...the rest of that week

Ok, so I'm slacking on the blog. This is going to be a boring post, but I'm giong to post it anyway. The rest of that mid-October week was totally mediocre. And that's another reason why there hasn't been much blogging lately. Things feel normal. Things that used to blow my mind in a totally strange and newly significant way no longer do. So I feel less inclined to "write home" about the everyday happenings and random stuff that I just recently thought was earth shattering. This is pretty awesome. This means I feel adjusted and am ready to just be.

But so that the rest of you know a little bit more about my everyday happenings and random stuff, I will begin by sharing a bit about the rest of that week and I will continue by doing a better job of staying on top of the blog. 

So after that candlelit vigil Tuesday night, my head cold was here and in full force. This meant that the rest of that week was just so-so. As much as I tried to ignore being sick, I was sick and it morphed me into a grumposaurus. Wednesday through Saturday was a mix of downers and pick-me-ups, just like anyone's average week probably is. 

Downers: Getting stood up by teenagers, or waiting hours for them and then being ignored while they talked to their friends in their weird teen language that I probably wouldn't understand even if it were in my first language, which it wasn't. Since when am I not cool to teenagers? Looks like my new girl shine is wearing off in Ascope. Damn. 

Pick-Me-Ups: Tutoring the guy who works at the bank and having our tutoring sessions turn into chats about Full House, Frank Sinatra, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's fascinating how American pop culture has infiltrated the rest of the world. Also, I shared a cab with a lady who is a director of a school in a neighboring town and she asked me when I would teach another English workshop for the English teachers, because her teachers want another one. That's a little win :)

Mostly, I spent that week tutoring English, chasing around the mayor (literally... and this was an all day activity) to ask if we could use the projector for movie night for a school activity, getting stood up, making teen friends, working on my tan, waiting for teenagers, losing Go Fish to Piere, Friday night movie night with the teens (nothing quite like free popcorn and Final Destination 5 with horribly dubbed Spanish ;) making plans, helping out with English classes at the private high school, planned/ took a hike with a few high school friends, that's about it. Regular stuff. I stayed home that Saturday after our hike and had a surprisingly crappy day, so on Sunday I went to Pacasmayo for some football and beach time. Everything started to turn around from there. Not sure if was the kite surfing competition that was going on, the rugged beach exploring I did with Sue Song, the delicious ceviche lunch I had, or the Packer's victory over the Vikings that turned the tides for me.  Probably the Packer win. That was a nail biting first half. Still undefeated. Always awesome. Oh, the mood lift also could have come from the french fry sandwich I had for dinner. So good I accidentally ordered a second one. Street eating is a new one on my list of favorite things to do. Sometimes I feel like my life is only slightly different than it would be if I were at home: watching the Packers, eating things with no nutritional value 'because it's Sunday, so that makes it ok,' and talking to Joe about absolutely nothing. Only now, we have to text about absolutely nothing, which isn't so bad.

That night when I was arriving in Ascope after a refreshing football Sunday, my host dad saw me in the cab on my way into town and was waiting for me in his moto as my cab pulled up in the center of town so that he could give me a ride home. It was so nice to hop out of the cab and say no to all of the other moto taxistas trying to give me a ride. I popped back to Henry's moto and felt like such a local... with a really nice hook up :) It's great to feel so protected sometimes and know that my host family cares so much.

So yeah, life is good. Normality is bliss. Doing well. Hope all of you are too.

On our little Saturday morning hike in Ascope.