24 days to go…
… or looking at it another way, 18 work days, and I start a new job on Monday. Madness? Quite possibly!
I finished Marching Powder and thought it was a wonderful story, though not particularly well told. Many of my friends who wouldn’t consider themselves as “readers” thoroughly enjoyed it, so I would still recommend it. I may take it with me for the purposes of swapping with another traveller.
I’m still plugging away at The Last Days of the Incas but it puts me to sleep so quickly! Ah well, still 5 weeks until I arrive in Peru, so plenty of time to get it finished.
My to do list is getting smaller, although I’m still only 4 CDs into my Spanish lessons (6 to go). The content is getting a bit more technical and I find I need to be in a focused mood to take it all in. I’m still hoping to get them all done before I leave. So much for dedicating half an hour at the start of everyday!
My biggest concern for now is starting in my new role and making a good enough impression on my new bosses so they don’t regret hiring me while I’m away for 12 weeks!
36 days to go
… and the urge to shop is almost unbearable. I’m a terrible saver, I used to be so miserly when I got my first job at 15, but now I’m so very gen y (spend spend spend) and ashamedly consumerist.
However, I’m self-aware and trying to improve. Tonight’s $20 beer and pizza has been swapped for going straight home to run, complete disc two of Spanish lessons, and eat plain cous cous with plain tinned tuna. Muy barato.
In other news, I’m swapping between two books at the moment:
Marching Powder ”a true story of friendship, cocaine and South America’s strangest jail” by Rusty Young. It’s an excellent story, although I’ve come across a spelling error and a grammar error which I find ruins the fantasy for me (like watching a movie that drops out part way through).
and
The Last Days of the Incas by Kim Macquarrie, which I’m finding a little dry but very well written and informative.
I’m contemplating getting on the Steig Larsson “The Girl….” series bandwagon. I need a good book to read while flying, or waiting at airports, or needing some down time while away. However, it would require spending more money, but I can write it off as a “travel investment” right?
how not to learn Spanish 101
Step 1: order a Spanish speaking 10 CD pack online.
Step 2: devise a realistic study plan.
Step 3: put CD 10 in the CD player.
Step 4: waste an hour wondering how the hell you’re supposed to learn Spanish when the guy on the CD just keeps repeating Spanish phrases you haven’t learnt.
What a dip shit, and I was so excited to learn. I’m now looking forward to starting the lessons from the beginning during my long drive tonight.
In other news, I have now booked my trek to Maccu Picchu. I’ve opted to do the Salkantay trek instead of the traditional Inca trek. Longer, harder, with less people really does appeal.
43 days to go…
… and the anxious feelings have (for now) been replaced by excited butterflies.
My mini nervous breakdown after Easter (I packed my travel backpack for 4 days camping full to the brim and then some) over what to pack for 3 months away, has finally passed. This website was an immense help: http://travelindependent.info/whattopack.htm.
I’ve started one of my patented lists and went shopping (shopping!) for travel related gear; black zip off travel pants (I know, I know), comfortable thongs/jandals/sandals that are waterproof and nice enough looking for a night out on the town, plus a couple of other odds and ends. It’s hard to believe that I’ve narrowed my shoe wardrobe down to just two pairs, and I’m actually happy and at peace with my selections.
The Spanish CDs I ordered arrived in the post yesterday, and I have a plan to dedicate 30 minutes at the start of everyday to learn. I can already say hello, goodbye, ask for the toilet, ask how much something is, and tell someone I don’t understand what they are saying, plus a few other basics.
There’s still quite a bit to do logistically, and I need to book my Inca Trek before all the places with the tour company I want to go are filled. But the dull sense of dread and fear that has pervaded over the past couple of months has finally made way for the giddy sense that comes when you know you’re doing something huge, something bigger than you’ve ever done before.
