Adios tradition

Things are getting better -- then they get worse -- then they get better --
(rinse lather repeat). 
I think it's just the onslaught of the holiday season. Thanksgiving was non-existent & Christmas has been on it's way to doing the same. Marlene is in Panama till Feb. I think & the grandparents are going up to spend Christmas with Cesar. That would leave me with Martin, the kids, Roman & Gabby for Christmas here.

But today was a good day.
After a long weekend of wallowing in self-pity, loneliness & homesickness, I decided to get my butt out of the house & meet Andhi & Frisbee people at the Faro de Miraflores (lighthouse on the malecon).  It turned out to be a simple but great day!
Just one other dude, Carlos, showed up. So the 3 of us scooted down the way & ended up playing Frisbee all day overlooking the Pacific (*thanks to SPF 45) next to the massive all day Sunday drum-circle (of like 20-30ppl)! 

And if you can improve at Frisbee, I am.  I learned to throw it some-kinda backwards today!






Andhi & Carlos posing in front of the ocean with the frisbee & sunset.

  

<<there's a small earthquake going on RIGHT NOW! AAH!>>

Anyways, we even recruited some young kid to play too ... It was a beautiful sunny day & the time just flew! 
Peter & Sandra showed up around 7.  Sandra invited us over for Christmas - so I guess I'll be having dinner w/ my buddy, his girlfriend & just her 3 sisters (since the rest of her family is fighting). Adios tradition.




In Peru, apparently they have street signs for Asians.

  

Other things:

Got our December bonus pay - much needed since we all only have one class this month.

Came home tonite to my brother/sister roommate/landlords curled up on a chair giggling watching Sex in the City. They are awkwardly close sometimes.

An old friend from DLR days, Tait,  found me & wants to come down to Peru for a visit. Dunno if it'll happen - last I saw him he was a quite the party boy, but it would be nice to have someone to travel around with. He sounds pretty amp'd but at this point he doesn't even have a passport (so not exactly holding my breath).

Also, haven't seen the humongous cucarachas for a couple days so hopefully they're gone. Hopefully.

P.S., I just want to send a shout-out to WATER;
both hot & cold.

I'm really glad you're back in my life on a reliable basis!

<<that 'tremmor' just stopped -- 11minutes later!!>>

Tickled Pink---------------

This post is dedicated to:

Pablo "I-just-wanna-make-it-to-your-blog" Chuquin

 Yep, this happened. Matching shoes and everything.

What's not to love?!

Mullet-dom

This week has wrapped up kinda nicely... I had my last Saturday Convo. III
class..students like me, one of them even travels 2.5 hours each way for my class! wow.
Verbal gratuity is getting me through this whole experience. This teaching thing is soo much like waitressing; It can be the pits but more often than not, it's pretty rewarding.

Friday I got one of THE worst haircuts of my life. A direct hit on mullet-dom.
AND she mis-dyed all my hair: Darkened my hair but lightened my roots & bleached my one highlight white. not blonde. I've been flat-ironing it all weekend cuz as soon as this mess curls up I'ma look like the Salt-n-Pepa "Push It" video.
It's the 2009 Hipster-Cut.

ANYWHOoo, went out Saturday nite w/ an over-mixed group of people. Normally I'm a more-the-merrier type but this one went wrong.

Long story short. We end up at a gay club with a few out-and-proud's, a guy whos in the closet & a purity-ring-wearing-drunk-homophobette. It was all weird.

This evening frisbee'd on the Pacific O with Andy, Silvana, Neko ...Peter showed up later be the alpha-male  peanut-gallery (of course :)P
actually tossed with Andy by the ocean a couple times this weekend...turning into a nice pastime.

So apparently every Sunday nite there's this Red-Path/Hare Krishna/Hippie drum circle on the ocean so we walked over & checked it out for awhile

*obviously it wasn't long till the police dogs showed up.

Got home & came across 3 cockroaches literally the size of mice. Now I can't sleep.



GAMI salon&spa

I don't know which side is the "Business" and which is "Party" but I accidentally received a mullet haircut today.
Not to mention, light-ish brown hair with lighter roots & a white stripe in the back corner of my head.

When the color started itching she proceeded to rub it into my scalp. I'm no hairdresser but that's the opposite of where I wanted that dye to be.

It cost 100soles.  aka $37.

the New Place

So I moved...2 weeks ago now.  I'm living w/ a family that rents out rooms ...all the men live upstairs (including the dad & 1of the brothers) and the women downstairs (so far it's just me and the daughter aka landlord).

They're a nice family. The ad was for an native English speaking woman...the daughter wants to improve her English so she can study Anthropology abroad.

So since I've lived here I've come to realize that girl Ivonne (who, prefers to be called "Neko" which is Japanese for 'cat') goes to bed by 10:30 every night. Not exactly compatible for this night-owl...apparently I was watching a movie on my computer too loud the other nite b/c I came home the next day to this note with a new pair of headphones on the doorknob:

also, I have a huge window in my bedroom that looks into the back hall/walkway/utility room where everyone does their laundry...it's fine except my curtains are basically white sheer netting..so everyone can look at me while i sleep.  Also, the Neko's room is kitty-corner from me so we can see into each others room all the time...ps, she has a naked mannequin in her window that always scares me (for various reasons, obvi.)

The other day so told me that she has tons of movies if I wanted to watch them...cool right?

So when I went to look thru them (in the living room) the other nite I realized they were all either scary movies, porn or a mix of both genres.  It's all just a little weird.

Also, there is a very smelly dog...harmless but smellll-ly. It stays outside but you can still smell it in the house.

Oh well...there's not only water, but HOT WATER here & clean pots-n-pans!

Ok, here's where I live in the world (for now :)



That's all ...gotta go to work!

1 Block from the Pacific Ocean!

Today is moving day.

Last night was this hap-hazard night-out, that just got weird.
It was a pre-planned night of chifa (Peruvian-Chinese food)& dancing for Anna-Louisa's birthday (Martin`s cousin) at El Jade. So as I'm all ready &waiting to leave, when apparently Marlene & Martin get in a big fight so now we're 2 hours late **in Peru, this is like being 5 minutes late & now Martin is staying home.
So anyways, we show up to what looks like a nursing-home-night-out & Anna-Louisa (who suffers from some type of bi-polar condition) has obviously over-dosed on her med's.
Also, what I thought was sangria OBVIOUSLY turned out to be just grape juice.
Aye-yie-yiie

So I'm packing now..
Again actually, because I went to move to another place last week & after the guy said "ya, see ya tomorrow!"  he never called me back the next day till like 10pm. seemed too odd so I bailed on that departmento.

I do love this family (*especially Alberto, the grandfather) & they have taken care of me the best they can, but it's definitely time to go...
Here's a few things I won't be missing:

• yes, those are the pans EVERYTHING is cooked in here

• that's me washing the shammy-cloth that is my bath towel in the sink...sooo, I am THAT dirty after a shower...imagine before...then add in that there's no water here 1/2 the time...

• meat in the freezer does not need to be wrapped...those chicken wings that are frozen to the shelf today are din-din tomorrow!!

• couldn't figure out the problem with the ironing board catching fire till I realized they had put the cover OVER the original plastic wrap

Ok... back to re-packing! My next apt. is about $100 more per month but it's just a 20 minute walk to work & 1 BLOCK from the ocean.



Bamboozled & Immigration

I'm always amazed how filthy everything is here (the pollution level is astounding) but somehow people generally don't stink. As it turns out, I was just being bamboozled by winter. Yesterday was quite warm & sunny...

"Tah-dahhh"

Peru turned out to be one big scratch-n-sniff.
All my buses now smell of butt-cracks, dead fish & teenage hormones.

ANYWAY.....

So we had a big ol' meeting with Intrax, the company that we all paid $$$$ to co-ordinate us here in Peru.  The long & short of it is; they're admitting that we paid for...lets say a "hamburger" & they haven't even given us an empty bun! Like NO-THING!

• 1 wk Paid Training:   Nada ...more like:  "Here's your books, there's your class. Go."
• Full Time Work Schedule:   We average from 9-26 hours per week
• Housing Assistance:  I don't have water where I live & I literally think Peter is sleeping in the park tonight.
• Visa Assistance:  It went like this:  "Get a taxi to the 'migration office. Look for Sheila."
• Spanish Lessons:   Because none of us have any grammar or vocabulary OBVIOUSLY it's a conversation course. <<<this is a time joke that isn't funny)

So NOW they're offering to refund our program costs if we drop out of the program.
That hardly sounds like enough.

Thursday -for some reason which Intrax didn't know much about-  I had to go to immigration alone.
**Andy & Hannah-Montana went last week but I was told I didn't have to go since I had just fled to Chile last week**
Anyways I spent almost an hour that morning begging taxi's to take me to the immigration office.
NONE of them would.
So I called Daniel at Intrax & he finally suggested that I don't go. The school then got upset with me & said I have to find a way there but no one could tell me how.  I ended up taking a bus to Euroidotas then a cab from there to downtown.
Note:  If I ask for the taxi, it is 28soles, if a Peruvian asks it's 10soles. 
I actually cried in the cab *from frustration* the whole way to immigration. I can only imagine what the cab driver was thinking...
 SILVER LINING!  That afternoon I took a shower WITH WARM WATER!!! the stars aligned for me
but this silver lining got recanted when I went to see YET ANOTHER apartment that, in the ad, was an all inclusive bedroom for $280/month but when i got there it turned out to be a 3rd floor stark room with a closet in the hallway & sharing a bathroom w/ some German chick & a cat. Also, the cost magically went up to $400. 
The style of business here is very confusing.
**I realize this rent is cheap but remember, I am only making $600-700/month here.


So ya, you could say my eczema is flaring up.

"At the same time...."

So, Here’s how the past 24 hrs went. 
(you can play a drinking game to how many times I have to say: "At the same time")

I found out yesterday that I will be illegal in Peru in 2 days. **I want to interject quickly that I complain (in my heart & soul…if not out loud) EVERYDAY that there’s no warm water at the house. I’ve LITTERALLY had 2 warm showers this past month…but as soon as I complain, next thing I know, there’s no water. AT ALL. Obviously, that sux. And so now I’ve had 3 days of buying 3L bottles of water to wash in a salad bowl, in my shower stall.

I WISH I WERE KIDDING. 

Today, before I raced off to Chile, I splurged and snuck the boiled water from the kitchen & added it to my freezing bottle of water…which took it down to just ‘cold.’

So, back to the ‘why-I-raced-off-to-Chile’ part.  Yesterday I found out **that after continual reassurance from Euroidiomas** that they never actually DID the paperwork for my work permit, or any of the other Americans in this program. And by Sunday I am illegally in Peru, since my tourist visa expires on the 30th.

It was all the biggest load of BS. Everyone’s blaming the next person. So Daniel (Intrax) comes to the school yesterday & raises heck (supposedly) with Alejandra & Sr. Lasso...but I’m not so sure how much ‘heck’ he raised since right after this, I saw Alejandra in the hall & she sang “Helloooo Emily” to me.

Next thing I know, I have to leave the country just so I can return & get another tourist visa.

How this all goes down is so riddled with anxiety I’ll bet your paycheck I’ll be grinding my teeth while my eczema flares up, within the week.   (we literally make $350/month here)

Ok. So. For sure I have to leave Peru very soon (the word ‘reimbursement’ is being thrown around a lot). Obviously I’m kinda freaking out.

…so you’re tellin’ me, I need to leave the country, maybe take a 20+ hour bus ride to the boarder (frontera) …or fly to Bolivia, for all I know at this point.

Also, remember:  I am a girl.   I am alone.   I don’t speak Spanish that well.

W.T.Heck!

I wake up Friday to Daniel urgently calling me that I need to leave TODAY & where do I want to go?   SERIOUSLY?! I don’t know my way around Lima that well, let alone where’s it safe for me to run off to in S. America!?

We settle on Chile because it’s a double holiday weekend (Halloween & something Catholic. ironic), so the city won't be busy.

WHILE all this planning is going on, #1 I have to grade & enter this month’s final exams into a computer, cancel my classes for Fri & Sat *while dealing w/ the attitude of the office girls at school for cancelling my classes. 
....& at the same time, another teacher is trying to get me to teach conversation classes this weekend at some location -that I don’t know- and then at the same time she's trying to orchestrate me w/ some friends of hers in Chile.

Also, Martin (host dad) is now in the Kentucky, US of A  (for the FIRST time in his life)  for a dentist-chair-parts manufacturing convention.
Believe it.

...he needs to make a speech & power point presentation IN ENGLISH.  His English is basically non-existent, so I’ve been asking to help him to translate this speech for about 2 months. But TODAY,  ya, TO-freakin-DAY, is the day he decides to give it to me (*by email from Kentucky), while Marlene tries in her elementary-English to pre-translate, which is a disaster, & then gets her feelings hurt every time I correct her errors.

ALSO at the same time there is an -albeit minor- EARTHQUAKE!  
(((I literally thought it was me at first)))

At this same time all the kids get home from school (which by the way happens to be some “special presentation day” at school. There are traditional dance costumes and a Jean-Benet Ramsey level of make-up involved ...and much to tell/be excited about, of course).
AGAIN, AT THE SAME TIME this little ^ circus comes to town... Vanesa’s tutor shows up for a lesson while Mirian (maid/nanny) is trying to make me stop & eat lunch.

PS I’m also supposed to be getting/finding an apartment this weekend with Peter &/or Paula so I can finally have a freaking shower & check my freaking email at home for a change.

I am suffocating & about to explode at this point. Then, in the middle of all this, Daniel calls (3pm) again with a flight for me to Santiago, Chile that leaves at 7pm (aka in 4hrs). So I need to finish Martin’s speech, “shower”, pack & then 1^st go to Intrax office to pick up an international phone & be at the airport by 5pm SINCE IT IS AN INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT.

This does not go down without a hitch. Everything is obviously running behind schedule, this girl from school, with the best intensions won’t leave me alone for 5 minutes trying to hook me up w/ people & things to do in Chile. Which is all soo very nice but not cognizant of my stressful situation & current lack of mental space.

So Daniel ends up taking me to the airport, *on a Friday evening, *during rush hour, *on a holiday weekend.

You do the math.

Right before we get to the airport he hands me 140soles ($51.50 US) & then drops me off in front of which feels like Baghdad’s airport, at an entrance that a guy with a bloody eye is yelling at me not to use.  I have my computer & purse & have to take off running. Daniel has to find parking & promises to bring my other bag to the gate.  So I’m standing in line when this massive 6’8” guy ON A LITTLE BICYCLE rolls up next to me shouting my name. It’s Daniel, with my bag.  All of Peru (in my opinion) are stare-aholics …they stare ALL THE TIME. So, obviously, I think is crazyness... but no one even looks twice at me, Daniel & this mini-bike racing thru the airport!

My itinerary said LimaàSantiago …but what it didn’t mention is that Chile’s Immigration Police are in another city, 2 hours before you get to Santiago.  So we land in Antofagasta & I am completely confused. Where am I? Why are we here?  What the what is going on?  & not to be so "American" but why isn't there at least 1 person who can speak English in this airport!?!?

the plane-food wasnt' that bad.. but they somehow sneak an olive & a hard-boiled egg into everything!

Finally I get to Santiago, Chile at like 3am. The cab to my hotel is $35USD.  (I’m remembering the word “Reimburse” with trepidation). 

The next morning *AKA, a few hours later* Yoko’s friend Jorge calls me to take me around for the day…he was personally quite busy with work etc. that day,  but it seems to be culturally obligatory to show foreigners around when asked. So he took me to  pick up his parents & we all went to Chile’s version of Wal-Mart; “Jumbo.”  Since I have some type of imaginary expense-acct. for this trip, they let me buy wine & 2 whole chickens for lunch.  Jorge has to eat n run so I spend the afternoon with his parents, sisters, niece & nephew…none of which speak English.  We end up watching the Hangover II  which is filthy-funny but nobody understands it since it’s all in English.

His sisters also introduce met to this concoction:

Hours later Jorge returns & the next thing I know, we're going to, apparently, a special event with their sister-church from another city. Jorge plays in the church band &  so they invite me.

Ok. They’re Pentecostal. So it turned out to be like 3-4 hours there, but it was good to be in church all the same.  I went back home with them, ate dinner & tried some home-made prickly-pear moonshine & then, EXAUSTED, went back to the hotel….aka home-of-the-best-shower-in-my-life.  Yoko was again trying to get me to go out w/ her friend that night or the next morning…which only gives me anxiety…all I wanna do is sleep, watch Spanish-dubbed cable, & take warm showers (repeat). 
So I get back about 2:30am Saturday nite & finally fall asleep about 4 (couldn't sleep - this is the first time I’ve seen television in MONTHS!) ….& this girl calls me at 6am to do a tour of the beach or something. She’s very sweet but she talks so so so much & I’m not even thru my 1^st R.E.M. cycle. (If you know me, you know I'm not a morning person.)  
I say 'maybe'  & she says she’ll be at my hotel in ½ an hour.

Luckily my flight left earlier so I ended up getting out of this 'play-date'

I’m typing this on my flight from Antofagasta, Chile & the view of the mountains from the airplane is just spectacular.  But my plane window was dirty,  so you'll just have to take my word for it..

Use "Polarize" in a sentence.

So i smashed together a quick video from the rescue zoo...it's a little low-res but you get the idea

 

random other things...hmmm

Went out for drinks w/ Erick & Diego and some other teachers&students from Euroidiomas Friday nite...supposed to meet some other foreigners but it didn't really happen.  There are people here always trying to network native English-speakers with the locals who want to improve their language...the Peruvians can show us around in exchange for free conversational English!

Really, it's a win//win.

What else...

went all over Lima w/ Peter yesterday...started out jumping the Metropolitano towards the city...and cabbed it to Gamarra in La Victoria <<it was like a scene from Indiana Jones or something, in a 3rd world market

...walking thru, ducking under all the stuff hanging off the ceiling, while people pull at you to either read your tarot cards or to buy something you don't want

The smell is something to be experienced. Whoa.

It rotated constantly from incense -to heinous meat smells -to fresh bread cooking -to rotten vegetables then the plastic-wrapped-stench-of-'anything'-from-China

-to dirty underwear...then back to incense! (repeat)

Then there's the food section that is swarming with flies while butchers everywhere are chopping whatever animal up & rolling it in salt so it can sit out till someone decides to buy it!

Trying to exit these blocks of markets we somehow ended up on a street COVERED in garbage & grown men, drunk & rolling around on top of it all

while itty-bitty grandmothers rummage thru the filth to find something to sell.

The whole scene was just sad.

Next we cabbed it over to the beautiful Plaza de Armas aka Plaza Mayor and Plaza de San Martin.

We got a little lost on the bus system on the way home but it all sorted itself out...hooked up w/ Andhi, got some groceries & Peter made us a great pasta dinner w/ some rediculously expensive Ragu!

All-n-all, a pretty polarizing day.

(did i use it correctly?)

playing with monkeys...I hope

OK, so when was the last time you took your ("foreign exchange") teacher on a tour of art galleries or to a zoo?!
Well last week (after barely mentioning that I was interested in "art") one of my students (Pilar) brought in the newspaper full of art events &exhibits then after class drove me around to some local art galleries AND went through the exhibits with me!
I understand that somewhat the aim is to improve their English by hangin out with me but..
Wow. Beyond.
Another student (Erick) approached me with a plethora of things he would love to take me to do...obviously again, the trade off is time w/ me to practice the language -but c'mon! the offers are MORE than hospitable.
It's hard (as an American I suppose) to accept the kindness, so clearly I am secretly suspect...

But for now, I'm going to a rescue Zoo (in PERU!) in the morning with Erick & his veterinarian friend from Brazil to volunteer with the animals...
Apparently I will be able to play with the monkeys & hold a falcon or something crazy like that!

9.11.11

I spent today watching football at The Corner Bar&Grill.  It was packed w/ only X-pats, mostly middle-aged dudes; An island of ball-scratching hi-five'ing football fans smashed into their respective jerseys.
I loved it.
Peter (other teacher from Chicago) & I pretty much BS'd the day away w/ cheap food & ice cream
we hung out w/ "Hannah-Montana" for a bit <two very young girl teachers from US that are joined at the [naive] hip..i had to nickname them) & taught them what a french press was.

all up, a good day.

A Beautiful Vocal Rollercoaster

So I have been wondering where all the street performers are here...this is a sprawling city of almost 9million!!  Found out it's against the law to perform for money on the streets...

*It's NOT, however, illegal to perform IN A COMBI*

On my way to work today this guy gets on the combi and announces (i think) that he is about to sing for us to make some money ..for whatever reason (i didn't understand).
He then proceeds to belt out a huge layered performance -a beautiful vocal rollercoaster- to everyone SMASHED in the bus. Unfortunately my stop was during the show.

Also, on the way home a girl gets on the combi and starts shimming her way thru the human sardines to sell some chocolates (at the top of her lungs)

Every-once-in-a-while I see an amazing juggler at a stop light

Some of these dudes could win "Peru's Got Talent"

...if that show existed.

Mi gente!

Great day!! My US peeps showed up!  Nice group (of young-uns) rep'in NY, Virginia, Chicago & Cali...one of the girls is actually like 99% Iroquois & is fluent in the language! far out huh?!
Ended the day in a dive-bar w/ Marisol (co-worker from Spain/*secretely Chile) &some Pisco <<not sure if i co-sign this stuff thou)

Soles (s./) to USD ($)

Went to the clinic up the road here in Surco to have my teeth & 'mushroom' feet checked out.
It was s./8 to get in to see the doctors.  <<For that I got to speak w/ a dentist & a dermatologist! 
For s./10 more I got an X-Ray for my tooth.

(sorry, don't mean to be gross, just thought it was kinda cool getting an x-ray in a 3rd world country)

At s./140 I think the medicine for my feet is expensive (*& according to Marlene, this medicine in particular IS expensive here in Peru).
I'm not complaining thou... all that was s./158 ...which is like $58 US!!

Diagnosis:  my tooth is healthy & 'beautiful' (pain was probably just from stress & clenching them in my sleep) AND my feet will be not stinky in a few weeks!

Mushroom toes

Today I conquered the beauty salon jungle:  Susan Hang's 
*Sidebar; one of my best haircuts ever! 
ALSO: shampoo, awesome haircut, manicure & pedicure ALL for just $26 US
are you kidding me!?!?

My mop needed a serious trim & --it's very unusual for me-- but my feet have stunk since I got here
(I mean STUNK!) & I assumed a pedicure would fix this.
**I've been blaming the Croc's

So as the girl is whittling her way thru my pedicure, she starts telling me that she can't paint my toes...I don't understand why (b/c nobody speaks a word of English).  & after MUCH deliberation around the salon another girl comes up to me w/ a piece of paper with the word "mushroom" written on it.

Apparently my toes have a mushrooms growing in/on/around/out of them.  I'm told it's because of the very humid climate here.

Well, now I know why my feet stink. 

In the US I'm such a clean girl ...but here in Peru I'm just disgusting. 

5' 5" Super Modela

Exams are done & I saw the SUN last week for the 1st time!!!
It lasted 47 minutes.
I almost cried.

Also there are 2 Americans here; one's this semi-obnoxious asian chic from NY &the other is a very very VERY (did i say "very"?) short cocky lil' guy...neither one of them gave a good 1st impression, but the shorty asked me to meet them out for drinks this next week...
I'll be surprised if i like this guy...but I hope I am surprised!
Culturally this is a married-&-three-kids-by-24  kinda nation, so I'll take any kind of social life I can get!

Did lots this past weekend!   Saturday (last minute) Martin remembered they were supposed to be at his cousin's Bautizo (baptism). So we made it to the reception at a very nice big house, just a few blocks away from here. The hosts, Martin's cousins, speak excellent English & so after kissing every stranger at this reception goodbye  (while they each tell me the one thing they know how to say in English - so cute and probably the equivilant to us over-pronouncing "Adios" to the foreign exchange student!) we stayed & had a glass of wine w/ Anna-Louisa & Flavio.
I've never met a couple with more degrees! Very smart and very sweet.

We woke up early Sunday morning (w/ a champagne headache from the night before) and the WHOLE family took off to Ñaña, a place in the foothills outside Lima.  The destination ended up being a Police Club (Marlene's father & oldest brother were/are cops).  We BBQ'd and played volleyball/soccer all day...had a great time. 
I even ended up w/ a little sunburn <<that's what I'm talkin about!

 
another type of taxi...covered motorcycles/tricycle thingy's

National Lampoon's Peruvian Vacation!

Pablo at the Police Club in Ñaña, Lima

This 1st month was quite bleek but there are sunny spots to cling to..*NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH are YOUR comments on this journal & my FB page. I have appreciated every single word of encouragement.
I was walking down the street the other day when a well dressed old man got out of his Mercedes& stopped me with "Good afternoon my Queen" (in Spanish of course).
It was little, but it made me feel like a 5'5" super modela for a minute!

Diggin' for Gold

Two things I'm not sure about...
#1, why are these Peruvian men CONSTANTLY picking their noses? 
I mean not ALL...but definitely LOTS!  They look me dead in the eye when I'm talking while they shove 3/4 their hand up their nose.  It's SO hysterically disgusting.  THREE students unabashadly did this today alone...and one even pulled out a roll of toilet paper and started cleaning his ear while he answered a question in class.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 

And secondly, I'm not sure what happened but http://mauinow.com/2011/08/24/no-tsunami-threat-in-hawaii-after-6-peru-quake/  I think I experienced my 1st earthquake...it wasn't knock-the-pictures-off-the-walls ....it felt more like electricity was shaking its way through the building.

Gaso-lina!

Most days i catch a ride to school w/ Martin. We're usually late (b/c he's on Peruvian time ;) and the car seeme to always be on "E"
So today we finally conked out in the middle of the road on the way home. So what happens is that he locks me in the car, grabs a used plastic bag out of the trunk and goes to the nearest gas station & fills up this grocery bag ...WITH GAS!

Cats vs. Rats

My first month is winding down. 
Under the umbrella of "Time flies when you're having fun"  it feels like I've been here for a year. 
But there's a million silver linings...
for one I am conquering a difficult move riddled with:  food poisoning, dysentery, 'lady-week', horrible toothache, *not to mention severe homesickness+++ combined with you're A-typical high-stress situations: new job/city/country/language/culture/money. 
If you are praying for me, Thank You...I have been sent a guardian angel of a host mother here!
Two, I'm making a good dent in a new idioma, Spanish.  I may be carving out a career path by process of elimination but regardless, I'm carving it out huh!?
and 3, I found a shop that sells Old Navy tshirts for s/5! ..that's like $2 US
they have weird labels in the collar but now I'm warm!  :)  

Also found that i can rely on the fact that my gringa face will always get charged more $$ in the markets...I gotta get hustlin on my bargaining skills. ugh.    I ask the price and then have Marlene (for example) go to the same shop & ask the price of the same purse & it's magically s/20 less for her! %$#@!

Anywhoo, there's a pretty entertaining park a few blocks from school: Kennedy Plaza.  The other afternoon I saw 2 dudes, about my age, spinning techno in this concrete seated-recess in the ground while a bunch of 50-60yr olds sat around boppin their heads & eating their lunch. To add another splash of fun, this park is riddled, I MEAN RIDDLED with cats.  I've been mesmerized with this situation for the past week & just today found out that the local gov't passed some provision for a TON of cats to be placed in the park to keep the rats out b/c the rats were eating all the flower seeds!  So the cats are residents and apparently have free reign in the adjacent church for shelter too!
when it comes to Cats vs. Rats...i co-sign this decision.

This week is exams at school.  I have no idea what I'm supposed to do (again). The training program here is titled:  "Sink or Swim"... I'm doing a good job of treading water!
The other teachers from the US are coming the end of next week! (Yea!!)  Also hopefully that means enough people for a SPANISH CLASS!!

ps, 25 days NO television!

my 1st Peña

This week took a MUCH NEEDED up-swing yesterday:  One. I made it through the week and I still don't have Varicela (chicken pox)! phew. 
Two. I have started to catch my stride with lesson planning... started.
And 3, went out for some *LIVE* Peruvian music, dancing & sangria at a local Peña (< Afro-Peruvian & Criollo music club).  & this morning woke up and had breakfast w/ the whole family
p.s. 10 people live at this address!

Breakfast ingredients *today:  scrambled eggs, sliced hot dogs & fresh cheese stuffed into a roll, fresh strawberries/creme/water blended into a drink, fruit, flan & sliced dried camotes (sweet potatoes).

"so ya' had a bad day..."

I'm having a hard couple days.  I miss EVERYBODY.

I ate something crazy yesterday i guess (**the funny thing is that i LOVED the meal & actually had 2nd's and asked for the recipe!!! haha)

...little did i know i would be throwing-up green cilantro-rice & chicken all night

Luckily Marlene is a nurse & jumped right on it! She really is great as a host...she's exactly who you'd want someone you love to live with  when they travel!  

PLUS Vanessa & Pablo just got chicken-pox & Martin(dad) and Luciana are both sick too ... but she is checking on me/worried about me every minute too! Just another superwoman I suppose.

The language thing is frustrating right now too...although I'm told my pronunciation, for what i can say, is fantastic  :)

it's just that I'm in a world where i can't really talk to anyone w/o it being exhausting.

The job is tougher than i thought too...No training. ZERO. just thrown in.

+I HATE GRAMMAR! What was i thinking!  blah blah blah blah blah

  

and it's been chilly and grey since i got here << so I'm sure that isn't helping

*Honestly the sky hasn't broken ONCE! bizarre.

OOh-kay, that's enuf wining outta me!  geeze

Shut the front door, I'm in Peru right?!

TP

I am hardly embarrassed because there was no way I could've known.

Apparently you do NOT put toilet paper in the toilet here. This is an absolute. You'd think that'd been somewhere in all the literature I've read.  Even in public places...even at McDonalds!
Let's just say I've single-handedly dismantled the septic system in my host family's home.  There isn't enuf inscense in India for what I've done.
The irony is that the maid told me. Yes, they have a maid & I can't flush the toilet! 

Not exactly 3rd world ...but then again not 1st either...

The Bad, The Ugly & The Good

Welp, 1st week is Lima is done!  >>phew!<< 
it was 0-90mph!  Monday I went to Intrax to touch base/meet local contact, Paula (pron: POW-Luh :)  very nice girl.  Tuesday was my 1st day at Euroidiomas; I observed a few classes, discussed a few things w/ Alejandra Gamarra Saldarriaga (director), & was given just one class. hmmm... BUT IT STARTED THE NEXT MORNING!  So they gave me the books & sent me on my way, ZEE-RO preparation/rules/expectations...NOTHING.  Then, after that it seemed like everytime I turned around they gave me another class! aaaahh  
By Friday I had 4 classes (including splitting a Saturday 9a-5p class w/ another instructor: a self proclaimed "Crazy-Grammar Lady" that wore lipstick like she just got done pushing a shopping-cart all night)
In total I have 30hrs IN CLASS...not to mention the prep..
THE GOOD:
Before I got here I read that Peruvians like to help as much and in as many ways as they have resources for. A type of self-esteem. This, so far, is very true!  All the teachers, if I so much as look sideways, will stop-drop-&-roll to explain...whatever! And even beyond that; they quit what they're doing & physically walk you there!
I asked Alejandra's secretary, Geraldina, a quick question, and next thing I knew she was walking me through the Inca markets, translating & bargaining for a sweater for me...on her lunch hour!

p.s.  it's freezing here...the 50's in the am/ pm. Daytime gets up in the 60's.
But this is PERU! what-the-heck!?

Ok 3 classes tomorrow~back to lesson planning!

Plaza Mayor

I saw the Plaza Mayor in the center of Lima today ~by accident...
Went to orientation at Intrax & after Martin (host father) had to buy/sell some parts (he has his own small co. making plastic fittings for dentist chairs). There is literally STREETS and MARKETS of  dental accessory suppliers & NOTHING else.  Next to that is a solid city block of eye-glass stores. ALL THEY SELL IS PERSCRIPTION GLASSES.  Right in downtown Lima!  I don't get it.
Martin, Marlene &I are walking down these crowded streets then all of a sudden..THE Plaza Mayor!  it was pretty cool to see *outside of a magazine...but it's Monday night and there were soo many people walking around, it looked like the Superbowl just let out!

The Del Aguila's are just the best.  Laughing all the time!

Ok, I start Euroidiomas in the morning!

Corazones de Pollo

Well here's one thing i didn't expect:  All my websites are converted to Spanish. 

...this should be fun! hahaha

After tooo much traveling I have finally landed in Lima, Peru.   (*I figured an airline with such cheap flights wouldn't be a 4-Star experience...I was right. Not even a bag of peanuts for 9 hours of flying!)

Also, Ft Lauderdale may not be a layover I'd pick again. Security was worse than O'Hare and my last burger & glass of tap water had much to be desired.

ANYWHO~My host family is WONDERFUL...not much English in the house but somehow we've been talking non-stop.  Landed last night about 10, it was 70degreen & humid, but today it quite cold.  Straight from the airport was some of the craziest driving I have ever experienced (which is saying A LOT!). The lines on the road are a waste of paint. We drove back to their place all along the ocean. The thick air was a nice change from the re-breathed interior of a plane.  **I'm back on the South Pacific!

We dropped off my bags and met (host family dad)Martin's sister & her family for a very late dinner at Roky's, a Polish-themed Peruvian food family restaurant w/ karaoke upstairs and a pit of plastic balls for kids to play in downstairs.  I came within a hair's breath of eating chicken hearts.

Today started with a late breakfast of leftovers from the chicken/steak/hearts dinner. I gave the kids (Valeria11, Luciana6, Vanessa5 & Pablo2) some American candy bars and now they call me 'tia' :)
...this afternoon was just relaxing and more talking en Espanol.  Met (host family mom)Marlene's brothers: Caesar & Roman. A very timid ex-nanny stopped by, said 'hola' & left.  They seemed to think that was normal?  Roman stayed for dinner & tried to convert my internet to English..dunno-we'll see.  Also they made a concoction of rum, coffee, milk & something else that tastes like a hot Kaluah - I am in love with it!

Space Bags are the new BLACK!!

It feels like I have an galaxy abyss inside of my chest...this is such a weird experience. 
My friend Jon said he was watching a movie on Comedy Central but every commercial break had Sara Mclachlan singing over the adopt-an-abused-pet ad!
That's kinda how I feel.

Also, I found a cheap flight/airline to Lima but the catch is that I can only check ONE piece of 40lb luggage!! WTHECK! I'm moving here people! 
Then I remembered my grandma, years ago, buying my cousin these storage bags for some move.
Let me just say, I have about 35lbs of clothes IN MY CARRY-ON!

Thanks Space Bags!!

Freaking, Flippin & Buggin out!

Saw Camron & Jayden last night!
Honestly I've been freaking/flippin/buggin out over this move...but hangin with them (even if it was in the animal forest on Orchard Ct)  just calmed my nerves...they're just a riot and even thou Cam is 12yrs & 5'10"!!  He still has a little bit of childhood majic left in him, Jayden on the other hand is 10,000% boy and funny and as strong as a pitbull! sheesh!

ALSO! *in the 11th hour*
I got an email today that I've been set up with a host family >PHEW!<  
--I almost thought I'd be sleeping at the airport--
Don't know how this will work out, but at least for the 1st week in Lima I potentially have a bedroom, private :) bathroom, meals & ride from the airport!

X fingers crossed X

Almost to "Adios"

I'm about 96% of the way to saying goodbye to everyone in OH! 
          It is a rollercoaster!! 
Had a FANTASTIC cook-out Friday night, christening my parents new patio w/ it's 1st fiesta.  Lisa & Denis even camped in the front yard & hung out w/ the 'rents 1/2 the next day (think my parents are poaching my friends:)! 
Made it *by the skin of my teeth, to Anita's wedding on Saturday...had to (literally) shove the priest out of the way or else I would've walked her DOWN the asile!!   *so sorry about that one*
Hugged Alesha, my prima pregg-ito, goodbye at her babyshower Sunday
...and today Anne & Amanda swung thru for lunch on their way back from Chicago.
> phew <
I got some awesome things hangin around my neck now thou!

all I have left is to kiss my chiropractor & godsons goodbye.
...oh ya, and my parents  ;.(

2 weeks of TAP WATER!

I start my new job in 2 weeks.  That means I have 14 days to kiss whoever I can 'Goodbye' and move 3,700 miles to another country, where if you even accidentally have an ice cube, you're gonna crap yourself for a week.

I hope to be like Olsen-twin skinny in a few months!