Why do I like KU?

I am in a second state of shock, disbelief, and depression after another Kansas disaster in the NCAA tournament. Why do I even care?

I was, however, watching SportsCenter the other day, for the first time since I left home, and I saw a short piece on the Division III tournament and even saw some clips of UPS. It was crazy to be here in Peru, watching highlights from UPS basketball.

I have included below some photos of the poorer areas of Arequipa, including one of a woman making blocks of stone which are later used in the houses. They sell blocks in bunches of 200 for 300 soles, which is less than 100 USD. The reflection off the rocks makes everything amazingly bright and the work is incredibly difficult. It reminded me of the lime mine Robbin Island where Mandela was forced to work, only here in Peru it is a job and a life. When I was asked what the difference is between the poor of Arequipa and poor in the US I responded language, thinking that hunger is hunger everywhere, and lack of health care is lack of health care, but was told to come up with a smarter answer. While this frustrated me, the man taking me around told me that here even the poor at least have some land and can build a small house or shack, while in the US many poor are unable to have a home. It made me realize that I have been away long enough to have forgotten largely about social conditions in the US. Perhaps even when I was at home I didn't think all that much about how poor live in the US. I can't help but feel a little embarrassed at the chunk of change the Watson has given me to explore canyons, especially when I consider what I see here and think about the shortcomings of the US. All of this makes another Kansas loss depressing, but not all that important.