El Presidente
Kevin O’Donnell ‘19 – It was our first full day in Lima and I was still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I was out of the United States for the first time. Everywhere we drove was a new experience. I was actively comparing every little thing that we passed driving through the capital city of Peru.
The first work we did was with the children of Pamplona Alta. These kids acted strikingly similar to U.S. born children around that age. We helped them make sock puppets. They were so happy and didn’t have a care in the world, but the kids that were closer to our age only wanted one thing –they wanted to take selfies.
Later that day came the truly big surprise of the entire trip. We were on a tour of ancient ruins and at the top of the site, the guide said, “If you look closely, the newly elected president of Peru is having a banquet down there.”
We were amazed at the low level of security protecting the president. When we finished the tour and were waiting for our bus, the first lady of Peru walked out and almost instantly recognized Wabash College and asked if it was in Indiana.
We talked for a little bit and asked for a picture, and she just simply stated that we should wait for the president. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
