Trujillo vs. New York?

One of the most interesting things about living in Trujillo has been realizing how similar it is to New York City. Sure it's only got about 1/8 the population, and the cost of living is far lower than that in the financial capital of the world. But both are globalized 21st century cities with similar "types" of people - migrants from the hinterlands, inner cities with urban decay, upwardly mobile students and young professionals, and a few wealthy /social /cultural elite.

Both cities are strongly liberal (for many of the reasons listed above), but also places where everybody is chasing money and social advancement. Here, as in New York, upper-middle class kids wear Che T-shirts, listen to punk rock, and talk about Communism while enjoying their new cellphones. Meanwhile in the poorer "outer boroughs", foreign and domestic do-gooders start microfinance programs or tutoring centers to try to even out the enormous economic disparity.

In much of Peru, people still live a traditional lifestyle of subsistence farming or trade, much like they have lived for centuries; however the people who come to Lima or Trujillo are the modern ones, the Peruvians who want digital cameras and degrees in computer engineering. They are just as excited about networking sites like Facebook (the big one here is Hi5), and as worried about China and India, as Americans. They are not so different from the young people streaming into New York City from all over the country to have some excitement and job opportunity. Meanwhile, the native-born New Yorkers/Trujillanos watch in amazement (and pride) as their cities grow and transform at breakneck speed with the influx of newcomers, commerce and technology.

Of course Peru is a lot less developed than the States, and unfortunately a lot fewer people are actually finding jobs and opportunities for advancement. But the pace of change is just as fast, if not faster. It's been cool working with both the marginalized ghetto-type areas and the center-city students / young professionals. As a New Yorker, I feel surprisingly at home. If I were in the countryside on the other hand, I would probably be completely out of my element.







rural "campesinos" - not like New York














my sister with street kids in Lima - not so different from the Lower East Side













university students/young professionals in Trujillo - not so different from the NYU/Columbia demographic, or yuppies in Manhattan...

Peru Mission Slideshow

Now available on YouTube...

Thoughts on Development

I've been in Peru nearly two months now and am learning a lot. Among other things, I am now convinced that what the developing world needs most is not money, aid or preferential treatment, but effective leaders. To quote a recent email I received from a friend at a faith-based nonprofit, "Without sustained, capable leadership, organizations (and countries) suffer ineffectiveness. And then everyone suffers."

There are tons of smart capable Peruvians here, who given the opportunity would transform their country. There are also quite a few idealistic Americans or Europeans like me who are here working with aid or volunteer programs, which is all great, but we have to distinguish between whether we're just alleviating the effects of the problem, or getting at the root of it - especially since we're only staying a few weeks to a few years. I'm getting more and more interested in the wider impact stuff - it's too frustrating to work on the smaller impact stuff otherwise.

A friend sent me this article and it's so intriguing I have to share it:
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-0707/africans-to-bono-
for-gods-sake-please-stop (if the link doesn't work, copy and paste the entire URL into a browser). Have I mentioned I'm a fan of William Easterly?

I think all of us at the mission agree that we'd like to "work ourselves out of a job" and start something that is very sustainable. Of course this is easier said than done. But after being here two months I have high hopes. My favorite part of my "job" so far is working with and befriending people like our Peruvian administrator, architect, clinic director & university ministry leaders - these are the people who will change Peru, and our job is to help them get off the ground.

As for any of you who are thinking about going abroad, I think the first step is being committed to learning the language and culture, and viewing yourself as a guest in a host country. If you're ready to do that, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities to get your feet wet. Once you know more of the language and culture you can start forming relationships and working with people and organizations long-term: visiting them, giving to them, financially or otherwise supporting them. And if you feel "called" to go abroad yourself, especially if you have some experience and some new ideas and skills to contribute toward bettering institutions long-term - then it may just be time to quit your corporate job!