Lima

Big cities around the world share a lot of similarities; easy to get around, people from all over the globe, and lots of lights and TRAFFIC. To me and Patterson's surprise, one of our taxi drivers spoke of his delivery job in Monterey, California years ago. Instant connection! 

One of my favorite parts of our short time in Lima was checking out the Afro Peruvian Museum. Though it was a bit dry in terms of current information about the Afro Peruvian population, it provided good background information about the story of the slaves in Peru.  

Although the north atlantic slave trade was the greatest crime to ever be committed to a population of people, the flip side is that it spread black beauty all around the world. Black can be found everywhere on the globe, and the fact that I can go to whatever country on this side of the globe and find people with melatonin makes me proud of the great leaps and progression Africans have made throughout the history of the world.

Another interesting chapter of our Lima story was walking through one of the public libraries in the heart of downtown. I read a few passages of a book about communism and capitalism and wish I could have brought it home with me. People hear the word "communism" and are instantly turned off by the idea because of the examples that Russia and other countries have provided for us. These were not instances of actual communism, but rather of authoritarian governments that oppressed and tortured people. I'm not advocating for communism, but I think there is a lot to learn from that system of government. What's wrong with everyone getting what they need to survive?