dia de campo

Mercedes, Argentina

this past weekend we celebrated a good friend's birthday out in the campo. being in the country, away from the big city, its traffic and its noise, gave cora a wonderful opportunity to run free. she doesn't get to often. it was beautiful to watch.

she spent all day climbing trees, rolling down hills and playing tag. she walked around with the biggest smile.

mine was bigger.

market day

tuesday is market day.

and market day means cilantro.

and cilantro means peruvian food tonight!

my tuesday market is one of the only places i've found in the huge city of buenos aires that carries this illusive herb, so central to peruvian cuisine. sometimes seven days of anticipation is too much to bare. but once a week, when our neighborhood park comes alive with vendors and music, i make my way to the far end of the plaza and find the sweet little lady that hooks me up.

it's curious how taste is associated to memory. nothing brings back the warmth,comfort and happiness of the six years i spent living in peru like a deliciously prepared plate of seco de res.

so tonight, as i savor my comfort food, i'll think of sweet sarah and rae.
of little isa and B.
of techi (whose recipes i follow)
and soy
and mia
and craig.

i'll remember jesus maria and grau.
lurigancho and paraiso.

i'll smile at the thought of stella marris and my very own peruanita.

and my heart will ache at the distance between me and patty, vero, edith, luis...

maybe that's why tears are salty-
they go good with food.

hot dogs and answered prayer

took cora with me this past friday to visit the kids. she loves to go and it had been a while since she'd last been. at home we pray for the kids every night and ask God to "provide" for them. quite an abstract thought for a four, almost five year old.

as we were hanging out on the train station floor, talking, coloring, drinking mate (mah-teh), a local vendor appears with free hot dogs for the kids. an act beautiful in itself, was also a vivid example to my daughter of how God provides for the youth we work among. that vendor was a real, live answer to a little girl's prayer.