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Embracing Discomfort: Portraits of Peru
Posted on by Kate Stoltzfus Posted in Peru, Photography

Embracing Discomfort: Portraits of Peru

When Shina Park went to Peru, she had three things in mind: build relationships, hone Spanish-speaking skills, and immerse herself in a foreign culture. In short, she said, she traveled to get lost.

But several weeks after her arrival, she said, I felt genuinely lost and disconnected from all things familiar. The transportation system bewildered me, I couldn’t extend beyond small talk with my host father, and I was shivering in my bed at night. It took me a while to figure out the kombi routes and to muster up the courage to ask for more blankets at night. How was I confronting my fears and embracing discomfort? I wasn’t, really.

But then I looked up, observed my surroundings, and took photographs of what I saw. During this process, I forgot about my anxieties. I no longer cared for them. To have been consumed by my anxieties would’ve been my loss, as I would’ve missed Peru. Although the following photographs do not wholly encapsulate Peru, they are few glimpses of what I’ve discovered there.

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Cusco, a gem in the Peruvian Andes.
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Machu Picchu, the once-royal estate of the Inca nobility.
Inca Drawbridge, at Machu Picchu.
Inca Drawbridge, at Machu Picchu.
Cataratas Tirol, a 30-meter waterfall in the Chanchamayo Valley. Besides the production of coffee and fruits, the Chanchamayo Valley is known for its magnificent waterfalls, butterfly varieties and local indigenous tribes.
Cataratas Tirol, a 30-meter waterfall in the Chanchamayo Valley. Besides the production of coffee and fruits, the Chanchamayo Valley is known for its magnificent waterfalls, butterfly varieties and local indigenous tribes.
Laura at the entrance of Cataratas Tirol. Laura and I lived together during our service period in San Ramón, a district of the Chanchamayo province in the Junín Region. Perhaps our mutual wanderlust and coffee fanaticism brought us together at Peru's 'selva central' (central jungle). But this is certain—that without Laura, Peru wouldn't have been what it was, is, and will be to me.
Laura at the entrance of Cataratas Tirol. Laura and I lived together during our service period in San Ramón, a district of the Chanchamayo province in the Junín Region. Perhaps our mutual wanderlust and coffee fanaticism brought us together at Peru’s ‘selva central’ (central jungle). But this is certain—that without Laura, Peru wouldn’t have been what it was, is, and will be to me.
A bakery in downtown San Ramón that Laura and I frequented—that is, almost weekly—for a bite of “Tres Leches.”
A bakery in downtown San Ramón that Laura and I frequented—that is, almost weekly—for a bite of “Tres Leches.”
Laura and I visited Tío Carlos's coffee farm in La Merced, the capital of the Chanchamayo province, to learn about coffee production. As the photo suggests, many farmers intercrop plantain with coffee, as the plantain trees provide shade to the coffee trees and thus enhance the quality of the coffee.
Laura and I visited Tío Carlos’s coffee farm in La Merced, the capital of the Chanchamayo province, to learn about coffee production. As the photo suggests, many farmers intercrop plantain with coffee, as the plantain trees provide shade to the coffee trees and thus enhance the quality of the coffee.
A Grupo Niche concert Laura and I attended with the family in La Merced.
A Grupo Niche concert Laura and I attended with the family in La Merced.
Catarata Bayoz, a waterfall in close proximity to the 'Velo de Novia' waterfall, in Perene, Chanchamayo province.
Catarata Bayoz, a waterfall in close proximity to the ‘Velo de Novia’ waterfall, in Perene, Chanchamayo province.
Kawai, our SST group retreat location on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Mala, Peru.
Kawai, our SST group retreat location on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Mala, Peru.

 

11295637_10152767588632186_3562581291782533302_nShina Park is a 2015 graduate of Goshen College and went to the Peru in the fall of 2014.

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