So it begins...

They are finally here! The students and faculty from the Go Global South America 2013 trip arrived early Thursday morning. Their incredible experience ends here in Trujillo after having visited Santiago, Chile and two more locations in Peru. Only a few more days stand between the students and the final flight back to the United States. Here's what we've done:

• Work began within just a couple of hours of their flight touching ground. By 10:30 am, the group met in the hotel lobby to be introduced to the interns, Elena, and Jacqueline. We had a few minutes to introduce their projects and then help them dive in. 
• At 3:00 pm the same day, the group visited DanPer where they learned more about the SEED program and received a tour of the production plants. Each part was translated into English by many of the talented bilingual students.
• A few of the groups met with their respective potential loan recipients that night in the hotel and planned future research visits and action plans.
• Friday was filled with visits to different parts of Trujillo as groups met with potential loan recipients and explored the surrounding areas. Visits are usually filled with research questions as they gather pertinent information regarding the loan.
• Saturday morning one group made the long trip to Nuevo Chao to visit Juan Valle and discovered new information about the area, competition, and Juan's personal situation that suggest Juan rejoin the program next year and take extra time to reevaluate his plan. 
• Other groups also made visits on Saturday to further their knowledge of the individuals, the region, and related businesses in the area.
• On Sunday the group was able to tour the local tourist sites including the Huaca del Sol y de la Luna and the sand ruins Chan Chan. Around lunch time, the group enjoyed some time on the beach under the sun (which hasn't shone for nearly three weeks). 

On the way to visit Juan Valle

We look forward to the next few days knowing they will be full of hard work! We are excited to see the students' presentations on Wednesday and hope the best decisions will be made on the presented plans.