Field Notes, Peru

My return to South America came 15 years after my last visit and more than 20 years after my first. Far too much time had passed. I’ve replayed memories of living in Bolivia over and over. But this time, a medical mission opportunity arose and instead of Bolivia, I went to Peru. Both countries differ greatly. But somehow, when I stepped off the plane in Puerto Maldonado, a feeling of familiarity smothered me more than the oppressive heat.

It’s hard to say why. I had never been to the Amazon jungle. The food in Peru is vastly different than the food in Bolivia. They use Soles, not Bolivianos. And the socioeconomic makeup is far better in Peru than Bolivia. But for whatever reason, it felt like some kind of subconscious homecoming. Minor similarities nudged my mind. Regional words and vernacular came back to me. Cultural mannerisms just felt comfortable, though new. Actually, in some ways it was better than a simple reunion. I didn’t go backward into time. I was moving forward.

If Bolivia was the childhood friend I knew long ago, Peru is Bolivia’s brother whom I got to know later in life. I have drifted away from Bolivia, someday (hopefully) to pick up where we left off. But at this moment, Peru holds the fresh memories of now. And the foundation laid in one part of South America now informs my experiences in a new part of the same continent.

anthony forrest