I wonder if it’s just my imagination that once we’re in late September, it starts feeling as though the end of the year is just around the corner. Last week, I was staying in Lima, the Peruvian capital, on JICA business. After a long absence, the capital was exciting and really fun. It was the first time in six months that I could catch up with the other JICA program participants who were sent to Peru at the same time as me. I was so happy that I talked too much and my voice went hoarse. Normally, when I'm in Paracas, I don’t get the opportunity to use Japanese at all, and what’s more, I can't use Spanish well enough that my throat goes hoarse, so it looks as though my voice got a shock.


My biggest mission in the capital Lima was to report on my activities at the Paracas Museum over the last 9 months and to present my plan for the coming year. That meant a 15-minute presentation in Spanish, so I was a bit nervous. To be honest, it was quite a mental strain to give a presentation in my lousy Spanish to a lot of Peruvians and Japanese people with much better proficiency in Spanish than me, like the Japanese Ambassador. My desire to be able to speak Spanish better has doubled.


I wouldn’t have taken a thorough look back over the work I have done in Peru without an opportunity like this, so I was truly grateful for the opportunity. I also kind of felt that putting in an effort like this might lead to personal growth?! I am sincerely grateful to everyone who listened to my poor Spanish without reacting badly.


In a spare moment from my JICA schedule, I went to the home/studio/museum of an artist named Víctor Delfín.
One of Víctor Delfín’s famous works is El Beso (The Kiss), a huge sculpture of lovers in an eternal kiss by the sea, in the Parque del Amor (Love Park), which he completed in 1993, and is also a famous sightseeing spot in Lima. Parque del Amor was selected by National Geographic as one of the 50 most romantic destinations in the world.



Decorating the park here and there are poems by Peruvian poets, and the names of historical couples are inscribed too. Plus, you can have the romantic experience of watching the sunset while you admire the superb view over the Pacific Ocean. In any case, as the name suggests, the park is full of elements of love. By the way, they say this object is 8.02 meters wide and 7.31 meters high.


I heard that Mr. Delfín, a 96-year-old artist born in 1927, also lives in Lima, so I had to go see him, but unfortunately, I could only meet his wife and son (an elementary school student). Apparently, he doesn’t see anybody after 2 pm. The best thing I got from going to Mr. Delfín’s home was discovering that you can have a child even after turning 85! The words "Human beings are amazing aren’t they!" just naturally popped out of my mouth. Well, here’s where I say “Adios!” This has been Shoko Yamamoto from Paracas, Ica Province, Peru.