Causi Pac (Cheers in Quecha)

When you only visit Spanish-Speaking countries for a while you need to learn how to say cheers in local indigenous dialects! This post is different than most of my travel posts because I was with a class for the majority of the trip so we were kept pretty busy, and this is a paper I was required to write for class.

Reflection Paper:

Looking back at my Peru experience, three distinctly different phases emerge, each with its own challenges and enjoyable moments. The first phase was my time in Peru before the SOFE class-portion started. The second had a Christian theme as we visited churches in Lima, the nun-run camp of Cruz Blanca and our time in Ayaviri with the brothers from the Prelature. The last portion of our trip focused more on ancient indigenous culture and the community that has been built up around that. Each phase brought light to different issues faced by that particular community and shows what a richly diverse but conflicted country Peru is.

During my first week in Peru I had an opportunity to be a tourist on my own in Cusco and figure things out myself. I also had an incredible experience on my 4-day trek, one that was difficult in other ways. My friend, Katie, and I joined two solo travelers and were guided through the Ausangate mountains for 4 days, crossing three mountain passes, going from dramatic peaks to massive glaciers and finally ending at the stunning Rainbow Mountain, at 16,500 ft. The altitude was a struggle for all of us but the rest of the trek was invigorating. Having done a bit of international travelling and having lived abroad a couple times, I always enjoy exploring on my own, so there were times during the rest of the SOFE that I struggled being lead around in a big group. I was incredibly grateful to have this time on my own to explore, get outdoors, and do something new. It was tough to transition from vacation mode to school mode, especially with my friend Katie off to another trek before travelling South America for the next 6 months. Researching each of the nonprofit organizations got me excited for next 10 days, even though it would not be as exhilarating as the first week.

I think the Christian theme that went along with the first part of the SOFE was because of location. Since Lima is the capital of modern-day Peru, ever since the Spanish conquest, churches dominate the city and the majority of people we talked with were Catholic. We saw this while touring Lima as we visited several churches and the Plaza Mayor with the main cathedral right next to the Palacio Gobierno. The Christian theme continued at the Cruz Blanca camp. The nuns who ran Cruz Blanca seamlessly integrated themselves into the community that the camp served. They understood the community’s needs, assets, and desires. It was neat to see the way the shantytown community reacted when Susana entered the room. She was a role model and an inspiration to everyone we met with.

While the brothers at the prelature had similarly good intentions, their efforts to revive the Ayaviri community seemed out of touch with the wants and desires of the residents of the community. I greatly appreciated the brothers’ hospitality during our trip but we struggled to have a productive conversation with them. In looking back at our two days in Ayaviri, there were many factors that contributed to the frustrating experience. The first, which cannot go unmentioned during the trip, was the effect the presidential election had on each of us. The disappointment knowing we would be returning to a country different than one we had left was a concern on everyone’s mind. Most people also struggled with the high altitude of Ayaviri, which made it harder to focus on the organization. Lastly, the conversation we had with the brothers seemed to frustrate both the brothers and most people in our group. For me, the fact that the brothers were unable to answer what the community wanted was a red flag. They had some potential projects but everything seemed disjointed without an overarching goal or mission. The projects were ideas that had come from the brothers, none of whom where originally from Ayaviri, rather than ideas coming from the community. Projects within the prelature focused around the church as the solution, which could have been what the community wanted, but it seemed like no one had bothered to ask.

The last part of the trip was in stark contrast to the second part. Several of the key ideas at Kusi Kawsay and Kusi Nan really resonated with both my view of how to run an organization and my personal values and morals. I wrote in my journal that “Pisac was literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air from Ayaviri. The way Kusi Kawsay and Kusi Nan approach their mission is to use the culture and strengths within the community. We visited the farm and the school, which were very authentic and a nice change from the Prelature. I found myself inspired by so many of the concepts Roman spoke about and wrote several of them down.”

·      Kusi Kawsay means “happy life”

·      We are not better than anything or anyone else, we exist in parallel

·      Inee – giving and receiving, you must give first in order to receive, you do not take

·      Their mascot is the hummingbird because it is always moving but still in the center

·      The motto for learning at the school “you learn, you feel, you do”

·      They are in inclusive culture; not replacing but reaching in.

·      You are sacred when you give

·      Time does not pass. We pass, time is there.

·      There is no good or bad. Everything in its place.

I really enjoyed having Roman and his family/colleagues as our guides not just in Pisac and Amaru but through Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu and Cusco. I felt like we got a genuine experience, different than any other guides would have given.

            I would like to work on the Kusi Kawsay/Kusi Nan project to develop some program evaluation to help improve their communications to donors, volunteers and prospective donors. I look forward to working with an organization that has helped me readjust to life back in the states. Remembering some of the ideals at Kusi Kawsay and Kusi Nan has helped me find a new perspective and peace through the current political unrest.

I think my background in Community Development could be helpful to both groups in Ayaviri; the Prelature and the women’s group. I also know it takes a long time and significant involvement to build trust and relationships with a community, and I worry that any suggestions I make would not be met favorably. I worry I would just end up frustrated and I don’t want to be frustrated with the capstone of my masters coursework. If there is no one else working with the Prelature I would be interested in helping them develop a logic model, in addition to work I’d like to do with Kusi Kawsay/Kusi Nan.  

I'll post some pictures on Facebook later. There are too many to sift through right now.