My name is Zhen Fu. I was born in Inner Mongolia in the northwest of China and grew up in Guangzhou, a metropolis in the south. Annual visits to my relatives in a small town in Inner Mongolia gave me my first exposures to cultural diversity and the encounter of “others.” The confoundedness gradually transformed into an endeavor to understand the different ways of life as experienced by their own people.
I went to college in Taiwan and later transferred to the U.S, majoring in Hispanic Studies. Being able to speak Spanish and my deep interest in Latin America led me to do a semester’s interchange in Quito, Ecuador. There I became familiar with the Andean traditions and this experience inspired me to apply for graduate school in anthropology.
I also traveled to Mexico, Cuba, Peru, and Colombia during my college years, but among these, the Andes had always held a special place in my heart. As I looked into volunteer opportunities for the summer after college graduation, I was thrilled to find the impact assessment volunteer position for Threads of Peru.
I was attracted by the mission of ToP and I believed that working for an international non-profit would be a good way to enhance my communication and research skills. Nothing makes me happier than working among the Andean communities to learn about the beauty of traditional art forms and be a part to preserve and strengthen this tradition.
Thus I came back to Cusco and I hope that I can contribute to the organization as well as the communities it works with.