peru

“I’m never brining any of you any more encargos,” my mom complained as I help her lift the two huge suitcases you see in the picture above into my car’s trunk at Denver International Airport yesterday. She just got back from a six-week long trip to Peru and both my sister and I bombarded her with our lista de encargos even before she left. In fact, mine kept on growing while she was already there and I remembered I alsoRead More ...

Part of my plan for raising bilingual children has always included teaching them how to read and write in Spanish. I find it very discouraging that so few elementary schools offer foreign language education. It is shocking considering all of the recent studies that demonstrate the cognitive benefits of being bilingual. To make up for this shortfall in the public education system, my sons will have Spanish classes with me at home. I am doing some part time home schoolingRead More ...

I will never forget the first time I had a PB&J sandwich – it was in Tampa, Florida, at the Chamberlain Senior High School cafeteria, circa 1985. Yes, what a strange thing to remember, but for me the discovery of peanut butter mixed with purple jelly at 15 was a memorable one as it marked the first of many new and different experiences I would have during my stint as a foreign exchange student in los Estados Unidos. My parentsRead More ...

It’s another dreary day in Colorado. I feel like I haven’t seen the sun in months. I know we need the water and I’m thankful for that, but enough with the gray skies already! Wishing I was back home in Perú watching the sun go bye-bye in the Pacific Ocean! ...

This took me completely by surprise, but as soon as Vanessa tried chicha morada for the first time, she was hooked. Wherever we’d go during our recent trip to Perú, she’d ask for a glass (or two) of this deliciously refreshing Peruvian drink made from maíz morado. It was surprising because, as a child, whenever someone who knew me well planned on serving chicha, they knew they might as well prepare a separate batch sólo para mi. Such was myRead More ...