Cusco days are done

I've finally said good-bye to my adopted home of Cusco and am now in the airport in Lima about to board my flight in an hour's time to connect to London via Amsterdam. I will be staying in London, with my good friend Pippa, who I met travelling about 4 years ago when we both were on an active, adrenaline fuelled holiday in Turkey. The last time we met was in London 6 months before I left, but we still keep in contact via Skype, emails, Facebook - so looking forward to catching up with her again.

The last couple of weeks were spent having lunches/dinners/nights out saying good-bye to the good friends I have made in Cusco over the last 20 months of coming and going!  Some people have asked me if I will return again - maybe one day in the future, but being in Cusco 6 times; I think I've done and seen all I needed to, so naturally for me, it was my time to move on.

I spent a couple of days chilling out and having fun and lots of laughs with a good friend in the stunning Sacred Valley and taking in the amazing scenery one last time; which sometimes reminded me of rural Ireland.  My last night was spent with my wee Peruvian friend, Marilia, and her family, who were celebrating her fathers birthday. Wow- what an amazing night and what a headache the next day. These Peruvians know how to party. Most Peruvian families are very close and celebrate birthdays all day and into the wee small hours of the night singing, dancing, eating and drinking. Family to them, is not just immediate family, but cousins, aunts, uncles and more. It is tradition to be with everyone - they all look after each other here from the cradle to the grave - so nice! It was a great way to end my last night in Peru. 

I also got to eat cuy (guinea-pig) - yeah, you know the nice, fluffy pets that children have at home. Here, they eat them - minus the fluff, fur and cuteness. Jaysus, when they are skinned and cooked, they look like rats. I was asked to eat a bit, so trying...ok, pretending to be tough, I said yes. Oh my God, I thought I was going to throw up - the animal isn't presented to you in nice slices on a plate. It is presented to you in full with the body looking like it is stuck in rigormortis! It was lifted by the tail and given to me. Ok, so you hold the head - with the 2 front teeth sticking out and the claws hanging off it, and just bite. So, I took a bite and that was the end of it. In my head it was a rat and didn't smell that nice too. I did watch a relative of Marilia's devour another wee guinea pig by pulling it apart, leaving just the head, which he threw to the side when finished.....niceeee!

I've met so many good friends here on my 6 times living here and know I will keep in contact with some of them. I suppose I already do with some of the ones I met the first time I was in Cusco - and I've already met up with some of them again, when I/they have been travelling on different occasions.  Travelling is great - these people have a habit of wandering back in and out of your life on various occasions opening your mind to different ideas and perspectives - changing the way you look at things I suppose! 

Next for me after arriving in London is to leave again the following day with a flight out of Heathrow, heading towards SE Asia with a few hours wait in Dubai. OMG, I can't wait to say I've been in Dubai, even though I technically haven't sitting in an airport. I've always wanted to go there; but as I'm not rich enough this time for it, I'll maybe get another time when I have the money to do so. After Dubai, I will arrive in the 'Land of Smiles', not only for its natural beauty - beaches, history, scooter motorbikes (Hermie my bike, I'm comin to get you again!) but also for the amazing and friendly people there with their great culture and the smells and sounds of SE Asia.

My plans?! Well, you know me, nothing is ever set in stone as my mind changes so frequently, I just go with the flow. I will stay in Thailand for a month and then I hope to go to Java, Indonesia and then Cambodia and Laos (as I didn't manage to get there the last time). I have a return flight booked for London at the start of May as my money will have run dry by then. I have also told my school that I will return to teaching for the next academic year. But, if I can use my TEFL qualification and find a bit of paid work to keep me going, I intend to stick around SE Asia and make the most of my last few months of travel and freedom before returning to St Nicholas' in August.

Ok, time to go - my flight boards in 15 minutes. Time for the next 4 more days of sitting on my arse, stomach filling with wind and no doubt complete constipation by the time I arrive in Thailand, oh and jetlag...I can't wait. But Peru - it has been amazing. However, now I am ready for the next and final chapter of my crazy travels - I wonder what that will hold for me?

Murphy's Law

Happy New Year! I had a great time at home visiting everyone, but it was time to take the return flight back to South America and back up to Cusco.

No sooner had I landed in Lima, - 'Murphy's Law' began- 'If anything can go wrong, it will'. My bank card wouldn't work when I tried to use it. Dopey me received a new one when I was back in Ireland and forgot to activate the pin. This kept me in Lima an extra couple of nights. I was meant to be back in Cusco for NYE, and to start work the next day, but didn't make it. I did have a great time in Lima catching up with my two Peruvian friends. Rosario, who invited me over to her house for a lovely meal on NYE with her family and then we went out to the Miraflores area of the city and met up with another friend, Ronald, who I met in Cusco and his mate Yuri. So nice to have these contacts here in Peru and we had a great wee night.

The next day it was time to get a seat on the 22 hour bus back up to Cusco. Spent 24 Soles there and back only to find out that the offices were closed about 5 minutes before I arrived. So that meant another night in Lima, which was lovely and warm as it's summer here. That meant me being late - 3 days for work; but surprisingly, they were fine about it (obviously desperate for staff as I found out that 7 people walked out mid-December, so even if they wanted to tell me to get lost, they couldn't).  

Arrived in Cusco on 3rd January and about 10 minutes before it was time to enter the bus terminal, the room in a house that I was meant to rent, wasn't available until the 8th now. So then I was technically homeless for a while. Got in touch with my friends from my old Spanish school and they housed me for a few days, until I got myself sorted.  Met up with my colleagues and friends from work on the Friday and then settled back into work on the Monday. This time, I was teaching different classes from before. Mainly Basico, Alto-Basico and Advanced Levels.  The classes were just so sweet, Basico adults so vulnerable trying to learn English, but you could be a complete eejit with them and sing/dance around the room and they would copy.

By Day 2 my eye started to get the same feeling it had before. I just thought that it was probably the altitude and pollution again so I put some drops in it. By Day 3 I couldn't open it...it was the same story as before, so this time I jumped into the nearest taxi and went to the same hospital I had been to previously with my shingles/sunburn. Embarrassingly enough, it was the same doctor that had seen me before. So yep, got tested with a hand-torch if you don't mind - and he was fit to tell me that the shingles virus had reappeared again(?).  Left the hospital armed with the usual supply of antiviral drugs and other weird drugs to take.

Returned to work in the afternoon after taking the drugs. I was given four different types of drugs.  One was an antiviral, which I'm used to, the other two were drugs that would knock out a horse. Of course, I was as high as a kite trying to teach. One particular drug, which I later found out, was given  to people with neuralgia pain (which I was having) but also for people who take bad seizures/epileptic fits/serious ADHD/schizophrenia!!It decreases the number of red blood cells in your body (great, that's all I need at high altitude when as many red blood cells are needed) Side effects. I seemed to have them all. Confusion...yep, can't even remember calling my friends on the phone, dizziness, sleepiness (couldn't even manage to take my clothes off to get to bed), and bleeding from places I shouldn't be. It also lowers your dependence on alcohol. I only found this out after my birthday celebrations with friends here in Cusco and did wonder why after a few cuba libres, I couldn't have anymore!

I did have a great birthday weekend here in Cusco with my friends. And one of my alto basico classes sang me happy birthday in Spanish/English and Quechua.  I have decided on staying here in Peru for another 3 weeks, then I'm out of here. I hope to leave Cusco by the end of the week - it is rainy season here and it really rains and it is very cold also. One day whilst walking to work, the roads became rivers - brown rivers at that - it was crazy. The season is summer, but is totally different to Lima where there is nice heat etc. My family would prefer I take an early flight home and get my eyes checked out properly, but I'm going to stick it out here for a wee bit more and keep travelling like I always do! I'm getting itchy feet again, so I need to uproot myself and go off travelling again.This time I'm getting the better of Murphy's Law..fingers crossed.

Dear Santa...

This year for Christmas I'll be home in Ireland.  I think I've been a good girl since I've been away...well, ehm,  kind of.

Please can I have:-

• A nice hot bath - I haven't seen one for a very long time - warm water is nice, as lately there hasn't been much of it in my shower and absolutely none to wash dishes in my sink.
• A trip to the dentist - my last remaining wisdom tooth is growing up into my brain.
• A trip to the doctor to fill in the present hole in my right eardrum and possibly a full MoT before being put down/shot.
• A trip to the hairdressers - Last week, I thought it would be a good idea to get my hair 'Japanese straightened' (just like I did in Australia). Bad idea trying to cut corners to save some money. My hair now resembles that of a wire brush, that my dad used to use to clean the soot from the chimney. Yes, after my last traumatic experience in Cusco, I went again. Whoever said we learn from our past mistakes is wrong.
• A nice lie in during the weekend. Anything after 7.00 am would be bliss, without the banging of workmen on the floor above.
• My mum's nice meals with vegetables, potatoes and meat...what is meat? Bacon/sausages yum, yum...especially Christmas Day food and even better, her Christmas pudding.
• Some nice frosty, Christmas weather - I don't like the sun any more since my trip to Chile. Seasons are nice too. Since travelling to Thailand and back to South America, the seasons are all the same; except one season rains a lot and the other it doesn't.
• To drive my car, without being squashed.
• New tunes for my Mp3 player to exercise with. It's so bad, I know every beat of every song now.
• Moisturiser and vitamins - I look like pure and utter shite. Instead of looking like my youthful age of 28, I look like 48.
• A cold pint of Guinness on a winter's night with my lovely friends/family in a typical Irish pub.
• A blazing fire and central heating to keep me warm.
• The sound of an Irish accent.
• Hairibo sweets.
• Lots of cuddles from my nephews and nieces - one new nephew, Mark, yet to be held.
• To be able to wear my leather jackets/Ugg boots and other clothes still at home.
• New clothes/make-up/perfume - I've been travelling with the same since July 2011.
• TV in English without a fuzzy picture. TV Christmas ads - the Coca Cola Christmas truck advert/ the Snowman cartoon on Christmas Eve - my fav!
• A lottery win?

This time in two weeks, I'll be at home for little Mark's christening and Christmas (yay, my favourite month of the year). 18 months of travelling around the world has been fantastic, but you do miss/crave certain things, such as my list above. So I look forward to catching up with you all for the month, before I disappear off again. I have a strange feeling that my liver and my bank balance will not be thanking me. See you all soon x

Chile border run

Finished my first month of teaching and have really enjoyed it; ok, I tell a lie, I'd love to smash my alarm to pieces when it wakens me up daily at 5.30am, but after my first class is over and the sun is out, getting up so early isn't that bad.  Finished my monthly exams with my classes - the pass mark is 70% - quite a few passed, some failed, some even turned up on exam day for the very first time of seeing them. I was like, 'eh, Hi, I've been your teacher for the last month, who are you?'  Normally I get a reply of, 'Teacher, teacher, I work lots; was very busy' - the usual aul banter and they are the ones who seem to fail. 

They have been so sweet and some of them are good friends now. Sometimes they will ask if I can teach them next month...I like to joke with them and tell them that I'm teaching other classes or else I'm going home and never coming back...they reply, 'Teacheeeeeeeeeer, not funny', which is met by me in stitches at them. They like a bit of banter which is good and it's really nice to be wanted and have lovely comments written by them in Spanish about you in these dreaded 'encuestas'. They'll change their tune next month, when they get bored of me. 

So exams finished and it was time for me to update my visa as it was running out. Myself and a few other friends/colleagues decided to go to Chile and spend 4 or 5 days chillin at the beach, at sea level, with nice sunshine and relaxing a world away from work and Cusco. We set off on the bus (yes, another 20 hours plus of travel and changing buses) from Cusco and headed for the border town of Tacna, which is still in Peru. Got the local buses again; the one I swore I'd never get after my trip up to the north desert area, where I had my nightmare bus travel to the HelpX in the house occupied by all the soldiers. But now, I'm living like a local and earning like a local...so it's time to do as they do. The bus was alright, boiling hot as usual and stopped everywhere to let people on and off. One man was selling a book of juices that cured all types of illnesses - Jaysus, he never shut up. Well, anyway, I managed to sleep loads - I think I woke up about twice, only to see who was getting on and off and fell asleep again, much to the annoyance of Claudia, who had bought prescription drugs to help aid her sleep, which didn't happen!

We got to the Peruvian border town of Tacna and had to get a 'collectivo taxi' across the border. Now, I was never going to do this to go to Ecuador, but now, living here longer, these things/border crossings don't scare you anymore. We jumped into the 'collectivo' and had our passports taken off us; things were fine and dandy and of course, I fell asleep again no sooner had I got into the car. Got to the border crossing and the sexy border police officer asked for my passport. He then spoke to me in Spanish and asked where I was from/the usual and then kept looking at me and then my passport photo and stated, 'New Look?' I wasn't sure whether to take it as a compliment or insult - probably an insult as I'm sure I looked like crap. Oh and I got another dreaded 'hair cut' from Cusco again. Yeah, I know, thought I'd learned my lesson from the last time; but this one was a 'cert' so I was told. They must train these hairdressers to cut hair dry, by lifting them in clumps and cutting with a razor blade. Even though my hair is a bit of a mess, it is nowhere near as bad as the last time, and I prevented her from going anywhere near my fringe (a wee bit of improvement in Spanish helped that maybe).

 Arrived in Arica, the border town of Chile, had a couple of drinks and found a hostel thanks to a guy who was sitting inside this bar/cafe on his own. Myself and Claudia had a bet; she thought he was German and I thought he was Israeli...whoever won, got a drink. Went over and chatted to him and he turned out to be Israeli...I never did tell Claudia I knew I was right, cos he was reading his Lonely Planet back to front; but a bet is a bet. Anyway, he gave us the name of a few hostels and we went with the closest one.

Went out that night to some of the local places. Arica reminded us of a bit of a red neck town; lots of strange individuals roaming the street, a few men pissed as farts, talking complete jibberish. Money was now different - it changed from Peruvian Soles to Chilean Pesos - we were being handed plastic notes with denominations of 10000's etc. Very confusing trying to work out what the hell One Sol was worth - you always feel richer than normal.  Some people in the bars were nice enough; usually those serving the drinks, giving you huge measures - we realised why at the end; they helpfully 'included' the tip at the end if you wanted it or not. I didn't find the Chileans here as friendly as in other South American countries. 

Anyway, we went back to our hostel, and slept the night. My ears were killing me and making me really sleepy and dopey (nothing new there) and we wanted a good night's sleep to get up for the beach in the morning. The next day we got ready for the beach and I made a detour to the local pharmacy for some drugs/drops for my ears. Walked about 15 minutes to a nice beach in Arica. The weather was about 20 degrees C with a bit of wind. We both put on our sunblock (Factor 15 as a friend who was going back to England left me hers and I had ran out of my Factor 50) and of course, I fell asleep again. Woke up, seemed fine, walked home and passed out on the bed; ear was making me tired again or so I thought. 

Well, 4 hours later, we woke up. I was the colour of a raw lobster on my torso and back - my bikini was etched into my skin, with the pink/raw colour of my flesh being the rest. My arms, face and legs were fine, just my body. Claudia had a few stripes on her legs and feet. I could swear that fecker who went to England and left me her 'leftovers' put water into the so called sunblock or whatever. Well, that was me destroyed for the rest of my time in Chile. I spent the last couple of days in bed looking at the paint failing off the ceiling as I couldn't move due to the radioactive effect of the sun on my skin along with my ears being deafened with the ear drops that I'd put in. Our two other friends arrived the next night in Arica to meet up with us and go out to the bars/beaches.

Never before was I glad to get a bus back to Cusco. Except this bus left at 7pm the next night, so we had to hang around the border town for another 7 hours after check out. What made it worse was that Chilean time was 2 hours in front of Peruvian time, so technically, that was another 9 hours then. And to make matters worse, we decided to kill some time by getting something to eat/check out the internet cafes etc. except that when we arrived back in Tacna in Peru, the electricity seemed to be turned off for at least two hours.

Made it back to Cusco in a nice enough bus, except toilet standards here are something to get used to. The smell of wee hitting your nose as you try to go into the toilet, with no toilet roll, soap..oh and even the likelihood of piss being soaked up by your laces or jeans if they so happen to touch the floor. I seriously sometimes wonder why these people aren't sick all the time; but I suppose they are used to germs/everyone else's bodily fluids everywhere, being shared around - nice and caring!  

Arrived in Cusco and took my red, raw body to the local hospital like a complete freak. Still wearing my bikini top, as a bra was just agonizing to put on and at least I had the white strap marks to go by, so I wouldn't be in so much pain. The doctor did say I had a nice bikini top though..he obviously has no clue about fashion then.They filled a large syringe with 3 types of medications - it was a steroid injection to help with my sunburn. My throat also turned out to be infected and has now passed up into both of my ears. They have given me 3 different types of antibiotics along with a steroid injection. I sometimes think that if they know an insurance company will foot the bill, they hand out as much as they can. Well, here's hoping I'll be nice and tanned tomorrow...rather than red, raw with nice pus green blisters on my skin. My trip to Chile won't be forgotten!

Workety, work, work, work!

Since my last blog, I was offered a position at the English School I was TEFLing at as soon as the course ended. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to be able to settle here in Cusco for 6 months, get paid and teach again. I started on the 1st October and wow was right, smack bang into the joys of working again; but this time, it's slightly different from normal teaching hours!

My alarm (which has the shitest ringtone ever - 'The Town of Peking') is my Peruvian mobile phone (which is also the shittest phone in history - it's a bit like the new Iphone 5 - it has all the apps. My phone is pink/grey plastic ZTE model (yes, ZTE - the local Chinese brand, that has yet to hit the shores of Europe). It holds a maximum of 10 texts and has FM Radio and when I lock the phone, it constantly beeps in my bag if it happens to touch any other object - I'm so lucky. So, anyway, my alarm goes off at 5.30am - never before have I been up at this time in my life. I'm out the door for 6.15am to catch the local 'carro' or combi bus to school (which is an hours walk away from the centre of Cusco).

The combis - hmmm - how can I describe them? They are like workmens vans, but slightly bigger and inside there are approximately seats for 15 people. On the roof are handrails. The cost of getting one of these is 60 centimos = 12.5p. The combis have different names and travel to different areas of Cusco. The buses that I jump on have some cool names like 'Batman', 'Rapidos', 'El Zorro' and 'Tupac Amaru'. Now, to get on these combis you stick out your hand when they come flying along. A man/woman or sometimes a child who works on the bus slides open the door shouting 'Sube, sube, sube, sube!' This is your call to get the frig on as quickly as you can. Now the seating capacity is about 15, but the combis will fill up with people; I mean you are literally squashed onto this thing. The other day, I jumped on and me and this other woman were still hanging out the door as it took off - still on the step trying to squeeze into the smallest pocket of space/oxygen you can find. It's hilarious. I'm not tall by European standards, but over here I am - if I'm standing in these combis (which is practically all the time), my head touches the roof and I have to bend it sideways to feel slightly comfortable.

So the combis take off, flying up the streets of Cusco, stopping everywhere, shoving as many people into them as possible. Man, woman, child, beast, food etc. The funniest part is that whoever is lucky to sit in the front must put a seatbelt on; never mind the others squashed in the back and if there was an accident, they'd all be killed as they are catapulted through the front windscreen!

Arriving at work, my classes begin at 7am until 10am. I have a split shift, so have 6 hours off after this before returning again for evening classes at 4pm until 9pm. I have 5 adult classes and one 'Jovenes' class (teenager/young class). Most teachers hate their jovenes, but I like mine and they're quite intelligent too. I teach alto-basico up to Pre-Intermediate classes in English and there are 13 max in each class. The students are just lovely and I have a great time with them in class/am a complete nut at times and try to have lots of fun learning English. English grammar is a ball-ache and I never realised how many formulas and functions there were for the language...it's absolutely crazy. So far, I've blindfolded some students in class giving them senses tests to try and understand what a stative verb was; we've been having board races/games to understand the acronymn 'OSHASCOM' for adjective order - never had a clue that this even existed. I play lots of games with the jovenes - soccer board games to understand gerunds and infinitives...it's just crazy, but they enjoy it. The adults enjoy playing the games to at the end of the lessons; fun whilst learning!

The learners/students are so sweet. It's quite embarrassing as here in Peru, teachers are respected very well and even though we write our Christian names on the board with the objective/vocabulary for the day at the beginning of each lesson, they still won't call me by my first name. I get called 'Teacher' or 'Teacher, teacher!' from adults in their early 20's up to 50's. They will always greet you at the start of the class and then always say 'goodbye teacher and thank-you' at the end - it's lovely really. Also you get offers to go out with them, go to salsa, go for drinks etc.

I have the same classes/timetable/rooms for a month and then they have an exam at the end (it's difficult too). I'm not quite sure, but sometimes, you get to take your classes on for the next couple of months, just depending on whoever makes the timetable. I have signed a contract with the school for 6 months. Technically I am illegal here in Peru, as I'm not meant to be working, but we are classed as 'volunteers'. I get paid  a basic salary - if I sub a class when a teacher is off, I get paid $5 for that = £3.11. I can survive on this here, but I can't save...or if I did save some, it is pretty worthless at home. It's crazy to think of the differences between pay here and at home. I feel like a local now, I live an hours walk away from the tourist centre of Cusco. I live in an area called Quispicanchis - it is a nice enough area of Cusco with a Peruvian girl and a guy from Argentina. In terms of standards at home, it wouldn't be classed as a nice area though. I'm one of very few gringos around this area - my white face stands out a mile. I'm mixing it up with the locals - sometimes I eat almuerzo (lunch) in the wee restaurants for 4 Soles (£1) with a 3 course meal with my friends. Tourists don't venture in to some of these places - God forbid, they would die of food poisoning. But I like it like this - experiencing it properly and living like a local - it's great here!

I could have lived with some of the other teachers, but it would be like living back at home, talking English and living with your co-workers. I go out with them at the weekends/have been on days out to the Sacred Valley here (which is stunning) or other places around Cusco. On some of my days during my split shifts I go to the running track - there is actually a good one here, with one of my Peruvian friends, a girl called Marilia, who is also a student at the school that I teach in. She's a really lovely person; very warm, caring and just great and she likes to exercise/run too and does great. It's hard to exercise now like I did before I worked, as the split shifts mean I can't make my usual spinning classes, but running/exercising at high altitude for an hour and a half is like running at sea level for 3 hours!!

There are some people on the streets of Cusco scraping by for a living. I think the average wage here for a good job for someone who is educated is 1500 Soles or £360 per month but there are some really poor people who try to live and survive off the equivalent of a few dollars a day - they are the really poor. They look like time/cold/poor nutrition  has weathered their faces/aged their bodies- little children who are 5 years old, look older who are out on the streets selling whatever they can. Their wee shoes are made of rubber from old tyres and they are dressed in their traditional clothing from whatever region of Cusco they may be from. Some of these men, women and children just sit on the streets day and night. Women sell sweets outside bars, and beside them lies a blanket. Inside this blanket is their little baby sleeping. Children roam the streets at night. At the weekend after leaving nightclubs, they will approach you selling 'chiclets' -  packets of chewing gum for 1 Sol (25p).

So, technically I'm here for the next 6 months (as I've signed a contract, but you know me and these itchy feet of mine, maybe after 3 or 4 wanderlust will set in again, so it could be time to find another place to go and travel again) and will have a border run to do in the next couple of weeks as my visa is expiring. Going to go to Chile for about 5 days as the school gives us one days paid holiday to do this, so taking a long weekend over two holy days we have off and going with a friend/colleague who is also doing a border run. I have been granted 1 month off work to return to Ireland in December, as my little nephew is being christened and it's Christmas...my favourite time of the year. I asked for 2 weeks to go to home for the christening, but they said I could take 5 days or the month off unpaid. Obviously 5 days was useless, so I jumped at the chance of the full month, so I'll be seeing some of you then at Christmas time. Flights are booked and I land in Belfast City on 3rd December :)

TEFL teacher!

I am alive and well and realise it has been well over a month since I have updated, so i'll try and cram a month's worth into this blog. I have practically led the life of a monk(ess), except I wasn't trapped in some monk's home - I have been eating, sleeping and breathing TEFL whilst practically living in the school building for sometimes more than 12 hours a day. The last two weeks were ridiculous - my life was on complete standstill - as were the other students also.

But now, you are reading the words of a 'graduated' (that sounds so ridiculous after a month) fully qualified TEFL teacher and who has her life back again, thank God. I have absolutely loved it. Mind you, when I started on the first day, I nearly decided to walk out. A couple of reasons - the course/company are from the US - I was the only European/token Irish in the group, surrounded by the TEFL trainers, most people in the office/staff being from there also. I was nearly cracking up with some of the things that they would say in class...you know the way some Americans get on. "So, everybody, gimme something positive in your most encouraging voice" (the trainer would say). Of course, all of the other students in the class, being from the US and probably not finding anything wrong/hilarious with these statements would answer, "I thank God that I'm alive and it's such a beautiful day" (you get my drift). Then they'd come to me and I'd say, "It's Friday tomorrow, yay!" or "I've a hangover today".I seriously, couldn't come out with the same things about life that the rest of them were saying.

But, like everything, they all grew on me and my class/TEFL trainers were just great and I loved them all, even their 'Americanisms'.

The teaching and learning of TEFL has been completely different to anything that I had imagined. I thought it would be a walk in the park - yeah, like shut up...I am a qualified teacher, this will be easy and I speak English - so just give me my TEFL certificate right now. My God, how wrong was I.

It is completely different to what I'm used to (ok, the classroom management side of things, those stupid detailed lesson plans, that I haven't done since I was at Teacher Training College yonks ago and a couple of the other routine tasks that teachers do was the same). Buzz words such as CCQ's, drilling, elicit, increase STT (Student Talk Time), decrease TTT (Teacher Talk Time), no echoing and the biggie 'Give them nothing'. Well, that last one, near sent me to the fairies...how the hell are you meant to teach at all, if you give the students nothing? In my head, I was looking at these people training us, thinking...you people are completely crazy - that is the most ridiculous idea ever and goes completely against the grain of teaching.

Well, after 4 weeks of using all these buzz words and learning a completely different style of teaching - it actually does work. You give them nothing by eliciting everything (so much fun trying to act out things to the students) using CCQ type of questions. If these are done right, then the students do, and can give you everything. Instead of me listening to the sound of my own voice in a classroom, it is the students voices that I am meant to hear - afterall, they are trying to learn English. Different from my classroom at home - usually it's me talking/teaching, children listening and then getting on with their work. Here it is the students talking - most things are done in pairs/groups - very rare it is individually (because the student isn't talking, which is the whole point of teaching English here).

Each TEFL student had to take mini-lessons firstly for 20 minutes a couple of days a week. These classes were 'live' with real Peruvian adults sitting at the front of the room with differing levels of fluency in English - mainly high basic or beginning intermediate. Whilst this was happening each TEFL student was being monitored by the TEFL trainers - with a handout of an 'observation and evaluation' of your lesson with the boxes 'needs improvement, good or excellent' along with your pros and cons.

Other lessons were on vocabulary. Each week, the vocab lessons got harder - the last week was using 'slang' words. We had to think on our feet as we never knew what words we would get and then we had to elicit these to the adult learners. One slang word I chose was 'to check out'...to check someone out...of course, I had to make a tit out of myself by acting this out by picking on some poor guy named Jesus (his real name) in the class. Mary, the teacher, 'checking out' poor Jesus sitting in the corner haha.The ultimate thing we had to do after this was to check their understanding. The students then had to put it into a complete sentence that was grammatically correct whilst using the right tense. The students we were teaching didn't know these words to start with, so after doing all this, it was great to see that they understood.

The course was full on and most of us practically lived in the school for our last two weeks as we had so many observations to do, grammar papers, detailed lesson plans, evaluations, Personal Development Papers, TEFL training classes that went from 9-4pm everyday along with the big one - the last week of teaching your own class. Most days my alarm went off at 5.45 am, I'd go to school, come back at around 6pm at night and work for the next few hours after that.

I thought I knew what English grammar was all about - I could teach nouns, verbs, adverbs, connectives etc with the kids in school back home. Again, so easy...just gimme that certificate will ya? My God, wrong again. My head was fried with the stuff. I felt like a complete idiot. I never knew or even heard of things in English grammar called (to mention a few): modal auxiliaries, basic conditionals (there are four of them ya know), the formula and function for everthing in grammar must be taught, active and passive voice, using time lines to teach grammar, English verb forms from Simple Present to Perfect Progressive to 'what's the adverbial of time' and is it a main or auxilliary in the verb forms. Different colours of board markers are used for different things and ways to explain English grammar. 

I was nearly in the mental over trying to get my head around all this stuff. Like, really, the Past, Present and Future was about as good as I got before.  I've now learned so many different ways and fun ways to teach English. And, I used to think it was as boring when I was taught it in school; not any more.

I spent my last week teaching a class of adults from ages 24 years upwards to late 40's early 50's who were 'alto basico 2' (high basic 2) in English. I just loved teaching them and was being observed everyday by the TEFL trainers. The trainers called me the 'rapport monster' and said I was full of energy - loads of it and had a great rapport with my students in the class and that I was a 'Crazy Irish' too. 

Teaching adults is different from teaching children and I had so much fun with them. In my last lesson with them, they all gave me a big hug and asked if I was teaching them next week. I told them I was only here for the full week teaching and that their normal teacher would return again on Monday. I found out later, that after my class with them, they all went to the main office and spoke to the owner/Director and asked if I could be their teacher and told him that they wanted me to work there....aww bless them...they were so sweet and I was chuffed.

I was also awarded an excellent for my full class teaching - the only one in the group and 100% for my grammar paper/lesson plans - go me. Yeah, I know what you're thinking - I'm a teacher and so I should be but this is sooo different to what I normally do, and there were two other fully qualified teachers in the TEFL course with me also. It wasn't a walk in the park for them either, as they kept getting 'needs improvement', which isn't easy to take if you're qualified as a fully fledged teacher and these people are ripping you apart.

So, is there life after TEFL then? Well, my course officially finishes on Tuesday. I have just loved being back in the classroom again after being away from it for well over a year. My teaching of TEFL is a different style from Primary School teaching.

I would like to base myself here in Cusco for the next wee while, so I'll just have to wait and see what the future holds for me here in terms of TEFL work and finding somewhere to live, as I can't go back to my normal teaching job til next August. Nothing is planned yet, so I'll just have to see if any opportunities arise. If not, then I'll keep on moving - exciting stuff.

TEFL Graduation Party - TEFLers and Trainers, Sabrina & Suzanne

A few of our Peruvian students from our mini lessons

Getting my TEFL certificate from Sabrina & Suzanne - TEFL trainers

Champagne for all our hard work!

Night out at the 'Juanes' concert in Cusco

Quick loop of Ecuador

Time to leave Quito after completing my two week Spanish class. I was also given the all clear with my eye again from the specialist. This time, I've another certificate to add to the others - now it was 'intermedio alto' (intermediate higher) in Spanish. I'm thinking they got it wrong or something as there's absolutely no way I'm that- they felt sorry for the dumb Irish. It was so much fun and I really liked Quito and Ecuador and met lots of lovely people.

I decided to head southwards towards a town called 'Banos',  known for its thermal baths and waterfalls. 'Bano' is Spanish is 'toilet', so I presumed 'Banos' would be 'toilets' and maybe looked like them (bit like terrible named towns like 'Muff' in Co. Donegal in Ireland or 'Cockermouth' in the Lake District)- it doesn't really sound good at all! But, no, 'Banos' actually means 'baths' here and was a stunning place. It is a town of about 20 000 inhabitants. The town is quite quaint and pretty with active volcanoes in the region.

I went to Banos with two girls I met travelling; Millie from Ireland, who I met in Guayaquil and Ornit from Israel who I met in Quito,so it was nice to hang out with them. Most days, I decided to branch off and go for a cycle to see the waterfalls. Banos is in a valley surrounded by lots of hills and very big ones at that. The first day I cycled 40 kms, then the next day I decided to go a bit further and cycle past a town a town 70 kms away. The cycle was amazing. The scenery was just breathtaking - and on the 70 km journey, I was the only cyclist on the road. 

There were plenty of times when I was cycling on my own heading up and downwards towards a part of the Amazon Rainforest.  Whizzing past little shacks on the side of the road with people selling lots of oranges and the smell of cooked chicken making me hungry as I passed through each little settlement. Either side of me was flanked by lush, green trees of the rainforest, windy roads and stunning waterfalls.

I was met on my journey by lots of workmen digging up the road on various occasions (the roads in Ecuador are just as good, if not better than the roads at home. Definitely better than the roads in the south of Ireland anyway!) This is all in part thanks to Rafael Correa, the President. Big cities, like Quito, have everything and more in them to offer any local or tourist alike. In my eyes, miles better than Belfast. 

It's strange to comprehend that Ecuador is still a third world country, but the differences between the wealthy in the big cities and the poor as you move outwards towards the countryside is vast. Modern buildings with fancy cars and well dressed people are quickly replaced by shacks crowded together, with families sitting outside houses trying to survive by whatever means they can. 

Anyway, as I was on my cycle, the workmen all stopped to probably see what this strange, bright, white, shining UFO light  in the distance was, coming towards them (with reference to my zero tan). They smiled and said hello to me as I either flew past going downhill or cycled slowly going up the huge hills panting and sweating away.

On my journey I was greeted or practically attacked by a few savage dogs snarling and running after me. Thankfully there were no cars on the other side of the road, as I always ended up there cycling like crazy and telling them to get lost in English, which I'm sure they didn't understand. I didn't know the dogcode word for 'eff off' in Spanish. This happened on a few separate occasions and I survived with a few minor scratches but nearly having a heart attack in the process.

Three hours later, I made it to my destination dying of thirst as all I had was an apple and a tiny drink of water in my bag. I stopped off in a little shop and bought some juice and the lovely lady in the shop had a wee conversation with me and here, they ask if I was cycling 'solita' (by myself)...which is always met with a few gasps of ooohh and ahhhh probably thinking..'This one's a weirdo alright - at her age, she should be at home with 12 kids, making the dinner and sweeping the floors'.

Obviously some of the women here don't do this kind of thing on their own.  The people here in Ecuador are really friendly. I'm thinking even more so than in Peru....yeah, I know - how could I possibly 'diss' my favourite country in the world; but Ecuador is starting to surpass it a little...but I still love Peru though! To get my way back, I could've cycled another 70 kms back up and down hills again on the same route, but most people catch the bus and take the return journey back to Banos, so I decided to do that also as I left late in the morning and didn't want to be cycling back in the dark. To be honest, I think it was those dogs that prevented me from making it 140 kms.

On my bus journey back, I met a woman who was an author for the 'Rough Guide' Travel books. She was in the process of currently updating a new edition about Ecuador and it was really interesting talking to her and finding out the good and not so good spots to go to here. I was thinking she might be a bit kindof famous and has maybe been on TV and I never noticed. She wrote travel articles for magazines also. Just got her first name...Sarah.  I gave her the name of some nice restaurants in Banos and when I met her the next day she checked them out and ate in them (for free if you don't mind). I should be getting a cut of her profits!

After spending four days in Banos, I had cycled all the routes I wanted to and climbed lots of steps to see things on hills (which normally turn out to be  holy things/statutes - they are everywhere in South America - they are obsessed) to take some nice photos. So where next? I decided late one night that I was going to go to Montanita on the west coast (Banos is on the east) so one of the girls decided to join me also. It was a bus back to Guayaquil (yeah, smart decision from me - I'd already been there when I first arrived in Ecuador) but this was the quickest way to the west without returning back to Quito again. Oh and I decided to leave a bag in Quito also so I had less weight on my back.

Again not one of my brightest ideas as I've made a weird travel pattern around Ecuador that goes something like this...up the middle, down the right, up a wee bit of the middle again, then to the left, up to the top and down the middle again by the time I leave. There must be a name for that kind of pattern in crotchet/knitting terms or something like that...fu*ked up pattern, that's what!

12 hours of travelling, jumping off one bus onto another two after that. The last one, we literally got off and our bags were quickly lifted and thrown onto a little combi filled with locals to take us to Montanita. Montanita is the beach party town of the west coast. The place is full of gringos and locals alike. We didn't have a hostel booked and thought it would be easy enough to find one - how wrong were we. The weekend is not a good time to arrive anywhere without a prior booking. Two hours later after wandering around to every hostel like tramps, we eventually found a place. A complete dive, with wires hanging out everywhere around the room; but it was a bed (boggin at that) but somewhere to stay so I didn't complain. We even managed to sleep with the boom, boom of music going on all night.

The place was heaving with people on the beach and streets. The weekend was manic. The small streets here reminded me a bit of Bangla Road in Phuket,Thailand, but not as seedy nor as many people, in the night time with the parties going all into the wee small hours. There's lots of wooden bamboo huts/shops etc all over the place, with the locals selling everything from ceviche, fruit, all kinds of food and tapestry on the tiny streets. There are outside cocktail bars everywhere. 

Now, myself and Ornit are in Puerto Lopez. This place is quieter than Montanita and the beach is much nicer. Was able to run along it with hardly anyone in my way only the hermit crabs running out of the water and sidewards along the sand.  The two of us suffered badly the first night with a bit of food poisoning - my first lot...that'll be the street food in Montanita - either choclo with mayo or the fruit salad for breakfast that was bought from the vendors..not a nice feeling at all and still feeling rough. The smell of street food brings on a gag reflex and turns me right off! After Puerto Lopez I'm going my separate way back towards Quito and maybe stop by Otavalo and Cotopaxi on the way there. If my stomach has other ideas, then I'm not risking an 11 hour bus journey until it holds a bit of food again.

Next week, I am leaving Quito on Tuesday for Guayaquil and then a 3 day bus trip back to my adopted homeland of Peru. Ecuador has been amazing - I've really loved it so far. The people here are just so lovely, warm and welcoming. I also wanted to get into Columbia, as I've met lots of gringos who've been there and loved the place, but I have other plans and hope to make it there after.

Three guesses as to where I'm going in Peru - ok, actually only one then, as most of you will get it. Yes, I want to go and return to the dodgy house in the desert, followed by the most exciting Peruvian city of all - Trujillo (not). I'm returning to Cusco, for a fourth time. This time, it's not for Spanish. I'm starting a course in TEFL/TESOL there (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). It lasts for a month and afterwards they try and find you some work. I will need the income by that stage and am looking forward to being on the teacher side of the desk again instead of the student side. TEFL will hopefully open up more doors of opportunities for me whilst I'm abroad, and will most likely, benefit my teaching at home when I return.

So yeah, that's my plan for the next wee while. Back to the daily grindstone like normal people out there, of 9-6 pm in classes and course text books that cost a fortune. Students have to wear 'proper teacher attire' as we'll be teaching classes on our last week. Somehow I don't think my threadbare travel clothes will allow me into the classroom - so it's goodbye to my trainers and flip-flops and crappy tops for a little while (until the course finishes). Now I'll probably turn into a 'chica tranquil' (quiet girl) with all this work...hmmmmm?

Myself and Sandra, at her Spanish school in Quito

Certificates from Spanish with my classmates

A view of beautiful Quito from the Teleferico Cable Car

Being a tit at Lloa Volan Pichincha Volcano, Quito

One of the waterfalls at Banos

Beautiful Amazon on my 70km cycle

A bit of the Amazon Rainforest

The town of Banos from high up in the hills

Puerto Lopez Beach

Townscape of Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

After food poisoning all I could eat was this rose that I was given to me by a chico from Quito!

Millie - a night out in Calle La Ronda, Quito. 

Montanita Beach, Ecuador