I hate Perú

Not really.

But kind of.

I've been in Lima, Huaraz and Mazac for almost two months. My passion for this country is confused, not by Perú itself but by the way my heart loves. The landscapes and people that stir my my little soul when I arrive are the same ones that bore and frustrate me months later.

This morning I'm going to remember all the things that I love about Perú:

I love my neighborhood in Lima, all of us newly arrived from the provinces, trying to figure out how to survive in the city. I love the street vendors that wake me up in the morning selling bread and fruit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeEdGxGNrc4


I love to walk two blocks to Museo de la Nación to see again the temporary exhibit featuring Sonia Morales' dresses. I love the choripan outside of Plaza Vea- it tastes like Buenos Aires. I love the Parque del amor and the walks through El Olivar- two rare scenes of beauty and peace in this tormented country. I love my drunken landlord when he knocks on my door once a week just to make sure I'm happy. I love season three of Mad Men, ill gotten, along with Leonard Cohen Live in London- this is how I spend my days.

I love arriving in Mazac- there is absolutely no surprise that I have been in New York, Lima, Huaraz and that I still come back. I love my godson, Shubi, especially when he comes home from school in his uniform and changes into sweatpants and yanquis so that he can hunt doves all afternoon. I love Norly with her middle-child syndrome and cara chinita. I love Ichicho when he walks down to Yungay in his best clothes and flirts with the market ladies, all smiling gold teeth. I love Shilly when she cooks fish, and says 'fish' in English because it's my favorite. I love her when she cries when I leave because it makes me feel like I'm part of her family. I love leaving Mazac, having a beer and a dose of reality with Leo on my way down to Huaraz, a chance to calibrate before reentering reality.

I love my arrival at Hotel Colmena in Huaraz- a quick hello to Sandro and Richi and no questions asked. They give me a key to the third floor room with the view of the Cordillera Blanca. I shower for hours and watch Argentine fútbol in peace. I love my juice spot in Huaraz, Frutifrutita. I order the same thing every morning- two glasses of carrot and pineapple extract, a tamal, and café pasado. Every time I order this same combination I'm charged a different price. It gives variety to my routine.

I hate leaving Perú.

I love coming home to Oregon, to my family, to my friends in Portland. I love the Seattle Mariners, the Reach the Beach century, the Steel Bridge, the cherry blossoms, the Hollywood Farmers Market. Sharing stories over Homoerectus at Produce Row. I love the tearless early fall in Perú, the sweetness of late spring in Portland and this glorious season in between.