Toil

His scythe is from a past century; his muscles from hard work, not a protein drink. He doesn’t have the luxury to complain about headlines or Facebook posts. He was a reminder about how most folks in Peru live. Hard work with no paid vacation, Lazy Boy chairs or coffee breaks. While parts of Peru are gorgeous , rural areas […]

Urubamba

It’s a sham. Gift registries for our friends who get married, but what about the gal who remains single? in China, she’s called a leftover woman. At prayer meetings, she’s prayed for as if her singleness is leprecy. In my book? She’s called a kindred spirit. In spite of the amount of periwinkle taffeta bridesmaids dresses she has purchased (with […]

¡corre!

I got up extra early on a Sunday to watch the Lima Marathon. I am humbled by the array of athletes, wishing I could buy their drive in a bottle. Some wore the unexpected. A few wore smiles. I hung out with the photographers and big finger people. Here are leaders of the pack. They make it look so easy. […]

God’s Day Off

I look at the locked gate on the cathedral and smirk. “Why is it closed? I mean, this is Semana Santa, Holy Week. Churches should be open, right?” My Peruvian friend, with better English than my Spanish, scratches his chin and explains. “Catholic church is strange religion. God is dead today. He die Good Friday. But don’t worry,” he smiled, […]

Prayers Oraciones

I can’t open newspapers without wanting to rip out my eyeballs. Tariffs in China. Measles in America. Shooting of bus drivers in Lima. All I can say is this: the world doesn’t need political pundits. The world needs prayer. Instead of plucking out my optic orbs over the headlines, I decided to hike with my group to Cruz del Papa […]

Sunset Commute

Lately, instead of watching the news, I’ve been watching the sunset. It’s true, the water washes everything away. The news. The pick-pocketers. The bus strikes. The warning notices from the Embassy regarding the bus strikes. The growling dog. The screeching car brakes. You get the picture. But here is a better one. When I walk home from school, I can […]

Camino Barranco

It was the first time I got naked with a man in a long time, and it didn’t go the way I wanted. Yes, I was visiting a skin doctor, something well overdue after my move to Lima, Peru, a place where the sun radiation is equivalent to living in a microwave oven. I was at the Delgado International Clinic […]