Basketball & Coffee

My mom sent me a package a couple of weeks ago and all last week I was looking forward to going to Piura and picking it up. Here, things like getting a package is what motivates me to get up in the morning when I have nothing else to do in this slow paced country. So Monday passes and then Tuesday. Then I FINALLY get to go to Piura on Wednesday to get my package. But it wasnt there! It got stuck in customs and I was so bummed... I had to wait a week until the customs people were there to get it. The customs people are only there one day a week. This meant I had to go back yesterday and wait in a long line bc everyone who had things in customs all had to go the same day to pick it up. I thought I was going to have to pay to get it out, but if the value of things in the package is less than $100 you dont have to pay. So that was really good...But I would have payed to get that package out because it had some COFFEE! Vanilla flavored folgers coffee. OMG, AMAZING! The coffee was sitting in my room all day yesterday and now my room has the wonderful aroma of coffee, mmm!!

Then this morning I couldnt wait to get up to make it. I honestly could not sleep last night because, for one, I am going to Lima today for an artesan fair, and two, I was going to drink this amazing stuff. It was like when I was a little kid on Christmas Eve, I could never sleep because I was filled with excitement. No joke, thats how I was last night.

Well here in Peru, you have to learn to be creative. I dont have a coffee maker bc I dont want to spend the S/. 40 to buy one. No thats not a lot of money, but I figure I can spend it more wisely on something else. Like staying a night in Piura and eating at the most amazing restuarant, Cappacinos. Thats become a ritual with us Peru 9ers. It is what keeps us from losing our sanity. So in order to make the coffee, I boiled some water and added the coffee grinds in it. I only boiled it for like 2 or 3 minutes and probably should have boiled it longer because it was not very strong. After that, I but a lid over the pot and allowed for a lil opening where the coffee could come out into my cup while keeping the grinds in the pot. I was not sure if this would work, but it did and that coffee had the most amazing smell, the most amazing taste...it was just perfect!

So then I go in my living room and turn on the TV. Its really weird bc all of the American shows we do get and of them that we dont get. But the weirdest program, in my open, is that we get football. Yes, straight up American Football. We get Sunday day football, we get Monday night football...everything. We also get baseball games. So I was thinking, if we get Football and Baseball, will we get Basketball?? I stopped the TV on ESPN this morning (yes ESPN in ENGLISH) and what did I see...highlights to the Cavs game! OMG, I was so excited!! I dont need to see full basketball games, just the highlights will do me good. I screamed with joy and my sister came running into the living room asking me what was wrong. Lol, I´m a gringo. I can do weird things like that.

I am headed to Lima today for a fair with one of my artesans. I could not be happier bc I can need to get out of my site! I do nothing all day long. I need some excitement and traveling always does it for me. Plus I get to see the rest of the PCVs in my group and spend 3 days with them. I havent seen them for 6 weeks..I have been looking forward to this for a long time now...I cant wait! The trip to Lima is 14 hours from my site, but we take an overnight bus and these seats are more comfortable than my bed. I love these trips. We get fed dinner and breakfast and they always play 1 or 2 movies. These buses are super nice.