Hi readers!
This will have to be short and sweet, as I'm ready for bed, but I wanted to share a few highlights of today...
1. I went to a lovely 11:30 AM misa at La Compania, which was rather difficult to get to in light of the HUGE crowd of people milling around the plaza for a civic/community parade of sorts. I made it there, though, and was glad for the peace of the mass. Today's Gospel reading was about Jesus' words, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The words are ones that I often ponder because they have led to quite a few different conclusions about where non-Christians are going when they die. Of late, I've been rather inclined to think that we have no right to judge what exactly it means to get to Heaven "through" Jesus. I think that many Christians use Jesus' words to argue that people who don't believe in God or who don't call themselves "Christians" will not go to Heaven. But I think there are other possible interpretations...such as, perhaps, that Jesus is the doorway by which we enter Heaven, but that in His compassion He doesn't exclude any of those who accept his invitation to enter, even if the invitation is accepted after one's earthly death. Basically, I don't think that the meaning of Jesus' words can be any more than loosely interpreted in this case--at least not without our taking on a judgment role that hasn't been assigned to us. Anyway.
2. After church, I went to meet my dear new friend Dominga, the woman I met last week selling baked goods outside of the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. Today, I sat with her for a bit and we exchanged numbers and addresses so that we could schedule a time to get together over coffee and practice English/Spanish together. While I sat with her, one of the nuns from the convent came out with some lunch for Dominga, and Dominga tried to give it to me, telling me that I was her dear friend and she wanted me to have her soup. I finally convinced her to eat it herself, but only after agreeing to eat the corn on the cob they had brought out for her. She is so generous, and so full of joy. Luckily, she also seems to understand my Spanish. I'm excited for our next reunion!
3. I spent some time reading in San Blas, and then relocated to another little plaza overlooking the Plaza de Armas but far less populated. As I sat, I was approached by various vendors, as usual, and after a while, a young Peruvian girl of about 18 came and sat beside me. She asked me where I was from and how long I was in Cusco, and I answered obligingly, all the while awaiting a sales pitch of some sort. It turns out that she actually was planning on seeing if I wanted a massage, but she never ended up making her pitch because we got into a nice conversation and found ourselves chatting for an hour or so. In Peru, it's far more common to ask intimate questions than in the US, so she (her name is Meriya) started off by asking me if I had a husband and kids, then if I had a boyfriend, then if anyone had ever professed love to me. It was pretty funny, and since I tend to be rather open about such things, I found it endearing rather than irksome. It turns out that she is the second oldest of nine children, and wants to travel and be a singer. We exchanged e-mail addresses, and I'm excited at the prospect of perhaps seeing her again and doing something fun in Cusco together. We also took a photo of the two of us, which I'll share once I get around to another upload.
4. I bought some super fabulous, warm, fuzzy socks to replace my sadly hole-ridden pair from Albania. Because of the pastel pattern I chose, my feet look like super snazzy Easter eggs. I could not be happier about this.
5. I enjoyed two nice phone conversations, one with the beautiful Miss Sarah Hartman, and the other with the also beautiful Miss Jayme Ewanichak. So great to catch up with some dear friends from home. I miss everyone, but I'm glad to at least be able to share my experiences. Thank God for the world wide web!
Off to bed, beautiful people! Sleep well!
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