Living in Fear
Ask most of the PC volunteers in Perú and they will tell you one thing that is hard to get used to here is the way everyone lives in fear. Always. Especially women. They are afraid to walk by themselves, they are afraid to cross the street by themselves, they are afraid to start something new, they are afraid to eat this or drink that, they are afraid of the air that comes in through an open car window, cold beer (or drinks in general), bugs, everything. The most common phrase I hear here is “cuidado” or BE CAREFUL! Usually being screamed at me by a spastic mother as I do something (not so risky) like try to cross the street or step over a hole. Lord only knows the fear that strikes the hearts of the people who watch me when I do something really risky like climb a hill or ride a bike or walk across a knee high river. The next most common phrase “es peligroso” (it’s dangerous). That nasty moving air, very dangerous. Drinking a cold beverage on a hot day- that’s past dangerous, that’s deadly. I’m not even kidding. People will tell you that drinking something cold (especially a beer) will KILL you. The other day my host mom chastised me because I forgot to put the cover on the drain and the dirty water might clog it and that would be very very dangerous. Why is a clogged drain very very dangerous? I’m not particularly sure but I think it had something to do with the fact that when we tried to unclog it we might get sucked down inside, or maybe a monster will grow there. Who knows? Granted I understand that this is a stereotype. Not everyone in Perú is afraid of everything. I also understand that volunteers are living in some of the poorest parts of the country and the education level is much lower. With a lower education level always comes a lack of knowledge and view of the bigger (not quite as scary) picture. I have spent a lot of time trying to analyze this fear (and more time trying not to go crazy and slap the next person who freaks out and tells me to be careful). 

This morning I was talking to my host mom and had a bit of a revelation. I live about 45 minutes out of a relatively big city in Perú. This city, I think PC has some rule about how I’m not supposed to give away the location of volunteers so we’ll call it city C (ah fear), is growing really rapidly. I have only been here a year and in this year 2 new shopping centers have been built. Two of the biggest grocery story chains have come in. We’re getting a Starbucks (ah globalization). It’s growing really fast. Which brings me back to my host mom. She was telling me that when she was younger C-city was still really tranquilo (tranquil). She said that people left their doors open. There were only a few streets. No buildings with more than 2 floors. Two small grocery stores. Nothing really. Which made me think, most of the growth in C-city has taken place in the past decade or so, and if it has changed so much in a year, imagine how huge the change must be for my host mom. She has lived all her life in tiny places that could hardly be called towns, with one or two dirt roads, where everyone (until recently) lived off their own gardens and the things they grew and produced. 

Now that C-city is growing so much, people are flooding in looking for work. Crime is increasing, no one leaves their doors unlocked, and in general it is turning into a city. Big and bustling with all the good (more jobs) and bad (more crime/pollution) that comes with it. For me, it’s a city. I have lived in cities before. I know about crime and bustling streets (although Peruvian cities tend to be more chaotic and disorganized than those in the States), therefore the change doesn’t affect me in quite the same way. However, looking at it from my host mom’s point of view, I guess I can see how it would be pretty scary. News in the States is pretty sensationalistic but here, it’s worse. All you ever hear about is this accident or that murder or some riot somewhere. While these things always existed, people are just starting to hear more about them (TV is also relatively new). I suppose to go from your tiny little world where you only know what is happening with your neighbors and family to a world that is suddenly connected with roads, cell phones, TV, internet, all that stuff can be pretty startling. 

HOWEVER (there is always a however), for me, this fear is one of the biggest reasons (or excuses) why people don’t advance. The world is always going to be a bit scary, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to dwell on it. Obviously we should be careful about some things, but do we really need to spend all day worrying about this or that or being afraid some one will murder/kidnap/rob/etc. us? Remember that old advice song or whatever that came out in the 90s by Baz something or other? “Don’t worry about the future or worry but know that worrying is as affective as trying to solve an algebra problem by chewing bubblegum.” (I love that song) There is such a tendency for people to be afraid of change. People don’t like to step out of their comfort zone. I still don’t know if it’s just because things are changing so rapidly and it startles them, or if its tied to the machismo, or maybe its something cultural, or whatever, but there is such a tradition of complacency. Complacency does not lead to a better quality of life. Complacency does not lead to advancement or even happiness. It leads to fear of anything new or different. It also leads to me banging my head against the wall trying to work with people who are so complacent and afraid of change. I guess I have one more year to try and figure it out. Any ideas?