The first few days

It has been a whirlwind the last two days! Not only did I arrive in Peru on Sunday night, but I have also gotten acquianted with my colleagues, started teaching, and been practicing my Spanish skills as often as possible. 

I am really enjoying my time here in Peru. The people are so welcoming and friendly! Daniel, the owner of the school, has taken very good care of us - meaning me, Monique, Erin, and Aimee, the other teachers from the US. For example, for the last few days we have been without warm water in the shower. Last night he called a repairman to come check it out! On Monday, he took us to Miraflores to see some beautiful parks and eat at McDonald's. :) It was the most elegant McDonald's I have ever been to... complete with table service and VERY fancy coffee drinks. His family is so kind. I am looking forward to getting to know them better!

The two schools I teach at are about 5 blocks away from where we are living, with Daniel's apartment that he shares with his family about 1/2 way between each. I love getting to know the people between our home and the school - each day we walk the same route so faces, sights, and smells are becoming familiar. Highlights include the little puppy that occasionally appears at a construction site, the market right by the school, and watching a painter finish painting the name of a business on a building. As silly as it sounds, it comforts me to see the same sights each day and watch people on their daily routines so far away from home!

Anyways, I will expand on my teaching experiences and other fun moments next time! For now, I'll leave you with a little tour of our apartment. The power was off this morning, so I wasn't able to get a picture of the bathroom - but just imagine a small room with a toilet, shower, and sink all in one tiled area. When we shower, EVERYTHING gets wet!

This is a view of the living area. I am at the front door, taking a picture looking toward the back of the apartment. 

This is a room to the left of the front door. We haven't used this area a ton yet. 

As you walk to the back of the apartment, this is the hallway to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. 

The bedrooms are to your left and the bathroom is straight ahead. 

An interesting feature of our apartment! The back hallway is open to the sky!

Monique and my bedroom! This was taken just after I arrived on Sunday. We are a little more organized now. :)