Lots of work and a tiny bit of play

The schedule here is grueling.  We're off to La Molina in the morning and return after 6:30 with two one hour out of control rides each way.  We get back to the hotel and just lay down.  At school we're hustling every minute without breaks and standing all day on the cement is exhausting.  To my nieces, Andrea and Megan, I have such admiration for what you do every day.
In spite of the hard work, I love the teaching.  There are 15 to 22 students in the classes and they comprise of college students, graduate students, professors, directors, and staff.  They are all so eager to learn and it's really fun having the students and professors together.  One of my favorite students is Professor Gorki (that's one of his many first names) so I call him Gorki.  He is so funny in class and works like any other student.  Every morning when we arrive on campus he's right there to welcome us - I check his progress when I listen to how much English he's using.  He's the director of the language school.  The first few days of class the students wouldn't open their mouths - I totally understand the fear as I've tried to learn Spanish.  But we made the classes very non-threatening and personal so I've watched and heard them get better and better.  It's so cool.  And then on the last day they showered us with gifts.  It was overwhelming and so dear.
And speaking of language, get this:  I am the designated translator for our teaching team.  I have to tell the driver what to do, where to go and when to come back.  One day we noticed a Starbucks and decided that if we didn't stop there we would kill something.  My "expert" Spanish was very important that day.  At school one of my staff friends, Mary Carmen, and I try to learn English and Spanish from each other.  It's great fun.

We saw the funniest thing on campus on Friday.  There is a long standing tradition at the university where upper class-men hunt down all freshmen and usher them (sometimes kicking and screaming) to a huge pit filled with cow manure and other unmentionables.  The manure is in plentiful supply since this is an agricultural university. The freshmen must attempt an impossible jump across the pit.  Too funny.
I love Peru.  It's such a diverse and beautiful country.
Hasta luego.