Calhoun's In Peru

We Are Home!

2010-03-10T08:42:00.003-05:00

Well we made it. A whole year in Peru and we are now back in Tampa safe and sound. I can not even begin to tell you what a great time we had. I have learned so much about myself, Johanna, Peru and life in general. I have had people ask me if I have changed and at first I said no but now I am realizing that I may have changed a little, moreover I have grown a lot. This experience has opened my eyes to one small part of the world outside the confinds of the United States. It has also taught me how proud I am to be from the US and what a good life I have here in the US and that I have taken most of its luxuaries for granted.

I now have a special place in my heart for Peru and I can not wait to go back to visit. I already miss the people and also the fantastic food. I have to say that I do not miss the city of Lima too much because it is so big and the traffic is crazy but if I have to put up with that to see my family and friends again I will. Since we left and more importantly since we have returned I have been thinking that this may not have been the best time to go on this adventure because of how hard it is to find a job now. But I quickly remind myself that this was a great experience and if we had not done this now then we never would have gone at all. I also remind myself of something that I learned from the people in Peru, you only live once and you have to enjoy every minute. Even though we may be jobless and things are going to be hard for a while we still are in good health, we have each other, and we have our friends and family. What else do you need?

I hope you have enjoyed the blog but unfortunately this is going to be my last post. If we ever decide to go on another adventure I promise I will start a new one. For now, if you want to keep up with the changes in our lives we are just going to have to communicate the old fashion way, by telephone or I guess email works too. Thank you again for all of your support and kind words.

With love,
Bill and Johanna

Getting ready for the flight

2010-02-22T19:08:00.003-05:00

No pictures again but I promise I will add some next time. It is the night before our flight and we are getting ready to go out one last time with some friends. We have had a busy last week, seeing friends and family and it is starting to wind down. Tonight will be an early one, thank goodness because I do not think I can handle another late one, and also because we have some more packing to do. Our suit cases are almost full; we just have to arrange them to make everything fit. Hopefully the airline will be a little lenient and give us an extra pound per suit case. We are in for a long two days because our flight leaves Lima at 12:20am on Wednesday and arrives in Miami at 6:20am. We are going to rent a car and drive to Tampa for a short visit and break and then to Tallahassee, it is going to be a long one. Wish us luck and a safe trip and I will add my last post once we are settled in Tampa, sometime in the beginning of March.

We've got our plane tickets

2010-01-23T12:04:00.002-05:00

Well it is set in stone now we are coming home. We got our plane tickets and we are going to arrive in Miami on February 24th at 6:05am. I am very excited to be coming home but Johanna is a little hesitant. These tickets are round trip so I have to make sure I hide them when we get back or Johanna may use hers to return to Peru. Johanna’s take on this whole trip is kind of interesting and something we wish we would have thought about before we started our journey. Before Johanna moved to the United States in 2003 she was living with her parent’s and even though she was 23 years old she was still under their roof and therefore had to follow their rules. She did not go out with her friends a whole lot and had to check in with her parents before she would go out. Not a lot of freedom. Now let’s jump ahead to today. She has her own place and can come and go as she pleases. I do not like to go out dancing as much as she does so she has a lot of girl’s nights out. That is okay with me though because like I said she likes to dance a lot more than I do. So, she has more freedom now and she is really enjoying this new Peru. It is a lot different and more fun than it was before so now it is going to be a lot harder to leave than it was before. So on February 24th please send good wishes and lots of love Johanna’s way because she is going to need it. I will be sure to have a full box of tissues for the flight home and a second box for when we touchdown in Miami.

Christmas Holiday's

2010-01-09T11:54:00.006-05:00

This is going to be a long one. We went to visit some family in a small town 3 hours north of Lima called Barranca. First we went to the beach and then the memorial. One of Johanna’s second cousins died one year ago and on the year anniversary everyone got together to celebrate his life. There was a ton of good food and a lot of laughter from everyone remembering the good times.

Johanna and I with Tia Isabel & Cousin Raquel

You can not really see but Sonia, Aliah and Ameer are in that blue mototaxi

The race was on. Aliah and I started to race and Ameer did not want to be left out so he joined in the fun.

Johanna and Sonia layed on the beach and caught some rays but where is the fun in that. Me and the kids did what you are supposed to do at the beach, dig a big hole and build a sand castle...

bury each other in the sand...

and just have fun.

This was the food for the memorial. Can you tell how big these pots are? Take a look at the spoon.

That is cousin Gabby with the same spoon. These pots were hugh. Can you guess what is in them?

The three little pigs. Not quite the same fairy tale that you remember.

Sonia, Cousin Gabby, Cousin Carmen, Cousin Raquel, Cousin Mary, Johanna

A step back in time. Tia Isabel and her kids all live on one piece of land that is about 2 acres. As you can see in the picture this part of the property where they make adobe bricks to build their houses. They have just recently hooked up their electricity, and built a bathroom with running water, and just 2 months ago they got a refridgerator. It is like something you see in a National Geographic magazine. Barancca is a poor area and the people have very little possesions but they are some of the happiest people I have ever met. Very eye opening.

For Christmas we celebrated at Johanna’s parents. The tradition here is to stay awake until midnight and at the stroke of 12:00am Christmas day we open presents. I was getting a little tired as we got closer but at 11:45pm the fireworks started and I woke right up. It sounded like there was a war going on outside. No one could sleep through something like that except Ameer. As excited as he was to open his presents he fell asleep a little early and did not open his presents until the next morning, the US way of doing things.

Look at that spread for Christmas dinner.

Johanna and I with Sr. Juan and Aliah

Ameer just could not stay awake.

Sra. Sonia, her mom Asuncion, Tia Liana, Tio Jorge (Coco), Carlos

For New Year’s we had a party at Johanna’s parent’s home and invited the family. Our invitation was a little late so only about 20 people showed up but we had a good time. We got started around 10pm and can you guess what time we went to bed? Johanna and I hit the bed at 7:30am. What a party. We did not wake up until 6pm later that day and needless to say it was a very, very lazy day.

Happy New Year

Johanna, her mom Sonia, and her sister Sonia. Aren't they beautiful.

Johanna dancing with her dad. Look out the window, it is daylight.

They're Here

2009-12-10T08:27:00.004-05:00

Sonia, Aliah and Ameer arrived late Tuesday night. Sra. Sonia, Sr. Juan, Tia Chela, Johanna and I headed for the airport to give them a big welcome. A few of the other family members joined the welcome party at the airport and we all waited patiently with our big welcome banner. When the plane landed we all got very excited and eagerly started to look. They eventually walked through the gate and we all started whistling and waving to get their attention. They finally saw us and we all ran down to say hello and the tears started to flow. The kids were excited but Sonia was the most ecstatic because this is the first time she has been home since 2001. We all went back to the house and stayed up talking until 2am.

Here they come with all of their baggage.

Ameer, being a very energetic boy, made a beeline straight for the toys.

Sonia was a little different but just as energetic and went straight for the fruit.

Aliah is so easy going, she was just happy to be here.

Sr. Juan and Sra. Sonia's Anniversary

2009-12-03T10:21:00.005-05:00

Sr. Juan and Sra. Sonia celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary last Friday. They were not planning anything special so Johanna stepped in. At the last minute Johanna decided that she wanted to do something for her parents so we headed for the restaurant on the corner. We picked up some rotisserie chicken and then stopped at the market for some flowers and headed to her parents home. When we arrived Sra. Sonia was surprised and decided she wanted to dress up a little for the occasions and Sr. Juan was on his way home from work so we had to hurry. We set the table and Johanna made some chef hats so we could welcome Sr. Juan when he arrived. When he came in he was surprised and we rushed him right over to his bride. Johanna and I served their dinner and quickly left so the love birds could spend a nice quiet evening together.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-11-25T07:22:00.004-05:00

Ursula, Ivan, Carla, Michelle, Johanna, Me, Alejandra

Javier, Giovanna, Me, Ivan

The great food Causa, Carapulcra, & Aji de Gallina

My mother-in-law, Sonia, teaching me some dance moves.

Deysi, Me, Arturo

Me with all of the woman. Where is Johanna?

Johanna threw me a birthday party on Saturday and we had a blast. Our friend’s mother cooked a fantastic meal for us all and fortunately there was a lot left over so we have been eating like royalty all week. We tried get started at 7pm because I do not like to begin my night when I normally go to bed. It is not out of the ordinary to go to a party at 11pm and stay out all night. So our invitations said 7pm but people still did not show up until much later. But that was okay because we passed the time with our friends Carla and Ivan. Even though we tried to have the party start and end at a “reasonable” hour we did not go to bed until 5am. Not a problem though because neither of us had to work the next day so we laid in bed all day and recovered from the exciting night. At least I laid in bed, my wonderful wife cleaned the entire house and by the afternoon everything was back to normal. Johanna is the best.

Party Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYldgc611KA

We are Comming Home

2009-11-15T10:54:00.000-05:00

When we decided to go on this adventure we said we would stay for at least one year. We originally wanted to wait until January to make the decision to stay or not but due to some issues with our apartment we had to decide a little earlier than expected and we decided to come home. It was a tough decision but we both think it is the best thing for us to do. We are not exactly sure when we will be flying home but I will probably return in late January or early February and Johanna will probably not go back until March. We are very anxious to see everyone when we get back.

A Day of Celebration

2009-11-11T08:38:00.004-05:00

On Sunday I was excited about sleeping in when I was suddenly awaken at 7:00am by cannon fire at least that is what it sounded like. I got up to investigate and I found people in the streets decorating everything in purple and white balloons and streamers. They were getting ready to celebrate the day of an important Saint here in Peru, I am not sure who but everyone else seemed to know, and they were launching fireworks to commemorate the day.

A guy drew the design on the street with chalk and then a bunch if people filled in the entire thing with flower pedals and colored saw dust. All done the morning of the big day.

Johanna and I went out later to grab some lunch and all of the decorations were ready and the people were sitting in chairs in front of their houses talking and waiting. When we returned was saw that this is what they were waiting for.

This group of people walked all around the area carrying this “float” and playing music. They stopped every once in a while in front of groups of people and they would all pray together. It was quite a site.

That is sheet music on their backs for the guys walking behind them.

The group walked over the art masterpiece as they went down the street. I would have been a little upset if this was my work but apparently this is how it is done.

Hand Gestures

2009-10-29T13:01:00.003-04:00

This is a little lesson on hand gestures in Peru.

If you use this gesture in the US it means come here. Generally done with one hand.

However, in Peru you turn your palm down to beckon someone. Much like you would shew away something in the US. But becareful to keep your hand moving becasue if you just let it hang there people might think you are a little sweet. Disclaimer: Not that there is anything wrong with that.

This mean okay in the states or nice. In Peru you need to turn this gesture upside down. This means very nice and you would do this while you are commenting on something. "The hotel was excellent." However, you must be careful with this one becasue it also means that you are claiming to be gay or you are calling the person you are talking to gay. Diclaimer: Again not that there is anything wrong with that, but you do not want to offend.

Pictures from October

2009-10-25T19:48:00.006-04:00

I am not really in the mood for writing so I am just posting a few pictures.

Tió Pedro's Birthday

Sr. Juan (Johanna's father), Johanna, Tió Perdo aka The Birthday Boy

There is always good food to eat.

Tiá Chela & Sra. Sonia (Johanna's Mom)

Primos (cousins) Alex and Mike

A Wine Tasting Johanna and her best friend Giovanna

Giovanna and her husband Javier

I was the one taking the pictures.

Johanna's Birthday

She is thinking of a good wish.

Prima (cousin) Gabby, Johanna, and Sra. Sonia

These were our big events for October.

Paintball Mania

2009-10-06T12:24:00.000-04:00

Johanna and I met a bunch of friends just outside of Lima for a few games of paintball on Saturday. The place had barricades, houses and blinds to use for cover and they provided us all with camouflage jump suits. They also gave us chest pads, gloves and of course masks and we all looked like Rambo clones. The horn blew and the fun began. We were all running and diving and crawling trying to avoid the sting of a paintball but in the end I think everyone got hit at least once. Once all three games were over we sat around and told our war stories and showed our battle scares with pride. Once we got home Johanna and I examined our wounds a little closer. I got one on top of my head and of course it did not hurt too badly because you know my head is pretty hard. But I did feel the one in my thigh. Johanna took one on the forearm and it looked pretty painful but the one on her tush took the prize. It was bright red and swollen and she felt it every time she tried to sit down. We went off to bed and were sure the next day would be a little better but we were wrong, we found new injuries. Our bodies were so sore from diving and crawling on the ground that we did not feel those paintball bruises anymore and needless to say Sunday was a very unproductive day. But now it is Tuesday and we are getting back to normal and I cannot wait to do it again.

FSU Football

2009-09-29T08:08:00.002-04:00

Not much new happening in Peru right now so let’s talk football. My very computer savvy brother-in-law, Greg, helped me find some websites to watch any football game live on the internet. Unfortunately, my connection is not the best so I am stuck watching the play-by-play as it is typed on FoxSports.com. That is okay though because at least it is something. As many of you know I am a Florida State fan and I must say I am a little disappointed so far. I knew there was not a great deal of hope for this season but after the big win over BYU I think we all were getting a little excited. And then the USF game happened. Even though I am a USF alumni and I should be very happy right now I was pulling for FSU because that is where football started for me. As far back as I can remember my Aunt Andy, Uncle Dean and Cousin Adam would drive up to Tallahassee late Friday night in order to go to the football game on Saturday. We usually greeted them, unless Karen and I were sleeping, and then off to bed to get rested for the big game on Saturday. Adam, Karen and I would then wake up early Saturday and get to work right away. Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons we had our work cut out for us. We would rake all of the pine needles in the front yard and use them to spell out encouraging phrases for our favorite team. I do not remember exactly how they went but things like “Go Noles” or “Beat the Canes”. After the work was done we would clean up and off to the game. We always left early so we would have time to play a few downs on the practice field outside the stadium, we had to warm up just like the players. Then our parents would walk us to our seats. That is right, we had our own seats and we did not have to sit with the grownups, we felt so mature. After a long game of screaming for our Noles the game would usually end in a victory and then we would wait. This was one of the most important times of the game because something exciting was about to happen. All of the fans were clearing out and the people who collect the cups were starting to collect but we were all just waiting. Finally the time was right, the Police Officers were finally off the field and we were off to the races. It is our time now to show our stuff. We had our warm up on the practice field before the game and now it is time for the real thing. Uncle Dean would take the ball to play quarterback and we each took turns catching touchdown passes, spiking the ball and doing our victory dances in the in zone. We were playing on the same field where Deion Sanders just made an amazing tackle and Sammie Smith just ran for a 50 yard touchdown. This is where football began for me and I will never forget all of these great childhood memories of FSU football. Go Noles!

Peruvian Food

2009-09-08T10:54:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, I visited Peru a couple of times before we decided to move down here. In that time I tried a ton of different Peruvian dishes and most were good but none were excellent. This was disappointing because I had always heard that Peruvian cuisine was some of the best in the world. It was not until we moved here that I realized this fact. I do not know if my taste bud had to adjust to the spices or what but I am really enjoying the food now. I know I have also told some stories about some of the “strange” dishes here and I am afraid I might have scared some people away from trying this wonderful food. For starters Chorizo is a type of sausage that is best grilled and eaten on a bread roll with aji de casa (a type of yellow jalapeno sauce). Another great dish is lomo saltado which is sliced beef cooked with onions and served over french fries.
The most famous dish is ceviche which is pieces of fish cooked by marinating it in lemon juice and served cold with sliced onions. I know this sounds a little out there but it is an excellent dish on a summer afternoon.

And finally one of my many favorites is papa a la huancaina. This is boiled potatoes covered in a yellow sauce that has just a hint of spice, but not too much.

These are just a couple of the over 400 dishes that Peru has to offer, some are a little strange but most all of the ones I have tried are fantastic. Now I know why Johanna missed the food some much. For those of you living in Tampa, and your mouths are watering, there is a great Peruvian restaurant called Terra Sur Café.

Our Family Visit

2009-08-26T11:17:00.003-04:00

Mom and Karen on the flight down.

Me with my mom's in downtown Lima.

Me with my mom and Karen at Larcomar overlooking Costa Verde.

Johanna, Karen and I overlooking Costa Verde.

Us on a night time bus tour, it was quite cold.

Well my mom and sister Karen came down to visit for a week and left on Monday. They brought down a care package of things we asked for and also some surprises like candy bars and gum. Johanna's mom and dad were very helpful with carting us all around and making sure we did not get lost, we could not have done it with out them. We toured around Lima and I think we saw everything and a little more. It was great to have them visit but it was hard to let them go. When we said good bye in Tampa back in February, it was hard but I was very excited about moving so I dealt with saying good bye pretty well. This time that excitement was gone so it was a lot harder. We watched as they walked down the hall and out of sight. It was very sad but it was sure nice to see them.

Washer and Dryer

2009-08-09T13:25:00.005-04:00

Our washer and dryer in the new place are better in some ways but lacking in others. As you can see in this picture our dryer is enormous so it can handle a lot of cloths. Look at the size of that thing; you are looking at 7 lines. The position of the dryer (on the roof top) also helps because the cloths dry a lot faster.

The down side to the new place it the washing machine. Our old place had a very large and deep washer but you can see the new one is the exact same size and looks exactly like our small kitchen sink. This makes it a little time consuming but I am perfecting my system and getting a lot more efficient.

The agitator (my hand) is the same and the spin cycle on this washer uses two agitators (both of my hands) in almost a twisting motion. It is a little inefficient and tiresome but it works. As for the detergent you can see that bar of soap in the agitator, which is called “Popeye” soap. I think the reason is because my forearms are starting to look like Popeye’s from scrubbing, sloshing, and ringing all of these damn cloths. I do not know if you picked up on this but I, that’s right I am the washer and dryer.

Our New Place

2009-08-09T13:02:00.005-04:00

We recently moved into a new apartment a little closer to Johanna’s parents home. Our old place was nice but our landlord was crazy as a loon and we got a little tired of her shenanigans. Johanna, her mother and I went out one day with the goal of finding an apartment and we knew it was going to be a little difficult because they rent very fast right now. We called the first place on the list and got directions and we were off. We arrived about time minutes later and the apartment was already rented. I said they go fast and they do. So we called the next place and it was close so this time we literally ran, Johanna and her mom took off while I lagged behind. We were running down a street with a lot of people and stores and of course when they flew by everyone was looking. I did not realize but they were also looking at me running after them and I think they thought I was chasing them because I got a few strange looks. Anyway, we arrived and the apartment was on the 5th floor, I counted 56 steps. We finally reached the summit and the place was great except it was on the 5th floor. While we were deciding what to do the door bell rang and it was another couple apartment hunting. Time was running out, we “weighed” our options, basically we were unsure about all of the stairs but we knew we both could use the exercise, so we took it. Moving was a pain but Johanna’s parents helped us a lot and it made it a lot easier. I want to invite them over for dinner sometime but I think I will let them rest for a couple of weeks before they have to make the climb again. Mom and Karen when you come down be sure to bring your walking shoes for Lima and your hiking boots for home.

Johanna is going to kill me when she sees I did not clean up before I took these pictures.

Seven more stairs up to the bedroom but look we finally have a couch.

Peru Winter Clarification

2009-08-04T13:36:00.002-04:00

A little clarification about the wet Peruvian winters. As I said earlier it does not rain so how are the winters wet? It is extremely humid. There are no drops of water falling from the sky but this incredible mist that keeps you damp when you walk down the sidewalk. Some days this mist is heavier than others but no matter what the air is still humid therefore it takes forever to dry cloths. I still stand by my post about the hugh storm not too long ago because I still have not seen such a heavy rain since. I wish I could put it into words but it was too extraordinary to describe. You will just have to trust that it was an amazing sight.

Peru Winter

2009-08-02T15:45:00.001-04:00

Here in Peru the winters are very wet and the sun rarely comes out. Most people do not like this grey climate because it can be a little depressing but I am enjoying it especially since I know it is almost 100 degrees in Florida right now. Another drawback to the wet winter is that the cloths take 3 days to dry (we do not have a dryer). I am sure those of you who have every had to line dry cloths knows that after 3 days cloths start to sour so we have been using a fan to try to speed up the process. Well today is Sunday and we woke up to beautiful weather, the sun is shining and it is about 70 degrees. We both have the whole day off so what should we do first? The only thing I can think of is getting the laundry done. It is only going to take one day to dry this stuff so let’s do it all today. It is amazing how your priorities change.

July 28th Weekend (Independence Day in Peru)

2009-08-01T14:54:00.003-04:00

Here in Peru this is a very big holiday and they usually get 4-5 days off from work so everybody goes on a short vacation. Johanna and I went to the beach with some friends and had a blast. One friend knows a family that owns a beach house (mansion) and they let him and his friends use it for Independence Day every year. I say mansion because at any given time there was 25 people staying there and it was not full. We went down on Saturday night and when we arrived the party was going strong. We ended up going to bed early because we were having so much fun. No, not early at night but early in the morning, 8:30am. The next two days were not as crazy as the first but still a lot of fun. We ate grilled food all day and on Tuesday night Manuel, an aspiring chef, cooked a hugh meal for everyone. Unfortunately Johanna and I had to leave Tuesday night after dinner because they were getting ready to start a bon fire on the beach. Oh well maybe next year. I must say that this group of friends is like a big family. They have known each other for many years but they are always willing to accept outsiders and make them feel like part of the family. Johanna had to work on Monday so I stayed at the beach all day, by myself, but it was great. Again they all made me feel at home and we had a lot of fun. Too bad the vacation is over and we have to get back to work. Wait I only work 12 hours per week so my vacation is going to continue.

Another Family Party

2009-07-29T14:45:00.003-04:00

This time Sra. Sonia had a party at her house for her side of the family. She has two brothers and one sister so her side is not as big as Sr. Juan’s but that is a good thing because we did not have a bus this time. Tiá Otillia and Tiá Chella (Sr. Juan’s sisters) helped Sra. Sonia cook and what a spread. There was a ton of food and luckily there were leftovers so we got to eat for the next three days. This was the first time Johanna had seen a lot of her cousins in a very long time so everyone had a lot of fun laughing and remembering old times.

New Job

2009-07-19T09:46:00.001-04:00

When Johanna and I moved to down here we both agreed that we would not work on the weekends. However, since it has been so hard to find jobs I started a new job on Saturday. It is a teaching job at a second institute and I am teaching a class, rather than just one student. I must say that I am enjoying this more than I thought I would. My students are very energetic and since they are paying an arm and a leg for the class they take it seriously. During our training I was talking to another American newbie who said he was currently working at three different institutes and has one private lesson and still only works about 15 hours per week. For those who remember In Living Color I am going to end up like the Jamaican family from the Hey Mon skits. I have two now and I am starting to put some things together to start teaching private lessons so before you know it I will have 4 or 5 jobs. Wish me luck.

By the way the transportation strike was cancelled so the trip to work was without drama.

Not Much Going On

2009-07-07T10:17:00.000-04:00

Not a lot happening here right now. Johanna and I have been working and relaxing (relaxing more than working). There was a transportation department strike a few days ago and none of the bus drivers or taxi drivers worked that day. They stood on the sides of the roads protesting increases in driving infraction fines. Since then they do not think the government has listened to their demands they have decided to strike again. There are conflicting stories as to when this will occur but may be today, Wednesday, Thursday or all of these. I guess I will find out when I go to catch a bus this afternoon for work. I hope it is not today because it is a very long walk to work. We will just have to wait and see.

I Am Famous

2009-06-16T12:07:00.002-04:00

No pictures this time but big news, I was on TV. Johanna and I went to an art expedition with some friends for a different type of night out. I am not one for art that you have to interpret so a family of alien looking statues was way over my head. But we had a nice time enjoying each other’s company and then the camera entered the room. They were from a local television show and the host is known for his comic interviews, I should have known because he was wearing a suit with tennis shoes. They began walking around the room, finding different victims but our group stayed well hidden. When they would walk in our direction we would slink down behind one of the alien's. But he was a crafty sucker, while we were talking and looking for him on one side of the room he popped up beside us and I got caught. I thought I would be able to escape because I could easily play the no Spanish card but he had thought of that and he knew English, there was no getting out of this one. He asked me a couple of questions about why I was in Peru and if I was enjoying myself and then he gave me a test. He said a word in Spanish and I had to repeat it in English. I was doing good, mano-hand, dientes-teeth, brazo-arm, and then he said some slang word for standing I think and I had no idea. We all had a good laugh and he released me back into the party. Then the show aired on TV a week later and I finally got to see how red I actually get when I am embarrassed. I know you all know this lovely quality I have but I never realized it was that bad. I was even glowing a little (sweating profusely). Anyway, the show repeats through the week so it was on 3-4 times per day from Sunday to Saturday. Ever since, when we go out with friends or meet new friends I have been getting noticed as the gringo on the TV.

The BIG Family Picnic

2009-06-15T17:05:00.006-04:00

Johanna and cousin Luis, they represent the youngest and the oldest cousin in the family.

Everyone getting situated on the bus.

Tug-of-War: I think we won becasue we had a good coach, Cousin Luis in the grey sweats.

That is Johanna in the hat with her partner Gisella competing along side of Pamela and her partner Andrea.

The men are gearing up for an exciting match of "Who can walk with the egg on the spoon the fastest without it falling off" better know as the "Egg Race."

The intense soccer match. That is Johanna's dad sporting #6.

The face of an enthusiastic, goal scoring soccer player.

Johanna and cousin Renzo showing off a little for the camera.

The Family. I count 52 in the picture and I am told that is only about half. A pretty incredible sight.

Sunday we had a family picnic that Johanna and a couple of her cousins have been planning for the past month. When they started to plan the get together there were about 5-10 people that were going to be attending and the final count was around 60 people. Now they were not all family members (yet) because there were two boyfriends there but everyone else was family. Since there were so many people we ended up meeting at Sonia and Juan’s house at 7:30am and we piled on a full size bus which fit almost everyone and the few extras drove their own cars and met us there. Johanna’s cousin Marcos’ attendance was a big surprise because he was transferred out of town for work. He is a national police officer and was sent to a city involved with a group of local terrorist and he is not supposed to come back to Lima for 2 more months. But he heard about the get together and snuck away for a few days, I hope he does not get in trouble. When we arrived the games began. We played tug-of-war, three legged race, wheel barrow, volleyball and many other fun activities. The next big event was the futbol (soccer) game amongst the men. They asked me to play but I politely declined because my last time on the field was when I was 10 years old and cousin Renato said they were all very good and competitive, so I just sat back and watched. As you can see they are pretty serious because they even purchased team jerseys for the competition. They actually use to play every Tuesday and that is where they first got the jerseys but since they are unable to play there weekly game anymore they were more than happy to get out the old uniforms. After the big game the girls and kids played and Johanna’s team lost 2-1 but she did score the only goal for their team and her father and I were very proud. As you can see in the picture she was so happy she stopped and posed in the middle of the field for a photo. After all of the fun games we all ate parrillada (food cooked on the grill) and finished the day with some? Anyone…anyone? That's right DANCING! Everyone took part and we were all having a great time when the dreaded clock struck 6pm and it was time to go. Everyone slowly packed up and we headed home. What an awesome day.

The Big Day

2009-06-08T09:49:00.003-04:00

Giovanna (Johanna’s best friend) got married on Friday/Saturday to Javier after dating for 10 years. I think everyone saw this one coming. The ceremony was on Friday in the court house and they had their reception on Saturday at a beautiful old house/mansion in Mira Flores. Javier’s brother dances typical Peruvian dances for a living and as a gift to the bride and groom he had four of his coworkers dance at the reception. They performed four different dances dressed in full costume as you can see. A little later there was a problem with an electrical tower nearby and all of the lights went out for about an hour. We were all worried for Giovanna but she handled it like a champ. She stayed calm and everyone continued having fun and then there was light. We continued dancing through the night until they made us leave at 3am and we headed home for a long nights sleep.

They have all been friends since elementary school.

This was the wedding cake. They cut the bigger on in the center and gave a box with a single serving cake to every guest.

Transportation

2009-06-01T10:39:00.004-04:00

These are just 4 of the approximate 20 busses that stop at the bus stop by our apartment.

Since we do not have a car here in Peru we utilize the public transportation system. Even though the gas prices are about equal to the US the cars here are very expensive because of import costs. Therefore a large portion of the population rides the busses and taxis to get around Lima and the country for that matter. The bus system is a little difficult to get the hang of because there are so many different bus lines and they go every which way but I have learned how to get to two areas where I work. I have yet to get lost and that is mostly due to my good teacher Johanna. The taxi system is a little easier if you know where you are going. We do not take taxis very often because the bus is much cheaper, ($0.33). But when you go grocery shopping it is a lot easier to take a taxi rather than a bus as you can imagine. There is not a regulated pricing system for taxis so when you flag one down you ask how much they will charge you for your specific destination. If you like the price then you get in, if not there are many more to choose from. As you can imagine I do not blend in so well so they can see me coming and they generally try to charge me a little extra but I think they get surprised when I refuse of start haggling down to a fair price. It also helps sometimes for me to hide around the corner while Johanna makes the deal and then I get in after the price has been negotiated. Whatever it takes to get a good deal.

On the Map

2009-05-25T12:16:00.009-04:00

Just to give you an idea of where we are in Peru.

This is Lima and you can see we are in the San Borja district.

The red arrow is about where our apartment is and the blue arrow is Johanna's parents house. This is about a 10 minute walk.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-19T09:55:00.002-04:00

Johanna's Grandmother

Tió Coco with everyone.

Tiá Liana with her mom and sister.

Rain Storm

2009-05-08T10:10:00.007-04:00

Nothing much happening these days. We are both still looking for steady jobs and I am dealing with the frustration a little better.

Since there is not much happening I thought I would write about a rain storm we had not too long ago. While I was doing something in the living room Johanna called me into the kitchen and said "Look, it is raining." I was very excited because it never rains in Lima. When I looked out of the window this is what I saw.

That is the roof and those little spots are "rain" drops. I looked at her and back at the "rain" and she said that is as good as it is going to get. We ended up having to walk to her parent's house in this torrential down pour and we finally made it but honestly I do not know how. You could barely see the cars coming down the road 3 miles away. It was a crazy time and I am glad the "storm" has passed. A little bit of information, Lima only gets about 20 mm (0.8 inches) of rain every year. I can understand now why people get so excited when ever ANYTHING falls out of the sky.

Stage #2 Frustration

2009-05-01T11:39:00.001-04:00

Before I left for Peru my very intelligent sister Karen told me to read about culture shock and learn the different stages. I did this and I think I have just jumped head first into stage #2, the frustration stage. This is where you find that everything in the new place is frustrating and agitating. For example, it is like walking out the door, being greeted by a neighbor and wanting nothing more than to shout obscenities at them. Johanna and I have been working on getting my work visa and for some time now and for some reason it just got to be too much one day. I will not get into the details because it is a long story but just trust that it is very frustrating and these problems would never happen in the US. Anyway I think the important thing is realizing why I am reacting in this way and that realization is helping me to cope with my new challenges. I am anxiously awaiting the next stage, Acceptance, but until I get there I will be as patient as possible and try realize that just because things are different they are not necessarily wrong.

Girls night out

2009-04-25T10:44:00.003-04:00

Johanna had a girls night out with a few of her cousins. She invited them to her moms house and they cooked a little something to snack on and drank Pisco sours. They had a great time catching up on old times.

Our trip to Trujillo

2009-04-19T10:57:00.005-04:00

Chan Chan

Temple of the Moon

Huanchaco beach with boats used by local fisherman

Marinera dance

Huanchaco Beach

We arrived on Monday afternoon and decided to stay in a small beach town outside of Trujillo called Huanchaco. This town was on all of the tourist maps to visit and people we talked to said it was a very nice place so why not stay there instead of the big city. When we arrived we got our hotel room and just walked up and down the beach, it really was beautiful.

Day 1 (Tuesday)
We took a 20 minute bus ride ($0.50 each) to Trujillo and did a nice walking tour of the main plaza. It was nice but nothing spectacular because it was very typical, a lot of big churches. Johanna and I like to see the churches but they all start to look alike so we move pretty quickly through them. Even still, it was a beautiful day and the police shut the plaza streets so there were no cars or horns and it was a very peaceful afternoon. After the tour we took a short taxi ride to a Peruvian Paso Fino horse stable just outside of town to watch a horse show. Everyday day at 1:30pm this stable has a show were they perform the national dance of Peru, Marinera, with a paso fino. After the show Johanna was talking to the announcer and he went on and on about how much he loved Peru and what he did and they both started to get a little choked up. The show was that amazing. After that we headed back to Huanchaco and spent the afternoon and evening on the beach. We ate dinner, drank a few beers and went to bed.

Day 2 (Wednesday)
We went back to Trujillo and took a tour of the two main archeological sites in the area, Temple of the Moon and Chan Chan. The Temple of the Moon was a temple that was used for sacrifices to the mountain gods by the Moche people who lived from about 100AD to 800AD and their demise is said to be from floods caused by El Niño. They built 5 different temples over the years, one on top of another, and you can see all of the layers with the original colors used to decorate the walls. We were able to watch some of the archeologists work as they were cleaning the old clay stuck to a wall to reveal the colors used for decorations. With the size of this humungous wall my first tool of choice for this job would have been a pressure washer but they took a different approach. They were using a syringes with needles and injecting a chemical that would slowly break away the clay while preserving the color underneath. It was really amazing. The next place was Chan Chan which was the capital of the Chimu Empire which lasted from about 800AD to 1470AD when the Incas conquered them. Every time a new king came into power they would build a new palace so there are many different palaces in this city. There is only one that has been excavated and that is only half true. The archeologists have been excavating this one palace for over 40 years and they have only completed half, just to give you an idea of the size of this place. It was very damaged due to the rains caused by El Niño and the archeologist doing an amazing job preserving the site. As amazing as Chan Chan sounded in the books we are very glad we went to the Temple of the Moon because it was far more interesting. After the tours we were exhausted and head for the hotel.

Day 3 (Thursday)
The worst day ever, not just on this trip but I think in my entire life. I got sick from some food that I ate but luckily I had Johanna to take care of me because I do not think I would have made it. It was a very long day and night but we pulled through together and made it through with very little sleep. Luckily our only plans for this day were to walk around Huanchaco and enjoy the town and since we had down this a little bit each day we did not miss much.

Day 4 (Friday)
We rolled out of bed at 4am to catch our flight home and after a few complications we finally made it back to Lima. Our first stop was the hospital where I got some good drugs.

It is Sunday now and I am finally getting back to normal. Overall all we had a great time and have a lot of good memories.

Trujillo Update

2009-04-16T10:43:00.002-04:00

I found a computer in the hotel and wanted to give a quick update. We are here and having a great time. Trujillo is nice but we decided to stay in a small beach town called Huanchaco. It is a 20 minute bus ride to the city. Anyway things are good and I will have more when we return to Lima.

Another Adventure

2009-04-12T13:10:00.002-04:00

I did not posted much last week becasue we did not do much, but this week will be different. I am still not going to post anything but we will be doing a lot becasue we are going to Trujillo. We just bought our tickets this morning and we are leaving tomorrow and comming back on Friday. Who says plane tickets are more expensive if you buy at the last minute. We got such a good deal we could not pass it up. Trujillo is a 1 hour plane flight north of Lima and it is on the coast. The food is supposed to be different but wonderful. We will take a lot of pictures and post them when we return.

Drink Lesson

2009-04-11T13:50:00.001-04:00

This is a lesson in drinking beer in Peru. When you are at a party and you are drinking beer these are a few tips that will help you blend in and not look so white. I had to learn this the hard way and even though I am getting used to people staring at me it is nice to blend in sometimes.

First of all never drink from the bottle unless it is a 12 ouncer. I have found that at parties you will usually be drinking from a liter bottle and you share with others. Depending on the number of people you may have one or more bottles being passed around at any given time. Someone will have the bottle and a small glass and they will pour some in the glass, pass the bottle to the right with their right hand and say salud (cheers). You take the bottle, with your right hand, say salud also, and they drink the beer they poured in the glass. The person then passes you the glass with their right hand and you receive it with your right. You pour your beer and pass to the right. Now if the person to my right is a woman I would pour the beer in the glass (after I have finished my glass) and pass the glass to her. She drinks and gives you the beer back and you then continue to the next person. Men always pour for the women.

One last rule. When the bottle is empty the person who empties it should get another bottle and they must drink the first sip from this bottle. So even if you filled your glass to the top to empty the bottle you will need to take a little more from the new bottle and then continue the process. The reason for this is a story from a war between Peru and Chile. During this war when the Peruvian soldiers wanted to drink the women would pour the beer and mysteriously the soldier would be dead the next morning because the women would poison the beer. So it is customary to take the first sip from the bottle to show that it is safe.

I hope this helps so the next time you are drinking beer in Peru you will blend in. Your skin color is another thing, maybe a tanning salon for a few weeks before you travel.

A cooking experiment

2009-04-03T19:38:00.003-04:00

Like I have said in the past chorros a la chalaca (clams) have become one of my favorite dishes here in Peru. I searched the internet and I found a recipe so I gave it a shot. I chopped, squeezed, boiled, and shucked and I did it, chorros a la chalaca. They turned out good. I took them to Sr. Juan and Sra. Sonia's house for lunch with Tia Chela and Tia Esther and they were a hit. The only thing I needed to add was more salt but that was an easy fix. The best thing about doing this myself was the price. In a restaurant in Tampa one dozen of these little gems is about $15.00 and here in a restaurant they are about S/.12.00 ($3.80) but if you buy them in the store they cost me S/.2.00 ($0.65). Now that is a deal.

On that same topic, price, Johanna and I had lunch today at a restaurant that the locals frequent. We had a three course meal and could barely walk when we were finished because we were so full. The bill came to a whopping S/.10.00, which is about $1.50 each. The waitress was surprised when we left a tip because tipping is almost unheard of here, but we had to because the service was excellent. Our waitress was literally running around the restaurant to help her customers. It was a great lunch not just because the food was good but because the total was less than the smallest value meal at McDonald’s. Peru is awesome.

The fun never ends

2009-03-30T10:15:00.004-04:00

Me and the chef

Everyone at the club

In our funny hats

Best Friends

Having fun

A bunch of Johanna’s friends rent a beach house every summer and enjoy it when they are not working. They invited us down for the night and we grilled food and drank beer all day and night. Even though we have the language barrier we still were able to communicate and had a lot of fun as you can see.

Another great afternoon

2009-03-28T12:12:00.003-04:00

On Thursday I was getting off from work and heading to the market to buy some chicken for lunch when I received a call from Johanna. She said her parents wanted to take us to a restaurant in Callo for lunch. I was very excited, no cooking today. Callo is a city/district of Lima about 45 minutes north and it is the main port for Peru. We had a nice drive up and the little town was great. We ate lunch at a small restaurant near the beach and had Ceviche, Chita Frita (fried Chita fish) and Tiradito (a different type of ceviche). It was all extremely good but the regular ceviche is still one of my favorites. After lunch we walked down to the beach and much to my surprise there was no sand, only fist size rocks. Even so, people still flock to this "beach" and lay on the rock to get sun. Johanna and her sister Sonia both frequented this beach during the summer because it was fairly close to their house. When asked about lying on rocks, they said you have to prepare you site by finding the flat rocks and make a smooth surface and then put your towel down. Every once and a while they would feel a sharp pain in their back so they would find the bothersome rock and turn it over and problem solved. Wow, this really seems like a lot of work. The up side to all of this is you do not get sand in every crevice imaginable like you would at a normal beach. It was quite an experience and the little town of Callo was very nice. There were hugh beautiful homes on the beach and there was no traffic, just a nice little town.

The Vacation is Over

2009-03-25T15:11:00.003-04:00

Well the vacation is over, I got a job. I went to interview for a teaching job in an institute and I got hired the same day. I started today with training and with that came my first outing by myself. I took a bus from the house to my new job with no problem and I was very proud of myself. Those of you who know the transportation system in Lima know that taking a bus (the right one) can be a little tricky and not so comfortable sometimes. But I persevered and was able to get to work on time and not get lost. My training is for 3 days (9am to 12pm) and I have to sit in on a couple of classes to observe. After that they turn me loose to teach English to business men and women in the area. They are only going to allow me to work part time so I am also going to teach private lessons. There are 7 of us in this training class and we are from all over the world. There is one American, Canadian, Irish, Italian and 3 Peruvians. It is kind of nice to meet some people that speak English and understand what I say (Johanna does not get me sometimes).

We also celebrated Sra. Sonia's birthday yesterday. Nothing too big but there was a lot of cake and laughter. Her mother, brother and sister all came over and we sat around and talked while trying to eat two cakes. That is Tio Coco in the grey shirt with no head, the pictures of him are on another camera. It was a great time.

A Day at the Beach

2009-03-21T17:26:00.004-04:00

Ceviche

Choros a la Chalaca

Today was a day of relaxation. We went to Punta Hermosa beach which is about 30 minutes south of Lima. The beaches are a little different than Florida because the sand is black and the water is freezing cold. There were a lot of people and umbrellas as you can see. After a very short swim and relaxing in the sun we went to a restaurant on the beach and ate ceviche (fish cooked in lime juice) and choros a la chalaca (steamed clams). It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

More Pictures

2009-03-17T13:46:00.001-04:00

Our Colombia Trip

2009-03-17T13:14:00.004-04:00

We are back from our trip to Colombia and we were sad to leave. Medellin was a beautiful city with lots of green everywhere. The people were very nice and I think they were a little surprised to see an American. I felt like a movie star because people were staring at me everywhere we went. We stayed at Bibiana's parents house in the country (Finca) and they were the most gracious hosts. They welcomed us into their house and we were treated like kings. We stayed in the Finca for 5 of our 8 days and it was like a resort. The grass was manicured like a golf course and they employee a house keeper so we were waited on the entire time. It was amazing. We stayed in a hotel for three nights and toured the city. We rode a zip line acorss a lake, climed 649 steps to the top of a hugh rock, rode a skyride to the top of a mountain, and partied at night. The most a amazing thing for me was the skyride. The government built this as part of their subway system and it allows people from this particular mountain to travel into the city to work. The area at the top has always been a very bad area and I am told the Police would think twice before they went there. But since they built the skyride the people have cleaned up the area and treat outsiders with a lot of respect. I am told that they feel more important and take pride in the fact that people want to go to the area now. The view was pretty amazing also. We took a ton of pictures and I have attached just a few.

Going to Colombia

2009-03-07T07:54:00.002-05:00

It is Saturday morning and we are getting ready to take a trip to Medellin Colombia. I did not say anything until now because I wanted to tell mom first. I knew she would be a little worried, white man in Colombia, but we talked and I think she is okay. Our friend Bibiana is from Medellin and we are going to visit her home town. Johanna, Sra. Sonia, and I will be meeting her and her husband Jose at the Medellin airport and off to the races from their. Johanna's mom is turning 60 years old this month and her daughters and their good looking husbands are sending her to Medellin as her present. She loves to travel and has never been to Colombia so when Johanna told her she screamed with joy, literrally screamed. We are all very excited and anxious to see the country. We will be back in 8 days with many pictures and stories.

Sr. Juan's 61st B-Day

2009-03-06T19:03:00.003-05:00

Last night we were able to use Skype for the first time and we talked to Sonia and the kids. You can see Aliah smiling brightly as we were making funny faces back and forth to each other. Today we took Sr. Juan to lunch at a place called "Moche" for his birthday. He says they serve the best cuy in Lima so that was the place to go. Johanna took a picture of my plate and can anyone guess what cuy translates to in English? A little hint, some of you may have had one as a pet when you were a child. That is right it is guinea pig. Sound gross but it was very good, it tastes like chicken.

We Have Internet

2009-03-05T16:56:00.000-05:00

We finally have our internet hooked up. I never realized how convenient it is to have the internet in the house until I did not have it. Our cable is the one on the left I think.

Everything was a little rocky at first but we are moved into the new apartment and I think things are settling down. The apartment is a lot bigger than we expected and it is in a very nice and quiet neighborhood. The pictures are backwards so work from the crazy power lines to the bathroom. I took the next picture from the street and our apartment is upstairs and you can see the door in the top right. When you first walk in you are in the room with the book shelf on the wall. This is the living room and there is a daybed for a couch and the laundry room (a big sink) off to the left. Next you walk down a long hallway and into the kitchen. This is the picture with Johanna's back and her best friend Giovana. The kitchen is a very nice a size and everything we have and need fit perfectly. At the end of the apartment is the bedroom. Not a whole lot of closet space but again we were able to fit everything we needed. And finally the bathroom. To give you an idea of the layout it is all one ling line and for size I measured the kitchen at 13'x9'. Like I said it is a lot bigger than we expected.

Our Journey Continued

2009-02-28T12:45:00.002-05:00

Wednesday 2/25/09
We left San Jose on time and on our way to Bogota we ran into a storm. The pilot bravely tried to fly us through but to no avail, we had to land in Cali instead. That was a long and rough flight. Johanna and I contemplated staying in Cali for good and forget about living in Lima because neither one of us wanted to fly ever again. But due to some immigration thing we were not allowed to exit the plane so we sat for 2 hours while they refueled and the storm in Bogota passed. We were then back in the air and flew another rough flight to Bogota and then to Lima. We got to Lima around 9:30pm and no problems from there. We shot through immigration and customs as is we were royalty and we met Sr. Juan and Sra. Sonia. From there we were in a cab in the crazy traffic of Lima and by 10:30pm were sitting at the dining room table and eating one great meal prepared by Sra. Sonia. We are now all sitting and talking, I can’t lie, I am typing this post and they are talking in Spanish. I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open let alone try to understand what they are saying. So even though there have been some bumps in the road, our adventure is off to a great start and we cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Saturday 2/28/09
We have been running around town trying to get the basics. We bought some pillows and shampoo because we enjoy sleeping and we do not like to stink. We are getting prices for an internet connection and that should be installed by next weekend. The main thing we have been working on is getting cell phones. I was able to bring four cell phones with me from the US with the understanding they would be able to be unlocked here and allow me to use any service. We gave one phone to Sra. Sonia because she wanted a phone with really big numbers and I am sure some of you know what I am talking about. We took the phones to the store (The Guy) and after some small obstacles I am going to use Sra. Sonia’s old phone and Johanna is going to use the one she brought with her. The phone numbers are 9 digits long which is a little different and all cell phone numbers start with the number 9. Just a bit of interesting information. I do not have my service hooked up yet but hopefully by the end of the day I will be able to call and talk to all of my friends and family here in Peru, wait I do not speak Spanish, I guess I will just have it just in case.

Pictures: The night we arrived and the meal Sra. Sonia made for us.

Our Journey Has Begun

2009-02-25T10:20:00.001-05:00

We have started our journey. Monday was the big move and everything went well. We rented a U-Haul and started to get a little nervous when we filled it to the door but thanks to our love for Tetris everything fit perfectly. On Tuesday we woke up with the sun and finished all of the last minute arrangements and we headed for Miami at 9pm. We are now in the Miami airport waiting for our 730am flight to Bogota and then to Lima by 730pm. We are not going to get much sleep but I think the excitement will keep us going.
I found some new information about the flight, we are going to stop by San Jose, Costa Rica for an hour and then head over to Bogota. That is why this 6 hour trip is going to take 12 hours.
Now we are in San Jose and the internet is free so I am going to post this and I will continue the story once we arrive in Lima. I have to say the weather here is awesome. We are sitting in the airport but the door is open and there is a cool breeze blowing by.

The House is Rented

2009-02-15T16:52:00.000-05:00

We have rented the house and purchased our plane tickets so there is no turning back now. We are going to be flying to Peru on Wednesday Feb. 25th at 7:25 am from Miami. We have chosen to get the cheapest plane ticket again and we will pay dearly in lack of sleep. We leave on a 4 hour drive to Miami on Wednesday around 1230am and we will arrive in Lima that evening at 7:30pm. This is going to be a long day but there will be plenty of time to sleep on the plane. When we arrive in Lima, our apartment will not be ready until March 1st so we will be staying with Johanna's parents for a couple of days. They are always very gracious hosts.

Posting Directions

2009-02-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

For all of you that post with anonymous, will you please sign your name at the end of your comment so I will know who you are.

As for today's post I think I am starting to like this "Blogging" thing, but don't tell anyone. I think some of my friends might make fun of me. As you can see I have not posted any pictures yet and I keep writing these comments, completly opposite of what I said at the beginning. I promise as soon as I have a picture to post I will.

This was my idea

2009-02-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

I want to make a correction to my last post. I found out that a lot of people figured that moving to Peru was Johanna's idea and that is not correct. Suprisingly enough it was my idea and to be honest Johanna had some doubts. But we discussed it for a long time and we decided this would be a great opportunity. Johanna is still a little nervous about the gringo in Lima but we are laying the ground rules to ensure my safety.

Getting Started

2009-02-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

If you have not heard by now Johanna and I are going to be moving to Peru sometime in February. Our quick answer to everyone is "We are doing this as an adventure." We had to come up with a quick answer because everyone asks where we are going and why. The long answer is a little more in-depth so here we go.
We decided to move to Peru for at least one year and maybe longer if we enjoy ourselves. The reason we are staying for at least a year is to give it a chance and not run back home at the first sign of trouble. There are many different reasons we have decided to do this. One big one is so that I can learn the Spanish language and in turn get to know Johanna’s family and friends better. Another reason is so that I can understand Johanna a little better and what she goes through here in America, living in a new country and speaking a different language. And last but not least so Johanna can spend more time with her family and friends. We have always talked about moving to Peru and we realized that if we do not do it now we probably never will. We have already rented an apartment in a nice neighborhood close to Johanna’s parents. It is furnished and all of the utilities are included for the whopping price of $250.00 per month. Yes that is right only $250.00 and the only things that are missing are a washer, dryer and a stove. We think this is a blessing because neither one of us like to do laundry nor cook. Neither one of us has a job yet but I have decided that I will probably teach English to adult students and Johanna is probably going to work at a bank. Luckily I do not have to speak Spanish to teach because I do not speak Spanish. The students will already have an understanding of the English language. Johanna has some contacts in the banking industry here and in Peru and this should enable her to find a job pretty easily. As far as the details go this is about it and I am sure you can see now why we say we are moving for an adventure because it will definitely be one. I am going to do my best to keep this blog up to date. Karen talked me into this and I think it is a good idea but I know me and I hope I stick with it. I can almost assure you that this will be the most writing I will be doing. I am not much for writing so I will probably be posting mostly pictures.