this is what ive learned so far....
1. i really really like to take hot showers, if not luke warm,
anything but FREEZING (even if that means i have to turn the boiler on
in the bathroom by putting my hand with a lighter through a hole that
was cut out so i can light it on fire - those of you who know me well
know i hate lighters yet i will grow to love them now -and then as i
turn the shower on and up the flames get bigger and bigger!! ( a
picture of it will be coming soon)
2. i like to have running water 24 hours a day, not only when the sun is out
3. i like NOT to have to lock my door with 2 padlocks!
4. I like to have a 3 story apartment in brooklyn versus the
insane hilly uneven and too high stone stairs i need to take to get to
the apartment i will stay at beginning tonight (story to come) even
though the local run up and down it.. all the whiteys take two steps
then grab their chest thinking they will keel over!
5. I like not having to worry if on that same slope i will slip
down and kill myself when it rains every 30 minutes and there is
absolutely no traction on the ground whatsoever (already fell down the
stairs of a bus and down 2 different rock staircases in the street -
pictures to come!!! - no, not of my fall
6. i like spending less than the intial price of a cab in NY to drive 30 minutes in cuzco!
7. i like eating super fresh fruit every morning
these are vows i made to myself:
1. not to fall for a man just because he has dark skin and speaks another lanugage (super difficult here!)
2. to remember to listen to my heart and follow my heart and speak from my heart
3. did i mention not to fall for a man?
greatest discovery so far:
1. the guy serving beers at the club i went to last night (and
got a bottle of water people) was wearing a jewish star.. i met my
first PERUVIAN JEW!!, no i dont like him
second greatest discovery¨
1. even the finest laid plans dont always work out.. i was to
meet francisco at 5:30 to pick up the keys and he just called to tell
me that he left already for aguas calientes.. another town. so, i have
to pick up the keys from his friend who is still here. i call him and
he is at dinner with his girlfriend.. i tell them i have my bags and
cant make it to the restaurant so i will wait in front of the house and
then my phone goes dead.. so lets keep fingers crossed that i have a
place to sleep tonight.!
so my friend, Carmen, put me in touch with her cousin, Francisco.
Francisco (for people who have backpacked) is the typical local who has
led hunderds of tours in his own country and had "relations" with at
least one if not all the girls on his tour! ahh.. sweet, clean fun!
anyway, i went to visit him my second day and he welcomed me into his
home and within the first 15 minutes he was telling me about apartments
i can stay at (since i dont want to commute 30 minutes to the center
every day!) and friends he wanted to introduce me to as well as people
who can teach me to play the drums and dance! so... we becamse instant
friends.. obvioiusly.. the girl in need with the guy indeed! i have no
idea what that means, i just really felt the urge to write that. so,
roger (ill tell you about after) helped me to buy a local phone so i
can text with people and francisco called me and told me to meet him at
his place at 9:30PM last night because he was going dancing with 10 of
his friends. btw, fran (easier to write his name like this) has his
own apartment with two bedrooms upstairs (not like stairs in a house)
and living room downstairs and a big kitchen with the shower i was
explaining above!) so i get to his house and he talks to me about al
the men who are going to fall in love with me because im white,
america, want to dance, want to play the drums and well.. i can get
them a greencard. (obviosuly, none of it was personal!) from there we
discussed boy situations and i said i do NOT want a boyfriend so it was
out of the question and i told him i want to make sure he knows i feel
that way about him. he said that was good because he considers us
family (since im a friend a of his cousins) - a very latin american
thing btw.. to treat very close friends as family and that way no
boudndaries are crossed.
so at 10:30 we go to leave and its raning INSANELY again. fran,
gonzales, oscar and rheana run down the slippery streets and get a cab
and wait for me as i hold onto a wall while i pray not to kill myself
as i slip over and over again and getting completely soaked by the
torrential down pour., they had a good laugh at that! finally i get
there and we head to get some food and then a discotech as they are
called here and wait for it... wait for it... i end up dancing til 4 in
the FRIGGIN MORNING. ok, so i lied.. i ended up dancing til 3 and then
compleaining for an hour that ai wanna go home (i had to sleep at frans
place because i couldnt go back to the house of the family i was
staying that late, yes i told them before) and these insane people
kept on dancing.. i mean.. DANCING like insane. good news was that i
danced with like 7 guys and about 10 other drunkies slobbered on my as
they all asked teh same questions while slurring.. "from what country
you?" "what is your name?" most of them were argentine since they are
on vacation now.. and they all knew how to dance.. AMAZIN^GLY. i think
i could have kept going too if there wasnt so much smoke mixed with the
altitute. but truth be told, it did kinda feel like a dream.. hot (i
mean.. HOT) latino men dancing with me til the wee hours of the
morning. funny part was that everytime another guy asked me to dance
Fran would mouthe.. "told you so" where id get angry at him (for
assuming that i would have 10 boyfriends inthe first week) and then
leave that guy for another... i felt like ginger rogers with less
class, less money, jeans and no sober, gentleman by my side.. but
otherwise.. completely like ginger rogers
so finally fran says we can leave and we go to his apartment and i
share a bed with him and the dummy says" i have to be good dont i?"
(referring to not trying to hook up with me) and i said.. "woul d you
ask your sister that?" that shut him up for the 4 hours i slept because
i had to wake up at 8 to start my private spanish lessons. anyway..
fran is going away for 10 days and offered his apartment to me (while
he was sober so i know he meant it!) so part 2 starts tonight.. in my
own place. already have new friends i met in the spanish school who
are coming over next week and we will cook together.. one is from
france, Nick--SO HOT for people who like blondes with green eyes and
the other is Noelle from Canada who seems to have a nervous disorder
but very sweet nonetheless
as for Roger.. he also it typical of a local but a different kind.
maybe the one who falls in love quickly because you smile at him and
now he calls me every night for plans and i have to make sure he knows
we are only friends.. i think he does.. but it doesnt hurt to repeat 25
more times in both langauges!! i also cant invite him out with
francisco and his friends because it will be like oil and vinger (are
those the two things that doint mix well?) or for my hallmark
buddies.. Ulrich and well.. everyone!
so thats what been happening over here.. still having a really
hard tme breathing but im starting to feel a bit more settled and
getting comfortable now especially since i know 10 more words this
afternoon than i did this morning!
although i have to somehow explain to the family i am staying with
(who speaks no english) that i am moving into a man{s apartment for 10
days, he wont be there but i am going and that maybe i will come back
after and maybe i wont. can anyone help with this?? just kidding. by
the time you get this.. ill have already damamged my perfectly clean
and sweet and pure reputation 100 times over!
