PERU
Country Overview:
"Arequipa, the white city of Peru and the gateway to the Colca Canyon, offers travelers a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty."
Located in the heart of southern Peru, Arequipa is a city that showcases the best of what the country has to offer. From its stunning colonial architecture and rich cultural heritage, to its beautiful natural surroundings and delicious cuisine, Arequipa has something for everyone. Arequipa is a hidden gem — it's a place where you can experience the very best of Peruvian culture and history, all while enjoying the beauty of the Andes mountains and the Colca Canyon. Whether you're looking to explore the city's historic center, sample its delicious cuisine, or simply relax in its peaceful surroundings, Arequipa should definitely be on your travel list.
I lived in Arequipa, Peru from September 2011 to November 2012. I taught English, practiced Muay Thai, and got really into learning Peruvian slang. I also visited Lima, Cuzco, Colca Canyon, and Playa Mollendo.
Differences...
There’s a 6'5 chubby Colombian guy in my Muay Thai class and our trainer was asking him what he thought about Peruvian girls vs. Colombian girls. Right off the bat, he said Peruvian girls were stuck up. He also said that right now in Colombia, it’s around 35C and in Peru, it’s 16C. Because of this, he said that going to Peruvian clubs, girls are wearing layers upon layers of clothes and he’s bored because there’s nothing to look at. But in Colombia: (At this point, he then pretended to walk like a Colombian girl) “They wear mini skirts and a tiny bra, boom, ready for the club”. hahaha this kid had everyone cracking up
Last Day of Work
Good morning! Or good night? If you picked sunset, consider yourself the big winner
FIN!
After completing a full year, today was my last day at Extreme English. I’ll be here for the month of February, teaching private classes and practicing my Muay Thai/Boxing, and then off to Machu Picchu in March with the rents. It’s been a long and interesting year, that’s for sure. I’ve met a lot of real cool people from all over the world and I hope to see you all again in the future. I can’t say it enough; Peru is a super cool country. I have 1 more month to enjoy South America and I’ll certainly take advantage of my time off.
How Not to Pee
I’ve seen more ‘how to not pee’ signs here in Peru than probably my entire life. I guess they’re necessary.
Word of the day...
What do you call people who take charge of things?
Student: Leadershippers
I’ll take it
Bout that time...
Ahh the joys of the holidays. Family, friends, a break from school or work, they truly are a wonderful time. But I’m getting restless. I have another 5 days before I start teaching again and I’m working diligently to keep my sanity. I need to be busy, and after rearranging my room 4 times in the last 3 days and crocheting 4 spools of yarn into scarves, this whole ‘vacation’ thing isn’t cutting it for me. I need some social interaction, and shamelessly flirting with the checkout lady at the supermarket isn’t what I had in mind. “Well why don’t you watch movies?” suggested the trainer at my gym, to which I replied, “Have you seen Netflix lately?"
It’s a fantasy for some people: to spend the holidays in a foreign, exotic country. Trying new things, hearing strange languages, blah blah blah. It’s a nice thought, similar to the way girls fantasize that situations in rom-coms would really happen. Sadly, on the off chance that they do occur, they’re never the same as they had imagined when they were chowing down on that pint of haagen daz.
It’s been 11 months to the day that I arrived here in Peru, the longest I’ve been out of the States. I’m also currently the most veteran teacher at my English institute. However, I’m ready to go back, mostly because I don’t feel challenged anymore. I’ve got my routine and I’m just going through the motions. Plus, I’m tired of waiting in lines for everything. (That’s my American entitlement talking) Arequipa is a great city, but at the same time, I’m not surprised that my school has had 40+ teachers come and go within the time I’ve been here. Here’s to new changes in 2013.
Take it easy...
A 10 year old beat me in chess today to which he followed my “Good job” with, “You play chess like my blind grandma”. These Peruvian kids are harsh.
Oh look, a gringo!
Got invited to a birthday party last night and I accepted, thinking it would be at most 20 people. Nope. There was a dj, lights, fog machine, full free bar, couch areas in the backyard and more food than was necessary. Of course, I was the only ‘gringo’ which means that everyone and their mom wanted to speak their broken English with me. So I politely put up with 5 minute stories that could have been explained in a sentence, then courteously asked if we could continue the conversation in Spanish.
This happens quite frequently and the worst offenders are the taxi drivers. This is how most of my taxi rides go.
“Where you from gringo?”
“States dude”
“Oh you speak Inglish?”
“Ah, once in awhile”
“Oh me too, mira: One, too, tree, foooor, five!!” Then they start laughing
“Wow, impressive” And then I just start babbling in English until they look confused enough to stop talking. Never fails.
Spanglish?
For as proud a people as Peruvians are, they certainly use a lot of English in their everyday speech. Here’s the list:
1. Twist off - For bottles
2. Full - As in ‘lleno’ or a lot of something
3. Trailer - For movies
4. Crazy - Loco
5. Hello - Usually when answering the phone
6. Brother - What happened to 'hermano’?
7. Watch-i-man - Name used for a guard or a 'watchman’
8. Gay
9. Spoiler - Telling someone about a movie
10. Laptop
11. Fan - Aficionado
When I need to ask for an American brand name item, I find myself having to use a Spanish accent. Such as Facebook, Twitter, Coca Cola, names of bars (Frogs, Wild Rover), names of US states, and names of sport equipment (Nike is pronounced like 'mike’). Living abroad has never been so linguistically interesting.
Floro Floro Floro
‘Floro’ in Perú means 'bullshit’ and as I sit here and watch the friendly Perú vs. Honduras game, I can’t help but laugh. Pulling for Honduras because 1, it’s an easy way to make money, and 2, if Peru wins, that’s all my students will talk about for weeks.
For those of you who haven’t seen Ibrahimovic’s goal against the friendly Sweden vs. England game, it’s quite elegant.
Dutty Love - Don Omar Ft. Natty Natasha
When it comes to Reggaeton, Don Omar is the man. Just ignore the annoying guy in the beginning. It’s pretty common for Spanish DJ’s to cut into the song.