Students on Eastern Mennonite University’s fall semester intercultural to Peru explored history, culture and language, with a special focus on health and education. They have been accompanied by Professor Kristopher Schmidt, who has led multiple intercultural groups to Peru, and Celia Vasquez, an educator and Peruvian native. The group spent six weeks in Lima, followed by some free travel time, and then explorations of Arequipa and Cuzco, two cities with varied cultural histories.
For more on their experiences, tune into the Dec. 14 convocation at 10:10 a.m.. This event will be livestreamed on Facebook Live from EMU Facebook page. [You do not need a Facebook account to view.]
Student-travellers have also posted a series of travelogues and photo albums on EMU’s intercultural website.
- Maggie Garber blogs about wanting to fit in, experiencing challenges to her communication skills and her usually unerring sense of direction, and “a dozen other parts of me that I hold dear feel like they are crumbling.”
- Erin Clayton shares about the dramatic and surprising adjustments she made in acquiring new life and language skills since arriving in Peru and moving in with her host family.
- Hannah Beck captures the breathtaking experience of hiking along the Inka trail and viewing Machu Picchu.
Intercultural studies are a curricular requirement at EMU. The 30-year-old program has taken students across the United States and around the world, accompanied by faculty, and often their family members, who have usually lived and worked in the area. Learning happens through homestays, language study, field trips, regular lectures by experts, and reflective opportunities. Students always have free travel time to explore on their own. The experience is routinely mentioned among recently returned students and in alumni surveys as life-changing and transformative.
Explore more about EMU’s intercultural program
- View a timeline of the program and a list of faculty leaders.
- For a glimpse of past travels, visit EMU’s Youtube channel.
- EMU’s Washington Community Scholars’ Center offers an intercultural experience in the urban setting of the nation’s capital. Students live in a communal house and work in internship settings while receiving vocational guidance. Many WCSC alumni have found that their internship turns into a full-time job offer. Learn more about fall 2022 placements and alumni who now have work in DC here and here.