As usual, the Janda fam has been busy for the last couple of days. Saturday we traveled by train from Cusco to Puno, a city right on the famous Lake Titicaca. It was fantastic to see the Peruvian countryside for ten hours and made me truly realize how I've grown to adore Peru (but I'll get to that later). Puno is at about 13,000 feet above sea level so altitude adjustment is a never ending game for us gringos, and it's one that we're constantly the underdogs. Luckily, the whole family handled the adjustment quite well.
On Sunday we were off to explore Lake Titicaca. To give some facts about Lake Titicaca, it is the highest navigable lake in the world, is comprised of fresh water, and is divided in half between Peru and Bolivia. The first stop was to visit the floating islands of the Uros people. THEY WERE SO COOL. These people fled the Peruvian mainland after the Inca took over and over the past several hundred years have developed a way to make reed islands that float on top of the lake. It was fascinating to learn about their way of life and the values of their community. Then we were off to the island of Taquile, this one not floating, to also witness their way of life, listen to a bit about their culture and enjoy a lovely lunch. The vistas from Taquile were absolutely stunning, it reminded me so much of the Mediterranean coast of Greece, with the brilliant blue water and jagged rocky cliffs. Traveling by boats through the lake, I was drawn to the natural beauty of this place. Growing up in Michigan, I think it's only natural to love being on, in or around the water... I mean, we have to love it, the state's a peninsula. And being on this giant lake where people spoke Spanish and had countless different ways of life was like an oasis for my ever curious soul.
Monday we traveled by bus over the Peru-Bolivia border and then upon arriving in Bolivia boarded a hydrofoil to go to Sun Island and later to Huatajata to travel again by bus to La Paz. According to myth, Sun Island is the place that gave rise to the first Incan ruler that led to the Incan empire. Also the Sun Island is home to "fountain of youth" like waters. Now, to avoid turning into a fetus if it actually did work, I abstained. However, it was unbelievably entertaining to watch Allison splash herself with some of the water just for fun. We then arrived in Huatajata, boarded our bus and headed to La Paz, our final stop on the tour. Today we had a city tour of La Paz. The morning was jam packed going to "The Valley of the Moon", a folklore museum filled with masks, pottery, feather costumes and textiles, the main square of La Paz, and the "Witches Market." Later we had a wonderful farewell dinner at the National Museum of Art.
To think that this is my last full day in South America is a notion I don't want to process right now. This has been my home for the past seven weeks and the idea that in 48 hours I will be back at Lighthouse Ct seems so foreign, ironic I know. I've traveled a lot and seen many places... however Peru is probably one of the only places that I actually consider myself to know. Throughout these past seven weeks, I've seen so many different ways of life that I feel as though my eyes have truly been even more opened to more of the world around me.
A dear friend of mine asked me how my heart was doing in all of this a coupd of weeks ago, and the question really hit home (as most of the lovely Danielle Alaimo's questions do). My heart has been broken more times than I can count by the things I've witnessed, but God really helped me all through it. He had me seeing a beautifully tragic reality in so many different and unexpected ways: the raw emotion of mourning from the screams of the mother, the truly beautiful condition of Jefery and his love of life even though he can't live it "to the fullest" by our society's standards, the joy and zeal of Valentino and Sanjury (two children that have HIV) that never ceases and they are always dreaming big despite their grave situations, the metamorphosis of the self conscious mother with HIV to the confident Peruvian woman just because someone cared about her opinion, Heidi and Maité's faces when they are told that they are special and worthy of love, Cristian's excitement about someone holding his hand... and I could go on and on. In the past when I went on missions or service trips, I would come home slightly depressed about it all, especially when I got back from Nicaragua. However, here, here (and when I went to Guatemala in January of 2011) was different. I now look at life and poverty through a looking glass of hope, faith and love and not out of hopelessness and depression. Yes, this world is very much broken... but it's a reminder that none of us can do anything on our own, if we could, earth would be heaven, and we all know that's certainly not the case. I'm constantly humbled here, and I don't want that to change. My time here in Huancayo, Peru as a whole and my brief stint in Bolivia and the time spent with the Huancainas has forced me to take a real look at myself and at others. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.
Thanks for reading and keeping tabs on my life south of the equator. Yes, I will be returning to the great north shortly in one piece (that is if I make it through customs). I hope you all have had an amazing summer so far and that ultimately, I glorified God and was true to myself in the process of this blog.
Dear brothers, let us not love in word or tongue, but in action and in truth 1 John 3:18
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
"Don't Forget Me, Kevin Costner!", the Dream of the Decade, RIP Billy, and a Peruvian Fashion Show: An Epic Experience
Tuesday seems like ages ago. Honestly, I woke up a tad under the weather but the itinerary for the tour kept me going, hiking the Incan ruins of Ollantaytambo. I have a confession, that most of you probably already know, I'm a history nerd to the extreme. One of the reasons why I have been dying to go to Peru was a video we watched about amazing Incan ruins in Mr. Williams' 6th grade Social Studies class, and I've been plagued by this desire ever since. Therefore, some stomach grumblings were NOT going to keep me from hiking up ruins. Ollantaytambo was spectacular and I made it all the way through everything without feeling too awful. However, when the adrenaline rush (yes, I'm such a history nerd that I had an adrenaline rush by going to ruins, I understand my precarious state) wore off, I was much worse for the wear and tried to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
Wednesday was the day that I had been waiting for, for legitimately the past decade... Machu Picchu. First we had a walking tour of the town of Ollantaytambo and then the journey began. We first boarded a bus from our hotel to the train station then took the train to Aguas Calientes and then a bus up to the base of the archeological site. Now, the amazing thing was that we were not the only ones who knew this path, the vendors did as well. We met a charming gentleman trying to sell us jewelry, who kept on shouting at our bus "Don't forget me, Kevin Costner!" Yes, that's right, a tiny Peruvian jewelry salesman is named Kevin Costner. To be frank, Kevin Costner is practically our extra tour group member, he seriously has been everywhere.
After all the various means of transportation, we arrived at Machu Picchu. Honestly, I was beyond giddy. We walked into the site and it was nothing short of breathtaking. The vastness of the site and the amazing mountains created a vista that is almost mystical. The engineering feats were enough to make any (Bucknell) civil engineer (yes, I'm talking about you Oswaldo) drool. It's times like these that I realize how small I really am. Not only am I surrounded by the terraces and incredible mason-work of the Incans but also the towering mountains made by an even greater Creator. I just dwelled in the scene and it certainly is something I will never forget. Basically, Mr. Williams, that video was not just hype... in fact, it understated it all.
Unfortunately, the adrenaline rush bit me in the butt again, and that night I crashed... and hard. At dinner I was pretty much a zombie, however there was something to make me laugh. A fellow tour group member ordered the Peruvian delicacy, cuy, or guinea pig. He was a little unsure about eating the furry creature and felt even worse when the waiter set down the plate and said "His name was Billy, he was a good little cuy." While laughter is the best medicine, it wasn't the right prescription for me. I felt sick through the night and for most of the next day. Luckily, it was mainly a day of travel back by train and bus to the Incan capital city of Cusco. I was hoping for a fairly calm train ride back, but apparently Vistadome didn't get my memo. Sipping on my Sprite, I was startled by a man in a traditional Peruvian parade costume who was dancing up and down the aisles and a fashion show ensued of "wonderful alpaca goods." Welcome to Peru! We got of the train and not only was the wonderful Kevin Costner there to greet us at the train station and the hotel, but he also brought his buddy, Martha Washington... I wish I was joking.
Today was a busy day of site-seeing in Cusco and the surrounding area. First we went to Saqsayhuaman (which is actually pronounced "Sexy Woman", making us be as mature as middle school boys) an amazing archeological site that actually served as a quarry for the colonial Spaniards. The Incans were just so ridiculously brilliant. Then we went to Qorikancha, originally an Incan temple that was then turned into a cathedral. However, the joke was really on the Spaniards since their building fell twice due to earthquakes, but the Incan foundation and original walls still stand and aren't even cracked. Afterwards we went to yet another cathedral in the main square, La Plaza de Armas, of Cusco. Then the rest of day was spent shopping and wandering the narrow streets of Cusco. Tomorrow we are off to Puno and are really excited to see the floating villages on Lake Titicaca! More to follow!
Wednesday was the day that I had been waiting for, for legitimately the past decade... Machu Picchu. First we had a walking tour of the town of Ollantaytambo and then the journey began. We first boarded a bus from our hotel to the train station then took the train to Aguas Calientes and then a bus up to the base of the archeological site. Now, the amazing thing was that we were not the only ones who knew this path, the vendors did as well. We met a charming gentleman trying to sell us jewelry, who kept on shouting at our bus "Don't forget me, Kevin Costner!" Yes, that's right, a tiny Peruvian jewelry salesman is named Kevin Costner. To be frank, Kevin Costner is practically our extra tour group member, he seriously has been everywhere.
After all the various means of transportation, we arrived at Machu Picchu. Honestly, I was beyond giddy. We walked into the site and it was nothing short of breathtaking. The vastness of the site and the amazing mountains created a vista that is almost mystical. The engineering feats were enough to make any (Bucknell) civil engineer (yes, I'm talking about you Oswaldo) drool. It's times like these that I realize how small I really am. Not only am I surrounded by the terraces and incredible mason-work of the Incans but also the towering mountains made by an even greater Creator. I just dwelled in the scene and it certainly is something I will never forget. Basically, Mr. Williams, that video was not just hype... in fact, it understated it all.
Unfortunately, the adrenaline rush bit me in the butt again, and that night I crashed... and hard. At dinner I was pretty much a zombie, however there was something to make me laugh. A fellow tour group member ordered the Peruvian delicacy, cuy, or guinea pig. He was a little unsure about eating the furry creature and felt even worse when the waiter set down the plate and said "His name was Billy, he was a good little cuy." While laughter is the best medicine, it wasn't the right prescription for me. I felt sick through the night and for most of the next day. Luckily, it was mainly a day of travel back by train and bus to the Incan capital city of Cusco. I was hoping for a fairly calm train ride back, but apparently Vistadome didn't get my memo. Sipping on my Sprite, I was startled by a man in a traditional Peruvian parade costume who was dancing up and down the aisles and a fashion show ensued of "wonderful alpaca goods." Welcome to Peru! We got of the train and not only was the wonderful Kevin Costner there to greet us at the train station and the hotel, but he also brought his buddy, Martha Washington... I wish I was joking.
Today was a busy day of site-seeing in Cusco and the surrounding area. First we went to Saqsayhuaman (which is actually pronounced "Sexy Woman", making us be as mature as middle school boys) an amazing archeological site that actually served as a quarry for the colonial Spaniards. The Incans were just so ridiculously brilliant. Then we went to Qorikancha, originally an Incan temple that was then turned into a cathedral. However, the joke was really on the Spaniards since their building fell twice due to earthquakes, but the Incan foundation and original walls still stand and aren't even cracked. Afterwards we went to yet another cathedral in the main square, La Plaza de Armas, of Cusco. Then the rest of day was spent shopping and wandering the narrow streets of Cusco. Tomorrow we are off to Puno and are really excited to see the floating villages on Lake Titicaca! More to follow!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Reminiscing and Reunions
Yeah, this time it has been a while, but I have a valid excuse. The hotel in Lima would not let me type in the blog box, so now I will update you about my life since Thursday.
Thursday, I left Huancayo... and it wasn't so much willingly. After all my bags were packed, my send off lunch of lomo saltado (so yummy) and handing in my white coat I as to the bus station and climbed into my oh so comfortable seat situated on the top level of the bus in front of a panoramic windows. As the bus lumbered through the narrow streets of Huancayo and out of its boundaries towards Sicaya, I started to reminisce. This place had been my home for over five weeks of tremendous growth, and now I was barreling on to a new destination, leaving a trail of dust and memories.
Now, I promised honesty on this blog, so here it is... and I started to cry. For those of you who know me quite well (and probably those of you who don't know me very well at all), know that I, Kathryn Mae Janda, am not known for my grace, and when I cry, normally it is quite a blotchy skin-filled scene with a rather loud soundtrack of sniffles. Luckily this time (I thought), I was being pretty discrete about the whole thing, yet I was still being stared at by several Peruvian little old ladies, the European giant sitting across the aisle from me and the bus attendant who would alternate between checking-up on me, ask me continuously if I wanted his handkerchief and asking me whether I had time for a coffee in Lima (which I legitimately didn't). As we weaved from the desert-like mountains surrounding Huancayo to the switchbacks of some of the snow-covered Andes, it truly hit me how much I love Peru, it's stunningly unique and rugged beauty, volunteering and my tie to this place. Sure, I'll be back in the states in about two weeks and Bucknell in less than a month. However, I left a different person than when I arrived, and that was precisely what I was hoping for.
After 8 hours of switchbacks and a wide array of scenery, I arrived at the bus station in Lima and was taken to the hotel to prepare for the arrival of my family and get ourselves ready for the tour to start on Saturday. As I walked into the hotel, I stared at the chandelier and gold leaf crown molding and the following was my train of thought: 1). I bet they have hot water here. 2). WHAT the heck am I wearing? 3). My pants are so baggy (air-drying your clothes doesn't shrink jeans like a dryer) that all of these people could probably tell I'm from Detroit, what a hood rat. Once in the room I laid out all of my little goodies for Mom, Dad and Allison and put out quite a little buffet of Peruvian goodies. When they finally arrived it was a great reunion and we were excited to have the day on Friday to explore on our own.
Friday we enjoyed ourselves and each other's company just wandering around the district of Miraflores in Lima, checking out the Larco Mar, an outdoor mall near our hotel and strolling through parks and random streets in the area. Now, my spidey sense of bargain hunting was definitely not triggered (there was an alpaca sweater that was over 20 times the price that I paid for an alpaca sweater for Dad that was nicer) but my other freakish sense was triggered, my sense of direction. Even though I was only in Lima for about 12 hours (including sleep time), just by wandering around I ended up finding the hostel that I stayed at over a month ago, so crazy!
Then for lunch I finally got to have one of my favorite Peruvian cuisine staples, ceviche. Ceviche is a dish with fresh ocean fish (and other seafood goodies for the more adventurous eaters) that is marinated in lime juice and refrigerated for several hours. The lime juice actually cooks the fish and is mixed with veggies and fresh herbs and spices. The ceviche, causa, everything else at the restaurant Pez Amigo was absolutely to die for. But the culinary goodies weren't done there. That night for dinner we went to a classic Limeño establishment, Rosa Nautica. I seriously had one of the best meals of my life including chupé, a seafood soup that I'm going to desperately try to recreate when I get home. All in all a great first day for the fam in Lima. The revelation of the day: in Peru, I'm the boss, since I'm the only person that can actually order food and bail my mischievous Father out of trouble (a very important task since in Peru you are guilty until proven innocent).
Saturday we met up with the rest of the group, and started our official tour of Lima. After some great stops in the colonial district, visiting an old cathedral, touring a monastery, worming through their catacombs, going to a museum to see pre-Incan pottery and other artifacts our Peruvian and Bolivian adventure had actually began. Sunday we went to an amazing art museum in exhibition park, an art gallery (which no joke housed a LOT of robot statues), and my personal favorite district in Lima, Barranco. Barranco is the "bohemian" section of Lima, has gorgeous ocean front vistas and is home to some pretty big names in Latin American literature, including the one of the latest winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa.
Today we got on the road early and flew to Cuzco in the Andean Highlands. From the airport we had an incredibly drive through the Andes to a llama and alpaca farm. Now, when I first read about this on the itinerary, I was less than amused. I mean, come on, how much more cliché can you get? But actually, it was really fun! We got to feed alpacas and llamas and my personal highlight, got to see a llama chase Allison at least 10 feet, ha ha ha! Afterwards we had a FEAST of a meal at a Paso Horses ranch and headed to our hotel in Urubamba. The whole Janda family is having a marvelous time and more updates to follow!!
Thursday, I left Huancayo... and it wasn't so much willingly. After all my bags were packed, my send off lunch of lomo saltado (so yummy) and handing in my white coat I as to the bus station and climbed into my oh so comfortable seat situated on the top level of the bus in front of a panoramic windows. As the bus lumbered through the narrow streets of Huancayo and out of its boundaries towards Sicaya, I started to reminisce. This place had been my home for over five weeks of tremendous growth, and now I was barreling on to a new destination, leaving a trail of dust and memories.
Now, I promised honesty on this blog, so here it is... and I started to cry. For those of you who know me quite well (and probably those of you who don't know me very well at all), know that I, Kathryn Mae Janda, am not known for my grace, and when I cry, normally it is quite a blotchy skin-filled scene with a rather loud soundtrack of sniffles. Luckily this time (I thought), I was being pretty discrete about the whole thing, yet I was still being stared at by several Peruvian little old ladies, the European giant sitting across the aisle from me and the bus attendant who would alternate between checking-up on me, ask me continuously if I wanted his handkerchief and asking me whether I had time for a coffee in Lima (which I legitimately didn't). As we weaved from the desert-like mountains surrounding Huancayo to the switchbacks of some of the snow-covered Andes, it truly hit me how much I love Peru, it's stunningly unique and rugged beauty, volunteering and my tie to this place. Sure, I'll be back in the states in about two weeks and Bucknell in less than a month. However, I left a different person than when I arrived, and that was precisely what I was hoping for.
After 8 hours of switchbacks and a wide array of scenery, I arrived at the bus station in Lima and was taken to the hotel to prepare for the arrival of my family and get ourselves ready for the tour to start on Saturday. As I walked into the hotel, I stared at the chandelier and gold leaf crown molding and the following was my train of thought: 1). I bet they have hot water here. 2). WHAT the heck am I wearing? 3). My pants are so baggy (air-drying your clothes doesn't shrink jeans like a dryer) that all of these people could probably tell I'm from Detroit, what a hood rat. Once in the room I laid out all of my little goodies for Mom, Dad and Allison and put out quite a little buffet of Peruvian goodies. When they finally arrived it was a great reunion and we were excited to have the day on Friday to explore on our own.
Friday we enjoyed ourselves and each other's company just wandering around the district of Miraflores in Lima, checking out the Larco Mar, an outdoor mall near our hotel and strolling through parks and random streets in the area. Now, my spidey sense of bargain hunting was definitely not triggered (there was an alpaca sweater that was over 20 times the price that I paid for an alpaca sweater for Dad that was nicer) but my other freakish sense was triggered, my sense of direction. Even though I was only in Lima for about 12 hours (including sleep time), just by wandering around I ended up finding the hostel that I stayed at over a month ago, so crazy!
Then for lunch I finally got to have one of my favorite Peruvian cuisine staples, ceviche. Ceviche is a dish with fresh ocean fish (and other seafood goodies for the more adventurous eaters) that is marinated in lime juice and refrigerated for several hours. The lime juice actually cooks the fish and is mixed with veggies and fresh herbs and spices. The ceviche, causa, everything else at the restaurant Pez Amigo was absolutely to die for. But the culinary goodies weren't done there. That night for dinner we went to a classic Limeño establishment, Rosa Nautica. I seriously had one of the best meals of my life including chupé, a seafood soup that I'm going to desperately try to recreate when I get home. All in all a great first day for the fam in Lima. The revelation of the day: in Peru, I'm the boss, since I'm the only person that can actually order food and bail my mischievous Father out of trouble (a very important task since in Peru you are guilty until proven innocent).
Saturday we met up with the rest of the group, and started our official tour of Lima. After some great stops in the colonial district, visiting an old cathedral, touring a monastery, worming through their catacombs, going to a museum to see pre-Incan pottery and other artifacts our Peruvian and Bolivian adventure had actually began. Sunday we went to an amazing art museum in exhibition park, an art gallery (which no joke housed a LOT of robot statues), and my personal favorite district in Lima, Barranco. Barranco is the "bohemian" section of Lima, has gorgeous ocean front vistas and is home to some pretty big names in Latin American literature, including the one of the latest winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa.
Today we got on the road early and flew to Cuzco in the Andean Highlands. From the airport we had an incredibly drive through the Andes to a llama and alpaca farm. Now, when I first read about this on the itinerary, I was less than amused. I mean, come on, how much more cliché can you get? But actually, it was really fun! We got to feed alpacas and llamas and my personal highlight, got to see a llama chase Allison at least 10 feet, ha ha ha! Afterwards we had a FEAST of a meal at a Paso Horses ranch and headed to our hotel in Urubamba. The whole Janda family is having a marvelous time and more updates to follow!!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Uno Más... Dude where'd my five weeks go?
I can't actually believe this, but this was my last full day in Huancayo. In short, I am so not okay with this. Honestly, I could stay here for so much longer. But here's the recap from the last couple of days.
Sunday I had a pretty lazy day with the house all to myself. I went to the Sunday market as per usual and loved perusing the blocks upon blocks of artisan goodies. Afterwards I wandered around the Plaza Constitucíon for a little bit and headed back to 275 Brasilia. Everything else was pretty uneventful on Sunday except for having the best pizza ever homemade by Elena, my home-mom, a great way to end a relaxing weekend.
Monday, Elena smuggled me into EsSalud (the insurance hospital) to do rounds. After sneaking in, I absolutely adored the doctor that we got shadow. He did general internal medicine rounds but had more of a specialty with cardiac, pulmonary and gastric conditions. That afternoon we went to the HIV shelter to help with homework. Little did I know I had to go through "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion word by word so Karen could phonetically spell it. You know, I know that Linguistics 105 was a random class that I took and the lovely Katie McAvoy and David Gorman, and we would laugh about how we would never EVER use any of it, but it was so clutch to do this phonetic translation. Leaving was rough. Gabriel said "Adios, Mami" and I of course melted. Sanjury and Valentino asked if I really had to leave this week, and honestly I started to wonder the same exact thing.
That night, the newbies arrived... and they are pretty awesome. And two of the guys go to University of Michigan so we got to bond over all the wonderful, and not so wonderful things about Ann Arbor and the greater Detroit area. All in all there is Shelza from Vandy who was born in Peru, Abby from Iowa who goes to UVM, Chris and Nathan from the West Coast that go to U of M, and Jessica from New York who goes to Villanova and they're a great group.
Tuesday, Elena and I oriented them at the hospital and it went pretty well. Then they really got an idea of what FIMRC in Huancayo was all about at the Special Needs School. The Special Needs School was business as usual: Kelto trying to fight everyone, little kids using the restroom and then walking around without pants on, the same old same old. Soon it was time to leave, and saying goodbye to Jefery, Angel, Cristian and Jaqueline was tough. I will never, ever forget the place. That afternoon it was pretty calm just coloring with the psych ward patients at EsSalud and then giving the July group a whirlwind tour of Plaza Vea, Peru's version of Walmart.
Today was the day that I was dreading, my last full day in Huancayo. This morning it was back to Daniel Carrión for internal medicine rounds. Together we found a new favorite doctor and resource at the hospital, the resource is a gringo who just graduated from Public Health Graduate School and is starting Medical School in the fall. Needless to say he's a wealth of information. Afterwards we hung out at the house and I started to pack, a FEAT. Friends and family, the gifts I'm bringing back and my blanket (possibly my best deal yet) take up way more room in my duffel bag than anything else, get excited people. BUT IT WAS WEIRD. Packing up my life from the last 5 weeks seems so against the grain. The idea that in about 12 hours I will be boarding a bus to Lima is sitting as well as drinking a liter of the tap water here, in short, NOT WELL.
Then it was off to Rosario to do a lesson on keeping and maintaining friends. All in all it went well. Afterwards is when the fun really began, Abby and I had to translate the musical masterpieces of High School Musical and Justin Bieber, and then we all sang along. Yes, a literal Justin Bieber "sing-a-long" did ensue, Bucknell Intervarsity Christian Fellowship prepared me so well. Then the goodbyes began. Mari Elouise, Heidi, Maité, Monica, Yohan, Jean Pierre, it was a tough one. Some little ones even argued with Elena (our site coordinator) about how she really shouldn't take me to the bus station. Mom, Dad and Al, I swear I will be in Lima... or at least I should be. All in all, the new July FIMRCers are making sure I'm enjoying my last night. Now I only have uno más día in Huancayo, and my only question is, where did my five weeks go?
Sunday I had a pretty lazy day with the house all to myself. I went to the Sunday market as per usual and loved perusing the blocks upon blocks of artisan goodies. Afterwards I wandered around the Plaza Constitucíon for a little bit and headed back to 275 Brasilia. Everything else was pretty uneventful on Sunday except for having the best pizza ever homemade by Elena, my home-mom, a great way to end a relaxing weekend.
Monday, Elena smuggled me into EsSalud (the insurance hospital) to do rounds. After sneaking in, I absolutely adored the doctor that we got shadow. He did general internal medicine rounds but had more of a specialty with cardiac, pulmonary and gastric conditions. That afternoon we went to the HIV shelter to help with homework. Little did I know I had to go through "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion word by word so Karen could phonetically spell it. You know, I know that Linguistics 105 was a random class that I took and the lovely Katie McAvoy and David Gorman, and we would laugh about how we would never EVER use any of it, but it was so clutch to do this phonetic translation. Leaving was rough. Gabriel said "Adios, Mami" and I of course melted. Sanjury and Valentino asked if I really had to leave this week, and honestly I started to wonder the same exact thing.
That night, the newbies arrived... and they are pretty awesome. And two of the guys go to University of Michigan so we got to bond over all the wonderful, and not so wonderful things about Ann Arbor and the greater Detroit area. All in all there is Shelza from Vandy who was born in Peru, Abby from Iowa who goes to UVM, Chris and Nathan from the West Coast that go to U of M, and Jessica from New York who goes to Villanova and they're a great group.
Tuesday, Elena and I oriented them at the hospital and it went pretty well. Then they really got an idea of what FIMRC in Huancayo was all about at the Special Needs School. The Special Needs School was business as usual: Kelto trying to fight everyone, little kids using the restroom and then walking around without pants on, the same old same old. Soon it was time to leave, and saying goodbye to Jefery, Angel, Cristian and Jaqueline was tough. I will never, ever forget the place. That afternoon it was pretty calm just coloring with the psych ward patients at EsSalud and then giving the July group a whirlwind tour of Plaza Vea, Peru's version of Walmart.
Today was the day that I was dreading, my last full day in Huancayo. This morning it was back to Daniel Carrión for internal medicine rounds. Together we found a new favorite doctor and resource at the hospital, the resource is a gringo who just graduated from Public Health Graduate School and is starting Medical School in the fall. Needless to say he's a wealth of information. Afterwards we hung out at the house and I started to pack, a FEAT. Friends and family, the gifts I'm bringing back and my blanket (possibly my best deal yet) take up way more room in my duffel bag than anything else, get excited people. BUT IT WAS WEIRD. Packing up my life from the last 5 weeks seems so against the grain. The idea that in about 12 hours I will be boarding a bus to Lima is sitting as well as drinking a liter of the tap water here, in short, NOT WELL.
Then it was off to Rosario to do a lesson on keeping and maintaining friends. All in all it went well. Afterwards is when the fun really began, Abby and I had to translate the musical masterpieces of High School Musical and Justin Bieber, and then we all sang along. Yes, a literal Justin Bieber "sing-a-long" did ensue, Bucknell Intervarsity Christian Fellowship prepared me so well. Then the goodbyes began. Mari Elouise, Heidi, Maité, Monica, Yohan, Jean Pierre, it was a tough one. Some little ones even argued with Elena (our site coordinator) about how she really shouldn't take me to the bus station. Mom, Dad and Al, I swear I will be in Lima... or at least I should be. All in all, the new July FIMRCers are making sure I'm enjoying my last night. Now I only have uno más día in Huancayo, and my only question is, where did my five weeks go?
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The wandering psych patient, pigs feet and an empty house: a strange last couple of days.
Thursday was the last day for surgical rotations for me and everyone else's last day at Daniel Carrión hospital. Women's surgical rounds started off fairly normal when Dr. Suazo joined the group of physicians and things started to spice up. The surgeons went from incredibly tense to cracking jokes left and right, and then it got really interesting. There was a psych patient that had been operated on and when we got to her she was certainly the life of the party. Telling various life stories (we're fairly certain she had multiple personality disorder) and also lightening the mood. Afterwards, Dr. Suazo took Lauren, Emily and myself to several patients and described in detail the process of making a diagnosis and different conditions. It was absolutely fascinating to hear him describe the condition of one patient who came in with supposedly problems with her gallbladder and jaundice, but she actually had severe liver damage and possibly hepatitis. Not only were the three of us enthralled in what Dr. Suazo was saying, but also the psych patient whose personality at this point was one of a nurse. As we were making our way from patient to patient, getting clued in on their cases or observing the cleaning of a wound, the psych patient was right at our heels. At least the wandering psych patient had an interesting morning.
Then it was off to Rosario Orphanage as per usual to give a short lesson on personal hygiene that morning and we returned there that afternoon. The lessons went well and it was great to just hang out with the kids as always. In fact, the director brought out a newspaper article that talked about how malnutrition at Rosario went down 50% from January to June and it even mentioned the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) in the article! This afternoon I played soccer with two 10 year old soccer prodigies, Alán and Jean Pierre, and we beat the other team (Callie, Scott and Spencer) and had a lot of fun doing it, ha ha ha. I scored 4 of our 12 goals and was pretty pleased with myself, yeah middle school rec soccer skills! Before we knew it, it was time to go and then things got sad, really sad. This was the last time Callie, Emily, Lauren, Scott and Spencer would be at Rosario and we've all become really close with the kids and the director. I do not look forward to my goodbyes next Wednesday, AT ALL.
Friday it was off to Sicaya as always to do education in classrooms about brushing teeth and washing hands and do fluoride treatments. The kids were adorable, what else is new, and so fun to work with. In fact at the first school the kids were so excited about washing their hands they ran out to the bathroom as we started the brushing teeth section... a first! Afterwards we played with the kids, and I made a not so great decision, I started to pick up the kids and spin them around. Twenty minutes later I was still picking them up and spinning them and getting dizzier and dizzier. Tired, I insisted that every kid only got one more and thankfully the playground stopped spinning after about 15 minutes. But hey, at least I got a good arm workout in!
That night we had a lesson on sutures and were all greeted with our own personal pigs foot to cut and stitch back up. After several minutes of being immature, playing with the pigs foot and talking about how "this little piggy went to the market" etc, we got down to business. We learned three different types of suturing techniques, and I'm not going to lie, I was pretty darn good at it. In fact, I did the most complicated stitch by myself, and the stunned medical student teaching us told me I was born to be a surgeon. I laughed (terrified, mind you) and insisted that I just know how to sew and have surgical prowess in my blood. However, I am happy to know that if I'm ever in a bind, I could stitch myself up fairly well. Then it was back to the house for everyone to pack and get ready to leave. We of course played several last rounds of our favorite Canadian card game (or main source of entertainment at the house) and just reminisced on our month in Huancayo together. As we all hugged and waved goodbye it was so strange. Here are five people that were strangers to me a month ago that I now consider to be like family. As I walked back into the house alone and turned off all the lights it was so weird. A house that I've shared with five to nine other people was empty, quiet and eery as all get out. And don't even get me started on how weird breakfast was eating at a big table by myself! Honestly, Huancayo is not happy about their absence either since it is the most overcast it has ever been today. Love you guys, Callie, Claire, Emily, Lauren, Lena, Sarah, Scott and Spencer... 275 Brasilia is not the same without you all.
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
Then it was off to Rosario Orphanage as per usual to give a short lesson on personal hygiene that morning and we returned there that afternoon. The lessons went well and it was great to just hang out with the kids as always. In fact, the director brought out a newspaper article that talked about how malnutrition at Rosario went down 50% from January to June and it even mentioned the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) in the article! This afternoon I played soccer with two 10 year old soccer prodigies, Alán and Jean Pierre, and we beat the other team (Callie, Scott and Spencer) and had a lot of fun doing it, ha ha ha. I scored 4 of our 12 goals and was pretty pleased with myself, yeah middle school rec soccer skills! Before we knew it, it was time to go and then things got sad, really sad. This was the last time Callie, Emily, Lauren, Scott and Spencer would be at Rosario and we've all become really close with the kids and the director. I do not look forward to my goodbyes next Wednesday, AT ALL.
Friday it was off to Sicaya as always to do education in classrooms about brushing teeth and washing hands and do fluoride treatments. The kids were adorable, what else is new, and so fun to work with. In fact at the first school the kids were so excited about washing their hands they ran out to the bathroom as we started the brushing teeth section... a first! Afterwards we played with the kids, and I made a not so great decision, I started to pick up the kids and spin them around. Twenty minutes later I was still picking them up and spinning them and getting dizzier and dizzier. Tired, I insisted that every kid only got one more and thankfully the playground stopped spinning after about 15 minutes. But hey, at least I got a good arm workout in!
That night we had a lesson on sutures and were all greeted with our own personal pigs foot to cut and stitch back up. After several minutes of being immature, playing with the pigs foot and talking about how "this little piggy went to the market" etc, we got down to business. We learned three different types of suturing techniques, and I'm not going to lie, I was pretty darn good at it. In fact, I did the most complicated stitch by myself, and the stunned medical student teaching us told me I was born to be a surgeon. I laughed (terrified, mind you) and insisted that I just know how to sew and have surgical prowess in my blood. However, I am happy to know that if I'm ever in a bind, I could stitch myself up fairly well. Then it was back to the house for everyone to pack and get ready to leave. We of course played several last rounds of our favorite Canadian card game (or main source of entertainment at the house) and just reminisced on our month in Huancayo together. As we all hugged and waved goodbye it was so strange. Here are five people that were strangers to me a month ago that I now consider to be like family. As I walked back into the house alone and turned off all the lights it was so weird. A house that I've shared with five to nine other people was empty, quiet and eery as all get out. And don't even get me started on how weird breakfast was eating at a big table by myself! Honestly, Huancayo is not happy about their absence either since it is the most overcast it has ever been today. Love you guys, Callie, Claire, Emily, Lauren, Lena, Sarah, Scott and Spencer... 275 Brasilia is not the same without you all.
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
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