¡Hola!

I´m so so happy i´m here!!! Having such a good time in Cusco and absolutely loving my language course. Don´t know where to start...

Ok, arrived stupidly earlier (6am) in Cusco on Sunday, after by bus ride from Arequipa. Somehow the school still allowed me to check into my student residence accomodation (a cute little house with about 8 rooms). Had a chilled day, had lunch in a local restaurant where the cutest little boy and tiny kitten kept me entertained, both up to no good!

In the afternoon, we had our welcome tour of the city with the language school. I was with a group of students from an Airforce Academy in Colorado. They were all impressed I was from Scotland (as is everyone i meet), and one even admitted i was the first scottish person he´d ever met (I guess we dont travel much... or theres not that many of us?? One of the two..). The tour was in Spanish but one of the guys from Colorado offered to help me out which was nice. After the tour, me and a few others went to get some cake and coffee. Had a really interesting chat with them. They seem to have a pretty good deal at the Airforce Academy! Every year they send students all over the world for language and cultural courses (in order to make their pilots multi lingual and culturaly experienced). So basically they had everything paid for! Flights, language courses in Cusco and Manu, Inca Trail...! Nice. We all headed home for bed after. Joe, who´s older (he´s the one who´s supervising the cadets, and i think teaches at the school, higher in rank or however it works at airforce academy) lives in the room beside me which is "awesome" - he´s a ace guy and we talk a lot. Apparently him and the cadets have organised a ´soccer´match against the locals tonight (tue), which should be interesting. We´re thinking they´re gona get thrashed. The local team can play!!! Plus the altitude won´t make it any easier for them! Thankfully I havn´t gotten altitude sickess here (we´re at 3400m, 11000 ft). Although walking up the hilly streets definitely gets you puffing!! Its weird.

Trying to get to sleep here, all you can hear is the city dogs barking and fighting. It got me quite upset at first as i could hear just outside my window a really mean growling, another dog trying to bark his own, a fight, then the dog crying. Best to stay away from a dog fights though me thinks...!

Started school, yesterday morning at 8.30am. Got talking to loads more people. Everyone is really ace here! Started classes and thankfully theres a few more people who are at my stage of Spanish.

Had our new students welcome dinner last night. Started the meal with a Peruvian toast with a Pisco Sour. Food was good (Mum you´ll be proud... i actually ate steak!), and we got serenaded by a local band while we ate pud.

Afterwards a few of us headed out to dance. Took a wee trip to Mama Africas before going to a club called Mythology. When we arrived the salsa was in full swing. I was soooo happy! We all got dancing (even the boys)! I love it so much, even just to watch - theres something about it that makes me very happy! We all decided we gota come back earlier next time to get a few of the steps we didn´t know down.

Back to school this morning. A couple more students joined our class today. It was a fun class. Had to act out and make up phrases with muchos verbos. And we learnt what "Mamacita!" means... kinda. Ha. Plus i finally got to say "hasta la vista... baby". It makes me giggle, everytime i see it. Sure that will wear off.

At lunch, me and a couple of the girls booked a paraglide!! We´re going on saturday! Ahhhh. Exciting. Plus the school has activites during the week - so we´re gona do the music class and the salsa class.

When i get time I´ve gotta organise what I´m doing next. I reealy want to spend another week at the school here as i´m enjoying it so much, plus i could probably use an extra week of spanish! That might mean that I have to for-go a trek though. I´m going to see if i can literally squeeze (I have 5 days to trek and travel...) a trek in before i have to get to La Paz for the start of my tour through Boliva and Brazil. However, thinking 5 days might be a tight squeeze to trek to Machu Picchu and to get myself to La Paz so if it comes to it i´ll do my trek next week. Thinking the Salkantay trek. I´ve heard from a lot of people its the best alternative trek (Inca Trail permits sell out at least 4 months in advance...).

Gota go do my homework (yes i get homework!) before we go for a chinese tonight (apparently they´re actually really good in Peru and cheap!) then off to salsa some more. Woooo.

Happy days (sorry, i hate that phrase too)