Munay (Love & Beauty): Stories of Life in Peru: A Pasear

When walking through the streets of Huallanca daily, I can count on at least one person asking me “Kendra estas paseando?” Which basically translates to “Kendra are you going for a stroll?” The Spanish word “pasear” means to go for a walk, bike ride, car ride, hike, or to go somewhere just for the heck of it, as a way to pass time. It’s actually hard for me to give the term justice in English we don’t even exactly have a word for it in the US, which tells you that it’s something cultural and after being in Peru for over a year, I am finally understanding that. In the US, we generally don’t just “pasear”. If you are going somewhere it’s because you have somewhere to be or something you need to do. We generally don’t just “pasear” for the heck of it because there isn’t time. In a culture where everyone has their daily checklist full of things they need to complete, even for children who are usually packed full of after-school activities like soccer, gymnastics, and dance from the time they can walk. Who in the US has time to just go for a stroll to enjoy something or to pass the time? Nearly everything Americans do has a reason or a purpose. Well, Peru’s culture is very different. People generally don’t have checklists or jam packed schedules. People have free time to “pasear” and just enjoy life. It’s something that people in small towns in Peru do a lot. Which is why the Peruvians in my town always ask me “Kendra, estas paseando?” every time they see me in the street. At first I was kind of annoyed that every one asked me that because I always thought “Why would I just be strolling about? If I am walking down the street, it’s because I need to get somewhere, what else? But a few months ago, after spending over a year in Peru, I finally really got it. It’s a cultural difference. In Peru, it’s totally acceptable to just be out to “pasear” and Peruvians do it often. And now guess who you can often see just strolling about for a “paseo” with my students? ME! The students that I lead extracurricular groups with request that we go out for a “paseo” to the nearby water fall or to the grass field just for the fun of it and to hang out with nothing on the agenda and no time restraints, we are just out on a walk for the fun of it. And I have found that I really enjoy it. It’s not to check off my list of things to do but rather just a way to enjoy the day and the beauty around us and to spend time together. And because we can, because we have the time; because we don’t live in a super fast paced culture where time is money with a jam packed schedule.

Here are some photos I’ve taken on some recent “paseos” with some of my students: