Anyways, here are some things I have been up to since my one year anniversary post a week and a half ago.
Last Friday Carson and I met some guys from school for a bachelor party for one of my co-workers named Matt. I don't think I have ever seen such a ragtag, international, group of misfits before in my life. There were attendees from the States, UK, Belgium, Australia, and Peru. We ate, drank, and danced the night away; and when it was time to go home, everyone was ready.
For some reason all the photos I took over the course of the night have disappeared. The only one that survived was the first photo of the night. The photo below is proof that Matt is a great guy. Every night around 9pm Matt walks down the street to his now mother-in-law's shop to help her close the gates and lock everything up. Even though on this particular night he didn't have to do it he still asked everyone if we could walk to her shop and help out. She and her friend got a big kick out of seeing all these gringos in funny Peru hats.
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| A motley crew. The party boy is front and center with the really funny hat. On the back row from left to right: Tony, Wayne, J, yours truly, David, Chris. Photo credit goes to Carson Jewell |
Since the 3rd bimester of school had just ended, I had a week off from school. Carson and I the plan of traveling up the coast to different surf spots, surfing when the waves were good, and seeing what there was to see. So, Saturday morning after the bachelor party, Carson and I rose bright and early (10am) to take a bus to our first stop on out mini surfari, Puerto Chicama and the longest left hand point break in the world.
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| The walk from here to the point, which you can see in distance, will take more than 20mins. On a good day you can catch a wave breaking off the point that will take you much farther than what I could capture in this photo. Sometimes these waves will last over a mile and a half. |
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| Carson looking up the point at sunset. He caught the longest wave of our trip, over half a mile long. The waves were only waist high. |
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| We found a pool hall to hangout in in the evening. The pool table down here are very similar to the ones you might find the States, but these have tiny pockets. It is, unbelievably, difficult to play on them. |
After two nights in Chicama we decided to head north to Pacasmayo. This spot is, also, known for its long left hand point break. The surf ended up being worse here than in Chicama, but he had a good time getting to know the town.
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| The Pacasmayo concrete company. |
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| We came upon an old VW van turned restaurant truck. We didn't eat here, but it looked pretty cool. |
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| Another night of pool on tables with tiny pockets |
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| The pool hall served dinner, as well. A plate of boiled beef rib meat with onions and yuca. Tasty. |
Since the surf was no good in Pacasmayo we headed back to Chicama the next day. Unfortunately, the surf was dwindling there also and the swell forecast was not looking good for the week, so we packed up and headed back to Huanchaco. This was not a bad thing considering I don't make much money right now and traveling can get expensive.
It was really nice to be able to relax at Casita de Jewell in Haunchaco, use the grill, drink coffee, and do a few day trips. The highlights for me were, definitely, grilling. I have not had a true hamburger since I left the States in January (McDonald's does not count). Carson made some delicious burgers one night and I ate two of them which sent me to bed very early. Carson, also, grilled a whole Corvina. It was a fresh morning catch in Huanchaco and only cost a little over $6.00. We ate it will Hop'in Juan and a salad.
All vacations must come to an end and everyone must go back to work. I am very excited to start my fourth and final bimester of the year. I really enjoy seeing my students after a week break and hear all about what they did during their time away from school. Usually, I have some students that go to some pretty interesting places like Mexico, Dominican Republic, Europe, and sometimes the U.S. I always encourage my students to bring me back something great and I have not been disappointed yet.
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| Martha went to Cuba for her break and brought me back a kilo of Cuban coffee. I can't wait to get up at 5am tomorrow morning to give this stuff a try. Thanks Martha! |
On a side note, I am thinking about changing the name of the blog. An American Teacher in Trujillo does not really fit the content. I write more about my life in general down here than I do about teaching. I'm still pondering it, but don't be surprised if you come here one day and the name has changed. Also, I am worried I have too many grammatical errors to have the word Teacher in the name.
