Celebrating my 20 years of living outside Lima-Peru, I wanted to thank my beloved James for believing in me and being a caring and supportive partner, and my family and friends for encouraging me to not give up and keep my dreams fresh and alive. And, special thanks to the wide array of students I have taught during all these years, for giving me the gift of their incredible presence in the diverse courses I have taught so far. I take the liberty to share a couple of comments that my students wrote regarding two of my most recent classes; I am deeply grateful for having crossed paths with them in the classroom.
“Lena is an incredible professor because she is both passionate and so intelligent about what she teaches. It’s a really special opportunity to be in her class because she can introduce us to materials, artists, etc. that I otherwise would never have heard of, and which have really impacted me. She is also so compassionate and truly cares about us as students and people.”
“Lena,
Muchas muchas gracias por tus comentarios. Sé que tu estas muy muy ocupada y aprecio mucho tu tiempo. En general, tu apoyo a mi arte ha sido muy importante para mi. Creo que no sería la poeta que soy hoy sin tu apoyo y ayuda. No sé cómo decirte lo mucho que ha significado para mí. Pero, gracias.”
I wish I would have taken a picture of me back in August 2004, when I left Lima to come and study my MA in Spanish in NYC, followed by my Ph.D., what kind of face I would have had at that very moment? 20 years have passed, my parents passed away, I shared my days with my beloved partner James, and I keep writing poetry, reading plenty, listening to music, watching strange films, enjoying nature, and, overall, remaining clueless on what the next day is about to bring.
seresimaginarios 