District Conference 4450 Ambassadorial scholars at District Conference 4450 in Lunahuaná, Peru, the weekend of May 5-7, 2006

Scene from Peru Ambassadorial scholars with friends and family at a farewell gathering, Dec. 15, 2006

Willie Hiatt Abassadorial Scholar to Peru from Rotary International District 5180, Sacramento, California USA

Final Report for Ambassadorial Scholarship Lima, Peru (2006)

A year as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar in Lima, Peru, was an especially gratifying experience for an aspiring Latin American history professor. Few North American scholars seek the opportunity to take graduate-level courses at one of Peru’s top universities or share research interests and views of Peruvian society with the general public through Rotary presentations. I concluded early on that my unique contribution to my Ambassadorial year was engaging Peruvians professors and graduate students about their history. The additional experience of living in two Peruvian homes, studying for a month at a Spanish language school, and socializing with an international network of friends made the Rotary scholarship second to none for my professional preparation and personal enrichment. At age 41, I was a unique Ambassadorial Scholar, considered the viejito (loosely, “old guy”) among the other young twenty-somethings who spent the year in Lima. My Ambassadorial experience was a unique way to share my research interests with Peruvians inside and outside academia and to plunge myself into the culture and society of region I will one day teach to university students. Audiences appeared genuinely flattered by my interest in their history, culture, and society. Besides working with top professors and graduate students, as a student at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, I was blessed to have access to one of the best libraries in Peru, Católica’s own library, and the Riva-Agüero Institute in central Lima. I also worked at the Archivo General de la Nación, the Biblioteca Nacional, and the Peruvian Air Force library. I also was excited that Rotary gave me the opportunity to share my interests with Peruvians outside the academic environment. Yet life with my host family was the most culturally significant aspect of my scholarship year. The history program at the University of California, Davis, encourages its Latin American scholars to immerse ourselves not only in archives but in the culture of the countries in which we conduct research. I cannot imagine a better vehicle for experiencing the intellectual, social, and cultural life of Peru. What follows is a summary of my year in Peru, concluding with suggestions on how Peru can improve the experience for Ambassadorial Scholars:

The Language School The limited time I had spent in Lima on previous research trips greatly facilitated my adjustment, but the month of language study helped hone my language skills and immerse me in Peruvian culture. Even someone with advanced language skills could greatly benefit from language study, and I encourage them not to pass up this rewarding experience. Beginning Feb. 13, I spent one month at El Sol, a language school in the lovely district of Miraflores, and lived in a private home within walking distance of the school. Although I already had substantial language training, the month at El Sol gave me confidence to speak and interact at the university, at home and at local Rotary clubs. I attended classes four hours a day – two hours of grammar and two hours of conversation – and studied additionally in the afternoon. The school was professionally managed, housed in a beautiful building, and employed first-rate teachers. After leaving El Sol I called upon two professors to read and correct papers I submitted in Spanish at the university. I also took classes with several other Rotary scholars, and during the first month we developed close friendships that we cultivated throughout the year.

The Homestay In early March I relocated to another district, San Miguel, to be closer to Pontificia Católica Universidad del Perú. My rotary consejero, Juan Quesada, introduced me to the Bustamante family, which invited me to live in an unoccupied room in their house. I was apprehensive about adjusting to a new living situation. Unlike upscale Miraflores, San Miguel is a lower-middle class district with its share of poverty and problems. The homestay, however, was better than I ever could have imagined. I developed a close relationship with the parents, Coly and Peter; their sons, Carlos, Goyo, and Guru; and their two dogs, Bacco and Laila. I had what I described as a Fonzi apartment across the patio from the house – a large bedroom with Internet, cable TV, my own bathroom, and access to the laundry facilities on the roof. I ate all meals with the family. Coly was a wonderful cook and served an economical lunch in the garage for people who lived and worked in the neighborhood. The Bustamantes also had a large extended family, all of whom I met at various gatherings. They treated me like a member of the family: Coly, for example, was horrified when I tried to slip out of the house early without eating a decent breakfast.

The University Pontificia Católica Universidad del Perú is beautiful and modern by any standard. The campus has immaculate grounds with lots of green space and wildlife, modern buildings, advanced Internet technology, and a helpful staff and faculty. As a doctoral student in history, I designed my classes and research projects to advance my doctoral thesis. Católica’s library is probably the best in Peru. The academic community, facilities, and support system were a dream for an aspiring professor. I took four graduate-level history courses: History of Republican Peru, Comparative History of Latin America, Latin American Thought, Culture, and Identity, and Nineteenth Century Andean History. I also developed relationships with top Peruvian scholars and received extensive feedback about my dissertation project. The research papers I produced proved greatly helpful in my own research. I presented one paper, “The Inauguration of the Aviation Program during the ‘Oncenio’ de Leguía,” at a conference in Seville, Spain. It will be published in a forthcoming edited volume by the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.

The Rotary Circuit Juan Quesada, then the president of the Limatambo-San Isidro club, was a wonderful friend and sponsor. I contacted him soon after my arrival in February, and he and his wife Catalina invited me to attend a flag presentation hosted by the Pueblo Libre-Bolivariano club at the Parque de las Banderas in Pueblo Libre at the end of my first week. Juan frequently called to see how I was doing, kept me updated on club events, and invited me to various Rotary functions. He was enthusiastic and encouraging about my research interests. Other students did not have frequent contact with their Rotary host that I did. While at the language school I developed a presentation that highlighted my academic and personal interests, my sponsor Rotary Club – Point West, in Sacramento, Calif. – and the reasons why I chose Peru. In the second half of the year, however, I presented a more academic version related to my topic on aviation and modernity in Peru. Groups always responded enthusiastically about my interest in Peruvian history. I completed PowerPoint presentations at ten different clubs, and also attended several Rotary clubs multiple times, participated in District Conference 4450 in Lunahuaná the weekend of May 5-7, and accompanied another student on an excursion with a Rotary couple to the outskirts of Lima.

The Interaction I was continually impressed by the friendliness of Peruvians in general and Rotarians in particular. As a rule Peruvians were incredibly accommodating and flattered by my interest in their country. I made a number of Peruvian friends through the university and always sought to present a positive image of North Americans. I also helped an undergraduate student with English, discussed doctoral opportunities and application strategies with students desiring to study in the United States, and developed close relationships with classmates who were all too willing to provide me with sources and ideas. One student whom I helped with his doctoral application in the States received a full scholarship to the University of Florida. A Peruvian graduate student, José Ragas, invited me to give a one-hour lecture in his undergraduate history class on my aviation project. One Rotarian has asked me to write a short article for a Canadian ex-patriot newsletter published in Peru. There was never a shortage of opportunities to discuss my work. I loved the diversity of the academic community: I had friends and acquaintances from England, Canada, Korea, Norway, Germany, and Italy.

The Critique Although I was elated about my year in Lima, my report would not be complete without a few suggestions for the Ambassadorial Scholarship program. Here are some general comments:

1.   Ambassadorial scholars in Latin America are particularly interested in civic projects, but learning of opportunities suitable for participation proved challenging. The students most involved in civic projects generally did so through their own graduate studies in development programs at the university. 2.   At no point did the scholarship point person gather us for an orientation or social outing. I am not sure Rotarians in Lima knew exactly what to do with us. We needed at least a brief orientation to discuss potential projects and better understand their expectations for us. Although a year sounds like a long time, it is difficult to arrive in Lima with few contacts and to identity and develop a project from scratch. Why not have a number of ongoing projects in which to plug in in-coming scholars? 3.   Similarly, finding housing was difficult for several students. Many found apartments on their own; others lived with Rotary families or friends of those families. There was no clearing house through which to inquire about potential homestays, projects, needs, etc. 4.   Many Lima Rotarians are 50 or older. There were few clubs with young, aggressive, professional members like Point West of West Sacramento. Rotary life appeared to place a lot of emphasis on social events for club members. 5.   Lima has a population of about eight million. There are 51 Rotary clubs in District 4450. Most of the clubs I visited were small, with about 20 members. At several meetings fewer than 10 attended. Because Lima Rotary clubs are small, they appear fragmented and isolated from each other, which reduces their collective effectiveness.

Nonetheless, my experience in Lima surpassed my expectations. I was completely at home in Lima among friends and a new family, and hated to see the day when I said goodbye.