Notes

If I could live elsewhere for one semester, I would travel to Peru. Over the summer, I traveled to Peru and saw the beauty of the country from it’s Inca history to the grand Machu Picchu Mountain, but I was also stricken by the poverty of the country. I saw the amazing wildlife and nature. For the past few years, I have been studying Spanish, a language I believe is very important. If I was to travel to Peru, I would hope to improve my Spanish speaking ability, participate in the conservation of nature, and see more of the amazing country.
Over the summer, I traveled to Peru and got a chance to climb Machu Picchu and see the historical landmarks. Recently, I read a book called Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard. The book is about the founding of Patagonia, a very charitable company, especially to environmental conservation. The founder, Yvon Chouinard is very active in climbing and surfing and donates a lot of money to the preservation of the Patagonian mountains, and other environmental conservation programs. I would also consider myself an outdoorsman. I love camping, hiking, playing sports, nature, and the outdoors in general. There were many important lessons in this book but one of the greatest was the importance of charity, volunteering and giving back to your community. If I was to travel to Peru, I wouldn’t only go for the sake of improving my Spanish or seeing the country, I would go for the sake of the preservation of the amazing historic landmarks and nature.
Another reason that I would choose to travel to Peru for is the grand opportunity to improve my Spanish. Learning language has always been very important to me. My first language was Russian and I learned English in the span of months when I first went to preschool. Currently, I am studying Spanish in school, 4 times a week and studying Hebrew in preparation for my bar mitzvah next year. I believe that studying languages gives you so many more opportunities in life and gives you an advantage in life. And there is no better way to improve your ability to speak a language than speaking it. Being present in Peru for an entire semester will allow me to practice my Spanish speaking while helping other and seeing the beautiful country of Peru.
As I previously mentioned, I traveled to Peru for a week during the summer. I saw Machu pichI saw Machu Picchu, the ruins of the Inca Civilization, the small towns and so much more but there is only so much that you can do in a week. Traveling to Peru would give me the opportunity to see more of this amazing country and these amazing landmarks. I’d like to see the city of Lima, the Nazca lines and the Colca Canyon just to name a few. I’d also like to learn more about the Peruvian culture, a beautiful mix of Hispanic and Native traditions. The Peruvian cuisine was also one of my favorite things about the country. These were two of the awesome things that I experienced in Peru and would like to go and try it again.
In conclusion, traveling to Peru would give me a chance to study Spanish, participate in environmental conservation and to see the country. I could Learn about the culture and try cuisine. My Ideal place to spend a semester would be in Peru.