ArticleDeltaSkyMagPeruColor_April2013 (2)
I’ve had such a nice response to my Peru story in the April issue of Delta Sky magazine, with friends, family and neighbors coming across it during flights. Even heard from a long lost high school friend. The latest act of kindness came today from another reader who liked it so much she gave her copy to friend – then realized that she hadn’t read the last page. So she found the black and white version I posted on my blog. She also made a color PDF of the story and sent to me. How thoughtful! So here it is. (see above.)
TakeBetsywithyou 
Your article made me want to make the trip! We brought two copies of it to Mike and Heather.
Good! Hope you will go. Loved the photos of you and Lee with Lucy!
Hello Betsy,
I had an extravagant, almost other worldly experience with this Peruvian article of yours and I would love to share it with you. Hoping this is the right place for it.
It was mid-afternoon on April 13th, 2013 and I was finally alone for the first time in two years after being a full time Mormon missionary. Having dispatched from my group of fellow missionaries who, like me, all served in Argentina for the past two years (about 12 of us) to get onto my flight in Atlanta, Georgia, being that I was on the only one headed back home to Philly.
Ironically, the flight was somewhat empty. Prior to takeoff, I vividly remember picking up the first and only magazine I could find on the back of the seat in front of me. It was the Delta Sky Magazine. My intention was to find an article written in Spanish, so that I could continue to master the language. Well, to no avail, as there weren’t any Spanish articles, but the closest thing I could find was your article about Peru. My prior knowledge regarding Peru was all but zero. As a 23 year old Mormon, it was ingrained in my head the desire to get married as soon as possible post-mission. Throughout those two years, I had made up my mind, that my future spouse would be a Latina.
Upon opening up the Peruvian article of yours and seeing the woman standing facing to the left of the page headed out the door the thought “I wonder what a Peruvian woman would be like.” I pondered on this thought while looking gracefully and meditatively upward in deep thought. The moment had only lasted all but ten seconds or so. Then I glanced at the two pages once more before putting the magazine down to get ready for take-off.
Fast forward three days and I had the first communication with my now wife of ten years via cyber space on a Mormon dating site. I barely remembered this article and experience during our time of getting to know each other and eventually marrying 10 months after the fact. It wasn’t until four or so years later, while washing the dishes one bright sunny afternoon, the thought to search for this magazine to see if there were any inner details I hadn’t known about came to mind. What a pleasant surprise to find that the place where the lady was pictured was in Arequipa, Peru! That was the city my wife was born and raised in. The physical features of her and my wife are similar as well. Even the clothes are similar to an outfit my wife had back then.
In some weird way, you helped my subconscious connect my wife and I to one another. It’s a strange phenomena to think about and completely unexplainable to me, but thank you!
By the way, if you would like for me to send you a pic we took a few years back in the same position as the woman in front of the door of the cathedral, let me know.
Wholeheartedly,
Eric