Mancora

My blog is ten days behind but my life is moving along at lightning speed. The restaurant closed because the owner wasn´t making enough money for all the time and stress that it was causing her. It was sad on the last day when I discovered that some of my co-workers didn´t have email addresses or phone numbers. Seriously.

However, I´ve filled my time with teaching English and reading books. I have two students that I teach for an hour everyday. They are so excited/motivated to learn. All of the money from my classes goes towards food, which is delicious, plentiful and inexpensive. I spend any free time reading. These last two weeks I´ve finished The Varieties of Religious Experience, The Audacity of Hope, Genesis-Deuteronomy, and half of The Brothers Karamozov.

I still have Spanish lessons from the same teacher even though the restaurant closed. She said my questions and insights improved her teaching style, so she was willing to continue the lessons free of charge. Of course, everyday for me is a free Spanish lesson. Sometimes I feel like I live in the Spanish channel. I can´t remember the last converstion I had in English, and locals are always willing to help me with the finer points of grammar and pronunciation.

Overall, I´ve enjoyed settling down, getting into a routine, and learning the names of my favorite venders in the market. Mancora is located in the second driest desert in the world and at the exact point on the coast of South America where the warm water from the North joins the cold current running along the shore of Peru and Argentina.

This combination, along bannanas that cost a nickel and loafs of bread for fifty cents, attracts a huge number of surfers and surfer trinket-makers (hippies) during the summer months (November-February). The locals and tourist give the town a nice ¨take it easy¨ feel. Basically, Mancora is the perfect place to relax, visit the beach, and enjoy a good book.

Volunteering at the school is going well. The kids are beginning to trust me and I enjoy giving piggy back rides, hunting for tickle spots, and sharing snacks. I found another place to volunteer in the afternoon for a few hours. It´s located in the poorest part of town, the Quebrada (in Spanish this means failure). Currently I´m helping with crafts but I want to start teaching them English and begin a garden to teach them about ecology.

I always say this but I am having a good time, making friends, and gaining so much wisdom. I have heard that some people check this blog everday, so hopefully from now on I´ll update more often with shorter posts.