Up on the Roof

There was no rain today. The skies were blue and bright. It's days like this that I appreciate afternoons off. I sat up on my roof and worked on my Spanish flashcards, while listening to some tunes. It was lovely. So lovely that it reminded me of the song "Up on the Roof" by the Drifters, so I put it on. I love that song. I love my roof. I love listening to that song while up on my roof.

La vida es buena.

Enjoy...

Me Encanta Agua

You know how Joni Mitchell (and about a million other people) said that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?

I think she may have been living in foreign country in a house on a hill with no running water.

Sure, I KNEW running water was awesome, but...did I...really...?

Here's the deal:

Our toilet has been finicky for awhile now- breaking and then working again, on and off.

THEN, last Sunday, the water tank attached to our house (that supplies water for the house in the evenings, while Cusco supplies it in the day) broke. Our landlady was here, knew about it, and then bounced off to Lima, telling us she'd be back to help us on Friday (today). That meant we went five nights without water. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either.

THEN, this morning, I went to check on the toilet to see if it was running and when I went to flush it, the "trip lever" (yeah, I looked that up) just SNAPPED and then the tank started overflowing. This happened at 6:30 am, 10 minutes before the absolute latest time we could leave for work. We eventually had to turn off the water in the whole house in order to stop a major flood from happening.

Ohhh! Aaaand it rained a lot yesterday (which is normal for this time of year) and the drain on our rooftop porch was clogged so our ENTIRE KITCHEN flooded while we were at work.

And now? It's Friday afternoon and the landlady is back, but there's no plumber in sight and she has yet to discuss the situation with us.

Suddenly this charming cottage on a hill with killer views kind of...sucks.

If this doesn't get fixed, and if our landlady keeps flakin' out, we might have to move. I don't want to do that. I'm just getting settled in. The four year-old at the tienda next door and I are becoming such good friends.

Despite all this, I have to say that this is not HORRIBLE (yet). It's inconvenient. And annoying. I'm learning about what I need to live comfortably and it turns out, it's a lot less than I thought.

And now, I have a new appreciation for running water. I LOVE me some running water.

Weomans in the Bisco

Q: "What are your friends going to do this weekend?"

A: "maybe hunting weomans in the bisco."

(Corrected sentence- "They might look for women in the disco.")

"Teacher, what does 'one night stand' mean...

...and 'hit it and quit it'...

...and 'wam, bam, thank you ma'am'?"

- This came from Soledad, one of my smallest and most adorable students, who heard another student asking a male teacher about these things. When she got to "wam, bam, thank you ma'am", I laughed until I cried.

Have I mentioned that I love this job?

Riddle Me This...

A riddle:

What still has parasites, two thumbs and no running water at night?



Answer:
Me.

C'mon, CUSCO! Make this place tough to leave! Parasites be gone! Water- RUN!

Happy Ending

I recently showed this to one of my friends here, after describing the Kate/Nate/Dustin dynamic to her. She loved it. I originally posted it on my regular blog (which has been neglected the last few months), but I realized that since we made this in honor of my departure, I should probably post it up here as well.

It's cheesy, unchoreographed, and over-the-top...but it's us.

Enjoy!

Here's a quick vid of Machu Picchu. Please ignore my dorky commentary. Also, I sound like a man. Hiking around and feeling tough will do that do a person.




I was taking this video on the way back to Cusco from our trip and it's really not all that interesting, BUT at one point you can hear me say "Me gusta tu musica" to the driver and suddenly he starts blasting "Let's Hear it for the Boy". The 80's are HUGE in Latin America. The whole trip home, he played his own 80's mix for us and, I gotta admit, it was awesome.

Here Comes the Rain Again

This song has been playing on a loop in my head. Why? The rains are a comin'! Yup, the rainy season is upon us. I've had a nice month and a half off from the rains- I came from the rainy season in Costa Rica. Apparently I am gettin' outta dodge before they get real bad (January and February) and I'm thankful for that, considering I live up high on a hill. It's started early this year, though, and I'm already realizing that I'm going to have a messy walk to work (down stairs, hills and cobble stone streets). But! It builds character, right? Plus, after living through the rain in Costa Rica (which wasn't so bad at all), I realized I prefer the rain to bitter, face-numbing cold any day...

...I say that now. I'll get back to you in two months.


((Enjoy the music video above, and let me know if you figure out the plot. I'm confused.))

"Womens are complicated."

- One of my Basic-3 students

So are mens.

The Machu Picchu Blog

Hola!

I went to Machu Picchu last weekend. The verdict? EPIC.

I only spent a total of about 2 and a half hours at the ruins and now that I'm gone, I look at the pictures and think, "Really? I was there?"

I went with two of my teaching friends from work and my Italian roommate, Betta (don't worry, Cameron is still around- she's going to MaPi with her mom in December). We opted to take a tour, but you really don't need to take a tour. There's a helpful brochure and map that tells you just about as much as the tour does. The thing about Machu Picchu is that no one really knows much about its history and origins. It was built around 1450 (more recently that I'd assumed) and at some point the civilization living there decided to up and leave. There are parts of it that are still unfinished and it hadn't been lived in long when it was abandoned. One theory is that the people on Machu Picchu got word from Cusco (the capital of the Incan empire) that the Spanish were invading, so they bailed to save themselves. Turns out, they may have been alright if they stayed- the Spanish never found Machu Picchu. Another theory is that an illness wiped out a bunch of the people living there and they left to avoid complete obliteration. No one can say anything for sure, but the mystery totally adds to its epic-ness.

MaPi (it's nickname) is considered one of the modern wonders of the world and it is truly wonderful. If you can get there, do it. One of the best parts about a trip to Machu Picchu is that it's also a trip to Cusco and the Sacred Valley- there's so much history, rich culture and natural beauty here. You shouldn't miss it.

I think the fact that my students and other locals I meet are just as in awe of Machu Picchu as tourists says a lot- they live here, they take school trips to Machu Picchu, it's the biggest deal around these parts and they're totally not over it. Before leaving last weekend, I was talking to a class about weekend plans and I told them about my trip. They know I am on antibiotics right now and can't drink alcohol (they are used to their teachers being on antibiotics), and one of them said, "That's too bad, Teacher, because when you see Machu Picchu, you'll want to have a beer." Well, I can definitely concur that a toast was definitely in order- beer or no beer.

Salud, Machu Picchu!

Fun Fan

This is a conversation that took place between me and a student yesterday...

Student: Is there fun in this class?

Me: Yes! This class will definitely be fun!

Student: No, is there fun?

Me: Yes, I like to have fun in my classes.

Student: There was no fun in the other class.

Me: Really? Who was your teacher?

Student: Nooo, fun!

Me: Write it down.

(She writes "fun" on the board)

Me: Divertido? ("fun" in Spanish)

Student: Nooooo.

(Waves hand in front of her face like a fan.)

Me: Ohhhhh, FAN! No, we don't have a fan in this class, but we can open the window.

Month Two- Bring It

I have officially been in Cusco for over a month and I am less than THREE months away from landing in the Northern hemisphere. (Start chilling the champagne...)

With a new month comes a new class load (for some teachers and this month, that means me). I am happy to report that my October schedule is awesome. Yes, the split shift is inevitable, but I'm teaching TWO Advanced level classes and I got to keep the two Basic level classes I love. I like teaching Advanced because there is a big focus on writing, the rules of writing, and reading comprehension. I love all of the above. I'm a geek.

In other news, I went on an AMAZING hike with some friends yesterday. We started at our house and feasted on a killer breakfast prepared by my roommate (don't worry, Mom- I shopped and cleaned for it) and from there we headed uphill toward the Cristo Blanco statue that stands over the city. It was just what I needed. There were hills, mountains, trees and of course, Incan ruins. There are small ruins all around the area and we actually climbed inside and old cave/Moon temple and checked out the sacrifice altar. Cool, huh? (Okay, maybe a little eerie too...) I live here? Really? I knew I needed to get OUT of the city and do some exploring and whaddya know? It worked. It was inspiring and rejuvenating. I am so happy, so lucky to be here. It was my best day in Cusco yet and maybe one of the best of this whole experience.

I'm already entering in to this month less stressed and more eager- I am settling in. I look forward to see what month two has in store for me.

((Headed to Machu Picchu on Friday...!))

- See more pictures from the hike HERE

- See more pictures from the rest of my September HERE