Mi Vida Peruana

Holaaa here I am still surviving in Peru, finally getting over the changes and finally getting used to my life here. As I had suspected, I knew that the beginning of my move would be "easier" than the second and third month. And I was right. The first month I was very involved with my new job (I will am, I am turning into a work-a-holic) but after the first initial month is when a wave of home-sickness hit me. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I missed home, my family and friends, and my life in general. Not to mention, it doesn't help that the weather here SUCKS right now. It is Winter until September and everyday is grey and overcast and chilly. I actually prefer that it rain over this weather. When it "rains" here, it really just mists which, to me, is not rain. I'm not going to lie, going on facebook and seeing everyone enjoying their summer days, laying in the sun and drinking on patios made it even harder for me to be far away. I have to say, my extended family (my uncles and brothers especially) teased me by Skyping and Facetime-ing me from my grandma's lake-house. I just keep telling myself that when they are 2 feet deep in snow I will be laying on the beach, which is oh-by-the-way one block from my house. So I'll try to re-cap the last two months.

I'm an Official TA :)
By the middle of July, I had passed my oral exam to become an official Travel Advisor for Latin America for Less. It was almost 2 1/2 hours long and I had studied pretty extensively and I am so glad it's over with. Since then, I have been working decently long hours because we have a lot of work to get done. We are constantly getting new requests and working with new clients. One thing that keeps me sane at the office are my co-workers. The environment is really relaxed and I really love the people I work with. They have a sense of humor and it helps keep the stress level a bit lower. Everyone seems really close and I hope to be able to go out more with everyone. It's tough when I'm not motivated because I'm so exhausted from work... 

Back to the job... Luckily, we do not do any cold-calling so that's one nice thing about my job. Another thing I like alot is that I am never bored. I always have work to do, and if I don't, I'm  receiving more requests from my manager. So far I've sold about 4 or 5 trips :) I've also done 13 airport transfers this month... some at 4:30am and some at midnight... we get $50 for each transfer we do so I try to take advantage as much as I can although some days I'd much rather be sleeping after a long day at the office...

New Home in Barranco :)
Enough about work (who wants to read about work anyway?) I have finally moved into my "own" apartment in Barranco, Lima. Barranco is a cute, "artsy" neighborhood in Lima which is next to the popular Miraflores district. It has a lot of personality, and it feels less stuck up then Miraflores. There's also a lot of creative graffiti everywhere which I enjoy reading on the daily. I live with my friend Danielle, who I met in Cusco 2 years ago. She is now working at Latin America for Less as well, since I convinced her to stay in Lima a bit longer than she had planned. I am really glad that we searched in Barranco and didn't give up. We had to live in a hostel (well two different ones) for over a week before we found a place to settle. The land-lady is in the states and is trying to sell the place, but she told us we can live here through October so that at least gives us some time to look for another place. It's so nice to be settled and to not live in a room in someone else's house. As much as they say "our house is your house" it doesn't feel your own until you feel responsible for it. 

The apartment is beautiful (a bit more expensive than I was looking to pay, but it's worth it). It's got tons of windows and lets alot of light in (although the sun won't shine for another month). I finally have a room with a bed bigger than a twin bed which is a miracle in itself (I spent 5 years in college with a twin bed and everyone always made fun of me..). I also have my own bathroom which is amazing, although everything is always so wet and mold grows easily on EVERYTHING. We constantly have to clean and keep doors open while we shower so the water/steam doesn't help the mold grow. We also have our own laundry unit which is really nice. Oh, and as I mentioned before, we are 1 block from the Malecon which is where the coast is. We are also 4 blocks from the super-market and super close to the combis that take us to work. All in all, I'm really happy with the location and it feels more like home than I ever felt in Miraflores. 


Life in Lima
Besides the weather, my life in Lima is good. I have been trying to get into a routine with dance, and also have been trying my hand at cooking. I'm not very good, but I like practicing :)

On Mondays and Wednesdays I have been taking a jazz class at D1 Escuela de Dance in Chorillos which is about 10 minutes by bus from my apartment. It has been a huge stress reliever for me, and I hope to continue and do a larger variety of classes at D1 Escuela.  I'm learning really quickly that everyone has their outlet, and when they don't use it, it's hard to function in life. I am a much happier person when I'm dancing so I definitely plan to continue that.

Anyway, I think I've written enough to fill everyone in on what I've been up to. I plan to write more about Lima/Peru in the upcoming blogs. My mom is arriving to Lima tonight with her boyfriend, Tom, and I'm so excited to see her! She is spending the day in Lima tomorrow. After that, we are off to the Jungle and Machu Picchu :) I will be sure to update my blog on the trip once I am back.

Hasta luego chicos :)