getting acquainted with a new friend

the kind of friend you expected by the title of the blog?

i didnt think so.

on wednesday, i experienced the central market of trujillo with gillian and heather. (both girls i live with, and teachers at SALI) and we came back with... a gatito! 

a precious addition to our six girl filled apartment. he craves attention every second of every moment, and he could quite possibly be a gold medalist in the olympic kitten crawling division if such a league existed. like just now, he decided to crawl from the floor up the couch and up my clothing to my shoulder, with no assistance provided by me, to chill and find some sleep while i work on my computer. how adorable is that? you know it is, even if you are a dog person you know you find that awesome. you now wish you had your own crawling gatito don't you? 

in other news...

we just finished our first week of classes at SALI for September, and i just finished my frist week of classes at SALI ever. whew! i was a little nervous, all week i wasn't so sure i was cut out of the right mold for the whole teaching thing. but i love my students. already. they are great, and make teaching a little less intimidating than it could be. plus, when i picture teaching, i picture teaching someone much younger than me... but my students are all teenagers and my age. also, i get to hang out with them outside of class too. 

also.. just so you know.. the abundance of raw meat here is... endless. 

out our living room windows we get to witness chicken meat or intestines or whatever being hung out to dry all over the roof across the street, for the restaurant downstairs..

and this morning i entered a bodega (store) in our neighborhood.. hunting for fruit to make pancakes with gillian. all of a sudden i think to myself my goodness whats that smell... if you will, picture me with a pinched nose turning my head ever so slightly to the left... to check out the three chickens hanging out, not staring back at me. and smelling quite ripe. 

all i can manage to think to myself is....exit the room. just exit the room. yeah, that doesnt make me desire to change my vegetarian ways. if anything it quite confirms it. 

kind of like finding out that none of the girls i live with own a brush. this confirms that we are to be best friends. at least in my mind. ;-)

well, there is your update for now friends! i hope everyone is well!

and please, continue to keep peru mission in your prayers!