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Member Profile
An Interview with Helen M. Koenig
by Alan LaRue

This month, we profile Mrs. Helen M. Koenig who first arrived in Peru in 1952 fresh from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from university and got married on the same day to a Peruvian graduate student studying orthodontics. Arturo convinced her to follow him back to his home in Lima. A teacher, Helen began work in Lima at the American school but left to raise four children of her own, Lawrence, Kathryn, Richard and Caroline. Lawrence and Richard are orthodontists and both work with their father while sister Caroline administers the office. Coincidentally, the other daughter Kathryn works as a dental hygienist in the United States, in Helen's home state of Minnesota.

The more things change…

ACAP: Tell me about the Lima you found when you arrived in 1952.

Helen: Lima is a romantic place and obviously very different from where I was from. There were no supermarkets when I first arrived, and when they finally opened, it was a big event. It was ever so much fun to go up and down the aisles seeing things you had not seen for such a long time.

ACAP: In the more the fifty years you have spent here, would you say you have been living more as an American, or a Peruvian?

Helen: I would say both. Because of my husband's profession, I have had many contacts with Peruvians, and at the same time, I have kept up some wonderful friendships with Americans through the Union Church and the American Women's Literary Club.

…the more they stay the same.

ACAP: You have a Peruvian husband. There must be special challenges and rewards in being part of a bi-national marriage. What are your thoughts on that?

Helen: I absolutely loved marrying into a large family. I came from a very small family, so I really enjoyed the change. I also learned that in Peru, you should try never to come between a Peruvian man and his mother. Let them have their once a week luncheons! (chuckle).

ACAP: Are there other aspects to life here that took some getting used to?

Helen: Oh, yes. The early morning “saludo,” for example. I came from a home where the only thing I saw in the morning was a coffee pot, so I have found it rather difficult at times to put on the early morning smile here and say “Buenos días.”

ACAP: You joined the ACAP almost upon arrival. Has the association changed a lot over the years?

Helen: I have enjoyed the Association. In the really old days, they used to put on some wonderful parties. I get the sense that the focus is a little different now.

Lawrence and Arturo at the Koenig Consultorio

ACAP: Have you had a full social life in your time here?

Helen: We have kept very busy, and I have met a lot of people over the years including many Peruvian dentists! My favorite thing about Lima is that one has more time to cultivate friendships because of a lighter workload around the house.

ACAP: What kinds of friends have you made over the years?

Helen: In terms of friends with Americans, we have met a very wide range of people, wider than I probably would have met had I stayed in the States. Here, we all somehow get drawn together because of the nationality that we have in common.

ACAP: Tell me about some of the hard times you have had in Peru?

Helen: I think the low point for us was during the Velasco years, when we had to stand in long lines to change money to pay for our children´s education abroad. Before they went to the U.S. to study, all our kids were forced to sign letters promising to return to Peru after finishing their degrees. I thought that was a rather silly promise to ask of somebody so young. At this time, the government also had the right to search your house for foreign currency and we had friends that this happened to.

ACAP: Have you ever felt any anti-Americanism?

Helen: Maybe on the governmental level, especially in the time of Velasco, but never really with the people in general. Quite the opposite! Maybe there is a little anti-US sentiment now because of what is happening in the world.

Arturo and Helen with family

ACAP: Are you optimistic about the future of Peru?

Helen: Yes, but sometimes I feel that the development is too slow. From time to time you see some technocrats arise who have a good vision of what the future can look like, but it seems very hard to get people to share their vision

ACAP: Do you consider Peru to be a good place to move to?

Helen: It sure is if you come from Minnesota! (laughter) The coldest it gets here is around 59 degrees? This is heaven! Besides, Peru is magical. It captivates you. Pretty soon your brain becomes soft and it is all you can think about. I have really enjoyed it.

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