Jubilation and Frustration

Jubilation and Frustration:

Frustrated. Frustrating. Frustration. Mainly at myself. And things? Like the air. Piss off, air. This is the second weekend (really the third) that I have been in Arequipa and done nothing worth bragging about. That’s how I judge if things are worth doing – if they score enough pizzaz to do some back-door bragging to my friends and family. Of course this is not true, but it might have a little worth. I had plans to visit the outskirts of Arequipa this weekend with some fellow Peruvians, yet both fell through last minute.

The thing is folks… I’m dying to get out of this city. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty rad. The architecture in the central square, the baroque citadels, the food, the hidden cafés and the decorated decayed walls are all worth checking out.  BUT. Coming from a state that boasts over 63% of forest coverage, we have some pretty sweet smellin’ air. I mean, you can literally open your window and a rush of hot air filled with the scent of honeysuckle (or something) will fill the room. It’s fantastic! This might not sound (or smell like) that big of a deal, but to someone with a schnoz like me, IT IS. Arequipa has very little green space, horrible emissions standards and nearly 1,000,000 peeps, which results in very poor air quality. There is a constant visible haze when you look up to the surrounding mountains. At first, I thought it was nothing more than some moisture. BUT THEN! I remembered that Peru boasts some of the driest areas in all of South America. Definitely not moisture. Smog. Yes, smog. Can you imagine? Me? In a city that is actually affected by smog? Yeah, me neither. So there. That’s why I want to see the country side so badly. Nope. I’m not finished pouting about it. Ok, now I am.

This brings on to the Jubilation!

After discovering the second fall out, I decided that I needed to eat. And run. And eat some more. Yeah, those are good. Well, normally I never listen to music during my run because I feel as if it disrupts my connection with Motha Earf but there is no Motha Earf here so… I listened to some Simon and Garfunkel. Have you ever tried being mad while listening to Simon and Garfunkel? It’s impossible! I decided that if I wanted to get out of here, I should stop placing so much dependence on my Peruvian brethren. Not that they’re not super helpful, but that eggs in multiple baskets thing sounds better. Development. My mind is made up. I’m hiking El Misti this weekend.  I’m going to summit that bad boy – or girl? – that bad WOMAN! sporting my finest Zissou hat with a mustache that will make the finest highway patrol officer jealous. Excitement! That daughter-of-a-dick is over 19,000 feet tall! Boom.

More Jubilation!

I’ve been working a lot. I mean a lot, lot. Which means I get paid more! Yay! Also! I was recorded by a book publisher for the listening exercises in an English book. I was told that I have some wicked diction… DIVA. Cool thing about that is publishers often share listening portions with other publishers and since this was one of the bigger ones, my voice will be heard throughout South America and even Cuba. BIGGER DIVA! I didn’t get paid for it. Who cares. In terms of regular classes, I think I’ve gotten the hang of it. I’ve been assigned a mentor. She’s nice and super helpful. Also, I started observing classes. Yay for learning!

MOST JUBILATION!

Next month I WILL be traveling for work. All expenses paid! Here is my itinerary:

·         July 3-6 – Arequipa

·         July 9-13 – Puno (home of Lake Titicaca and some wicked Incan ceremonial cites)

·         July 16-19 – Tacna (not much here, but very close to Chili (extra stamp))

·         July 20^th – Back in Arequipa to help with a celebration

·         July 23-27 – Ilo (Off of the Coast in the South that hosts some decent water but  really fascinating swampish ecosystems)

·         July 28-30/31 – Arequipa

Of course… like everything here, it is subject to change (and probably at the last minute).

What I hope to do is get my bus tickets advanced to each city and stay in hostels until Monday. This will allow me much more time to explore and hike. Puno and Lake Titicaca area boast some of the greatest vistas this world has to offer and my plan is to see them all. One of the greatest things about all of this traveling is that I won’t have an apartment. What? Bad, you say? Nay! GREAT! That means I won’t have to pay rent n’ stuff! Of course it’s only 300 soles plus utilities, which doesn’t equate to about $150-$180, but still! That’s food! Lots of it!!!

I still plan on doing tons of traveling after work. I hope it will work out. I’m going to do my best, ok! Stop pressuring me! I CAN’T TAKE IT. Yeah, I can. Almost forgot! Here are a few pictures I took around the city yesterday!

Plaza de Espana.

Haha.

Smell ya later,

Jonathon