We were on TV!!!

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Bartola, a well-known criolla singer here in Peru. She has a show on Chanel 7 (TV Peru) called Una y Mil Voces and it features criolla singers and bands. Since Coro Arpegio has a criolla repertoire, we were invited to sing on the show. What an honor! We had a great time and even though the weather wasn´t the best in La Molina the day we filmed, we still rocked it and we looked pretty great too. (My hair, on the other hand, had a mind of its own.)

We sang three songs: Cuando Llora mi Guitarra, Chabuca Limeña, and Negra Presuntuosa. Bartola did an interview with Monica, our director. The only downside to the publicity is that she touted us as a philanthropic choir and not a professional one that sings in weddings or other function. We do charity work, but it is only a part of what we do. We might get another chance to go on the show again sometime in the future and honestly, the publicity is nothing bad!

A quick side-story. A few days after the show aired, my downstairs neighbor´s daughter who has to be 7 or 8 years old, yelled out of the window ¨Tia!! Te vi en la tele!¨ Translated she said, ¨Auntie, I saw you on TV!¨ I asked her if she liked it and she nodded her head vigorously with a resounding ¨Si!¨ It was really cute and just what I needed when getting home from a day of work. She is also so sweet and everytime she sees me she waves. She gets super excited when she sees Pepe too. I appreciate her happiness and friendliness.

Anyway, here are the videos I found on youtube! Enjoy!

Sorry, my computer is not allowing me to embed the videos so here are the links:

 Chabuca Limeña
 Cuando Llora mi Guitarra
 Negra Presuntuosa and interview (Please excuse my disgusted face a 1:07. I had issues with the brightness. I really was trying to listen and be supportive of Moni! Also, you never know when the camera is going to hit you. Lesson learned.)

Playing Tour Guide

One of my favorite things to do is show people around town when they come in for a visit. I had the opportunity to do it twice in one day last Saturday with a friend of a friend who had an 18 hour layover in Lima between Chile and Chicago, and a former TEFL certification classmate.

I met up with Michelle in Miraflores for brunch and we ate at Cafe Cafe. It is a Peruvian chain that serves somewhat pricey but definitely delicious food. We shared a Spanish breakfast that came with a butifara (meat sandwich), a tamale, sweet potato chips and onions doused in lime. We also shared churros. We got to know each other a bit. Michelle is a friend of a friend and she is going to finish her last year of college in DC this next year. She studied abroad in Chile and went back for a visit. She is helping out my friend find a place in DC for his biodiesel company and she also does a lot with urban agriculture. She is a pretty cool chick if you ask me.

It was uncanny how her laughter and smile reminded me of my friend Chanel from high school. I love when people remind you of other people that you like. I am always happy to hear when someone says I remind them of someone as long as they like the person. It tends to put them at ease with me.

We walked to Larcomar where Michelle tried a Peruvian pisco sour. She said there wasn't much difference between a Peruvian one and a Chilean one. I enjoyed a delicious chicha morada. We then headed over to a woman's apartment who was selling some things since she is moving. Michelle helped me lug a big shaggy white carpet back to my place. She also got to meet Marco, Gabriel and Pepe.

I didn't manage to get a picture during our time together in the day but we ran into each other in Barranco while Marco and I were waiting for my second friend. Michelle had spent the afternoon and evening bumming around Barranco. She was exhausted but looked happy.

Tired and happy!

The next person I met up with was Stephanie. She and I took the same TEFL certification course in Chicago in October of 2009. She then went on to live in Lima for a while before I came to Peru. I followed her blog which was great. She then went on to get a masters degree in London before landing her job that she has now. This particular job is what allowed her to come to Peru. She was here for a conference on practices in the mining and natural resources sector. She explained to us a bit about what she was doing but I can't remember all the details. I do know that she had to give a presentation on digital security.

Anyway, we took her and her co-worker to the restaurant Javier on the boardwalk towards the ocean in Barranco. It is our favorite seafood place close by and they have great drinks. Marco and I shared a chicken chicharron and Stephanie had lobster causa.  We were only able to hang out for a few hours because it was 11:30pm when we met up and they had a flight to Juliaca early the next day. It was fun nonetheless!

I didn't remember to get a picture with Stephanie. Oh well!

So if anyone has some time in Lima coming up, let me know. If I am not working I would be happy to take you out and about!

Eating Out with Friends

This past week I had the pleasure of eating out with expat friends at Chili's in Larcomar. I had the biggest craving for nachos and wings and they are exactly what I got. I also had a frozen lemonade and a sparkling mango strawberry drink that was delicious. It was really nice to hang out with my English speaking friends. I definitely get a good amount of English at work but it is different chatting with expats. There is a different connection there and I am super grateful for it. We all decided that it would be a good idea to do this on a monthly basis. I am all for it!

Some of my kindergarten colleagues

I also had the pleasure of eating chinese food with my colleagues last Friday for lunch. The director of the school takes all of the staff and teachers out to lunch once a year to celebrate everyone's birthday. It is a great way to do it and it was so delicious! I stuffed my face with orange chicken and fried wantan.

I have decided I am going to take up swimming twice a week at the pool in the complex next to the military school. I miss swimming a lot and it is such a great workout. I just hope that the pool isn't too cold and that maybe there is hot water in the showers afterward. Worst case scenario, I will just wait to shower when I get back home. The best part is that the pool doesn't cost me anything and it is a short walk away. Beggars can't be choosers!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I was super tired on Sunday so I spent the majority of the day in my bed and it was glorious! I had a nice chat with my mother in the evening as well. Mother's Day is a big deal here in Peru and if it weren't already on a Sunday it would be a national holiday. I witnessed my kindergartners put on a show and a half for their mothers on Thursday. It was absolutely adorable and we never did anything like that when I was in school. Maybe we made a picture but we didn't learn choreographed dances and sing songs. I think it is great that they do that and I think that mothers should be recognized more in the States. I am sure my mom would have been super happy to get a dance, song and present from me when I was in kindergarten.

Anyway, I am going to put up a recipe today for my mother's famous cottage cheese pancakes. She might not take credit for them (since the recipe comes from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas 1972) but she sure made them famous for me. You can't imagine how excited I got when I found cottage cheese in Plaza vea last week. Hurray! I had to buy it even though a cup costs 10 soles. It was worth it. I miss the cottage cheese that is a bit more moist but it worked and I was able to make delicious cottage cheese pancakes!

Here is the recipe a la Mama Chamberlin:

6 eggs, separated

2 cups small-curd cottage cheese

2/3 cup flour

2 TBS sugar (I add a bit more for a bit more sweetness)

Dash of cinnamon (I definitely add more than a dash.  J)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar (don't worry if you don't have this)

Oil or butter for frying

Optional garnishes: sour cream, preserves, honey, apple butter, powdered sugar, fresh fruit or our family choice: maple syrup

Beat together the egg yolks, cottage cheese, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they are stiff but not dry.  Fold the beaten whites gently into the cheese mixture.

Drop the batter by large spoonfuls onto an oiled griddle or skillet.  Fry the pancakes until golden brown on both sides and puffy.  Serve at once (important) with choice of garnishes.  (Do NOT try to make this recipe ahead of time.)

Perfect protein breakfast for a morning sweet-tooth!

Serves 4 generously and is very easy to make a half recipe for two.

A Birthday and a Mother's Day Event

Last Saturday I went out to Villa El Salvador with Gabriel to see Patty, my niece, for her 2nd birthday. I had a mass
to sing in later that evening so I couldn't stay for the actual party but it was super fun to see her and to see her and Gabriel play with play doh for 2 hours. It was super cute. I also bought her a book describing different colored things. Since she hadn't napped all day we took a trip to Tottus to pick up the cake and Patty fell asleep in my arms immediately. It was super cute. I can't wait to have children. (Don't worry, I know that when they are sleeping they are always more desirable and that the majority of the time they take all of your energy. Whatever! Bring it on!)

On Thursday of this week we didn't have any school due to it being a national holiday for workers. Marco's promotion took it upon themselves to use the day for their annual mothers' day celebration. It was really really nice and even though there were flies when we were eating (due to stables being very close by) it was a really nice event. There was a trampoline and two huge blow up obstacle courses for the kids' entertainment. There was a dog show demonstration (The location of the event was next to the military vet clinic) and there was an hora loca with lots of dancing. Also, every family brought a gift that was exchanged. Every mother received a gift by raffle. I received a very nice beige tote purse from Ripley. It is super cute and neutral and can work with anything.

We think it would be fun to put Pepe in a training school.

Earlier in the morning Marco and I went to Plaza Lima Sur to pick up a gift to bring and we picked out a cute hand bag from a store called Tizza. I also found a pair of tennis shoes at Traithlon Sports on sale for 179 soles. They are red Nikes that are unisex and I am super happy because I hadn't bought tennis shoes in 4 years! I also bought Gabriel a sweatshirt that he had been eyeing the day before and I surprised him with it when we got home. He definitely needed a sweatshirt since we are getting into colder weather now. It is the least I can do. He has had a lot of changes these past 3 months and he has been a sport.

Anyway, the mothers day event was great. We had lots of meat for lunch and there was lots of dancing. At one point during the hora loca, all of the wives were up dancing in a conga line while the kids were playing and watching. I think it is awesome how dancing happens immediately at every gathering. No need to be drunk at all. The women tend to be the ones to get things started too. If our husbands don't want to dance no problem! We will just dance in a circle.

There was a paintball place right next door and Gabriel and friends wanted to do it but it was a bit expensive and they didn't have enough people to make it worth it. (Too bad they didn't ask me, I would've loved to play some paintball. It is good to know it is there for future reference.) After a good 5 hours we headed home. It was a great way to spend a day off. Unfortunately, we had to go back to work on Friday but the good news is we have Friday off next week since we had no bridge (linking the holiday to the weekend) this week. Then we have May vacation! Not bad at all.

All these pictures were taken on my phone. I am actually impressed with the quality. Not bad Nokia.

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was pleasant and relaxing. We did a lot of sleeping in and napping this past weekend and I can't complain at all! On Friday we took a little trip to the beach in Chorrillos and enjoyed the sun. It was a bit chilly though so I stayed out of the water. It has to be really hot for me to want to get in the water. Marco also cut his foot on the rocks so I am glad I steered clear. We shared some chicharron de pescado (fried fish) and ceviche that were both so so. It was nice to get out and get some fresh air though!

On Saturday we enjoyed a cilindrada as they call it. It is when you barbeque meat inside a metal barrel. It is kind of funny because it is what a regular grill with a top would do but grills here are not typically sold with tops. Weird, I know. It was delicious needless to say. It was really fun to hang out with Marco's military buddies. This particular friend didn't become a good friend until last year. He is in a different specialty than my husband but they are from the same graduating class. It is not as common to see promos (graduating classmates) from different specialties hanging out a lot but it is actually really nice. There is definitely a bond among the promos in the same specialty but there will always be a rivalry because everyone is competing for rank eventually. There is no competition between promos of different specialties and it makes for a much more relaxed friendship all the time. I think Marco is realizing what I figured out after 4th grade. It is always nice to have various groups of people to hang out with so that your world doesn't come crashing down if one group starts to loose its flavor for you (or the other way around).

Sunday concluded our weekend and we made dinner together. We didn't ever make it to mass. I am not complaining because I am not Catholic but we did watch a fair amount of Christian movies that were playing on TV all weekend. I think we got our fair share of Christ's resurrection. My job gave us bread for jueves santo (holy Thursday). It was supposed to represent the body of Christ. It was delicious. I have never taken communion bread but I highly doubt it tastes anything like what we had on Thursday morning. Mmm mmm! I like what Jesus represents (love) so I have no problem eating some blessed bread.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. My mother sent us a package for egg hunting and dying but I haven't been able to get it yet. We will have to do some egg dying a little late. I am going to make it a tradition though. It is super fun. It is not as common for people to do egg hunts here. Easter is becoming more commercialized in Peru and you can find chocolate eggs for sale but it is nothing like it is in the States. It is still a lot more religious to most folks. However, a lot more people who are supposedly Catholic tend to travel during the weekend instead of going to church. No judgement here but it is an interesting trend.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Holy Week and other Exciting News!

I have great news!! Marco received his visa to visit the United States and it is valid for 10 years! Hurray!! This is very exciting and well-deserved. The last time he tried to get a visa he was denied. We weren't married at the time and his civil status was questionable but now everything is ship shape and we are headed to the United States in July!! My cousin is getting married in North Carolina and we are going to road trip around the midwest and the mid atlantic. I cannot wait. I have already started planning and tickets have been bought. USA here we come!!

On Saturday Marco and I celebrated 38 months. Yeah, we celebrate mesarios. We slept in and then went to mass at my school. It was family day for the people who work at my school. It was a palm Sunday mass and afterward we had hotdogs in the sports field. It was really wonderful having Marco meet my co-workers. He commented on how most of the people I know are so friendly, even Peruvian. I am quite proud of that fact. I like to surround myself with friendly happy people and I am fortunate enough to work at a school where almost everyone is like that. It is a wonderful atmosphere and it definitely feels like a big community and even more so in the kindergarten building.

After mass we came back home and Marco hung out with his son in the afternoon. I cleaned the house a bit and made cookies for the women with wine event that evening. It was a combined event with the Emerging Artists Lima event at the Casa Cultural Barranco. What's great is we were able to walk to the event! We met up with a co-worker of mine and her boyfriend and his friend. There was a raffle with lots of great things including this awesome leather bag. I put most of my tickets in the box for the bag but alas I did not win. My co-worker, however, won the door prize of a teeth whitening, a fish foot spa treatment and 75 soles towards a hair salon treatment. Not bad! It was her first women with wine even too. I think she will be attending more with me in the future. We both found children's books at the event too. There was a women selling Barefoot books which are beautifully illustrated books for kids. I found one that goes along with a youtube video I found earlier that I had planned on using for my classes. It was perfect! Finding English language children's books here is not an easy task so I took advantage and bought two. One is called Driving my Tractor and the other is An Peruvian Andes Tail. I plan on building up a nice collection of children's books not only for school but for my future children as well.

We ended the night at a place called La Trastienda in Barranco. It is a cool hip bar. Marco and my co-worker's boyfriend hit it off because he is the son of a Marine and his friend was a marine. They talked about how things were during terrorism in the early 90s and how Fujimori actually helped get Peru to where it is now. It is incredibly interesting talking about Fujimori with Peruvians because there are clearly those who see him as a hero even though his tactics where not always ethical or even humane. If it weren't for him throwing out the government and overhauling everything, Peru would not be in this state of economic growth as it is now. He paved the way. All I remember learning about the guy was how he was a dictator killing innocent people. Granted, in a time of terrorism, there are going to be innocent people killed because no one knows who is good and who is bad. My co-workers boyfriend explained how when he was in the US he saw a bumper sticker that said free Lori Berensen. He was furious. She is a well known helper of the Shining Path, the terrorist group here in Peru. Some people have the idea that she was there to help "free the people" of Peru but she was a terrorist and was a threat to the average Peruvian. The moral of the story is that people don't really know what goes on in other countries unless they are there. I could have studied Peru up and down before coming to live here but there are hundreds of things that I never could have learned from just reading books. Experiences are huge.

Back to the daily grind stuff. Things are moving along. I have been teaching for 6 weeks now and this week is a very short week due to Semana Santa or Holy Week. We get a 4 day weekend and I only have to teach two days this week. We are learning about the Easter bunny and singing songs about bunnies and eggs. It is pretty fun. I have candy to give out tomorrow too. I am not a huge proponent of giving candy to 5 and 6 year olds but every once in a while it is fun to have an activity or game with a candy reward involved, especially when there is a holiday coming up!

All right. That is about it for now! I hope everyone has a great week! Happy Holy Week!