Downtown Cusco

Last night we rode a taxi into town (quite an adventure in itself) and took in the scenery of an evening in Cusco. We ate at this great place called Inka Grille and walked around the city and looked at all the beautifully lit cathedrals. Interestingly, when we got down there at about 8 pm there were kids getting out of school! I couldn't imagine leaving school past dark. Almost all the schools here require kids to wear uniforms and usually the elementary kids go to school from 8-1 pm and older kids from 3-8 pm in keeping with the mid-afternoon siesta. Walking around Cusco was great, but I have to say that I'm not much of a city boy. Cusco's excitement alongside its colonial beauty is marvelous, but there was so much homeless and poverty that I couldn't enjoy it without a mix of sadness. I think this mixture is true of every city and I can't really bring myself to enjoy it the way I enjoy looking at the stars or the waves or any other natural beauty.

We actually went downtown with Will and Greg our outgoing and incoming apartment-mates. Will is a fellow med students at UASOM with me and he's been down here 5 weeks with Dr. Allen. I've really enjoyed hanging out with him the past 10 or 11 days. It's been really encouraging to hear his perspectives on medicine, his experience here, and his desires for the future. His realism coupled with his hope for change is both motivating and refreshing. We've kind of run in different crowds in Birmingham, but there's not doubt we've developed a good friendship since we've been here. I hope when I start thinking more concretely about career, partners, and place to serve that Will and I can discuss the possibility of working together.

Greg's here from Bozeman, MT via his church. He's actually an ambassador for his congregation who is looking to partner with some missionaries abroad. He's been traveling by himself to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Peru for about 4 weeks. He's a philosophy professor at Montana State University and used to work a L'Abri. I've really enjoyed getting to know him so far and I'm sure Meg and I will have some good conversations with him as well.

To all of you who have commented on the blog, thank you, we've really enjoyed getting your thoughts and feedback. Actually, I would say that you made our day yesterday with your humor, encouragement, and scholarly/technical efforts (Tim and Mom).

Spanish word of the day: El agua! The word that our taxi drive exclaimed as his favorite drink to keep him awake as he works late hours seven days a week. Also, the word for the stuff that we can't drink out of the tap because our digestive systems can't handle the bits of bacteria coming through the faucet.