For me Peru was something unlike anything I have ever experienced. Visiting Peru we saw a huge contrast in living styles and cultures. Many would think it is impossible to compare a First World and a Third World country, but despite the language barrier and our contrasting backgrounds we were able to interact and connect with these people. In the one week we were there, each of us formed tight bonds and friendships with each other and the people of Canto Grande. I also noticed the importance of religion in Peruvian society.

In Peru, religion guides their actions, structures their lives and gives hope for the future. The Peruvians live out the Gospel in a communal setting, putting into practice solidarity with the marginalized of society. Peru was life changing and life molding for me. It was a huge step forward in my life, and it’s changed me as a person. Through this pilgrimage I've developed a love for Peru, its culture and people.

                                                ~Peter McGovern

This past week I had the opportunity to travel to the country of Peru, South America, February 17-24. I traveled with a group of twelve students from Catholic Memorial and three faculty members (Br. Casey, C.F.C., Dr. Keane, and Mr. Woolley). There is more than a lot to be said about the city of Lima and its people. To start I will say that this was the most incredible experience of my life and I took a lot away from it. I am going to try my best to put it all into words.

Next to Cairo, Lima is the second largest city in the world located in a desert. The landscape was beautiful. One can easily travel from ocean to desert to the foothills of the Andes within about 10 miles.

The Congregation of Christian Brothers, which runs Catholic Memorial, has several mission sites in and around Lima. The "sections" of Lima we focused upon were Canto Grande and Villa El Salvador. Canto Grande is in the northern part of Lima. The Christian Brother school in Canto Grande is called Fe y Alegria. We spent three days there with the children who attended this school. The school grounds are surrounded by a brick wall. Beyond the brick wall lie dirt roads and the foothills of the Andes. On the dirt roads and foothills sit "huts" or "shacks" where the students and their families live. Most of the people live with limited electricity and without running water or plumbing. The school is really their oasis. The children in Canto Grande have an incredible glow in their faces and they seem very happy. It was amazing to me at first to think that these people could be so content with so little. They have only each other and God.

Another day we visited a home for sick children located about an hour and a half north of Lima. Twenty years ago, a pediatrician working in Atlanta, GA went down to Lima and ended up buying a three-story home to house sick children. While we were there, there were eight babies in the nursery--all malnourished, born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, or suffering from some other malady. Other children in the home ranged from ages four to about sixteen. The house is home to 46 children right now in addition to several international volunteers. Two young girls, maybe nine years old, each had leukemia. Two boys were blind; others showed signs of mental retardation. One boy, named Victor, was born with no arms, and only one leg. He was also mildly retarded. We ate lunch at the house, Hogar de San Francisco, and I found it amazing how Victor got by. We prayed before we ate and Victor blessed himself with his big right toe! When we ate our soup, his was put in a plastic mug, and he stuck his big right toe through the handle of the mug and lifted it to sip the soup. Victor has a prosthetic leg and manages to get around fairly well.

During our visit in Peru we also visited an Incan archeological site called, Pachacumac. One night we visited the wealthiest area of Lima called Mira Flores, and went to a very upscale outdoor mall built into a cliff looking over the Pacific Ocean. We also visited parts of old, colonial Lima where Spanish influence stands out amongst the architecture.

The food was great too! The last night we were there we ate at a club/restaurant that featured traditional Peruvian food and native folk dancing. The night started with professional dancers dancing to traditional Peruvian music. While the professionals did a costume change, the dance floor opened up and everyone danced until the professionals returned. It continued this way all night long. It was a lot of fun!

The last day we were in Peru we went to the beach with some of the kids we had met in Canto Grande. The waves were huge, the water was warm, I got a nice tan, and the Peruvian food we had for lunch was great! On that note all the food we ate throughout the week was very, very good. However, I was not happy leaving the 85-95 degree weather of Lima to come home to temperatures in the low teens in Boston.

From the Indian market, to the markets where the poor people shop, to the health clinic, soup kitchen, and day-care in Villa El Salvador, to a woman digging through trash lining a street in Villa El Salvador, to the sites around Lima both good and disappointing, there is no one word to describe this experience. I could just go on and on writing about more things!

I think the thing I found most amazing was how happy these people seem with what they have. Many of the "huts" built on the hillside were about the size of my living room at home. Many of the kids attending Fe y Alegria have only one meal a day, municipal health care is frighteningly limited, and unemployment rates hover at 40% in some areas. And yet, with just each other and God, they manage to smile….

Although we only visited Lima, what we saw was beautiful. The memories I hold from this trip will live in me forever.

                                                           ~Dan Ruggles