Today I accidentally - alright, not accidentally - did not pay for the bus! I am a gigantic cheapskate! But the dude did not ask me for the money - although Elizabeth CLAIMS that he did - therefore he did not get it. Still, it has preyed on my mind, cheating a Peruvian bus out of its one sol. I will give it to one of the (many, many) raggedy children who ask for money on the streets.

Anyway, today was our last day at the nursery school. It was sad! I don't want to leave. Peru is such a fabulous country, it's amazing. And the kids we teach, gah, they are so great and hilarious (except for some who are monsters and also approx. 35). Anyway aaah gtg dinner oops.

I cannot even begin to process the fact that I have been here for 8 weeks. It has been such an amazing experience. I don't want to go home. A week tomorrow; it's odd that we'll have all our classes only one more time each.

In other news, I really super duper want to see Orlando Bloom in his new play in London. AHAHA.

So this is another big load of photos that I have stolen from Jackie's facebook. I KNOW YOU ARE HAPPY ABOUT VIEWING 26 PHOTOS OF KIDS YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN, DON'T LIE.

For people who don't tend to use photobucket ie my relatives, don't click on the photos.

( Click here. )

And that is that! All continues to be great. I am hungry. Luckily, dinner is in 30 minutes.

( Click here for HUGE photos. )


And that is that. Machu Picchu was PRETTY AMAZING. We got back today and it was good to shower, let me tell you.

OH, AND RANDOMNESS: a girl from our form in secondary school, Melissa, was in Cusco at the same time as us! We almost met up in a square, but... that didn't work out. STILL, THOUGH. Small world.

SO. I am in Cusco. Lizzy has altitude sickness! Sucks to be her. As I have the constitution of an ox, I am fine. But seriously, she's okay. Just a little dizzy. We arrived in Cusco this morning after having woken up at ten to three, which was kind of painful. Our accommodation is lovely, if a little cold. We plan to ask for more blankets. Because it's freaking cold here, much more so than in Lima.

We went on a pretty awesome tour this afternoon, saw lots of Inca stuff and went up to 5000 metres. Crazy. It was so beautiful, I can't wait to develop my photos.

Tomorrow it is off to Aguas Calientes and then on Monday the bus to Machu Picchu. Which is awesome! I'm super excited.

We keep getting accosted by people rying to sell us traditional Peruvian things. As a result I now own a woolly hat with earflaps and an alpaca wool hoodie with llamas on. Curses! But they are the softest things in the world.

YESTERDAY WAS REALLY ADORABLE. Because. We had 6B, and I was kind of pissed off because like... 10 students weren't there so all the other kids were slacking off. But then! On our walk home we saw a huge group of kids from the school, including errant kids from 6B, and 6A too, standing outside the town hall and holding up signs protesting for more traffic lights in Lima. And when they saw us they all streamed across the street towards us, saying 'MISS INGLES! MISS INGLES! SENORITA ENGLISH!' And it was adorable and happyfying because they were so chuffed to see us.

Also, 6A are freakishly clever. We've had 2 lessons with them, all together 2 hours and 40 minutes, and we've already covered 'I like...', family, food, sports, animals and baby animals, weekdays, months, and seasons. WOW, RIGHT?! Of course, other classes don't know what 'Good morning' means and simply repeat 'How are you?' when we ask them that. 'What does 'How are you' mean, clase?' 'HOLA?' 'NO.'

THAT IS ALL FOR NOW. No more intarwebz for me until Tuesday.

So yesterday we were all full of plans to go to a Hot Peruvian Club. Regrettably, it turned out to be empty and lame, so we made our excuses - also lame - and went off to a place that I believe is called Calle de Pizzas. Or something. And just had a girly night and lots of fun! We found a metal bar: the most surreal experience yet was sitting in a Peruvian metal bar beneath a Metallica poster singing 'Take Me Or Leave Me' from Rent.

It was Jackie's last day in Lima yesterday - Jackie being a lovely girl we have been living with, and whose job we are taking over - which was sad. We are going to miss her and her wonderful Spanish.

Today was a museum, full of lots of pots. It was cool. Not much else to say. There was an exhibition all about the terrorism from years ago, lots of photos. There was a huge explosion on the street we live on - Tarata in Miraflores, google it - and it was just crazy to see the pictures. Awful.

Can't believe we've been here two weeks.

Odd day! Went to the primary school (not the preschool), and had five classes: a double period with the fifth years, a single with the second years, and a double with the third years, who were Very Loud. I said SILENCIO many times. It was fun times. We got lots of kisses goodbye. From like... 15 kids during each class and during break. And then we were walking home when a youth trod on my jeans! And then struck up a conversation with us, and introduced us to two of his friends, so we now have Peruvian friends! We are going for beers on Friday and to this one dude's nightclub on Saturday night so they can teach us to dance Peruvian style.

Guys, I said I liked dancing. I need to learn how to dance before Saturday night. I intend to force Lizzy to dance with me constantly. He was all 'Find the rhythm! It's easy!' in his broken English. I thought, 'You clearly have never seen this English girl dance, matey.'

Today was the first day at the preschool. There were 8 40 minute lessons with classes of maybe 25 4/5 year olds. They were pretty much the cutest things I have ever seen, omg. It was a very tiring day, though. I took clothes to be washed - 2 pairs of jeans, a cardigan, and a hoodie, along with a hoodie and 2 pairs of Lizzy's jeans they were 28 soles. I was all OMG THAT IS SOOO EXPENSIVE until I remembered the exchange rate and that it actually cost something like four pounds fifty. So that is pretty non-shabby!

I wish the intarwebs here were working better tonight. D:

Today was the first day of teaching! It was pretty awesome. The kids are fun and lively and kind of crazy. We had the fourth-graders (two classes) and then the first. They're all adorable. Crazily so. The firsties were sooo tiny, too. Clingy, but tiny. Lizzy was harassed by one of them. it was a traumatic experience. The fourth graders were LOUD AND CRAZY, yet adorably so.

We are all going to get acne from the kisses bestowed upon us at the end of lessons.

This is not an intrepid adventure! You can buy Palmolive and Herbal Essence here!

(For less than 2 pounds.)

Ha! Peru's great! Not scary in the least. Everyone's friendly and great, and it's a beautiful city. OKAY NOT MUCH TIME so that will be all for now.

Ha ha. So I have quite a few things to do before my flight to Peru in less than 19 hours. The biggest of these things is, obviously, packing! My backpack looks pitifully small, as if I will be able to fit no more than two, possibly three, socks in it. I also have a 'day pack' that attaches to the front of the backpack, which is to all intents and purposes a bag with the capacity of a very tiny handbag that is masquerading as a smaller rucksack.

Everything that I have to do is so boring! This is my problem. Sorting out 15 pairs of socks is not what I want to do right now! Especially when I will only be able to fit about 2 into my bag! Goddamn Peru. I should have chosen to go somewhere without a baggage allowance.

I think that for now I will continue to listen to the Rent movie soundtrack (I prefer this Mimi's voice to the original musical Mimi's, although I fear that might be sacrilegious to those who are more educated than me) and put everything out of my mind. This is the way I cope with things. That is probably not a good thing.

OH, PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THIS: my email address is on_her_lips@yahoo.co.uk. If you want anything Peruvian, such as perhaps a small child or (!!!) an alpaca, let me know. Or perhaps a postcard would be more fitting. Whatever, send me your address and Peruvian things you will receive.

ETA: So I gave the address of this blog to my mother so that we can keep in touch when I am in Peru. And she thinks that people will get the Wrong Impression and Misconstrue what I was saying. BASICALLY, GUYS? I WAS JOKING ABOUT BRINGING PERUVIAN KIDS TO YOU. SORRY, I DON'T LIKE YOU THAT MUCH. Plus, it would be kidnap. And it would suck to get arrested. Because I don't want to give my mother a coronary, after all.

So this is the journal that I'm using in my time in Peru. It probably won't be very interesting. I will update briefly from time to time to say things like 'OMG I HAVE ADOPTED A PERUVIAN CHILD TO KEEP IN THE NEW LOFT CONVERSION'.

I am slightly scared about Peru, but it'll be lots of fun. I just have to do lame things like sorting out addresses to take with me, finish job applications for when I get back, work out how to use my new camera. Stuff like that. Oh yes, I should also pack at some point. Ho ho ho.