PERUVIAN FASHION ADVENTURES

Sexy Seaside Scenario

hissyfitfashion — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:21:00 GMT

Sorry for the lack of updates recently….and sorry for this rather long update, but it's been a while since I've written.

I guess I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy….I started more fashion classes a few weeks ago (pattern making class twice a week for 3 hours each day and a 3 hour draping class once a week). My teacher, Sophia Cenzano, is great, and she speaks English fluently!!! HALLELLUJAH! She’s teaching me one on one, which is amazing, because I get to learn what I want to learn. There are other students in the studio, too, usually, working on their own projects, and they are very nice and helpful. There’s also a colorful character, Aida, who works for Sophia, that I LOVE. She doesn’t speak English, but she is HILARIOUS and we get along great. She always starts singing right around noon and she likes to take my fabric and drape it on her body into gowns and such. She’s a very talented seamstress, so she also helps me if Sophia is busy with something else. It’s working out extremely well and I’m learning a lot. Yesterday,in fact, I created a pattern for a t-shirt and for a pair of pants sewed both of them...a whole outfit from scratch in one day! The fabric looks like wet patterned vinyl...very cool. And today, I started draping a very haute couture looking dress on one of Sophia's dress forms....It's looking like a wedding gown for a princess.

Last week, I went on a spur of the moment vacation getaway to visit my friend Cesar up in the Northern part of Peru by Puira to his friend’s guest house on the beach. It’s always warm there. It was low season, so it was very quiet and peaceful…we did a lot of relaxing by the pool and by the beach. If you are coming to Peru and want a beachside getaway with some really nice people, let me know and I'll hook you up with Cesar and his friends. It was really the first time I’ve kind of just relaxed since I’ve been here (unless you count my imprisonment in the hospital for a month). Here’s some seaside pics of Cesar and I:

And for those of you wondering about my foot....I'm happy to report that it is doing MUCH better. I’m walking around solo now….If I know I’m going to be walking a whole lot, I might consider using the cane, just in case, but for the most part, I’m walking around on my own two feet (but I still have a bit of a limp and depending on how much I’ve been walking it’s anywhere from not too noticeable to a definite limp)….at least I’m walking on my own, though, and it is getting better every day. So YIPPPEEEE!!!!

I’m still teaching English, too, and have made a few more friends, so life is pretty good. I really miss everyone and SF, though. I’m coming for a visit in September after New York Fashion Week and will be there in full force just in time for Folsom Street Fair………then, I'm not sure yet, but I think it's likely that I'll come back to Lima in October for more fashion studies, teaching English, improving my Spanish, working with Sergio some more, etc. I think maybe I’ll stay in Lima from October for four months until NY Fashion Week in February or maybe for 6 months, and then try to relocate back to either SF, but more likely LA or NY.

It all depends on where the work is really…..My heart is, and will always be, in SF. If I can figure out how to do what I want to do there, I would like to end up back in SF.....and don't even get me started thinking about missing my first Burning Man in 16 years. It's surreal to NOT be in planning mode for the desert....Boo Hoo!!!

It’s all kind of up in the air, but I’m very ok with that. I’m relatively happy, I'm learning lots of fashion techniques, having new experiences, and making some money with the teaching gigs...so Peru is good for me now...but also looking forward to coming home...even if it it ends up being just for a visit.

MY 14 SECOND VIIDEO B-DAY CARD and Look MA NO CRUTCHES!!!

hissyfitfashion — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 01:30:00 GMT

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150233316538958

Thanks to my good friend Ben Wa for this Card video he sent me exactly a year ago on my Birthday.....I could watch this over and over again......CLASSIC!!!! This was the gibberish language that my sister and I invented when we were kids and used when we were feeling goofy! This video ALWAYS makes me laugh if I'm ever feeling down!

On another note, my goal was to be walking without crutches or a cane by my Birthday and last night just before midnight I put myself in a cab and went to a club for the first time in 3 months on my own two feet. It felt great....Still have a limp but I DID IT!!!

My big rooftop Birthday fiesta is tonight! NO CRUTCHES!!! YIPPEEEE!!!!!!

My Birthday PARTY and Meet Adriana

hissyfitfashion — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 23:17:00 GMT

Now I know the majority of you reading this, unfortunately, won't be able to make it to my Birthday party this Saturday night, but I wanted to send you the invitation regardless. My most loyal (and most fashionable) friend here in Lima, Adriana Malnati, took the picture and created this groovy invite for me. The reason I mention her is that my girl is moving to San Francisco in just two short months to attend the SF Art Institute's Fashion Design program!

I trust when you meet my baby, that you will give her a extra special warm SF welcome. She arrives August 20th and will be living in SF for the next three years. If anyone happens to know of an available (short or preferably long term) room for rent around that time, I'd be ecstatic to hook her up with some great roommates.

Adriana is a total sweetheart, responsible, highly intelligent, fluent in English/Spanish, funny, respectful and super creative and fun (and did I mention ultra chic). She's been a huge support for me here in Lima with all my broken foot trials and tribulations and has become a tremendous friend and fashion soul mate. In fact, she's practically family, especially since she met up with my parents and Uncle and Aunt in New York for dinner a couple of weeks ago when they all were coincidentally visiting at the same time.

I can't wait for all my SF peeps to meet Queen Adriana because I know you'll love her as much as I do. She has never been to SF and is beyond excited for her big move to SF. So, any leads on reasonably priced living situations would be greatly appreciated. You can email Adriana directly at: leanan10@gmail.com. Or, write to me and I'll be delighted to make any introductions. Here's some pics of Adriana....I'm sad that she's leaving Peru, but I'm so happy and excited for her to move to SF and start her own big fsahion adventure!!!

I'll send some pics of me soon that Adriana took for my Birthday invite fashion photo shoot on my fabulous rooftop deck.

My Day With Shirley Manson from Garbage

hissyfitfashion — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:15:00 GMT

When I was in L.A. this past January, I had the wonderful opportunity to assist my longtime friend, Donald Simrock, on makeup for a photo shoot for Interview Magazine with rock star Shirley Manson from Garbage. Even after 10 hours of numerous outfit, hair extensions and make-up changes, Shirley was amazingly sweet and completely unpretentious.

For the picture above, I literally had to hold triangle cuts out from a sticky sheet of clear plastic against Shirley's face, while Donald expertly airbrushed the makeup over her eyes to get this mask effect. This was the last look we did after an all day shoot that didn't wrap until well after dark and Shirley was sooooo nice the entire time....

Here's more pics from the shoot and here's a link to Shirley's interview with the one and only Blondie, a.k.a. Debbie Harry, for Interview Magazine.

h ttp://girldontcome.canalblog.com/archives/2012/04/18/24043590.html

The View

hissyfitfashion — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:25:00 GMT

I just realized that I never properly communicated just how astonishing the view from my bedroom is. Picture this…

My apartment is one block from the ocean and is on the top floor and I have a corner unit that overlooks the ocean, a bridge and buildings, with an uninhabited island in the distance (on clearer days). The amazing thing about it is that two of the four walls that comprise my room are more or less floor to ceiling windows, so when I pull my curtains, it’s like living in a cube overlooking the world. One “wall” is a floor to ceiling sliding glass door (all window) that leads to a little private patio and the adjacent “wall” is just about floor to ceiling window and it slides open, too. On top of that, more often than not, there are paragliders floating about, so it’s quite stunning.

Actually, you don't have to picture it...All of the following pictures were taken this afternoon literally from inside my bedroom looking out...this is my view every day…..Enjoy!

Butter Nation & HISSYFIT - Fashion Photo Shoot PICS

hissyfitfashion — Sun, 3 Jun 2012 07:01:00 GMT

Here are some pics from the Butter Nation & HISSYFIT fashion shoot collaboration. I did all the headpieces and the feather collar. Clothing by Butter Nation.

The Good…The Bad….The Strong!!!

hissyfitfashion — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:12:00 GMT

No, I haven't run off to join the Peruvian Army....LOL! But, I am happy to report I had some very good recovery milestones that all happened yesterday….

1) I got my stitches out!

2) I am now off all antibiotics (and have been off pain meds for a couple weeks)

3) I started physical therapy again

4) I switched from crutches to a cane (the kind with an arm support)

Now before you get too overjoyed with my wonderfully triumphant story of overcoming the odds, I have to tell you the whole thing feels a bit more like a setback than anything because it is terribly hard to walk with the cane. In fact, it is significantly harder to walk with the cane than with the crutches. It should get better in as soon as a few days, I’m told, but for now, it’s really difficult and rather daunting. It's all part of the physical therapy process, though, so even that is good....I guess. :(

The great news is that, overall, things are definitely going very much in the right direction, so I’m just trying to focus on that and ignore the fact that I can barely limp half a block with my new cane. I shaved my beard off because it was kind of gray and I was feeling too much like an old man hobbling around with my cane. LOL! The other good news is that, because of the crutches and all, my upper body is getting kinda buff (well….buff for li’l ‘ol me, that is). ;)

Here's the before picture (with beard):

Here's the after pic (clean shaven):

So, my plan is to kick ass on my physical therapy and my goal is to be walking on my own looking like a sexy mofo by my birthday on June 23 (or at least very soon after).

Miss SF and everybody lots!!!!! If you want to skype me sometime, I'm at hissyfitfashion. You gotta love totally free real time video chat!!!

xoxoxo,

Eric

Fashion Photo Shoot & My New Identical Twins

hissyfitfashion — Sat, 26 May 2012 14:33:00 GMT

I helped style a fashion photo shoot today where a number of my hats and feather headpieces and a couple other accessories of mine) were used!!! The two teachers I had for my fashion styling class, Francesca and Andrea, are business partners and in addition to styling photo shoots for magazines and such, they are also in the process of launching their own clothing line called “Butter Nation.”

Today, they were shooting images for their Look Book, which is a documentation of all the clothing for sale in a collection, so that commercial buyers can see what is available to sell to the general public. It also can be used to show individual customers what is available.

Francesca asked me to bring some of my pieces to the shoot to help complete some of the looks, which I was, of course, honored to do. Well, we ended up using about five looks with my hats and/or feather head pieces on the model. They were very grateful that I was able to help them out and everyone seemed very happy with the images we got. I’ll post the pics once I get them.

I also have another photo shoot planned soon with a fashion photographer that I am very excited to work with.

In addition to teaching English to my 15 year old student from China, I just got two new students, 8 year old identical twin boys. They are so adorable, sweet and hilarious. They are very smart and speak perfect English with no accent at all and have tremendous vocabularies (they go to an English language school). I think they are going to be a hoot to work with.

One thing, though, is that they go to a Christian school, which is a little strange for me to think of these innocent, sweet kids being indoctrinated with the God-fearing words of the New Testament. I even had to help them memorize a verse from the Bible as part of their homework. Eek!

Actually, one of the very first question they asked me yesterday upon meeting me for the first time was, “Do you believe in God?” I was taken aback for a second, and then I responded, “Yes, but I don’t believe there is someone looking down and judging us. I believe that God is everything and everywhere and that it all is connected. That, to me, is what God is.” I love the response one of the twins gave….He said, “so you mean we’re God, too?” I told him, “yes, I absolutely believe that we all are part of what makes up God.”

I hope I don’t get in trouble with their religious parents or with the school for explaining my decidedly non-Christian beliefs to them, but if they ask me these kind of questions, the only thing I can do is be honest with them and let them know what my personal beliefs are on any given topic.

Dreams vs Reality - The Return of the Moth & the Butterfly

hissyfitfashion — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:41:00 GMT

The very next day after I posted my “Moth and Butterfly” blog entry, which would be yesterday, I was on my way to my final oxygen therapy session, and soon after settling into my taxi cab, I was somehow drawn towards glancing to the right towards the passenger side window, and lo and behold…..what do I see?

Yep, a MOTH…in the taxi. As soon after my gaze focused on said moth, it found it’s way out of the taxi and fluttered away. Coincidence? Quite possible. However, I would like to note that I have no recollection of seeing any moths since I arrived in Peru 2 months ago (not that I was looking for them), and if I had seen a moth fluttering around a light, that would be one thing, but in a taxi?……just sayin’…..

Now, if I see a butterfly soon after ditching the crutches, that will be intriguing (especially since I don’t recall seeing any butterflies since I’ve been here either).

Just in case the butterfly doesn’t choose to visit me, in a not so subconscious attempt to cover my bases, I did end up buying a lovely butterfly print piece of fabric in the Gamarah garment district of Lima yesterday….along with an overlock sewing machine!

Sooooo….looks like FASHION TIME!!!!

The Moth & The Butterfly

hissyfitfashion — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:13:00 GMT

So, I had another rather dream…..the only part I can remember was that I was opening up some kind of food wrapper and out flew a bunch of moths…..Creepy, huh?

Here’s how I’d like to interpret it….

I represent the moth….Upon waking up, my first thought was, “I would have preferred it had been butterflies”. But, that’s just it…I am now so happy to be free from the confines of the hospital and can move about the world again. However, because of the crutches, I can’t go to the garment district, can’t get around easily, can’t really be as active and creative as I am ready to be, so I can’t quite yet manifest my true colors and be that butterfly. So, in one or two short weeks, when I can walk on my own two feet again, the butterfly will manifest!

And, I am at a place of acceptance with temporarily being the moth. I don’t like having to use the crutches, in fact, it’s quite difficult, but I have surrendered to the situation because resisting it will only cause me to be unhappy, which is a state of mind I am consciously choosing not to be in. I am at peace with what is.

OUT OF THE DARKNESS AND INTO THE LIGHT

hissyfitfashion — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:43:00 GMT

I am so excited to be out of the hospital. I feel like I’ve been reborn in a way. I feel so alive with creative energy that I hardly can contain myself….

I've been in Peru for exactly 2 months now...half of which has been inside of a hospital room...in 2 week intervals starting with being out of the hospital, then 2 weeks in the hospital, then 2 weeks out, then 2 weeks in again. Oy Vey!

The last few days in the clinic, though, were particularly dark and difficult, because I was physically ready to leave the hospital from a health standpoint, but I was not allowed to leave because of bureaucratic paperwork between the insurance and the hospital. In other words, the hospital would not release me until they had a guarantee of payment letter from the insurance. I originally thought I might get to leave Saturday, then it was Monday, then Tuesday morning, for sure, which turned into Tuesday around 2pm.

I went through a bevy of negative emotions such as anger, resentment, pity, sadness, depression, etc. because I couldn’t believe that I was being “held hostage” by the hospital because of paperwork, language translation issues, policies, etc. even though I was physically ready to be discharged. But at a certain point I just surrendered to the situation and instead of fighting it, I simply accepted it. Instead of making myself the victim, I just made peace with the circumstances. Ok, well, honestly I went in to “zen warrior” mode and back out to “poor me” mode and back and forth again many many times over several days…after all, I’m only human. :)

In all seriousness, this whole ordeal has been a huge lesson for me in patience, humility, and acceptance of what is. I’ve been consciously practicing the art of being solely present minded. On one hand, it is quite difficult to not re-think the past and/or make assumptions about the future. On the other hand, one of the easiest things one can do is to simply breathe and not think about anything. That is what I mean by being present. Certainly not a new concept by any means…..but one we often forget because of all the cray cray in the world and all the thoughts swirling around in our heads.

Not to get all woo woo on y’all, my dear readers, but fuck it, it’s my blog and I’m a happy happy man right now……

I'm about to go making assumptions about the future.....but again....my blog, my rules…..just think, tho…If I’m this energized, creatively inspired, excited, and appreciative of life now, just think how on top of the world I will likely feel in 2 or 3 weeks when I can actually walk on my on two feet again without crutches…….

ok, back to the present. I'm back at my beautiful apartment with my bedroom overlooking the ocean with my niece and nephew, Anna and Dumbo, who I will soon get to walk along the cliffs less than a block from my apartment.

Now it’s time to get busy and do what I came down here to do…..make some kick ass bad ass (yet commercially viable and wearable) FASHION!

ESCAPE FROM SAN BORJA CLINIC

hissyfitfashion — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:25:00 GMT

I am pretty sure it was all the extra oxygen that went to my brain during my first hyperbaric oxygen treatment a few days ago (a pressurized oxygen chamber that delivers a drastic increase in oxygen which helps to speed up the healing process),

because when I got back to the hospital and took an afternoon nap, I had a most interesting dream…one that I remember quite vividly…..here’s the recap…

(Note to all Parents: It's a bit of an adult themed dream at parts....oh, and Happy Mother's Day!)

In my dream, I was having a particularly frustrating day in the hospital and was quite unhappy. I somehow decided to escape from the clinic without telling anyone, but only to go to the bathroom….I found myself transported to a non-existent mall adjacent to the San Borja Clinic, which is the name of the hospital where I have been held captive the past couple weeks. Upon finding the bathroom and looking in the mirror, I realized I had somehow dragged my IV drip with me and had some other various medical accessories in my hands, too. As I left the bathroom in the mall, I realized I did not know how to get back to the clinic…

With a mixture of fear and excitement, I knew I had to find my way back. The challenge was that I had no crutches and also had all the medical apparatus in tow, which seemed very important not to lose, or I’d risk compromising my recovery. I was able to walk well, which was great, but I remember feeling concerned that I was putting too much weight, too soon, on my broken foot.

I ended up walking by an upscale Asian bathhouse where some sort of bisexual hot tub porn orgy situation was happening, which I found quite bizarre, yet amusing. Then I ended up knocking on a hotel or apartment door (still part of the mall), to get directions to the elevator back to the clinic. I entered into this hotel room and a rather voluptuous and very friendly woman was on the bed. The next thing I knew, the woman’s roommate, seemingly out of nowhere, popped out of the bathroom with a cartwheel over the bed while taking her top off. It was immediately clear that these two Eastern European vixens were strippers….and they wanted me.

After I politely explained to them that I was gay, they seemed a bit disappointed, but they were totally cool about it. I then realized that under my not so fashionable hospital gown, I was wearing a one piece jumpsuit that I had designed, and I showed it to them, figuring stripper chicks would love a skin tight four way stretch onesy. They did. We exchanged cards and I told them that I’d love to go out dancing or something with them sometime, once my foot felt better. We said we’d hang out soon and they pointed me towards the elevator back to the hospital.

After going around in circles, about an hour later, I was still wandering the halls of the mall/sauna/hotel/apartment complex and getting worried that the hospital staff would be freaking out that I went AWOL and was still missing after a couple hours. I was also concerned that they would call my parents who undoubtedly would panic.

I eventually made it back to my hospital room and then woke up. Since then, I I’ve had several dreams and they always seem to be about not being in the hospital and having a hard time finding my way back. I really can’t figure out what the symbolism is behind these dreams, but I am very happy to report that it looks like I’m going to be released from the hospital tomorrow, most likely...which will truly be a dream come true for me!!!

The Rocky Road to Recovery – Part 2

hissyfitfashion — Wed, 9 May 2012 23:07:00 GMT

The reason I took so long to write the last entry was that my life in and out of (mostly in) the hospital has been quite depressing this past 6 weeks, not to mention physically painful. I was not motivated to write because I felt like no one wants to hear about how awful things have been for me.

In the interest of not wanting to throw a pity party for myself, I’m going to tell y’all a few morsels of comedic relief that have served as a much needed break from the pain & misery that have been my existence as of late.

Funny nurses: First off, none of them speak English, except for a few words like “Good morning” or “nice to meet you”. Since my Spanish is still not that great, Google translate has become my new best friend. Of course, the translation sometimes is not completely accurate, so I’m still never quite sure if I’m communicating what I think I am saying and I’m never quite sure if their response they give is exactly what they meant to say. One of the more colorful nurses, upon taking my underwear from me to give me a sponge bath, starting gyrating her hips and dancing whilst spinning my undies over her head like a lasso and hollering with a “Whoop Whoop”. Oh, and she's probably at least 50 something...That was pretty ridiculous and funny. Another one of the nurses has a big crush on me, as evidenced by her Google translation of “you have beautiful eyes” and other such blatant flirtations and her constant giggles and googley eyes she gives me. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’m gay.

Bathroom antics: Well, I wasn’t sure how to say diarrhea, but I had some because of the food, or antibiotics, or something, so the best way I could think of to tell them was to say I had “agua poo poo” (water poo poo). They think it's hilarious when I say agua poo poo, but I have a feeling they still have no idea what I'm talking about. They also have a little vase which they call my “pee pee jar”. They are constantly putting my pee pee jar back in the bathroom, which does me no good because I am attached to an iv drip and can’t get to the bathroom without first calling them with my button presser gizmo. So, I’m constantly reminding them to please leave the pee pee jar next to my bed and not in the bathroom. They don’t seem to ever remember, so I’m constantly asking for my pee pee jar…. You know things are pretty bad when you’re reduced to being amused by “pee pee jars” and “agua poo poo” talk.

I’m sure there were a couple of other funny moments, but they are escaping my memory right now…Although things pretty much suck, I keep reminding myself of these things:

1) I have traveler’s insurance which is footing the bill for all or most of this entire fiasco.

2) I could have hit my head or broken more bones or both legs instead of just fracturing my heel when I fell off the ladder. (The other day my parents were trying to cheer me up via Skype and my father said in a very serious and even stern tone something like “look on the bright side, you could be in a coma right now!!!” After a brief pause, my mother said “Charles!!!! Would you stop being so dramatic” as we all burst into laughter…maybe you had to be there, but his melodramatic statement got me to laugh when I was feeling very low.

3) I’m being very well taken care of with care equal, or possibly better, medical care than in the U.S. because I’m at a private hospital where all the Ambassadors and such go. Again, thank the heavens for my traveler’s insurance.

4) My family have been so sweet, caring and loving, and I have a few friends down here who have really been here for me, bringing me little gifts, snacks and candy, translating with the nurses for me and keeping me company. I would feel really lonely right now without these friends in my life.

5) I have my own room at the hospital with a large flat screen T.V. It could be much worse if I had to share a room with a stranger with who knows what condition.

6) I am able to continue with my teaching job via Skype, which is actually better for me because I save money on taxis and time on not having to commute.

7) I've had LOTS of time to study and improve my Spanish and have been spending an average of three hours a day doing just that...

Where things stand now, I went through a series of surgeries to clean out the infection and they finally got rid of all the damaged tissue and such and sewed my foot back up two days ago. I need to stay in the hospital a few more days and then they will remove the bandages from my foot to see if it’s healing well. If it is, I get to leave the hospital and continue my recovery as an outpatient. So I should be back up and hobbling around on the crutches again very soon….

So, in summary, my situation could definitely be better, but it could also be a lot worse….I’m doing my best to keep a positive attitude and am doing what the doctor’s tell me to do, so I can heal properly and get back on my feet (literally). I am pretty sure that the worse party of this ordeal is behind me. I started daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy today to help me heal faster and am still on anti-biotics, so I think things are looking up for me. To quote the great 1970's disco diva Gloria Gaynor, "I WILL SURVIVE!!!! :)

The Rocky Road To Recovery

hissyfitfashion — Wed, 9 May 2012 11:01:00 GMT

…where I last left off….I had fallen off the ladder in Cuzco and after a doctor’s house call which led to a hospital visit and x-rays, which led to a visit to a larger hospital that was equipped with a cat scan…..which lead to a diagnosis of a fractured heel that required surgery….I opted for flying back to Lima (where the hospitals are better) the next day to have the procedure (a metal plate with pins inserted into my foot).

I was met at the airport in Lima by a very sweet English speaking Doctor along with an ambulance and her crew of medics. If you ever travel internationally……GET TRAVELER’S INSURANCE….It’s much cheaper than health insurance in the U.S. and hopefully, they’ll be reimbursing me the entire $5,000 and counting out-of-pocket expenses I’ve incurred as well as all the hospital and surgery costs that they already covered without my having to pay anything. (I don’t even kinow what that amount was)…..my insurance for the 6 months that I signed up for was around $400…..You can do the math!

Anyways, as I said, from the airport in Lima I went straight to the hospital and had to wait a couple days for the swelling to go down before they could do the surgery. If it weren’t for Doctor Maria, who is my English speaking angel (and has since become a surrogate mother of sorts), I would have had an incredibly difficult time navigating the hospital and insurance shenanigans as well as pain management and other needs that would have been hard to communicate….I did improve my Spanish skills flirting with all the adorable nurses who were constantly coming in and out of my private room to tend to a variety of necessary and unnecessary responsibilities that they seemed to have.

So, after about a week in the hospital, I was released and was ordered to stay in a hotel near the clinic (more like a condo, with a BIG hot tub in the living room, kitchen, and separate bedroom) for two weeks and then I finally moved into my beautiful apartment.

Things were difficult, as I endured quite a lot of pain, but I was slowly improving. I started a fashion styling class and a pattern making/design course and was able to get around reasonably well with my crutches and a walking boot (looks like a big ski boot). I started teaching English 5 nights a week to a 15 year old student from China, which pays quite well. Things were looking up...until...

the day after I went for a check up and the doctor told me I was improving nicely and could ditch my hateful crutches in just 2 weeks, I encountered a terrible set back in my recovery which led to my being re-admitted to the hospital about two weeks ago…which is where I, very sadly, remain to this day.

...my broken foot developed an infection!!! :*(

Sticks & Stones....Chutes & Ladders

hissyfitfashion — Mon, 9 Apr 2012 09:44:00 GMT

Well, if you've been reading my Facebook updates, you probably know I fractured my heel and had to have foot surgery. Here's what happened:

I had decided to take a trip to beautiful Cusco and Machu Pichu, because I had a solid week off before I started my 2 hour a day Spanish classes (and my fashion classes weren't starting for about 3 weeks), so I decided it was a good time to go explore a different area of Peru and I was very curious to see if Machu Pichu lived up to the hype of being one of the seven wonders of the world and I wanted to see what was so extraordinary about it that made this tourist mega magnet destination still seem to make it near the top of seemingly everyone's bucket list of places to go before they die.

So, I booked a flight to Cusco (about an hour long flight) and as the plane was descending and this magical, mystical town appeared from beneath the clouds, my crying gene kicked in (thanks Dad), and once again, before I knew it, I had tears (of joy and gratitude) streaming down my face because I was overwhelmed with the lush beauty of Cusco, which made me overcome with emotion because I truly feel so blessed to be here and so happy to have made this reality happen for myself (with the help of several angels in my life like Sergio, my parents, and Joe - all who played crucial roles, on many levels, in enabling me move to Peru). I was blissfully mesmerized with the beauty of the landscape and had never quite seen such a place. I had a strong sense that I had quite an adventure ahead of me in the coming week, in particular.

After getting my luggage and finding a taxi (well, rather, the taxi driver's find you is really more accurate), I handed my driver the piece of paper with the address of my B&B and we were off. The taxi driver was adorable....an older man, native of Cusco, who spoke a bit of English, and to my delight and amusement, he immediately took it upon himself to play tour guide, pointing out various plazas, churches and a few toboggan parks (apparently they like long, fast, winding slides, because we passed a couple different ones on the short drive - looked like big fun). No that's not how I broke my foot.

After winding up quite a few cobblestone streets that were so narrow that the small car barely fit without being in danger of scraping the doors or at least losing the side view mirrors, we arrived at San Blas Plaza and as my new amigo and tour guide stopped the car and placed my luggage on the curb, I realized this was as close as a vehicle could get to my new temporary home away from home (in Lima) away from home (in SF).

Now for those of you that have traveled with me before know (and probably even those of you who know me but haven't traveled with me before could guess), I'm a delightful traveling companion (at least I think I am), but no matter how good my intentions are to travel lightly, it just doesn't happen! Let's just say I like to have options! To make matters worse, being a somewhat practical person and a seasoned traveler, you'd think I would have had the foresight to maybe have, y'know, something sensible like a large backpack, for example. Well, for some inane reason, I still am traveling with this expandable amorphous blob-case on wheels (with a broken strap) that I bought in LA last January and then rather unsuccessfully dragged through 4 different crash pads in NY. Well, the expandable amorphous blob-case is not actually that terrible on the city streets of LA, NY, SF or Lima, but transported to numerous cobblestone steps and steep narrow cobblestone walkways, and it becomes downright comical, if not utterly dumb. At least, I'm pretty sure the two ancient indigenous women at the top of the cobblestone steps leading up from San Blas Plaza were amused by my struggling with this hateful piece of luggage whilst balancing my laptop and carry on bag on my back at the same time. I don't often feel like a stupid American, but this was one of those times. And although you may be thinking, "A ha, this must be how he broke his foot", and although that would be a good guess, I did somehow manage to make it up the steps around the bend, up another path around a corner and up a few more steps to a nondescript door with a small lackluster sign reading....Casa de la Gringa! Thank God, I had found the place.

After ringing the doorbell and waiting a few moments, I was greeted at the door by a friendly Peruvian man who welcomed me and graciously took my luggage off my hands and whisked it away to my room for me. You'd never know it from the exterior of the building, but once inside the Casa, one is transported to a pastel laden oasis of beauty and serenity known as Casa de la Gringa. Here's some pics of it courtesy of the WWW:

So, once I got settled in my room I set out to explore the beautiful town of Cusco and took a few pictures:

I went out that night with an amazing group of people from the B&B. They had just finished doing a 10-day retreat. The leader, Rebecca, puts on retreats all over the world. Yoga and meditation retreats, sports retreats for serious athletes, and the one they just finished was a mystical retreat which included a San Pedro ceremony (a cactus used for healing and religious divination in the Andes Mountains region for over 3000 years) and an Ayahuasca ceremony (a natural psychoactive infusion known by the ancient Shamans as the "spirit of the soul." In 2008, psychology professor Benny Shanon published a controversial hypothesis that a brew analogous to Ayahuasca was heavily connected to early Judaism, and that the effects of this brew were responsible for some of the most significant events of Moses' life, including his vision of the burning bush). Anyways, my new friends had just finished this retreat and they had a few days off before another 10 day retreat started, so we wall went out to a club and heard an amazing band with about eight musicians and singers. We danced the night away.

The next morning, I awoke and looked at my clock and it was 10am exactly. The time that the free breakfast ends. So, I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes and dashed out of my room to catch breakfast. Well, it's cold in Cusco at night, and I had socks on.....I forgot to mention that my bedroom was on a loft level up a wooden ladder. I ran out of the room and before I had a chance to climb down the ladder, my sock encased foot immiediately slipped off of the top wrung of the ladder, and as I was grasping for something, anything, to grab onto, I fell backwards and landed hard on my heel and then onto my ass with a loud thud.

I sat quietly in shock for a few moments not really knowing what had hit me. I didn't yet feel much pain because of the adrenaline and shock, so I slowly started to get up and as I started to put a little weight on my left foot, excruciating pain shot up and down my leg. I knew something was terribly wrong. Another guest from the B&B happened to walk by and she helped me hop over to the lounge area. I told them I needed to see a doctor. They gave me an ice pack and I put my leg up and waited a couple hours for the doctor to arrive on his house call. By the time the doctor arrived, my foot had swelled up to the size of a small nerf football. I got on piggy back on someone's back as he walked me down the steps and alleys to the doctor's car and 2 hospitals, an x-ray, and a cat scan later, I was diagnosed with a fractured heel....

Here's a pic of the fateful ladder I fell from (a good 6 or 7 feet)

The road to recovery begins in my next chapter.......

My New HOOD!!!!

hissyfitfashion — Mon, 2 Apr 2012 07:39:00 GMT

Here are pictures that I took last week. They are all literally just one block from my new apartment. So excited to live there....

Modern version of an Incan sundial (unless I got confused in translation)

....and another sculpture....

tennis anyone?

exterior of my apartment building

SUNSET ANYONE???

TA DA!!!

Photos: pics

hissyfitfashion — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:52:00 GMT

My First Week In Lima - Settling In....

hissyfitfashion — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:45:00 GMT

I've been here one week now. Overall, things are going spectacularly well. The language barrier is challenging and can feel isolating at times but I'm learning more and more each day and making new friends. Here are all the details so far:

Upon my arrival last Wednesday, I was promptly whisked away to a very fancy private anniversary party at a very upscale shopping mall. They actually had two live mermaids (well models with floor length blond curly hair and fish bodies) in a fountain, champagne and cocktails everywhere, passed hors d'oerves and a very chic crowd....pretty amazing for my first hour in Peru and South America. Sergio sure knows how to welcome a guy to his country!!!

Miraflores is the area I'm in and want to stay in. It is very safe.....like the West Village in NY. Very upscale, lots of people around, even late at night. ..it's not at all sketchy feeling, but I still am being aware of my surroundings, of course. There are also large, fancy upscale casinos.....LOTS of them!

The architecture throughout the city is absolutely STUNNING. There is such a wide and rich variety of architecture, from Spanish and Italian colonial to Gothic churches, to art deco, to Bauhaus, Victorian to ultra modern, etc....sometimes, all on the same block! I had no idea how gorgeous the buildings were here...It's a very old city with beautiful buildings EVERYWHERE. and the parks......they are EVERYWHERE, too.....It's a beautfiul and very clean city....even the downtown area! Lots of traffic (and CRAZY taxi drivers everywhere), but still clean (at least everywhere I've been). In fact, it really doesn't feel at all like a third world country. I haven't seen any rats or cockroaches, feral animals, etc. although, I am sure they are lurking about.

I've only had about three people ask me for money, although people will occasionally try to sell you things, but not nearly as much or as aggressively as in Bali or Mexico. Honestly, I was prepared for a much harsher reality than life seems to be here. Of course, that's if I stay in the wealthier neighborhoods where I have been.

I've now been here one week and my time has been spent first finding my temporary hotel, now finding a more permanent apartment, studying Spanish at least 2 hours a day (just Rosetta Stone for now, until April 2...see #5 below), getting my cell phone (I swear, it was a 2 1/2 day process (don't ask - one snafu after another), checking out the fashion and language schools and enrolling in both (yay!), working at Sergio's stores 2 days, meeting Sergio's friends, and learning the city (well, a few areas of the city, I should say).

I am sooooo excited because just moments ago I got work that I got the apartmnet that I wanted REALLY badly. My new roommates were going to get back to me by the end of the weekend to let me me know if I got it, but they just called and they want me!!! It's $350/month, which is only $50/month more than my current hotel situation, which is decent, but nearly as nice as my new place. It's got a modern kitchen, washer/dryer, 1 block from the beach, a HUGE gorgeous rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean, 2/week maid service included. Share with Marie (German/Peruvian) and Jimmy (Peruvian). They are both fluent in English/Spanish. We all have our own rooms. I will share the bathroom with Marie only. It's the top floor of a six story building wth security, modern, wood floors, gorgeous. Maria, it turs out, is also starting fashion school at my school, CEAM, in April, as well. They also have two super cute puppies, Dumbo and Anna. Totally safe, very upscale neighborhood. Close to everything. It's PERFECT for me, so I'm thrilled! I move in on April 1. I will be able to walk to my fashion school and my language school so transportation costs will be minimal.

In general, most things are 1/3 of the cost of what I'm used to. Of course, there are lots of restuarants that cost about the same as what we are used to, but they are very upscale. There are hundreds of nice restaurants where I can get a meal for $3-5. Good thing I'm not a big drinker, becuase drinks at the clubs are close to what you'd pay in the U.S. maybe $7 for a cocktail.

I'm supposed to have a job interview with a foreign exchange program that places Peruvian students in American jobs. I set it up before I got to Lima, but I still haven't been able to reach my contact here, which is frustrating. I'm going to physically just go there today and see if I can get anywhere. But, my new roommate Maria is going to get me in touch with a guy who has been teaching English for over 20 years here. Through him, she makes 55 soles/hour, which is over $15/ hour, which would be amazing and allow me to actually save some money while I'm here. So, I'm REALLY excited about that opportunity. She says there should be ample work for me and my lack of Spanish should not be an issue. I'm all over that opportunity!!!!

Working with Sergio will be great, but I need to learn more Spanish and get some fashion coursework under my belt before we really dive in to things. He said in about a month, once my Spanish is improved, he will take me to the factories where they manufacture his clothes and such. I ended up working in his stores a couple days, because he was short staffed. Althouugh that's not what I'm here fore, it was a very good way to get to know his clothing and his merchandising techniques better and he even paid me a modest sum, but I can make much more doing the teaching thing....Sergio said we will definitely work together on designing some custom gowns, but that will be later after I have some of the fashion course work under my belt. Sergio has been an amazing host.....he really looks after me. It's really cute, actually , because he's a little overprotective. It's very nice and comforting to have a good friend that cares about me close by.

At Sergio's strong urging (he didn't have to twist my arm, because I agree with him) , I enrolled in Spanish classes two hours a day five days a week from 8:45-10:45am. cost is only $100/month. Unfortunately, they don't start until April 2, so I've been doing Rosetta Stone Spanish classes on my computer a couple hours every day, in the meantime. The language barrier has been challenging, but as with everything, I'm just trying to accept where I'm at and not get frustrated.

I go through periods where I feel isolated because I've gone from living in a city where I know pretty much everybody and know where to go anytime for social support to a city of nine million where I know just a handful of people and I don't know anywhere to go for socializing. Being a hypersocial person, this has been hard for me, but I realize that literally every day I'm here, things will get better in this aspect....as I continue to improve my Spanish, discover new places in Lima, and, of course, make more friends. So, I keep reminding myself of that.

My occasional periods of loneliness sometimes get trumped by sheer fabulousness. For example, the other night, I was supposed to go out with a new friend, Javier, that I made through Sergio,who had invited me to a big art opening show. I touched base with him in the early evening and he said he'd call me around 8 pm. By 10:30 pm I still hadn't heard from him and couldn't reach him or Sergio to find out where the art show was. I looked online and couldn't find anything about the art show. It was a Tuesday night and I checked online and the one club I know about and it was not open that night. So, basically, I was all dressed up in a sharp art gallery opening outfit with absolutely nowhere to go....I felt really lonely and sad.

The next thing I know, Sergio called me back and asked where I was. I told him the situation and he said him and his boyfriend Ryan (also American and staying down here too) were on their way to take me to a party. They showed up and we jumped into a cab to San Isidro (the Beverly Hills of Lima....just next to Miraflores). The party was AMAZING. Ultra modern, GORGEOUS house, but the whole party was on the grounds, which were unbelievably gorgeous, swimming pool, bars, catered BBQ station (I even ate a hot dog.....the first meat item that first led me down the road to vegetarianism at age 10), fountains. The party was at this artist's house. He and his girlfriend were the sweetest hosts (she is a fashion designer and had the most stunning outfit on). Everyone was very stylish, if not ultra chic, and they all spoke English (more or less fluently), there were LOTS of familiar faces from the epic party Sergio took me to my first night (the one with the live mermaid models in the fountains at the fancy shopping mall). My AWOL friend Javier was there, too, and he apologized profusely for not calling (he had ended up staying late at work and then his phone died).

One of the many new friends I made at this fabulous party is this ultra chic Peruvian woman, Adriana. She is best childhood friends with the hosts (the artist and his girlfriend). Adriana told me she just filed papers to open her own fashion business and she told me her aesthetic is upscale, but dark Gothic couture. I nearly choked on my hot dog, as that is how I often describe my aesthetic. Needless to say, we became fast friends and I showed her my portfolio on another friend's iphone, and she was kind of blown away by my creations. We met for coffee the next day (yesterday) and poured over fashion inspiration images, fabric swatches, fashion blogs and websites and books. I think it's pretty much a done deal that we'll be collaborating in the future. She is going to have a showroom at her home in San Isidro and said she would love to feature some of my feather headpieces in her showroom....

I also confirmed a fashion photo shoot with one of the top makeup artists in Peru, Claudia (she's American/Peruvian) and her Brazilian photographer boyfriend, Vinnie, for this Friday for some of my fashions and styling collaborations. Just a fun shoot for our portfolios where we can be creative and not be limited by editorial or advertising guideline concerns.

Not a bad way to end a sad and lonely night of being all dressed up with no where to go, eh? :)

As far as my fashion school....I'm SOOOO excited. I ended up checking out a couple of the fashion schools with Sergio and the obvious choice was CEAM (Centro de Altos Estudios de la Moda)...www.ceam.edu.pe It's housed in a brand new, ultra modern, 5 story buildng that is all white and immaculate with windows and balconies everywhere....and a gorgeous grassy back courtyard. EACH floor has one or more large rooms with at least 30-40 brand spanking new sewing machines. It's GORGEOUS!!! Sergio and I had to pick our jaws up off the floor and all he could say was, "I'm so proud of my country!" It's in cental Miraflores and the academic director, Carola, is very nice and speaks English fluently...She said she'll look after me.

The 2 classes I'm starting off with (a pattern making & basic construction class and a styling class (the styling instructor just got back from spending time in Milan) don't start until April 16, which is a blessing, because that gives me almost a month to improve my Spanish. The first two classes are 7 weeks long and end June 9. They cost about $150 each which is considerably less expensive than the other schools we looked into. They haven't released the next round of courses yet after these courses, so it's hard to say what my schedule will be come June. I may end up taking classes at one of the other schools in June (Sergio is still working on a scholarship or partial scholarship for me - things like that take forever here)....That part is still up in the air. So, mid-June could be a good time for friends to visit, but I'm just not sure until I know about what classes I'll want to take in Fashion and where. There is also a big 3 day festival in Cusco (near Machu Piccu) starting June 22 (my birthday is June 23!), which is supposed to be just a wee bit like Burning Man(ish). A bunch of Brazillians and costumes and dancing, party, etc. Sounds like a blast! Could also be a good time for a visit if that's your thing. I have a ticket to New York for Fashion Week with Sergio on Sept. 7, so you have plenty of time if you want to visit. Firends are welcome anytime!!!

Some other miscellanous thoughts....

One thing I am remembering from past travels and re-learning is that you have to be patient and you have to be ok with uncertainty. We are quite spoiled in America...we expect to have and know everything immediately. Things don't really work that way down here. For instance, getting the cell phone to happen, restaurant service, trying to get a hold of the Foreign Exchange program lady for my job interview, people getting back to you in a timely fashion, knowing the course load for the following semester......it's all a lesson in patience and going with the flow. I find the more I let go of preconceived notions and American expectations of service and timing, the happier and more relaxed I become.

Ok, now I'm off to continue another day as my adventure in Peru continues........Primary goal for the day: Secure employment in teaching English and/or with the interviewer position with the Foreign Exchange program (or at least get further along in the process).

My schedule at this point once classes start:
mon - fri - 8:45 - 10:45 am - Spanish lessons
Mon & Fri - 7:45 pm - 9:45 pm - styling class
Satudays - 10 am - 1 pm - pattern making & construction class

So, as you can see, I pretty much have every week day from 11:30 am - 7 pm available to work a teaching job and/or apprentice with Sergio.

I hope all that wasn't too much information. I adapted it from my answers to a long list of questions my father had for me.

Hasta luego,

xoxoxo,
Eric

p.s. I'm so bad about taking pictures, as I tend to be very presently focused, but I'll try to include some pictures with my next posting!