I am from Coca,
from Andean hills
and mountain springs.
I am from yard and shears,
tensile and sharp,
reassuring.
From protecting your history.
From Carmen
and Alba.
From Cedron
and Ichu.
I am from the whisk,
smoothing, blending,
roasts,
rosemary,
and tango.
Hi!
My name is Valentina and I’m from Buenos Aires Argentina, but I’ve lived most of my life in Lima, Peru. It was really fun to write this poem since I could identify the huge mix between Peruvian and Argentinian culture in my family. I’ve always been interested in learning about the indigenous communities present in both of my hometowns and love to connect with the history of the land. That’s the main reason as of why I was so excited to take this course! I recognized most of the indigenous communities we’ll be discussing from places I’ve visited around Peru and I can’t wait to know more about them.
I’m currently in second year in the faculty of arts, but looking to transfer to film production, which I absolutely enjoy and find it to be a great medium to discuss a wide range of societal and cultural issues. My hobbies include listening to new music and attending concerts as well as traveling (both of which we can’t unfortunately do right now haha), but recently I’ve been dedicating my time to read and watch as many movies as I can! I’m thrilled to get to know all of you and to participate in this course. I’ll leave you guys with a photo from a long trip I took to the Amazon river during my gap year. 
Hi Valentina! I’m not sure we’re supposed to be commenting on these posts (yet) but I’ll comment on yours anyway 🙂 It’s so interesting that you’re from Latin America and will probably be an expert on a lot of the foodways/systems etc that we’ll learn about. I’m wondering if you’ve ever travelled to Chile or seen the Patagonia mountain range as that’s on my bucket list!!
Cheers xx
Hi Avery! I went on a roadtrip a couple of years ago throughout the Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia, and it’s absolutely breathtaking. I’m so glad to hear that it’s on your bucket list! It’s definitely worth it 🙂
ps. If you get to travel to the Patagonia you should definitely visit the Perito Moreno glacier 🙂
Nice to meet you, Valentina. Your poem is earthy and delightful – thanks for sharing! Perhaps your group can produce a video for the final project and you can put those film production skills to work 🙂
P.S. We have at least one other student in Lima… ¡qué casualidad!
Hi Valentina! I’ve always really wanted to visit both Peru and Argentina, and I think it’s so cool you have a connection to both of those places. I liked how your poem made it clear where you came from without even mentioning Peru!