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!