, a pharmacy student, and Alexandra, a medical student, have become close friends to me and I am excited to see where their lives go from here. These students are very bright and impress me daily with their hard work. I admire them for working as hard as they do both in my classroom and in their classes for their universities. Their determination is inspiring, and I am truly blessed by being able to be even a small part of each of their lives.