Closing remarks

So I'm back, and after two days of traveling, I'm worn out and feeling a little sick (Every time I come back from a school or a trip, it's like my body says, "Ok, you can get sick now."). Even still, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. I just can't stop talking about Peru...if that tells you anything. :)

I've been asked several times what my favorite part of my trip was. It's hard to narrow that many great experiences down to one favorite, so I've thought of a couple.

First is the kids. The trip really wouldn't have been the same without these guys. They have huge hearts, and they were always so excited to be around us. In the future, I'd absolutely love to travel abroad and work at an orphanage similar to this one. It was just good for my soul. :)

Next is the class. My professor was really one of the best I've ever had. He cares about his students-- he empowers us to get up and do something for public health. I was enlightened in so many ways (from Medicare to PlumpyNut), and inspired to keep up with my pre-med studies. Great class. Everyone should take it.

I can't leave out the trips. Going to amazing places with great friends is something I will never forget, and will really never be able to put into the right words. I'm so grateful that I got to go on so many adventures, and I honestly I can't wait to travel more.

Viva el Peru!

The Amazon Experience

This blog is super late, considering I returned from the Amazon three days ago. I just got the pictures on my computer, and I didn't want to post anything without them! Anyway, here's the story:

We got up early Friday morning for our flight to Puerto Maldonado, which is east of Cusco, close to the border of Bolivia. As soon as we got there, our tour guide loaded us up in the combi. We drove to a small dock on the Tambopata River, then rode three hours down the river in a long, skinny motorboat to our camp's port. As soon as we arrived, a few of us walked around the camp's medicinal garden, which had all sorts of neat plants, including coca, garlic, and ayahuasca (a potent hallucinogen....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca). That night, we re-boarded the boat to search for caimens, a species closely related to aligators. Honestly, the caimens were cool, but the stars were as beautiful as I had ever seen.

The next morning we woke up at 5 for a nice little 10K walk to a lake bordering the camp. Our tour guide equipped us with rain boots, which were much needed (At one point, the trail turned into a pretty deep creek...it really reminded me of my old cross-country days at Dodredge County. Who knew those water-wading skills would come in so handy?) We saw lots of neat animals on the hike, including two species of monkies, funky-looking spiders (see picture), otters, giant guinea pigs (bigger than my dog), tree frogs, tropical birds, and lizards (oh, and LOTS of mosquitoes). We also ran into some plants that I had only seen in my bio books (there were these trees with roots at least six feet above the ground!)

Funny story about a plant-- about halfway through the hike, our tour guide whipped out his pocket knife and cut a few leaves from a little twiggy thing. "Try this," he said, handing each of us a leaf. We all shrugged our shoulders and started chewing. All of the sudden, this extremely bitter, minty taste overwhelmed my entire mouth and I couldn't stop drooling. Soon after, my mouth turned completely numb and spit was literally dripping from my droopy lips. We all started freaking out, spitting out the leaves, frantically rubbing our tounges, and wondering aloud what the hell we were just chewing on. Our guide laughed and told us that it was just a natural anaesthetic. "Used for toothaches!" he said. "It will go away in five minutes."

When we got back, we relaxed in our beds under mosquito nets. When it turned dark, we lit our candles (the camp had no electricity) and told scary stories. It really felt like we were little girls trying to freak one another out at a slumber party...I had't had that feeling in a long time. Anyway, I digress.

Thinking back on it, all I can say is that it was a great experience, especially for a bio geek like me. Next stop: Galapagos Islands! Who's with me?

Busy, busy, busy

I had my midterm today and seven essays due yesterday, so sorry for no recent posts! There's really nothing much to write about...except all the writing I've been doing. :P Tomorrow should be filled with more fun travel/volunteer stuff! :)

Fun night :)

Last night (since it was, after all, the 4th of July), our group decided to hit the town. We left the hotel around 7:00, dressed with red, white and blue facepaint and headbands. We ate at this great place called Baco Wine Bar and Restaurant, and I ordered a pizza with basil, roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions, mozzerella, and goat cheese (so good). Then we went to Paddy's, a bar that prides itself on being the "highest Irish pub in the world." Carbonation hasn't been sitting well with me on this trip, so I had to call it quits after one Cusqueña there. We went to a discoteca called Mama Africa's, and it was so fun. They played a lot of reggetón, a genre of music you don't hear a lot in the U.S. (Picture...yes, I have on a white Hanes t-shirt. Let's just say 4 outfits in 4 weeks doesn't really cut it for going-out apparel.)

Today is full of work work work. We have our midterm on Tuesday, and two essays to do in the mean time. The stuff is really interesting, though, and I feel like I'm learning a lot of useful information (our health insurance policy in the U.S. is whack!). Got to get writing on an essay about a WV doctor who wants to do pre-pay salary plans for docs...

...more pictures coming soon.

Unique day at the clinic

Warning: Not for weak stomachs (Mom, I think you'll be ok)

Yesterday was my turn to go to the clinic, La Fuente (The Fountain), a missionary-run organization owned by American doctors. It was a pretty slow day; only two patients had come in during our two hours there. As we were packing up and getting ready to leave, a seventy-something year-old patient came in with a half-dollar sized ulcer on his upper right leg. The doctors thought that the lesion could have been caused by a flesh-eating strand of tuberculosis (rather than the more common strand that affects the respiratory system). "Do you want to check it out?" Dr. Allen, the head doctor, asked me and two other students. Of course, we accepted, and followed the doctor into the exam room.

The ulcer looked something like this: http://boneandspine.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/sinus_leg1.jpg (again, NOT for weak stomachs...trust me). The doctor examined the 2 cm-deep ulcer, and stuck his finger around the borders. As soon as he did this, pus came spewing out into the ulcer. At this point, I started seeing black specs, and got really uncomfortably hot. I had to excuse myself because I knew that if I didn't sit down, I'd hit the floor right then and there.

I was so upset that I had gotten light-headed. I have seen at least 10 surgeries at Ruby, and I was fine through all of them. Hell, I've seen a heart bumping up and down in an open chest-- what was up with me now? After more self-talk like this, I worked myself up to going back to see the patient with the two other students, but only after I had gotten a cold glass of filtered water.

Here's the kicker:

When I walked back to the exam room I stood right behind Victoria and Danny, the two other students. I saw that the doctor was cleaning out the pus that came from the surrounding skin. He filled a syringe with saline solution and stuck it about a centimeter below the skin around the border of the ulcer, washing away the pus. He did this several times, and on about the fourth time, he pushed the saline in the wound with a little too much pressure-- the fluid and the contents of the wound splashed all over Victoria, Danny, and the nurse. The doctor quickly apologized, then kept on working. I immediately tapped Victoria on the shoulder, saying, "Did that get on you?!" She looked at me with a wide-eyed, freaked-out face and nodded her head. I looked down at the glass of water in my hand, and immeditaly poured it out in the sink.

The doctor finished with the patient, telling him that the results of the biopsy would take about three weeks, and then subsequent follow-up treatment would take about two months. I felt so bad for this man-- this thing growing in his leg was nasty (and nearly unheard of in the United States).

After the patient was dismissed, Victoria, Danny, and I nearly sprinted to the sink, scrubbing frivolously over every inch of exposed skin. The walk back to the hotel was interesting...it was full of, "Oh my god, what if that was TB?" and, "The water at the hotel better be hot, cause I'm taking a 30-minute shower," and "Holy [cow], I can't believe that happened." Lucky for us, the water at the hotel was hot, and I think we all took 45-minute showers just to be safe (Danny was joking that he probably washed off six layers of skin).

Needless to say, it is day two, and each of us is fine. None of us had open wounds, and we all took extreme precaution after the incident (more than the doctor!). We saw something at the clinic that we wouldn't have ever gotten to see shadowing in the United States. It was truly a memorable experience. So, I've concluded that the only thing that's going to grow from the accident is a good story....let's hope.

La Comida

I have gained a new respect for food. The traditional eating pattern here is to have a small breakfast, a large lunch, and a tiny dinner. Since being here, I've nothing but the freshest meals. Yes, I'm lucky-- every day we go out to lunch to a place that costs about S/. 20, while we just walk past the little Menus on the street corners that serve three-course meals for only S/. 3. But I have to believe, after walking through market after market, that the issue here isn't whether the food is going to be fresh or frozen. Everything you eat here is literally right out of the jungle, or in some cases, right out of the back yard (and yes, that includes meat). We were walking through the meat section of the San Jeronimo market, which was unlike anything I have ever seen (well, look at the picture). The common theme, though, among all the restaurants and food markets is that food is respected. In this culture, whether it is pineapple, cuy (guinea pig), spaghetti, or trout, every food is a valued part of the day--if you are going to eat, you sit down and eat. The most obvious evidence of this is the virtual absence of fat people here. You never see people stuffing their faces while driving (and yes, there is a McDonald's here), and you don't see people starving themselves throughout the day and binging on one meal. The meals here serve a purpose, to cleanse the body. People here enjoy their food, and eat it like they do. Here, food is friend, not enemy, and I love it.

Soccer

Tomorrow I'm planning on going to the orphanage with two of my classmates to play some more soccer with the kids. Call me hyper-emotional, but last time I played soccer there, I got a little bit choked up. When I play with these kids, we transcend all language barriers. When little Rios scores a goal, we all go crazy. When Elvis gets a big save, we give him high fives. If I wanted to, I couldn't sit down with one of these kids and express in words the same feelings we exchange during a soccer game.

They say that soccer is so popular in South America because it is the most inexpensive sport ever created. We'll drive by farms, back yards, and empty land that have make-shift goals of wood stabilized in the groubd by stones. After that, all you need is a ball, which you can find on virtually any street with tiendas for a few soles. Clearly soccer is valued here. I think it's a cultural phenomenon--it truly connects people in an undescribable way.

So there I was, a blondie Gringa who is (at best) mediocre at Spanish, connecting with these kids in the same way I would with any of the children in the U.S. I babysit and love. In all reality, I couldn't be more different from these kids. At that moment, though, when we were all fighting for that same, simple goal (get that ball in that square), we had everything in common.

A world wonder indeed

I know I keep using the words "amazing" and "great" and "awesome," but my vocabulary truly can't describe how I feel about this place. Every day I experience something for the first time, and I really don't know how to express my feelings in the right words just yet. And so I must say-- Machu Picchu was yet another amazing, great, awesome experience.

We rode the combi for about two hours to the town of Ollantaytambo, where we caught the train to Augas Calientes, a village right near Machu Picchu. We had dinner at a really good restaurant, then three of us decided to bathe in the hot springs at the top of the hill (you only live once, right?). At 4AM, we got up and took the bus up the zig-zagged road to Machu Picchu.

Again, pictures don't do the place justice, but I'll try. Here's the link to the photo album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2312087&id=25832221&l=b63ce2f780

In preparation for Machu Picchu...

So today we're heading off to Machu Picchu. I'm so extatic...I can't wait. We watched a film last night called the Motorcycle Diaries about Che Guevara. The movie was filmed through several South American countries, including Peru. The scene at Machu Picchu got all of us so excited to visit...the place looks beautiful. One thing I've found here is that pictures often don't do the scenery justice, so I'm expecting Machu Picchu to be even more amazing than the beautiful scenes in the movie.

We're heading out in 30 minutes, and I'm all packed and ready to go. My dear Peru advisor Maria Reidpath told me that there's an internet cafe close by, so I'll try to keep updated! More photos to come!

Adventures and combis

Every day is an adventure here. I love it. Today is the day after Inti Raymi, the biggest holiday in Peru. (Unfortunately, because of the huge crowd, we didn't get to go to the Inti Raymi celebration yesterday.) The festival lasts weeks here, and today we're planning on participating in what (I belive) is a follow-up to the celebration. We're going to Sacsayhuamán to make ovens and cook potatoes in the traditional Incan fashion. Very cool. :)

I've included a picture of our group in a combi, which is a van that transports 15-20 people around the city. Combis are much cheaper than taxis, so many people choose to ride them instead. Funny story about a combi-- two days ago I was crossing the street, and I held my hand out for an oncoming combi to yeild to me, the pedestrian (a normal behavior in America, right?). However, the driver did not get the message (or chose to ignore it), and ran right into me. It was just a bump, but was really startling! (I yelled out in disbelief, "A combi just hit me! I got hit by a combi!") In America, no matter how close a car gets, you kind of always know that they're going to stop if you know they see you. Not here. The cars WILL hit you if you are in their way. Crossing the street in Cusco is literally survival of the fittest. So, I've come to the conclusion: in any situation, pedestrians yield to vehicles, period.

Numero Dos

What an awesome day. We went to the plaza de armas downtown, and ate at a really good restaurant looking over the square. After lunch, we took a taxi to Dr. Mayes's kids' school, then walked with his son Tim to the orphanage. On our way, we ran into a wedding ceremony, which was really neat to see. They were playing traditional Andean music, but I'm pretty sure it was a Catholic ceremony. When we got to the orphanage, we played soccer with the kids, which was so fun (I nicknamed one of the boys Ronaldino). It's funny because as we were walking to the field, we saw a cow just hanging out in the goal, minding its business...let's just say that we were in a rural area. We met two other American girls working in the orphanage from UNC. They are living/working there for eight weeks over the summer...cool girls...definately free spirits. In the future, I would love to do something similar to what they're doing now at the orphanage. On our walk back to the hotel, we ran into some shepards hearding sheep and donkeys. The donkeys were literally right behind us--if we hadn't moved out of the way, they probably would have just walked right through (or over) us. After the cattle incident we stopped at a tienda, and a man drove up in a flat-bed, offering us a ride. We jumped in the back and rode on the bumpy dirt path all the way to the river, which was only about half a mile from our hotel. I'm exhausted, but it was well worth it.

First Day

Wow, what a way to break out of the United States. Cusco is amazing. It was a pretty long time getting here, though--Pittsburgh to Miami to Lima to Cusco, with very little sleep during or in between flights. I'm so tired...
Here's a video of my view outisde my hotel room window (Hotel San Jeronimo in Cusco, Peru):