Contradictions.

I spent the last three weeks in Julcán, a beautiful Sierra site in the department of La Libertad, Peru. Although I was excited to explore the place I’ll call home for the next two years, it was like digging my heels in the dirt before I actually got there. I’m finally comfortable with my host family in Lima, I know my way around my city in Chaclacayo, and was dreading the thought of being thrown into a completely new environment all over again. Alas, I had no other choice and was thrown into it whether I wanted to or not. I made my way on another overnight bus from Lima to Trujillo, La Libertad, for a few days of meetings with our new families and socios (work counterparts). Next, was another bus to Julcán, equipped with barf bags for every passenger thanks to the windy mountain roads.

As nervous as I was, I landed with an awesome family. I have two parents that are about 67 years old. My mom owns a tienda and my dad works in a collegio. They have three kids, two of which live in Julcán with us and the third lives in Trujillo. Their daughter is 32, is married, and has three kids. One of her kids, Melani, is the cutest little six year old girl possible. Melani was confused when I first got there about whether she now had three moms (grandma, mom, and me) or two moms and an aunt. We settled on an aunt so she calls me “tia” (Spanish for aunt)  instead of my name. The rest of the family decided “Vivian” is prettier than “Amelia”, so my name is Vivian with them. They’re patient with my Spanish, friendly, and welcomed me with open arms as their own. I absolutely think host families could make or break our two years of service. We’re all in a new place, speaking a new language, and feel lost. It’s nice to at least come home to friendly faces that actually want you to be there.

 <– a party in a nearby community with traditional dance and clothing.

^Plaza de Armas of Julcán

 

^ Fireworks structures during a town fiesta and a view of the provincia of Julcán.

 

Of all the differences between the United States and Peru, I think the most glaringly obvious (at least in the Sierra region) is the food. A couple very common dishes are……

Chicken feet and cuy (Guinea pig). Also common: skewered beef hearts, any and all organ meat, various dishes with tripe, beef tongue…and the list goes on. The pictures above were indeed my very own plates. Somehow, I got out of actually eating the meat but I’m sure my time avoiding the different dishes is wearing thin.

One dish that my host mom made during site exploration was hands down the best thing I’ve had in Peru so far: papa rellena. It’s essentially breaded, pan fried mashed potatoes in the shape of a normal potato, with a mixture of meat/egg/cheese in the middle. It’s served with cabbage and an aji pepper sauce on the side. It’s awesome. I’ve been searching for a papa rellena vendor who supposedly makes them on the street here in Lima for several days and he’s no where to be found. Talk about elusive.

Although seemingly everything in my site was new, I found myself in deep thought of the United States and it’s relation to the rest of the world at supper one night. As I looked around, my 6 year old niece had a “Thomas the Train” t-shirt and my host dad had a US Army hat on. This was all shortly after a discussion of the shooting in Orlando and our current problems with terrorism. It was surprising to see the influence the United States has on many different aspects of lifestyle and viewpoints in Peru. A few examples: On a combi the other week, there were DC brand stickers plastered on the walls; one morning I was sitting in the Plaza de Armas of Julcán when an older woman struck up a conversation with me and asked for a loan, which I later found out was very common because community members see an American and assume we all have large sums of money; and how many people are surprised to hear we have extreme poverty or homelessness in the United States.

Of course, the US is still seen as a symbol of wealth and power all over the world. But it was interesting seeing this status symbol while simultaneously knowing of domestic and international terrorism, poverty, a continuing struggle to obtain civil rights and access to women’s reproductive healthcare, and the current mess of a political race occurring in the States. While some may be different than those of a Third World country, the States certainly isn’t without it’s own struggles. I’ve been surprised to see, first hand, the perception of the States and American people from the perspective of those in a Third World country. The American Dream may be extinct in the States but it’s certainly alive and well here.

It’s a strange feeling being here, feeling like a complete outsider and not belonging, yet seeing scattered fragments of home, whether stickers of an American brand in a combi or on the clothes of Peruvians. I no longer feel like I’m home but I can’t fully escape the States either. Eventually, I think this strange feeling will turn into comforting reminders instead of unease. Until then, I’ll keep wading somewhere in between.

❤