PERU — Students from Calvin University are among the hundreds of American tourists stranded in Peru amid a deadly political unrest.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the university told FOX17 a group of 12 students and one faculty member, who had been studying abroad in Peru, was delayed in its return because of flight cancellations resulting from damage to the local airport.
A university response team has been in communication with the group to provide support and to coordinate with their families, the U.S. embassy, and the Peruvian government.
READ: Peru's new government declares police state amid protests
Lindsey Stinton, a junior on the trip, says the group has been staying in Arequipa since August for a study abroad program.
“It was definitely not something I was expecting coming in, and didn't even think would be a possibility, but I don't think any of the Peruvian people really thought it would be either,” said Stinton.
She went on, saying, “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, I was not allowed to leave my house in case of bad things happening. I have videos of just on the other side of here, of there being people breaking windows, looting stores, and setting cars and other things on fire. That was a little scary, seeing all of that and knowing that it's just not that far away from where I live.”
Stinton describes the trip as an amazing experience up until this point.
The group was supposed to be back in Grand Rapids by now, but the closure of Arequipa’s airport delayed their departure.
Stinton says they are scheduled to leave on Thursday and hope to be back in time for Christmas, but acknowledged the impeding snow storm may change those plans.
“It’s been a lot of unknown and just kind of hoping that that we will be able to leave on Thursday when we were supposed to,” said Stinton. “We have friends here, we have family here, we're safe, we're happy to still be happy, but it's like we want to go home, we're ready to go home.
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