Honestly, (and this may sound very selfish) part of why I left Peru after a year was the heartache that came with seeing that poverty everyday. People came to Lima from all over the country to try to make better lives; but ended up in conditions that I couldn’t even imagine. Small children, old indigenous women, and an endless number of young pregnant girls~ all living in the polluted, dangerous streets of forgotten corners of the city. And the rich staring out the window not even seeing them as they drove by on their way to work.

“Do the children here have the same capacity to hope that other children have?”
That’s a really good question. In my experience, almost everyone I knew was hoping to get out of the country as fast as they could, like the taxi driver who wanted to go to Spain. About 5-6 different friends left while I was there. But they were the lucky ones who came from families who already had the resources to help them leave. For most Peruvians, it’s not even a realistic option or even worth being hopeful about. In many towns I witnessed the same sullen faces of despair. There was no use in hoping for changes that would never come.

After awhile i even started to feel trapped and hopeless myself…I couldn’t handle all the injustices around me. The disparity between rich and poor, the racism that exists between Limenos and people de la sierra, the constant battle for survival against violence and corruption; sometimes I still feel guilty for deserting a place that is in need of so much help.

Thanks for writing about this Andrew~ it’s so important for people to be aware of!