Halloween!...will be spent on a bus

The party on Saturday was very fun. I went as Indiana Jones. We played all the traditional games you play at a Halloween party in the states...when you're in the third grade. I won Musical Chairs and Bobbing for apples, and I got runner up in the limbo (but I'm also a good 6 inches taller than the winner). Then we did the Piñata. That was fun. And to finish it all off, we did karaoke. It was fun. My new English teacher was there, too.

Today is Monday and I caved and came to school. But tomorrow I am definitely not coming. I have to go buy a big back pack for hiking in the jungle, hiking boots, I have to pack, and nobody else is going to school either. And then, tomorrow night at around 7 o'clock, I will be on a bus on my way to Cuzco and Machu Picchu! Eight days of Jungle, Museums, Shopping, Hiking, and Climbing. I can barely contain myself.

Waiting

Well, Rotary got flooded with complaints from families and students that refused to move. So, they decided they aren't going to make us move. Which everyone was pretty happy about, except me. But on the bright side, there is one family who has a student that they would like to change, so I might be moving in with them and he might be put here. I really hope it works out, because his house is so much closer to the city center and the part of town all my friends live in. So, my fingers are crossed.

Tonight I have a Rotary meeting, then a Rotary Halloween party. Then Sunday...then Monday (which I'm not going to school)...then Tuesday (which I'm also not going to school because it's the day I'm leaving for Machu Picchu)...then 8 days in the Peruvian jungle, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu with some of the coolest people ever (and some creepy guy Rotary sends with us with a video camera).

-Chris

Learn Spanish: Disfraces (dees frah saes) (Costumes)
Learn Quechua: Oops, I ran out again...I'll learn more...I swear.

GOOD NEWS!

Machu Picchu is less than a week away. And I was told last night that Rotary has decided to change our housing assignments. They're switching us around! I'm moving out of my Crazy Mom's house. I'm very excited. More later...

AHH!!! Calculus!

So, today I got a big surprise. My Youth Exchange Coordinator here, who teaches kindergarten at my school told me on Saturday that today I could come to here Kindergarten class instead of going to class (because I complained of being bored), however, instead of going to the Kindergarten class the school moved me up tw0 years in math. I'm now taking Calculus instead of Geometry. The only problem is I knew Geometry before I came so it was very easy, I haven't, however, taken Calculus. It's very hard and the teacher is very demanding. I think I'll be using Wikipedia to teach me for the next 6 weeks.

Also, I wanted to thank all the teachers back home for all their responses. I came home today and read my email, and all the emails were from teachers (although, one was my aunt).


-Chris

Learn Spanish: Exigente (eggs ee hen tay) (Demanding)
Learn Quechua: Cosco (Coss coe) (Belly Button)

It Rained

Yesterday it rained. Well, it was more of a mist. But it was great. It was sad it hadn't even sprinkled for the 2 months I've been here. We were all pretty excited for it.

Vacation is over. I have school tomorrow. Which I really don't want to go back to. I only go for about 4 hours a day, but it's still brutal. I don't like the people. They're very exclusive. I usually read. Which is okay. I'm still reading Harry Potter in Spanish and I have a box of books my family sent me.

Machu Picchu on the 31st. We're gonna wear our costumes on the bus. And before hand a group of us is going trick or treating. I don't know if I'll be a part of the group, because my host mom has told me I go out too much and that I'm not allowed to go out until December. But I am allowed to go to Thanksgiving dinner with my friends, so maybe she'll let me do Halloween as well.

I really only started this entry because I was so excited about the rain.

Finally, Real Movies

Today was spent mostly running errands. I had to go pick up my Passport, which for whatever reason is required for me to pick up my mail. But by the time I got to the post office it was closed because the former president died. So, I have to go back tomorrow. Then tonight I had Spanish lessons. I have finally learned every verb tense there is in Spanish. Now I can just focus on vocabulary, hopefully.

Today I also found a place that sells movie copies that are decent quality. The thing about Peru is that you can't find movie originals anywhere. They're too expensive for people here. So the black market is HUGE here. I don't think it's illegal either, or if it is, the police don't seem to mind, because they too buy the black market movies. That being said, most of the movies are terrible quality. Mostly people taking video cameras into movie theatres. The place I found today, however, sells videos that are just copies of the originals. And so I bought Dead Poets Society and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. They have so many more movies I want. But they're $1.30/each which is about 3 times as expensive as other movies on the street. So I guess I'm gonna have to wait to buy more.

-Chris

Learn Spanish: Pelicula (Pay Lee Cue Lah) (Movie)

Santa Catalina's

I have the next week off of school. So I'm going to do some site seeing. There are a lot of things in Arequipa that I haven't seen yet. Today, I went to Santa Catalina's. It's this really old monestary that is open for tours and exploring. It's one of the must sees of Arequipa. And it was beautiful. I went with some friends (who didn't have today off of school. Shame on them), and we had a really good time. It reminded me I was in South America. And how it can be so glamorous at times. We took lots of pictures (many of which the Catholic Church would find sacrilegious).

More to come.

-Chris

Learn Spanish: Pilas (Pee Lahs) (Batteries)





Christian from Australia and Samantha from Holland

This Weekend Should Make Up For Last Week

The past week has been absolutely uneventful. I've finished a book and started reading Harry Potter in Spanish. It's challenging, but I'm getting through it.

This weekend; however, is going to be great. I've got my dance thing tomorrow, a birthday party on Saturday, and a field trip on Sunday. Tomorrow is the school's birthday and the entire school is putting on a show. My family and friends here are all coming to see me do my dance. It's going to be one big party, I can feel it. Saturday is my Aussie friend, Steph's, birthday. She turns 18 and it wouldn't be a proper 18th birthday without a party. And Sunday, Rotary is taking us on a trip around Arequipa to some of the old, old surrounding villages. I really don't know much about it, I just know I got an email telling me that if I wanted to go I could; so I am. Hopefully this brings me out of the funk I've been in for the past week.

-Chris

Learn Spanish: Ojala (Oh halla) (Hopefully)
Learn Quechua: Mamyke (Ma mie kee) (Mom)

Apple Cider, English, and Dirty Pop

So, after my last entry I immediately launched a full-scale search of the internet for apple cider recipes (via google). I found one. And I spent a couple days talking about how I was going to make it and then one of my friends here told me that you can get it for free at this restuarant in the mall. I've decided that's a whole lot easier than making it. So I'm going to have some delicious apple cider this weekend.

2nd.
I'm thinking about not going to school anymore and becoming an English teacher at one of the Institutes down here. There are no requirements for English teachers here, because they're so sought after. And, I'm not getting any credits for this year. Plus it would pay about 1,800 soles a month, which is about 600 dollars. I haven't decided yet, but I still have some time as the next semesters don't start for a few weeks.

3rd.
Dirty Pop. Is the song I'm dancing to as a part of a school celebration. My entire class is doing a hip hop dance for the school's birthday next Friday. And I am in the front and I do some pretty awesome flips in it. I'm pretty excited. If I can figure out how to get the video onto the outdated equipment I have here, I will upload a video of the performance. It should be awesome.

-Chris

Learn Spanish: Bailar (Buy Lar) (to Dance)
Learn Quechua: Wuawaua (wah wah) (baby)

Sorry I haven't written in a while

Saturday I went to a huge rock concert they had here. I think it was one of the best things I've done here. There were 12 exchangers who went. And everyone was in a good mood, and curiously, everyone spoke English. I met a lot of new people there. It was nice. I want to go to the Shakira concert in Lima in November, but I can't find anyone to go with me, because it costs too much (100 soles/ticket = 30 bucks). I'm not sure if I've given up on that yet.

I'm learning a hip hop dance in school for some concert we're having on the 13. It's pretty awesome, it kind of makes me miss being in the Spring Musical. The other thing I'm really missing is autumn. There really aren't seasons here, just wet and dry. I miss seeing the leaves change colors and going places like the Apple Festival and drinking apple cider. I really miss apple cider.

On the bright side I'm making more friends in school because of this dance thing, but seriously, I would trade everyone of them for a cup of apple cider. How do you make apple cider? Hmm...

Well I am off to search the internet for an apple cider recipe.

-Chris

Learn Spanish: Manzana (Mahn Sahn ah) (Apple)
Learn Quechua: Yanahuara (Yana War Ah) (Black Underwear)