Living in Peru : your everyday companion

It is quiet ---as it always is on a Saturday morning. The little street where we live is deserted. No cars and no people. The welcome silence is a tremendous contrast to the busy work days with so much activity and bustle. Now I can walk slowly down the middle of the street, and no one will honk at me. But more than that, I can easily enjoy the good part of walking --- the looking, listening and observing.

Spring, officially here, is arriving, but in pieces. We can start the day with some brilliant sunshine only to find that it is quickly doused about 10am by fog. Then the fog retreats once again to give us a few more hours of the golden ball. In a way, this is a preview for warmer days, but it is also like the Chinese Water Torture Technique. We have hope built up by the glimpses of the sun only to have it dashed away. What a cruel torture!

Still, it is not very warm at any time; and one is wise to bundle up. Even so I see a few brave souls wandering around in short sleeves, perhaps in anticipation of summer.

We are turning the corner, though, and soon will come the warm days and humid nights when we will wish once again for the coolness of the fog. Human beings—we are perverse—always wanting what we cannot have.

As I walk around, I see that the advent of spring is inspiring some to pretty-up their houses. Painting is going on. New plants are being planted. Bright colors are popping out everywhere.

Many of the people here are adventurous in the colors they put on the outside walls of their houses. In fact, this is a characteristic of Barranco (the district where I live). You find houses of bright oranges, yellows, reds, greens, and even lilac. By way of contrast, my house is painted a dull grey on the outside and filled with bright colors on the inside. Leave it to the gringos to be different.

On my walk I pass a new park overlooking the ocean, and, when I do, I’m reminded of the efforts of some of our citizens to beautify our town. When I first moved to Barranco, this open space, now a park, was a dusty depository of dog droppings, populated by a couple of straggly palm trees. As it was, no one would even think to stop to enjoy the view from this place. It was so ugly. Even the dogs didn’t want to linger there.

Through the efforts of some of the locals living in this neighborhood, it is now filled with well tended grass, some trees, and beautiful outdoor sculptures. There are benches for people to sit on while enjoying the view of the ocean. Children play happily on the grass. A pause here is now a pleasure. That is what I call progress! We are living better because of the efforts of these few. Thank you.

The walk is finished. Saturday morning draws to a close with our usual grand lunch… this time at the local Chinese restaurant. The afternoon will fill with tasks uncompleted during the week but there will be time to reflect back on the pleasures of Saturday mornings.