My ER rotation in Peru: Getting to Trujillo

Well the adventure has begun. It started with the flight. I was on the plane with all of the missionaries going to Peru. I also met one of Adam Barker´s friends from Orange County that was going to Colombia for NuSkin. He has to travel to Italy every month for his job and this was his first time to Latin America. I than sat by a Christian lady who was going to a conference in Atlanta for Christian colleges who told me all about her kids and their congenital and heridatary aortic stenosis. On the way to Peru I sat next to a peruvian woman who was telling me how to stay safe in latin america and how she has acromegaly and diabetes as does her father and how her step mother doesn´t allow him to eat for 7 days at a time. Lets just say that when people ask me what I am doing in Peru the flood gates open about their health and their personal lives.I got to Lima at 1 am and took a taxi that ripped me off to a hostel in an area where the peruvian lady said was safe. I woke up the next morning with 12 hours of doing whatever I wanted so I went and took a taxi to the main plaza where the Peruvian version of the white house was. They had a formal changing of the guards with a marching band and the president came out to see. The band was playing classical music and then played that song that Simon and Garfunkel revised. The cathedral next to the presidential palace had the remains of Francisco Pizarro. I thought it was interesting that such a notorious conquistador would be buried in a cathedral. (He murdered the chief of the Incas when he was giving him a peace offering) I then wandered the streets and was offered tatoos and piercings by 6 different people along with other things that would take away my temple recommend. I was walking around and a 40 year old Inca man started talking to me and asked me where I was from and when he found out about Utah he asked me about the church. He then wanted to show me around the ruins and wanted to practice his English even though we spoke entirely in Spanish. He then started touching my arm a lot and asked me about how the church felt about gay people. Anyways I felt really uncomfortable and he helped me get a taxi and then proceded to ask me for $3. I gave it to him and was happy to get into my taxi.The funny thing is that one of the best parts of the day was my taxi ride to the airport. The taxi driver was 34 and had 3 kids by two different women. He wasn´t educated but he and I talked about world politics, the injustice of poverty, and health care reform. He was fascinated about different cultures in Africa and Asia and asked me tons of questions about my experiences there. The cab ride was roughly 45 minutes and he told me that he was going to charge me the friend rate of $10 because of our conversation (this was much more less than the $30 the night before and so I gave him a tip. He gave me his number and told me that next time I am in Lima he wants me to come and eat at his house with his wife and kids. I told him that if he ever wanted to come to the U.S. that he could stay with mom and dad (I am just joking I told him he could stay at my house)I slept the whole trip to Trujillo on the plane (I wish I would had taken the bus as I would have gotten here sooner and cheaper) I went to a hostal and it was on a pedestrian street so the driver couldn´t take me there and when I got to the Hostal Americano it was closed. I walked around and found another hostel that was a little sketchy. I went and called the doc that I am working with at a local grocery store where there were 5 guys watching soccer. He came and picked me up and while I was waiting one of the guys who was younger than me talked to me about the mining industry, U.S. basketball, and politics. He asked me who the financial secretary to president obama was and I had no clue. When I mentioned names like Greenspan he corrected me. When Dr. Fernandez picked me up, we went to the hospital and I helped with sugery cleaning the wound of a guy who had his arm ripped off in a motor vehicle accident. We were getting it ready for the plastic surgeons to cover the wound with skin. Dr. Fernandez is a great guy and is really happy. However, his wife who is also a doctor calls to check up on him which he gets angry about. I can see why she does it as he took me and another doc out to dinner he was checking out all of the waitresses and making comments about them. I don´t think he is unfaithful but definitely has wandering eyes. Today I worked with one of the technicians taking out stitches, cleaning wounds, and follow up. Dr. Fernandez took me to lunch along with another med student from Peru. We went to the beach and went looking for housing for me. We had ceviche or raw seafood doused with lemon juice. It was really good and so far I am not sick. I am now staying in an old mansion build in the 1600´s in the center of the city with a balcony overlooking the yellow and blue colonial streets and an old church is across the street. I start working in the ER tomorrow and will probably spend the rest of my time there.I am healthy and happy and loving my white pantsScott