A Chambear Full! (Time to work hard!)

I'm back in Puno!!!! My friends have all come to greet me and my boyfriend and his family have been so gracious helping me settle in. It is definitely odd being back and having people recognize me as I walk down the street. It seems like such a long time since I've been here (7 months actually), but at the same time I felt like I was able to just fit right back in where I was before...well, after the 4 days it took to adjust to the altitude.

Very little has changed in the city. There are a few new hotels, fine alpaca clothing stores, and fresh paint on some buildings. Surprisingly, though, there are no new restaurants. Tourism is pretty low. This season is considered "temporada baja", or the low season. The Candelaria Festival has just ended and Carnavales are over, so people are pretty partied out.

I have been formally introduced to the staff at the restaurant where I am working, Mojsa, as a co-manager. It a lot of work, and long days (staring at 8am, ending sometimes around 11pm). But I am loving every moment of it. My responsibilities are really dynamic and high-energy. I do everything from overseeing consumption and expenses to design work for the website, menu, marketing, to training with the staff and schmoozing with the customers.

The best news was from our initial meeting with the NGO for our social project. They are EXTREMELY interested in our project and we will have our first planning meeting at the beginning of April! I am very happy that the project is already making headway. It will be another few months until things get off the ground, but I feel very confident that we are headed in the right direction.

Oh, but the MOST exciting news for now is that the market is now selling SOY YOGURT!!!! I had a bit of a super-happy-dancing moment yesterday when I found out. It's the small things you appreciate in Peru :)