Moving Day!

How many of these have I had? Excellent question... last time I actually sat down and counted how many times I'd moved it was somewhere near 20+. And that was a couple of years ago. Now...? Give me some time and I'll let you know.
Today I'm moving to this cute little room with a closet(yes that's a bonus) and a balcony (which is basically unheard of) I even have carpet! I don't think i've seen carpet here except for a throw rug here and there. As soon as I get settled which should probably be tonite after class, I'll post some pics.
Christian and Pilar are moving to Lima so they're selling all their stuff, and since I have nothing, they sold me a mattress, sheets, a blanket, a couple of pillows and some hangers for 50 soles (20bucks).
I'm looking forward to living alone and being able to have people over whenever i want. there's 4 bedrooms in this flat and no one lives in any of them. There's a main sitting room that is shared for the four bedrooms and we (would) share a bathroom. But like i said, i'm the only one that lives there. :D
As rough as things have been here, they're starting to look up.
April mentioned something to me the other day. She thought from my blog that I was having the time of my life here, when in actuality, november has been really rough. i've been wanting to just crawl up in a ball and cry or die. I guess i didn't want to post anything negative. And it helps to always think positively when things arent' going well. Plus i know that times like that don't last for very long.
Well, its moving time.
Ciao.

Time for some new glasses...

Yesterday, I had left my glasses on my bed (oops) and later on when I went to sit down, I crushed my glasses, snapping them in two. I believe I have an alternate pair in Mexico, so we'll see when I go back there next month. I wonder how much glasses cost here... they can't be that expensive. I'll look into it when I'm back in Tacna tomorrow. Classes start on Wednsday, so they're shipping me back early in the morning.
Short today, but at least its something.

And.... back to Tacna

Last night I was called into the office yet again. I know I'm an adult now, but that still kinda gives me an "oh no" feeling when I'm asked into the office. I guess its just associated with getting into trouble.
Anyways, they've decided to give me 5 classes to teach in Tacna starting on Wednesday the 26th. We're starting early so that we can finish on the 19th. I was kinda hoping to have the rest of this week here in Arequipa (I know, I'm all over the place). We were planning on having thanksgiving dinner at the end of the week. So that's ANOTHER turkey I'm missing. Oh well... I get to go back to Tacna. I have to find somewhere else to live though. I'll get Alfredo to help me out with that. Christian said he'd help, but what Christian says can't always be relied on.
All I need is a mattress and internet access and I'm happy. If its cheaper to rent a place without furniture, I can pick up a mattress for pretty cheap I think. I do still want to live downtown though. Well, I guess its not that big, so it wouldn't matter. I think Alfredo says his house is 20 min walk from the school. That's ok for me. I was thinking of getting a bicycle... but money I don't have.
I'm still going to look into those other schools in Tacna. I'll do that next week during my spare time. They might pay more, who knows?
These people sure keep me in my toes with their communication skills (or lack thereof). I don't know yet if its just them or Peruvians in general. But all this doesn't seem to bother anyone besides me and Jeremy and Barry.
Nos vemos.

Taxis

So... we have to take cabs a lot here in Arequipa. But they're called taxis, not cabs. So on the way home the other night, our cabbie hit a pot hole and blew his tire. As you can see he completely popped it. So he asked us to wait while he changed it. And being the polite North Americans that we are... we waited. It was quite amusing. Its always an adventure here in Peru...

today's rantings

Well, it finally happened. After two months of living in Peru, today was the day. Peru is much cleaner than Mexico City so I got out of the habit of watching the ground everywhere I walk. Big mistake today! I’m leaving school and heading for the bus and it happened. A big wad of gum stuck to my shoe! What the hell? Why the sidewalk? Everyone KNOWS it really sucks to step on gum, so WHY do they do it? I guess I’m going to have to start watching where I’m walking again.

The thought just hit me again… slapped me upside the head: I’m living in Peru. Every once in a while I’ll have to give my head a shake and remember how cool that actually is. When I was a kid for some reason I wanted to be a teacher in Peru, and here I am. How many people get to actually do that? Achieve exactly what they dreamed as a kid. Well, I guess that’s what determination will get you. I waffled for many years and should’ve been here much earlier, but I’m here now. So, now the question is, “Now what?”

Things aren’t really working out to well with BrittanyGroup. They’re not paying me what they initially gave me the impression that they were going to pay me. I earned ½ of what I was told. I say ‘given the impression’ because in the email I got from the president of the school he said, “you will make about 1200 soles/month”. Ok, ‘about’ to me is 1000-1400, which is equal to about 400 dollars Canadian. Well, they’re telling me now that its not salary, but hourly. There were a barrage of emails going around trying to resolve these issues and they basically just brushed me off. 200 bucks is what I made last month and I need that just to live on this month. And being in Arequipa, I have to take the bus or a cab everyday and that all adds up. I have bills that come out of my account that equal more than I’m making.

Anyways, I’m not trying to complain, but things just aren’t going well here. So, Dad, when I didn’t answer your email about all those $$ issues, this is why. If I were to borrow something, I don’t know when I could pay it back.

I’m looking for another job though. Alfredo got me a list of all the English schools in Tacna and I sent resumes off to them this week. I like Tacna and I’d like to stay there for another while. But we’ll see. If something else doesn’t come up soon, I don’t know what’s going to happen. (Roxana if you’re reading this, please don’t tell that I’m looking elsewhere for a job).

Another thought that came up that could be a possibility is working on a cruise ship. You make about 2000/month USD. Even if I did it for 3 months it could set me up financially to go back to teaching. I’m not out to become a millionaire. I just want to travel and see the world and have enough money to live while I’m there. This one site I found had a $49 fee just to apply for the job. I wish I new how competitive it was. I’ll think about it for the next month and maybe in January I’ll do that. Why not, right? Just to get back in a better financial place.

The really sucky thing is that I have to give up my sponsored child in Thailand. She probably gets more money from me than I get from working at my job. Maybe she’ll sponsor me for a few months. LOL Unless, anyone out there wants to help out with her so I don’t have to give her up… just for a few months. Let me know cuz the next payment is on the 25th and I’m going to call them to cancel before then.

Anyways, on a happy note… where I live in Arequipa is great. Mapi is the receptionist at the school and she has this big house all to herself, so Jeremy, Barry and I are all living with her. We have a great view and a garden in the back. The garden has rose bushes, avocado trees and lime bushes (or whatever you call them). April, I would LOVE to share these with you! This living situation is actually in the top 5 places I’ve ever lived. And I’ve lived in a lot of places. We’re all really courteous, and we get along really well and we’re cooperative. Cleaning the house is so quick when we all work together. The only issue we had is the case of the missing sopa. Mapi had a package of soup and when she went to eat it, couldn’t find it. None of us have any idea where it could have walked off to. It just disappeared.


Well, this is getting long and I have a feeling you’re not all gonna read it so I’ll just stop now. Let’s hope the strike is over soon, so I can go back to Tacna.

Strike in Tacna sent me to Arequipa

Tacna has been on strike now for a couple of weeks and as a result, the whole town has pretty much shut down. We tried to get to the bus station the other day to leave town and there were large tanks in the road. All the army guys were enforcing a curfew of 8pm and some people were even getting arrested for being out of their homes. When we did finally get in a cab the next day to go to Arequipa, there were people out on the streets with pots and pans banging them as a warning for us to get back to our houses. The people were vandalizing government buildings and even set one of them on fire. I don't know exactly what the issues are, but they're not coming to an agreement. At least as what I heard today, they're going back on strike tomorrow. During the fire and vandalism, someone was killed. There was tear gas everywhere and la policia were trying to maintain order. The following pictures are of the funeral march for the guy who died. It looked like the whole town was there. As far as the eye could see down the street from either direction, the people were marching and chanting.


So as a result of all the chaos down in Tacna, they shipped us off to Arequipa to teach at the school here. Its ok, but I prefer Tacna. It's much smaller and I can walk around everywhere there. Where as here in Arequipa, i have to take a cab or the bus. It just costs more. So, hopefully the strike is over at the end of the month and I can return to Tacna.

I'm also looking for another teaching job in Tacna. There's been issues with things there that i don't want to get into detail about. There was just a lot of miscommunication that happened and as a result, I'm not very happy. They want me to stay at the school here in Arequipa, but like i said, I like Tacna better. Plus, Alfredo's also in Tacna. And I have made friends that I play basketball with every week. I miss that too. Alfredo called me last night after they played and told me all about it and how they all missed me. *sigh* i just feel more at home in Tacna.

But don't worry. I'm safe. Lets just hope that this strike is over by the end of the month!!!

I just want to add in some news excerpts to remember this crazy strike.
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Lima, Nov 6 (Prensa Latina) The Peruvian city of Tacna, bordering Chile, has been on strike for nine days in a row on Thursday, and the relatively uneasy calm has already cost at least two lives and dozens are injured.

Violent protests are decreasing amid the army deployment that took control of the city two days ago under governmental decree.

Citizens of Tacna protested by pounding on pots and metal containers, and defying the ban on demonstrations when small groups paraded before army patrols.

The prohibition was enforced on Tuesday in accordance with the state of emergency that resulted in a one month suspension of certain rights like domicile privacy and the need for a warrant to arrest a citizen.

Peruvian Prime Minister Yehude Simon said that negotiations will open in Tacna only if calm is restored to the city, and stressed that protests have been caused by minority radical people, some coming from other regions.

Citizens of Tacna are protesting against a law recently in force that redistributed the regional share in mining taxes.
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By Diego Ore

LIMA, Nov 5 (Reuters) - A day after declaring a state of emergency in the southern province of Tacna, Peru's prime minister said on Wednesday he would not discuss protesters' demands to change a new mining law until the area was calm.

Tacna is locked in a dispute with Moquegua, a neighboring province, over how to share millions of dollars in taxes paid by Southern Copper Corp (SPC.LM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)(PCU.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), one of the world's largest mining companies.

Protesters, who have asked for a commission to review the law that would redistribute royalties, have blocked roads, cut water supplies and burned a mayor's office.

Over the weekend, the government gave the military the green light to maintain order. On Tuesday, it went a step further and declared a state of emergency.

"There will be no commission until Tacna is peaceful," said Peruvian Prime Minister Yehude Simon, a leftist whose appointment last month was seen as an effort by the government to dissuade protesters from taking their complaints to the street.

"They have the right to protest, but not ... to burn government buildings," he told reporters.

The legislation, passed by Congress last week, overhauls the way royalties are distributed to all provinces in a country with hundreds of mines. It would assess taxes based on how much mineral wealth a mine produces, rather than on how much dirt a mine moves, as the system does now.

President Alan Garcia is expected to sign the bill into law.

Under the current system, Moquegua will receive 20 percent of taxes paid by Southern Copper that are distributed to provinces, while 80 percent will go to Tacna. The new law would direct more money to Moquegua.

Southern Copper, which is a unit of Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), has the Cuajone mine and Ilo smelter in Moquegua and the Toquepala mine in Tacna.

Leaders in both provinces say they need the revenue to pay for basic services like water, electricity and education.

Some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty, despite seven years of fast economic growth, and critics say Garcia has not done enough to bring the boom's benefits to the poor.
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LIMA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Peru's government approved on Tuesday a law that changes how mining royalties are distributed in the Andean country, a major minerals producer, where protests over the rule have flared in recent months.

The law, which Congress passed last month, was signed by President Alan Garcia and printed in Peru's official gazette.

Under the new legislation, royalties will be worked out according to how much mineral wealth a mine produces. The previous system measured the amount of earth a mine moves.

The reform sparked violent protests in November in the southern province of Tacna, because it looked set to cut the amount of money Tacna receives from taxes paid by Southern Copper (SPC.LM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (PCU.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), a unit of Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Southern Copper runs the Toquepala mine in Tacna and the Cuajone mine in the neighboring province of Moquegua.

Earlier this year, protesters in Moquegua took to the streets to call for the royalty law to be reformed. They stand to gain from the change.

Politicians in both provinces say they need the mining revenue to pay for basic services like water and education.

Despite some seven years of strong economic growth in Peru, some 40 percent of the population lives in poverty and critics of Garcia say he has not done enough to make sure the boom in mining exports benefits the poor.

Peru is the world's second-largest producer of copper and zinc and ranks fifth in gold production. The Andean country is first in silver output.

Beach Day

Its almost summer here, so on Saturday, we went to the beach for a BBQ. Good times. It was nice to get out of the city and be enveloped by so many aspects of nature. The sounds and smells, the view. Its these moments that really rejuvenate me and really enjoy being alive.



We had some good food. Chorizo, lamb steaks pork chops and ribs. It was a feast!

It was good to be around so many Spanish speaking people. When I'm with Alfredo, he always speaks English, so I don't really get the opportunity to practice my Spanish. He talks way too fast when he speaks Spanish, anyways. All his words end up sounding like one long word. Plus I work at an English school and we're supposed to only speak English.

Anyways, there was a beautiful sunset and then later on we had a bonfire on the beach which got extinguished by the tide. The tide came in, we all got soaked and there was no more fire. One of the guys that was there lived nearby, so we all ended up back at his place. Once again... good times.