Moving to Peru!

My sister, Robyn, and her flashlight paintbrush at the beach

Alex and I will be moving to Peru Sept 30th to teach English and learn Spanish! We'll be living in Southern Peru in the 3rd most populous city, Arequipa. We chose this city because we know people who have visited it and loved it. Arequipa is called the "white city" because of the white volcanic stone that makes up much of the architecture. The spanish is supposedly pretty clear there and the climate is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. It is around 70 degrees everyday with an average rainfall of 4" a year; tennis anyone?

We wanted a South American cultural experience that wasn't in a large international city that attracts high numbers of foreigners. We are hoping this will be an easier environment for us to learn Spanish than in a city full of expats. This thinking should also help us find work teaching English as less native English speakers hopefully means a larger demand for English teachers. Arequipa is also a city that's full of students with many universities and has a fast growing economy.

We hear that the people in Arequipa are laid back and welcoming and it seems that everyone from Peru can cook. We are definitely looking forward to becoming regulars at the fresh markets and taking part in the cuisine once we get settled. We are enrolled in a TEFL program that starts October 3rd (We arrive Monday Oct 1st). It's almost time and we couldn't be more excited for our adventure! Come visit!