My fave 10 things in Lima

"Ode to change" ie, happy endings

With just about 10 days to go in Lima, I am finally enjoying the place, people I am meeting, and feeling, gasp, nostalgic for what I will miss after my move to Cusco.

My list of 10 favorite things in Lima

10.passion fruit pisco cocktails that Liz's brother-in-law bartender makes downstairs
9. Walking along malecon (cliff at the coast) and watching paragliders and the sea and sunsets
8. women cajon players rocking the house!
7. a kiss on the cheek upon arrival and departure
6. Guru kebab Indian restaurant in Surco
5. my apartment with blue walls and ayahuasca tapestries from women shamans from the jungle
4. young queer activists rallying for their rights
3. Punto Azul, a Peruvian restaurant that serves delish cebiche, pescado sudado, causa, seafood
2. wonderful new friends
1. Liz (but she's coming with me to Cusco!)

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

Lima impressions

So I arrived in Peru on Feb 15th. To live here. For some time.

If you are wondering why, you're not alone. I have been asking myself the same question pretty much every day since I arrived.

I am in Lima, the capital. I have never been in a city with so many shades of grey in the sky. It is rare to see the sun. This city of 9 million is so congested and polluted from old vehicles--the smog is thick and burns the throat. There is no subway. The government is in the process of building a new fleet of cleaner burning buses and a new bus lane. The problem is that they're not going to ban old vehicles that run on diesel and that would never pass a smog test. Then only the rich would drive.

So back to my question of what am I doing in this smog-filled city? Perhaps it's my migratory pattern established since birth of moving every 2-3 years to a new place. But mainly I'm here because I fell in love with a Peruvian woman, and have always wanted to get fluent in Spanish and live in South America.

For now, I chalk it up to adventure.

After Liz finishes her course in sexual health in 3 weeks, we will move to Cusco in the mountains. Cusco is at 11,000 feet in the Sacred Valley, close to Machu Picchu.

My main dreams here are:

1. to educate and empower Peruvians about sexuality/gender/sexual health through a new organization I am creating with Monica Coronado and my girlfriend Liz Cabrel. Through participatory workshops (incorporating expressive arts and mindfulness practices as well as information about sexual anatomy/STIs/self breast exams/patient empowerment) we hope to give women and the queer community an opportunity to explore topics that are taboo.

2. to learn new music and re-deepen my relationship to my creativity through writing, music, and film

3. to slow down and enjoy life

Hope you enjoy the blog!

Tigresa