I had written this story a couple of years ago but then my computer crashed and along with it I also lost tons of photos that I hadn’t saved elsewhere. Oh well, I haven’t been able to recover the pictures but luckily my memory still serves me well, so at least I can write that piece again. I thought it would be a good story to officially start my blog.
This happened to me a few years ago at Miami International Airport. At the time I was living in Playa del Carmen and when the immigration officer saw that I had flown in from Cancun but I had a Peruvian passport, he asked me what I was doing in Mexico. I explained that I lived there and worked for a hotel chain, which he found interesting. Next thing he asked was if I was originally from Lima, I said “no, I’m from Iquitos.” He said, “I’ve never heard of it.” Since I like educating people, I explained that Iquitos was a town located in Northeastern Peru, in the Amazon. He was checking my documents but as soon as he heard the word Amazon he looked up totally fascinated and he said: “then you’re a true Amazonian!” His reaction took me totally by surprise…I couldn’t help it and started laughing hysterically. Several people turned to see what was going on as I tried to keep it quiet. Oh, what a great reminder of how privileged I am that event was!
This was probably one of the most genuinely positive reactions to my origin I’ve ever had and it literally made my day. I know, it was probably out of ignorance but still he could have been rather unpleasant, to say the least. Often times, especially while still living in Peru (yes, in my own country), I encountered people would look down at me because I came from “the jungle”, they would make fun of my ‘charapa’ accent or they would imply that my family was somehow tied to drug dealers. You’d think they’d like to know a little bit more about such a special place instead! I always refused to let that put me down and I just ignored it. I have never been ashamed of where I come from. On the contrary, when meeting new people I always tell them I am from IQUITOS, PERU, to the point some friends find it funny. But, really, why would anyone deny having been born and raised in a region that is so important to the world?
What can I say? I am very fortunate to have grown up in such an incredible area…I am grateful and I can proudly say I consider myself AN AMAZING AMAZONIAN!
