“Peruvian culture is a mix of the Spanish who conquered [Peru] and the Incas who the [Peruvians] are descendants of,” junior Cybil Drummond said of her new home in Peru.
Drummond is staying in Peru for the next 10 months. She said she decided to go to Peru to learn Spanish and wanted something different than what she was used to. She is staying with a Peruvian host family and going to a Peruvian school.
Drummond said children in Peru attend school until they are 16 so she is the fifth level of secondary school. She is taking Spanish, Italian and theater. When she does not have class, Drummond said she teaches English to the primary levels or studies Spanish.
“School is legit,” Drummond said. “We’re like the rock stars of the school. We get to do pretty much whatever we want. For example, in the English teacher’s break room we had a party for my friend from France for her 18th birthday.”
When Drummond arrived in Lima, she attended camp and an orientation to help prepare her. She was in Lima for two weeks until finally arriving in Arequipa on Aug. 12. Drummond said in the host family she is living with she has a mom, dad, brother, and a sister who gave birth to a son since she has been there.
“My host family is crazy,” she said. “My dad is crazy. We went to the mall once and he ran up the down escalator. My mom is the controlling type, but she’s still really nice and generous.”
Drummond isn’t the only American student staying in Peru; there are 14 other students from the United States. Drummond left at 9 a.m. July 28 for Peru. Her flight arrived in Lima, the capital of Peru, at midnight July 29.
“I honestly didn’t feel fear until I arrived in Dallas for my layover, Drummond said. “That’s when it really hit me. I’m on my own now, no mom or dad watching over me, no friends. There are just me, God, and all these people I don’t know.”
Drummond said that she loves Peru and everything about it being a new experience.
“There isn’t a moment that I regret leaving [everything behind] and seeing, trying, and doing something new,” Drummond said.