Yoga in the Park

Peace Revolution and
Caleidoscopio Yoga Comunitario 

A quick note before I head out tonight to dance some Peruvian cumbia with my new patitas (a los Puertorros: esto acá significa amigazos no mas ;) ).

Yesterday, my new favorite person in Lima, Daniela, hit me up at work and invited me to a yogi gathering at a park in Miraflores. It's a pretty small group of yoga-lovers and meditators. They get together every Thursday at night and together work through yoga exercises with the help of an instructor. Then after everyone is loosened up and feeling good, one of the girls guides the group through a meditation session.

Head scratchies before meditation :) 

Now, let me tell you about my experience with meditation. I have none. I have tried left and right, stayed in monasteries, read books, and sipped milk tea with monks, all with the hope to extract some insight on how to enter the state of stillness but nada. So not only was I pleased, but also, utterly surprised when in a park near a main street in one of the busiest parts of town in Lima, I was able to successfully meditate. My mind went quiet, and I felt how my face softened, how the pressure at the back of my neck released. I lost sensation in my fingers, and my legs, they slowly synced with the grass down below. The air which felt cold before no longer did, and two images prevailed in my mind of a very special place of my childhood. It was beautiful. I left feeling pretty darn good and definitely excited for the next meditation session.

Highly recommended if you are new to the city. Here's their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/peacerevolutionperu

Now off to la fiesta! ;)

Dos Amores: Pisco y Ceviche!

Would I have ever imagined that 4 years ago when I was backpacking through Peru with my bestie Amanda, sipping pisco sour at cafes and bars, and eating all the ceviche I could get my hands on that somewhere down the road, I would find myself living in the wonderful city of Lima? Not in the least bit. But here I am, one week in out of my expected 6 month stay in Peru.

Me with 2 pisco sours at Bolivar's house

Frankly, I am not a big city gal. Though I appreciate them for what they have to offer, I prefer cities that are small and cozy, ideally next to the mountains. Lima however, has slowly worked itself through me. In Lima you can find a little bit of everything: hippies, yuppies, artists, emos, hipsters, burners... you name it. Being that I work with a conservation project, I am surrounded by nature-loving philanthropists finely balanced by my flatmates, some of which are artists while others are simply smart, adventure-seeking, life-loving individuals. And this my friends feels perfecto!

It's no surprise that being among Latin Americans feels like being back home. For obvious reasons (i.e., I am Latina), I am very much in tune with Peruvians' philosophy of life, their values, their culture, and most definitely, their priorities. It also helps a lot to live among a family, allowing me to experience Peru from a whole new perspective. Not to mention, the ease with which one can make friends with Peruvians. Their kindness, sweetness, and openness really stands out everywhere I go.

Plaza near my house

Roomies Lennart (Germany), me, and
Gustavo (Peru) at a wicked bar in
central Lima

So far I have not been much of a turista and rather spent my first week in Lima meeting new people and letting locals drag me to their favorite spots. In no time, I developed a little crush for Barrancos: a colonial charming town in Lima that reminds me a lot of the Old San Juan in Puerto Rico.

My current town on the other hand is not quite as charming, but rather carries a hearty dose of Peruvian history. Pueblo Libre or "Free Town" where I live, was rightfully named by Jose de San Martín in 1821 after Peru won its independence from Spain. What's more, both Simón Bolívar and San Martín lived in my little town--Bolivar's house only a couple of blocks away from my flat. Fortunately or unfortunately, his home is now a hole in the wall restaurant that serves 2 pisco sours for only 15 soles... hells yea!!!

As for my work here in Peru, the more I learn about my project (Conservación de Bosques Comunitarios), the more I feel honored to be part of such an amazing cooperative. It's truly rewarding to partake in work that has such a large impact in the lives of many indigenous communities in the Amazon forest. The love and dedication, and especially the relationship that some of my coworkers have with these communities is inspiring to say the least.

I will definitely fill you in with more details about my project later on, but for now, I will leave you with a video of an awesome artist-collective type event I went to on Friday. A group of dancers came in playing what sounded much like bomba y plena and my heart felt the joy: