Officials from the
gave a presentation about the South American country to students and teachers from various elementary schools in Washington, D.C.
Held on August 8, the event was part of a summer camp organized by Casa Lala, a children's school founded and directed by Marcela "Lala" Tample. It promotes bilingual education supported by the Montessori and Reggio Emilia methodologies.
This activity aimed to bring young Americans closer to Peruvian culture, strengthening educational and cultural ties between both countries.
The children were told what Peru is and where it is located on the world map, as well as what Peruvians are like and six reasons to love the South American country.
1) For being a multilingual nation with 48 officially-recognized indigenous languages.
2) For being an important exporter of superfoods such as quinoa.
3) For being the center of the Inca Empire and creator of the Qhapaq Ñan or Great Inca Road -an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
4) For being a megadiverse country that hosts thousands of animal and plant species.
5) For its capital, Lima, which offers one of the best cuisines in the world.
6) For being the birthplace of great artists in genres such as music, literature, and poetry, as well as excellent athletes in disciplines such as women's volleyball, race walking, surfing, sailing, squash, chess, among others.
The
Peruvian diplomatic mission was pleasantly surprised to prove that the visiting teachers and children recognized our culture and gastronomy, highlighting
Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry) and
Pollo a la Brasa (Roasted Chicken).
The guests were also struck by the diversity of the Peruvian population, the rich culture that characterizes it, and the native languages spoken in our country, especially Quechua.
At the end of this presentation, the diplomatic mission placed special emphasis on ensuring that visitors learn more about the
Qhapaq Ñan or Great Inca Trail, through the photo exhibition set up at its Art Gallery.
In this space, every child was shown and given an activity book titled "Caminantes del Qhapaq Ñan" (Walkers of the Qhapaq Ñan) published this year by the Culture Ministry for youngsters between 6 and 11 years old.
Moreover, the teachers and students expressed great enthusiasm for learning more about Peru, especially its gastronomy, and also great interest in visiting our country with their families in the future.
Lastly, the minors expressed joy and satisfaction at tasting Peruvian cookies and chocolates, as well as Inca Kola and Chicha Morada beverages offered by the diplomatic mission.