kiashaney

[kiashaney]

Peru 2019

Latest Peru post! It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve posted about my South American journey/adventure. Where do I begin?! What an exciting and memorable experience it has been so far! So much has happened and I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on my journey in Peru and my journey in the developing world overall AND trying to connect all the dots. Those who know and understand me best know that I am very much a macro-level, big picture and existential thinker and I really need to sit with and reflect on experiences to really make sense of them. So these are just some of my reflections and big takeaways as I seek to understand this leg of my journey and my experiences in the developing world overall AND how they fit into the larger picture of my life’s purpose and my mission.

I’ve always had a love for Latin American people, culture, and Spanish ever since I can remember. I was in the 8th grade in Springfield, MA when I first discovered the concept of “code switching.” I observed my Latino classmates effortlessly switching back and forth between English and Spanish (and combining the two to form Spanglish...lol) AND I thought to myself “I want to be able to do that! That’s so cool!!!” From that day to this one, it’s been a journey. A very interesting journey. A journey of language learning and cultural exchange. A journey that has allowed me to make friends with Latin Americans from many different countries. A journey that has allowed me to work for several Latino immigrant and refugee serving non-profit organizations and work alongside Latino professionals from many different countries throughout my career. A journey that has taken me to both Latin America and Africa. An eye-opening and transformative journey that has truly changed my perspective, expanded my worldview and helped to develop my Spanish speaking skills to an advanced level (and my Arabic speaking skills to a basic level). Praise be to Allah (God)!!! 🙌🏾🙏🏾❤️

Developing countries are beautiful on so many levels. However, I’m reflecting on the fact that I’m surrounded by so much majestic and spectacular beauty AND so much poverty and inequality at the same time. Whether it’s Peru, El Salvador, Mexico, Sudan, or Niger. All of the developing countries I have been blessed to travel to have this in common. AND despite the people being poor economically, they are so RICH in soooo many other ways. RICH in generosity, RICH in spirit, RICH in cultural pride, RICH in LOVE, RICH in potential, etc. This has been my experience and one of my main takeaways in every developing country I’ve been blessed to travel to. And I’m very grateful for these experiences that have informed my perspective and expanded my worldview in innumerable ways.

Water!!! 💧💦 Clean, hot water is such a precious commodity and a blessing! Citizens of the developed word truly take this for granted. I’m reflecting on my days of taking bucket baths in Sudan 🇸🇩 AND while this is not the case in Peru 🇵🇪, water that is clean and hot is still hard to come by. Whether I’m buying clean, bottled water to drink everyday or having to wait patiently for the water to warm up in my host family’s home AND then hopping in for a quick shower before it becomes freezing cold again—water is always on my mind. And I’m appreciating clean water and hot showers like never before.

I’m also reflecting on the fact that life in a developing country requires resourcefulness, patience, and savvy navigational skills that we often don’t have to utilize in the same way in the developed world. Whether learning to navigate the buses and “touk touks” in Sudan 🇸🇩 completely in Arabic OR learning to navigate the buses, taxis and “combis” in Peru 🇵🇪 completely in Spanish, I thank Allah (God) that I possess these skills now. AND I recognize that what used to take me 1-2 months or 1-2 weeks to figure out (in my younger years and early days of international travel), now only take me on average 1-2 days (with some variation, of course). AND in the larger context of developing country life, being quick on your feet, resourceful, and able to adapt and adjust quickly is an important skill set to possess. And it’s a transferable skill set that can be applied to many other areas of life.

Furthermore, I’ve been blessed to stay with a wonderful Peruvian host family (“una familia Peruana”) that is interested in other cultures, interested in people who are different from them AND committed to exposing their young daughters to the cultures of the world. This was demonstrated by the sounds of Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong playing in the background when I went to their vegetarian restaurant for the first time; the Indian statues and shrine in their living room representing perhaps a practice of Buddhism in a country that is mostly Roman Catholic; their enthusiasm as they told me all about their nine-year old daughter’s experiences in a bilingual school (where she is studying Spanish, English and French...so actually trilingual!); and their great interest in and curiosity for me as a Black-American Muslim woman raised in Islam. Thus, in addition to being very welcoming to me, they have demonstrated that they are open-minded people who, like me, value cultural exchange and seek to be citizens of the world.

My experiences here in Peru and around the world have taught me and continue to teach me the importance of community, language and culture AND strengthen my ability to be open to the cultures of others. These are the experiences that make up my larger journey, help me to explore the wider context, and encourage me to put things in a global perspective. And, of course, with the good comes the bad in life. So on this journey, there have also been many encounters with white privilege, white supremacy, poverty and inequality as I observe firsthand the unfair distribution of money, wealth, privilege, power and resources in the world that give new meaning to the definition of white privilege (i.e. “having greater access to power and resources than people of color [in the same situation] do”) AND I’ve also had many reminders that white supremacy and racism are alive and well in the world today. I thank Allah (God) for Black Consciousness and my ability to see, know, recognize and understand inequality and injustice when it rears its ugly head again and again.

Now on to HOOP, a wonderful and model NGO doing great work here in Arequipa, Peru to address inequality and poverty through education and social services!!! Last Saturday (07/06) was HOOP’s 7 year Anniversary and they celebrated with an AMAZING and MEMORABLE community and cultural celebration! HOOP gives HOPE to the community of Flora Tristan, an impoverished community located on the outskirts of Arequipa. And while Flora Tristan is economically impoverished and resource deprived in many ways, it is very RICH in soooo many other ways! RICH in spirit, RICH in culture and RICH in pride (just to name a few)! HOOP really is an amazing and wonderful community organization comprised of local community members, local and international volunteers and staff working to better the lives of children and families in Flora Tristan. And last Saturday, I had the pleasure of experiencing this amazing community in all its GLORY during HOOP’s 7 year Anniversary Celebration! Check out all the pictures and videos in this post! I tried to capture the most special and memorable moments as best I can! 😊❤️

I’ve had a lot of time to self-reflect, think, plan and work on self, while helping others (both in HOOP and in my virtual therapy practice, which is growing at a rapid rate and keeping me very busy here)! My private practice “Cultural and Linguistic Associates, LLC” has been birthed (soon to be renamed “Culturally Responsive Therapy Associates”) and I’m excited about what the future holds for me as a bilingual therapist serving multicultural populations! Praise be to Allah (God)! 👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾💪🏾✊🏾❤️

Finally, my mom arrives in less than a week and then we’re off to Machu Picchu (the famous Inca city in the mountains)! Very excited to share this journey/adventure with my mom and do something wonderful for her. She has always been and continues to be my biggest supporter!!! And I thank Allah (God) for her, my husband, and my family/friends.

Thank you all for your continued love and support! ❤️❤️❤️