Day 4: Contrasts

The definition of contrast is:

1. One thing that is strikingly dissimilar to another.

2. A difference, especially a strong dissimilarity, between entities or objects being compared.

Synonyms: distinction, differentiation, counterpoint

One reason that I love to travel is a strong desire to learn about the way of life, the heartbeat, of places that I am not familiar with. If you learn the culture of a certain place and the people who call it home, you are able to relate to it. The concept of understanding is important and should never be understated. Mutual understanding is the cornerstone of all positive social interactions. I guess that is one idea that CCS also espouses, which is probably why I identify with the program closely.

Observing the sites and the people has been a big part of my trip to Lima so far. I believe it will give me a good base for becoming an active part of society while I am here. Being a tourist, an outsider, does not interest me. If I actively separate myself from them, then I really don't see why I am here. Being on the inside is where all the action is.

Okay, that was a long introduction to what I actually want to write about today. I guess I could say that I wrote such a long intro to my beliefs because I want my readers (my few readers) to know my beliefs. After all, you are reading my blog; you shouldn't be an outsider here.

The most striking thing that I have noticed in Lima is contrasts in living conditions. Let me show you one photo first:

This is a photo of Plaza de Armas, the main square in Downtown Lima. This area of town is posh. The richest of the rich live here. Homes and offices were built in elaborate styles that range from classical to colonial to baroque. Men and women walk around in business suits. Luxury stores abound.

Just blocks away from this splendor, a shantytown begins. Literally out of nowhere, the grandiosity halts and poverty abounds. In some ways, it looks like a tornado rolled through Lima, but only destroying certain areas - the shantytowns.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated occurrence. This disparity can be seen in almost every part of Lima. Here are two pictures from La Victoria, which is the town where I work at the Home:

In a way, this shouldn't surprise me. New York City has many varied neighborhoods that range from rich to middle class to poor. However, they all belong to certain defined areas in the city with clear demarcations in between. That is not the case here in Lima, where the rich live on top of the poor and vice versa. Also, in the States, many people believe in a "trickle down" economy where people who are more fortunate help those who are less fortunate. Obviously, I am one of those people , or I wouldn't be volunteering. In Peru, the trickle down concept does not seem to exist. Certainly, that is not the only way a society can be conducted satisfactorily, but I don't see much of anything "going right" here.

I realized these contrasts today when I made the transition from work to going on another trip around the city. Like I have said in previous posts, the residents of La Victoria live in absolute poverty. Working with them so closely for several hours a day helps me to enter their world and understand their circumstances. Once I left there after today's work, I went directly to Downtown Lima after lunch and was dumbfounded by the difference. I continue to have difficulty thinking about how this happened. Certainly, I said to myself, this cannot be fair.

The individuals who are wealthy and the people who live in absolute poverty do not seem to cooperate with each other. I feel as if the fortunate have turned a blind eye on those who are less fortunate and choose to pretend that they are not there. The concept, "The greatest good for the smallest number", seems to apply here. Or maybe there is a part of this culture that I just haven't come to understand yet. Only time will tell. But things could be better.