Peru: Take Two

Why read a book a second time? Why revisit a museum or order the same meal twice? Well probably because you liked it the first time. But oftentimes you find that the second time around, you encounter something new, something unexpected that you initially missed. Round #2 offers a special opportunity to more clearly evaluate your first impressions, without being overwhelmed by the novelty of the experience. 

The Peru to which I returned this summer in many ways was a different place than I remembered. The combis did not seem as rickety and frightening, the streets of Trujillo felt comfortable and familiar, and coming across chicken feet floating in my bowl of caldo de gallina did not phase me in the least. It was strange so quickly transitioning from the naive little freshman who had never crossed the equator in Aug 2010 to one of the oldest and experienced travelers, offering advice and guidance to the rest of the team in Aug 2011. 

In many ways I brought a new set of eyes on the trip this time around. My sense of reality is most certainly less distorted since I have already lived in a poverty-stricken town of the Peruvian sierra. I was not so affected by the differences between my life and theirs as before. Rather than feel pity or guilty about the people's less fortunate situation, as I did last year, I have another point of reference to which I can compare this town besides my home in the US: Huamanzana. 

Upon our arrival in Samne, the first-timers couldn't believe how poor the people were. I, too, was surprised. I couldn't believe how beautiful was the city and fortunate the people. 

With electricity, little shops, two restaurants, a fully stocked health clinic, and a huge school complex, the place seemed a dream compared with the conditions in Huamanzana. Kids wore shoes, people drank milk, and little cars buzzed along little highways visible on the surrounding mountainsides. Sure, the place was not without its needs, but compared to our previous site, the community was more developed and influenced by the surrounding urban areas. Until our trip to the much poorer, rural region of Pitajaya in the isolated outskirts of Samne, did everyone understand why I was so optimistic about the people's lives here. 

After all, poverty is relative. There are certain basic needs for human survival - clean water, healthy food, and safe structures - that absolutely cannot be ignored or dismissed as unimportant. So when people in Samne complain about needs that do not fall under that category - such as the lack of a plaza de armas, or town square - it is difficult for me to truly sympathize with them, knowing how many people only a few miles away do not have clean water to drink. Maybe I just have been desensitized to the poverty. I'd like to think it is not so much desensitization as a clearer perception of what poverty truly is, and more significantly, what it's not. I have arrived with a better understanding of how people live, a sensitivity to what makes them happy, and the realization that a different life from mine isn't necessarily worse or less fulfilling. Just different. 

I am happy to be back once again, and I hope my previous experience will be valuable to the group as we continue building relationships, assessing the region, and paving the way for Princeton's next EWB program in Peru.