What did she say?

What did she say?, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

Today it has been one year since this photo was taken. I really cannot believe how that time has flown and how much these photos are still affecting me. I am slowly putting together a photo book of my best photography during my year in Peru and telling the story behind each photograph. I was working on this one and when I entered the "taken on" date, I realized that is today. The book is long from completion, but here is the caption for this photograph that I believe to be one of the more important ones of the year. (I should note that this is what it says now, when the book is printed, it may read different, but this is what I feel now):

The word that I believe best describes the Peruvian life is juxtaposition. This is a country whose indigenous heritage ran straight into its Spanish heritage. The city of Lima rides the line between sea and mountains but in a desert. This the world’s largest fountain park resides within this city where only 8mm of rain falls every day.But one of the biggest juxtapositions is how history and modernity are fighting each other to be the guidepost as the country moves forward.

This photo was taken during an event put on by the Urban Development Institute – CENCA for the presentation of their one-year diagnostic of a small part of San Juan de Lurigancho, a neighborhood of Lima. After the presentations, a group of local high schoolers presented cultural dances. These girls were waiting for the dancing to begin, but just like so many other teenagers around the world, were waiting for that time by texting. These two worlds are colliding but yet everything is so familiar too.

Voting

Voting, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

During my last trip through the Andes with the Red Uniendo Manos, we were privileged enough to go to an event put on by CEDEPAS. This was a summit for local organic farmers to come together and share their experiences and best practices. This photo is the members of the event voting to officially open the day which is a tribute to the extreme formality of Peruvian NGO work. It was impressive to see these workers and the way that they lived their lives both individually and as a community and is very inspiring to see what CEDEPAS is doing to promote healthy farming practices in the region.

Proud of Fair Trade

Proud of Fair Trade, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

There are photographs that I have taken that I love and then there are those that I truly adore. This falls into the latter category.

These four women are some of the leaders of the Fair Trade organization, El Murcurio or "Murcury." I have talked about this group before, but this was my last encounter with them. During the year I went to their artisan workshop 3 or four times and was welcomed with open arms, but I will never forget this experience because I was translating. One of the group that was traveling with us asked them, "how has Fair Trade changed your life?" and their response has forever become a part of who I am.

"When we started, our husbands didn't want us to do this because they wanted us to be in the house cooking, but once they saw how much money we were making they changed their minds. We now have enough money to send our kids to school and to make our homes a little better. But we now, even more than the money, we have more faith in ourselves and more pride in who we are. That is how Fair Trade has changed us."

La Puerta

La Puerta, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

The afternoon commute

The afternoon commute, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

When we visited the Amazon, I was amazed at how many people were out on the river. I love this photograph because it really shows the normal life that existed in that region. I don't know much about this guy, but it just seems like he is enjoying is afternoon commute home after a day of work. It is something that looks so different than the hours spent in gridlock on I-5, but such a strong example of just life.

Menu

Menu, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

This is one of those photos that I almost forgot to take, which would have been tragic since the menú was a daily part of my life. In Peru, the menú is the normal lunch or dinner meal that everyone gets. It usually comes in 2 parts, an apatizer and then the main course. They were usually the common food for the part of the country that you were in and were 6 soles ($2) at most, usually cheaper. So, this sign shows what a normal person, who was eating on their lunch break in Iquitos would eat.

Inca Kola

Inca Kola, originally uploaded by jtobiason08.

Inca Kola is the national pop of Peru. It used to be its own company and was one of the only national brands in the world that could stand up against coke in popularity. For a long time, no matter what kind of marketing or ads that Coke put in the country, it could not outsell Inca Kola. So, in order to fix this problem, Coke just bought it. Coke and Inca Kola are generally the only options at a restaurant. It is not unheard of for a Peruvian to say, "Quiero Inca, no queiro el imperio" or "I want Inca, I don't want the empire." Peruvians still hold on to Inca Kola as theirs and think of Coke as the carbonated Galactic Empire. It hard to describe the taste of Inca Kola. It kinda tastes like the child of bubble gum and cream soda, but extremely sweet. When I first got to Peru, I hated Inca, but by the end I found it tolerable and a good partner to ceviche because the sweetness of the drink really helped to balance the bitterness of the lemon cooked fish.