No More Tequila.

I have been here over a week and I have to say, I have spent the majority of my time drinking and getting over being hungover. It has been helping my Spanish out since during these nights of drinking I have been speaking only in Spanish. Rochi is Cintia's friend who is visiting and is really fun to hang out with and try new drinks. She speaks clearly for me, even when we are drunk so I can understand her. She teaches me new slang... my vocabulary has grown a ton, mostly it has been slang words.

Being hungover is not that awful here. There is no pressure to wake up early or get something done. I feel this need that I have in the states, the guilt I feel if I spend a day resting, has been diminished greatly since arriving. This is true in most aspects. Stress is looked down upon here, and not encouraged. I never thought of it like this: in the states we are encouraged to be productive and stressed out. If we are not we feel guilty.

My favorite thing about being hungover, is finding food on the street that will make me feel better. Walking to the market today, I found fresh cut pineapple. Yesterday mango slices with sweet sauce and also spicy sauce. I know I probably could be saving about a dollar each time I buy this food from the street by buying my own fruits but it is worth it not to have to peal, cut it.  Plus I feel like I am helping people out on the streets make a living, and like interacting with them. I try and challenge views that I am a guera (a blond foreign woman) by speaking Spanish and being polite and curious about them (when I am not too hungover).  I also like about San Cristobal that almost everything on the street is the same price. 10 pesos (I am guessing about  80 cents in USD) will get you corn on a stick with cheese butter and hot sauce, or you can get mango slices, or pineapple, or .... And the best thing is that it is all close to my house.

Also close to my house is the market, both the indoor and outdoor. I love the stimulation of the people and the items for sale. I feel like each time I go, I discover something new. Since it is so close, I sometimes go twice a day. The first time I look over and see what they have. I may buy something and then I come home. Later on in the day, I want to return.

I also get my laundry done in a near-by store and for a few bucks and a day later, I pick it up clean folded in a plastic bag like a gift. I wash some items at home by hand, but it takes forever for anything to dry here. It is the rainy season and everything is very damp. I find myself spending more hours playing with my fireplace, than I ever thought I would. I have it going often to dry out my place and because I am intrigued and challenged by it. I love watching it. It has become my TV.

The weather has been fluctuating to pouring down torrential rain, absolutely miserable if you are in the street walking, to a day of sunny blue skies. This happens about once every four days. It is never hot. We are at 5,000 feet (? i have to check the exact amount).

But the drinking stops tomorrow as it is our official first day of class (well slows down I hope!). Last week was orientation and a few things were interesting but I felt the teachers were talking too slow and elementary. I think this is because they are still trying to figure out what our spanish level is. For me it is slow and repetitive but for others it maybe challenging.

I hope that tomorrow proves me wrong and our classes are more challenging and interesting than the orientation week.