Besides teaching and getting some Peace Corps projects off the ground, this February I simultaneously immersed myself in Murakami’s epic 1Q84, and Laura Esquivel’s, Like Water for Chocolate. I’m now familiar with an abundance of cooking vocabulary in Spanish, and I can’t stop looking for a second moon in the sky. 10. 1Q84, by Haruki...
Since I’ve been roaming beyond US borders without a permanent residency for the past few years, I have several paperbacks, journals, and big, beautiful art books gathering dust on a bookshelf in my parents’ house. I love these books, but I’m a minimalist. Fascinated by the thought of storing unfathomable amounts of text on a single...
Although I haven’t been writing as much lately, I’ve been reading A LOT. I’ve realized that in order to be a better writer, I need to become a more voracious reader. And since I haven’t been teaching, (we’re still on vacation) I’ve had quite a bit of free time. Last year I read 22 books. Although...
The weather may be hot, but that hasn’t stopped Boquilleros from creating Christmas decorations that resemble the environment of their northern neighbors. Styrofoam and paper cup snowmen, CD wreaths, and Christmas trees from plastic bags, recycled bottles and old tires line the streets. At night, the dirt roads are illuminated by arches of lights blinking...
From the middle of the winding dirt road, we heard an engine roar in the distance. Bryan, the Canadian, and Sunnim, the Chinese monk from my Korean class, stopped in their tracks. “Was that the bus?” Bryan asked, with a wrinkle forming on his forehead. I sheepishly looked at Bryan, knowing it was my fault...
Along with the roosters, the birds wake me up every morning around 6:30 AM. When they begin to sing, I open my eyes to the soft morning glow sweeping through my bedroom window. They repeat the same short song for 20 or 30 minutes, their piercing chirps overpowering the steady hum of my fan. Then...
Today my breakfast looked like a Miró painting. There was a brown hot dog on the left side of the plate, two triangular pieces of Costeño cheese in the top center, and a fried ball of dough on the right. Food unintentionally inspired by 20th century art. I picked up the ball of fried dough...
“I’m not going to teach you those,” Jorge said. “But how can we know what the kids are saying if you don’t teach us?” I asked. We were in Spanish class, focusing on Costeño idioms, including the phrase decir vulgaridades. It didn’t take long to convince him; Jorge stood up, walked over to the whiteboard, and...
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