Hola!
I wouldn´t want to leave you hanging with only pictures and no stories...the only excuse I have for not writing for so long is that I have been pretty busy with the actual course! Besides the usual English theory and Spanish classes every day I have also started to actually teach every night except for friday and sunday nights. To be honest, I am ready for this course to be over with and start traveling, and doing some of the more exciting stuff, the stuff I actually came for! However, the way things look like now I will probably have to tough it out untill the end of january before I can do my thing.

Unfortunately, I can´t beat my last entry in terms of juiciness..(therefore the -very exciting- food picture) I am still living in the same house, in the same city, doing the same thing. The family I am living with is really much better for me and their lifestyle is one that I still am amazed and entertained by! I sometimes feel like I am in a movie, because no one seems to have worries! No one really works around here either..the parents are retired, Guillermo -the artist- makes some music, paints some or creates some pots when he wants to and feels the need for some money. His brother is only interested in japanese fight animations: creating them, looking them up on the internet and coloring them (digitally that is). When I ask them what their plans are for the day I have to laugh because the usual answer is ¨prepare the food for the dog¨, or ¨pay the electricity bill¨ or on a real busy day, ¨go to the market¨! No one seems to be doing anything, but no one seems to be bored either! Eating and cooking (in reversed order) is a big and important happening here, and a great deal of time is spent preparing the food (I must say, the food is definitely worth the time spent). It seems like everyone is pretty content, enjoying the moment, not stressing about money or other things, and just doing what they want to..at least that´s the impression I get, it might be that they are just hiding this really well, I don´t know. Guillermo does have some ambitions, he is very creative and good with his hands..he built my room from scratch, including the floor and back wall (yea, take a look at those pics again to see how impressive that is!)..he is working on building 3 more of those rooms and then using it to host tourists.

As for me, I look like the western (asian) workaholic here, and considering I came here to travel in the first place, it feels like that too sometimes! Fortunately, Xmas break is coming up and that means some free time to travel! I am probably going to Cuzco (Machu Pichu) and Ica (sandboarding) for the next two weeks, but spending Xmas with my family here in Arequipa. It is quite a strange idea to celebrate Xmas and new years while it is summer here!

I am hoping to go up north to the beach for a few months after this course is over, but nothing is really sure as of yet.

Mom, (and I am sure you all like to know this too) to answer all your questions;

-Esther is not my Spanish teacher, but Thabi´s friend (and those who don´t know and are wondering, Thabi is my friend-the one with the craaazy afro) who is also traveling through South America. Karen is my Spanish teacher, although I am having fun with her, I am not very satisfied with my Spanish classes, as one teacher doesn´t speak English and doesn´t have experience with teaching foreigners and uses NO structure whatsoever (she was initially hired as a secretary!) and the other one (Karen) speaks a bit English, but has never taught Spanish before (she is a nursing student), she only speaks it- which of course is also a great way of learning the language, but I think my Spanish would improve much faster if I get some decent guidance (with actual grammar) instead of only speaking it using trial and error!

-No, I didn´t go out last night, and yes, I will also get some pictures of the family up soon!

-Arequipa is a large city in southern Peru and the nation's second most important city. It is also the capital of the Arequipa Province, and is 633.8 miles from Lima. The city lies in the highlands at the foot of the snow-capped volcano El Misti. El Misti is currently inactive, but erupted strongly between 1438 and 1471. Several smaller eruptions have occurred since then, most recently in 1870. Arequipa has over 80 volcanoes which can be found in the Valley of Volcanoes. Arequipa has many fine colonial-era Spanish buildings built of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock used extensively in the city, and from which it gets its nickname La Ciudad Blanca ("the white city"). The historic center of the city was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000, in recognition of its architecture and historic integrity. The city is located at an altitude of 2,380 meters (7740 feet) above sea level. El Misti is located between two smaller volcanoes - Chachani "the Beloved" and Picchu Picchu "Top Top" - both named in the Quechua language of the ancient Inca Empire.
Oh yea, and it has a population of about 860 000!

-I am teaching Dutch to Guillermo so he can talk with all the future Dutch tourists.

-My address here is:
Avenido Lima 100
Valecito-Cercado
Arequipa, Peru
(phone: 51549253274 (cell) / 5154202657 (home))

Well, this is it for now, happy holidays wherever you are!!

Ciao!