Peru - Padre Cocha: The gringo and the village

A man of what would be considered fair complexion, standing at approximately 5´11", casually strolling down the street next to his girlfriend of similar complexion and some kind of backpack like device affixed to his shoulder would not be a stare worthy event in many of the areas I have visited on my travels so far in South America. In the small village of Padre Cocha on the other hand..... it is. I am by no means speaking of this in a negative way, as the way in which the staring is done is quite friendly and usually accompanied by greetings of "Hola!" which, in the case of small children, may often be repeated from the safety of the shadow of a door way until I am well and truly out of earshot (or for all I know, beyond). Now, allow me an opportunity to tell you a few of the tales of my experiences that have defined this connection (and separation) between myself and the local Peruvian people.

I have been living now in Padre Cocha for approximately 5 weeks and in that time I feel as if everyday brings me a little closer to the villages inhabitants and to getting a true glimps, contextual and small as it may be, into what it may actually be like to live here on the banks of the Rio Nannay, within Amazonian rainforest. At the beginning of this time, my limited Spanish proved to be a significant issue, with very few people speaking English. This infact proved to ultimately be a blessing as I was forced, through cultural immersion, to learn and speak the language on a much more regular basis. The primary ignition of my education being the local employees attached to Pilpintuwasi, the animal orphanage at which I was volunteering.

The beautiful Clarita, our lunch lady and one of the first people to befriend us as we were finding our feet in the village, made us feel at home strait away. We would stop by and say Buenos Dias every morning and would be met by her 2 sons at the door, Juan Carlos (7) and Hugo (12). The traditional hello from Juan Carlos was a secret handshake I taught him early on while Hugo would simply greet us very respectfully with a smile. Through playing soccer with the boys, inviting Clarita to my birthday (to which she brought homemade cake) and teaching the extended family English in an almost uncomfortably official setting, we ended up earning an invite to Claritas nieces 15th birthday party. Now to an Australian, a 15th isn't very special..... but to a 15 year old Peruvian female...... it is the biggest night of their life.

A 15th is a coming of age event that draws a huge crowd of extended family and friends that sit awkwardly around a dance floor in a circle and watch the birthday girl dance with as many men and boys as possible. After an allocated allotment of time, or in this case after the birthday girl has danced with a gringo (me) that is caught up in the festivities, a small confetti explosion is released and the birthday girl disappears into the back room. After a moment she re-enters the circle, dressed not in her original princess threads but in a new outfit that wouldn't be out of place in a local Discotec. Upon enquiring I discovered that this change signifies the Innocent girl, who can dance with many males without inference, becoming the woman who will experience all that being a woman entails.

Although this is just a sprinkling of all of the people I met and experiences I had, all in all the immersion into Padre Cocha and the day to day adventures that this involved was a part of this journey that I thoroughly enjoyed. If, while travelling, you have an opportunity to spend some time out of your comfort zone getting to know a community I would definitely recommend doing so.