The trip from Copacabana to Arequipa, Perú was a bit of a pain. As I got on my bus a small group of Americans were complaining to a Tour Peru employee because there weren’t any seats on the bus for them even though they’d bought their tickets early. I felt a little sorry for them until one of them piped up saying that he understood Spanish just about. Ahem. You’re never going to persuade anyone in Latin America that they’ve made a mistake starting with a line like that. You’re in their country and it’s not their fault you can’t communicate properly with them. I might have offered to help them but they looked pretty much stuck in town for another day (All three bus companies leave at 1.30 p.m. everyday). I got on the bus and kept my mouth well shut.
When the bus arrived at Puno - the lake is spectacular, it’s a pity that Puno is a hole in the ground - where people have to change for Cusco or Arequipa I got very ratty and shouted at the Tour Peru employee: he was fantastic at running from here to there but terrible at telling us what was going on. I also made the mistake of assuming that our very grand bus had a toilet on-board. Seven hours later I hauled my ass round to one of the crumby hostels by the bus station, to my instant relief.
The next day I taxied it into the centre of town - the driver was very friendly - and taking his advice I settled into a nice hostel near to the Plaza de Armas. Very nice!
Still in the back of my mind were some of the conversations I had with the Helen. She’s a qualified TEFL teacher like me, but unlike lazy bones here, she’s done voluntary teaching and offered several local people free English lessons. So, I got to thinking that I could teach English in return for help with my Spanish. I’ve given up with Spanish lessons - I suppose at my level I’d learn more by using the language for real with local people than I would sitting in a classroom with a teacher.
With not much effort at all (actually he was the first person I asked), I’ve managed to find my first student in Perú. Roberto is what we call a “False Beginner” as he already knows a little, so I have to teach him English in Spanish. It’s a pity I’m only going to have a few days with him, because I won’t have enough time to switch from teaching in Spanish to teaching in English, as I did when I taught beginners in Mexico. However, poco a poco my Spanish improves.
