hoy es el dia

i woke up this morning in a bad mood. i didn't feel like speaking spanish today.

but things quickly changed. i got on brilliantly with the 4 brits i met today. they were 4 different incarnations of rhino's dream girl, except they lack specs appeal. but all the same, a good group.

we all went to an impoverished town outside of Lima. we toured

the public health center and a school. and it was magical. i thought to myself, "this is what i've been looking for" but i wonder, does it make me exploititive, and no better than Mr. Bruce Parry himself? that i get excited and perhaps even thrive on being in places where people are living in conditions that would be considered horrific by most of the "1st world" and now i'm orientalizing, and auto-occidentalizing, and getting confused, but yeah, i worry that its not a good thing that i'm interested in these people from an academic standpoint. sure its better than totally ignoring them, but i imagine if i were truly a wonderful person, i'd be trying to help rather than theorize about them.

at the maternal health center in zapallal

but enough. the other highlight of the day was lunch. deep fried cauliflower. now, i've never been the hugest fan of cauliflower, but in its deep fried form, it resembles something one could get at the Veggie Table at the Iowa State Fair. and as if that weren't enough, it was garnished with tomatoes and avacado. pure heaven.

what a day