Opus

Last night I watched “Mr. Holland’s Opus”, that fabulous Richard Dryfus movie, and cried. But I didn’t cry because it was sad. I cried because I watched it in Spanish... and understood.

Opus is a latin word for “work”. And while I’ve worked hard to learn Spanish, the past two weeks in Peru did more to accelerate my skills than anything else I’ve tried. Our hosts in both Cusco and Piura spoke clearly, slowly, and beautifully without uttering a single “cachai”, “harto”, or “super bueno”. I really heard the language for the first time.

From Cusco we traveled to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. One look at the valley and any doubt one might have about God’s existence is extinguished. Definitely one of His better works.

Piura is in the north and hosts the country’s Opus Dei university where Ciervo was asked to teach. The girls attended the local Opus Dei all-girls school. I spent my time touring the city with the Dean of Engineering, cooking with Keika, their cuinado (nana/maid), and roaming the local markets on my own. It didn’t take much work to fall in love with the little town.

Now that we’re back, we are busy opus-ing again. Ciervo opuses every day convincing Universidad Catolica that he’s at home working while actually bike riding up Farllones (think Flagstaff) with Victor and simultaneously holding a conference call via cell phone with Panama. The girls opus everyday religiously and I am so proud of their commitment (which has nothing to do with me duct-taping them to the chairs in the Opus quadratum).

Mr. Holland worked for 30 years on his Opus, and I’m realizing that it may take me 30 years of work before I am bi-lingual. But I am recommitted, feeling it would be my greatest achievement. My Magnum Opus. So, I embark on my final weeks here with a renewed commitment to fill my brain with as many dichos y modismos (saying and expressions) that I can without crying. How super bueno is that?!

Sisma