San Pedro Prison

There´s been many amazing experiences I´ve had during my time in South America but I haven´t felt the motivitation to write in a very long time -- until now.

I just got back from a week and half vacation in Bolivia, mainly to renew my Peruvian visa and visit Uyuni - the world´s largest Salt Flat. However, while passing through La Paz I decided to walk off the "normal" tourist track as my curiousity for a certain prison (San Pedro Prison) had sparked an interest after hearing about a book called "Marching Powder".

"This book establishes that San Pedro is not your average prison. Inmates are expected to buy their cells from real estate agents. Others run shops and restaurants. Women and children live with imprisoned family members. It is a place where corrupt politicians and drug lords live in luxury apartments, while the poorest prisoners are subjected to squalor and deprivation. Violence is a constant threat, and sections of San Pedro that echo with the sound of children by day house some of Bolivia's busiest cocaine laboratories by night. In San Pedro, cocaine--"Bolivian marching powder"--makes life bearable. Even the prison cat is addicted."

I thought to myself some of this must be exaggerated, hyped up to sell to the general public -- either way, I had to find out.

So we arrived in La Paz on Tuesday June 29th and spent the night at Loki -- a famous South American Hostels which normally contains the craziest backpackers, willing to do anything for an experience. That night I asked around the hostel about the prison. Many had heard of the prison doing tours, others said they had done it -- being charged different amounts anywhere from 400 BS to 800 BS.

One guy at the hostel apparently had the contact to an inmate inside who could put us down as a visitor and we´d be able to enter but he said it was closed on Wednesday which meant no "visitors" were allowed.

After all the stories I heard and different ways to get in -- I just decided to go to the prison the next day and see what happens. So we went....

When we got to the prison doors they wouldn´t let us in (obviously), then they said we could come in and talk to the inmates but were only allowed a short interview which meant we couldn´t go all the way in -- that was suffient enough for my friends but not for me. I needed to get in -- all the way in.

After hanging around the prison for another 30 minutes - talking about what we were going to do - a normal looking guy from the prison came out. He said he was a policeman and he could get us in for 500 BS. For someone whose been living in South America for the last year and half - that´s expensive! So we tried to talk him down --- long story short, we brought him a few more tourists who were interested in seeing the prison for 500 BS and he let me in for a 100 BS.

Walking in was a little intimidating with weird stares and crazy people coming up to you with no teeth wanting to sell you stuff. But the further in you go, the more normal it starts to feel -- kids running around, restuaurants, villages, churches, stores, flat screen TV´s, cable, wi-fii -- EVERYTHING!

You can buy some of the best cocain in South America inside this prison - they have store inside called "Se Vende Coca" -- and they don´t sell coca leaves. They make, buy and sell all their own stuff.

My friend bought a bag of marijuana inside the prison for 5 BS. I bought a pair of earrings inside the prison for the same amount of money =/

The prison is divided into sections and each section has a name like Chaka or something.... I don´t remember the exact names. But these sections act as villages - each with their own doctor and lawyer. There are some sections of the prison which are more expensive than others and you must pay for your cell. Any trade or talent you have will work to your benefit in here and if you can´t afford to buy your cell you work in the garbage dumps and live in the really rancid sections of the prison.

Our guide couldn´t afford to pay for his cell but he was from New York and could speak english so he does tours. He decided to earn money this way and lives without a section -- which can usually offer you some type of protection.

The thing that really got to me was watching kids run around the prision playing with each other next to murders, drug addicts and rappists. I´m still trying to absorb it... its nutty, completely nutty!

IN SAN PEDRO PRISON - THE PRISONERS RUN THE PRISON. THE POLICE ARE ONLY IN CONTROL OF THE DOOR (deciding who enters/leaves).

I asked a prisoner if it was a safe prison and he said for the tourists - yes. Some prisoners make over 1000 BS a day off the tourism so they don´t want to jeapordize this in any way. Personally, I felt safe but I don´t think the average person would feel the same way.

In Bolivia everything goes... as long as you don´t caught. I am now a registered relative of a San Pedro Prisoner in Boliva.

Before leaving I went to the Commander´s office to get my camera which they had confiscated from me before entering the prison. The commander spoke to me for a little while and asked about my nationality and so on (small talk) -- then he invited me to come back to the prison after I get back from Uyuni to see the other side of the prison.

I asked "What´s on the other side?"
He said "Mafia, rich politicians and a guy from a Japan". haha

The otherside of the prison usually cost $500 DOLLARS to get in and houses the richest criminals and politicians to pass through Bolivia. They pay up anywhere from 500 - 2000 dollars for their cells and have some of the best comforts and luxuries as any chicago high rise apartment.

Prison or Freedom?

Friday, April 24

There are two things I must let out --- first the bad news.
Cusco always has this slight chill to it which seaps through your bones and makes you cringe and I CAN´T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! Looking at a map you will see that we are located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator - the hottest latitudes in THE WORLD. What is going on??? Seriously.

Second -- I had my first decent spanish conversation with a cab driver last night!! =) It was about 15 minutes long, no english, all spanish, and made complete sense. I´m soo happy to be improving on my language with no formal training. It´s almost crippling to be living here without it. So, my goal this month is to make as many Peruvians friends as possible so I can improve my spanish and salsa.

Tonight one of the teachers is throwing a party at her place for the legalization of gay marriage in Iowa - random. But it should be fun... Im gonna dress up as guy and my roommate, Kelly, will be my woman. A little weird but I think I can work it. GAY MARRIAGE! YAHHHH! hahaha

Another brief update -- A friend of mine named Jay just moved up to Via San Blas. Basically it´s really high up, above the city, on this property that belongs to this divorced couple (Peruvian and Canadian). They built the whole place by hand and have made it the coolest, chillest spot in ALL of Peru. The past week we´ve been using our 5 hour break in the middle of the day to go rock climbing up there... its the most amazing place someone could live. Right by the intersection of the old Incan roads that basically put you smack dab - in the middle of the EMPIRE!!! Not to mention they have a rock climbing wall going up one of the sides of the house with the coolest Peruvians - who - I still can´t figure out how they make money because all they do is smoke and climb. Luis (whose Quechua name is Songa) is the owner. He was married to this Canadian lady who left last week, back for Canada. I can only assume he probably wasn´t faithful because Peruvians have a problem with that but now Luis lives there with his 2 beautiful labrador dogs, Tiki and Rockcoo. Tiki is pregnant and I´m stealin a pup in 3 months when she gives birth. It´s gonna be me and my dog in a Peruvian Shanti over looking the Andes --- or so I hope. LOL

This place has become my new escape (as if Peru wasn´t enough) but teaching can wear on you after a while especially when you feel like you´re on permanent vacation. Anyways, this is a short one, I need to take my afternoon nap now. Buenos Dias Chicos!!!

P.S. Tickets to Peru are the lowest they´ve ever been from Chicago. Check out Spirit Air. Last time I looked it was $250.

Tuesday, April 14

It´s been a while since my last blog and I apologize for the delay but I´ve been busy having the TIME OF MY LIFE!!!! Peru is amazing in all its many shapes, forms, people, and the common bond that ties us together -- escape from the ordinary. It´s hard to say how often i´ve experienced states of completely tranquility and surrealism and the best part about it is -- its all real. Sometimes I´ve had to stop and ask myself "Do I really deserve all this?" but in the end its all relative. Everyone I know here is on this search for something better... something extraordinary. Not knowing where we´ll end up but just continuing on as if everyday was our last.

Last night we got back from Arequipa -- an amazing city on the west coast of South America. Full of lights, action, stores that actually look familiar. In between Cusco (my present location) and Arequipa there´s nothing but barren land. Miles of nothingness enveloped with sand and the only trace of life being cactus and sheep every once in a while.... I was skeptical being on the hot bus ride for 12 hours, feeling baked like a cake in the oven. Every once in a while we´d stop for a bathroom break and food. I went with Kelly (my korean roommate), Gabriel Sorrell (the writer from brooklyn with a knack for the creative and a streak of manipulation that courses through his vains only for the mere entertainment of it all) and then Nick my old buddy from TEFL who came back from the Jungle and was ready to plunge head first into the next adventure upon his return. I will refrain from going into too much character building because it´s all just a matter of opinion in which some cases might be far from the truth. Either way it was a great group and we had a wonderful time.

The order of events are a little vague now that a 24 hour period has lapsed but I can say with full confidence it was one of the more magical experiences in my life as we approached Arequipa which is in many senses the land of OZ for me. Arriving on Thursday night (April 9th) we were in the middle of Semana Santa - the week of holiness leading up to Easter. All the clubs and bars were shut down but the streets were filled with parades and vendors. All kinds of scrumptious goodies for us to engross are bellies with under the hot Arequipen sun. I, not being the sweet tooth, didn´t endulge as much as the rest but walking around the joyful town made me feel a sense of relief. Stopping all thought and self discovery for a moment and just enjoying the simple pleasures of the city. That day we rested early at a small hostel outside the plaza.

The next day we caught another bus 2 hours to Playa de Camana - The beach! It was time to kick back and do some body surfing - WHOA! The waves were HUGE, much bigger then the waves in Lima and a lot more laid back. This time there was sand and A LOT OF IT! Sand everywhere, dunes, mounds, in my pants, in my ears. Across the beach I could see people catching their dinner for their whole family. Trucha was the main course which bascially means fried Trout. We also had a wonderful course of Ceviche - my first peruvian meal which I had in Lima - bringing back all the memories of feeling alone in a different country. Basking in the hot pacific sun we met a friend - Elvis. He was the local cocain dealer for the beach and he was definitely interested in our male companions. He was half Peruvian half Italian and didn´t know a lick of English. Kelly and Nick both spoke pretty good spanish and was able to exchange phone numbers if we were interested in delving into that cluster fuck tonight but in the end we opted not to... as we had better plans on the horizon which had not been divulged yet.

That night we had a glorious meal and shared eveything... the four of us didn´t need to party or impress. We didn´t need to excrete too much energy -- we were just chillin and going with the flow. Deciding at dinner what we were gonna do that night -- in the distance was a huge sand dune which we had been looking at all day. Secretly wanting to climb it -- we had each become hiking crazed maniacs since landing in South America so it only seemed natural. But the question was hike it sober or hike it not sober??????

All of us had our fair share of exprimental drugs but tonight was a little different as we slowly learned of Nick´s Mushroom Goo. Kelly had never tripped before but something about the group dynamic allowed her to entertain the idea. After some brief discussion we all figured -- why not? We´re in a beautiful city, near a beach, with nothing more to do aside from talk, smoke, relax, and chill. It didn´t take long before we were all popping small balls of what looked like a tootsie roll. POP, POP, POP, POP. And away we went...........

This is when the town became OZ to me. It was like walking through a dream. We looked at the sand dune and started walking towards it -- Nick acting like a semi-guide to us all - he´s an explorar through and through. We walked over a field and past the sleeping town, lights off everywhere, and the night belong to us. We crossed a road and infront of us stood THE DUNE! I was dreaming.... everything in me said i was dreaming. At this point I´m gonna hand the torch over to Kelly because for me mushroom goo was more of a feeling of ectasy and dream states then anything else.. I didn´t have an huge revelations nor did it hit me as much as I thought it would but it was still fun. We all scattered up the hill, gasping for breath periodically I would stop and paint. Right behind me stood Nick, and he was like slow down, there´s no rush, we have the whole night. The more that thought set in the slower I would go and it felt great.... Gabrielle and Kelly Jumped ahead, racing to the top of the mountain where they found all kinds of revelations, god, metaphors, etc.... It was quite the night for them. Nick and I stopped 200 feet below the mountain top and found a nice spot to KICK IT. As I soaked into the mountain, I found myself planted for good.. . i was not moving. I was exactly where I wanted to be ... and he sat down right next to me. We had a chill discussion, nothing profound or out of the ordinary... as I mentioned before it wasn´t as intense as I thought it was going to be but none-the-less fun. A couple times we forgot there were 2 other people on the mountain with us and once in a while we would here screams from up top. What they were going through we may never know but a couple hours later they came tumbling out of the darkness screaming "metaphor and I want to get naked!" A little beyond my comprehension but ok... I can dig it. Rolling and tumbling someone rampaged nick and he began rolling. Kelly kept saying I had sunk so deep into the mountain that I was almost a part of it... which felt enormously comfortable. I did feel like the mountain had wrapped its sand arms around me and protected me from the cold night air.

Below you will find Kelly´s interpretation of our night;
So...lots has happened since we last spoke. I have started a
mini-relationship with Gabe. What a crazy one. Really, things were a
little rocky, but finally, we had a nice talk last night, and we
basically decided that nothing is really going to come of anything
that happens, and that we are pretty much in it for the comfort
aspect.

Last weekend was by FAR the best weekend i have had since i've been in
Cusco. We actually traveled to Arequipa and to a city by the beach!!
OH MY GOD!! Arequipa was an actual city. There were shops and malls
and we even had time to find a movie theater! it was amazing. I got
pizza hut and all was well in my life again!! loL!! Really, I even saw
a Payless Shoes!! YAYAYAYA!!! I didn't go in, but the option was there
and I really appreciated it. Ok, SOOO i tried my first hallucinogenic
drug. It was the goo from mushrooms called mushroom goo, how
appropriate!! haha! It looked like a little deer poop and you just
swallow like a pill. The effects were amazing!! Colors were brighter,
pictures on the wall were moving, and there was even a little body
high. I can't even begin to explain what went on that night, but I
will do my best.

So we went to this little town on the beach and stayed in this crappy
hostal. It wasn't so bad though, because Kareema and Nick (another
potential teacher at my school) got an awesome room with an ocean view
and a little living room area. SO, after smoking a considerable amount
of weed, drinking a few 40's and taking the goo, we ventured out to an
enormous sand dune. When we were at the base of the dune, it was
lingering there flaunting it's massiveness and just asking to be
conquered (this is me on drugs now...) While climbing the sand
continually was shifting beneath my feet and it took quite a bit of
effort and motivation to reach the top. Half way through, i was so
tired that i wanted to give up. Suddenly it became this spiritual
journey. I dropped my unopened beer in the sand to shed some weight
and kept climbing. I wanted to reach the top so badly just to prove to
myself that I could actually accomplish something significant in my
life. the mountain became this HUGE metaphor of my life. I felt like i
have been struggling up this mountain (life) for so long and really
have nothing to show for all of my efforts. I came to South America in
search of that wholeness that i have always longed for. And there, on
that mountain of sand, i finally realized that I had enough balls (for
lack of a better word) to do it. REALLY, the way drugs can make you
realize the obvious in this totally new light is incredible. SO, i
continued up the mountain. I finally reached the top. I was elated.
Then, just being at the top wasn't enough, I started to explore. On my
journey i also decided that my clothes had become this foreign entity
and needed to be removed. So, i got pretty much completely naked on
the top of this god forsaken mountain. (the sand in my mouth, shoes,
hair, clothes and every orifice of my body also fueled my motivation,
but it was so symbolic to me. I was shedding all of these unwanted,
unnecessary and useless amenities in my life. I was finally just me.
alone. naked. walking toward the moon in search of something greater
than this life has to offer. it was incredible.

Finally, i felt the chill of the cold night. I started to head back
towards my clothes. It was about 15 min into my search that i realized
that i had no idea where i had left them. I started to run. Panicked.
I started yelling "Marco!" (which is what Gabe and I yell if we can't
see one another). I heard a faint "polo" in the distance, muffled by
the wind. new hope!! I ran towards the voice. Now, i really have no
idea if he actually responded or had heard me at all. But i finally
found him. He was building a wall. (HOW SYMBOLIC!) for the first time
that i had this epiphany about him. He will forever constantly be
building his walls, and i will forever be the free spirit (running
naked on the mountain top!) F*ING CRAZY!!! His walls meant sooo much
to me though. I was so hurt that he was building walls, as if he were
building this wall specifically to keep me out. (which, i find out
last night that he was actually building the wall for a completely
different purpose...) ANYWAY, so I eventually found my clothes. got
dressed and went to talk to him about his DAMN walls. we were on
completely different pages and it just kept becoming more clear how
much i didn't have in common with him and how different we really are.
It was a great night. full of revelations and HUGE METAPHORS. let it
be known that i climbed the mountain of life.

The way down. we came to realize that we were not alone, and that, in
fact, we had two other friends on the mountain with us. We ventured
back down the slippery slope to find the two laying in the sand.
Kareema had sunken into the dune and was almost completely
camouflaged. We started runnning around on the side of this dune,
tackling each other and wrestling in the sand. It was incredible.
Finally, after all of our energy was spent, we started sprinting and
rolling down dune. It was the more exhilarating experience i have had
in a long time. we were recklessly carefree. It was dangerous but well
worth the risk. It was like being on another planet.
Uh...indescribable experience.

After all the revelations and tumbling down big sand dunes of mountains and crazy metaphors. We all fed off the energy and one of after the other took a plunge, slipping and sliding down the dune like penguins off rocks. BOOP, BOOP, BOOP! Swooping in and out of rocks and ditches, catching ourselves a couple times so as not to break any bones in the process. It was like a walking on the moon. After we reached the bottom we walked to the beach... which meant walking through the dead asleep town and passing some creeping ass looking dogs - which seemed to be more scared of us then we were of them. As we got closer to the beach the sounds got greater. Waves crashed into shore -- warning of us of their danger under the pull of the FULL moon. Speaking of which -- The moon looked amazing! Everyone started stripping - taking off thier clothes and jumping headfirst into waves of bitter cold as it crashed against the shore. I turned around to see random lights in the background, people passing up and down the avenue behind us... in retrospect this may have been a little paranoia but I definitely did not want to be caught with my pants down! "You guys go ahead, I´ll keep an eye our stuff" And away they went... I don´t even want to imagine how cold or how uncomfortable it felt on the way out but watever the case... I probably was more sober then the rest of them because I definitely did not feel this burst of FREE EXTREME SPIRIT - all i thought was cold, cold, not for me.

The paranoia swept away and after only a few minutes everyone lunged back out of the water and headed back to the hostel. We topped it off with a night cap and all hit the sack. It was a great night... and I´ll never forget my time at a Playa de Camana.

The next day we all woke up, refreshed and clean. Went back to Arequipa city - watched a movie, ate pizza hut, popcorn, and lots of candy. Spent the night and caught a bus in the morning... 12 hours back to Cusco. Nick stayed as he does not start teaching until May 1st and wanted to do some more hiking and hang gliding up by Colca Canyon. A place I will eventually go to as well.. Can´t wait! =)

Friday, March 6

In Peru each village is in charge of a different commodity, today I went to Oropesa, the bread village. The best bread you've ever tasted and they transport it to the main city of Cusco every week to sell at the markets. Most of the women in this town spend hours making bread everyday and that's how they make their living. They have brick ovens, sometimes right outside their homes, and they live in a little adobe shanties - The best bread you've ever tasted, I swear!

But that's not why I went there -- an hour and a half away from Cusco, past a bunch of cows and long dirt roads, lies a boy's orphanage. Kristy and Tim, my family housemates and possibly the cutest couple ever, invited me to come with them to the orphanage this afternoon. I'm always up for a new experience and I jump at the invitation. I have to admit that I've been fortunate enough not to experience a Peruvian bus since I've been here but today I broke the mold and it was interesting. Catching the bus out of Cusco was no problem but 20 minutes into the bumpy ride there's: people sitting on top of me, guys hanging out the doors and windows, kids screaming, women breastfeeding, people pushing, and I'm just trying not to fall as I stand in between two Peruvians for an hour and a half.

Reaching Oropesa was a relief - Tim, Kristy, and I squeezed ourselves out of the bus and onto the cobble stone pavement. The minute we hit fresh air we could taste the smell of bread as it eased its way into our nose and down our throat. Now everyone that knows me knows I rarely eat bread or rice but since being in Peru that's all I eat! The bus dropped as off in the village plaza but there were barely any people around. The few Peruvian kids we did see running around looked at us as if we were aliens. They stared as we walked through the plaza and some even waved because they got a kick out of seeing us wave back. In Cusco the people are a little more used to seeing foreigners but in Oropesa they never do and they stare out of curiosity. I'm just as curious about them as they are of me and I smile back.

Kristy and Tim warn me that the orphanage is a little bit of a hike as we continue to walk through the town. The small streets we walk down look dead, like a ghost town. Then I see a man walking our way with two donkeys and he looks like a farmer. Little baby alpacas scurry across the street and Kristy and Tim talk to me about a few boys at the orphanage that I'm about to meet. Walking along what has now become a dirt road we see a school to our right and woman comes out to greet us. Apparently she knows my housemates but I can't really make out what she's saying because it's in Spanish. From the little I do gather I figure out that the school is still under construction and it has to be ready by Monday for classes. She invites the three of us to come in and take a tour of the place. The paint smell is strong and there's a few men on the roof and a bunch of dirt on the ground -- it looked FAR from done. The woman continues to talk in Spanish to us and I can tell she's very excited about the new school opening. The only thing done is the framing and that's not even complete because inside just looks like a bunch of dirt and gravel - I don't know how it will be done by Monday. But we wish her luck and give her a hug and a kiss, the standard Peruvian good-bye.

Kristy and Tim explain that the school gets very little help from the government but they need more resources to ensure it's success. They make due with what they have and hope some kids will show up for school on Monday. But in Peru it's more important to work and make money for the family then to go to school so unless you know English you're more than likely going to be working on a farm or doing construction. The English speakers get to go into tourism which is a huge money maker for the country and only the wealthy Peruvians can afford English classes like those at Maximo Nivel.

Further away from the small town and up the road we start to see cows and chickens. Women and kids farming the fields or picking corn, there's not much around and all you see is fields and mountains. There's a calming feeling that comes over me and it's nice. We're getting closer to the orphanage and I can see it's blue awning off in the distance. Two little boys are walking down the road towards us and they stop to shake our hands. Kristy and Tim seem to know the younger one who introduces himself as "Walking". They are all talking Spanish and I try to pick up on a few words but get nothing. After we say goodbye to both the boys I get the translation and all I'm thinking is I have to learn Spanish. The little boy is the son of the man who runs the orphanage, Carlos. He comes to play with the boys sometimes and was walking home when we bumped into them on the road. The other boy walking with him is Orlan and he lives at the orphanage.

When we turned off the dirt road onto this patch of land, two small puppies came running up to us and tugging on our shirts and pants - they were super friendly. There were cows, chickens, ducks, and all kinds of other farm animals on the land. The orphanage looked like a little cabin and surrounding it a lot of land and crops. We see the boys off in the distance playing soccer on a self-made field and yelling words in Spanish. They're so consumed in their game, they pay little attention to us. But one little boy came running up to us with water balloons and a big fat smile. He was a bit shy when he saw me and realizing I'm a new person he decided not to throw the water balloons. Kristy threw her arms around the dirty boy and wrestled him to the ground, he laughed and tried to wiggle away. Tim, being as tall as a basketball player, lifted Danny over his shoulders and on top of one of the goal posts but Kristy got a little nervous about that so he put him back down.

Danny was the cutest kid and it took some getting used to but he finally warmed up to me after a little bit. We spent 3 hours at the orphanage and I also got to meet Carlos. He was happy to see a new face and thanked me for coming over. Tim worked with Carlos in the green house while Kristy and I taught English to the boys. It took a lot of work to get them off that field and into classroom for a lesson but they finally all made it in, especially after Kristy busted out the lollipops.

I was fortunate to meet Laura before leaving the orphanage, she's a girl from the U.K. (probably about my age) and has been living at the orphanage for 7 months. She gave us the scoop on some of the boys and while she spoke, I thought to myself, it's amazing how sheltered we are in comparison to the rest of the world. Hearing some of their stories made me feel selfish about all the things I take for granted. Fernando, one of the boys at the orphanage who was intrigued with my camera and insisted on taking 30 pictures of us. He was found by an elderly couple who caught his mother trying to dump him in the river. Orlan came home one day and found both his parents dead but Laura doesn't know too many of the details surrounding that incident. Danny and his siblings grew up 16 hours away from Oropesa and his parents were too poor to take care of him so they sent him and his brother, Willbur, to Oropesa. If Danny's mom wants to come visit him she has to walk 8 hours to the nearest bus stop and then take an 8 hour bus ride to Oropesa. From what I gather, she was living at the orphanage for a couple months as a house maid but left about a year ago and hasn't been back since.

I finish up classes in a couple weeks and I need to start looking for places to teach. I was contemplating staying in Cusco and teaching at Maximo because they guarantee steady work and a decent salary but after my day in Oropesa I'm starting to change my mind. If I decide to teach outside the city of Cusco I will literally be living amongst the poorest of the poor with very few resources. But Maximo Nivel has plenty of resources and they are internationally funded with thousands of volunteers. The places that really need help are out in the mountains and jungle. I leave the big family house in 2 weeks and I need to decide where to go asap. I think I'll talk to my advisor next week about some of the opportunities outside Cusco. I would love to help out in Oropesa if I can.

Monday, March 2

Needless-to-say Peru has been treating me very well!

I live in a big house on the outskirts of town with about 17 other people from all over the world. We have cooks that make us 3 amazing meals each day, clean our rooms, and do our laundry. We have satellite, internet, a house phone, and all the comforts of a Saudi princess... it's unreal. I figure they want to make us as comfortable as possible when we first get here and then gradually blend in, either way, I'm not complaining. There are some things that you just can't help 12,000 feet above sea level - cold showers and internet are very temperamental. I'm still yet to have a shower where my lips don't turn blue but like I said ... I'm not complaining.

It’s been a whirlwind getting here but it was worth every penny and parasite. After landing in Peru, Maximo Nivel, the school I'll be studying and teaching at for the next year, sent over a driver to pick me up from the airport, Bryan. He was a small Peruvian boy that had been studying English at Maximo and was now working in the international office. Bryan barely looked legal driving age, and had been so nerve wracked when he picked me up that his palms were drenched in sweat. He had been running around all day picking up students and volunteers for the new quarter and quickly warned me that it was the first day of Carnival in Peru and that the street would be filled with people trying to get me wet with water balloons and shaving cream - I rolled up my window.

The drive up to the school was quiet entertaining. The streets were filled with kids running around with water guns and shaving cream. They were spraying anyone and anything that moved... it actually looked like a lot of fun. Maximo Nivel was located on one of the main roads in Cusco, down the street from the big Plaza de Aramas (they must have one of these in every city), and conveniently located right next door to the only post office in Cusco.

When Bryan pulled up to Maximo, Owen, my advisor who I had been in touch with back in Chicago, was standing right outside waiting for us. He looked like he might be Korean but I don't want to politically incorrect so we'll stick with Asian. It was late Sunday afternoon and I'm sure no one wanted to be at school right now so after Owen gave me a quick tour of Maximo, Bryan drove me to my living quarters. Avenue Del Sol was definitely the biggest road in Cusco because the farther away we drove from it the the less populated it became but my house was only 15 minutes away from school and on the outskirts of this small neighborhood. The door was gated and Bryan helped me grab my bags from the cab. As we walked up the curb and towards the door, all the dirty stray dogs cleared the way and a Peruvian lady with a sweet smile opened the door and welcomed me with open arms - as if she was the "house mom". So far everything was far from what I had expected and in a good way.

The Family House, much like the hostel, was mixed with many different personalities and backgrounds. I walked into a small living room packed with students and a few older people with laptops. A girl named Laila stood up and introduced herself right away, after her everyone else followed, then there was the questionaire -- What's your name? Where are you from? What brings you to Cusco? etc.... Everyone was very nice but I was too tired for this conversation tonight. The altitude in Peru makes you very tired and its hard to catch your breath even when you're just walking so I conked out pretty quick and never seemed to regain any sort of energy that night. Not to mention, I was still recovering from what I came to find out was "Jardina" aka "The Snake".

Now it's been a little over a week and I'm finding it harder to focus on myself. My classes are pretty intense and it leaves me little time for blogging and exploring. For the next 4 weeks I'll be in TEFL courses which basically certifies you to teach English in any foreign country regardless of the language barrier. My personal translation -- a one way ticket around the world. The method is interesting and it's definitely much different then your typical method of teaching. I taught my first class on Friday and I think I did ok. I had one of the higher scores in the class and I played a fun game with my students at the end class - having them all sit on top of their desks and throw a nerf ball around saying one city or country they would like to visit in full English sentences as they went down the alphabet. I focused my lesson on travel - go figure!

There are four other students taking the TEFL course with me and in between all the craziness and madness I managed to find someone from Wheaton, Illinois! Nick and I got along from the get-go and we started to get to know each other in between breaks and during group work. Half way through the first week we realized how close we lived to each other back home. On top of that -- his girlfriend happens to be Indian! How much more familiar can it get? Sometimes we make these weird looks at each other in class and I swear we're thinking the same thing - he's definitely going to be my study buddy for the rest of TEFL. J is another boy in our class and he's about 23 years old and yes he spells his name with one letter. He used to live in San Francisco in a garage with a bunch of guatemalans where he picked up Spanish and worked in construction- don't ask. He also looks a lot older then any of us and lives in the one of the apartments behind the big Family House. Then there's Sonja, a german girl whose second language is English. She and I walk to school every morning together and she's already been in Peru for about 2 months so she knows her way around the town. It sounds like she doens't really want to take TEFL but her parents are making her do it so when she comes back to Germany she has the ability to teach English which is a high demand job over there - smart parents. Sonja originally came to Peru to work as a volunteer at one of the orphanages which she still visits regularly on the weekends. Sonja is a sweet girl, obviously a lot younger then me and seems very naive. So in a nutshell -- that's my class and for the next 4 weeks I'll be writing papers and working my butt off as we jam pack a year of schooling into one month.

I must admit I feel like I'm in elementary school again. I walk to school everyday just as I did in kindergarten, get a lunch break where I can go home for lunch or have one of our amazing chefs pack me one in the morning, and every night I go home to a great home cooked meal, trivia or a movie with the housemates, and finish up homework, only to wake up and do it all over again. We just got a new housemate today who came from Oregon, he's a few weeks away from graduating med-school and came down to Peru to do some clinical work before graduation. I guess that would be the big difference between the Family House and the Hostel -- I'm surrounded with responsible adults and students looking to add to their resume or lend a helping hand. I'd like to think I fall into this category but I think I might be a little bit of both. Either way I'm glad to be here and I'm anxious to start teaching.

I've been looking into different programs and there are so many opportunities, it's hard to decide. Teaching at Maximo would be great experience and they would pay me the most amount of money but I would love to go out into one of the jungle schools and teach English there or work with people in Ourambamba -- a small village in the mountains. However, these schools don't have many resources and most of the teachers who do go out there are volunteers or get paid a small stipend. I have some time to decide... so we'll revisit this later.

This past weekend I took a break from class and went out into the mountains with a travel group known as Mayuc. Me and a couple of the housemates met up with some other travelers which happened to be a group of Oklahoma frat boys taking a break from their corporate jobs to drink, travel, and drink some more. Then there was this other group of Dutch girls, and Holly, Amy, and I from the Family House. Two hours out of Cusco and through a couple of small mountain towns we reached The Urubamba River. The tide was high and rainy season had just begun in Peru. It's a great time to White Water Raft and I couldn't wait to get into the water as we made our way through the indigenous mountain range.

That night I slept with all kinds of bruises and bumps, I think I may have caught a small cold, but it was fun. We actually ended up meeting up with those Oklahoma boys and the Dutch group for dinner. A place called Jacks is a restaurant in the center of Plaza de Aramas and is supposedly a big Gringo joint which basically means they have American food that won't get you sick. I have to admit I had the best Cheeseburger ever and ate most of my bread this time because I couldn't resist, Peruvians can make a mean burger. Afterwards everyone wanted to go out dancing and drinking but Holly and I made our way back to the house. The previous night we found ourselves dancing on top of the bar at Roots (a club in the plaza) and didn't make it home till 3am so we were running on empty.

This past weekend I also managed to catch one of the biggest games in Soccer - Cusco vs. Lima. The streets were filled with a big parade, and shaving cream pirates again looking for victims. I made sure to walk in between my housemates (Phil, Dan, and Steve) who all happened to be bigger then me so that helped protect me for a bit but this group of Peruvian kids managed to spray me when I wasn't looking and I quickly hid my camera between the sleeves of my jacket. The streets were chaotic and I'm still not quiet sure what the Cusco team name was but I know their colors were red. We hovered in a restaurant for shelter as we waited for some other people from the house. Fortunately for us, we were able to get our tickets early and not have to haggle with the street vendors. Laila, Sonja, and Amy were the only other girls from the house that we ended up finding before the game. After some serious pushing and shoving we finally made it inside the gates and was able to get a decent view. It was an awesome game that ended in a tie between Cusco and Lima but Cusco should have won. They had a huge home court advantage -- the other team couldn't breath at such high altitudes. It was almost unfair - Cusco should have blown them away!

Sunday, February 22

Today I left Lima. When I woke up this morning, I was more excited than ever to get to my next destination but it was 5 in the morning when nature came calling and the thought of traveling mortified me.

I basically spent the rest of the morning in the bathroom. Many people warned me about this and again, just like the sunburn, I never thought it would happen to me, after all I never get sick. Sitting on the toilet, hunched over, I try to massage my belly, anything to take away the pain. It feels like there's a snake going through your stomach, twisting and turning through your intestines, and just before it settles -- you make a run for it! No joke, whatever it is that you get here shows no mercy. I won't go into too much detail for fear of losing friends but you get my drift. The minute I got up I felt the snake again and I had to sit back down. Luckily I made it to the airport without sharting and ran to the bathroom as soon as I checked my bags. I was in bad shape - hair not done, sunburn, no make-up, big puma pants with a jacket, my college cap, a black backpack, and my heavy as hell laptop. I briskly walked around the airport trying to find the closest seat to the woman's stalls. To make things worse my flight was delayed 3 hours so after emptying the tank I curled up in a ball in the corner of the airport and slept with my hat pulled over my eyes. If someone stepped on me, so be it... I had no energy.

"LAN Peru 021 to Cuzco boarding passengers rows...." I shot up and power walked to the gate. I knew I had a comfortable seat by the window up front. Perfect to fall asleep and no one sitting next to me - double perfect. The plane was in the sky no longer then 5 minutes when I passed out... next thing I know the captain is announcing our arrival. My stomach felt the descent earlier and I looked out the window -- arrival? Where? All I could see was mountains - big monster mountains that slopped up and down and around each other like they were playing a game of tag. We passed through some clouds and again more mountains, twisting and turning like the snake in my ... never mind. Where were we going to land? That was my only question.

Then the plane took an abrupt nose dive, swooped left, and maneuvered around the curve of another mountain, through a cloud and WALAH... Words will never describe this part so I won't even try but "Majestic" comes to mind. This little town held protected by mother earth in all its beautiful shapes and forms, nestled somewhere between the Andes and heaven, hidden like a wonderful secret that I just uncovered.... Cuzco.

The plane continued to descend and as we got closer to land the little town stayed little -- it was very odd. Normally, a person lands in a city and the town grows bigger, louder, more like Chicago or New York. This town was still small, despite its recent popularity, it hasn't lost its charm yet. The airport had one lane and, just like in the movies, we walked down a staircase that fell onto the runway. A little man with a hat ran up to the plane to help us off, our baggage was wheeled over to this half outside/half inside baggage claim area and security was no where to be found. There were no television sets propped around the terminal displaying nothing but bad news 24/7, there were no annoying "show my your ID 20 times and take your shoes off 18 times", and I didn't see one person with a cell phone in their ear... it was just Pura Vida (Pure Life).

I need to rename this blog.

Saturday, February 21

It's about a quarter to 7 Saturday night. Tomorrow morning I leave for Cusco with that crazy driver again. It's weird but this Hostel in Loki has some how become my home for the last 4 days. I'm comfortable here, I know everyone, and I really like my new roommates. When I was living in New York people would always say that friends are like drifters in the night or something to that affect... the point is people would come for one reason or another, some for money, some for passion, fame, career, or just for the mere "I live in New York" response that came around in casual conversation. But I have to say I never really understood it until now, I never really missed anyone I would meet in New York or if I did I would find a way to see them again.. It was a 2 by 7 mile Island. It can't be that hard to reconnect. But here, on the tropic of cancer, in South America where people from all over the world look for that safe haven, that familiar face in a foreign land, the hostel. Here nobody is the same, nobody and everybody is alone, and fear is a mutual understanding that we somehow are able to mold together and dilute. We all dove into this from fearing the unknown, the untamed, and different. But at the end of every person's chapter, here, in South America, the biggest fear of all ends up having to go back home.

During my 4 days in Lima I've met many characters. The only way to describe them is in 3 categories, some sane, some slightly insane, and some completely insane! There's John Potter who loves to introduce each of his conversations as my uncle is Harry Potter and I grew up on a farm in Grand Rapids Michigan. He's the most hated guy in the hostel but his sarcasm and cynisism makes him funny as hell. He takes nothing seriously but knows enough about almost every subject to make fun of it and hence piss people off. It's quiet extraordinary how he does it... I must tip my hat to him. He's been living in South America for about a year and traveled the whole west coast stopping at towns along the way to write his book which is based on political sci-fi or something... His goal is to get on the American "banned book list" so he can cash out and live off the proceed forever. Apparently every banned book becomes a best seller... hmmm. anyways, continuing on... I don't know if I told you about Tobi. He's from Canada and was just about scared and freaked out as me. We became friends on my first night here in Lima and he hung out with me and Alberto. In a matter of 4 days he's become a coke addict feen addicted monkey. Sorry if you're reading this Tobi. But I'm pretty sure he didn't do it as much in Canada. A lot of the hostel crashers here will party all night, bring local girls over to the hostel, and snort coke till about 7 or 8 in the morning. Actually, I think Mr. Potter is still sleeping. Then there's the Alaskan fisherman whose been traveling for about 2 months and he loves it. As a matter fact I was just talking to him today and he said he's gonna go back to Alaska soon but definitely do it again. Then there's Brandon the bar tender who secretly sells dope from behind the bar, Irish Emily and her boyfriend who have been traveling for 7 or so months and who was extremely upset with Potter the other day for making fun of Ireland. John the Australian traveler who now works and lives at Loki Hostel and for some reason had a part of his ear bit off in a bar fight which I awkardly asked about the other night... put my foot in my mouth but I was able to recover.

Then there's my new roommates, Andrea and Marrette. They have been traveling for 2 months together and they're TOTALLY sane. A little too sane for a Hostel but none-the-less great girls. I love talking to all the crazy boys in this house but in the morning there's no one to hang out because everyone's knocked out sleeping or dead. jk. So today Me, Andrea, and Marrette went to an old Inca ruin outside the city. The tour started at 10:00am and we all packed up our bags and headed out. As we made our way out of the city of Lima neighborhoods and streets got progressivly poor. We started to see the real Lima as soon as we passed the cliff with the big cross and Plaza de Aramas.

There were shanties and shilling, children walking around dirty from head to toe. Everyone wants to sell you flowers or candy. The border of the city has new slums popping up all the time and you can see the neighborhoods like a shelf of books stacked upon one another. Farmers, truck drivers and construction workers doing what they can to feed their families. Everyone loves to wave and at times I felt like Cinderella on a parade float... had the the wave down pat. One farmer blew a kiss so I blew one back and he grabbed his heart and fell over. haha It was cute.

Pass the slums and into the outback we went and the farther we would drive the more peaceful we would feel under the blazin peruvian sun. It was getting sandy and dessert like we had been driving days. The city of Lima looked like a cloud of smog behind us and all the colorful shanties decorated its perimeter. I look forward as we approach Pachacamac, the old Inca ruin which is still under excavation. The bus pulls in and we all tumble out, excited to climb the pile of rocks and accept our gift, the view from above.

As we go through Pachacamac, the sweltering sun burning our backs, but despite the discomfort it's peaceful and serene. I could fall asleep atop one of their watering holes and probably have the best sleep of my life. There's no reason to talk to one another we just listen to the silence. The guards stand on top of one big mound and follows our group as we go up and around... finally we reach the top of Pachacamac and looking around I notice this weird climatic difference. On one side of the ruins is green hills with farmers, crops, and irrigation tunnels, on the other side desert and dust like we landed on the sun. The climate in Lima was weird to begin with and this just confirmed my belief... very eerie. Climbing down the ruin and around the maze we see our bus in the background, everything about it looks out of place. And I think to myself, it's sad, because in a couple years all this character and flawlessness that makes Peru so majestic is going to be taken over by western travel and tourism and just as that thought crosses my mind a big Mercedeas bus pulls in with a bunch of elderly gringos ready to get their money's worth... which if in Solas is probably $4.00.

As we get back on the bus most of the people who sat on top now sit on the bottom. The heat has made the majority of the red as prunes. I on the other hand stay on top... it'd be nice to have a tan for once. And we shall revisit this mistake later....

Driving back to Lima was relaxing... the hustle and bustle of Plaza de Armas and Larcomar made its way to my ear. The great thing about Loki Hostel is your always happy to be back and there's always something to do... As soon as we got in Carlos (front desk guy) reminded me about our lunch date. He had been talking to me about this amazing restaurant called Punto Azul since I arrived on Thursday. Today was perfect timing too because he got off in 10 minutes. I asked Andrea and Marrette to go with and given that we were all perched I knew that was gonna be a yes.

Punta Azul was a 5 minute walk down the street and it was PACKED. The line wrapped round the corner and the whole place was filled with people from all over the world. We were ticked 110 and they were only on 86 when we arrived. Was it worth the wait??? yes, yes, yes. The food was amazing! Top 5 places I've eaten at for sure... Ceviche Pescada, ay AMORE! It's raw fish, lightly fired over the stove, but basically raw, surrounded with this lemon juice sauce and just amazing. Carlos lit up as we all devoured the four dishes he chose and I couldn't stop eating. Luckily the plates were big enough to fill each of us up and we shared everything.

The WWF was in Peru tonight and Carlos promised his little brother that he would take him. It started at 8:00pm and we finished eating at about 3:00pm. That's when his little brother started calling him in a panic to come pick him up. His little brother had never been to a wrestling match but he loved the WWF. Carlos got tickets for him a while back but his brother was soo nervous someone would take their seats he wanted to get there as early as possible, four hours early if need be. He was soo excited, he made 16 signs, one for each wrestler, and was now at home with all his signs waiting for Carlos. We excused DC (Don Carlos) from the table seeing as we didn't think his brother would let him off. Tonight he'll be back at the hostel for a few drinks and tomorrow morning we say goodbye.

Oh and before I forget -- that sweltering equatorial sun has done me in this time. I just got out of the shower now and I'm burnt to a crisp. It hurts like hell when anything or anyone touches my shoulders, back, or chest. I'm two toned with all kinds of farmer tans and weird patterns. Tomorrow I purchase sunblock and can someone please send me a lonely planet on South America (the traveling on a shoestring edition). They're all out here but I'll check the airport tomorrow.

Time to go up to the roof top for some drinks... I'm beat. Later!