My New Greatest Hits

People ask me all the time if I miss Peru. The truth is, there's a lot that I miss, and a lot I don't miss. (Most of what I miss has to do with people, and most of what I don't miss has to do with a lack of creature comforts, like hot running water, A/C & paved roads... I never fail to appreciate a beautiful clean bathroom now.)

It took me a month or two to get over not being able to see my friends every day, but now I am in "US mode" and don't expect to see my friends nearly as often (sadly enough). It also helps that I've managed to keep in touch with many of my Peruvian and missionary friends via blogs, email and Facebook. (In fact, anyone would think I was still in Peru from a look at my home page feed on Facebook. It's usually at least half in Spanish.)

But what really sends me back to Peru, and warms the cockles of my heart, is music. Unfortunately I don't hear a lot of cumbia or Grupo Cinco in Texas, but I do hear a random assortment of pop music that recalls many a silly moment at one of Trujillo's premier karaoke establishments. (A classic night out in Peru for a lower-to-middle-class family is a trip to the polleria, a rotisserie & fried chicken joint which sometimes boasts a dance floor and a karaoke area, with an end product that feels a little like Chuck-E-Cheese for grownups.)

Just as most of us have songs that take us back to when we were in high school or even early childhood, I've formed many Peruvian associations with the extremely random selection of our favorite karaoke joints. Some of my fellow missionaries will fondly recall renditions of "Celebrate!", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" or "Total Eclipse of the Heart". (Or even more memorable interpretations of "Walk This Way" and "Eye of the Tiger".) Of course, there were Latin pop favorites as well, old-school classics such as "Tu Carcel", "Penelope" and "Quiero Dormir Cansado", and more recent pop hits like "Camisa Negra" by Juanes or "Nada Fue Un Error" by Coti. Those don't get as much air play on easy-listening FM stations, but I do have them on my iTunes.

These songs, and the memories they bring about, can come upon me at any time. Just recently I was visiting New York City and heard the strains of a popular cumbia song blaring from a passing car window in Washington Heights (a predominantly Dominican neighborhood). It was yet another moment that conjured memories, and brought a smile to my face.