Coolest. Encounter. Ever.

I've just returned from a delicious lunch at Cafe Fez, a Middle Eastern retaurant with $2 falafel sandwiches (the quality of which is on par with the falafel I used to eat in Tel Aviv... and that's high praise). We sat next to a fellow English-speaker who also frequents what's become our favorite place to grab a bite. As I generally do, I struck up conversation and discovered that he, Simon, is from the UK (Bristol). He mentioned that he's going to see Radiohead perform in Buenos Aires in March. My ears immediately perked up as Radiohead is one of my favorite bands of all time AND we're going to be in Argentina during that time. 15 or 20 minutes into a fascinating discussion about music festivals and American/British/Peruvian culture, Simon revealed that his brother is the BAND MANAGER FOR RADIOHEAD. This is one of many incredibly serendipitous encounters I feel as though I've experienced since I've begun traveling. But I mean, seriously, I ended up eating falafel in Peru next to the brother of the manager of my favorite band?? Thank you, Universe! Even better, Simon humored us by enumerating the various personality traits of each of the band members, with whom he's been friends for quite some time. Except for Thom, who's apparently a jerk (which I pretty much expected). Simon began one anecdote with, "Back when I was still speaking with Thom..." To top things off, he said that if we have trouble snagging tickets to the BA show in March, he'll try to help us out, which means that we might be sittin' pretty in the VIP section of a Radiohead show!

Life's been pretty sweet in general. This volunteer experience (INTIWAWA) has been incredibly fulfilling and enjoyable. The kids are so sweet. Every morning begins with the volunteers being swarmed by children, each of whom greet every volunteer with a kiss on the cheek. It takes a while, but it's adorable. Every class day ends the exact same way. Last night, Sam & I went out to a discoteque with the volunteers -- my body is still aching from the hours of dancing, and Sam hasn't quite recovered from the huge buckets (literally) of cocktails we bought. Each mixed drink came with about a dozen straws and one person would hold it for a few minutes while twelve others suckled. Quite an experience. On Monday, we're beginning Spanish lessons with a private tutor ($3/hour each for the two of us) and on Tuesday, we're checking out Capoeira dance lessons with a few other volunteers. According to Wikipedia, Capoeira is "an Afro-Brazilian art form that makes a ritual of movements from martial arts, games, and dance."

I've recently had a mini-revelation regarding the next few years. As of this very moment, this is how I'd like my life trajectory to manifest (all subject to change):
-Work at a non-profit in New York for a year while continuing to learn Spanish
-Spend 6 months in Peru volunteering with INTIWAWA (teaching English)
-Peace Corps (ideally in Latin America)
-NYC Teaching Fellows (an intensive summer program that provides a teaching certification and then subsidizes an education masters, with the requirement that I teach in NYC for some period of time)

After that, no idea! For now, I'm going to enjoy the afternoon rain in Arequipa and practice my Spanish.

Love,
Ally