Peruvian Adventures

Peru is amazing. Cusco and Machu Picchu are destinations that I also add to the highly recommended list. Much like visiting Egypt and seeing the pyramids and tombs constructed so many thousands of years ago without technology, seeing the Inca ruins was really awe inspiring. And serves to remind us that we’re really not as smart as we like to think we are.

But unfortunately seeing Machu Picchu was not the most adventurous part of my trip. In an unexpected turn of events, I had an overnight stay in a Peruvian hospital during my vacation. I will spare you all the gory details, but needless to say that an emergency visit to the hospital in a developing country where you don’t speak the language (my spoken Spanish is actually a combination of Portuguese plus a smattering of actual Spanish words necessary to order beer and exchange pleasantries) was quite the intense, nerve wracking experience. Thankfully, when it was all said and done, I got good treatment and have been recovering just fine. But, I certainly felt like I’ve now experienced a different side of expat life, being far away from familiar healthcare, having a limited ability to discuss my health and decide about my treatment in my own language, and feeling extremely far away from my family for the first time. Quite the experience…Maybe this means that I have been truly initiated to South American life now?

For more photo highlights (hospital photos of me with an IV, withheld) visit this album.