October in Arequipa

I've been a little homesick this month, thinking about the changing weather and the fall colors back home. I'm sure the feeling will fade as gloomy winter takes over just as summer is getting into full swing here. But right now I'm really missing the changes of autumn back home.

October brings changes here, too. Here are some of them...

 What are these things?!

We've had several cloudy days this month -- something I hadn't seen even once since we got here in May. My Spanish teacher was as giddy as a kid at Christmas. She loves the cloudy weather and couldn't stop looking out the window during our classes those days. She told me that she remembers seeing cartoons as a child where someone would open a window and sigh with delight over the fresh air and sunshine. She didn't get it. Clouds, to her, are a refreshing change from the intense sun that is the year-round norm here. And because there are usually more cloudy days around Christmastime, these recent cloudy days brought up Christmasy feelings for her. "If it rains on Christmas, that's the absolute best!" she told me. "My daughters and I couldn't be happier than when it rains on Christmas day." So hard to understand.

Speaking of Christmas...
As strange as it is back home to see Halloween decorations alongside Christmas decorations, it's even stranger here since the Christmas decorations include quaint, snow-covered European-style villages. I'm pretty sure there has never been snow in Arequipa. Ever.

And just in time for Christmas, our poinsettia plant is making delightful progress. If you notice the twig on the left side of the photo, that's what the entire bush looked like just a couple months ago. We thought it was dead. But recently it's been thriving, and it's fun to watch the brown twigs sprout green leaves, some of which slowly turn red.

All this talk about weather makes me realize I should make a clarification about the seasons here. It's springtime here, which means a slight increase in the average temperature and a bit more greenery and flowering plants. (Not much though. We are still in a desert.) December, we are told, will be the warmest month here. Then January and February will be summer, which is also the rainy season. That's when the kids have school holiday and everyone with money or friends with money evacuates Arequipa and heads to the beach for a month or two.

Because there's been such a subtle shift in weather (so it seems to us, anyway), it surprised us to see patio furniture and beach goodies popping up in the stores recently. Last month it was 73 degrees and sunny, but too cold (evidently) to sit outside on your patio. But now that it's 76 degrees and sunny ... break out the BBQ baby!

Fridays off!
Winter, spring summer ... we don't care what it's called. If it's sunny and warm, we'll gladly enjoy it! David just started taking Fridays off this month, and we spent our first free Friday studying Spanish by the pool at the workout club. Before you get too jealous, let me provide the following disclaimers about this otherwise ideal location:
1. A big screen TV and speakers surrounding the pool pump out non-stop music and/or announcements about club events at full volume. David is plotting a midnight raid to clip the wires.
2. Small and deceptively innocent-looking bugs hang out at the club, which is located by a river, and they love to nibble on my skin in particular. Unless I coat my body with carcinogenic bug spray, I never escape a visit to the workout club without scoring at least a few extremely itchy and annoying bites.

Purple month

October is "purple month" in Peru, in honor of El Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles). The procession in Lima -- which is taking place today -- is considered the largest Catholic celebration in the world, drawing around 40,000 people, according to a Lima newspaper I read. (At least I think that's what it says...)* After noticing lots of women wearing purple dresses with a white cord around the waist, I asked one of the office staff, and she explained that the Señor de los Milagros faithful will wear that outfit all month. She said each knot in the cord represents a miracle they're hoping God will do for them. They've most likely made God a promise in exchange for the miracle. (i.e. If you heal my son I'll quit smoking.)

*disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for entertainment purposes only and should not be cited in research papers or reproduced on Wikipedia. My sources include friends and acquaintances and Spanish-language newspaper articles, all of which can very easily be misunderstood by yours truly.

First haircuts
We both experienced our first Peruvian haircut this month. A friend recommended two places to get a haircut. The first, she said is cheap. Only 7 soles (about $2.50). The second, is expensive (about $14). I tried the cheap place first, but the woman she had recommended was out to lunch and I was too nervous to let just anyone cut my hair. So I figured I'd splurge this once and I went to a salon.
The pluses:
- nice spa environment (peaceful music, fountains, good magazine selection, etc.)
- brief but beautiful head massage along with the shampooing.
The minuses:
- They re-use combs and brushes without cleaning them first.

Yes, that's right. She pulled a brush out of a jar (not a jar of sterilizer) and started using it on my head. I could see there were still bits of hair leftover in it from the previous customer. I cringed, stuffed down my gag reflex, and began rationalizing the situation in my mind.  

If someone had lice or dandruff OF COURSE she would sterilize it... We're much too germaphobic in the U.S. anyway... Breathe... Breathe...

After it was all over I decided if the "expensive" place re-uses combs, then what do we have to lose by going to the "cheap" place? So that's where we went a few days later when it was David's turn for a haircut. And that's where I'll be going next time.