A Healthy Boost of Confidence

Well after and exciting and exhausting trip from Arequipa, Puno and then to Cusco I was able to let loose a bit in Lima. I only had a few days in Lima because I would be heading to Moyobamba in a few days to finally volunteer. Firstly had to party a bit in Lima before going to Moyobamba and also started to push my comfort zone. I am a very out spoken person and can crack some good jokes but when it comes to women a lot of the confidence goes away. There is a big fear that comes over me when I get into situations with the opposite sex. I find that there is a major tension that I get in my stomach and start to get very nervous.

You need to be confident in yourself and not worry about others opinions about you. This is advice that I have given to many friends and believe in what I say. Sometimes I do not practice my own teachings and fall short of some of my ambitions. Being on this trip I have been learning a lot about myself, have been pushing my comfort zones and have been liking it very much. I have gained more confidence in myself, my views about life and not worrying too much about what others think of me.

So in Lima I went out for a night of fun seeing art and then going out to a Disco to go dance. The art show was along the street surrounding the park in Miraflores and it was less then what I was expecting. Some of the artist where very good and some paints were close to surrealism which I have had a recent liking too after the show in Vancouver. There was a lot of art that was very touristy which really did not stir my pot. Though in the park there was an elevated walkway that went up close to the canopies of the trees. It was called breathing trees and lights and noises were added as effects of trees breathing. I was a cool effect and reminded me of work a bit.

I met up with my amiga (friend that is a girl) that I have been hanging out with a lot in Lima. She was also there with another friend of hers that I have not met before. It is good thing that most of her friends can speak English and we all get along. Most of her friends are lawyers and this one is one as well but wants to change into human resources career. She has traveled to Washington D.C. for an internship and wants to travel more in the future. Since our other friend was taking her time we headed to a restaurant that served a famous Peruvian.

At the restaurant my amigas would not tell me what I was going to eat. They said they had a previous experience with a friend that when they told him the contents of what he was eating that he never wanted anymore. The restaurant looked well kept and there was a lot of people in place eating so I had no worries. I have eaten in a lot worse places then this one. It was a meat dish on skewers with potatoes and it was delicious. The meat was cooked right, juicy and just the right amount of seasoning on it. Now remember that I have eaten Guinea Pig already so I was wondering could it be worse than that. Finally when I finished the dish they told me it was the heart of the cow. Which my response was I want more but was already full from the last dish so I passed but would defiantly have it again.

After the meal we headed to the disco to let loose. When we got there the club was not really bumping and our one friend decide to leave an head to another bar. Just a few minutes after she left the place started to turn into a party. No this time my pants stayed on and danced a lot this time around. Before we started to dance my friend Monica had a little talk to me about my confidence. She said that I was funny and handsome but need to be more straight and confident. She realized this when I told he a story about my time in Huancayo. I smiled at some girls walking down the road but never went up to talk to them. This is where my confidence falls of the bike and have never really got back on and started to ride again.

Most discos play a mixture of music of salsa music and American top 40 hits. The dance of Perú is very different from the dance in North America. Here the guys have to dance pretty good and there is less grinding (guys always facing the back of the girl while the girls behind grinds the man) then in North America. You are more face to face with your partner and I find that there is a closer connection. Salsa music is a type of music that brings out your sexual side when you dance. The dance is like a game of cat and mouse with your partner where you get close and then separate. I was dancing with the girl I recently met and felt that there was a tension with us while dancing. So I decided to take my friends advice and lock lips with her. The feeling that came over me when she kissed back cannot be describe. I felt excited and relief because I finally broke a fear that I have always had. That night a barrier was broken and have found that a new energy has taken over inside of me. Pushing that zone of comfort really brings on the magic and so much energy pushes through you system.

We danced till four in the morning and then we all headed to our homes. The next day though another type of fear arose about worrying how she felt after the night because I have never been in this situation before. Luckily I have really good friends and got some really good advice on the situation. So after a day of rest of I decide that should be another night of with her. She is a really lovely girl and learned more about her on the date and she showed me some really good places around town. I enjoyed my time with her and glad that I made the call to see her again. I usually let fear take over me in situations like this an never take the next step. I have learned never to let fear take over and push your comfort zone. Be honest with yourself and always walk the talk. From now on I will always take my own advice and push myself through tough situations.