Matty Boy

My new bartender is nothing short of awesome, but also short. The ginger-headed Scotsman has a hilarious, vulgar, and sarcastic sense of humor so of course we get along wonderfully. We crack jokes, curse, and make fun of each other and genuinely have a good time together. Matty Boy, the nickname I have given him works pretty hard to lighten his accent for me and annunciate his words making it easier for me to understand what the heck he says. He might even be my sort-of Rob replacement...I mean substitute. I miss Rob a whole lot and he sent me an email the other day letting me know he will be coming to Arequipa in 2ish weeks! Awesome! Matty Boy even spent a few nights at The Point in Lima and chatted with Rob, his ginger-headed neighbor and my platonic husband which made me happy. Matt is a really interesting fellow. His dad died a few months before he decided to come to Peru to teach English. His dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when he was 64. He died at 74, being 24 years major of his wife, Matts mother (major? does that make sense?). It reminded me of my grandmother who I lovingly called Mommom and I couldn't believe that it has been two years since she peacefully passed away and I got a little teary eyed at our vegetarian lunch together. Lunch was delish! For 7 Soles Matt and I had the pre-set menu which included a vegetable salad of beets, carrots, and potatoes followed by soup with squash and corn. I was feeling full when Gloria, the strictly vegetarian restaurant owner brought us our entrées; mushroom lasagna with a white sauce, a pumpkin stew-like dish, and rice. I ate 1/3 of my main plate because I couldn't possibly fit anything else into my stomach, except for our dessert which there always seems to be room for- bananas on a thin bed of honey topped off with vanilla yogurt. Yum! Matt paid for my lunch telling me I could get the next one, but I think he was just being a gentleman. We then walked to the main plaza to hand out fliers advertising our bar. After three minutes of waiting for the right audience to pass an ad to, we handed a flier to the first gringa we saw and she crumbled it up! I was pissed. If you're going to crumble up our money then don't freaking take a flier! I got frustrated and Matt and I decided that we would go back to the plaza later in the evening when there would be a better crowd walking around to find dinner. We didn't end up going back because we got caught up in bar training and the bar was getting busy. Matt's first night behind the bar was good! He's worked in bars before and is very friendly and outgoing with the hostel guests. So this afternoon was a daytime party at a facility called Mr. Fish. I went with some staff from The Point and 2 hostel-stayers. I was so overwhelmed with the number of attractive people there that I didn't know what to do with myself. I am considered exotic in Peru and I tend to attract a lot of attention- both good and bad. After mingling with an English teacher from France who lives in Australia, a professional hip-hop dancer, and about seven other attractive Peruvian men, I hobbled over to the VIP area with my flamboyant friend, Teo (Mateo) and proceeded to flirt with more Latino men using only my eyes and smile. I was successful and had about six of them following me. I made a quick escape with the people I came with including Liel the Israeli and headed back to the hostel. Julia from Germany and I decided to go to dinner and had some scrumptious falafel. On our way back we crossed some artisans selling handmade bracelets for 2 Soles and I picked one out to wrap around my ankle. Unfortunately the one I chose was about two centimeters too short so I was given the option to pick my own colors and I sat with an Argentinian and a Colombian while they made my ankle bracelet in front of me. Julia sat and tolerated the Argentinian who was caressing her wrist and arm with his lips. It was quite uncomfortable and as soon as they were finished, we made a quick getaway for the hostel! I can't believe how great my life is and while I am looking forward to returning to the states, I will miss the life i've been living.

Asado

Life is picking up bit by bit here at The Point Arequipa. While three guests was considered a busy day in January and February, we're averaging between six and ten these days. Business is still slower than we'd like, but we try to keep our glasses half full. I also need new bar staff. While I didn't end up firing Carlos which I thought was a little harsh without suggesting some ways for him to improve, he has decided to leave and continue on his travels. He's got a bus tonight to Ica, Peru where the attraction is sandboarding. Elsa, my adorable French bartender is leaving me April 3rd to also do some traveling. Elsa is studying Spanish at the University here in town and also speaks Italian. She can often times be found flirting with the very attractive Italian chef and owner of the Pizzeria 4 doors down from the hostel where the crust is baked in a brick oven. I tasted it once just so I could recommend (or not) the pizza shop. So Elsa is leaving April 3rd and I will officially need brand new bar staff. Forty five minutes after placing a sign in the bar that reads 'Bar Staff Wanted, talk to Lauren =)' , I was approached by a couple from New Zealand- Tom and Yovani (who was born in Serbia) asking if I would take bar staff for a week. After declining the initial offer from them and telling them I needed a two week minimum commitment, we came to an agreement that Yovani would train today at 8pm and when Elsa leaves in a week, Tom can then begin bartending and begin to take advantage of the perks that come with bartending here; free accommodation, breakfast, lunch, and 10% off of alcohol, increasing each week of work. So after 3 weeks, they would get 30% off, maxing out at 40% for bartenders and 50% for me, the bar manager! This all happened yesterday. I woke up at noon and wandered into reception to claim my clean laundry and was quickly approached by the reception manager who excitedly told me that a young Scottish man had inquired about bartending and is willing to stay for 3 months. Well now i'm in a pickle! Of course I need to place priority on the backpacker who can stay longer so I had to talk to the Kiwis (New Zealanders) and told them I can only take on one of them. And if that's the case, I don't know how keen they'll be on just hanging out while one of them works for free room and 1/2 of board. Being a manager is teaching me a kind of responsibility I hadn't learned before and I like it!

On another note- I had a wonderful day. I went to lunch with 2 Swedes, and an Englishman. I took them to Don Pollo- a delicious restaurant where I go to eat Pollo a la Brasa- Peruvian rotisserie chicken. For 8.5 Soles (10 if you want a soda included) you get the soup of the day, 1/4 of the juiciest, most flavorful Peruvian chicken, french fries, and salad! We all ordered the same thing except Justin, the Englishman who asked for no soup because he doesn't eat beef and I made sure to ask what kind of animal was used to make the broth. The server insisted that he could bring the soup without any beef in it but he didn't seem to understand that because there was cow in the water with which the soup was made, he wouldn't consume it. Peruvians just don't understand this concept. So while Justin asked for extra fries instead of soup, the waiter still insisted on bringing Justin some soup to try because apparently he makes delicious soup. The gentleman in Justin unwrapped his silverware and dipped his spoon into his soup then placed it back on the napkin never letting the soup part his lips so that the waiter would think that he had tasted it. The boys were pleased with lunch and we went back to the hostel so I could prepare for my afternoon shift. The afternoon was mellow and Matt from Scotland showed up at 8pm so I could brief him in the workings of the bar. I hired Matt the second he told me he could stay for three months and that he has worked in bars for three years. Plus he has an awesome sense of humor so I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship! During my afternoon shift, I had the pleasure of entertaining a Brazilian and two Chileans and they even taught me a few new words. I asked if they needed any recommendations for places to go for dinner and they then asked me where the closest supermarket was so that they could buy ingredients to prepare an asado- a south american barbecue with lightly seasoned meat using just salt and sometimes pepper. I excitedly asked if I could take part if I made a financial contribution to which they were ecstatic that I wanted to join them! When my shift ended at 9pm, I was greeted by three handsome latinos preparing three different salsas- one with onion, cilantro, oil and vinegar, another with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and vinegar, and the last with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, and aji- a Peruvian hot pepper. Delish!! Now if you're reading this and you sort of know me, you know that cooking is one of my passions in life, especially cooking for other people. But having 3 attractive latinos cooking for me was an entirely new experience and boy did I enjoy it! They cooked enough food for a small army and I spent the evening sipping on beer, scooping salsas, laughing, and eventually eating lots of meat! One by one the hostel stayers and staff made they're way up to the rooftop terrace to see what was going on, have a chat, and ultimately eating food with us. I was a bit annoyed when I asked the Chileans who I should pay and how much I owed, that they wanted exactly 1/4 of the total bill making my contribution 25 Soles when we ended up feeding nearly the entire hostel. In the end, you can't put a price on good food and even better company so i sucked it up. I have a Skype meeting at 11:30am (technically this morning) with the owner and the Marketing Director to discuss my job and how things have been thus far and I think they'll be pleased. And today is officially the 5 week mark for my return home. Get readyyyyy!

Carlitos Way

Carlitos is my tall, dark and handsome Chilean bartender. The second I met him and looked into his eyes I could tell that there was sadness deep inside of him. I am really into psychology and learning about people, asking questions to dig deeper into their psyche, and ultimately listening to what they have to share with me, I made it a goal to get to know Carlitos and learn as much about him as possible. My first official day at the hostel I spent 6 hours with him on the terrace bullshitting, practicing Spanish and answering Carlitos' questions about English and clarifying the stupid rules we have in our language. I began asking Carlos questions about his family and he seemed reluctant to answer and included few details which for me was a sign that a) Carlos has a familial history that makes him sad and b) it wasn't quite the time to dig deeper. I told him I could tell a lot about him just from looking into his eyes which I think initially he thought was bullshit, but I went on to prove him wrong. I looked into Carlos' dark passionate eyes and told him that I could feel that he had sisters. I was overcome with calmness and continued to read his energy. I told him that he had a close relationship with his mom and that the women in his life affect him greatly. I could truly see his deep love for his mom and I sensed that the situation was getting too intensely accurate for him and stopped. Carlos looked at me like he had seen a ghost and asked me if I was bullshitting him. I really wasn't- I guess i'm just a good people reader. It turns out that I could not have been more accurate in reading his feelings. I'm no psychic, I just read energy really well and Carlos is easy to read no matter how much he tries to hide his feelings. On another note, Carlos is a shitty bartender. One thing you must know is that until about a week ago, 5 guests was considered a busy night for the hostel. The months of January and February were very wet months, making tourism for the canyon here in Arequipa a not so desired place to visit. When Carlitos decided to take on this job, he saw it as something easy with few responsibilities, being able to goof off when he wanted. During his shift, if no one is in the bar, he'll spend his time smoking pot out on the terrace. Carlos likes to smoke a lot of pot which I am fine with, but when it comes to responsibilities in the bar, as his boss, I expect him to be somewhat more attentive, ensuring that no one is in the bar waiting for a beer- the main moneymaker of having a party hostel with a bar but Carlos just doesn't seem to make that his priority. Two nights ago after a semi-busy night in the bar, I sat out on the terrace with Carlos and finally attempted to dig deeper into his life story with an ultimate goal of learning as much about him as possible. I asked what Carlos studied in college, what kind of job he had after his studies and for how long. I asked about his sister and I could tell his emotion changed. He proceeded to tell me that he was extremely proud of his sister for graduating from college just 3 months ago and landing a very important job. I asked Carlos why he decided to travel and what kinds of things he hopes to get out of traveling. Like a lot of people who decide to go traveling, Carlos wants to find himself and learn who he is, where he's going in life, and figure out who he wants to be. He told me about the small town of just 50,000 people where he's from in Chile and that the reason he likes Arequipa is because it reminds him of home. With some resistance as he could tell where our conversation was going, Carlos told me that his mom lives alone in Chile and has raised two wonderful children, witnessing their accomplishments alone for the last nine years. And then it came out, like it had been boiling inside of him and he needed to express himself. Carlos' dad died 9 years ago. In spanish he told me 'he was the entire world.' The tears began rolling down my face. With more and more hesitance, Carlos said 'and his birthday is tomorrow.' I was officially borderline bawling. Carlitos' story was just another reminder of how lucky I am. I cried more and more as we sat in silence. It was now 3am and backpackers were waking up to leave for their 2 day hike into the Colca Canyon. I wiped the tears from my face and the snot from my nose as people came out onto the terrace with their backpacks. Carlos and I didn't say another word to each other. After he briefly chatted with the other Chilean preparing for his trek, Carlos stood up, went to his room, and didn't come back out. After I cried for another 5 minutes alone on the terrace, thinking about how much I love my family and how I can't wait to hug them and tell them in person, I decided to brush my teeth and head to bed to rest up for Saint Patrick's day in our bar the next day. For the Saint Patrick's Day fiesta I bought (all green) ribbon, balloons, face paint, nail polish, food coloring, gelatin for jello shots, and the best of them all; a neon green watch! Saturday afternoon I was invited to watch/play in a recreational futbol game. Because the only shoes I brought to Arequipa are flip flops and my waterproof hiking keen sandals, I opted to watch the cute and incredibly in shape 20 something year old latinos play futbol. There were 10 players and the teams were split up between Peruvians and the rest of the world which consisted of 2 Uruguayans, 1 Chilean, 1 Dutch, and 1 English who ultimately lost; 8-1. Everyone was either sleeping at the hostel, working there, or a friend of an employee I had fun shouting vulgar comments in spanish when fouls were made, goals were scored, and players collided practicing all the dirty vocabulary I have learned over the last almost 7 months. After almost an hour, the organizer of the league came by to let us know we had 5 more minutes to play until the next match began with 2 new teams. The cost to play is 50 Soles for 1 hour which is then divided amongst those playing so only 5 Soles per person (about $1.88). I went to lunch with the reception manager Kate from Quebec after the match to a Turkish restaurant that a friend back in Lima told me about. I had a kebab sandwich which is the equivalent of schwarma. It was  so delicious I wish it never ended. I also had a tall glass of chica morada which is a sweet purple corn drink. 'Back in the day' this was an alcoholic beverage made by Peruvian woman by chewing the corn and spitting the juicy saliva into a bucket. The enzymes in women's saliva causes a special fermentation process. Luckily in modern days in high occupancy modern cities, this method is not used anymore for sanitary reasons and it's not alcoholic either. Upon returning to the hostel after lunch with kate, I decorated the bar with the previously purchased supplies, painted my finger and toe nails, and made the jello shots. The polish and watch were personal purchases, otherwise I had a budget of 20 Soles for decorations and green supplies and the bargainer in me managed to not only stay under budget, but only spent 12.50! Holler! The afternoon shift was calm, as suspected and I planned my menu around what I could drop food coloring into. We had (again, all green) pisco sours, frozen lemonades with vodka, screw drivers, and I even managed to sneak drops of food coloring into the tinted beer bottles which were then poured into chilled beer mugs giving the consumer a pleasant green surprise! I ended up with green hands by the end of the night from all the dye! During Carlos' shift from 9-1am, he spent more time chatting up the hot American (hahaha not me) from Seattle, smoking outside, or playing pool than he was behind the busy bar. Kate, the reception manager ended up helping ME out while I worked for Carlos. I had to ask him on 3 occasions to please wash the piled up glasses int he sink so we didn't run out. I was constantly making laps around the bar and the 2 terraces on the first level collecting empty beer bottles and empty glasses. During some down time and after a tequila shot, Kate told me that we needed to do something about Carlos. She jumped straight to wanting to let him know we no longer need his services and that she would rather help fill in at the bar than have Carlos because he's 82% useless. I agreed to a certain extent, felt guilty for the next 3 hours, but was reminded every few minutes why he was not a good worker when I saw him playing pool while Kate and I served drinks during HIS shift. Then when Kate asked him to refill the beer in the fridge because we were running low and they needed 30 minutes to completely chill, Kate found him outside smoking pot. That was officially the last straw. I decided to let him finish the weekend and tell him on Monday. Carlos and I ended up going up to the roof to wind down after we finally closed the bar and kicked the outsiders out by 2:45am. Then we went at it again and starting talking about the deep stuff. I thanked Carlos for opening up and feeling comfortable to share with me. He then thanked me for indirectly encouraging him to express himself. Again, I started tearing up as I told him that he reminded me how we often times take the people for granted who we love the most. I love my family very much, each person in their own special way and I can't imagine if I had prematurely lost a member of my immediate family. Carlos lost his father decades too early which still haunts him. I don't know how his father died, and I don't feel comfortable asking at this point, but I strongly feel that Carlos needs to talk it out- it's the love of psychology in me that thinks it'll make him feel better- it always does. I stood up and asked Carlos for a hug and we held each other for probably two minutes. He told me not to cry to which I replied that I was sorry. I asked if crying women make him uncomfortable and sadly, he replied, 'no, i'm used to it' and then he began crying. We had such a special moment together- the kind of moments I live for. I took a hot shower washing the green paint from my face and slept really heavily. I don't think Carlos and I will ever look at each other the same, especially after I fire him.

Camera

Not too much big news, but lots of little stories and side notes to share. So. Patrick is a 40 year old from New Caledonia. Yes, New Caledonia. Ten bucks says you have never heard of it and you're pulling up google maps to see where it is. Go ahead. I'll wait. So as you can see, it's a French island not too far from the coast of Australia. Patrick frequents The Point in Lima as he is a business developer and is building work for himself in South America and stays there as opposed to hotels. The staff all know him and enjoy his company. It's funny- Patrick's French accent is so thick that I can understand his Spanish better than his English when he talks to me. I said farewell to Patrick when I left Lima because I knew I wouldn't be seeing him before my flight back to D.C. (which is in 6 weeks by the way...). Welp I was sitting in the terrace 3 nights ago when someone came up behind me and asked me what I was doing at The Point in Arequipa. It was Patrick! What a sight for sore eyes! Seeing a familiar face of someone I had spent nearly 5 months hanging out with off and on was such a treat! Patrick showed up with Nicolas and Laurent, also from New Caledonia but their English was near perfect as opposed to Patrick's. The next day the guys checked out and decided to go to a hotel for 15 Soles more per night for private rooms each. I suppose the men in their 40s decided they wanted a bit more privacy even though the hostel isn't very occupied right now. On another note, another man in his early 40s has been staying at the hostel for almost a week while his car is getting fixed. Andy (his birth name is Anass- I kid you not, I saw his passport) from Morocco has lived in Dupont, Washington D.C. for 20 years, worked as a software Engineer for 10 saving up to take 2 years off to tour the U.S., Central America, and South America. Andy bought a Honda Element and 5 professional cameras for this trip and he's 1.5 years in. Andy is a fascinatingly brilliant man who happens to only talk about himself, but for the most part, I enjoy listening. I had asked Andy to help me with a favor getting my digital camera fixed. Last week I walked by a repair shop with a man fixing a camera and decided to ask how much he would charge to clean my lens. When Jason and I went Sandboarding back in January, I got some of the ultra-fine sand stuck in the lens and you could even hear the scratching of the sand against the metal when I turned my camera on or zoomed in on something- not pleasant. Welp when I first inquired about a price, I was told he would charge 100 Soles for the size and brand of my camera which is about $37. It's funny- back in the states I would have considered damage like this irreversible and settled on buying a new camera so in retrospect, $37 to repair my $200 ish digital camera was not unreasonable- if I lived in the states. Ultimately, I knew this guy was trying to charge me a gringa tax and that a Peruvian who brought in the same camera would pay at least 20 Soles less. I disappointedly told him that was too expensive and that I didn't want to pay more than 60 Soles. I let him know I was going to walk around and get some more price quotes, returning in a day or 2. After discussing with Andy his camera repair prices in South America, I was more and more convinced that I was being ripped off. He told me that I shouldn't pay more than 70-80 Soles. I decided to ask the 21 year old Peruvian Hostel Manager, Chris to come with me to drop off the camera. We had planned that I would wait outside because the shop owner had already given me a price quote. When Chris and Andy (who also tagged along) came out of the store where I had initially gotten an estimate of 100 Soles, they asked me if I would be willing to pay 95. Luckily they were joking and let me know that Chris got the guy to do it for 50 Soles! Wow. This guy was willing to accept 50 Soles, meaning he gave me a 100% markup. Just goes to show a) how inexpensive things are in South America b) gringa tax is a real thing c) ALWAYS bargain. I gave Chris a kiss on the cheek, graciously thanking him and bought the boys each an empanada. I also dragged them around town because I sort of forgot where exactly the store was and only remembered the general vicinity and it was hot outside. I was grateful! Andy came with me later that evening to pick it up and sure thing- only 50 Soles. I now have a fully functioning camera- yay!

I still have that icky cold and haven't wanted to bring it around the kids at the school where I had decided to volunteer so I still haven't started! Hopefully i'll be ready to go on Monday.

Nasty Flu

Life in Arequipa has been pretty low key. My schedule is somewhat easy and sometimes boring so I am looking forward to volunteering with the kids come Monday. Unfortunately, I woke up with a gross cold 2 days back and have been trying very hard to take care of myself. Apparently something has been going around but I think I can attribute my new found sickness to the climate change. It gets pretty chilly here at night- in fact, I can see my breath right now when I exhale which is a huge change from the heat and humidity of Lima where the average temperature was about 32 celsius. Teo, the flamingly fabulous flamboyant receptionist recommended a medication for me to purchase at the pharmacy and you will laugh your socks off when you read the name; Nastiflu. Ha! How lovely? It's strange to be able to walk to a pharmacy and explain your symptoms to the certified pharmacists who then recommend a remedy. No appointments available 3 days later with the doctor, no waiting rooms, and no cold probes down my throat. I am confident that these professionals know what they're doing and if for some reason I believed I had something serious going on, I would definitely make an appointment to see a doctor. On the bright side, I have learned lots of new vocabulary words in Spanish from being sick like the word for booger and the verb for laying in bed (as opposed to going to sleep). I have been spending my sick time watching a TV show called The Wire which takes place in Baltimore. Seeing street signs and even hearing familiar voices of DJs from the area on stations like wtop and 9.23fm makes me smile! In an episode I watched today, I even saw Camden Yards, the Orioles' baseball stadium! Makes me miss home a little bit and want to see my family, but there are so many places in our world to see and I can't picture myself sitting at a 9-5 watching the time go by like I did in my last job. I need to get out, meet people, and see the world and right now in my life, I will do everything I can to travel as much while I have the opportunity. I'm not even sure if I see myself permanently settling down in the United States (don't worry mom, this might just be a phase). I have less than 2 months left in Peru and on my agenda is seeing the Colca Canyon and then hopping on over to Bolivia since the border is only about a 4 hour bus ride. I want to see La Paz and the Amazon (how could I not? I am SO close)! May 4th is quickly approaching us (holy crap it's March and today is daylight savings!) and I already have visions of me at the airport with my luggage saying goodbye to Peru...

Who's The Boss?

Hahaha remember that tv show? Well it's my life right now, but in a different context. I am officially the new bar manager at The Point Hostel in Arequipa, Peru, a chain of hostels notorious for their parties, awesome atmosphere, and high energy night life after our hostel bars close at 1am often taking the party on through into the morning. When I arrived, I noticed a familiar face sleeping in the bed next to mine; Claudia the backpacker being fired so I could take her place. She got out of bed and asked me what I was doing in Arequipa. Woops! Looks like Claudia hadn't yet been informed that I was replacing her...awkward! I simply said that I had come to work in the bar to which she excitedly responded 'yay!' After showering and making her rounds as bar manager, she returned to our room to let me know she had was informed that she had been fired. Surprisingly nothing was too awkward and she wished me luck in making the bar a bigger success than she did. Claudia stuck around for another 5 days answering my questions and doing as little as possible to properly train me. Claudia left on Tuesday leaving behind 2 bar staff; Carlos from Chile and Elsa from France. Carlos is kind of lazy and doesn't party too hard. He only leaves the hostel to eat and pretty much spends the day watching tv or chatting with Bruno and Laila from Argentina. I often times participate in their conversations being able to understand about 72% of what they say because of the speed in which the native Spanish speakers converse and because they use a lot of slang. Occasionally I get a chance to respond when I can find a pause to insert a comment. They're pretty good at answering my questions when I gently interrupt for a definition, explanation, or clarification. The staff in reception are wonderful; the reception manager Kate is from Quebéc, Guillermo is from from Peru and is Kate's adorable boyfriend, the recently promoted hostel manager Chris is from Peru, and Teo- the wonderfully flamboyant curly-headed Peruvian also works in reception and assists with party planning. The staff is great and spends a lot of time together like a family. There happens to be a kitchen that is supposed to have a chef, but the hostel is somewhat empty these days so there is no need for one which allows us to cook in the kitchen. We're supposed to pay 3 Soles for use of the gas which I haven't abided by yet, mostly because I am supposed to receive 4 Soles for my staff meal each day because one isn't being provided. We'll just call it a wash! There is a wonderful open air market with all of one's cooking essentials where the best produce is sold. I went there a few days back and got some wonderful treats but was completely taken advantage of in terms of what I paid. My Gringa price for the produce purchased (5 figs, 2 peaches, 1 mandarin, 1 avocado, 2 plums, 5 mini bananas, 3 carrots) was 14 Soles. The price for a Peruvian would have been 7 Soles. I learned my lesson. Sometimes I am easily taken advantage of because when I think in terms of American prices, I consider my tab to be reasonable. But when I know how cheap it is for natives, I understandably get frustrated! I should have known better but things like this only happen the first time! I'll probably go back to the same man, let him know that I know what he did, and continue to give him my business, but only for a much more reasonable price considering how much produce I eat. I eat very little meat these days when I cook for myself and get my protein from peanut butter that Jason brought me when he visited in January (thanks mom!) and beans because it's such a staple in the Peruvian diet. I do a little bit of exploring around the plaza each day and spend a lot of time in the open air market where you can find everything from tomatoes, incense, cow tongue, wooden spoons, mysterious fruit, 19 different kinds of corn, 89 different kinds of potatoes, and goat penis.

There were 3 Israelis staying here for a few days before going to the Colca Canyon; the main attraction here in Arequipa. The Canyon is twice as big and twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Ilya, Tamir, and Alex had been out of the army for 1 year and are traveling before beginning college. Their first night here was Tamir's 23rd birthday and his friends bought him a cake which they didn't hesitate to share with the bar manager! We spent the evening playing drinking games and closed the bar at 12:30am as to get to the disco by 12:45. Deja Vu, the disco was pretty tranquilo, actually rather bumpin according to Elsa considering the fact that it was a Monday night but we all decided to participate in Tamir's birthday celebration. Gabriela, a bar tender at Deja Vu who is friendly with Elsa had come by in the afternoon with drink promotion cards for 1 free drink. We had the choice of a Rum & Coke (called a Cuba Libre) or a shot of Tequila. Welp I don't drink soda and haven't for about 3 years so good thing I like shots of Tequila! We stayed for about an hour until Alex, the best looking Israeli (former soldier) who had been flirting with me for some time now was hit on by a gay man. I think at that point Alex had decided he was finished with Deja Vu and Tamir accepted the fact that there weren't going to be any big parties for him to celebrate his birthday on a slow Monday night in Arequipa, Peru. We went back to the hostel, grabbed a few more beers from the bar, sat around and talked for another hour, and headed to bed around 3am. One of our discussion topics was hummus and how much the Israelis miss it. Welp- our bar has a blender (not quite a food processor but it'll do) and garbanzo beans come in bulk bags at the market! Lauren the chef+hot israelis who want to eat hummus= hummus day! When I woke up on Tuesday I went in search for some chick peas and my other ingredients needed for homemade hummus. I found everything except tahini which wasn't so surprising. I soaked the beans over night and cooked them in some salted water on Thursday. Well when I went to put a dash of salt in from the bag, a HUGE clump fell out leaving me with 98% saturated with sodium flavored chick peas. I was hoping that with enough plain water in the blender, I could mask the saltiness. False. While the boys appreciated my efforts and flattered me by consuming more than I thought would have been tolerable, I was unable to allow more than 2 bites of hummus to part my lips. I was so disappointed because I really can make delicious hummus! So the Israelis left yesterday and I have been sad ever since. They were super fun! I went to bed with a little bit of a frog in my throat last night hoping that it would be a fluke in the morning. False again. The frog is still there and now my nose is dripping. I made some carrot soup with onions and garlic and pureed it in our blender in the bar for me to eat for dinner later tonight. When I went out to buy an onion for the carrots and garlic that I already had, I walked a different way away from the central plaza. I wish I had done that beforehand because things are much cheaper and more homey. I stumbled across a restaurant selling Menu for lunch. I know I have explained Menu before but basically it's an appetizer, entrée, and beverage usually made of fruit juice diluted with water. I got a big bowl of hot soup followed by a plate piled high with rice, salad of tomato and cucumber, a few french fries, and a chicken filet (pounded thin so as to stretch their supply as far as possible) all for 5 Soles (about $1.88). After feeling wonderfully satisfied from my home cooked meal made in the kitchen of someone's house and brought to me in their living room which had been turned into a seating area for their restaurant made me happy to support a family business. I left the restaurant where I will definitely be going back and wandered down a side street. When I realized I needed to get back to my boiling carrots, I made a U turn and headed back to the hostel which was only about 5 blocks away. I came across a school for young children which from the description on the banners looked like a pre-K or head start program. I had a thought; what if this school takes volunteers? It's 1.5 blocks from where I live, I love children, and if they don't make me pay anything, it would be a great way to occupy my spare time! I strolled on in and proceeded to ask the woman at the desk handing out fliers and accepting enrollments from parents about volunteer opportunities. She seemed thrilled that I was interested in her school and I was thrilled that she didn't tell me they didn't have any opportunities! The woman didn't really ask me any questions about past experience with children but told me that the school day is from 8am-3pm and the children are in diapers through 5 years old. She then went on and said something about 300 Soles, just as I was thinking I was pleased I wasn't going to have to get involved in money. I looked at her a little puzzled and somewhat disappointed. Confused by my reaction, the woman said 300 Soles again to which i said 'I don't understand.' I asked if I pay 300 Soles and again, the woman looked at me and smiled and explained that she will pay me 300 Soles per month! Holy cow! I went from running low on finances, to finding the paid manager position which includes my room and 1 meal per day, then offering to volunteer with cute little kids and finding out I get paid for that as well! I have to be at school at 8am on Monday when school starts! I gleefully walked back to the hostel, sautéed my onion and garlic and simmered my already cooked carrots all together to let the flavors meld. I threw it all in a blender, then into a container, and stuck it in the fridge. Now i'm going to lay down and drink some chamomile tea in hopes that continuously hydrating myself will reduce the shelf life of my inconvenient cold!

Señora Tina

I arrived this morning in the beautiful city of Arequipa from an 18 hour bus journey from Lima. My bus left at 6:30pm Wednesday evening and I arrived just after noon on Thursday. Luckily I was able to sleep for a decent amount of the trip and even made sure to stretch every once in a while because thanks to my cousin Judy who suggested that my swollen legs and feet from my last long bus journey (8 hours followed by 14) could have been from a lack of movement and not from a mosquito allergy, I monitored my lower extremities and everything was a-okay! So this all started two days ago when I was approached by the manager at The Point, Lima who asked me if I wanted to be the bar manager in Lima. Puzzled, I asked what was going to happen to Rob to which I was told he was a shitty bar manager and was going to be fired. Well as Rob's faithful platonic wife and bff (and because I have already spent nearly 6 months in Lima) I respectfully and appreciatively declined the offer. Lima would have been a quick fix and an on the spot exchange of duties which ultimately would have been easy for the management team at The Point but then the second offer came; go to Arequipa to be the new bar manager; the position I was initially going to take back in December but then changed my mind after feeling I had made a rather rash decision. This could not have been more perfect timing because I was desperately looking for something to do to occupy my time where I wouldn't be spending a lot of money- preferably a place where I could work in exchange for free room and board. I was considering WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farmers) where I could work on a farm and learn all about organic farming. While manual labor outside in the dirt with bugs and sweat is not my favorite pastime, I recognize that some of our best lessons in life are learned from doing the things we may not want to do. Living an organic lifestyle that isn't detrimental to the environment is also important to me- like keeping composts, having free range chickens, and conserving as much as possible. Welp- no dirt for me because I was told there was a spot for me in Arequipa and that the current manager would be fired as soon as I got on the bus in Lima to make sure I actually go to Arequipa this time! I got the hostel before 1pm which is located just 2 blocks from the main square; Plaza de Armas and is located in a precious building. There needs to be some work done, especially by someone with a lot of initiative and creative visions, (yours truly)! I have a lot of neat ideas for making the bar a bit livelier and hopefully the rest will come; drink sales! The Point Arequipa is in a new-to-them location much closer to the happenings of Arequipa but not everyone knows about the address change; taxi drivers, travel book editors, bus stations so it's important to do some advertising. I am really excited to be here and will gradually be turning this place around starting with taking the 2 empty and non functioning toilet bowls on the roof terrace and turning them into potted plants yeehaw!

Side note: we watched a lame movie on the bus ride called Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez- the Disney channel girl. The plot is completely and utterly unimportant, but a dull character in the movie discovers her more adventurous side and the last scene of the movie is the dull girl and her new hot Australian boyfriend hiking to the top of Machu Picchu! I have the SAME picture with the ruins in the background that they showed in the movie...cool!!

Another side note; a lovely girl named Michal (Jewish and American) began working in the bar in Lima. She is from Philly and has a master's degree in Human Sexuality so naturally she is open to every one and their life story especially if it has to do with sexuality. Because we lay low when it comes to discos on Sunday and Monday nights, she decided it would be a good idea to promote sexual acceptance and use Sunday nights as gay club night. This was all of course fine with me as I have friends of all shapes, sizes and sexual preferences back home and am quite comfortable in most if not all situations. To be honest, I have no idea what the name of the bar was that we went to but the ratio of men to women was 10:1. Any chance I got to make eye contact with an attractive man, I quickly realized he was ONLY talking to men. This is definitely not a place for straight women to come to pick up straight men because there were 5 in the whole club who were dragged out with their gay friends. At 3am there was a drag show (obviously all in Spanish) and the MC had the most fabulous breasts I have seen in a very long time. Some of the other drag queens simply stuffed their shirts but there were a select few with obvious butt and breast implants. One tranny even had hair just like mine and my friend Aaron mistook her for me! Once she turned around and you saw her manly face covered in makeup, it was a different story! I was eventually overwhelmed by all the gay men grabbing me and my hair and spinning me around so I decided to go home around 4am. I was also annoyed that half of my 15 Soles margarita ($5.66 and pretty expensive) was spilled shortly after receiving it when someone bumped into me. I think I would go back if I was in a better mood to party and shake my tush.

Ok. Señora Tina. Tina is a 40 something woman who looks worn down on the outside. Tina works as a cleaning woman at The Point Lima 5 days a week for 8 hours and makes 25 Soles per shift (about $9.43). Tina is a very sweet woman and for the nearly 6 months (not all consecutive) I stayed at The Point, I greeted her with huge hugs, bright smiles, and happiness without missing a day. Tina wouldn't hurt a fly. A few months back I thought my ipod was stolen and it was recovered by Tina 2 months after I had accepted it's unfortunate destiny. It was in the bar all along! I nearly cried in Tina's arms out of sheer joy that I now had my portable music back! Liz, the younger, more obnoxious and less hard-working, more gossipy woman told Tina that when she finds expensive or nice things around the hostel that backpackers leave behind, she could sell them and make a profit! Looking at Tina, I could tell in her eyes that her conscience was too innocent for such acts and my heart melted even more. Tina goes about her business every day cleaning up after backpackers, unclogging toilets when people flush the toilet paper that should have been placed in a trash bin, mopping vomit from irresponsible and hungover backpacking teenagers, sweeps broken glass one breaks in the bar, makes beds and throws away dirty presents left behind. Basically this woman is a saint and called me her 'hijita' which means little daughter even though she can comfortably rest her head conveniently between my bosom. I decided when I left for Ecuador I was going to give Tina a small gift in appreciation for helping me wrap up bleeding fingers from the few times the dull knife in the bar slipped, or giving me some home remedies to fix an upset tummy, making my bed, and the other countless things she unnecessarily did for me just because I greeted her with a smile and spent time chatting with her. I bought her a gift Wednesday morning knowing I would give it to her that evening before my departure. When Tina came in for her shift at 1pm on Wednesday, I greeted her with my shiny smile and embraced her with my long arms, asking her how she was on this fine day. Before she could even answer, Tina teared up and said she was ok. Lies. I took her by the hand and walked her into my dorm room where I knew the inhabitants were not present. Tina even brought her mop along. She broke down crying and explained to me that she hadn't been paid yet for the month of February. While she went on and on venting I picked up broken pieces between the tears and came to find out that she was asked to work an extra shift at her second job which pays her 10 Soles per shift ($3.77) but I am not sure how many hours, and she has to buy her 13 year old son new shoes and feed her family as she is the only one who works. Her parents also live with her whom she provides for and Tina then showed me the 5 inch scar on her stomach where she had stitches (and possibly an operation) in the hospital which was caused by her ex-husband but again, between the tears and the fast spanish, I am not 100% sure what he had done to her but it didn't matter, it was bad. By this time I am crying and hugging Tina every couple of sentences and wiping her eyes. I knew this was the perfect time to give Señora Tina the present from me. I reached into my back pocket and handed her a giftcard worth 50 Soles ($18.86) to the supermarket around the corner. Tina was speechless. Her family would be able to eat. I gave her 2 day's wages of what she earns working at The point so she could feed her family. While my money supplies are running low and I am trying to be frugal, I knew that Tina needed this way more than me. She embraced me with her small but round frame and told me that she had always wanted a daughter to which I replied 'Soy su hija' which means 'I am your daughter.' Of course I started crying more, reached over to my left wrist and removed a red an black beaded bracelet, a popular touristy purchase amongst travelers which is believed to bring good luck. I had received this bracelet from my friend Emily who I met up with in Ecuador and just knew that Tina had to have it. I gently stretched the bracelet around her fingers and slid it on to her hard working hand and hugged her again. I am going to miss Tina for the 2 months I plan to stay in Arequipa but I will be taking her out for a nice dinner- just me and her to thank her for being the woman she is. She needs to hear it and most of all, deserves to hear it. It's so important to remember how fortunate we are in every life scenario because there is always someone on the other side who's got it way worse. After reading this, I hope that some of you are inspired to make a donation to a charity, buy a homeless person a sandwich (not just handing him or her 5 bucks) or help an old man carry his groceries. It's the little things that count and knowing that you made a difference in someone's life for just a few moments, possibly their entire week should be completely worth it.