The most amazing massage ever

After grocery shopping, I went home, ate some cereal and headed back out to get a massage. Nikki (my soon-to-be housemate/Reiki master) referred me to an amazing massage therapist up in San Blas. Moses called while I was at Mega, so I went to hang out with him and his Argentinian friend for 1/2 hour in San Blas before meeting the therapist. Moses seems to know every hippie in Cusco, so I made about 3 new dread-locked, dashiki-wearing friends in the half hour we were up there. We listened to music and just soaked in magic of San Blas.

I met up with my therapist, Pria (or Pablo), at the church in San Blas and we walked back to his house (it's just easier that way the first time). His house is on a road I haven't walked since February when Alfredo took me to all of those special places around Cusco. This whole road is special. It's quiet and full of energy and it's all the way on the top of San Blas.

I have no words to describe the work only that it was beautiful and it will be ongoing. The session was amazing -- you can't be shy here -- everything off and draping is discretionary (the work is full-body and the most holistic I've ever received, and complete access to organs and muscle attachment sites is necessary). His work is beautifully energetic and when I looked in the mirror before leaving I noticed that my eyes were a completely different (almost translucent) shade of blue. I'm going back again next week. Same time, same place. Can't wait.

Pria is in the process of turning his house into a holistic center and invited me to work with him in the space. I asked him if he wanted to receive my work before inviting me to be a part of it and he said he didn't need to. He'd been doing this work for 18 years and he just knew. I'm still amazed how quickly I found this network of amazing people. Or maybe they found me.

I went back down to the Plaza to meet up with some classmates, but spoke to Becca on the way down and she told me that our meeting place (a restaurant/bar called The Muse) was closed for a private event. I didn't know where they all went (and they weren't answering their phones), so I asked Jesus (who works in the same alley) where I could find a quiet place with wifi. He walked me up to another small cafe off the Plaza and I settled in. Christina, my server, and I connected immediately. She made me a tea infusion with fresh rosemary, mint and a bunch of other amazing herbs and it was the most perfect complement to the work I had just received. Jesus stopped by again on his break to check in on me (he's like the older brother I never had) and I continued plugging away on my classwork (after a few visits to Facebook).

I learned that Christina is also a therapist but has minimal training. I gave her my info and told her she's welcome to call me if she wants some additional lessons. She seemed eager and we parted with those caring words, "Cuidate mucho" (roughly translated to "take care," but it's said with much more sincerity here).

Orange bananas and a crapload of work

Damn! Just when I thought that I'd get by on my charming personality, I get bombarded with a shitload of work to do in order to get certified as a TEFL teacher. Ugh. So much work to do!

My next mini lesson is Friday morning and I have to create something for the students to read and comprehend. I can take it from a book or write my own, but I'll have to create a full lesson plan and write follow-up notes. And then my next mini lesson is Tuesday afternoon at 4, which means I'll be in school from 9-6. In addition to that, we have to observe 5 classes taught by real TEFL teachers at our school and write papers on all of them -- all due by next Friday. That means I'll be living at school for the next week. Yay.

Yes, I have a little "type A" in me, so lesson planning isn't completely abhorrent, but this style of teaching is so new to me that the work actually seems difficult. I guess nothing here is going to be easy, eh?

After class I went to Mega, Cusco's grocery store. It's always fun shopping in markets in other countries -- and while I enjoy the more traditional markets, sometimes you just need a place to buy soy milk and cereal. And Mega's the place for that!

I spent 109 soles (about $40) on a few more basics: tuna, nuts and dried fruit for Becca, cereal (in these tiny bags), body wash, cheese, more manjar (you can never have too much manjar), bread and bananas. When I peeled one of the bananas on the taxi ride home, I discovered that they were orange. Um, ok. It still tasted like a banana -- I just closed my eyes when I ate it.

Looks like normal bananas....


But it's not!


Some of my other purchases


Don't mock the mac and cheese

Mini Lessons and Massages

Last week, our teacher split us into 2 groups to present our mini lessons to groups of eager Peruvian students -- half of us went on Friday and the other half Monday. Gabriela and I chose to go on Monday, incorrectly thinking that it would give us next Friday off to get to Pisaq. I should've warned her that not only am I mathematically challenged I am also date-inept. We have to teach this Friday, but fortunately it's only in the morning, so we still have plenty of time to get to Pisaq for the ceremony at 7pm (and also have next Monday off!).

Teaching TEFL is completely different from the traditional teaching methods we use at home. The main goal of a TEFL teacher is to talk less and elicit more from the students. And guess who's a talker? Yep. That would be me. Yet another challenge meant to teach me a HUGE lesson. Truthfully, I don't think I even realize how big a lesson this is going to be...

Our mini lessons had guidelines. First, the topic was "How To," so we had to bring a level of comprehension to an activity, complete with easy, step-by-step written instructions that the students would read aloud and then demonstrate. In addition, we had to teach them any vocabulary words they didn't understand. Try explaining with as few words as possible what a word like "often" means. Yeah. The presentations were a lot of fun though. One of my classmates taught an Irish dance (she's from Ireland), another taught how to make sangria (and 10am -- I guess it's 5pm somewhere). I taught them how to give a hand massage.

I was well-prepared and it still wasn't easy. I got my point across and my teacher said that my presence was warm and welcoming. I'm definitely comfortable in front of a class (as many of you know), but I talked waaaaay too much and echoed everything they said (a big no-no). I definitely wasn't the worst in the group, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I'll get there.

I ate lunch at school (a quinoa, queso, tomato and cucumber salad I prepared the other day -- soooo good) and made my way up to San Blas to give Nikki a massage at 3. I was hesitant to rent the room until she had received my work (I don't like referrals without it), so we set up exchange dates rather quickly. It was wonderful working again -- on a table and everything! It was such a grounding experience and I can't wait to be practicing full time. I just need to get through this program...

Some of my lovely, homemade quinoa salad...


I hung out with Moses for a little while. We stopped by one of the churches about a block from the main square and walked around inside for a while. He's an architecture student from Venezuela and is fascinated by the Spanish/Incan structures around this part of town. He knelt to pray while I admired the beauty of space. Sacredness abounds here, whether it's a church, an Incan wall that's now part of a hotel, or an empty bench in a quiet square.



Becca and I had a late bite to eat at The Muse, a cute (but overpriced) cafe in San Blas and made our way home by 11. In bed soon after. Long day of school on Tuesday.

If there's a Jesus there's got to be a Moses, no?

Sunday started out as a low-energy day. I didn't feel tired, even though the festivities of the previous evening put me in bed at 3:30am Sunday morning. I just felt down. Kind of sad. A little homesick. And very lonely.

I'm surrounded by people here, but there are days here when it doesn't matter. I can still feel alone. It's a scary feeling for me because I'm a people person -- I thrive when I'm around people -- but part of this journey is to understand these emotions and find balance. And honestly, it sucks.

I made us a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs with queso and tomatoes and pan. Couldn't eat much though. Becca and I then went to Molino to buy sneakers, backpacks, etc. -- items we couldn't fit in our luggage. Becca wasn't interested in spending much time there and while I could've stayed longer on my own, I accompanied her back to the apartment, this sinking feeling of loneliness/depression kind of setting in.

I reheated some leftovers for lunch and turned on the TV. I hardly watch TV back home and I really don't want to get into the habit here, but it was something to do. Becca was taking a nap and I just couldn't pick myself up off the couch...

Eventually, something inside me snapped. I told myself I wouldn't fall into the same kind of depression that happened to me here a few times in February, so I peeled myself off the couch and attempted to make my way to Paddy's bar to watch the soccer game with some friends. Since school was along the way, I stopped in to call home on their land line with my calling card (so much cheaper than those phone booths at the Internet cafes or using my cell). My conversation with Mike was good. He encouraged me to find my strength from within and refused my request to come down over 4th of July. I know he's right, but those moments of weakness can be a little overwhelming.

Jesus was hanging out in the cafe at school watching the game and we sat and talked for a while. I showed him some pictures of Sam and Stella, my apartment at home, and photos of my last visit here. We talked for a long time about the emotions I was feeling and he really began to lift me out of my funk. We walked to the Plaza de Armas together and parted ways so he could go home to nap before work.

Paddy's was empty by the time I got there and that was OK. I wandered back to the Plaza (about 1/2 block from Paddy's) and sat on the steps of the fountain and soaked in the sun. I put on my headphones, turned on some massage music, closed my eyes and meditated. I waited 4 months to be back here and I had to embrace the moment. There was no place else on Earth I wanted to be. I was pulling myself out of the hole and it felt good to do it on my own.

No sooner did I come out of my funk then a man sat down next to me and started talking to me (in Spanish). His name was Moses and he's from Venezuela. The curliest hair ever. We talked until the sun went down and it started getting cold. We walked to Plaza San Francisco and found some yummy anticucho (meat on a stick with a potato at the end), then headed to a cafe to continue our conversation. Later, as Moses was walking me back to the main square, we ran into Jesus. So, I introduced Jesus to Moses, and they seemed to like each other (not biblically speaking, of course).

Made it home by 9ish and in bed by 10:30. I was presenting my mini lesson in front of a group of Peruvian students the next day and didn't want to stay up late (I'll take Moses up on the offer of Reggae music another night).

Hello, Universe. Thank you.

Before leaving for Peru I put out to the Universe that I wanted to practice massage here in Peru. Truthfully, I don’t know how I could even think of traveling anywhere for such a long time without finding a way to set up a practice. I’ve already massaged half of my class (and plan to massage the rest of them eventually), but I need more than that.

And then I met Gabriella. She’s one of my classmates (from Gaithersburg, MD, no less) and an amazing old soul. She met a Reiki master in the airport on her way here a few weeks ago and plans to move into her house (she rents out rooms) in San Blas (my favorite neighborhood). Turns out there’s a room for me there, too. And space for a studio. Holy shit.

Nikki (the Reiki master) lives on the top floor with her boyfriend and has a studio there as well. My room will be right beneath her studio and it’s HUGE. Large enough for living space and work space and there’s a shared kitchen and bath. It’s perfect. Her client base is rapidly growing and she’s excited about adding a massage therapist to the house. The energy in the space is amazing and I’M GOING TO BE LIVING THERE. Would someone please wake me up?

After meeting Nikki and setting up an exchange date, I headed off to my first yoga class in Peru with Becca, Gabriella and Selena. It was beautiful. 90 minutes of difficult poses, held stretches and focused breathing. I left high as a kite. We ate at a vegetarian restaurant for 7 soles per person (about $2) and Becca and Selena went off to salsa dancing. Gabriella and I searched for a Reggae place with no luck and met up with some other classmates at a place called Mushrooms (yes, seriously). NOT my kind of place – techno music, lots of young girls drinking too much and photographing it, etc. I was about to leave when I met Jeremy – an Australian chiropractor. Ah, so that’s why I was supposed to go there! We talked for a while, he adjusted my neck, we exchanged info and are planning to exchange work. Awesome.

So, now that I have housing almost squared away for the next 6 months, you need to start planning your trips here, people. Don't make me come back to wherever the hell you are and drag your asses down to Cusco because I'll do it, dammit.

I lit the stove!! (and Inti Raymi)

I lit the stove! I lit the stove! Laugh all you want, but this was a big deal. We now have hard-boiled eggs and I made them all by myself. :)

I ran into Jesus on my way into school the other day and he was dressed for the festivities, so naturally he wanted a picture of us while he was in costume. And, naturally, I obliged.



Becca’s having a bit of homesickness, which was expected, but she’s working through it. I feel so at home here that I forget how foreign this is for her. But I'll admit that even the simple things here take a while to understand. For example, figuring out the phones here and how to put credit on them has been a challenge, but I think we’re getting the hang of it. There are no phone plans here. You buy a phone from one of a couple of companies (Claro, Movistar or Telefonica) and then add credit to them when necessary. I really don’t know the difference between the three except that Claro seems to be the most prevalent and my friend Alfredo was insistent that I get a Claro phone. So, we have Claro. The phone’s a piece of shit, but it’s sufficient if you’re obsessed with staying connected.

Inti Raymi was great. Well, the part that we were able to attend. The festival starts at Coricancha and proceeds to La Plaza de Armas (the main square) and then everyone hoofs it up to Saqsaywaman (about 2km from the plaza, uphill, in the sun). We missed the first two ceremonial locations due to school but were able to get up to Saqsaywaman (pronounced "sexy woman")by about 2pm.

But first, school. More practice lessons in preparation for the mini teaching lessons we start doing Friday and Monday with actual students. I don't go until Monday (which means I have Friday off!), so I have the weekend to prepare. We have to teach a "how to" lesson as clearly as possible, provide written instructions to the students and then get critiqued. Lovely. Some of my classmates are going to teach "how to play soccer," or "how to make sangria" (looking forward to the latter, not so much the former).

Since we had a half day of class, we headed out at noon and a small group of us made our way to Mercado San Pedro for lunch before the hike up to Saqsaywaman. The food stalls at San Pedro are a mecca for Peruvians (and me) seeking a cheap lunch. And because I'm the only one in our group who's been here before, I was today's lunchtime ringleader for about 8-9 of us. The roads were packed with people for Inti Raymi and I'm surprised the whole group made it to San Pedro. Each stall has two skinny benches one behind the other, so those in the first row can use the counter as a table while the second row has to hold their bowls. Greg, Sierra and I snagged front row seats while the rest spread out behind us amongst the locals. Bowls of lomo saltado (meat, rice, potatoes and a fried egg), arroz a la cubana (rice, fried banana, fried egg and a few potatoes), arroz con pollo (fried chicken, rice with green sauce, potatoes and pimientos and lima beans (arvejas). Oh so good.

We then proceeded to follow the crowd up to Saqsaywaman, a long, slow climb up flights of slippery steps and then a winding road laden with vendors selling souvenirs and food. We stopped along the way to eat some candied apples and take note of the food we wanted to eat on the way back down (Choclo con queso -- corn with cheese -- was high on my list).







The ceremonies were a little too far away to really appreciate, but the energy at Saqsaywaman is always amazing -- and when you add thousands of people to the mix it's almost enough to carry you away. So many beautiful people, so much good food. Heaven.






We followed the masses back down to the main square and settled in on the steps near the McDonalds (clean bathroom). Some kids (a brother and sister) befriended us and played with us for about an hour. Their father and uncle were selling pictures in the square and these kids were literally running amok ;) We had a blast with them (more pictures will come from that -- Sierra took most of them and I'm waiting to get them off Facebook).

It was such a long day that we headed home by about 7:30. Too tired to do much else. Our mattresses are uncomfortable, so the only way to really get a good night's sleep is to be too tired to notice that you're sleeping on a pile of bricks.

The first day of school, Cusco Day, lots of street food (and not sick yet!)

I'm a couple of days behind, so I'm going to try to catch up as best as possible. Time here seems different. A day feels like a week and week feels like a month. The past couple of days have gone by so quickly and at the same time it feels like I've been here forever.

Before going to school on the first day, Becca and I found some breakfast in a little shop off the street. Well, I found breakfast. It was a freshly carved chicken sandwich with tomatoes, onions, mayo and mustard. Amazing. Becca, a vegetarian, had to look elsewhere. While we were there, a parade of Peruvian men in full costume marched past us on their way to Coricancha to take part in the Cusco day festivities. They were stunning. Cusquenians take so much pride in their city and you can feel it everywhere. It's only heightened during the winter solstice.



We got to school a little early to catch up on emails and made our way up to our classroom on the top floor. Our class is awesome. Sabrina, our teacher is wonderful. She's incredibly good at what she does and today was all about getting to know each other we did just that. The group bonded quickly and many of us already feel like we'll be lifelong friends. Ages range from college (19-20) to mid 40s. I'm on the older end of the scale and that's OK. I wasn't ready to come here and do this before now, and I'm wiser for the life experiences that have led me to this place at this moment. I think teaching will be fun.


Practice lessons

We extended our day so that we could have a half day tomorrow to enjoy Inti Raymi and it worked out well. Class lasted until 4pm and we got right into teaching during the latter half of the day. For lunch, we stepped outside our building and indulged in all the street food that vendors had set up for the festivities. During our orientation we were warned not to eat the street food. Please. If you don't eat the street food you're missing out on a .





Dinner that night was Indian food in San Blas with Gabriella, Selena and her boyfriend Darren. Not bad at all. Good place for a Chicken Tikka Masala fix. Gabriella has invited me to Pisaq next weekend for an ayahuasca ceremony. Can't wait, especially since I have some spiritual things to take care of in Pisaq.

Juice with Jesus and other outings

Since yesterday was really the only full day we had before starting classes, we made the most of it. I got up early, walked around the neighborhood, came back with goodies (like Manjar) and then Becca and I headed out to school to take full advantage of the free wifi (and free coffee and tea). While there, we met Jesus, a student at Maximo Nivel (MN) studying English. He asked us for some homework help. He had to create a conversation between two people and his topic had evolved from graduating from college to getting married to the number of children he wanted to have. Not the most fluid of conversations and I think we were actually helping him cheat. He's a big fan of American slang and "Wasssssup?" is currently his favorite (I'm trying to get him to switch to "Wat up, yo?")

We invited him to join us at Mercado San Pedro for juice and I loyally returned to my juice lady at stall #91, where I was so lovingly served many times in February. She claimed to remember me (who wouldn't??) and we passed an enjoyable 45 minutes slurping up combinado mixtos (mixed fruit juice) and conversing in broken English and Spanish. Becca had a sore throat and my juice lady (I LOVE that I have a juice lady) made her a special concoction of orange juice, alfalfa and honey -- heated! So yummy.


Me, Jesus and Becca (with her magic green juice)


Me, Becca and my juice lady!

We made plans to meet up with Jesus for dinner around 8:15 (and he was actually ON TIME -- claiming that his punctuality made him a bad Peruvian because they're notoriously late) and made our way home for a little nap. Before our dinner date, we walked to Molino (about 10 minutes away -- woo hoo!), bought a can opener for the canned milk we're now going to be drinking, a pair of scissors and a plastic cup to hold our toothbrushes. Yep. We're that interesting.

Dinner was Italian -- I had a craving for pasta -- but no more of that. Just too expensive (about $20 for 3 of us -- I know, I know, it's cheap to you but here it's insanely expensive) especially when I can cook it at home. That is, when I learn how to use the stove.

The stove. The stove is propane and you need a match to light it. I'm not a fan. But I have eggs that need boiling, so I'm going to have to suck it up eventually and pray that I don't burn off my eyebrows in the process.

"I think I acclimate well to new surroundings. Do you think they have ketchup?"

Yep. That was Becca on day two during our very tasty "Americano" breakfast of eggs, cafe con leche, papaya juice and pan (bread). And yes, they had ketchup. She's acclimating just fine.

We are here and settling in. And I'm going to come right out and say it: I cried a little when the plane landed in Cusco yesterday. I'm so happy to be here it's oozing out of me. We actually flew into Lima late Sunday night and stayed over at a Radisson about 20 minutes away from the airport. Brilliant idea. We actually got some sleep, a hot shower and a filling breakfast. There was no need to fly into Cusco early in the morning, so we took a 10am flight and got in around 11:30. Miguel from Maximo Nivel met us at the airport and we taxied to the school, about 2 blocks from the main square and right across the street from Coricancha, the Incan sun temple that the Spanish built over a few times (earthquakes kept destroying the Spanish structures, but the Incan foundation never wavered).

The school is light-filled and active. There's a cafe (where I'm writing this) with free cafe, tea and water (also yummy looking snacks that I'm sure I'll partake in eventually). There is a computer lab and free wifi. Lots of Peruvians and foreigners milling about and the energy is calm. It's gonna be a good place to learn. Our orientation is tomorrow and classes begin on Thursday.

Upon arrival yesterday, we had a little apartment mix up, but everything worked itself out just fine. Becca and I are sharing an apartment on our own (we each have our own room). There are other Maximo Nivel students/volunteers in our building, so hopefully we'll get to know them soon.

Some apartment pics:




I let Becca sleep in this morning (day 2) and took a 2-hour walk around town to get my bearings, as I'm in a different part of town than the ones I'm familiar with. El Molino (my favorite shopping area) is about a 15-minute walk and I'm enjoying the residential feel of our neighborhood -- except for the dustiness. The dogs barking and horns honking last night were a stark reminder that I'm not in DC anymore, but I'll get used to it again.

Picked up a couple of necessities along the way (cereal, canned milk, lightbulbs, pan and, most important, Manjar!!!)



This is a big week here in Cusco. Thursday is Inti Raymi, the winter solstice festival, and last night we encountered at least three or four groups of people publicly practicing the dances they will be performing. Peruvians are absolutely beautiful and their dances are full of stories and immense pride. I can't wait to see them in full costume.

On a practical note, I now have a cell phone here. Email me for the number, should you feel inclined to call (I can't promise that I won't try to convince you to come down here, though).

I'm moving to Peru today. Holy Crap.

Every vacation I take usually requires some level of anxiety for me. Is the flight on time? Did I pack enough underwear? (I didn't on one trip to Vegas -- long story) Shit, where's my passport -- oh, there it is. I normally travel well aside from the constant feeling that I forgot something. This time I forgot nothing. I'm ready to go.

Becca, on the other hand, has enough anxiety for both of us. She woke up around 3:15 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. In addition, her body is kind of going through a bit of a "cleanse" as her fight or flight mode kicks in and prepares her for this journey. She's had bouts of hiccups, sneezing, nausea, and um, frequent trips to the bathroom. And who could blame her? She packed up her entire life and is taking a leap of faith moving to Peru. And while we had our ups and downs this past week (uncomfortable sofa beds, minimal sleep and a couple of reeeaaally late nights led to a few grumpy encounters), I am really looking forward to our journey together. Now if only she'd get out of the airport bathroom...    

And I know you're all dying to know whether or not we actually got everything to fit into our luggage and onto the plane. The short answer is Yes. The slightly longer version is that my duffle was over by 13 pounds (I snuck a few additional items into the bag when Becca wasn't looking) and after a lot of resorting between my enormous purse, carry-on suitcase and duffle, I got it all in and under weight (well, kind of -- the check in guy let me slide by a few pounds over).

We arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale airport around 10 am and spent the afternoon with our Florida family. Great lunch, and great company, giving Becca the grounding she needed. Around 2:30, hugs and kisses were given, prayers sent and safe travels wished. We're now hanging out in the airport waiting to board our flight to Lima. Becca finally crashed -- the emotions of the day have caught up. She'll be just fine ;).

Happiness Is a Stack of White T-Shirts and a Pile of Scarves. Don't Take Away My Happiness, Becca.

After a delicious celebratory birthday meal at 1905 last night, Becca insisted that it was time for me to start packing. Since everything she owns is either in storage in North Carolina or in the rolling duffle bag in my spare bedroom, Becca thinks she has an edge when it comes to paring down and packing. Ok, she probably does. But she's not taking away my white T-shirts!

I'm going to admit that I behaved like a selfish 12-year-old when she started making me decide between two black cardigans (I eventually gave up one), but I think it's all going to fit. I love my clothes and I don't want to leave home without every single item, but it's time to take a step back and look at what's really important in life: making sure all the boots fit.

I must give a shout out to 1905 for such an amazing dinner (I reviewed it on Yelp, too). It's a hidden gem -- kind of a New Yorky, speakeasy kind of place with amazing food and just slightly off the beaten path on 9th St. near U. Go. Go. Go.

Oh, and the pilots at Spirit Airlines are on strike and all flights through Thursday are cancelled. We're flying on Spirit on Sunday. So far. I'll keep you posted.

I Have To Fit 8 Months in THIS BAG??

Ok, so I'm a bit of an idiot. And I say this because I used to be an editor, meticulously reading through every document that crossed my desk. When I became a massage therapist, I started getting lazy. Wait -- correction: I just started "seeing" with my hands instead of my eyes. Yeah, that's it.

So, when Rebecca and I booked our flights to Peru, I only glanced at the pop-up box on Spirit Airlines' Website that said we could only take one bag. I just figured we'd be charged for the second bag like all the other airlines. Uh, no. After purchasing our nonrefundable tickets, we realized that WE CAN ONLY CHECK ONE BAG EACH. Fuck.

I have boots. And books. And kitchen utensils I know I can't find down there (Peruvian vegetable peelers suck). And it all needs to fit into 62 linear inches of luggage. So, the books are being converted into a Sony eReader, the utensils are pared down to only one or two and my clothes are going into vacuum bags, but I may have to wear a few layers of sweaters and jackets on the plane. The boots are still coming.

Shipping items to Peru isn't a good idea. Apparently, customs likes to pick and choose what they will or won't allow into the country and used clothing is a no-no (something about protecting their textile industry). So, between the one checked bag, a carry-on and my purse, I've got 8 months worth of packing to do!

But first, Vegas. Tomorrow, I'm boarding an 8am flight to Las Vegas for the weekend where my friend is working at her association's convention. She had the room, so I bought the ticket. I'll pack next week.