I was ready to come back to Lima though, as the cold weather was killing me, and I was also sick almost the entire time I was home. Lima welcomed me back with hot weather and sun, just what I like :) It was really good to be back, especially since I missed taking dance classes too. I also got promoted to a "Group1" Travel Advisor which basically means I get better requests and better clients to work with. So far it's been working out and I am glad I'm not working with so many "budget" clients these days. Work has been relatively busy which I like since it keeps me motivated.
A few weeks after coming back to Peru, I had a minor disaster happen to me (which ended up being a blessing in disguise!). I was working a weekend shift at the office, when I came back to my apartment one Sunday afternoon. As I walked in the front door, I heard the sound of pouring water (kind of like a mini waterfall) coming from the hall. As I got closer to my front door, I realized there was water flowing out from the bottom of the door, as well as down the front door from the ceiling. My hands shook as I opened up the front door and as I swung it open, I realized there was about 4 inches of water covering the entire floor in my living room and kitchen. I immediately panicked and grabbed as many things as I could so they wouldn't get ruined. My shoes were floating around the apartment, as well as anything else that was left on the floor. Luckily, the bedroom was barely flooded so our laptops were fine. I ran upstairs and got the help of my neighbors who helped me scoop over 25 buckets of water out of my living room. It turns out my neighbors living directly above me left the water on for the day, and went to the beach. We banged on their door but they weren't there, so the water continued to pour into my apartment through the ceiling. There was paint everywhere and it was a completely mess. My suitcases got soaked, as well as my shoes which are ruined. I am just so happy that my electronics are fine.
My landlord let me stay in the apartment for 4 free days since I was inconvenienced. After 4 days, they tried repainting the walls but of course nothing was dried out yet so the paint just fell off again. At this point I realized I really just needed to move into a new apartment. When I told the landlord this, he said that was fine but I would have my 4 free days “revoked” since I wasn’t planning on staying, and he was raising the price by $50 if I decided to stay…ugh que mierda. So I frantically started looking for another apartment…my 4th home in Lima since June…
I only had 5 or 6 days to find an apartment, and the day I had to move out was a Sunday. The problem is, the weekly newspaper with all the housing listings comes out on Sunday so I wasn’t able to see any apartments before the day we had to move out. God was definitely on my side with this though, I was so stressed out, and after calling almost 20 apartments, the first apartment that I was able to see that same day, was my dream apartment basically. When I saw the pictures online, I knew it was going to be perfect for me, and it turns out that it was. I went to meet the landlord, and he handed me the keys 15 minutes later. I was so grateful and it seems that it was a blessing in disguise that the flood happened at my old place, because I am so much happier living in this apartment. It is close to my other friends apartments, plus only a few blocks from the ocean. It also has a balcony that overlooks a fountain. Although there is a lot of traffic, the apartment is really nice and open and really homey. I’m so grateful!
Besides that, I have been going to physical therapy for my back which is caused by my poor posture at work. Luckily it’s not too expensive (S/30, about $12) for a half hour session and they do a good job. I just wish it would start feeling better! I really need to work on my posture. I also have been taking contemporary and jazz as usual, but jazz is with another teacher since Diana took off for the US for 6 months. Unfortunately now I don’t have the assistant teacher position so I’m back to paying for classes. Wah :(
I also participated in a flashmob in Parque Kennedy as well. It was to raise awareness for the “One Billion Rising” campaign (Un Billon de Pie) which is a campaign that is dedicated to stopping violence against woman and children worldwide. It’s an awesome cause and I’m so glad I could be part of it (even though I couldn’t make the rehearsals and didn’t know the choreography…) Diana, the instructor I used to assist for at D1, lead the dancers and it was a fun day.
Flash Mob Dance
Other than that, I don’t think much else has happened in my
life. I spend my free days going to the pool (I joined the JW Marriot gym, and
I have free pool access, yay!), working out and dancing. I am trying to fit more travel into
my schedule but it’s tough since I work so much. I’m hoping to get some trips
to Brazil, Ecuador, the Galapagos, and some other places in the next few
months. I have been learning so much during my time here in Peru, and growing alot as a person. I can't believe I've been here over 8 months... time flies!
That’s all for now!
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