Gianfranco, Deismary, Preston and Francisca were part of the group of 186 students who made the decision to come to our study house on exchange in the 2024-1 cycle. They came on exchange as international students or through the RPU. Here they tell us how they lived this experience inside and outside the classrooms.
“Much of my life I did not feel Peruvian and I came in search of that part of my identity,” says Gianfranco Berán, an exchange student at PUCP who came for a semester from Amherst College, Massachusetts (USA). Like him, Deismary, Preston and Francisca ventured into this experience of being exchange students, each with their own expectations and challenges. They were part of the 83 students who came from international exchange and the 103 who came to our campus, through the Peruvian Network of Universities during 2024-1, in programs managed by the Academic Directorate of Institutional Relations. Here they tell us their experiences.
6 years ago he arrived from Venezuela to Peru along with his family to make this country their new home. Deismary González, student of Administration at the National University of Trujillo, is today part of the group of students who ventured to spend a regular cycle as an exchange student at the PUCP.
What he found on our campus exceeded his expectations. «The University is very beautiful, I love it. I thought it was going to be very difficult for me to adapt because my schedules overlap, but the spaces for recreation and rest make a difference,” she commented enthusiastically.
The Interfaculty Games on campus are something unique: the integration that is experienced and how the University makes us part of it. My career partners made me feel part of the team and I had a nice experience playing with them.”
Deismary González Student of Administration at the National University of TrujilloShe remembers with nostalgia everything she experienced at the Interfaculty Games, from the opening to the closing with the Cultural Night. “The Interfaculties on campus are something unique, the integration that is experienced and how the University makes us part of it. My career partners made me feel part of the team and I had a nice experience playing with them,” he said.
Although most of the time it was exciting, she felt very much missing her family and confesses that this was what cost her the most during these months at our University. “I am very close to my parents, we stayed on video calls just to see each other even if we didn’t say anything,” Deismary said.
In order to reconnect with his Peruvian roots, Gianfranco, a Spanish student at Amherst College in the United States, decided to take a semester at our university at the beginning of this year. Although he was born in Arequipa, he remembers little of his life in Peru, since when he was four years old his family migrated in search of a better future.
“Yes, we had part of the Peruvian culture at home, like their food or their festivities, but we focused more on getting used to the American life, so I grew up with that in mind,” he commented.
What I liked most about Lima was its gastronomy. I have gotten to know so many places in the city because I love Peruvian food.”
Gianfranco Berán Spanish student at Amherst College in the United StatesHe also reveals that as a child he focused so much on “being American” that he somehow ended up ignoring his “Peruvian part.” From there came the desire to learn more about Peru. Thus, this 2024, at 33 years old, he decided to carry out a student exchange with our University to explore his bicultural identity.
During his four months as a student at PUCP, Gianfranco faced some difficulties interacting with his classmates. On one hand, he was a foreigner; and, furthermore, he was older and independent. “That automatically makes me a little separated from the group,” he said. However, he also had several good experiences in our city. “What I liked most about Lima was its gastronomy. I have gotten to know so many places in the city because I love Peruvian food” he said.
More than 700 kilometers away and around 13 hours by bus, Francisca, an Economics student at the Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University in Lambayeque, decided to leave her comfort zone and take on new challenges at an academic level.
The national and international recognition that the PUCP has caught her attention and motivated her to carry out a student exchange during the 2024-1 cycle.
I have a great affection for my classmates, we bond a lot by studying together and accompanying each other during the cycle. “More than colleagues, they are friends.”
However, this experience not only helped her expand her knowledge in Economics, but also form bonds with her future colleagues. “I have great affection for my colleagues; We bonded a lot by studying together and accompanying each other during the cycle. More than colleagues, they are friends,” Francisca commented.
However, not everything was easy and it took her time to adapt to her new life in Lima. “The most difficult thing I experienced was being away from my family, arriving in a new city and learning its customs, its culture, its dynamism,” she says.
And although all of that made her go through difficult times, Francisca says that she managed to successfully complete her university cycle and that it is an experience that she would repeat again and she even recommends it to students from anywhere in the world who have the dream of studying at PUCP.
“When I got here, I was really nervous because I knew that my classes would be in Spanish,” recalled Preston Rampey III, an International Business student at the University of South Carolina, USA. Full of nerves and expectations, he began his university cycle at PUCP , motivated by the desire to perfect his Spanish, a language he had learned in the United States through classes.
Weeks before his trip, he couldn’t help but search for information about the university that would soon become his new home of study for four months. Preston reveals that on his first day at PUCP he was surprised, because he did not imagine that the campus would be so big. “The photos I could see on the internet were nothing compared to reality,” he says.
I have enjoyed every second. “I think you just have to be really open to opportunities and be willing to meet new people.”
Preston Rampey III International Business Student at University of South CarolinaBut not only the university campus captivated him, but also the Peruvian food. «It has been incredible. Some of my Peruvian friends, especially at the beginning, took me around the city to try as many dishes as possible. My favorite food is lomo saltado and I eat it religiously every Tuesday,” he said, laughing.
Without a doubt, coming to Peru and doing the student exchange at PUCP left him with many positive experiences that he hopes young people of other nationalities can live. “I have enjoyed every second. “I think you just have to be really open to opportunities and be willing to meet new people,” Rampey stressed.
