I arrive in Lima at midnight, after getting up at 3 am to get to the airport. The air feels thick and warm and wet. Yet I am informed that it never rains here! I wake to a foggy mist that gradually clears until I can see the Pacific Ocean from my hotel room window.

Some of the teachers who have been here before take me for a walk to get some lunch and see the waterfront. It is a very steep slope down to a narrow gravel beach. I am introduced to a typical Peruvian dish: Causa. It looks like polenta, it is make from yellow potatoes, it is served plain or layered with fish, cheese, or vegetable, and it is delicious! Later we will have the teacher’s organizational meeting over dinner at the director’s home. Tomorrow the work begins!