Finding my own community

Never has community been so clear to me as it is in Peru. When I was home, I had multiple communities - those of my family, my friends, my college, and of course, Raleigh Mennonite. When I got to Peru, however.. all of those communities were still there, backing me up, but I had to strategically find my own community here in order to survive. Here, communities are not quite as easy. People look at us suspiciously... they have seen the NGOs come in, take over, and leave incomplete projects behind. They have been victims of a corrupt government. They experience poverty and marginalization on a daily basis. Do they even have time for a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed gringa?

Well, I am making a lot of assumptions about the Peruvian people, but in general people here are defined by their communities. Are they European Peruvians, from Lima, from the sierra, or campesinos? Do they live in a tiny village, in invasion communities, or in the departmental capital? In my community, I live in a small neighborhood outside of Chosica, about an hour from Lima. I walk up the long hill home and children run out to greet me and ask me how to say Hello in English. Mothers smile at me, young boys whistle. The gringos that live here are novelties.. what are we going to do next? How will we act at parties? We live in a community - but are we part of the community?

Integration is so key in the Peace Corps. You are here for two years and three months - if you act independently and do not integrate, your projects will not be sustainable and ultimately fail. If your community loves you, and more importantly respects you, then you can get a lot of things done. Maybe that is the problem with international development organizations - they focus too much on the numbers, the outcome, or the projects. For our first three months in site, Volunteers do not do anything.. we just sit around and integrate. Sounds pretty lazy, especially since we are supported by American tax dollars, but actually it is fantastic. We are integrating and gaining the respect of the communites.. we are saying, We are not here to take over, we are here to assist you in your own development process.

So, in a few weeks I will leave training and go to my permanent site. I pray that God sends me to a community that will welcome me with open arms.. and open hearts. Peru feels like such a new, fresh experience. Every child I meet I feel like I have this huge potential to impact their life and make a difference... and they have the potential to impact mine. Community is not just a house on a street within a village.. it is the people, their respect, and a sense of support and love. I am slowly learning how to integrate myself into a community that is completely different than the ones I left.. but I am comforted by the fact that once you are in a community, your heart is there forever.

- Tiffany, PCV in Peru