Me + Talara = Friends?



Moto-taxis that cost S/1.50-S/2.00 (approx $1)
to get anywhere in town

 Last night was actually a lot of fun. My roommates and I played drinking games and didn't go to sleep until sunrise! When I finally managed to get out of bed this morning, I went to the market with one of my roommates. Navigating the market seems to be an artform all its own! Whole chickens are laid out on countertops and fresh veggies and fruits are abundant. It was nice to see that there's an actual town here. All I've seen so far are dusty side roads so the fact that there are actual stores and a "down town" area is reassuring.



Would you like flies with that?

 Afterwards, I observed the classes that I'll be taking over and they seem great. They range in age from 10 to adult and pre-elementary to intermediate. The school is a mere five minutes from my new home, making it super convenient for the punctually challenged such as myself. It was interesting to observe the secretary refilling the dry erase markers instead of replacing it with a new one. Now imagine how much waste we'd reduce if we did things like that in North America!

It's funny- yesterday I hated this place so much but today I can see myself falling into an easy routine here: sleep in until whenever, lounge about, work from 5pm-9:30pm, beach/drinking on days off... and my roommates seem awesome! We chatted a lot about our lives and our loves and started to get to know each other. Living with people will be an adjustment, but it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun!



Gotta keep our liquor cabinet stocked!

 It's pretty cool to be able to call myself an expat, and furthermore, to only work 4.5 hours per day! It was also nice to be back in a classroom. Laundry and mototaxis are cheap, as are most things here it seems. I've found that I'm speaking/learning little to no Spanish here in comparison to Lima. We speak English at school as well as at home. So that kind of sucks! I've also noticed that the urgency of my agenda has changed. From my coloured coded, prioritized Filofax in Toronto, my list now has headings like "Tonight/Soon" lol!

I took an enormous leap of faith coming not only to Lima, but especially to Talara, having no idea what I would find here. Yesterday I was overwhelmed and unsure of my decision, but today I'm feeling much better about the opportunities that lie ahead. I think I might like you, Talara. Just a little.