nadia
Lima, Peru
32, Communication
“The night sky, a cosmic abyss, holds the promise of mystery and adventure, beckoning wanderers like me to explore its depths.”
Ryan Gelpke, from his book ‘Peruvian Days’
The Roads We Take
“First, I will say this is the final result of many, many factors I had in my life. I didn't have a job, so I started learning how to teach English. The institution that teaches English in Peru, sent an email saying, Hey, we are going to do this conference talking about opportunities to study in Australia. I say, Hey, I've never actually thought about that, but I always wanted to do it. I said if does not happen, it is what it is... I will not pick a country that speaks Spanish. Why? I think I will be in the same situation. I always wanted a challenge.”
“I feel that almost everybody I know is a little bit in survival mode. This is the only chance they have. But for me, even though this is a very big step, it will be amazing anywhere... Most people are in a mode of 'we have to do it, we have to push ourselves." And I don't, because I have already been through that net and I know my limits. I don't have to support my mom. My mom is very well in Peru. It's not the same, we are not in the same situation. I have freedom, less responsibility.”
Faces of Australia
“To be honest, I didn't expect this impact of multiculturalism, because in Peru, you mostly get Asians, Koreans, Brazilians, Japanese and Chinese, of course. But this is the only thing we got. We don't have Thai food restaurants there, which is, I think, very bad, because that food is amazing. We got Russians as well, and a very big German community, but it's in the jungle, not in the capital city. We have tourists, of course, a lot of tourists. Tourists are like, 10 days, three days, two days in. That's it. I've never seen anybody from, for example, Indonesia or India.”
“Coming here, I remember one day I was on a train, and I heard different languages on the same train, some people were speaking Indian, some Chinese, like a mixture. And I say, Oh, my God, what a multicultural place! Nobody is questioning why are you talking in your language. For me, it was very, very, very, very good. I enjoy it. I said, Oh, my God, this is very eye-opening. We don't have this in Peru... You are not alone. Everybody is on their own journey, has their own reasons to be here. You have this explosion of cultures.”
“Every nation is trying not to commit to the things they did in the past. It's very complicated, with nations that have been conquered, mine as well as Australia... I've seen a lot of regret, but it's like a corporate regret. I mean, that idea that you have to put on the buildings that it is a part of Gadigal territory. I appreciate it, but I don't know if that is actually enough? Is it? Is this really necessary or not? For example, if they did this in Peru, I would say, oh yeah, thank you so much [being sarcastic]. I think there are still a lot of amends to do. They realise, okay, we screw up, and there's nothing we can do to repair this, literally nothing. You can not bring people back to life. But what you can do is to assure that these people that are in here have a better life.”
“Australia is welcoming to strangers from different countries, but it's not resolving the issues in their own house. It's like, Yeah, we can be good and put it under the rug. They are ashamed to deal with it because nobody wants to be the bad guy. But sometimes you have to admit it.
I feel it's like when you have a kid who has been isolated, and then you have a new kid. Parents shower the new kid with all the gifts but forget about the other kid. So the other kid start getting, not jealous, but questioning why they should be comfortable with the new kid. So I feel like people think they are not getting things in order to welcome other people for whatever reasons, for political or social reasons, whatever they are bringing new people for. And they are not dealing with issues here. So it's a contradiction, the irony of the situation. Well, I don't think they have something against immigrants. It's just the whole situation feels a little bit off.”
“I think to be Australian, you have to recognise you have been conquered because that's a big part of your personality. I would say an Australian is like a rag made of different patches.”
Building Connections
“We must celebrate. In the end, what is a nation? We are all the same. We are all humans. When I think about it, I say, Oh, my God, we humans put limits on everything. We have to define and order everything. I am a human. I am entitled to live on the planet Earth because I was born here. But humans decide that I cannot go to this country. So if you think about it, we put restrictions. In the end, I think it's human nature to try and understand more things.”
What It Means to Belong
“I belong, in a sense of nationality, to Peru. I don't think I belong here. It's not that I don't see myself living here, I don't have a very strong emotional connection to here. I can stay here until I die, no problem. I have never been there, but as far as I know, as far as I've seen, the place that I would love, that I would have a spiritual connection with, is Scotland. I can see the landscapes. There's something in me that says you have to go there at least once in your life.”
“For me, home is a safe place. It's a place that includes my mom and my husband. It can be anywhere, I don't mind. There is no requirement to be in Australia or Peru. It's just a place. The quality of life is very important. I appreciate that about Australia, I really do.”
“To feel a sense of belonging here, I need to see my mom. If I don't have mom here, the 70% is gone, still missing something. And just to be able to find what I didn't have, which is my own place and a career. I mean, a good job. I don't have to love it, it's something that I know. If I don't have to think how to spend my money, because I have to save. If I am able to get through the stages, then I can truly enjoy, if not, still no.”
“I think it's because it's me. I'm very open. I can live anywhere. I don't generate roots, but maybe when I have children, if I ever have them, I will decide to stay here. It's very personal for me. It's not about the country, but it's an amazing country, it's more about me. Have to build a very strong emotional connection to call it my place.”
In Between Cultures
“I think here people are a bit colder, everybody has their own pace. Pisses me off that everybody is on the phone, on trains, on buses. It is a little bit like a wall. Everyone has a wall. They open, but that's a chit-chat, they don't actually. I felt that in the beginning. The way I took it was, I'm here. I came all this way from the other side of the world. Nobody knows about me. I can be whoever I want. So I decided to let myself go and shine and do whatever I wanted.
It's a part of growing up, I think. Now I'm very direct, I am very sarcastic more than before, and I am pushing everybody to their limits, but in a funny way. So I didn't feel isolated.”
“I didn't feel the need for social connections so much because I am here with my husband. I already have somebody else to support me. Maybe, if I was alone, I would need a friend, need somebody. It's very different. I speak Spanish at home because I live with Colombians and my husband, they all speak Spanish.”
“I think there is a very big stereotype of Spanish speakers being the same as Mexicans. Mexico is not like that. I ate tacos like once in my life before coming here. This is how different we are.”
“It's very, very, very simple, I connect by cooking. Every time I cook, every time I clean, I play Latin music. It's a Latin thing. It's not Peru. So the other things are Peruvian. When I talk to my husband, I use Peruvian slang. When I cook I mostly cook Peruvian dishes. So I have these two stations where I can express my culture. Well, I don't actually have to do that, I look at my husband and that's enough.”
Art as a Bridge
“Well, to begin with, we have to agree on what is culture, which is very wide and very open. I would go with the definition, that culture is every expression that a group of people has, doesn't matter what it is, doesn't matter the opinion, doesn't matter if it's good or bad, it's just an expression. Then we have art, which is another way of expression. It all starts with the idea of communication, transmitting a message. This is the tool we have. We have paint, photography, and video.”
“I would say it is the same as you mixing ingredients from different origins and getting something unique. You can use materials from a different country and end up with your vision, which is from a different culture, so you have a mixture. In the end, we are in the globalisation area, everything is from a lot of parts of the world. In that sense, it's a kind of communication for people to express themselves.”
“I think art is one of the best ways to express it. It's very personal, and it can go through emotions very easily. Art is very heavy, but expresses a lot and communicates a lot. People need that. We need to communicate different cultures, and identities, and mix them together. When you mix it, you can create unique things, amazing things. The richness is found in variety.”
“I'm a crafter. I always try different projects. Art is not something that goes without emotion. You put emotion in it, something that is linked to this place, and, of course, it creates a connection.”
Through Their Eyes
“It seems very obvious, but not for me. Every time I see myself, I remember that part of me. In Peru, food is a way to express feelings.
When you feel bad, they make you soup. When you are drunk, they make something like a shake. Food is a way to express feelings, a way to comfort, a way of telling somebody that you like them, many, many things. It's not just eating because you need to eat, it's more. It's very Peruvian. I will always cook something Peruvian, and it will lead me to my country.
Of course, I'll say Peruvian and I will say poncho. That's brilliant, but I don't wear a poncho. Poncho is for tourists. My connection is food, wherever I go, the way I cook, the way I eat, it is perfect.”
“I took this picture when I was on a train. What surprised me the most about Australia, was that I could see the sky. Most of the days, eight out of ten, the sky is beautiful. That's why it pisses me off when I see people on the phone not looking at the clouds. Big, beautiful, white clouds in the sky. I came from Lima, which is often described as the sky in the shade of a donkey because it's always grey. We don't have this variety of clouds.
When I came here, I didn't expect to see this sky, the sky that can only be found in the highlands, beautiful sky. I like the sky. I like seeing the sky. I like taking photos of the sky. I remember that day I was on a train. For me, it was also a metaphor, I was seeing something that I wanted through the window while commuting while travelling.
I feel the whole experience of Australia is travel for me, travelling through the stages of my life and becoming somebody else that I was not before, learning more about myself and learning more about every culture. I like it, I enjoy it, I embrace it and incorporate it in myself.”
