gringo futbol and other events

We have been in Arequipa, Peru for about three days now, visiting our friend Cassandra. She has been wonderful giving us all of her free time when she is not teaching english. She has also let us sleep at her apartment so we could save a few dollars. On top of that we have all been sick, basically since we got here. I was first and I quickly took a "miracle pill" and felt better in a few hours. Megan got sick the next day and is still sick two days later, Ricky got sick this morning. They both took the pill, so hopefully they will be feeling better soon.

However we were all able to have an enjoyable Sunday afternoon together. Cassandra and the insitute she works for is trying to start a volunteer progam (for people from the states and Europe to come and teach english, play with kids, time and energy type of stuff...) in a little town outside of the main city of Arequipa. Right now they are just looking for kids who want to be entertained by some gringos. So we traveled to a little poorer town and taught anyone interested to play flag football....not my choice, nor their choice of game...but none the less that is what we played for a few hours. The kids caught on after a while and really got use to us gringos. It looks like the volunteer program should work out nicely.

Today I had a little adventure of my own. Cassandra took me out to lunch, Ricky and Megan stayed home, and I had to find my way back...including changing buses. I cannot justly describe the bus system here, let us just call it crazy. So I got on and off the first bus fine. This bus ends up at the cemetary and they have a row of vendors selling flowers for the grave sites. I decided to buy some for Cassandra and for a nice lady I met last night. I needed a vase though so they pointed down a street where I could buy one. Well I walked down the street that was mainly residential. No luck. So I asked a lady in a little snack shop if she knew of a place to buy a vase. She told me to go back to the ladies selling the flowers. I told her they told me to come down the street. Then she called the liars....So she did me a favor, she found two plastic containers and put some water in them for me for the flowers. Very nice of her, I thought. We also had a nice converstation about my stay in Arequipa. She also pointed to the corner and told me I could catch the bus for Cerro July (where I needed to go). So I went to the corner and waited. I knew it was the wrong bus almost the second I got on (even though the bus boy said it was the right one...). So I thought I would enjoy the ride and see what would happen. I ended up outside of the city in a poorer neighborhood. I once again asked the bus boy if this was the bus to Cerro July....this time he said no and it was his bad he would get me back to the place I needed to be and for free! (I saved 20 cents...) So I got back to where I started and got on the right bus to Cerro July. It was almost an intintional screw up just to have a little adventure, I enjoyed it.

Chau