Chao, hope to see you later Peru

Well friends....I am back in the USA! I am sitting on my parents couch next to my puppy dog, Hank, in Louisiana. This is my final 29 days in Peru blog post. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement throughout this journey.

I actually wrote this post last Saturday June 29 but due to a few surprises that morning I was never able to post it. As I was finishing the post the wifi went out and then Milagros surprised me!! She spent the morning with me as I finished packing and then saw me off as the taxi picked me up to take me to the airport. From Lima I flew to Nicaragua for a week and did not have wifi or internet while I was there so I am just now able to post this final blog.

I apologize for the crazy fonts...I cannot figure out how to change them.

 

Today, June 29, 2013, is my 29th day in Peru. 

In just a few hours I will take a taxi to the airport and fly from Lima, Peru to Managua, Nicaragua for a week and then back head back to the States. It is hard to believe that I have been here for 29 days. I knew the trip would fly by but it almost seems as though I blinked and the month was gone (I know, that's so cliché but it's true). Last night I had to tell my Peruvian friends and a couple of the US girls goodbye. We decided not to say goodbye. Instead we said "chao" see you later. I pray for an opportunity to visit with these incredible young woman again someday preferably sooner rather than later.

 

These woman are what made this trip meaningful and enjoyable. I am thankful for their friendship and have really enjoyed spending the month with them. My favorite part of traveling has always been making new friends. My least favorite part of traveling is saying goodbye to these friends.

This last week has been wonderful. I have spent every minute with my new Peruvian and US friends trying to make the most of our last week together in Peru. Here is a recap of the week......

Monday

Back to the crazy hospital to meet our patient for our case study. The patient my group was matched with has a severe complications related to unmanaged type II diabetes. Her right foot is nearly all the way black due to deadened nerves and the same foot has a large ulcer. The nerve damage is irriversable and the doctors have decided that the only treatment is amputation. Sadly the patient refuses the surgery even though doctors, nutritionists, and a psychologist have explained to her that if she does not have this surgery she will have to loose her entire leg and eventually her life. It is a terribly sad situation.  My group and I are heartbroken over the situation and feel helpless. I pray that she will have a change of heart and decide to have the surgery.

In the afternoon we had several interesting lectures. I am really so thankful for the opportunities I have had to listen to different experts on topics I love and enjoy dearly.

Monday night my roommates and I cooked veggies in the microwave using bowls, forks, and spoons we borrowed from the restaurant downstairs. The hotel consierge was entertained by our resourcefulness. Then I "watched" (and by watched I mean watched the ESPN play-by-play sketch when the wifi would work) the Bulldogs play UCLA in the first game of the CWS. I was sad that we lost but so proud of my Dawgs for making it so far!! Hail State!

Tuesday

Lectures in the morning and our last hospital visit in the afternoon. I have enjoyed and benifitted from the hospital visits. The hospital reminds me that as glamorous as parts of the city of Lima are I am still in a third world country. The hospital is so overcrowded and dirty and the communication is terrible. For example, the doctors ordered an xray for our patient and supposedly it was done however, neither the doctor of the patient ever received the xray. Communication from other hospitals to those in Lima is nonexistent. There is so much room for improvement. One of the major necessities is more doctors, psychologists, and nutritionists. The root of this problem is not a lack of qualified individuals but the lack of funds to pay them.

After class my roommates and I set off to Jockey Plaza to celebrate the halfway to Christmas mark! Dana (one of my roomates) is obsessed with Christmas and is so excited that we are now halfway there so we decided to celebrate by treating ourselves to Chili's. It is pretty funny that we chose Chili's since none of us really like Chili's in the states. I guess we just wanted something familiar...American/Mexican, Ha! After eating we walked around the mall for the last time. I am still so fascinated that an establishment that sells Zara, Calvin Klein, and expensive Starbucks exists in a third world country.

Wednesday

Wednesday was an incredibly fun day of class. We had a lecture on chronic child malnutrition and deceloping diets for these children. Then we joined the other half of the class to play another of Mary's games. Mary's rules were as follows: 1. "I am always right. My answers are indisputable." 2. "Never play with Brazilians because they are entirely too competitive." I am going to miss her English accent and crazy games. After the game we were divided into groups and given an assignment. The assignment was to create a recipe for a formula for a severely malnourished child. We had specific requirements to meet and had to use foods easily accessible to impoverished Peruvian mothers. This was very difficult but I feel as though I learned a great deal through this exercise. We actually had to prepare the formula and taste them. My groups recipe was 15grams of flour, 5 grams of oil, 70 grams of pumpkin, 30 grams of carrot, and 10 grams of egg. It actually turned out great!

After class I went with a few of the US girls and one of the Peruvians, Melody, to explore the district of Surco which neighbors La Molina (where our hotel and school are located). We visited an adorable little park that showcased a beatutiful arch complete with a train, lake, art mesuem, food court with food from all over the country, some ducks, gold fish, and several kissing couples. There was even a wedding party there!

Thursday

We listened to lectures during the morning and finished up our presentations in the afternoon. We got out of class early! Back to the hotel to put on a dress and freshen up for dinner in Barranco with all of the girls for our last evening all together. First Kelsey, Dana and I went into Miraflores for the last time to shop in the markets near Parque Kennedy. We enjoyed bargaining with the vendors, admiring the art, and feeling the soft baby alpaca blankets. Then we hoped in a taxi for a quick ride to Barranco. Barronco was BEAUTIFUL! Sadly I did not get to see much of it but basically it is an older, more traditional Miraflores. We had dinner at a restaurant that I cannot remember the name of. It was nestled on a cliff overlooking the coast.

In the distance you could see the lights of Miraflores twinkling along the coast. I wish I had been able to see this area during the day. Though the food was not so good (I ordered a pizza that I am certain was purchased frozen and then reheated to serve) the company was fabulous! We chatted for hours enjoying each other’s company and discussing fun times we have had this past month. It was wonderful.

Friday

We spent the morning and part of the afternoon giving our presentations. The discussion generated was great. I have truly loved learning from the professors, nutritionists, and other students. The environment at the institute is greatly encouraging and I am so thankful to have studied there. Of course Rosina and the others at the institute brought cake and other goodies to send us off in proper Peruvian fashion…with lots of galletas and postres! It was very hard to leave the institute for the last time. I pray that I would have an opportunity to return in the future. From the institute we were brought by our sweet bus driver to the Rotunda for “lunch” around 4:30pm at Roxy’s which is another Pollo a la Brasa place. It was wonderful to share a last lunch with the Peruvians. From there we went back to the hotel. Katya, Milagros, and Diana came to hangout while Dana and a few of the others packed up. Rachel taught us to play Rummy. Shortly before 7 the taxi arrived to pick up Dana, Rachel, Lyndsey, and Aimee. It was extremely hard to say good bye. Then even harder to say good bye to the Peruvians. It has been an honor getting to know them. They welcomed me into their country and helped me feel at home for the month. I am so grateful for their friendships which I am confident will last a lifetime.

Chao Peru, see you later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Day in the Life of Yolanda

The second weekend I was in Peru I stayed with a host family in a tiny village in the Andes mountains. Our assignment for this weekend was to write a story to describe day to day life for the people of living in this village. I have decided to share with you all the story my group wrote after our stay in Humacchuco. I hope that it will give you a good idea of this village and the wonderful people there. Hope you enjoy it!

Alli Unak. This is good morning in my native language, Quechua. My name is Yolanda. It is 5 A.M. and I am just getting out from under my warm, alpaca blankets to meet the crisp mountain air that fills my lungs with breath each morning. The sun has not yet risen but I have already draped my poncho over my shoulders and begun cleaning the house in preparation for the day.

 

This is Yolanda and her daughter with 5 of the 6 of us that stayed in this little house next door to her house.

In my kitchen is a red brick wood burning stove. My younger sister, Asustana, collects small branches and logs to fire the stove. I use a long black pipe to coax the hot coals to flame. This morning, like most, I will prepare “punki” for my daughter Roxana before she goes to school. To make the punki I will use a cacerola to toast dried wheat that I gathered from our farm. Often used for toasting grains, a cacerola is a traditional pot made of clay and shaped like a gourd with a large hole cut into the side. Once the wheat is toasted I will ground it into flour and mix it with boiling water, sugar, and cinnamon to create a pudding like substance. The punki will warm and sustain Roxana throughout the school day until she returns home around 1 P.M.

 

As I head out to work on our family farm the sun is rising over the snowcapped mountains and bringing light to our little valley. Today it is my family’s turn to use the water from the streams which trace down from the glaciers.

 I will direct the water to flow into the small carved ditches that lead to our crops of quinoa, potatoes, wheat, oca, olluco, and Corn. My father also grows flowers which we sell to markets in Lima, but we are able to water them with sprinklers now that we have portable water.

 

Notice the sprinkler to the right of the picture

Around 10:30 A.M. I leave my crops which are carved into the side of the mountain to help my mother prepare lunch for the family. I am a single mom and live with my father, mother, two younger sisters, and my daughter. Today we will prepare spicy potatoes, soup, and chicha morada which is a drink made by boiling purple corn and sweetened with sugar. We drink chicha morada most days. Today is a special day. My father killed a pig and we will have pork to eat. We have meat no more than once a week when we have enough money to buy it at the market.

 

My mother, father and I will eat lunch around noon and return to our work on the farm. On the hillside beside mine my father Victor, who is president of our town Humacchuco, traces each row of potatoes, spraying pesticides to ensure the growth of our crops that sustain our way of life. My mother and I work together to harvest quinoa. We have already gathered long stalks of the rich red quinoa and are working to extract the grain. Our hands are stained pink as we scrape the stalks against rock. The tiny grains fall into a pile to dry and are sifted by the wind. The stains and the pink and yellow pile of grain are beautiful to me. They are a visual of the hard work I do every day to help provide for my family. I can now see my Roxana, who has returned from school, playing with her little pigs. As she feeds the pigs scraps of oca I think of how the time passes so quickly and whenever she talks of Lima, I wonder if she will stay. I have chosen this way of life. It is a generational lifestyle, and although my sisters and brother have moved to the city, I carry it on and wonder if Roxana will do the same.

 

When the sun sets behind the mountains and we can no longer see to work, we will have a small dinner of bread and leftovers from lunch. I will make concha (toasted, salted corn kernels) and hot mate de coca (tea) for my family to share as we share laughs, the events of the day, and discuss plans for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be much like today. Though simple, my life is full of hard work enriched by family and the beauty of the landscape that surrounds us. I kiss Roxana; I am grateful for our life. Alli Paqas, goodnight.

Story written by Rachel Bochy, Katya Chavez de los Santos, and Lauren Manuel
15 June 2013

 

 

Here are a few pictures that I thought everyone might like to see...

Our neighbor..she was so cute!

 

Yolanda's older sister making concha which is basically inside out popcorn. It is delicious.

 

 

 

Fried dough for breakfast!

 

Assisting Yolanda with her daily quinoa rolling. This was an awesome experience and one that I will never forget.

 

The women carry their babies on their backs all day even as they work bent over in the field.

 

 Learning to debone river trout to make rolled trout.

The finished product....though I felt strange eating this guy as he watched, it was delicious!

 

 

We hiked to the top of the mountain behind our house...this is the view of our house and Yolanda's house from above. This picture is very deceiving. It looks like the fields are flat but they are not at all. They are carved into the mountain at quite an angle.

 

Little piggy!

 

  

The family's cuy (guinea pigs). The kids raise them and then they cook and eat them on special occasions such as birthdays. Yolanda's family had 20 or more cuy.

 

 

The time I spent in Humacchuco with Yolanda's family will forever hold a special place in my heart. The people of the small village work extremely hard every day to provide food for their families. They look out for one another and though many have been exposed to life outside of this village they choose to stay in their beautiful valley with no internet, cell phones, heating or air conditioning, indoor plumbing, television, traffic, access to medical care, etc. I am so thankful to have had this experience and I am grateful for the kindness and hospitality extended by the people of Humacchuco.

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend fun in Miraflores!

Saturday morning we headed to Miraflores for a relaxing day in the nicest area of Lima. First we went to Parque de Amor (Park of Love) which is right on the coast and absolutely beautiful.

This is the statue in the middle of the "Park of love."

 

 

The original plan for the day was to paraglide in the morning and then take a chocolate making class in the afternoon. Sadly, the winds were not strong enough for us to paraglide so naturally we went shopping! Melody, our Peruvian friend, guided us into the heart of Miraflores to some great Inca and Indian markets. It was fun to look around. I bought a beautiful scarf with alpacas on it! After some shopping and walking around Parque Kennedy (another pretty park nearby) we headed to the Choco Museo to learn all about the cacao bean and making chocolate. And of course we got to eat some chocolate too.

First we toasted the beans in this pot. I cannot remember what it is called. I wish you could smell pictures because the smell of these beans when roasting was amazing.

 

After the beans were toasted we removed the shells and added the shells to boiling water to make cacao tea. It was delicious!

Next we ground the beans to an almost paste. A machine is used to make the cacao butter and paste.

 

Using our beans that were ground to paste, we made Kakaw which was a drink created by the Indians to be used in place of human blood for sacrifices to their gods. Red powder from flavorless peppers is added to the cacao paste and water to give the appearance of blood. I actually loved the Kakaw, even if it was created for a creapy reason. Then we used the remainder of our paste to make hot chocolate. This was, of course, everyone's favorite. It was simply cacao paste, brown sugar, and hot milk. SOO delicious.

 

Now to chocolate making. In order to speed the process, our beans were taken to be used later and we were given the melted chocolate. I chose to work with 70% dark chocolate. We poured the chocolate into molds and added different local fillings such as candied oranges, puffed quinoa, dried aji (mild pepper) powder, hazelnuts, and coconut. Then we added another layer of chocolate to complete our candies.

Chocolate molds in progress.

 

Then we had to wait awhile for the molds to set. So.....

We had chocolate cake!

 

After the chocolate making class, which I would highly recommend to anyone who is ever in Lima, we headed back to the hotel with bellies full of chocolate. I even had chocolate dreams.

 

Sunday morning so of us decided to go surfing! We were picked up at 9:15 and taken back to Miraflores for surf lessons. We were a little worried, well maybe a lot, that we would freeze since the high for the day was 62 (It is the beginning of winter here). But we suited up and were good to go! Not cold at all! The first thing our instructors had us do was jog down the beach in our wetsuits. I am fairly certain they just had us do this for laughs. We got a good laugh too. After being briefed on the surfing techniques and headed into the water!!

 

Before surfing. We were so excited...and extremely nervous.

 

We had SOOO much fun surfing!!! Our instructors were awesome, the water felt amazing, and the waves were perfect for beginners. Thanks to my instructor, Gustavo (who was adorable but not so great at English), I actually was able to stand and ride a few waves! We all did!

 

After surfing and swallowing a lot of water.

This is Gustavo. We fell in love. He asked me to go dancing but I had to turn him down. It was a school night after all!

 

After the morning fun we were taken back to our hotel which just so happens to be the hotel of one of Lima’s most popular professional futbol teams. The team which shares our little hotel, Universitario, was to play their rival, Alianza Lima. Their rival is like Mississippi State and Ole Miss but much worse. So much so, that the last time they played the crowds got so rowdy that two people were killed. It is crazy. There were police EVERYWHERE and of course we had to have guards at the hotel since the team stays here. Riding back from surfing thousands of people and police lined the streets.

 

 

Many were selling game day paraphernalia and according to the guy driving us back, there were a lot of scalpers. We arrived at the hotel the doors were locked and there was a sign on the door saying the Hotel restaurant was closed today. The security guard had to call someone to let us in. When we finally made it into our rooms we turned on the TV and the news was on showing all of the police in the area.

 

So crazy. The stadium is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel and we wanted to go but the Peruvian students said absolutely not. They wouldn’t even go because the crowds get so rowdy. Melody, one of the Peruvians, told us (half jokingly but also kind of seriously) that 50% of the people at the game were criminals. Milagros said that they were not good people and we didn’t need to be there.

 

The caption on the screen informed us that more than 3,000 police were securing the area

 

Since we could not go to the game Melody took us took us out of La Molina, away from the crowds, to Miraflores. We went to a cute little strip of restaurant/bars near Parque Kennedy to watch the game. Some of the other Peruvians met us there and we had a blast watching the game and cheering with the others in the packed little bar. Universitario won!!!

 

Here was the game winning (and only) goal! Universitario 1 Alianza 0

 

Friday night we took a picture with a few of the players. Of course we had no idea who they were, but come to find out, we chose pretty well. The tall bald guy in the middle was MVP of the game and the guy with curly hair to the right scored the only goal of the game!

It's hard to believe that this was my last weekend in Peru. I have really enjoyed spending the weekends exploring Lima and the surrounding area. Every moment has truly been a blessing. This is a beautiful, diverse, intriguing country.

 

 

Breastfeeding, orphanage, and chaotic hospital visits

Wednesday, after returning from our trip to the mountains, back to the school we went to begin the second module of the course. For this module I will study clinical nutrition. I am already loving this module! We jumped right in to lectures on several topics related to nutrition for pregnant mothers and infants. Wednesday afternoon, after several fascinating lectures, we headed back to Manchay to talk with breastfeeding moms. As my professors here say, "Peruvians are breastfeeding champions!" The majority of moms here breastfeed their babies for at least 6 months, which is awesome!

 

Tuesday morning we took compared samples of breast milk taken prior to actually breastfeeding and compared them to samples taken right after the mother feed her child. The sample from before feeding was almost all water and a tiny bit of fat. The sample after was much more fat. The milk starts as water to hydrate the baby then becomes more fatty to give the baby the nutrients it needs for growth and development and to make his tummy full. I am always amazed when I learn simple facts about the physiology of our bodies. I am blown away by how God created a woman's body to provide everything her child needs from life at conception to several months after birth.

 

Thursday we visited an orphanage on the other side of Manchay.

This was a wonderful orphanage, though it really did look quite similar to the orphanage in the movie Annie. I believe that for the most part it is self-sustaining. Most of the food is grown on the grounds. The have pigs, cows, a goat, and (maybe..not positive) chickens. They also grow corn, all kinds of fruit and berries, avocado, banana trees, peppers, and more.

 

 

The older children tend to the animals and help with the gardening. They have a bakery where they make all the bread for the kids to eat and also sell some for income. The pigs used to be sold for profit but not are only raised and slaughtered for meat.

 

He was such a dapper pig. Loved the camera!

 

One pig was the size of a large bear. He snotted on me while I tried to take a picture by him. He was a handsome pig, none the less.

 

The kids attend chapel once a week in addition to their usual classes and cooking, art, gardening, and music. The orphanage (called Casa de Santa Martha) receives some funding from the government (I believe) as well as private donations.

 

 

The kids were amazing. There are about 75 that currently reside at Santa Martha. They come from the Ministry of Women which is a government program that if I understood correctly is similar to the Ministry of Health but specially for women. Some children have family, others do not. Very few children are adopted from this orphanage and when they are the orphanage is not involved in the process…it is all through the Minister of Women. The kids were so cute, joyful, and full of life.

 

Two little girls I really fell in love with. Wendy and the other I cannot remember. They loved to be loved on. All of the children loved attention of course.

 

We were able to tour the building and see their sleeping quarters, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and their little dentist clinic! I would love an opportunity to return.

 

Friday we visited a public hospital. It was HUGE and quite overwhelming. There were many people and the facility was unorganized and chaotic. There were large wards with several people--no private rooms. Many of the patients are brought in from other towns across the country to be treated for conditions that their local hospitable was not cable of. We were able to see talk with many patients. It was a great and very eye opening experience. I am excited to spend more time in the hospital next week.