Peruvian days

Hello all!

This is Ted writing to you from Cusco, Peru. To those of you who didn´t know, I am spending 3 weeks at a Hospital in Cusco on an international rotation. I arrived here yesterday morning after about a 24 hour travel that brought me from MPLS to Miami to Lima and then Cusco the next day. I did get to meet some interesting people on my trip. Chad Greenway and Ben Lieber were on the flight to Miami going to the Bahamas with their families. I met a Peruvian woman in Miami that was trying to take 3 large bags on the flight that each weighed just under 50 lbs (yes, I did carry them for her). And in Lima I met a Canadian who is not allowed into the US because of something he did in Africa 20 years ago. He didn´t say and I didn´t ask.

I´m staying with a pharmacist named Haydee in her 3 bedroom house. I get a room, bathroom, and 3 meals a day for 20 dollars. She knows very little english, but is very patient with broken spanish.

Since I arrived I have been spending time getting adjusted with the altitude and the rich history in Cusco. This city was the center of the Incan empire, and also the focal point of the Spanish conquests. That means that there are plenty of Incan ruins and temples along with Spanish Cathedrals to visit. I purchased a student pass for 5 bucks and get an audio tour of these great monuments. For the persons who visted the Montserrate, its kinda like that, only bigger and more of them. Its neat to see the incorporation of the Spanish catholism with the incan way of life. Plus the details put into these buildings are breathtaking.

I´ve also arranged for some spanish classes next week and I´ll be visiting Macchu Picchu over my last weekend.

Oh yes, the rotation. I went to the hospital today to meet my contact person. But he wasnt there. I went to the information desk and they told me he had the day off and would return tomorrow. I then asked if I could get access to the floors with the medical teams and patients, but I didn´t have proper ID or papers - both of which this man has. So, we´ve already experienced our first ¨manyana¨ event of the trip - probably not the last.

Next week I should be able to upload some pictures. I´m at an internet cafe and don´t have enough time for that here. there are no pictures allowed in the churches and temples, but I´ve got some good ones of the city and hospital.