First impressions of Perù

15 March 2013

Nueva Villa, Nazca

Alredy two weeks are passed since I arrived in Perù. The impression is that here time and space are slower than how they are in the opposite part of the word, that one where I come from. Here everything is precious, everything has got a value (above all water): this is the reason why everything must be recycled and tapped as many times as possible and these actions, that become like rituals, need time.

Walking for the streets of Lima, I've been snowed under with the brilliant colors of the city, the grandeur of the monuments, the gaiety of the chinese quarter, the tastiness of peruvian food and the warmness of the climate. I found all these things also in Nazca, when I arrived, on the 5 of this month. But here poverty is most perceptible and dryness seems to be stronger, even if probably it's just an impression.

People seem to be open and kind: everyone seems to want to share his own knoledge of his country to satisfy tourists' curiosity. They seem to be proud of their country. In effect, I think there are different things they can be proud of, for example, the smile of their children, the sunsets, and the fascination of their waste landscapes.

Once we arrived at the association “Enfants des Andes”, we soon received an hearty welcome. Other volunteers showed us our room and the rest of the house, explaining how everything worked. It seems that there was a good organization and a good climate between volunteers. In spite of that, we needed a few days to familiarize with our sorrounding and to understand how the activities with the children are organized: it's a delicate phase, a moment of transition during which the “old volunteers” are going to leave and the “new ones” are arriving. That cause disorder and confusion. But, inch by inch, we're reciving every information we need and everything is becoming gradually more familiar and understandable.Thanks to that, now I feel more and more ready and effective in front of the difficult challenge I have choosen to face up to.