Quick, Cheap and Easy

I`ve decided to start writing down all the different meals that i create. I`m not really into creating huge meals, but when i cook something for myself, its always pretty easy, and almost always delicious.
So here`s the first one from a few days ago that cost about 10 pesos. (1 buck)

Ingredients:

2 "shots" of rice(i don`t have measuring cups so use a double shot glass)
2 "shots" of lentils
12 "shots" of water
1 cube of 3 chiles flavor (like chicken stock)
1 chile rojo

Put all the above ingredients in a pot and cook them about 20 minutes. Meanwhile chop up the following ingredients:

1/2 jalapeño
2 cloves of garlic
1 green pepper
1 onion

When the rice and lentils are almost all cooked, add the veggies and cook until they are the desired consistency. About 15 more minutes. You might need to add a little bit more water.

It was absolutley delicious! This amount will probably feed 2 people with small appetites or one person who can eat alot.

As I create more, i{ll post them. Maybe i{ll even create a recipe book eventually.

Is it really October already?

I guess one of the really good things about living here is that even though time is flying the seasons never change. It is perpetually summer. I can´t believe we´re halfway through October already!

Well, just for a quick update...

I´m teaching at a really prestigious school called St. John´s. Right now I only have 2 classes. 9th grade English and Level one English. Level 1 is all of highschool. They´ve split them into 2 levels depending on how they did on the placement test. So, its a pretty big class.

I´m enjoying it, though. Who ever thought I´d be a Highschool teacher. LOL

I just moved into my own place... or I guess you´d just call it a room. I don´t have any shelves or tables yet. just a bed and a bunch of stuff on the floor. my clothes are still in my suitcase. i´m working on buying some furniture... it´ll come eventually.

Manzanillo is beautiful and hot and I love it. My Spanish is improving despite how it feels. I´m understanding way better now, but my speaking still sucks. Practice makes perfect right?

I´m trying to get some private lessons going, but people are so wishy washy. They say, yes, teacher, give me lessons. Then they don´t show up. You HAVE to make them pay monthly or they just won´t ever come.

I´m making some friends... finally. One just moved to León, so that leaves me with 2. haha. It takes time.

April and Edgar´s wedding is soon. 2 weeks! I´m looking forwaard to seeing people from Canada. I hope they have fun here. :D

Not too much has happened in 3 months. With not having friends and working and stuff...

That´s the thing though... yes, i live in an exotic place, 5 minutes from the beach, but i still have to deal with life. I have to pay bills and make sure that I´m on time for work and eat and everything. Life is the same, i´m just in a different location. Life isn´t just a beach here. Yes, that´s part of it, there´s still life.

Anywyas, its good. I´m trying to get my papers here, so i don{t have to leave in January. Plus, i don{t know how i would leave. Usually, if you don´t have any money, they won´t give you a plane ticket.

Well, i doubt anyone is still checking this, but there´s the update...

Bad Blogger...

I´m really horrible at keeping these up to date... I guess it´s because the last few months I´ve been tossing around different ideas as to what I was going to do. Every day I would´ve posted a different ´decision´ that I´d made. Stay in Tacna, go on a cruiseship, go to Manzanillo, go to Cancun... I´m really bad with the indecisiveness.

So... here I am in Manzanillo. The weather is hot and sticky and I love it. No more bundling up, no more layers. What´s worse? To be cold and not be able to warm up? Or to be hot and not be able to cool down? For me, it´s definitley the first one. Being cold is like torture. So, here I sit at 7:45 am at 29C and with a 75% humidity, it feels like 41C. AHHHHHHHH. :D

April got me a job at Universal Languages where she works, so I started right away on Monday after arriving Sunday night. It worked out well, though, because I didn´t start unitl 2pm. It was a nice break. I haven´t seen anything before 10am for weeks (unless I was still up from the night before).

The school here is very relaxed and there´s a lot of improvisation which I´m not quite used to. But I´ve only worked 2 days so far and I´ll get the hang of it.

The Lopez´s are doing well. They love the transition they´ve made from Mexico City to Manzanillo. Their house is adorable and the girls are so big. Well, Josie is still a little peanut, but she´s walking around. I´ve got some pictures, but I don´t have internet (i´m on a computer at work) so I don´t know when I´ll get a chance to upload.

There´s a scorpion like creature out here that is apparantly deadly. I can´t recall it´s name. I´ll have to hear it a few more times first. That´s my problem with Spanish, I just can´t seem to remember words. When someone talks to me I know what they´re talking about, but when I need to speak, I can´t pull the words out. It´s frustrating.

Well, my first student has showed up, so that´s the update and I have to go. I know, I´m a bad blogger. What can you do?

I don't think it's just me...

I woke up this morning a year older. But really, how can you age a whole year overnight? I never really understood that part.
I went to the bathroom mirror and started searching for unwanted wrinkles and hair that might be where it wasn't before. Fortunately, I have neither of those things. Apparently my only signs of aging are my stray grays... and I've had those for years. I think the first one popped out when I was around 23. So that really doesn't count.
Everyone asks me how old I'm turning and I love making them guess. Because they always say 25, 26... it's probably because I've never had kids. I'm pretty sure they age you.
So today, I will be thankful for my youthfulness and keep enjoying life as I have been. I look forward to lunch with friends and later drinks with more friends. Pleasant, laid-back and friendly.
I think turning 27 was the hardest. I felt almost thirty and like I hadn't done anything with my life. Just hopping around from city to city.

Now I'm content. Peaceful. Doing what I'd always dreamed.

Thanks for all the well-wishing...

mini-update...

I know... i'm horrible at keeping this thing updated, but right now i'm changing my mind every other day that there would be so many different and conflicting thoughts on each page.
first, i needed to leave cuz the school was going to shut down, then i got the job in Cancun, then i was going to be with the Lopez's in Manzanillo... now, i figure i'll just stay where i am... for now... that is until i change my mind again. I have my tax return in my account, so i'm not worried about money at the moment.
I've applied for this resort photographer position in Manzanillo, and i think that would be SWEET!!! But we'll see... who knows what could happen between now and when i hear about if i got it or not.
there's still the option of getting on a cruise ship. i haven't forgotten about that. its nice to know i have options. i feel stifled if i don't, but when i have TOO MANY options, i just get lost and confused and worried that i'll pick the wrong one. well, not so much the wrong one, but not the BEST one. I want to do the best thing for me.
but for now, since my job seems to be secure, i might as well stay. i've made some good friends and i would be sad to leave them right at this point.
but lately, i've visited Tarata and Moquegua. Tarata pics are posted on facebook, i'll work on the Moquegua ones tomorrow.
short and sweet, but there ya go.

The Weight is Gone!!!

Phew!!! All that weight I gained last year before i left for Mexico is now GONE!!! I feel so much better. I think there were maybe only a handful of pics taken of me over the year. i just did NOT want to be in any pictures looking like that but now... yes, i'm back to normal.



The other night a friend of mine was having this dress up party andi really didn't want to dress up, (cuz i hate it), but I found something semi-comfortable (thanks to Elisa) and went out for the evening. We danced, we drank, we ate. It was good times.
I'm still not really used to the Peruvian music. Honestly, i don't really like it all that much, but good times can still be had.
That's really all i had to say about that.



As for the whole job thing, i haven't heard back from Cancun and one place in Mexico rejected my application. jerks. but the institute here is trying to stay open so now i'm just trying to figure out how i can save money. i might be able to save about 200 soles/ month but that's only about $80 dollars. yeesh.
so... lets all hope that something good can happen so i can get to mexico for April and Edgar's wedding in october. *fingers are crossed*

Crossroads

I started this earlier, but my computer decided it was tired and I lost everything. So that’s one of my excuses for not writing on here very often.

I’m at a crossroads… It looks as though the president of the school I work at is going to shut down our branch. He’s not making enough money off of it. So this puts me in an awkward position.

I have a few options; I’m just not sure which is the best or which one I really want. Any input and advice will be gratefully considered.

A) stay in Tacna and try and get work at another school.
B) go to Arequipa and work at Brittany there.
C) find another job somewhere not too far away
D) go back to Canada for the summer and make some real money
E) cruise ship

Option A: I’ve been working on this. I had an interview last night with the director of CEID and they’re interested in having me work there, which is nice BUT there’s a couple of glitches. The first one is that because they work in 3 month contracts, you only get paid once every 3 months. I’m pretty sure I can’t live for the next 3 months on the 300 bucks that I made at Brittany this month. Glitch number 2 – because they’re a government institution, they require me to get a work visa. I went to immigration today and checked out what it takes to get one. 1st I have to leave the country again and re-enter with the contract from the school so that I receive a business visa instead of the tourist one that I have. This isn’t a big deal. I’ve been wanting to visit Arica again anyways before the summer is over. They have a nice beach. But it’ll cost about 100 soles. 2nd I need to do the paperwork. If I do it in Tacna, it will take 2 months because all of the paperwork has to go to the consulado in Lima. OR I can take the trip to Lima myself and have it done in 2 days which would cost 300+ soles just to go to Lima and the paperwork costs about another 300 soles. Anyways, I’m going to go talk to the director again tonight and see if there’s any way to work around the visa thing.

Option B: I don’t really want to go to Arequipa. For 1, I’d be working for the same guy and I’m not a really big fan of this guy. I don’t think he really knows how to run a business. Or maybe it’s a Peruvian thing, but I doubt it. I could live with Mapi, I know that. It’s the whole “it’s still Brittany” thing that bums me out.

Option C: I could look in Arica for a job. Or there was this posting in Juilica, a couple of hours from here. But when I inquired a friend about what it’s like, he didn’t have anything good to say about it. I don’t really have the funds to go any further. There was this other place in Chile that a friend of mine was telling me about. She said she’d get some info for me.

Option D: Honestly, this is the most appealing at the moment. I could go back to Van for the summer and make some real money and then before I go back to work here or in some other SA country, I can gather up a bit of savings as well. See my friends, do some camping, save some money. The only issue with this idea is I can’t get home. I’m kind of stuck here. This whole $3/hr thing is crazy. I thought about asking the president to sponsor me a ticket home since I spent so much money to get here to work for him, but he’ll probably just want me to work in Arequipa. I’m 99% sure he’ll say no. Like I said, businessmen here (or just him) are really different than in Canada.

Option D: The cruise ship. This I was more thinking about doing in November of next year after April and Edgar’s wedding… That I’m still HOPING to get to. Again, I’ll be able to save up some money doing that.

Anyways, like I said… crossroads. And I’m open to any advice or other ideas that I may have missed.

Thoughts anyone?

On the more positive side...

Well, things are much better now than they were at the last post. I've got a couple more friends (yay me!) and well, yes, the power is back on. They called me and asked me to pay it for them. It was about the same amount as my rent, so no big deal.
I've been hanging out with one of my students. She's just moved out on her own (which is VERY odd for anyone in Peru) and is used to being around people all the time too. But... the other night when we were talking, she told me that her mom is only 5 years older than me!!!! What the hell?! Ok, ya, she's only 20, and her mom had her when she was 17, but still... kinda weird.
I went to the beach a couple of weekends ago. Actually, the weekend my power was cut. We went on friday and were only planning on staying till saturday afternoon, but another friend of mine came out and we stayed until sunday. There's a lot of beach houses there and people usually know at least 1 person who has one. So that was cool. There was lots of food too. People are really friendly that way out here. They like to feed you.
So, if you didn't know before, I live in the middle of the desert. Tacna is actually situated between to big sand dunes. One to the North and one to the South. And it never rains here. Well, almost never. Yesterday afternoon when I was leaving for the school, I felt a drop. My first thought was that someone was dumping water from a second floor, but then I noticed... OMG, its actually raining! Not rain, like Vancouver rain where it pours for weeks on end, but just a very miniscule amount of drops. Almost like it wasn't raining at all. But that's the way it goes down here. I was thinking as I walked to work, "what is this strange wet stuff falling from the sky?"
Its quiz day, which is why i have time to write this. Its hard to believe we're halfway through the cycle already. One more week of lessons then the exams. The months are just flying by. I can't believe I've been here almost as long as I was in Mexico for. Seems strange to me.
Anyways, on a final note... good thing i'm not superstitious.

Spiral

Ok, well, maybe I am a bit of a control freak. Not with other people, just with my own life. I'm in control of me because I'm the one that has to live my life. But right now, I feel so helplessly out of control. I'm spiraling and can't find anything to grab on to. Things beyond my control are happening to me and it's driving me absolutely CRAZY!
A couple of weeks ago, the power bill was delivered to our house, so as soon as I saw my landlord, I made sure he got it. (They slip it under my door, not his.) On Saturday, I was having a nice conversation with him about his trip to Lima. He was leaving that day and I found out that he was going to be gone for 10 days. Nice vacation. Unfortunately, I didn't ask him for his number. He asked if I was going to be alright alone in the house while they were gone, and of course I said yes. So, this morning when I discovered that the power had been shut off, probably for not paying the bill, I was shocked. So now, they're gone for one more week and I have to live with no power and no hot water. Good thing I don't need central heating, yes. But still, computer, cell phone, ipod... these all need electricity.
I was looking forward to having a 4 day weekend this weekend, but now, without being able to watch movies, or listen to music (which is usually what I do on my days off) its going to be a rough 4 days. Yes, candles. I'm on that. And I have books to read, but I was trying to pace myself with them because I don't have a full library of them. I read a whole book last weekend. So I'll probably read at least 2 or 3 this coming weekend. No big deal, but I also watched a pile of movies.
Honestly, everything here right now really sucks. With the whole job/money thing and now this power thing and not having any friends.... I hate being out of control. All these things keep happening and all my efforts are seemingly fruitless. The next thing probably is that the water will get shut off. That happens occasionally too. Wouldn't that just make my day?
I know I wanted to stay away from negative thinking and especially negative writing on this page, but this is my life right now. And maybe it doesn't seem so bad to read about it, but it feels awful.
There's my vent... well some of it anyways.
ARGH!!!!

Holidays are over... but now its SUMMER!

My Canada/Mexico vacation was great! It was so good to see all of you... well, the ones I did get to see.
Chris and Kristen, I'm really sorry I didn't get to see you guys. I was looking forward to it, but i'm sure we'll run into each other sometime again in our lives. (wow, that sounds bleak. lol)



Christmas with the family was great. i think probably the best since Grammy, Pops and Spence left us. I had a great time with everyone in Canada. Maybe because i wasn't taking any of you for granted since I don't know exactly when i'll see any of you again. (Cross your fingers, i'm hoping to be able to make it to Mexico in October)

Thanks Josh and Kim for having the get together at your place. It was good to see... well, almost everyone.


But thanks for everything, everybody. I truly had a wonderful time in Canada. I would've loved to go snowboarding a couple more times, but at least i got one really good day in (Thanks Sue!)


New Years in Mexico was great too. It was good to see everybody again and to go bowling. That was a blast! The Lopez's were pretty much overwhelmed with all the gifts you guys sent down, but i'm sure april has expressed that to everyone already.
On my way back from Mexico i had an 18 hour layover in Lima... and i had such a random adventure. Chris, the whole time i was thinking you should've been with me. it was just our kind of trip. I met up with a guy from couch surfing who was at a birthday party. (i got to Lima at 1.30am), met a pile of people and ended up crashing there. The next day, I wandered around downtown Lima with Joel and checked out the city. Man, Peruanos love their Chifa (Chinese Food)! I knew that from the amounts of Chifa restaurants in Tacna, but in Lima, they have a Chinatown!
Now, i'm back in Tacna and halfway through January's cycle. Its hot here... summertime. And I love it! Everyone is complaining about the heat. I never understood that, but then i absolutely abhor being cold.
We're taking a trip down to Arica, Chile this weekend. I'm looking forward to it. And i found out I only need to spend the day down there. They're restamp my passport just for visiting during the day. So it's good to know I don't have to go for two days. Chile is way more expensive than Peru. So that should be fun, then... I'm heading to the beach. It's so busy there right now. Half of the students here have put their studies on hold so they can be there. Might as well, Right?
That's the summary. I'm adding more pictures than words to this one.