What day is it?

So I just typed a nice blog with everything I wanted to say... than when I went to publish it, it disappeared! So its not been the best of mornings but I will try again. I'm currently stuck in the Houston airport. I missed my connecting flight by 5 minutes! What a bummer. Customs was moving a bit slower than I had hoped for. So here I am online wasting a few hours before the next flight. By the time I arrive home I'll have been traveling for 23 hours and will be in desperate need of a shower and a nap.
My last few days in Arequipa were perfect. It was warm and sunny (i have a sunburn to prove it) and I had great company. We did some shopping and went to some great restaurants. I avoided the banana and rum crepes... I really didn't want to get sick again. While shopping I found some great buys. I got a baby alpaca blanket that I can't wait to snuggle into, a few scarves and earrings, some gifts and I also picked up wooden masks to hang on my wall. I realized later that I don't have a wall to hang it on! I'm kicking myself for not buying more jewelery, it is absolutely beautiful. At the same time I'm glad I didn't buy it being I really need to be tight fisted with my money. Having not worked much this last month, the cost of the airline ticket and my upcoming move I am pinching pennies where possible.
Friday night Carla and I joined the translators Fiorella, Gloria and Jesus at the Karaoke Bar. What a blast! It was very trendy and full of people my age being loud, happy and having fun. Being a larger group we got a corner comfy couch worthy of being jealous of. After two pitchers of Pisco and soda we were up for singing Britney Spears "Oops I Did it Again". We may not have been in tune and we didn't get all the words right but we sang with zest! When Carla left I found myself being the only white girl in the bar. Its always a little weird when your unable to speak the language of everyone around you, but it didn't bother me a bit being my friends all spoke English well. I wasn't quite brave enough to put my new Spanish phrases into use. That's probably a good thing!
I'm a little sad sitting here in the airport. Peru was a learning experience and a lot of fun! I must admit I won't miss the church bells at 5:45am, the courtyard noise at 6:30am, and the 1000's of incessant taxi horns at all hours. I won't miss the smell of the fish market, not being able to drink the water, the cute but annoying Peruvian music group that follows you around constantly, people trying to sell their wares to the gringo's and marking up the prices, and I definitely won't miss the poor hospital care. I already miss my friends, the views, the food and shopping and I'm missing my SWAT team and bodyguards. I'm so used to being protected that being all alone in the airport seems a little weird. So Peru is over for now. Its not so hard to leave knowing that I made a difference and that more than likely I will be returning. This trip is already starting to seem like a dream...
My next move? Salem, MA. I move this weekend.