Friday night and all is well!

So--- the work week is over and the weekend is here. And I can't believe i have only been here four days---- stunning!! Life can be so empty and slow and pass like water through a sieve, and then can also be so full and rich and alive that you don't know where one experience stopped and the next started. Things become pictures of time instead of seconds or minutes or hours--- there is too much in any one moment to seperate time out into pieces.

Anyway, i'm getting a touch esoteric (surprise, surprise). I have just come off of another rich, interesting, exhausting and enjoyable day, having capped off the week with a beautiful dinner in the main plaza of Miraflores, outside at a sidewalk cafe, trying new ways to eat potatoes (again! Who knew there were so many--- this will take me months!), enjoying some delicious mango juice, while the life of Lima flows past, music mixed with traffic, people wandering around eating churros and enjoying the evening, me watching my purse like a hawk, but getting used to doing that. Sigh! This is the way to spend a friday night!

I am feeling relaxed and content despite the craziness of this city and all that has been going on, and so grateful and lucky for everything I am doing and seeing, even though it is not all pleasant--- however most of it is, thus far. The people are amazing, the city is frenetic, and most of all the pace of settling into my placement for CUSO and EDUCA is a dream! Our hands are being held when we need it (being accompanied when trying to navigate initially, opening accounts, etc...), but we are being pushed out of the nest when it is appropriate as well (took the dirty stinky combi alone yesterday--- almost got lost, but in the end it went fine! Woo hoo!). I am so thankful to have this kind of support in starting this experience, and for people taking the time to make sure that I will more easily be able to do what I came here to do. Wonderful!

This weekend, on saturday we will be taking a walking tour of the downtown core with one of the women from the office, and will generally be getting some bearings of the city outside of the districts with which we are already familiar. It will be impossible to be familiar with all of them in any meaningful way (in a city of 8 million, one has limits), but the old part of Lima will be nice to get familiar with, and I am LOVING Miraflores--- will try to do some more exploring here too. Sunday, am going to try to have a bit of down time--- do some laundry (a stupid bird pooped on me--- memories of Amsterdam where I was pooped on several times--- what is it with me and birds?!), read a bit and get ready to face the next week, which begins with the start of spanish classes on Monday (and every day for four hours a day). Will also be meeting next week more formally with EDUCA, along with other meetings and information sessions. Fun fun!

So all in all, things are going really well and I am happy and healthy and enjoying the pace, the context, the people and the experiences of Lima. Looking forward to making my way up to Huancavelica eventually, but will be enjoying my time here while I can!