Hiya,
I hope that you can ignore how attractive my nose isn´t from that angle. Haha.
I really have nothing much to say, but I miss my classes at ICPNA, not just teaching but my students too. One day off and I miss class. How will I ever survive in Canada? I do not know. Yesterday I tutored physics but it was hard because the kids were not in the mood to study. Here are some photos from when Juan came to see my class. The other pic is me in the courtyard of the church and art gallery in the old hospital. Yesterday for lunch we had yuccas again. They are sooo dry. I have to concentrate on chew chew chew and swallow because I am accustomed to food with more flavour and wetness.
I love Spanish music. I am pretty much in love with the song Mientes Tan Bien by Sin Bandera. Check it out is lovely.
I am now a salsa dancing champion. No, just kidding. I´m awful. I find it hard to let the male lead me, I am used to taking control. Haha.
Michael Jackson died!! And so did Farrah Fawcett. My word. But Michael Jackson will live on forever in his music. He is a legend let´s face it, even if he may have done some messed up things.
My hands are freezing from typing. Haha.
Oh! Haha, the other day when my students came in to kiss me as normal this one student stopped and said, high five! Hahahahahaha. How very very strange.
I can´t believe I only have one month left in Cajamarca. I have to stop thinking about this I will start bawling.
Take care!

Confusion and stress.

Okay, so at ICPNA there is a big sign that says Mier. 24 last day of classes. So, like an idiot, I thought that meant yesterday was the last day of class. I was wrong. For most classes it was the last day, but for Reg.2 I have class on Friday. So all my students came to class ( a rare thing when all 26 come) ready to write the exam yesterday and I was told I wasn´t allowed to give it until Friday. I said, do you want to tell my students that because I sure don´t. So I took a deep breath walked into my class and told my students and they responded with outrage, and I don´t blame them. I was pretty angry myself. Then about 10 of them said they were travelling and couldn´t write the exam on Friday. It´s natural because we all thought we had a week off, so of course lots of people are going on holiday. So I did something bad and decided we´d write the exam anyway, because everyone wanted to and because I think that as teachers we have to facilitate the students who are paying, and not them us. If half the class can´t make it to write the exam on Friday that´s no good. I can´t fail students over a misunderstanding. Hopefully nobody at ICPNA finds out and I don´t get into trouble over this but I have to take my morals over the rules. I am really happy that I don´t have to travel to Chiclayo though. It´s so tiring because you don´t get any sleep for like 48 hours and I don´t need that. Maybe I´m a terrible teacher for letting my students write the exam yesterday but in life we make choices and I made mine for my students, not for me. Unless someone from ICPNA reads my blog we should be okay.
Yesterday was my co-workers birthday so we had a little party in the office with cake and stuff, and the head cahuna boss from Chiclayo was there. It was nice but weird because we all had class and our students were waiting. I left a bit early because I felt bad about it.
Apparently this cycle there´s going to be a break from 6-6:30 where we all have to sit in the office and socialize to help the non-native speakers with their fluency. It´s a nice idea but it means I´ll have class until later and get less sleep. Well, that´s life I guess.
This morning I had a student who needed to make up his exam so I went to ICPNA early and handed in my exams and marks and waited while he wrote his. It was weird because I´ve been subbing for Delicia and her exams were yesterday. The secretary had all the marks for the kids which is impossible because I have the exams. So whatever, I gave her the exams but I don´t understand how the kids have grades.
Today I am doing private tutoring again. And tomorrow.
Last night I went out for Chinese food after work, to desress with Inca Cola. I was sick all night. It was awful. Not going there again. But the food was soooo good!
Irene is back today.
The TV fell off the wall. That´s not good!
Today my friend is going to teach me how to dance Cumbia. Should be fun!
Maybe I won`t look so stupid when Cumbia´s playing at the clubs now!
I can´t believe I only have one cycle of classes left at ICPNA!!! How totally sad! ICPNA here is expanding. They want 15 teachers, now there is about 9. There is totally a job for me here if I stay. But I can´t.
Haha, one teacher is heavily pregnant and the head boss asked Geraldine and I if we were thinking of going the same way. I think not! We said not for a longgg time thank you. Better to be young and freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! The other teacher is 30 so it´s different.
Last night there wasn´t any water. So that wasn´t too nice.
Yesterday for lunch we had green spaghetti. It was vair vair good!
I am tired.
Keep writing me amigos!
Ciao!
P.s. Look, it´s me teaching. haha.

Yes, found it!

I found my lip chap. So, now my lips won´t be chapped anymore. I wanted to start your day off with good, exciting news that will probably change your life forever. You´re welcome.
Yesterday when I was at the gym there was a parade so I went to watch it. Today is a special day, being summer solstice here. It´s Inti Raymi, a celebration of the sun, which is why my boss is in Cusco I guess. Lucky her, sounds like an awesome thing. Apparently Camaron Diaz is there too. Thank you google, for your useless information. It´s also San Juan, this celebration about a feast. Yeah, that´s about as much as I understood in Spanish but you can google it in English and read about Cameron Diaz if you want.
Apparently Irene is coming back to work tomorrow. At least she´s okay.
Oh, I don´t have more time to write we are going to the gym now.
Well, at least you don´t have to read an essay today.
Take care!
Look, Arroz Cubano

Trying to tan it up.

Yesterday Rosa was sick so we didn´t go to the gym. Instead I went and sat on the roof while I planned my classes in an attempt to coax some brown on my legs. But, unfortunatly I´m still white as a sheep. A white sheep.
When I walked into Delicia´s class of Juniors yesterday they cheered me really loud. So, that was really really nice and pretty much made my week. Delicia´s lesson plan took about 20 minutes so after we played pictionary and bingo. It was fun. The second class with children was okay, they all came and gave me a group hug. It was sweet.
After class yesterday I went for cake again. I really need to go the gym today because I will put all my weight back on hahaha. My friend said I need to go for 3 hours. So that was kind. haha. The cake was very nice though. I came home and deadbolted the doors as usual and went to bed. Half an hour later Rosa called and told me to open the door! I thought they were in bed sleeping but they weren´t even home! Ahahaha.
Rosa is angry because Irene didn´t come to work yesterday or today and she won´t answer her cell phone. So, that´s not good. Hopefully she just doesn´t want to work and is okay.
Tomorrow I have my final exams. I hope that they go well.
Yesterday we had Cuban rice again, which is really dry without ketchup. Not sure how the people here can eat so much dry food without anything. I only eat the rice once it is red. Haha.
The sun is really hot in the day here so I don´t understand why I won´t tan. Probably when I go back to Canada everyone will be tan and I will be white.
Ít´s really bizarre because sometimes writing this blog I write in spanish and then I read it over and change it into English. I think in Spanglish.
Yup, well I have classes to plan so I´ll catch you on the rebound chicos!
Ciao!
The pic is me at the room that the Inca wanted full of gold and silver.

Guinea Pig

Yesterday I went for lunch with the family of my friend and we had Guinea Pig. It was reallllyyy good. I love how here lunch with the family is like 4 hour event. You have your meal, chat, have dessert, chat, drink Pisco, chat, drink cocktails, chat and then chat more and laugh a lot. It´s really difficult to understand the conversation though because they speak really fast and interrupt each other and laugh while they speak so I mostly just laughed at the really funny laughs some people had.
Yesterday I called my familia and chatted for Father´s Day so that was nice. In the evening I went to see Ghost of Girlfriends Past, in English with Spanish subtitles. It was okay but my sister said she cried lots and I didn´t cry. Afterwards I talked with my friends about the meanings behind the story and opinions about marriage etc. We are nerds.
Yesterday morning I tutored science. Haha, it´s pretty hard to explain physics in English to kids who speak Spanish, but it actually went okay and by the end I feel like they understood. I had a problem though because its really hard for me to understand Spanish on the phone because my phone is crackly and theres no facial expressions or hand gestures to help with my understanding. Entonces yesterday I went to the wrong house and had to take another taxi to the correct place. haha.
Today I have to sub for Delicia again. Should be interesting. I hope the children are calm!
I´m going to the gym in the afternoon. Gotta keep in shape!
Oh! I finally bought new jeans, and two new shirts. Yup, I look very good in my jeans, just to be modest about things (it´s my new gym body hahahaha). I have muscles. Rosa says I was fat (people here are very honest) when I arrived but now I´m slim and when I go to Canada I have to keep going to the gym. Haha.
Oh! Remember how last Saturday I puked at work? Well on Saturday one of my students came and asked me if I´m pregnant. Dear God! I almost choked I was so surprised. I assured her it was just bad fish.
3 more days left in this cycle. On Friday I have to go to Chiclayo again. Not really excited about that because it means I probably won´t be sleeping and then have to teach all Saturday again. Oh well. Geraldine is going too though.
On Saturday I went to a new club (for me) Saltos, but it wasn´t that good, essentially a massive room but it was underground so it was really really hot and there were lots of people. We went to a different club after which was nicer because it was more open and they had Karaoke, and my friends can sing very very well. Haha, when we enter clubs here the men get searched but the women don´t. It´s kind of pointless because everyone knows that´s how it works so of course if people are bringing in anything they just have to give it to the women. But whatever. I saw more violence at Houstons than I´ve ever seen here so I don´t feel unsafe. It also helps that there are lot of men looking out for me, and they have muscles. I have noticed that a lot of people here are ripped. It´s nice.
Next week I have Monday and Tuesday off work. How nice! What will I do? I have no idea since my friends will be working. Maybe I will go to Baños and take a natural bath in the hot springs all day. Haha I would be wrinkled like a toad. I´ll probably still do my private tutoring though.
It is hot, but I am still so white!
Take care chicos!
P.s. The pic is me in the courtyard of a convent. Don´t worry, I´m not converting, I could never never ever be a nun.

I want to break free!

This song has become my National Anthem for Peru because it´s always playing, at the gym, in the clubs, in stores, and I love it.
Yesterday I went to tutor this little boy and it was really fun. He is so intelligent! He has an exam today though so I hope it goes well. Today I´m going to tutor him again but another mum heard about it so I´m tutoring her son too at the same time. I hope they aren´t too rambunctious!
So, I´d just like to say that on my midterm for Reg.2 ten students scored 100. Wow!! And it´s not like the test was easy, I´m the mean kind of teacher who likes to challegne my students. I´m happy happy happy about that!
Today the new teacher is going to teach my Pre-3 class. I think she´ll be really good because she seems like a lot of fun. Good for my students!
I have to plan my class for tomorrow morning. It´s my longggg day of teaching after which I´ll be ready to sleep but instead I will go clubbing with Geraldine from work and her friends and my friends, so it should be a good time!
My family told me I have to cook them a traditional Canadian plate. I told them there really isn´t any such thing because Canada is a mix of hundreds of different cultures. There´s poutine, but that´s a French Canadian thing, there´s bannock, but that´s a Native Canadian thing, there´s perogies, but those are Ukranian, etc. Any ideas? Caesar Salad? Haha, it´s easy at least.
Yesterday after work I went to Mister Chopps again to watch music videos. That was fun. There was this really sad one in Japanese, all the girls were practically crying. Haha.
I can´t believe there is only 5 more days in this cycle. Where is the time going? Slow down time!!!!
Happy Father´s Day for Sunday all the Dad´s out there!
I have marking to do, and then I´m going to the gym. Maybe, today, I will finally have time to buy jeans. That would be nice.
Irene is going to Celendin too so I will be home alone for tomorrow and Sunday. Wooohooo house party. No, I am joking. I would never do that, it would be wrong on so many levels. Fun though.
I think Dad would like it here because they are always playing 80s music!
It is hot here now in the days. Summer is hereeee and my nose is peeling. Nice.
I love Inca Cola!!
Ciao chicas!
The pic is proof of my outstanding students!

Just keep swimming---

Well, yesterday was actually insane and crazy busy.
In the morning I went to the house of this couple who wants me to tutor their son. It´s a very nice place. Today I will begin. Wow, I am a tutor. Cool beans. Then. Rosa called me to say that Juan the co-ordinator from Lima was in the house. So I skidaddled my butt home to meet with him. We had a nice chat. The problems in the jungle aren´t affecting the SWB students there, so that´s a good thing! Some of them ate bad food and wound up in the hospital though. Wake up call, I think so! But the food in this house, and the house in general, is very safe. There is a lock and two deadbolts on the front door, two locks on the second door and then my room has a lock which clicks twice. The produce is cleaned with iodine and Rosa picks out the meat. This could be why I am not sick, usually. On Saturday Rosa was in Celendin hence the bad fish. She said never again I will have fish if she doesn´t pick it out.
Yesterday we had asparagus soup. It is yummmmmmmmmmmmy.
Juan and I went to see the room which the last Inca demanded be filled once with gold and twice with silver. The writing there was in Old Spanish so I understood very little, but Juan explained to me in normal Spanish so that helped. Then we went to a church which was totally gorgeous in the typically Colonial Spanish style and two old hospitals. The old hospital for women was a lot nicer than the one for men.
Then, I had to mark a lot of books. I went to Baños Del Inca for a short break and then prepared my classes and practically ran to IPCNA with about 20 books in tow. They weighed a lot. I almost died, but thanks to my new muscles I am strong... ish.
Juan came to observe my Reg.1 class and it was very funny because he kept taking pictures and some of my students assumed the classic, I am thinking like the Ancient Greeks pose. It was really hard not to laugh.
My Reg.2 class involved a classroom change again. After class I had 3 students who needed to write the exam and so I had to stay later. Not really a lot of fun but oh well. No problem.
My legs itch like mad. The mosquito bites from a month ago won´t go away. Probably becuase I keep ripping them open with my scratching. Arrgghh.
My students were laughing at how I said tomato in class yesterday. I told them it´s the proper pronunciation. They don´t believe me. Sometimes when my students repeat what I say they sound all British and I think, hm, do I really sound like that when I speak? Ahahahahaha.
My Elbows have gone plasma-y from the dryness here. Yucky.
I still haven´t bought jeans. That´s maybe a month of procrastinating now. The pocket is almost completely off my current jeans.
Next week I have to teach Delicia´s two classes of children again. It will be nice to see the students but they are insaneeee!
Geraldine wants to go clubbing with my friends and I on Saturday. It´ll be cool if she can.
Today I will go to the gym. Yesterday I didn´t have time. Oh, the other day there I heard this version of I Will Survive that was awful! I almost died exercising it destroyed the song so much. Yes, I don´t recommend listening to any version that isn´t by Gloria Gaynor.
The days seem to be flying by so fast. It´s already Thursday, I swear that yesterday was Sunday. Good grief.
Well, keep sending me your news and such.
Ciao chicos!