what does "bastante" even mean anymore?

I got to visit Lima for a short time where I learned how to play the cajón. Better know to you as the aforementioned “box drum.”



After I learned, Omar and the lady at the store played the cajones, Joel played the charanga, and I played a violin! No kidding! I jam slightly better on the violin when it's Peruvian music. I don’t know why. Es en mi sangre. This is a picture of a charanga in case you don’t know what one is:



I’m in Piura for the time being. That’s northern Peru, about three hours from the border of Ecuador. Frontera! Haha, I was trying to remember the word for border all day. My hostel and the home of our two project coordinators:











We went to Catacaos today because Joel said “it’s where tourists go.” Whenever I go to other countries, people assume I want to go to the souvenir shops and picture spots. Anyway, I like being lead around sometimes. I have been to so many of these artisan shop places in my life that I found myself focusing on the souvenir anomalies:







I still have no idea why souvenirs in South America are so similar to those of Asia. I need to get to the bottom of this handicraft monopoly. Elections are in October and everywhere I look, painted on buildings and houses, are huge campaign propaganda murals. Is propaganda the right word? Write word? Does this sentence make sentence?


An eight year old took this!

Tomorrow I leave for San Francisco finally! I am so excited to meet my host family and the youth. Rolando showed me some videos of the community last night. It’s so beautiful! It’s got a river (which will be less trash-ridden by the end of this) and a ton of pathways into the jungle and the community is all wide-spread and endearing. So... I'll talk to you in a month! Ciao!

p.s. My Castellano is definitely getting better. That’s “Spanish” for all you gringos out there.