Barbecue Bathing, Combis, Laundry and Tim's 1st Violin Recital

Barbecue Bathing

Above is a picture of the hot water heater and propane tank in our bathroom. Any time we take a bath or shower, the flames fire up and for the first few minutes the bathroom smells like a barbecue. Another unique aspect of this type of water heating is that you never know exactly when the propane tank will run out...until the water turns REALLY cold (instantly). Thankfully we've never had shampoo in our hair at that point.

Combis
The dominant form of local transportation here in Cuzco is the "combi" (pronounced "comb-bee"). They're 10-15 passenger vans that race all around town for 60 centimos per ride, which is basically 20 US cents. You often find yourself sitting next to a farmer with his or her bundles of produce or people with their various animals. Last week we rode next to a woman who had three bags of live chickens that were clucking and moving around.

Laundry "Old School" Style

We now think twice before throwing our clothes in the "dirty clothes hamper," because we have to wash everything by hand. Below is a picture of our laundry drying in our outdoor washroom. We are really going to appreciate the luxury of a washer & dryer upon our return to the U.S. (not to mention a dishwasher, kitchen appliances, an oven that indicates the temperature, hot water in our kitchen sink, a vacuum, etc.). Though we live in an urban home, we sometimes feel like we are enjoying life in "The Little House on the Prairie." It's actually a lot of fun.

The Inaugural Performance of Timothy "Itzhak Perlman" Mayes

Tim performed in his first violin recital last night. The way the recital was organized, the older and more experienced violinists played first and then with each subsequent song more kids joined in (whomever had reached that level of playing). Tim started his lessons two months ago and is still at the one-note rhythm point. He and his cohort were to play last in the concert keeping rhythm to "Estrellitas" ("Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"), repeating the one musical note that they have learned. Well, Tim was so eager to get up and play that when he heard mention of this song--which was for kids who could actually play it--he jumped onto the stage. His teacher was way at the back of the group and could not see him to tell him to wait. I (Jen) frantically tried to get his attention by calling his name and waving, which he interpreted as excitement and support on my part and waved back to me. I could not get there in time to get him off the stage. Below is a 13-second video clip of his memorable performance. My apologies for the shaking of the camera; I was laughing so hard it kept moving.

Love to all of you and Feliz Navidad!

Isaiah 9:6
"For to us a child is born and to us a son is given...And He will be called 'Wonderful Counselor', 'Mighty God', 'Everlasting Father', 'Prince of Peace'."