Thursday, April 15, 2010

Cusco Photos April 2010

Here are 3 lovely photos from Cusco--I found a 2 bedroom apartment with Liz, and we will be moving there in mid-May. Gorgeous panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains, 15 min walk from the central plaza, terrace-rooftop.
Come visit me!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Not-so-nice

I am sorry to report that I have become a not-so-nice person in Lima. I do not kick street dogs with mange, do not punch bus drivers, yet.

I chalk it up to grey skies, incessant shrieking horns, shrill whistles, plastic coke bottles and plastic bags that litter the side of the road, and sitting in traffic for hours breathing diesel fumes. I feel poisoned from MSG meals in restaurants. My senses feel assaulted at every turn.

Poverty and the relentless drive to modernize leave the Lima landscape blighted. I find myself hating a Fujimori government that imported cheap vehicles that failed emission tests in other countries, a government that abandoned its metro system years ago. I visit poor neighborhoods to give sexual health education workshops, and see piles of plastic products dumped next to their houses, no running water, and a thirst for coke.

I have the resources to flee from gritty conditions that incite rage and helplessness. The poor are not so lucky. I wonder if they too feel not-so-nice.

Toxic

We crawl through bleak, dusty streets
in the belly of belching vehicles
spew our acid rage
grey skies we greet

I choke on foreign syllable fumes
la con-ta-mi-na-ci-on es ho-rri-ble
metal monsters snarl and lunge,
blare their horns and swallow my words