By Ariana Zevallos Hoyos 5th B
I really don’t know how to begin to describe the Andes experience, let’s summarize it as one of the best weeks of my life so far.
I had participated before in the Cenit when I was in third grade; this experience was carried out virtually due to the pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the call for an international student exchange called Andes, an experience similar to Cenit, but this time in person and in Argentina.
This exchange represented an exorbitant departure from my comfort zone, since I had never traveled alone before, left Peru, exposed to an unknown audience, danced in front of it and accepting this challenge meant that and more. It was an investment… until that moment I didn’t know how much the profit would be.
From one moment to the next, I was already stepping in Argentine. Our delegation had an advantage over other groups because we had arrived days before the meeting and we could adapt much better to the change of cultures. The host families seemed very willing to welcome us; within minutes we were on our way to our new life for the next 9 days, we arrived “home”. Before the event, we had time to adapt, get to know places, customs, vocabulary and, of course, the family.
During the following days the good began. We went to the ICT (Carlos Tejedor Institute), where we met many delegations from Peru, the Argentine “hosts”, as well as several delegations from Colombia, Paraguay and Bolivia. After a moment of socializing, they brought us together for the opening of the event; a moment that not many would put into a personal testimony, but it helped me a lot in the experience; hearing the pride and how loudly all the Peruvian delegations sang the anthem, this filled me with energy.
In a blink of an eye we were listening to the presentations on the theme that mobilized us “The school as a transformer of new realities”, it was incredible to see the dedication and preparation with which the students presented, later our time came. I was really nervous, but I received the support of students from neighboring countries and my own, so I went out. The presentation was beautiful, other delegations even congratulated us. Every day after the presentations we were entrusted with commissions where we talked about controversial issues touched on in said presentations. I was greatly surprised to learn that many countries were on the same page, although there was always one or another cultural difference that we had to put into practice or learn. to respect.
Then came the best part, the debate or discussion between commissions, I say discussion because more than imposing your ideas, it was expressing your solutions to the problems in the Latin American and even global educational system. Coming from students it meant a lot, seeing people really committed to change and evolution is motivating; serious and capable people. We emphasize that not everyone is good at the same areas (science, numbers or languages), same learning techniques (auditory, visual, kinesthetic), same hours (daytime, nighttime) and others because of what the system that schools have to teach and assessing (grading memory more than native learning) fails to get students to their highest level, plus we talk about how schools drain the creativity of their students by casting them in the same mold regardless of their abilities or strengths, thus removing the autonomy to decide what we want and need for our lives.
Another topic that was very touched on and which I also discussed was “new realities or wider gaps” since we know that there are more developed countries in the world and even regions in each country with more opportunities than others, to which we need to listen and help. To close with the conclusions, we know that this reflection cannot remain among these more than 200 students, but that we have to be the voice of change in each region and country.
And so we come to the purely cultural part, the dance and gastronomy shows. It was spectacular to see the different dances, costumes and be able to try food brought directly from other countries, applaud the differences and laugh at the similarities, while listening and singing, even shouting songs from each country, all united. While this was happening, I would continue to meet people, more customs and many jargons that I would probably use all my life.
Although the Andes meeting gave me a lot of knowledge and a greater desire to move my country forward, it gave me many friends, people with whom I met practically every day after school, people with whom I talk at all hours and hope never losing contact, all of them made the last day one of the most difficult; the day of the final party, the day it seemed that we were a promotion, that we had known each other our whole lives. Where I created bonds that I never thought to create, even where I brought out a side of me that I didn’t know. I am not exaggerating when I say that they became a part of me, they won my heart.
Finally, I want to thank my team: Romina Piscoya, Ana Paula García, Luana Osteolaza, María Fernanda Vizcardo, the teacher who was always with us; María Celeste Tejada, to everyone who made this an unforgettable experience and to my host family; Giulianna, Valentina, Aunt Marcela, Uncle Sergio, Elena and Lucio.
Just thank you, I will never forget you.
