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.