Hard to picture

I had my first real bummer of the trip when my camera got stolen. Let my guard down for a moment, and guess what. Knowing that you could get your jock itch stolen here, I should have been more diligent. That's my bad (one of the idioms I'm teaching my students). Lesson learned and time to move on, and besides, it's replaceable. When I get a new camera, I'll post more pictures. On the plus side, and I'm finding more and more plusses each day here, I found a place to live. It's a single room with bathroom, cable, internet for about $200 U.S. a month, or 500 soles a month if you're a currency junkie. There's a shared kitchen, but it's kind of small. So what. The place is right in the middle of everything in Arequipa, and halfway between the college and main office where I work. My landlord Juan seems very cool. I'm understanding the taxi system a bit as well. You're always quoted a price that's a sol or two above market value. If you don't know market value, you pay. If you do, the taxi driver almost always comes down when you name your price. You use ATMs here just like the U.S., which is nice, and they offer both Spanish and English, just the like the U.S. My Spanish has a ways to go, but is improving. I'm able to bumble through a conversation and usually get my point across, and understand some of what is said. I was able to converse enough with Juan to get the apartment deal done. The longer I'm here the more I like it. Hope that trend continues. The other teachers are cool, and we share strangers in a strange land stories. Time to lesson plan.