Sex and the City

July 31st: The big day. "Sex and the City" movie opening in Lima! Everyone else has seen it. Now, it is my turn! Wait! I'm in Iquitos, at the beginning of the Amazon Jungle...

August 1st: THIS is the big day. We arrived back in Lima in the afternoon and after doing a couple loads of laundry it was off to the theater.

It lived up to and beyond my expectations. A 30-minute show never seems to be enough and this was over 2 hours of pure enjoyment.

Now, back to reality. More laundry to do, grocery shopping to get done, and work to start on Monday. First, Brenda and John, my friends from Ireland are arriving into Lima in a few hours. Plus, Arturo's friend, Chote and his wife Di, are visiting from the States. So, it may be back to reality, but it's not such a bad one...

p.s. Blog on the trip and photos to come in a couple of days.

My Birthday, My Promotion, My Mom and Our Vacation

MY BIRTHDAY

Mom arrived late on the 4th, the night before my birthday. But, since it was after midnight by the time we got home from the airport and I have absolutely no patience, Arturo and Mom gave me my gifts around 1:00 a.m. on the 5th of July.


Arturo got me exactly what I needed: a new (really cool North Face) backpack. Now, I finally have something comfortable to bring to and from work...plus as a daypack for a trek. Mom gave me a beautiful pair of earrings and butterfly scarf, but the best gift was that she gave it to me in person. I love getting mail, but it was so nice to say thank you to her in person. She also gave me gifts from Dad and Grandma (thank you to both of you).

The biggest surpise of all was a package from Sarita, which arrived a few days later, filled with my favorite fruit leather snacks, the new Barbara Kingsolver book and an iTunes giftcard (does she know me or what). Plus, there was a lovely card reminding me that I may be far away, but I am not forgotten. The combination of this package and the many other emails, facebook messages and phone calls were received. It really helped me to feel a bit closer than I am to all of my friends and family.

Anyway, enough sappy stuff. What did we do on my actual birthday? Well, we walked around Miraflores, our neighborhood, for most of the day. The weather was incredible and we lunched at the park and walked for hours along the malecong, the sea cliff wall.

Then, that night my friend Anna came over and we had an apperitif before heading out to dinner. Anna brought me, after listening to me complain for a week of treking, a fantastic type of head gear that I have always wanted to buy. I don't know what it's called, but it's a kind of scarf that you can change into about 50 different ways. She also wrapped my wonderful surprise gift in the best wrapping paper ever - photos from our trek! After our mini-cocktail hour, we left for one of my favorite restaurants - ever: Rosa Nautica. It's on a pier in the ocean and it just beautiful, with delicious food!

The next day, we went to another of my favorites, Punto Azul, for ceviche and other fish/seafood dishes with Arturo's family, his parents and brother.

All in all it was a great birthday.

MY PROMOTION
Another wonderful 'present' that happened to be 'given' to me the day before my birthday was a semi-promotion at work. Unfortunately, the head of our English Department is leaving. Even though I have only worked with him for a short time, I am very saddened by this. Steve is, seriously, the best person I have ever worked under. But, he has a fantastic job offer in India and, after over 10 years in Peru, is heading to another country and continent. Maria, the Deputy Head has moved up to Interim Head of Department and I was offered the position of Interim Deputy Head. I was quite surprised since I have been here less than a year and, truthfully, still learning so much about the int'l exams we prepare our students for. However, the headmaster, Steve and Maria have all assured me I was their #1 choice. They complemented me on learning quickly, speaking up with new ideas, and bringing a fresh perspective to the department and the school. As Steve told me: "We all know what we are doing - we've been doing it for years. What we need to know is how to do it better, how to change what we have been doing for years to further improve." So, I have accepted, will earn about $100 more per month, and will be the Interim Deputy Head through the end of the this school year. Then, we shall see...

MY MOM

It's been great having Mom here. I really feel settled here now - really at home - so it has been great to show her My Lima. So far, I think we've done a good job of showing all the best that Lima offers.

We've eaten fabulous food (Peruvian food really is incredible), toured center of Lima where old colonial buildings and the enormous catacombs, been to La Punta, a beautiful peninsula nearby, and taken her to the black market where she bought numerous DVDs for about $1 each (yes, they are all pirated). On her own, Mom went to a museum and a bus tour to some nearby ruins.

Together, we played scrabble - in Spanish (and thanks to Arturo's help, I came in 2nd place) - and went shopping at the Inca Markets nearby. As you probably can tell, this section should really be called My Mom & My Boyfriend since Arturo has been with us almost the entire time.

Trujillo

For mom's final weekend here, we went to Trujillo, a small city about an 8 hour bus trip to the north. Unfortunately, the day before we left I was sick with the flu and mom's stomache wasn't doing very well. However, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, we both felt well enough to get on the bus-cama (a bus with seats that recline back like in 1st class on an airplane) and so all three of us went up to Trujillo.

There, we took an amazing tour of Chan Chan, one of the larget pre-Incan cities in South America. Although it is still being reconstructed, it was incredible. We had an amazing guide who explained all sorts of fascinating details included in the palace we walked through. For example, the Moche people considered squirrels incredibly important. They watched their habits to see if El Niño was coming. The squirrels would essentially get all crazy, and flit around storing extra food...alerting people to what was coming. Check out wikipedia for more infor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chan

We also walked around the beautiful city with amazing buildings, most of them now banks or other businesses. Since it is costly to restore and even more for upkeep, there are also a large number of building that are in a state of disrepair. Luckily, though, more and more there is an effort to reverse this affect. Plus, most restored buildings are open for the public. We walked around several of them and were stunned by the beauty.

After going to the Museo de Jugetes, a Museum of Games, we got together for an afternoon refreshment with Arturo's friend Fito who lives in Trujillo.

For our final day, we went to Huanchaco, a small little beach town about 20 minutes from Trujillo. We walked along the beach, mesmorized by the surfers, the waves, and the fisherman in their traditional caballito boats. They use these boats for just 15 days and must make a new one every 2 weeks. We, of course, enjoyed some more delicious seafood for lunch, did a bit of shopping, and then headed back to the city of Trujillo.

On the way, we stopped at a new shopping mall to see the financial improvements that Trujillo is currently experiencing. Then, we lazed around the hostal reading, talking and relaxing before getting out bus-super-cama. This new service is about $15 more expensive than the bus-cama, but lets you literally lie down, completely. I was impressed, although Mom said she still ached from the ride.

Another birthday & Mom's last day

Monday, July 14, was Arturo's mom's birthday and mom's final day here. Arturo's dad organized a little party for her with the aunts and uncles and delicious criolla food. It was a very enjoyable afternooon which involved lots of stories, lots of jokes and lots to drink. But, mom left feeling happy and comfortable leaving me with such a warm and welcoming family and, all in all, it was a wonderful way to end her trip.

OUR VACATION

Now, we are heading off to the Amazon for our July holiday. Yeah!! We are taking a bus to a boat to a town...I don't really know the details as Arturo is planned it. All I know is that we'll be in the Amazon (yeah again!!), away from bustling Lima, phones, Internet and work (a.k.a., no blog updates, no phone calls and no emails for the next couple of weeks). Yeah!!

Tomorrow is the big arrival!

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...

Since we no longer have a maid, I have been cooking almost every week-night.

Anyway, these are meals cooked simply to eat and to have leftovers for lunch the following day. Needless to say, they aren't usually worth breaking out the camera.

Then, there are Arturo's Tacos (I can hear the groan of you faithful blog readers...yes, I am talking about the tacos again!).

Last night, Arturo was home early, I was home early, and Nilo came over to drop off Arturo's bike.

He stayed, Arturo cooked, we had cocktails, and the camera was brought out.

In other GREAT news...

Kathleen and Ron have had their baby! Aidan Jacob Sokolov was born on Saturday, June 21st, weighing 8 lbs and 10 oz. Pretty darn cute, eh?

NOW, FOR THE BIG ARRIVAL...

Mom arrives tomorrow! This means several good things...

First, it means I get to see my mom! And it means I get to see her, in all of her glory, speaking Spanish like the locals, here in Peru, my home. That's a pretty good feeling.

(Although, I am unduly anxious about her arrival at the same time that I am excited. I really want to impress her with my Spanish and my life here. I guess, ultimately, I'm still just her daughter.)

Second, her arrival means there is only one more week of teaching before I have three weeks off! That means that soon Arturo and I will be exploring the Amazon jungle. Literally. How cool is that?

Third, it's my birthday on Saturday! Mom, Arturo, my friend Anna and I are going to Rosa Nautica, one of the most beautiful restaurants I've ever been to (that includes restaurants in NYC). Check it out: http://www.larosanautica.com/rn_ubiquenos.html

Video Diary (of sorts)

I decided it was high time to download the photos on the camera. So, here is a sort of Video Diary of what we've been up to in the past month, in addition to me working a ridiculous amount.

Actually, even this includes work. On the left is a photo of the winning team from The Great Gatsby Jeopardy game my 11th graders and I played at our Gatsby party. The party theme is what explains the crown on my head an pearl necklaces my students are wearing. They are holding their prizes: a coupon to turn in an assignment one day late without penalty. Believe it or not, they were thrilled at this prize. On the right, my excited Debate Club students are smiling wide after they won their first advanced debate in the Peruvian Debate Association monthly debates throughout Lima.

Other photos include:

* Arturo relaxing with a friend on his birthday

* Father's Day

* Playing Scrabble (embarrassingly enough, Arturo won)

* A big all-day-all-night gathering of old friends Arturo grew up with

All work and no play

It's been a while since I've written because I am completely overwhelmed by work. For those who have heard me complain before, this really is another level. I teach about 100 students and am supposed to grade 6 pieces of work, 2 each for the categories of reading, writing and oral work, every 8 weeks. That's 600 things to grade every 8 weeks! It is impossible!

I'm not going to go into all of the gory details here except to say that in two and a half weeks my mom comes (yeah!) and in three and a half weeks Arturo and I will be on our way to the Amazon.

Update #3

Now, for the highlight of my time in Peru: the Andes Mountains. My friend Anna and I were talking about both wanting to go the Andes over our one-week break...and talking turned into a real trip...

Ana, Rick (her partner) and I went with Nilo (a good friend of Arturo) our fearless, expert guide for the Santa Cruz trek. This four day, three night trek took us up over a pass of 4,750 meters or 15,583 feet. It was an incredible trek, filled with incredible sights.

To begin our trip, we took on overnight bus to Huaraz, the main tourist destination to begin all outdoor activities in the Andes. We took a bus-cama (meaning bus-bed) for about $25 which is like first class in an airplane. The seats recline all the way back, we get a cozy fleece blanket, and food and beverage service. Needless to say, I actually slept pretty well.

We rested for a day in Huaraz to acclimatize to the 3,100 meters (about 10,000 feet) which included lots of sleeping, resting, reading, getting a massage, and eating - as well as meeting Nilo for some last minute needs such as water-purifying tablets, snickers and other snacks and a rain poncho (we had rain ponchos personally made for us for about $12). Our second day, we went for a 3-hour walk with Nilo. We realized how beautiful our trek was going to be as the Cordillera Blanca (the White Mountain Range) gave us snow-capped mountains galore. Just a tidbit of information: there are 36 peaks over 6,000 meters (almost 20,000 feet). Incredible, right? Before the hike, Nilo told us it was to acclimatize us for our trek, but since he later told us we "passed the test" I know it was also to make sure that we seemed capable for the trek. As a celebration, we went to a beautiful garden restaurant, hidden away, and had delicious trucha (river trout). Then, it was back to the hostel to rest and pack for the next day...

Day 1:
We had to take a 3 hour bus ride to get to the trail head. Nilo called it a "freaky ride" before we started, but after we safely arrived he renamed it el viaje de terror...and it was. It was up and up and around dangerous curve after curve. I actually sat for most of the trip with my eyes covered and sweat dripping down my face. However, after arriving, all was well. We met our donkey driver and were on our way. We began our trip in the Cordillera Negra (Black Mountain Range) with the sun shining in beautiful clear sky, wearing t-shirts. We passed through a couple of tiny villages and, for a while, had a group of kids following us. They got a special treat as a bizarre event happened: Rick's hiking boots broke. The sole came apart from the boot. They are Scarpa boots, an excellent brand and Nilo just kept repeating "I have never seen this before....in 15 years I have never seen this." But, Rick was relaxed and we took some string and tied the boots together and went on. A few hours later, one of the soles came completed apart from the boot. Luckily, it was a fairly easy walking day and Rick used his Crocs that he had brought along to wear at the campsite. That's when I knew I had chosen good trekking partners: Rick continued hiking in the Andes mountains at about 3,500 meters in Crocs...still smiling and in a good mood. So, we continued walking, talking, snacking and sharing in the glorious surroundings - and glorious they were - and ended our day with a delicious warm meal, coca-leaf tea, a sky filled stars, so clear we could see the Milky Way and think we saw Venus and Mars.


Day 2:
This was the hardest day of the trek. We knew this in advance and were all a bit nervous. I hadn't reacted very well to going up to 4,300 meters while trekking to Machu Picchu in 2006 and was most nervous about the high altitude. However, this is where having previous experience and a good guide comes in (plus my oh so satisfying snickers). From my previous experience, I knew that I would feel worse the higher we went, but that when we went back down I would feel better. So, although I felt like my head my explode, I wasn't freaking out. Nilo by my side, reminding me to rest and take breaks, was also a big help. So, instead of wheezing the way I did before at over 4,000 meters, I actually was just breathing really hard. Actually, I am really proud of all of us: slowly but surely we climbed to the top. (I must mention that about 5 hours into our 9 hour day, Rick's boots completely broke with no hope of repair - and he hiked to 4,750 meters, 15,583 feet, in Crocs!!) As we crossed the pass and saw an incredible mountain peak, glacier and glacier lake, we were all a bit overcome with emotion. Lots of hugs were exchanged and some tears fell....nature is just so amazing.

Days 3 & 4:
With frost on our tents, we began our day with yet another delicious, full meal cooked by Nilo. From this point on, it was mostly either downhill or flat. The landscape continued to change, although the snow-peaked caps never really disappeared. We passed patches of incredible greenery, beautiful glacial lakes, enormous rocks and fascinating cacti, flowers and orange mold. As Anna is a geography teacher, we also talked about how and why land forms the way it does and, repeatedly, about the wonders of tectonic plates and water...which are really what formed the beautiful mountains we were looking at.

We ended the trip the same way we started: a beautiful, clear, sunny day. But, we were changed. As cheesy as this sound, it is true: the incredible Andes had burned themselves into our memory forever.

Our "victory dinner" our first night back in Huaraz was delicious Thai food, followed by a sound night of sleep (it does feel good to get out of the tent and into a warm shower and comfortable bed). Early the next day, Arturo arrived. We had a lovely breakfast, followed by a day of not doing very much at all. It was perfect! Anna, Rick, Arturo and I had dinner together and then Anna and Rick were on their way back to Lima.

We had one more day before I left. We did a bit of rock climbing in the morning and then took the bus to visit Mancos, the town Nilo is from...and also the town where Arturo owns some property. The property is beautiful, so lush and green, and perfectly situated: to one side are the snow-capped mountains in the Cordillera Blanca and to the other side is the lush green farm-filled lands of the Cordillera Negra.

The next morning, I got on the bus and came back to the reality of Lima, a.k.a. work.

All in all, it was an experience I will never forget.

Next big trip: the Amazon in July!

p.s. If you want to see all of the photos, go to: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9od46cm.9emqrblu&x=0&y=-z8vocm&localeid=en_US

Update #2

Now, for the whole reason we went to the States: Christian and Emi's wedding:

We got to NJ on Saturday and went straight to meet Sebastian, Arturo's new nephew.

What a cutie!

He's got light hair, blue eyes, and that amazing baby smell. He's a pretty mellow little baby who loves to walk (or rather be carried) about, held tight and close.

After spending some time hanging out with Sebastian, we went to meet Arturo's parents and eldest brother, Martin, at the hotel. Arturo and I gave Sebastian his gifts, both from us in Peru and some lovely clothes my grandmother picked out to send along.

Then, we lazed about the hotel room for the rest of the afternoon. I took a lovely little nap with Sebastian...who continued sleeping on Arturo after I woke up!

At night, we walked over to the nearby Outback Steakhouse for a classic American...oops, I mean Australian...dinner, followed by some drinks and more conversation back at the hotel.

The next day was the big day: the wedding. We all enjoyed a leisurely breakfeast buffet (which was free thanks to Arturo who used to work with one of the waitresses) and returned to the room to get ready.

Finally, we were all dressed, ready and in the cab to Weehawken for pictures with the Manhattan skyline behind us.

From there, we left for the marina in Queens, our departure point for the wedding cruise around Manhattan.

The ceremony was performed on-board before we left the dock. Then, we had cocktail hour, followed by dinner and dancing -- all while we were driving around Manhattan, viewing all the sights. I met many of Arturo's family members that lived in the NYC-area. Some I knew already, some I met for the first time. For me, one of the most fun parts was able to hold my own in Spanish. Although I'm sure the cocktails helpled, I finally felt confident with my Spanish and realized how much I have improved (Of course, when I told Arturo this he told me that's what he's been telling me for months).

The night moved along and we went outside to view the Statue of Liberty and the Brookyn Bridge...and then returned inside and promptly forgot all about Manhattan as we danced the rest of the night away.

The next day, Arturo and I got up early and took the bus into the city and then the train to JFK...and I went back to Lima while Arturo and the rest of his family stayed for the rest of the week to enjoy Christian, Emi and Sebastian's company, plus NYC and NJ. They went to Central Park, the Bodies Exhibit, the Brooklyn Bridge and, of course, to enjoy a good hamburger!