Missing Out

Yesterday, I was sitting in the teachers' lounge as my friend Selena got the news that her family dog passed away. The dog wasn't sick, just old, and despite her age, her death was still unexpected. My heart went out to Selena, as I know how much she adores her family, dogs included.

This got me thinking about a question a student asked me a few months back- “Teacher, what is the hardest part about being away from home?” At the time, I answered quickly with some generic answer about missing friends and family. In truth, I thought it was a good question, one I hadn't thought of myself and honestly, I didn't really know the answer back then. Now, however, despite the fact that I'm not home yet, I think I'm starting to realize what's been the hardest part about being away from home...

… it's the missing out.

Now, let me just say that there are few things I'd trade this experience for and as I am starting to get retrospective about all of it, I'm in awe of how much has been crammed in to half a year. So yeah, no regrets at all. Still, part of being away from home is missing home and missing out.

As I've caught up with people back home and been asking about what to expect, it turns out that I'm not returning to things the way I left them. Duh, right? Right. My loved ones are still healthy and happy...I think (knock on wood) and I don't have a dog, so...no need to worry about that. But, some things have changed- good and bad...and sad. When I left, I ran over the fact that things would indeed change over and over in my head...but over time, when things don't change immediately and time passes in a way it's never passed before, it's easy to convince oneself that maybe it won't be so different and maybe, juuuuust maybe, I'll get to be the luckiest girl in the world- living in two different, spectacular countries, making new friends, realizing new capabilities and then, at the end of it, coming home to things the way I left them. It's foolish to think that I'd get everything I'd want this year, but it's been hard not to have certain expectations and wishes upon returning home. I still am returning home to a beautiful life, I think I just got a little greedy in the “hope” department.

So yeah, this is getting real. It's kinda trippy to think about sitting by a fire in Mount Prospect in 17 days. I'm currently sitting on my roof in shorts and a hoodie, surrounded by the Andes. (Yeah, I really shouldn't complain about much these days, huh?) I look forward to home, yet I'll miss this terribly, just as I loved this but at times, missed home. All in all, I need to realize that the next step is just another one in the whole scheme of it and it's sure to hold unexpected gems of its own.

And lest we not forget, I've changed too.

Lessons Learned

Some of you ask what my classes are like. Here are some highlights from some of last week's lessons:

1. In my Advanced II-2 class we read alllllll about Scientology. I did it to spark some conversation and debate AND to get them writing about something. Turns out, I ended up learning a lot more about Scientology than I thought I knew. Did you know that I have a Thetan inside of me? Neither did I.

2. In my Advanced II-3 class, we read "Letting Go", an anecdotal essay by David Sedaris. I was nervous about them not getting his humor, but they did and turns out, they love Sedaris now, just like Teacher! We also got some great vocab out of the reading.

3. On Friday, in my Pre-Intermediate and High Basic classes, I had them listen to and do a gap-fill exercise to "King of Wishful Thinking" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. Latinos love 80's and early 90's music, so I thought it was a good call. It was a lot of fun and sparked some fun conversations about breaking up and moving on. I played it for three classes, three hours in a row, so while they listened, I watched the youtube video on repeat. Um, it's ridiculous and if I had to sit through it twelve times, you should experience it too. Click HERE to enjoy.

Greetings from November!

I'm writing to y'all from my second week of my third month in Cusco. Yep. Two months down, two more to go. I can't believe how time has flown.

I'm lucky enough to have yet another killer schedule- 7-10 in the morning and 6-9 at night. That big break in the day is really nice. (Though, I do miss having evenings to myself- it kinda takes away from prime Skype time. Beggars can't be choosers, y'know?) I also have two more advanced classes and they're going well- I've decided to get a little more creative and so far, so good. In one class, we're reading about and discussing Scientology and in the other, we're reading David Sedaris (my fave). I get such a kick out of watching my students get a kick out of Sedaris.

I'm having a lot of fun and feeling at home, though I can't help but feel butterflies when I think of touching down at O'Hare in...wait, lemme count...55 days. Yowza! And to think that in that relatively short time I will miss the Franny Burger Bake-Off (family tradition), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, but that also means I get to experience some pretty memorable holidays here.

When I first got really sick was when I first felt the real pangs of homesickness and since then (as I predicted), there's been an ebb and flow. I have not felt a horrible longing to get home, but there is always a quiet anticipation. I've mentioned before that this is the longest I've ever been away from home, so y'know, I'm pretty jazzed to see everyone again. I know the next time I go abroad I'll have a little more endurance.

So,yes I'm jazzed, but I'm also nervous...nervous to come back and have to get a job, nervous to return home with the memory of the high note from which I left...nervous to feel disappointment and discontentment. BUT! This is all part of the experience and I mean, I get to come home to the greatest family and the greatest friends in the world, and that's more than enough to look forward to.

In the meantime, I have parties, holidays and a trip to Lake Titicaca to look forward to. I also intend to embrace the time I have left with the wonderful friends I've made here. Let's just hope the parasites keep their distance...!

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.

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!

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.))

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

From Cusco, With Love

Um, hi...it's me. I know, I know- it's been awhile.

I have to be honest-I've been procrastinating. My apologies to my six followers.

So! I'm in Peru now, specifically Cusco. I've been here for almost a month. It feels like it's been longer and shorter simultaneously. Cusco is beautiful and my views remind me of this daily. The views from my bedroom window and kitchen are of the entire city and the Andes around it. Yeah. I have to pinch myself sometimes.

I'm working for the same company, but my class schedule is different. Where as in Costa Rica, I taught two hour M/W/F & T/TH classes, here I teach the same six classes everyday, for one hour each. I have a split shift and my heaviest load of classes is at night, ending at 9pm. It's taken some getting used to, but I'm getting the hang of it. My classes are also much bigger here (thirteen per class as opposed to four) and that means the staff is much bigger, so that's more people to hang out with. That's nice. I'm making friends from all over the world- Peru (obviously), England, Ireland, New Zealand, Colombia and Russia. I feel so...international.

I have not yet taken a weekend trip outside of the city, but in about two weeks I will be headed to Machu Picchu. I'm totally stoked about that.

My Spanish is improving and I'm eager to learn. I start classes next week, but no, I am not fluent. My dad asked me if I was the other day. (Silly dad.) I do teach IN English (I let a little Spanish slip in from time to time), as our program is "immersion". They speak a lot less English here than in Costa Rica, and that's a good thing; I get much more practice.

I mentioned that things were much different here than in CR and one of those things is the water- in Costa Rica, just like back home, you can drink the tap water and here, as in much of Latin America, you cannot. I expected this and really don't have a problem with it, BUT that does mean I am more vulnerable to stomach infections and whaddya know? I got me some parasites last week. To say it was horrible is an understatement, BUT thankfully our school has an on-call doctor who came to my house twenty minutes after I called him. He gave me a shot for the pain and wrote me a prescription, which my roommate immediately ran out and got filled. I was incredibly lucky to have so much support and realized that if I got this sick in the US, I wouldn't have the immediate bedside service that I received (then again, the odds of me getting parasites in the US are pretty slim).

That being said, I have to say that one of the side effects of parasites is homesickness. I've been gone four months and this is the first time I've felt genuinely homesick. No, I don't want to go home yet and yes, I am completely aware of how important and wonderful this experience is, but I do miss my loved ones very much. Prior to this, the longest I'd been gone had been two and a half months, so yeah, this is natural (I'm told), and like many bugs, will come and go. I left on a very high note and I was very happy and despite how desperately I wanted to do this, I miss many of the sweet things and people I left behind. This is part of my experience and a challenge that I know is ultimately good for me. There is a lot to learn about myself when I'm this far away from everyone and everything I'm most comfortable with and I am realizing that this part of my trip might be the most enriching. I hope.

In other news, I had the best night I've had here yet last night- filled with lots of laughs, intelligent conversations, and ridiculous antics. I'm glad I'm here.

I promise to write again soon! I still have to post my final thoughts on my time in Costa Rica...

Cusco Bound

I'm waiting.

Juuuust waiting.

Enjoying teaching, but not getting too comfortable here because come August 27th I am Cusco bound! I purchased my ticket yesterday and I am verrrrry excited.

Here's why...

Yup.

Can't freakin' wait.

PS- Come visit!