Getting reaquainted...

Saludos de Iquitos, Perú...I have arrived and I´m getting back into the groove. It´s as hot and humid, sunny and rainy here as I remember and I love it. Got settled into my room yesterday--the same one as last time-at La Casona, a youth hostel. Many improvements have been made here, from new curtains, furniture, Internet, etc. but the best new thing is hot water for my shower! Now mind you, it´s only hot from 7-9 AM and 7-10 PM and the controls are crossed but, hey, I can work with it! The exchange rate is much better...this time about $3.05 per soles, last time about $2.60 per soles so this is a pleasant surprise as well.

Walking along the streets yesterday, things are much the same. Many holes and sewer grates missing, half dead dogs lounging around (I think the same ones as before), lots of motorcycles and mototaxis, the same woman on the same corner selling the same fruit that I can never remember what it´s called. The markets I shopped at had more pre-packaged products than before, many from Perú but most from the USA. I bought my usual staples--crackers, peanut butter, drinkable yogurt, olives, tuna, fruit and some vanilla wafers. I was invited today to a friend´s house for dinner. Sunday apparently is spaghetti day but frankly the fried chicken they served was better. Interesting as I watched four children ranging from 3-9 years old eating chicken wings, legs, backs, etc. and navigating around the bones with no trouble. Unlike our own children who can only seem to eat chicken in the form of a nugget and dipped in some kind of sauce!

As I left my room yesterday and started walking, I ran into one of the owners of Explorama, Jaime and his wife. Then today in the middle of town, Nancy, the librarian and her boyfriend, Fernando, flagged me down. This morning I got a phone call from a friend, then this evening another friend saw me at the Internet cafe and stopped in. So I don´t feel like a stranger this time around. Last time I barely knew three people. Now, I figure I know about 30 or so people but I still feel in the dark with the language. As you all know, I like to talk and not being able to express myself fully is a challenge. But it will make me better at this language thing more quickly, I guess, and that´s what I wanted.

On a final note, I was in the Miami airport on Friday, heading out of the States where I gave Erin, my daughter, a last minute call. She told me that Peace Corps had been calling and looking for me! So go figure...I begged to get some information out of them and now that I´m gone they are looking for me. Well, they have my number here so perhaps I see what the placement officer has in mind for me. I´ll keep you posted.