Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Chinchero en Chincha

Yesterday, I was walking back to the colectivo stop on the main strip in Chincha, Benavides. It was dark outside and I was accompanied by someone who is helping me look for a new host family for my remaining nine months in Peru. It seemed to be a night like any other: lots of people walking around (most of them on their way home for the night), and ambulantes (people selling things on the street) selling trinkets from Asia or factories from any country other than Peru...

Walking and talking, all of the sudden I stopped and did a double take. I saw something that I had never before seen here in Chincha: people dressed in traditional clothing. I looked down, and they were selling artesanías (artisan crafts). I took a quick look and decided that it was from the sierra, or mountain, region of Peru. I looked at the two woman -- a younger girl and an older woman, probably in her mid 30s. How strange, I thought. They were clearly out of context...

A lot of what they were selling I had already seen in Cusco. I've been to Cusco twice -- once with my dad, stepmom, my stepmom's sister, and her husband and a second time with my girlfriend. The fact is that in Cusco, you can find some of the most beautiful artisan crafts in all of Peru. But, you can also find some pretty cheap imitations. Last night, a lot of what the women from Cusco were selling was not handmaid. I asked them what they had that was handmaid and they pointed out only a handful of things. Nevertheless, what they were wearing was handmaid -- and it was beautiful. The younger woman offered to sell me her shawl, which she said she had spent a month weaving, for 600 soles. As a volunteer, I couldn't afford to pay that, but wow, it was beautiful.

Before I came to Peru, I somehow thought that I would be coming to a land where people would give you their last cup of water, their last piece of bread. That it would be a place where people would do anything for you. Last night, I got that vibe. Speaking to the younger of the two girls, I saw her openness, a willingness to share -- not only things, but experiences, thoughts, stories. It was refreshing. It was something I think that I needed. In my year and a half stint in investment banking, I became jaded very quickly. Here in Chincha, the same thing has happened. I constantly find myself asking what the purpose of development is. If the purpose of development is to allow people to buy laptops, televisions, BlackBerrys, iPhones, etc. I don't think I want to do development work. But if development is helping people live the life that they want to live, then I do want to be involved in that. What makes things complicated is that most of the people I am working with have somehow convinced themselves that laptops, televisions, BBs, and iPhones are what they should be striving for. In a way, after the westernization of the Peruvian coastal region, it is the life that they want to live. What happened to the culture? What happened to the tradition? What happened to Perú?

My time in Peru has been full of ups and downs. When I am busy, I am happy. However, after a year and a half, I still don't have someone I can call a socio, someone who wants to work with me for the betterment of their community. By the same token, a few days ago, someone asked me what I would do if I was in the United States, at home, and a Peruvian knocked on my door and asked if I'd like to work with him in the same way I am trying to work with the people I'm living with. Would I be as eager to work with them as I expect Peruvians to be in working with me?

I think I wanted to write this because it's been a long time since I've had something really great to write about. Last night, I felt that exuberance I had when I first got to Chincha. That excitement that I was going to do something special. Truth be told, I wouldn't still be here if I didn't think I could make a positive contribution. In the same way, I think I've learned about the type of development I want to be involved in and the type of development that doesn't really interest me.