Alcalde

Arequipa, my city, is the second largest in Peru... but in reality it's made up of a BUNCH of districts all with their own names, operating rules, mayors, etc. So in effect it's a lot of small towns located in close proximity to one another. My town, Cerro Colorado, is great! It has a feel of everyone knowing each other... all of Aracely and Jaime´s family live in this two mile radius. It not unusual to run into one of them in the street, at the market, or on our way just about anywhere.
So Jamie works for the districto municipalidad... he knows a bunch of important people in town, politicians etc. And, due to that, yesterday I had a brief meeting with the MAYOR! Seriously... I've been here not even quite two weeks and I'm meting the mayor... who am I?! Jaime thinks he'll snap his fingers and give me a good paying job... I keep telling him he probably can't due to the fact I'm only here until January AND that I don't have a working visa! Governments don't usually give jobs to people without the correct paperwork!
Anyway, it was cool. He was really nice, and now he knows he's got a stranger/foreigner in his midst! Plus, it makes Jaime look good that I'm his friend and he introduced us etc.
Oh, and by the way, this "meeting" took place after at least an hour of waiting trying to entertain little Joaquin in the sun outside! Everyone here wants to know/talk to the "ACALDE" as Jaime put it... alcalde is mayor in English.

Other good news is that one of the institutes called me back this morning... on the school phone, so that was a trip running down a flight of stairs and about 6 classrooms over with wet hair and in my shower shoes to go attempt to understand my phone call in Spanish in order to set up an interview. SO... I THINK I have an interview at 2pm today... at least I hope it's 2 and not 12! After all "dos" and "doce" sound an awful lot the same over the phone!
I'll let you know how it goes!
Kate