My host brother, Kevin, is a 19 year old engineering student. We enjoy hanging out and have gone on a few all half-day outings by ourselves. A couple days after his three midterms, Kevin took me to one of his favorite spots, which overlooks the city. After one wrong turn, and a polite interchange with a guard of a gated community, we made it to the top of beautiful hill that overlooked the city. In a very “Simba, everything the light touches” kind of way, Kevin gave an official welcome to Lima. He pointed out where our apartment was, where his school was, where the magazine editor I’m working with has his office and also pointed out a few areas to stay clear of. He pointed all the way across town to his university, PUCP, explaining that’s where he drives every morning.
After a quick geographic intro, Kevin began talking about Peruvian politics. He explained how Peru in many ways is quite conservative and talked about how Catholic the country is. He went to a Catholic school for a couple years, but he joked that he never understood the religious parts of his education. His mom is Buddhist, and the Catholic part of his education didn’t resonate with the Fang family, and so they transferred to an international school that many diplomats kids went to. Kevin went to school with Americans, Chinese kids, Peruvians, Norwegians, Germans, Italians, and more. While many stayed for only a few years while their parents were working in Peru, a cohort of Peruvian students were there for long haul. Kevin felt lucky to have gone to a more progressive school in a relatively conservative country. He brought up attitudes towards homosexuality and how his school seemed to foster a more accepting attitude than Peru at large. He mentioned a Peruvian satirist (I can’t remember his name) whose career tanked after coming out. He had a pretty good experience at Roosevelt, and still goes back a couple times a week to coach the school’s robotics team.
Before I knew it, Kevin was painting a picture of corruption and slow moving legislation. He talked a lot about corrupt policemen in Lima and how he doesn’t feel safe around the police. I explained how I don’t feel safe around police in the United States either. Kevin laughed saying that from the news, American police officers sounded even worse than the ones in Peru. Not knowing much Peruvian police history, I nervously laughed and agreed, never fully realizing how much American police brutality has made international news.
Kevin is interested in engineering, architecture and urban planning. He has a strong grasp of Peruvian problems but also a cautious optimism and faith in Peruvian potential. He explained how many young people have grown up watching inefficiency and corruption, but after this wave of politicians retire and pass away, there will be a vacuum that he hopes will be filled with a younger, fresher perspective. He hopes Lima will become greener (as we drive, he always says how this neighborhood, or that street could really benefit from having more trees) and more connected with more integrated public transportation. Kevin, who’s trilingual, having had English and Spanish at his international school, and Chinese at home, really could work so many places. Like my impulse to return to San Francisco as an adult, Kevin is at home in Lima, understands its flaws, and seems committed to making a change on a local level. As important as it is to have global perspective, Kevin wisely seems to understand that in many ways he may be best equipped to make positive change in place that he understands best.
Kevin and I drove home, commenting on American pop on the radio, and turned it down to politely greet the guard of the gated community on our way out. An afternoon well spent.