Shopping and TaeKwando

Slept late this morning. Woke up at 7am, but the next time I checked the time it was 10am!! Oops. I still have a cold, so I guess my body needed the rest.
Walked over to the police station and watched the boy´s soccer game. The seats along the buildings were so hot it was impossible to sit. Felt like it would burn a hole through my shorts and skin when I tried, and it was fun to watch latecomers try to sit and fly straight up very quickly rubbing their behinds! The teams played really hard and it was a great game, but our boys still lost 5-2, and they were so sad. I tried to encourage them and gave them hugs before leaving for the market. I needed to try to find some shoes for my boy´s birthday in a couple of days. I haven´t strolled around much in that area, besides the fruit stands and a few other sections, but I came a across a huge clothing area and found him lots of other clothes for his birthday. Score! It is a good thing I´m too tall and big for most of the clothes here in Peru, or I would be tempted to shop for myself too. Saw lots of cute stuff, but I didn´t even bother trying any of it on.
There were lots of activities at the beach all day today, as all the summer programs were ending, and I walked down there this afternoon. Wanted to see if I could find the kids from the orphanage if they were there, but also do some people watching. They weren´t there, but I spent a long time watching TaeKwando competitions. It is a fun sport and looks like great exercise. While I was enjoying the show, I met an older man who had lived in Florida, so he spoke a little English. I got the feeling he was trying to set me up with his friend, who didn´t speak any English, but he kept telling me about his friend and what a great job as an aircraft mechanic in Lima, that he was single etc... The friend just stood there smiling at me the whole time. I was friendly, but refused to tell them what street I lived on and eventually they left. Despite the topic, it was nice to talk to someone. I wish I was fluent in Spanish so I could chitchat with anybody.

Mattress flip

I´ve had a really bad cold most of the week, but have mustered up enough energy to spend every afternoon with the kids, sometimes being part of their bracelet classes, dance lessons and lots of soccer, and then of course English lessons. Some of them are now making a some really nice sentences, others are struggling with the basics. I only have 9 weeks left and every moment with them seems more and more precious.
Since I am more than halfway through my stay, I thought it was time to flip my lumpy mattress. I´ve been holding out, sleeping in the dip for as long as possible, but today I made it happen. I flipped it, and for at least a few nights I will once again sleep on a solid flat surface.... Hurray!

Three in One

I hit the ground running today and most of the day consisted of English classes - the girls in the morning, my friend, the taxi driver this afternoon and the boys tonight! It is good to be back and I love being busy. I really would like to get a certificate and learn how to "properly" teach English. It is somewhat easy with the kids, but today I got some hard questions thrown at me when teaching my friend, and I wish had all the answers. I don´t always know when there is and actual rule or when you just have to memorize it, but I want to learn. At some point, going to school in Sweden, I knew that stuff, but grammar was never my favorite part as a student.

Sweetest busride so far

The team from Colorado left for Cusco this morning and they were such a fun group. I had the pleasure of joining them for dinner last night and it was great to spend some time with them. A part of me wish I could go with them, but it is time for me to return to the kids. This morning I went to church and after I spent some more time catching up on Internet stuff, before taking the bus home. I loved travelling on a Sunday afternoon. The traffic in Lima was almost non-existent so I got to the bustation in record time, and the bus was almost empty so I could really stretch out my leg. Although, my favorite part of travelling on a Sunday afternoon, was the beautiful sunset sky as we were getting closer to Huacho. Couldn´t stop looking out the window as we drove along the coast and admire the pink, purple sky for almost an hour. It´s good to be home in my own room again.

Market & Beach adventure

One of the reasons I came to Lima this weekend (besides visiting with friends and going to church), was so I could go birthday shopping for my little guy. He turns 15 in 10 days. H. walked with me to the big market and I found some clothes for him, but I think I need to exchange the shoes tomorrow. Everybody thinks they are too small for him. Sizes are so difficult here. People are so small and I am not used to buying kid´s clothes, but I like learning new things.
My friend H wanted to explore a new beach this afternoon and she had a name of one written down on a note to show taxidrivers. We thought it would be pretty close so we didn´t bring a lot of money. We were able to talk a driver down to 12 soles, but we weren´t going to have enough to get back, but we went anyways. The cab kept going and going, and we passed many beautiful beaches on the way, so we debated to have him drop us at any of those, but he said it was just a little further...When we got to the beach, the sun was gone and it was so windy we got sandblasted, but we stayed for about an hour anyways. Then we started walking towards home, so we could eventually find a cab to take us the rest of the way. I wear a pedometer and we walked about 3 miles until we could afford a taxi. It was a fun adventure and we saw nice places we would have missed otherwise.
Tonight a big team from Colorado is flying in to do ministry in Cusco for a week, so when they all went to pick them up at the airport I had the apartment to myself to catch up on phonecalls, e-mails, bank stuff etc. This weekend my roommates from  AK are vacating our old house and I am trying to make some arrangements from here. It is hard to not be able to do more, but I have such wonderful friends helping me out back there!!!

Feliz dia de san Valentine

Happy Valentine´s Day / Grattis pa Alla Hjartans Day
This morning I had a class with the girls and I got a couple Valentine´s notes from a few of them...
Afterwards I took the bus to Lima and my very first Taxi ride to the apartment. Had to pay a dollar more than usual, but I didn´t want to stand around in the neighborhood by the bustation with my luggage longer than necessary, so I took the first cab who was willing to take me. It can sometimes be hard to find a cab here in Lima. Don´t get me wrong, they are everywhere, but often when you tell them where you want to go, you are met with a headshake and they take off. They don´t want to go to a certain area for whatever reason. Maybe they are making their way home and it would be out of the way, maybe they are on their way to lunch or dinner, or it could be they have a nice cab and don´t want to risk going to a shady neighborhood etc... Other cabs tell you a really high price, so you either negotiate with them to see if you can lower the rate or move on to the next. Makes taking taxis a small adventure in Lima. Being a gringa makes the price go up a little too sometimes.
My Peruvian girlsfriends were out enjoying this Day of Love with their boyfriends, but my friend H from the US/Cusco was in town and we had a great girl´s night. I have been craving a good steak since I came to Peru and when in Lima I always walk by this one restaurant with yummy photos of delicious pieces of meat on a giant menu. We decided tonight was a special occasion enough to splurge a few extra dollars and have steak. Happy Valentine´s to me! It was soooo good. Peruvian meat and great quality.
Might have to come back one more time before leaving Peru. My favorite beverage, if I eat out here, is frozen lemonade. It is so refreshing. Whenever I visited before, I was always too nervous to order anything with ice in it, but I was missing out. I have gotten much braver when it comes to food the longer I am here. We ended our girl´s night with a funny but gory movie, so I don´t dare recommend it here...

Keyless

I locked my keys in my room today! I have three keys; one for the outside gate, one for the door and one for my room. Luckily I had left them on my desk close enough to my window that I stage a "break in". I slid open a small panel in my window, used a broom handle to move the keys onto a newspaper on my desk and then moved the newspaper closer to the window until I could reach them through the bars on my window. Lucky me!
I had classes with the girls at 11 am and boys at 2pm today. Only about half of them showed an interest in the class, but I prefer smaller groups anyways so I wasn´t too discouraged by that. Afterwards I was able to stay a bit longer with the boys after class and I started playing hangman with about 5 of the boys. I made them use the letters in the English alphabet and used only English words. It was fun and good practise for them. I started with really easy words, but they wanted me to make it harder and harder. We also threw in a few rounds for me with Spanish words, so I got some Spanish practise in too. Fun times!

English on the beach

When my English student came to pick me up to day in his cab, he told me it was too hot at his house to sit and study and suggested we go to the beach to get some fresh air. No complaints from me!!
We found a table with a parasol at the beach restaurant and ordered soda and some crunchy roasted corn snacks. It was definitely my favorite lesson to teach, overlooking the ocean and with a lovely breeze keeping us from melting. Afterwards he convinced me to climb the rocks and take some "tourist photos"...
At home this morning we were dealing with a family crisis and I tried being helpful despite my limited vocabulary. As we were watching our favorite game show tonight on TV, the tension let up a bit and we were all able to laugh and have some fun. I really love my Peruvian family and they have been such a blessing for me during my months here. I feel so safe and happy with them. Without them, my time here could have been a bit lonely.

Las cucarachas 0 - Jessica 2

I have had 2 interactions with giant cockroaches in my room this past week. It isn't a new experience, since I lived on Maui for a few years, but it never is a pleasant experience. The first encounter happened shortly after I turned off the light after reading late one night. I had a trashbag by the door and I heard plastic rustling. First I thought I could ignore it and go to sleep, but then I started thinking of something crawling on my while sleeping and then I had to get up. I turned on the light, grabbed a flipflop sandal and began the hunt. I lifted up the bag and noticed the giant cockroach on the side of the bag. I don't know if it had been trying to dig its way in or what, but I knocked it off and with two hard whacks I squashed it on the cement floor. I don't mind small bugs much, but this one was the size of maybe 2 quarters, yuck!!
The next encounter was a couple of nights ago. I was watching an episode of Lost on my laptop and through the corner of my eye, I saw something squeeze underneath my door and run straight toward my bed. It only took me a couple of seconds to leap up, grab my flipflop (which I keep handy right next to my bed, thank goodness) and with another 2 hard whacks I squashed cockroach numero 2.
Cockroaches 0- Jessica 2. I am pretty sure this just the beginning of a long battle...

"I don't have 11 toes"

I was scheduled to teach the boys today at 11am, but when I got there, none of them were there. I asked the lady who was in the office if I could come back at 3pm, since I was scheduled with the girls at 4pm and she thought that would be OK. Luckily it worked out and I got to teach about 13 of them, while the rest were doing their laundry. They bring out water and tubs and they scrub them by hand.
In class we tackled small sentences: I have..., You have..., Do you have...?, No, I don't have..., Yes, I have... It was a lot of fun to give them something practical to use the words they have been learning. "I have 2 eyes." "I don't have 3 ears." One of the boys came up and said to me in perfect English "I love you", and it was not something we have been practising, so it was a big nice surprise for me to hear!! What a sweetheart!
Saturdays are usually a day when we don't have any classes scheduled, but the director had told me to ask and see what the plans are the day before, to see if I can come. We are shooting for tomorrow at 2pm, because they are having visitors between 3-5pm. Maybe some kind of city officials making a visit?
I miss my boys when I don't get to see them everyday. School starts in 3 weeks and I am curious how much time I'll get with them then. I am assuming they will have homework and other things taking up most of their time, but I'll set something up with the director.
I hope the older kids will impress their English teachers in school. Quite a few of them have made a lot of progress... It would be a blast to help out in the classrooms if I can set it up somehow.

Do talk to strangers

I'm meeting more people here! They actually have started talking to me. After the girl's class this morning. I went with my housemate R to the fruitmarket. As I was picking out my fruit, a Peruvian lady spoke to me in English & asked where I was from. I answered her in Spanish and we continued the rest of the conversation in Spanish. Her husband is from CA and he really wants to go visit AK, but she told me she thinks it will be too cold. She knew what street I live on so she must have seen me around, but I have to admit I only understood about 85 % of what she was saying. Later this afternoon when I went to get some groceries, I was stopped by an older gentleman in a mint green moto. I met him a few days ago when I was making copies in the marketplace and we spoke a little that day. He had asked me if I was Russian. Now he gave me his number if I ever wanted a tourguide to take me around town. Very friendly fellow and he seems to be good friends with the the ladies across the street from me. He has the only mint colored moto in town as far as I know, so easy to spot.
When I am in Lima I always loved to talk to strangers, but up until now, it hasn't happened much here. I have missed meeting new people. Several years ago I moved to a small native village in South East AK, and it took me almost a year to feel like I belonged. Things are looking up for me here!
PS. I found turkey hotdogs in the store today, and ate my first hotdogs since last summer! Yummy!!

Chicken @ Norky's

The girl's lesson went well this morning, but when I walked over to the boy's building, they were not there, again... Half the team had come to observe my class, so they were a little disappointed. With the help of my Peruvian friends, I was able to speak with the director about setting up a new schedule, and I hope this new one will work better, even though it means no English for the boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I can still go with them to soccer practise. I spent some time with the team this afternoon and we went to watch the kids play in a tournament, but found out later their games had been switched. We had some time to go to the market and pick up some birthday presents and balls for the orphanage. The boys have been playing soccer with a volleyball, not good.
Tonight we took all the kids to dinner and celebrated 3 birthdays from the last couple of weeks. It was such a fun night.
Most of my housemates left tonight to visit family up north for a few days. I hear it is really beautiful up there, maybe one day I get to go for a visit too. The daughter is staying with me until they come back. She didn't get her ID card on time and you can't travel without it.

Movie night with the kids

Arrived at the boy's place this morning, but they were gone. Only one of the older boys was there with the psychologist. After they were done, I had him to myself for almost an hour and we did a private lesson. It was great, because he is my best student and picks things up very quickly, and I think he gets a little bored when we are moving along to slowly. We labeled everything we could find in the room and pictures on the walls to build his vocabulary, for example, bench v/s sofa, window, glass, shelf/shelves, bag v/s backpack, puzzle, roof v/s ceiling etc. Toward the end, the rest of the boys returned from the beach, so I got to spend a few minutes with the rest of them. Reviewed a little English with those who wanted to before they it was time for their lunch.
Today I got some errands done, made copies, dropped my laundry off, exchange money and met up with the team for lunch. They had gone to Sayan to hand out bread and pray for people. I can't express how great it is to have the team here and to see a couple of people from home. I love spending time with the kids, but it is twice as fun when you can share the joy with someone else who feel the same about them. H. came with the team, (she is living in Cusco studying Spanish and volunteering) and we went together to the boy's soccer practise. It was here first time in a moto and it was fun to see her enjoy the speedy ride. The boys had told me 3 or 3:30pm, but when we got there at 3:45, they still hadn't made it. Waited about 30 min, but decided to walk back home, assuming they must have changed their plans. When we were almost by my house we spotted them walking on a sidestreet. They were walking to the stadium, almost an hour late. Oh well! We joined them and watched them play for a couple of hours. Had to hurry back so they could wash up and eat dinner before we all went to the movies. All 62 of us, teachers, kids and the team went and we filled up about half the theater. I got to sit next to the birthday boy F. He turned 12 today and he is the cutest little bugger in the world. I was so impressed with him. Throughout the movie, he had a little girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old climbing in his lap and distracting him from the movie, but he was so patient and loving with her. The older kids are so good with taking care of the younger ones. I am amazed how kindhearted a lot of them are after what they have been through. Sure, some fight like all siblings do, but they truly are family to each other. It was a wonderful night and the kids got to see a movie about whales and Alaska. I had to explain to a lot of them that my hometown doesn't look like Barrow, with all that snow and ice. They were in awe of all the ice.
Went to the hotel with the team after our very late dinner. Want to spend as much time as possible with them while they are here.

Lima team here

Had classes with the girls, then the boys today, finally. When one of the groups miss a class, it gets hard to remember whom I taught what, but both groups are almost caught up now.
We worked on seasons and weather. Afterwards I stayed with the boys and did some extra tutoring one-on-one, and hung out with 3 of the older boys in their little music corner.
Later in the afternoon I went to the police station and cheered for some of the younger boys playing in a tournament. It was pretty unfair, the other team had really big and tall guys, there is no way they were the same age as our boys, and of course they won 5-1.
Team from Lima arrived tonight after a lot of trouble with their rental van. Met up with them at the orphanage after the game. Spent about an hour with the girls and an hour with the boys. I was so proud of them all, when they showed off all the English they have learned. I look forward to how much they will know next month when the team comes back again.
Sat in gum with my last clean pair of shorts, but managed to scrub it off before going to bed tonight. Good thing it's warm enough for them to dry overnight.
With the team came a happy surprise. The boy who spent Christmas with us, but who wasn't at the orphanage in Lima we visited last week, came to Huacho with them. I worry about him. He can no longer stay at the orphanage and his brother has a difficult time keeping him, so he is working in a chicken farm everyday, all day long. Now he won't be able to finish school. He is a sweet, smart  kid and I want so much more for him.

J

Success! Tonight I was finally able to spend some time with J, my boy, outside the orphanage, and without all the other kids. When I am with the other kids, I want to give everyone my attention, but I am J's Madrina, and he is very special to me so tonight, we had over three hours together without interruptions. Because he has a guardian that brings him to her house at every weekend, I was able to arrange to meet them and go to the movie together. They were 30 minutes late so we missed the movie that was playing in English, and had to wait around for another one for over an hour, but it worked out, because it gave him time to eat and we could watch soccer game (Peru- Chile) on the big screen TV while waiting. Ended up watching an action movie without complicated dialogue, so I could follow along pretty well. Afterwards we hung out and people-watched for a while. It was such a good night. My heart is so full!

Cowboys & Change of plans

I finally realized where the loud club music, that start playing around 7 am every morning, was coming from. Last night I went with some friends to check out the 2 gyms located in our neighborhood. I have tried to go there before, but found out they are closed every afternoon between 1pm and 4pm, and I guess those were the times I happened to walk by. Their workout classes start early in the morning - mystery solved!

Today during lunch, consisting of salad, papa fritas (fries) and chicken, I ate at a place overlooking the beautiful beach and ocean.  I noticed six horses and a group of men that must have been Peruvian cowboys.
They were dressed in white, big sombreros and brown ponchos, just like in the movies. Maybe they were doing a photoshoot or maybe a commercial. If I wasn't eating, I would have run home to get my camera. It was definitely a Kodak moment.

Lately I have noticed how much my old job was a bootcamp to get me ready for the unexpected and changes of plans I encounter here almost daily. For two years I went to work in the morning with a plan and to-do list, but almost everyday, things would happen that needed to be prioritized and adjustments needed to be made. Today was one of those days. For example, I had found a place to drop some laundry off the other day, so I gathered up my stuff to bring it there, but they were closed and I had to haul it back home again. Next, the boys had asked me to come watch them play soccer this afternoon, so I took a moto to the stadium, and waited, but they never came. Their schedule changes a lot, but they don't have a way to tell me. Had also made arrangements with the guardian of my boy to take them to a movie tonight, but we had to reschedule for another night. These things happen almost  almost daily and it could drive you crazy if you let it. I am thankful I have had a lot of practise to just roll with it.
Time to stick my earplugs in to drown out the neighbor's D onna S ummer marathon, and get some sleep. Tomorrow is another crazy, unpredictable day, I am sure...