Okay 6-days of struggle were enough and I needed to move on, up, and out! I accepted that there would be no hot (or barely warm) showers for me. My sleepwear would always include a knit cap, sweater, and socks. All that jazz was in the past because today was moving day for my friend Mena and her family.
I know my offer to help them move was a little weird. As I told her Friday, my social choices were limited to wandering around the city to get out of my tomb-chilled room or stay in the dark freezing place. Helping her move meant I was able to see more non-touristy parts of Arequipa and be helpful to others.
The night before, my pedagogy instructor and his wife took me out to dinner. The experience helped my begin making my goodbyes to Maslow and the lower tiers of his hierarchy of needs.
On our way to her old house, in a district I could not pronounce, she pointed out several restaurants as we walked to Plaza de Armas. Apparently, Sunday is the day of school parades and local government activities. This day was a preview for the upcoming independence celebrations on July 27, 28, and 29.
Traveling with Mena and her nephew, who accompanied her empowered me to buy a few items from a street vendor outside her house coconut Macaroons and sugar cane. The sugar cane was wonderfully memorable since it reminded me of summer time in Detroit when we’d get sugar cane as a treat. I don’t think I’d had this treat in over 35-years (yes, I old)!
We concluded I could open a hair-braiding shop and make lots of money should I decide to relocate to Arequipa...
Then the moving began...
