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!
