When the shower does`t work, you can`t find the tape, and laundry becomes exercise.

There are times when things happen and you can just see the irony in them, see how it is a metaphor for your life. My time in Cusco has brought on many feelings of insecurity, an unfamiliarity with my surroundings and a general feeling of being lost that can be summed up in one or two experiences. We wanted tape to hang things on the wall. Now at home, all I would have to do is go to my kitchen an get some. If it wasnt there, I knew probably at least 10 places where I could go and buy some, very easily. In Cusco, Peru, however, things are a little different. First we tried to call people to see if they could tell us where to buy tape, however, no one answered. Then our landlady came back, and said that she would show us to a place where we could get some. However, we get there and they dont sell it. So Catherine and I are standing there, in the rain, with no idea where to go to find tape. That is the story of my life right now...no idea where to find the simplest things, no idea where to go. Not even a clue if I should turn left or right because nothing is familiar. The other night Catherine went to take a shower, and the water wouldnt turn on. Further investigation showed that we had no running water at all. The thing is that these things are going to happen, more often then we might expect, and its a shock at first. We did our laundry for the first time and I think I burned all the calories I consumed during that day scrubbing each individual sock. That is going to be a daily event. Everything I am learning starts from the very beginning. Learning how to take orders in the bakery, how to help make the bread in the kitchen, where to walk the girls to school begins with a blank slate. So right now you can find me in Cusco, Peru, constantly searching for tape.