Interesting things

Feliz Viernes! (happy friday)

It's a beautiful friday in Arequipa, though a little chilly. It may have only reached 72 today, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Hope yours was equally nice. Laura took the day off today because she has been a bit sick with a bad cold. She's had it for a while, and has bravely pushed on, but today she was just too exhausted to conjugate verbs. So she is taking a much-deserved rest, and we have a quiet friday evening planned. Could you pray for her recovery? We went to the doctor yesterday and he gave her some prescriptions. Hopefully they will help.

For fun today, I have a few reasons why I love Arequipa:

1. Perros on the roofs! This is seriously where most people keep their dogs, rather than inside. I suppose it makes sense if it's unused space and the weather is always nice (yes, the roofs are flat). Noah loves the fact that as you walk down the street in the morning, you are greeted by many happy puppies staring down from 2 or 3 stories above. I think the main reason the dogs like it is because it ensures unimpeded communication, rooftop to rooftop throughout the night.

2. Quality assurance. Peruvian store-owners go out of their way to let you know you're getting a functional product. I bought an empty plastic spray bottle, and they had a cup of water there to demonstrate that the nozzle would, in fact, spray. The other day we splurged and bought a toaster. After paying, but before the toaster came home, they took it out of all the packaging, plugged it in, and had us put our hands over it to prove that heat was coming out. Muy amable.

3. Musical vendors! Many Arequipeñan services have distinct ways of letting you know they are coming down your street. The trash trucks are the first example we noticed. In each neighborhood, the trucks play a different tune. In ours, it's the immortal Fur Elise. I don't know if this is the use Beethoven had imagined when he composed it, but it works for Arequipa. In other parts, it's rather loud rock music, so we're happy. A gentleman who will take your glass and metal garbage away on his cart has a shrill whistle that you can't miss. The guy who sharpens your knives plays a rather nice tune, and even the tamale man has a song.

4. Do Peruvian babies have hair! Every little one we've seen has a full head of long dark hair. Poor Noah looks like Charlie Brown out there, though as you can see by his pictures, he's getting more. Maybe it's in the empanadas.