Erika and Howard: Wedding Day

As I write this, I’m completely exhausted. I just can’t seem to shake the jet lag. It’s always like this when I travel back in time to Peru.

It’s 7 hours behind Europe, but I’m still living on Belgian time. That means my body thinks it’s 4 a.m., but the local time is 9 p.m.

It’s much easier to handle jet lag when traveling east than west.

Anyway, yesterday we drove down from Arequipa to Majes, El Pedregal—the hometown of the two future spouses.

It was nearly a 3-hour drive through the mountainous desert in sweltering heat. Occasionally, a green valley would appear in the distance, but that was pretty rare.

We had a quick meal when we arrived, then went around to meet Erika’s family. I had met most of them three years ago. It was nice to see them again, and although the grandfather and an uncle passed away earlier this year—may they rest in peace—the rest of the family is doing very well.

We’re staying at Howard’s parents’ house.

The next day, the day of the civil wedding, at 7 a.m., we went to check out the venue reserved for the wedding.

A little green oasis in the middle of the dry desert. It was a perfect match for the theme chosen by the bride and groom: rustic.

Then, at 9 a.m., we went to the hair salon, but it took forever—seven people, all getting their hair and makeup done by just one stylist.

As a result, we were about twenty minutes late for the wedding.

It was 2:20 p.m. when the last of us finally left the salon. It was a mad dash to get to the wedding on time. But we arrived just in time and watched the couple exchange vows and witness all the love they have for each other.

It was a very emotional moment. We also got to enjoy some folk dances and a horse show.

We ate and drank well; I even spoke with the mayor of the town. Who, by the way, was constantly asking me a thousand questions, such as where I’m from and comparing countries (I suppose you’ve also experienced this every time you visit a country and interact with the locals).

Since we were at a wedding, you can imagine the kinds of questions that came up—like why I’m not married yet, and how it’s unbelievable that a beautiful woman like me hasn’t found a man yet. I replied, “Finding someone is easy, but finding someone who takes you further in life, who respects you and doesn’t tear you down—that’s where it gets complicated.” He replied, “Better to be alone than in bad company…” Yes, that’s a saying you hear all over the world.

When he asked me my age, what could I say… My answer shocked him so much that he couldn’t believe it. Yeah, I know. He simply replied, “You’re past the age of getting married.” The whole table—myself included—burst out laughing, and I said right away, “Well, all the better!” in a joking tone.

He wouldn’t leave me alone the whole meal—or the rest of the evening—asking me to dance, which I never agreed to.

Midway through the evening, I swapped my beautiful red dress for my jeans and black jacket. Rock ’n’ roll and rebellious. You’ll never change me. But mostly, I was just cold. Despite the warm days here in Majes, the nights remain particularly chilly.