Harry Potter!!

Last night I saw Harry Potter, in Spanish. Haha, I love Peru! (I think I may have mentioned that once or twice)It helped that I knew the storyline so it was easier to follow. What is with the part with the swamp where the Weasley`s house burns down? It´s weird cause they are wizards but they don´t make water fly out of their wands they just watch as the house burns. Probably why it wasn´t in the book. There were lots of other parts in the book that I think would have been better. But I liked the part with the liquid luck, and there was a lot of focus on the romance side although the Harry and Ginny kiss was pretty weak. But my favourite character is Luna, what an awesome dress. Okay, I´m sure you don´t actually want to hear my entire review of Harry Potter.
Today I couldn´t go to my private class cause there are no taxis. It is a special day here or something. I went for a walk and it is so quiet. Probably 95% of the vehicles here are taxis and without them it´s just bizarre. But it´s nice cause I can walk in the middle of the road. I just bought up half of Cajamarca. Just a joke, but I bought some gifts, and I think that they are the kind of gifts that you look at once and say, hm, that´s nice, and then stick on the mantlepiece never to be touched again. But I can´t really find anything else.
Yesterday after my class I went for lunch with a friend to the place called vegetariano. I said, there is no meat here and I need meat. My friend said there is meat. So we went in and the menu was all like, steak and chicken etc and I said it´s soya otherwise why would the restuarant be called vegetarian? My friend said no. Then the waiter came and told us it was all soy. I hate being right. So we went to another place and I had green rice and chicken but it was spicy. I drained 2 inca colas just to survive. After we met up with some other friends and watched some live soccer between a uni here and a mens team. It was painful to watch. Then in the second half there was a fight and I saw why there were like 50 policemen with shields and clubs lined up down the field. But the fight was also pathetic, between a player and the flag man and the flag man just nailed the guy in a very sensitive place and he crippled. Then everyone went running over including the police. It was kind of funny but I was ready to run if the crowd got into it as well. But the police stomped it out in a matter of seconds and red carded the player.They finished 0-0 with about 100 missed goal attempts, including one where it was just a player and an empty net and he still missed. I told my friends their team was awful and they had to agree with me. The field was very nice though and the atmosphere was fun. I also tried this kind of candy fruit which you chew and then spit out. It´s like really big though so it´s weird and really dirty when it´s everywhere. I am not too keen on it. Then after we went out for cake. yummmmmy Cajamarca cake. But these friends are really religious so sometimes it´s a little awkward for me, but generally they are fun. Even squarer than me and with jokes similar to my dad.
Irene just spent the whole of lunch talking about me leaving. So now I´m pretty sad and I almost went hysterical at the table. She wanted to eat at 11 this morning. That is so early! Especially for here, where 2 is normal.
Hmm, I have a stomachache. Not nice.
I have to remember to ask Rosa where my suitcase is. I have no idea.
I guess I should stop procrastinating and get to work. But I really want to be outside enjoying my last days not writing reports etc.
Oh well.
Later chicos!

Opportunity knocks---

Amazing news chicos! Today I was offered a job teaching English at the Private University in Cajamarca if I return here next summer. I could work there in the morning and maybe afternoon and at ICPNA in the evening. It is an idea that I am giving serious thought to, and those of you who know me well may have realised that when I set my mind to something it generally gets done. Where there´s a will, there`s a way, and I have a hugeee will to teach at University here. ICPNA told me they´d take me back next year, they don´t want me to leave (probably because I´ve subbed for every teacher save 2, out of about 12). If I come alone, as in not with SWB it is a lot cheaper too, I only have to play for the flight and insurance plus my visa. I have all the vacinations already and the WUSC fee is pretty hefty which I wouldn´t have to pay. Plus with the extra work I could make a fair bit I think. It´s also 280 dollars a month rent and food but it´s not like I could live for cheaper in Canada. Well, I could if I lived with my parents but save that it´s pretty difficult. But, there is no way that I could teach at Uni in Canada, being degreeless and everything, although teaching ESL is way different to teaching English Lit of course. It´s really the perfect job for me and the experience is what I need to be competitive when I apply for my master´s. Plus with my scholarship for Uni next year and my plans to apply for lots of scholarships I think it´s a goal I can achieve. I´m very interested to hear the feedback to this, I hope it´s not all negative. Haha. But I am an adult and I have belief in my dreams, and I will find a way.
Today the director of ICPNA (the head boss) from Chiclayo was in town so we all went out for lunch with him. It´s fun because it´s all in Spanish and I also managed to spill my Inca Cola all down my shirt. Those of you who know me will not be surprised about that at all. I am going to miss the food here a lot, it´s amazing.
People keep asking me how much time I have left and it´s so depressing. It´s actually unbelievable. I have to think that I´m only leaving for a short time otherwise I can´t bear it. It´s funny because I never expected to love my placement. I thought it´d be an awesome growing experience but I thought that it´d be really hard and I´d miss Canada tons. But I don´t, and it´s not that hard because I LOVE IT.
People tell me that it must be because I´m young and adaptable, but I think that when you are enjoying your job and love the people around you it´s not really hard to feel at home. My family here made me feel at home after about 10 minutes. Haha. Papa Julio was here today and he´s like my own Grandpa or something. He always forgets that he´s already talked about things with me but the repition is good practice for my Spanish.
Last night I had Lemon Merigne pie, it was vair vair good. I need to go to the gym but I haven´t had time, visiting with friends in my afternoons and private classes in the mornings. Oh, haha yesterday the little sister of the kid I was tutoring took a liking to my keys and I guess went off to play with them. Later she came in and was dancing around and Fernando asked me, are they your keys. I was like, no, oh wait, yes! Oh my gosh please give me my keys!!! If I lose my keys I am screwed because my family is not here to let me in.
My class of Juniors was slightly better today, but only because about a quarter of them were missing. Sometimes I feel that it´s a good challenge and other times I want to send them all home and fail them. Not that I need to fail them they are going to do that themselves.
Well, I only had a short break between classes and now I better go back to ICPNA.
Take care chicos, see you soon!

Vroooom

Haha, on Sunday I went to watch motocross. It was pretty awesome. I tried so hard to get a photo of a bike in the air but failed miserably about 20 times. The pic is the best one I have. In the end I took a short video, it´s better. Haha. I got sunburnt again (that´s what happens when you forget about sunscreen) I have a nice necklace burn. Sexy. On Sunday in the morning I went up to Santa Apalonia again with two friends, maybe I won´t see them again before I leave so it was nice.
Yesterday I bought my plane ticket to Lima. How saddddd :(. I think I am going to have to pay a fortune for overweight baggage though as I have rather a lot of things. I asked if I could carry 50 pounds and they asked if I was carrying rocks and half of Cajamarca. Haha. In the end I decided that the one hour plane trip was better than 18 hours on a bus and spent the extra 80 dollars. It also means I get extra time in Cajamarca which means I can party after class on my last Saturday. Hm, maybe I´ll invite all my students as I´m leaving anyway...
Here is a pic of me playing the guitar at Santa Apalonia. Let´s just say Jimi Hendrix doesn´t have anything to worry about.
Yesterday was exam day and it was awful. My class of Juniors did terribly. But that´s what happens when you don´t want to learn or study. I subbed for another teacher and corrected her exam and her students also did terribly so I guess maybe it´s cause it´s July and there´s no school and kids don´t want to study.
Haha, I was walking yesterday and I went into this awesome little CD store I saw and all the cds were $1. I pretty much went crazy and tried to buy the whole shop. But in the end I cut it down to 10. How awesomely cheap they are. I made the guy play all of them first to make sure they worked though so it took a while. 2 in Spanish and the rest in English.
Yesterday Rosa´s father in law was here but only for a little while and then he left. I almost had a heart attack because he was right in front of the door when I walked in my house.
Next Tuesday my friends are having this huge lunch bye thing for me so I´m pretty excited about that. Not about the whole having to leave part though.
Have you heard about the Pig flu here? Classes at schools were all cancelled a week early and then they have 3 weeks off anyway. ICPNA always has classes though. Don´t worry for me I only eat thorougly sterilized food.
Harry Potter comes out tomorrow. Maybe I will go to see it on Sunday :)
Today I´m going to the cinema after work with a bunch of people cause it´s cheapy day in Cajamarca, only 2 dollars.
I looked at the mess in my bedroom and wondered how the heck I am going to fit all my stuff in my suitcase. The problem with having a bedroom is that I have filled it up.
OH! Good news amigos! I have a scholarship for Uni next year!!! WOOOOHOOOO. I´m pretty excited about that.
I really should probably go to the gym this morning. It´s easier when Rosa goes as well to motivate myself.
Green spagetti for lunch today, yummmmmy.
I´m still missing gifts for a lot of people. It´s hard cause I suck at buying stuff for males. Teatowels all around then... haha.
Owww sunburn.
Well, thanks for stopping by. I am trying hard not to think of things in terms of days left but it´s hard when everyone keeps asking me when I leave.
See you all soon I expect...
Ciao!

Winding down,

my time here and it is so sad. Last night I was at a party with three girls from another program who are leaving Cajamarca soon too, from Iceland, Germany and Switzerland. They were all crying and it was just so sad. I also managed to sit in vodka so that was nice.
Remember how I was complaining about lack of classes? Hasn´t been a problem as I subbed every day last week, so actually ended up teaching more than if I had my own classes I think. Plus my private class and exams to prepare it was actually crazy. On Friday I did marking for 5 hours and then taught for 7. I actually had no time to think.
My family left yesterday morning for Lima so I am alone. Actually Rosa told me her father in law was coming to live in the house but he´s not here. Irene will be here most days but Sunday is her day off. She did call this morning at like 6 to ask if I was okay though. Nice, but on my day off a little on the early side of things.
Yesterday afternoon two teachers were sick so there was only 2 classes. I think the students would have been really annoyed because they missed 4 1/2 hours of class. When you only have 4 Saturdays in a cycle that is a lot of material.
My class of Juniors is like my own personal piece of hell. It is awful, props to anyone who teaches classes of 25 preteens because I can´t do it. I swallowed my pride and asked for some help with how to control them but I have yet to hear the feedback. I think that they will do very poorly on my exam tomorrow but I´ve never been trained with how to handle kids, half of whom probably have A.D.D. and the other half whom don´t want to learn. I also never ever want to have to teach this age. My other Junior classes weren´t a problem but these kids are awful. I had enough trouble with my group of Guides, but at least they spoke English. I´ve tried everything I can think of and now am resigned to just teach for those who want to listen. I´m not shouting because I don´t have the energy or the lung capactiy.
My Saturday classes are very good though. And as usual Reg.3 is a pleasure to teach.
I´ve been going to Santa Apalonia a lot to look at the city and try to remember it best I can. I can recognise lots of places now. It´s amazing how fast a strange city can become a neighbourhood. I bet I´ve taught about 500 students what with all the subbing. I bump into them often. Haha, yesterday I saw one of my chicos, maybe 12 years old and he walked me home from work. How Gentlemany, haha. I love the spirits of the people here.
My friend taught me a little about how to play guitar. I am terrible but it is kind of fun. Pain for the fingers though.
Well, I´m off to Santa Apolonia with a couple of frinds.
I havent have much time to write cause I´m trying to enjoy the time I have left in the city.
Take care!

HAPPY TEACHER`S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, so today is teacher´s day in Peru so there are no classes. Just a joke, there are always classes at ICPNA! I told my students in Reg.3 to bring cake but I don´t think they will. Haha.
On Saturday, after what seemed like a very longggg day of classes, the staff went out for supper to celebrate today. It was so cold though because it was pouring down and the restaurant was like a barn with massive doors. The tech guy at ICPNA and I took a taxi to the wrong place so we had to walk a bit, but the road to the restaurant was dirt and it was wet and I was wearing a skirt and my flats from work so they are absolutely filthy now. Nice stuff. Not many teachers actually went to the supper though, which is a shame. The supper went until 10:30 and then I went to party with my friends. Yesterday I slept. Haha, no in the morning I went to my private tutoring and in the afternoon I went to Baños Del Inca. Combis are kind of fun to take when the doorboy isn´t too rude about pushing you off and pulling you on. Hahahaha. Ice age 3 was sooo cute! And I actually understood it in Spanish. It´s amazing that I´m not taking any classes or studying the language or anything but I understand so much more now than when I arrived. My speech is lacking but that´s okay. I also went on the dance machine, so that was fun! And I had chocolate coated ice cream. I need to go to the gym today I think!
So in my morning class on Saturday it was weird because the secretary came and told me that Gwen, the new teacher from the states, was going to be talking to my class because it was Indepedance Day and ICPNA is partnered with the U.S.. Gwen was told there would be a video and a book and stuff but there was nothing. So she tried to explain to my class about the day but it was only pre basic 4 so she had to slow down and lot and speak some Spanish in the end. Then, they brought in sandwiches and juice. So that was okay, but we were all done and they brought in kebabs. My students and I were ready to leave but we stayed and ate the kebabs. We were just about ready to go and they brought in these dried meat things. My students found this very funny. And then, when we thought we were free they brought in desserts. So thats very nice and everything but it was about 1 when I finally left ICPNA so my lunch break was cut short and I was tired by the time 8 rolled around. I was worried first thing in the morning when I had no students and I thought I wouldnt have class. But then a huge mob arrived and I had to change classroom. There are 25 students which is amazing for a class from 8 to 12:30 on a Saturday. All my classes have more than 9 students which means I wont have to pay anything this month. Good!!
Today I am subbing again so will be working 4=10. Thats good because I like to teach. I just dont want to teach my Juniors class. I want my Reg.2 class!!! I saw them on Friday and they were all like, teacher what happened? I was so sad I want to teach them!! Sometimes classes are sort of like families, especially when you see them for an hour every day. Tearsssssss.... Haha. How am I going to last in Canada?
Have I mentioned how I love that I am always seeing people I know now. It is awesome!! Especially since I have been doing lots of subbing, its nice to go out and see people I know. I feel like a part of the community. It is especially nice when children come and hug me on the street! Sometimes I dont recognize them though, especially if I only subbed them once or twice and there was 25 of them and one of me. I have dropped my cell phone so many times I am surprised it still functions. Just sent it flying again.
I have a bruise on my head and I dont remember why. Hmmm.
Well, classes to plan and body to get back in to shape. I dont know if I mentioned this but I am still VERY very white. How sad!
Take care chicos!!

OW!

So this morning I had the mother of all migraines. Well, actually it´s the first time I´ve ever had a migraine so I don´t know if it was bad, but it hurt so much I couldn´t think, and if you know me well you will know that I tend to think rather a lot. I also had vomiting, so that was fun. I took too pills that the doctor suggested and slept and by lunch time I felt better. I am forbidden to eat cheese and ham today and I wasn´t allowed ketchup on my rice. It was very hard to eat white rice and potatoes plain. I now only have a slight headache so I went for a walk in the fresh air around the city. No idea where I went but wondered through a few markets, I love the hustle and bustle. Then I decided retail therapy was in order and I bought myself the most gorgeous bag everrrr. It´s actually the only nice bag I saw and I love it love it love it. I am such a girl. I also bought a few gifts but I can´t find anything that really suits a lot of my friends. I wanted to buy clothes but my friends aren´t alpaca wearing kind of people, they´re about 50 years too young for that. Too bad. Plus alpaca is heavy. If it weren´t for the weight I´d buy some of the clothes just for the expressions on my friends faces. ahahhahaha. I need another suitcase.
Yesterday I was chatting to another teacher from Ireland but born in France, who says he´s sick of Cajamarca. He says it´s too noisy, disorganised (true) and everyone is always late (sooo true) and he´s fed up. Well, he didn´t say the words fed up but you get the idea. I love how Cajamarca is noisy, it´s part of the culture and while I agree that people could do with setting their clocks early, you have to love the people. It´s no problem if you arrive 5 minutes late everywhere too. I am usually early though so I have to wait a lot.
My class of Juniors is very interesting. I´m pretty sure a few of them have learning disabilities and behavourial disorders so I think that should be fun. That must be why Delicia was so keen to give me her class. But they are good kids and very eager to participate, for the most part. I just have to remove sharp objects and rulers from their hands.
My class Reg.3 yesterday was awesome! One of the activities had the students writing things they did on a routinely basis, once a week/month/in a while/ never etc. Then I asked some students to share with the class and one man said, I shower once a week. So that was pretty funny and we laughed a lot. It was a fun class.
Last night I finally tried Manjar Blanco. It´s very sweet.
On Sunday I´m going to watch Ice Age with my friend and his entire family. It´s in Spanish but I think it´ll be okay because it´s easier to understand cartoons in Spanish, like UP was not hard to follow.
On Saturday I have class from 8-8 again with my 2 hour lunch break, then to the discoteca! Haha, as an example in class we had to say where in Cajamarca we could eat, go to the park etc. and I said, You can go dancing at Santos (this club has an interesting reputation) and that got quite the reaction from the class. Hahahaha. Reg.3 is so much fun.
It´s raining! At least it waited until I got inside!
Haha, Juan sent me some videos of me teaching. How scary is that!!
Irene told me today that she is 19. Lies are so stupid. But now shés come clean about not having a baby, so that´s nice!
Well, time for me to prepare for class!
Take care chicos!! Ciao!

SCOREE!

Yup, I just went to ICPNA to hand in my exams from Saturday afternoon and Delicia gave me another class. So I´m pretty happy because now I get to work at ICPNA on Tuesdays and Thursdays too! My Reg. 3 class is only 3 days a week because it is longer. I actually only have slightly less work to do now than last cycle because I´m private tutoring 6 days a week too. Granted, the class is Juniors who can be horrible if you get a bad Junior class. Hopefully I get a class of sweet and calm adolescents. But I am actually really happy that I get to work more! Hey, maybe when I´m there at 7 and don´t have class again until 8 they´ll be like, hey want another class to fill the gap? It´s unlikely, but I can hope! Yayyayyay I get to teachh!!
Last night I went to watch Terminator in Spanish. When we got to the mall there was Karaoke in the food court. There were a lot of great songs and singers in Spanish. Then two white people got up to sing Beat it and they crucified the song. Like, maybe you couldn´t actually recognize the song if there weren´t words, and they were also dancing, really badly. But they thought they were excellent. When it was over another two from their group came and sang Thriller, equally as dreadfully. The crowd ran away. And then, after they totally ruined the only songs that were sung in English they were like, we´re from CANADA!!!!!!!!! Oh man, I slid down in my seat hoping to hide the fact that I was white, haha. I felt I had to assure my friends that I am in fact British after that declaration. The handy part of being international, I can choose my country depending on the least embarrasing nationality of the moment. People wonder why everyone here thinks white people can´t sing and dance... well this is why. Also, I´ve never really noticed just how long Michael Jackson songs are. I said to my friends, perhaps it´s a good thing that Michael Jackson is dead. Then my friend sang Mientes Tan Bien very very well and a huge crowd came to watch, and he won a pillow for his mother. It was amazing. All he has to do is sing and the women flock around. Hahahaha, what a gift. I must be accustomed to the Peruvian money now because I complain when a large pizza costs 10 dollars, like that is really really expensive or smething. It seems like a lot to pay 31 soles for something. I am going to be even cheaper when I return, haha.
So, about 2 seconds into Terminator we realised that we had, in fact, already watched Terminator. HAHAHA. But it was good because I understood more the second time. I saw a lot of my students at the theatre and Geraldine and her husband too. Yes, she is married. Wow. It really puts things into perspective because she is two months younger than me and I have no desire to get married at all. It´s funny because some students are very friendly and like hey profe and come and chat for a long time in Spanish which I understand maybe half of when they rabbit on really fast, and others are like, oh my god, our teacher actually has a life outside of ICPNA? They whisper, hi miss and run away. Hahahaha. The cinema isn´t as bad as when I see students clubbing though, that´s a little awkward. Here, Miss is a synonym for teacher.
Haha, I thought Ana had exams today so I wished her good luck and she was like, I don´t have exams until August. I said, oh well early good luck then. Whoops...
I can´t believe I am 19 in one month. I can´t believe I won´t even be in Peru in one month. Yesterday in the taxi to the gym Rosa and I were talking about me leaving and almost in hysterics, I think the cabbie was a little worried. Oh, I can now push 45 kgs at a 45 degree angle into the air with my feet 75 times. Yesssirrr! I don´t want to be 19, it´s way better being 18. Not that I could possibly know that, but I think it´s better. I really need to book my trip to Lima. I haven´t decided if I´m going to take the bus or fly yet. 17 hours on the bus is pretty close to what you might imagine of hell but flying is more expensive.
Oh, this week we have another lady in the house, her name is Sandy and she is the daughter of Ana and Luis´ Godmother. She is 20 and very nice.
Today, the kids I private tutor have an English exam, so I hope it goes well because if not that will reflect badly on me. Although we´ve been doing a lot of science. I am even learning some stuff about physics, which is pretty sad if you think about it. Okay, maybe it´s not learning new, but it´s reviewing stuff I forgot.
Oh, I just wanted to let you all know that my sister is a genius with an average over 80%, and she even took pre-cal. That´s right, go Katie!!!!!!! She also has this awesome orange shirt that I am going to steal to wear on my birthday when I return.
It´s not bad because she has the full run of my closet, which she probably doesn´t use `cause she has nicer clothes than me. I may be somewhat fashion impaired, oh maybe just cheap. Haha. I have the urge to buy a dress. It feels like dress wearing weather and I don´t have one. Maybe I will go sometime.
Yesterday, we had soup with popcorn. I love it. It´s the kind of mad thing I would do, but here it is normal.
I know, there´s no such thing at normal really, but that´s a philosophy I won´t go into now.
Hoping all is well with you and yours,
Ciao from a happier me than yesterday!!!