Well, here we are. The last night in the CCS house in Ayacucho. I can't believe we've already been here for 3 weeks. Everyone said it would go fast, and I knew it would, but time FLEW by.
The past two days, Elyse, Erika and I spent our placement time at the prison. I didn't really know what to expect when I heard we would be going into jail to work with the women and children. In Peru, if a woman is arrested and has a child under 4, the child can live with her in the prison. Once he or she turns 4 though, they are taken away. Many of these children end up in the orphanage until their mother is released. This particular jail has about 170 women (and over 1000 men). Most of the women are there for drug reasons.
When we arrived at the jail, we went through a long process of security checks. Once we actually made it in, we had to walk through the men's section first, which I must admit made me feel rather uncomfortable. Once we got to the women's section, we were admitted and welcomed -- hugs, kisses, everything -- by the two women who "run" this section. The other girls explained they are kind of like the Godfathers (or mothers...) and control the women's prison. There was a large, open sort of area where all of the women seemed to be sitting and talking, sewing, knitting, etc. The women must pay a certain amount of money every month for their stay there, so to earn money they sell crafts and things like that. I was able to meet Roxanna, who made my scarf for me. She gave it to me and its beautiful! I was so happy with it and was so happy to actually get to pay her in person.
We spent the majority of the morning sitting with the two leader women and Sarah (one of the CCS-ers), who was teaching them English. We helped practice questions and answers with them. It was all very inspiring. I couldn't believe what amazing spirits these two women were in. They told us about their children and where they are today. A few of the kids came over to check us out, but they seemed a little hesitant to the group of gringas.
We returned home at lunch time and spent the afternoon just relaxing and hanging around the house. Around 5, Elyse, Erika and I went out to do some last minute shopping and to go out for dinner to celebrate the end of our stay here. I was really craving some pasta and had a very yummy (very large) plate of it. We ended the night by meeting up with some of the other girls at Via Via for dessert. I had chocolate caliente...which is much more exciting than our hot chocolate. They brought me a mug of really warm milk and a bowl of chocolate pieces. You put them in yourself and let it melt...it somehow tastes even better than "normal" hot chocolate. The night came to an end with an episode of GLEE, oh how I love that show!
This morning, we went back to the prison to pick up a few of the kids so we could bring them out of the prison and to the zoo. It took a long time to get all of us in there. Once we arrived to the women's area, mothers slowly brought us their little boys and girls. We had the slightly older ones today because they had to be able to walk at least some of the zoo. A young mom brought me her son, who immediately starting crying. No not crying, sobbing. I felt horrible...I didn't want to scare him of take him away from his mom. Marisol encouraged me to just go ahead with him because it would never end otherwise. He clung onto my shoulder...tears all down my neck and shirt. I couldn't give him enough love! I was trying so hard. We made it to the van, and I sat up front so he could see outside. Luckily, this calmed him down and as soon as he saw a dog he was just fine.
We drove the bumpy ride to the zoo, and all got out of the van. I was a little worried because my little guy immediately wanted to be held. I love holding babies...but this guy wasn't exactly a baby, more of a toddler. I held him close to me, and luckily when he saw the animals he wanted to be put down so he could look at them more closely. The kids all seemed to love it. They were all entralled with the squirrel exhibit, which I found very funny considering they barely gave the lions 30 seconds. It felt great to be able to give them at least a little but of time outside of their usual world and to get to see the animals like so many other children. My little guy immediately fell asleep in the car.
Elyse, Erika and I went to Via Via this afternoon for our last little snack ritual. I've been packing and organizing and getting ready for our departure tomorrow morning. We're having a bonfire tonight and probably going to watch more of The Office. I will certainly miss this place. I'm not ready to do the whole reflection thing yet...but I'm so excited for Cusco!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
10 Things...
10 Things I am looking forward to when I return home next week:
1. Watching the Ravens live. Not going to lie, it's quite a challenge to not be able to watch them play.
2. Hot showers/water. I've gotten maybe 3 showers with warm water since being here, so I fully intend on taking a very, VERY long hot shower and/or bath when I get home.
3. Salads. You just don't know how much you want one until you can't have one!
4. Brushing my teeth with water from the faucet. It sounds like a simple thing, but it's such a luxury to be able to just rinse your toothbrush off under the faucet and not with a bottle of water. I've only had to throw away one toothbrush so far, so I'm kind of proud of myself.
5. I hate to say it, but my Blackberry. It has been very freeing to not be attached to my phone all the time, but it really does make life so much easier when you are trying to make plans or find someone in the city.
6. Starbucks. Yeah, it makes me an awful, stereotypical American, but I really am excited to have some Starbucks at home. And the red cups and gingerbread lattes should be out by then! :o)
7. Regular sleeping habits. Waking up between 6 AM and 7 AM to a rooster cawwing, and going to bed before 10 AM can do weird things to you. Not bad things necessarily, but weird things.
8. Making my own food. I love to cook. I love to cook what I want to eat when I want to eat it. Paulina is a FABULOUS cook and makes wonderful meals, but I do believe I am ready to make my own meals again.
9. Gracie, the fat cat. I miss her sleeping on my legs, waking me up early for breakfast, and staring at unknown creatures under the oven.
10. Target. Yup, I said it. It's been a month and I haven't been to Target and I can't wait to go when I get home!
10 Things I will terribly miss when I return home next week:
1. Waking up to a view of mountains outside of my windows. Amazing.
2. Via Via in the afternoon. Via Via is an adorable little cafe kind of place that overlooks the main plaza. I think I go at least 3-4 times a week in the afternoon to enjoy a coffee or fresh juice with the other volunteers.
3. The Peruvians. Everyone is so extremely kind and welcoming. Even though we don't speak the same language, everyone says hello (or hola rather). Kids wave and want to talk to you. It's truly wonderful and truly refreshing.
4. The volunteers. What a great group of inspiring people!
5. The sense of giving back to a community. Though I have only lived here for a few weeks, there is a feeling that you get when one of the kids says "cow" in English or gives you a hug that makes everything worthwhile.
6. The Wawa Wasi kids. I really did come to love these kids. Yes, they didn't like me to feed them all the time. Yes, they occassionally clawed at each others faces, but I loved them. And they taught me so much about myself.
7. The dogs. There are just the cutest dogs in the world running all over the streets here!
8. Appreciating what you have and never taking anything for granted. I think that goes without explaination.
9. CCS in general. What a great company, with an amazing staff. Without these guys, not only would we not have the opportunity to work with and communicate with the community, but we would never get to see the country in the way we did. Who else gets to see a Shaman and go sandboarding in the same weekend??
10. Feeling like a true citizen of the world. Call it cheesey, but this opportunity has made me consider myself a world citizen. It's not just a vacation. It's not about sightseeing and tourguides. I've actually made myself a member of a community that is not my own. I've seen things from different eyes, and that is an experience I will never forget.
1. Watching the Ravens live. Not going to lie, it's quite a challenge to not be able to watch them play.
2. Hot showers/water. I've gotten maybe 3 showers with warm water since being here, so I fully intend on taking a very, VERY long hot shower and/or bath when I get home.
3. Salads. You just don't know how much you want one until you can't have one!
4. Brushing my teeth with water from the faucet. It sounds like a simple thing, but it's such a luxury to be able to just rinse your toothbrush off under the faucet and not with a bottle of water. I've only had to throw away one toothbrush so far, so I'm kind of proud of myself.
5. I hate to say it, but my Blackberry. It has been very freeing to not be attached to my phone all the time, but it really does make life so much easier when you are trying to make plans or find someone in the city.
6. Starbucks. Yeah, it makes me an awful, stereotypical American, but I really am excited to have some Starbucks at home. And the red cups and gingerbread lattes should be out by then! :o)
7. Regular sleeping habits. Waking up between 6 AM and 7 AM to a rooster cawwing, and going to bed before 10 AM can do weird things to you. Not bad things necessarily, but weird things.
8. Making my own food. I love to cook. I love to cook what I want to eat when I want to eat it. Paulina is a FABULOUS cook and makes wonderful meals, but I do believe I am ready to make my own meals again.
9. Gracie, the fat cat. I miss her sleeping on my legs, waking me up early for breakfast, and staring at unknown creatures under the oven.
10. Target. Yup, I said it. It's been a month and I haven't been to Target and I can't wait to go when I get home!
10 Things I will terribly miss when I return home next week:
1. Waking up to a view of mountains outside of my windows. Amazing.
2. Via Via in the afternoon. Via Via is an adorable little cafe kind of place that overlooks the main plaza. I think I go at least 3-4 times a week in the afternoon to enjoy a coffee or fresh juice with the other volunteers.
3. The Peruvians. Everyone is so extremely kind and welcoming. Even though we don't speak the same language, everyone says hello (or hola rather). Kids wave and want to talk to you. It's truly wonderful and truly refreshing.
4. The volunteers. What a great group of inspiring people!
5. The sense of giving back to a community. Though I have only lived here for a few weeks, there is a feeling that you get when one of the kids says "cow" in English or gives you a hug that makes everything worthwhile.
6. The Wawa Wasi kids. I really did come to love these kids. Yes, they didn't like me to feed them all the time. Yes, they occassionally clawed at each others faces, but I loved them. And they taught me so much about myself.
7. The dogs. There are just the cutest dogs in the world running all over the streets here!
8. Appreciating what you have and never taking anything for granted. I think that goes without explaination.
9. CCS in general. What a great company, with an amazing staff. Without these guys, not only would we not have the opportunity to work with and communicate with the community, but we would never get to see the country in the way we did. Who else gets to see a Shaman and go sandboarding in the same weekend??
10. Feeling like a true citizen of the world. Call it cheesey, but this opportunity has made me consider myself a world citizen. It's not just a vacation. It's not about sightseeing and tourguides. I've actually made myself a member of a community that is not my own. I've seen things from different eyes, and that is an experience I will never forget.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Climb Every Mountain
Sunday morning started with a departure from the house at 8 AM. We were on our way to do the one thing I was waiting to do since signing up for the CCS program...visiting the llamas! I have no idea why I get such a kick out of these funny animals, but they crack me up! They just have a funny look on their face all the time, they're hysterical. So needless to say, even though I was not feeling 100%, I was so excited for this day!
We drove for about 2 hours into the Andes. Our first stop was near a very pretty waterfall. There were a few llamas hanging out around there. I only hiked half way up the hill to the waterfall. I just found it a little too hard to make it the whole way. But I was still able to take lots of pretty pictures, plus spend quality time with a few of the local llamas.
After the waterfall, we drove a bit further and stopped a few times to admire the scenery and the llamas. We stopped for lunch, and then headed out for the big trek. Mind you, I am not outdoorsy in any way, shape or form. So this was pretty adventurous of me! We walked for probably about 2 hours, through all sorts of different landscapes. We made it down some pretty steep rocks, marshy area, and open plains. There was definitely more than one time when I felt a little like the Fellowship of the Ring trekking through Middle Earth (yes, I really am that cool). I may or may not have been singing the Lord of the Rings theme in my head for portions of the day.
I won't lie, it was definitely a challenge. I had the added bonus of not really being able to breathe through my nose due to the headcold. We hiked to over 14,000 feet. I took my time and made it through. The open air seemed to do something for me. I felt very accomplished by the end, dispite my rather large headache. The bonus at the end was several large, open fields filled with llamas. We got pretty close to them, and they gave us the funniest looks. I took like 100 pictures of just the llamas.
I was very ready to go to bed early after such an action-packed day. I woke up this morning and still felt rather sick so I spoke with Marisol (who works for CCS) and she went to the pharmacy for me. They sell antibiotics over the counter here, so hopefully I will be able to kick this cold before I leave for Macchu Picchu. I went to the Wawa Wasi despite my stuffy nose. The little kids always have runny noses, so I figured I would just fit in! The kids are really starting to open up to me. Marco, who has been rather resistent to me, even let me feed him breakfast today. Hairo and Josef practically tackled me with hugs when we were outside playing. It made me happy that they felt more comfortable with me. We worked on some simple counting in English today. Basically, they just want to play though :o)
I decided after such a physical weekend, I really needed to rest this afternoon. I read and slept for a while. I even finished my second book since being here (for those of you who know me well, you know that actually finishing a book is quite a challenge for me!). And to top off the day, we just discovered Monday Night Football in Spanish on ESPN. I'm thrilled! This means that next Monday I will probably be able to actually watch the Ravens (come on guys, let's pull it together for that game. I mean, I'm cheering for you in South America for God's sake). Only a few days left with the CCS crew, which I find hard to believe. I am hoping to get to go to the orphange and the soup kitchen at least once before leaving. Alright, back to the game... :o)
We drove for about 2 hours into the Andes. Our first stop was near a very pretty waterfall. There were a few llamas hanging out around there. I only hiked half way up the hill to the waterfall. I just found it a little too hard to make it the whole way. But I was still able to take lots of pretty pictures, plus spend quality time with a few of the local llamas.
After the waterfall, we drove a bit further and stopped a few times to admire the scenery and the llamas. We stopped for lunch, and then headed out for the big trek. Mind you, I am not outdoorsy in any way, shape or form. So this was pretty adventurous of me! We walked for probably about 2 hours, through all sorts of different landscapes. We made it down some pretty steep rocks, marshy area, and open plains. There was definitely more than one time when I felt a little like the Fellowship of the Ring trekking through Middle Earth (yes, I really am that cool). I may or may not have been singing the Lord of the Rings theme in my head for portions of the day.
I won't lie, it was definitely a challenge. I had the added bonus of not really being able to breathe through my nose due to the headcold. We hiked to over 14,000 feet. I took my time and made it through. The open air seemed to do something for me. I felt very accomplished by the end, dispite my rather large headache. The bonus at the end was several large, open fields filled with llamas. We got pretty close to them, and they gave us the funniest looks. I took like 100 pictures of just the llamas.
I was very ready to go to bed early after such an action-packed day. I woke up this morning and still felt rather sick so I spoke with Marisol (who works for CCS) and she went to the pharmacy for me. They sell antibiotics over the counter here, so hopefully I will be able to kick this cold before I leave for Macchu Picchu. I went to the Wawa Wasi despite my stuffy nose. The little kids always have runny noses, so I figured I would just fit in! The kids are really starting to open up to me. Marco, who has been rather resistent to me, even let me feed him breakfast today. Hairo and Josef practically tackled me with hugs when we were outside playing. It made me happy that they felt more comfortable with me. We worked on some simple counting in English today. Basically, they just want to play though :o)
I decided after such a physical weekend, I really needed to rest this afternoon. I read and slept for a while. I even finished my second book since being here (for those of you who know me well, you know that actually finishing a book is quite a challenge for me!). And to top off the day, we just discovered Monday Night Football in Spanish on ESPN. I'm thrilled! This means that next Monday I will probably be able to actually watch the Ravens (come on guys, let's pull it together for that game. I mean, I'm cheering for you in South America for God's sake). Only a few days left with the CCS crew, which I find hard to believe. I am hoping to get to go to the orphange and the soup kitchen at least once before leaving. Alright, back to the game... :o)
Legends of the Fall
Last week flew by, it hardly seemed like it could already be the weekend. I started my Friday by having my body sort of shut down on me. My stomach was hurting, which sadly caused me to miss work at the Wawa Wasi for that morning. There's no real bathroom there, so yeah, I will just leave it at that...
I fell back to sleep for about 2 hours, and just felt pretty off. By a little after lunchtime, I developed a really sore throat and headache. Those little kids gave me their germs, how kind of them! By dinnertime, I was ready to call it a night. Luckily, Elyse and a few other girls didn't want to go out either, so we huddled around a computer and watched "Love Actually." By the end of the movie, I was pretty sure I had a fever, so I just went to bed because I didn't want to miss out on anything tomorrow.
I woke up at 5:30 AM to say goodbye to the departing volunteers. There are only 9 of us in the house now (there were 20), so it is significantly quieter now. We left for our waterfall excursion around 10 AM. We traveled all over the countryside, visiting various sights along the way. We finally made it to a small village and walked through the trees to find our way to a beautiful waterfall. We spent the afternoon there, admiring the scenery. It was quite adventurous! We walked through knee-deep water, and had to cross over many small waterfalls in order to make it to the grand finale. After our time there, we visited the village and a few small stores. I was definitely ready to head home, very tired, and had to get ready for tomorrow's llama trek!
To be continued...
I fell back to sleep for about 2 hours, and just felt pretty off. By a little after lunchtime, I developed a really sore throat and headache. Those little kids gave me their germs, how kind of them! By dinnertime, I was ready to call it a night. Luckily, Elyse and a few other girls didn't want to go out either, so we huddled around a computer and watched "Love Actually." By the end of the movie, I was pretty sure I had a fever, so I just went to bed because I didn't want to miss out on anything tomorrow.
I woke up at 5:30 AM to say goodbye to the departing volunteers. There are only 9 of us in the house now (there were 20), so it is significantly quieter now. We left for our waterfall excursion around 10 AM. We traveled all over the countryside, visiting various sights along the way. We finally made it to a small village and walked through the trees to find our way to a beautiful waterfall. We spent the afternoon there, admiring the scenery. It was quite adventurous! We walked through knee-deep water, and had to cross over many small waterfalls in order to make it to the grand finale. After our time there, we visited the village and a few small stores. I was definitely ready to head home, very tired, and had to get ready for tomorrow's llama trek!
To be continued...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
March of the Penguins
Monday morning was the end of our coast trip, but what a way to close out our weekend! We had to get up very early (5:30 am...) so we could get on the road by a little after 6:00. We drove for a little while to arrive at the actual coast. We filed into a small dock area on a beautiful bay. A few moments later we were taken to a small boat with lots of seats. We set off on our Paracas Island adventure.
First, I must comment on the very stylish life jacekets that we had to wear for the whole trip. I think I tripled in size and now know what Kelly Greg must feel like without a neck. We spend along the water and our first stop was to look at the side of a mountain-desert area. There was another huge sign on there from thousands of years ago. The guide said some believe its from the Nazcas, others believe it was from pirates marking where gold was to be found. I chose to go with the pirate theory and quickly glanced around for any signs of Captain Jack Sparrow.
We moved along on at a brisk pace, which felt pretty great in the sun. We started to notice more and more birds above us, all sorts of different sizes and shapes. We must be coming up to the islands...sure enough, the first island came into sight and it was FILLED with birds. Pelicans, gulls, annnnnnd PENGUINS! I was so excited to find my first penguins there. There weren´t many, but they were most definitely real, live penguins. They even did the cute thing where they lose their balance and try to use their wings to catch it.
We sailed around for quite a while, moving from rock to rock to see the different wild life. There were also tons of sea lions all over the islands, too. I found it especially cute when you would see one in the water surface right near the boat. It was definitely a ver cool experience, and makes me want to go somewhere like the Galapagos really badly! I took tons of pictures and a few videos and will post them as soon as I have a decent internet connection.
After the boat ride, we walked around what was like their boardwalk area. We had lunch right on the water and sadly, we had to get into the van for our journey home. Poncho swore it would only take 6 hours...i put bets on 7.
And I was right. We got home just in time for dinner. We all looked exhausted and sunburned (luckily my SPF 1000 kept me snow white). We unpacked and went to bed early, since we had placement early the next morning.
On Tuesday morning I started work at one of the Wawa Wasis. Its pretty close to where we live, so I am able to walk there, which is I rather enjoy instead of having to be brought to and picked up by the van. But there is one huge hill on the way there. I would probably be okay with it at home, but this is the one time I feel the altitude. I am completely winded by the time I get to the Wawa Wasi. I thought I was going to die on the way up.
¨Mama Louise¨is great, and wow does she have her hands full with these kids. There were 7 there on my first day...6 of which were boys. I didn´t know this when I went there on Tuesday, but there was a big fiesta that morning to celebrate the anniversary of the wawa wasi system. We walked over to it around 10. Two little boys held my hand as tight as they could on the walk there, very cute.
The fiesta had tons of little kids (under 3). They all ate cake, drank juice, danced and watched a clown. It was all very adorable! I tried my best to help out wherever I could.
The past two days have been very good at the Wawa Wasi. I think I might scare some of the kids --they have probably never seen a gringa before (Peruvian term for white girl). But they are slowly warming up to me. One seems to have no problem at all. He´s always jumping in my lap and playing blocks with me. One of the little girls today gave me her baby doll and had me help her put a blanket over it to put to bed.
I definitely feel like I am of more use here. The kids are really into their animal toys, so I have been trying to teach both the Spanish and English words for them. The mama is very supportive of learning the English words...I think she wants to know them as much as the kids. And its great because when I say the English word for a toy, she is them able to teach me the Spanish word.
Well, we are about to head out and walk around town for the afternoon. Many people leave on Saturday, so we´re doing last minute shopping and pictures for them. More to come soon! Adios!
First, I must comment on the very stylish life jacekets that we had to wear for the whole trip. I think I tripled in size and now know what Kelly Greg must feel like without a neck. We spend along the water and our first stop was to look at the side of a mountain-desert area. There was another huge sign on there from thousands of years ago. The guide said some believe its from the Nazcas, others believe it was from pirates marking where gold was to be found. I chose to go with the pirate theory and quickly glanced around for any signs of Captain Jack Sparrow.
We moved along on at a brisk pace, which felt pretty great in the sun. We started to notice more and more birds above us, all sorts of different sizes and shapes. We must be coming up to the islands...sure enough, the first island came into sight and it was FILLED with birds. Pelicans, gulls, annnnnnd PENGUINS! I was so excited to find my first penguins there. There weren´t many, but they were most definitely real, live penguins. They even did the cute thing where they lose their balance and try to use their wings to catch it.
We sailed around for quite a while, moving from rock to rock to see the different wild life. There were also tons of sea lions all over the islands, too. I found it especially cute when you would see one in the water surface right near the boat. It was definitely a ver cool experience, and makes me want to go somewhere like the Galapagos really badly! I took tons of pictures and a few videos and will post them as soon as I have a decent internet connection.
After the boat ride, we walked around what was like their boardwalk area. We had lunch right on the water and sadly, we had to get into the van for our journey home. Poncho swore it would only take 6 hours...i put bets on 7.
And I was right. We got home just in time for dinner. We all looked exhausted and sunburned (luckily my SPF 1000 kept me snow white). We unpacked and went to bed early, since we had placement early the next morning.
On Tuesday morning I started work at one of the Wawa Wasis. Its pretty close to where we live, so I am able to walk there, which is I rather enjoy instead of having to be brought to and picked up by the van. But there is one huge hill on the way there. I would probably be okay with it at home, but this is the one time I feel the altitude. I am completely winded by the time I get to the Wawa Wasi. I thought I was going to die on the way up.
¨Mama Louise¨is great, and wow does she have her hands full with these kids. There were 7 there on my first day...6 of which were boys. I didn´t know this when I went there on Tuesday, but there was a big fiesta that morning to celebrate the anniversary of the wawa wasi system. We walked over to it around 10. Two little boys held my hand as tight as they could on the walk there, very cute.
The fiesta had tons of little kids (under 3). They all ate cake, drank juice, danced and watched a clown. It was all very adorable! I tried my best to help out wherever I could.
The past two days have been very good at the Wawa Wasi. I think I might scare some of the kids --they have probably never seen a gringa before (Peruvian term for white girl). But they are slowly warming up to me. One seems to have no problem at all. He´s always jumping in my lap and playing blocks with me. One of the little girls today gave me her baby doll and had me help her put a blanket over it to put to bed.
I definitely feel like I am of more use here. The kids are really into their animal toys, so I have been trying to teach both the Spanish and English words for them. The mama is very supportive of learning the English words...I think she wants to know them as much as the kids. And its great because when I say the English word for a toy, she is them able to teach me the Spanish word.
Well, we are about to head out and walk around town for the afternoon. Many people leave on Saturday, so we´re doing last minute shopping and pictures for them. More to come soon! Adios!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Any Given Sunday
Sunday was an early morning. We had to get on the road by 7ish so we could get to the airport to fly over the Nazca lines. But before I could even think about any of that I had to consider the day. Sunday = game day. I was just as serious about it as I am at home. I made sure to wear the lucky Ravens underwear and a purple shirt. Just because I´m on a different continent doesn´t mean I don´t care! At breakfast we found out that one of our fellow volunteers, Rhonda, is a Broncos fan so we made a friendly bet of beer for the winner. We would figure out the score later in the day...
We arrived at the small airport and waited for a few mnutes before boarding our very tiny plane. It sat 12 or 14 people, very small. We took off and started making our way over the desert-y area of Nazca. If you don´t know what the Naza lines are, google them. Theyre incredibly interesting. There are 12 that are still very visible. Think crop circles, but in a desert landscape. Some are easier to spot than others. Some of my favorites included the hummingbird, the monkey and the spider. You really have to see pictures to fully understand. But no one knows where exactly they came from or why they are there. They were only discovered in recent history since you can only see them from the sky. Some people think they have to do with religious ceremonies, some think it was a form of worship, some think it was a sort of map for aliens...I don´t know what I believe exactly, but its pretty crazy how exact the pictures are and the Nazcas who made them would have never seen them from the sky...twilight zone, anyone?
After seeing the lines, I was definitely very dizzy and slightly sick to my stomach from the small plane and all of the crazy turns we made to see the lines. We visited a pottery workshop and saw a pottery demonstration. He had some amazing work and I bought a small mask that he made with Nazca gods on it. We next visited a Shaman, which was pretty cool! Unlike the witch doctor, he dressed the part with feathers and traditional clothes. He did a small ceremony with us involving our shakras and the energy of the group. I found it pretty interesting and would have liked to have done even more.
We had lunch in Nazca and I tried a fellow volunteers ceviche. I have to say, for some one who loves seafood, I was not a huge fan. The flavor was good...very citrus-y and lime-y, but I think it was a texture thing. The whole idea of raw seafood kind of creeped me out a bit, but I was glad I tried it. We got into the car and drove in the direction of Ica. But first we stopped at a site that is just starting to be excavated. Its right near the Nazca lines, and scientists have discovered these HUGE temple like structures. They are only finding parts of them right now, and we got to climb around the one that they have dne serious work on. Its amazing that these things are literally under your feet here. I found it interesting that there were these very tall temples right near the lines. They seem to be very connected in my mind.
We made it to Ica by the evening, and checked back into our Oasis hotel. Elyse and I quickly made our way to the computer to discover the wonderful news that the Ravens killed the Broncos, woohoo! Very happy day indeed. We spent the rest of the evening having dinner and going to bed early. The next morning involved a 6 AM breakfast so we could go see the penguins!
Definitely a great Sunday :)
We arrived at the small airport and waited for a few mnutes before boarding our very tiny plane. It sat 12 or 14 people, very small. We took off and started making our way over the desert-y area of Nazca. If you don´t know what the Naza lines are, google them. Theyre incredibly interesting. There are 12 that are still very visible. Think crop circles, but in a desert landscape. Some are easier to spot than others. Some of my favorites included the hummingbird, the monkey and the spider. You really have to see pictures to fully understand. But no one knows where exactly they came from or why they are there. They were only discovered in recent history since you can only see them from the sky. Some people think they have to do with religious ceremonies, some think it was a form of worship, some think it was a sort of map for aliens...I don´t know what I believe exactly, but its pretty crazy how exact the pictures are and the Nazcas who made them would have never seen them from the sky...twilight zone, anyone?
After seeing the lines, I was definitely very dizzy and slightly sick to my stomach from the small plane and all of the crazy turns we made to see the lines. We visited a pottery workshop and saw a pottery demonstration. He had some amazing work and I bought a small mask that he made with Nazca gods on it. We next visited a Shaman, which was pretty cool! Unlike the witch doctor, he dressed the part with feathers and traditional clothes. He did a small ceremony with us involving our shakras and the energy of the group. I found it pretty interesting and would have liked to have done even more.
We had lunch in Nazca and I tried a fellow volunteers ceviche. I have to say, for some one who loves seafood, I was not a huge fan. The flavor was good...very citrus-y and lime-y, but I think it was a texture thing. The whole idea of raw seafood kind of creeped me out a bit, but I was glad I tried it. We got into the car and drove in the direction of Ica. But first we stopped at a site that is just starting to be excavated. Its right near the Nazca lines, and scientists have discovered these HUGE temple like structures. They are only finding parts of them right now, and we got to climb around the one that they have dne serious work on. Its amazing that these things are literally under your feet here. I found it interesting that there were these very tall temples right near the lines. They seem to be very connected in my mind.
We made it to Ica by the evening, and checked back into our Oasis hotel. Elyse and I quickly made our way to the computer to discover the wonderful news that the Ravens killed the Broncos, woohoo! Very happy day indeed. We spent the rest of the evening having dinner and going to bed early. The next morning involved a 6 AM breakfast so we could go see the penguins!
Definitely a great Sunday :)
The Sand Lot
Wow what a weekend! We had a very exciting and very tiring trip to Peru´s coast to visit Ica, Nazca and the islands. I´m going to split this into 3 entires for each of the days since there was so much that we did!
Friday started with our placements. It was my last day in the health clinic. I really did love working there, and I learned tons, but I just didn´t feel like I was serving the community. I felt like I was just feeding my own curiousity. On Friday morning I discovered the magical world of the lab. This was very exciting for me! I always loved chemistry and biology, so this was all pretty cool work to me. The lab tech spoke just a tiny bit of English, and since I speak just a tiny bit of Spanish, we were able to somewhat communicate. I really liked him a lot. He taught me how to do all sorts of tests, and I even ran a bunch on my own after a few hours. We ran blood tests, urine tests, pregnancy tests, hemoglobin counts, blood typing, HIV tests, TB tests, you name it. I was really excited to get to do this. I even drew blood twice on my own! I think my hands weren´t the steadiest in the world, but I tried and I did it!
After lunch, the nine of us piled into our little mini-bus for our 8 hour drive to the coast. Have you ever listened to every song on your iPod? Yeah, I have now. It was long, but at least we had some beautiful scenery. We also had our first llama sighting! I was so giddy about this. They are the funniest animals! Love them.
We arrived in our first town, Ica, around 9:00 that night after the long drive and a slight delay due to a flat tire. I didn´t fully realize where we were until daylight the next morning. When we woke up and stepped out of our hotel, I realized that we were literally surrounded by sanddunes. It was incredible. Ive never seen anything like it. Just huge mountains of sand. We were in the small oasis town, which we later got a good view of from the top of the dunes.
After breakfast, we loaded into dune buggies to tackle the sand. The dune buggies alone were worth the trip. So much fun! It was like being on a rollar coaster with no track in the middle of the desert. After a few minutes of driving we came to a stop and the edge of one of the huge hills. We got out and the sand boards appeared from the back of the trucks. Um, you want me to go down that? The girl with no balance, who has never so much as skiied in my life? Yeah.
Down went the first person (we made the guys go first). I bravely enough was one of the first girls to step up to the plate. I grabbed my board, which basically looked like a snowboard sort of thing, laid down on my stomach, grabbed onto it, and before I could second guess myself, the tour guide pushed me down and off I went. It was amazing! Huge adrenaline rush! Not scary at all, just fun. Think extreme sledding, but in the sand not snow. We got to do it four times. Each hill was bigger and faster than the previous. We took tons of pictures and got back to the hotel around 11 to shower. I think I still have sand in my backpack from that day (sorry, Matt :o)).
We left at lunchtime to visit a winery. They specialized in Pisco, which is a local brandy type liquor. Its very strong! We tried a few kinds, and also some wine from the vineyards. Next we traveled to visit a real live witch doctor (on Halloween!). It was really neat, but I have to say I expected some feathers or robes or something. He looked like he just walked out of the local mall, but still, it was cool.
We next drove about 2 hours to Nazca. We spent the evening there and saw the local niños and niñas in their Halloween costumes. It was an early night because we had to get up early the next day for the Nazca lines....
To be continued...
Friday started with our placements. It was my last day in the health clinic. I really did love working there, and I learned tons, but I just didn´t feel like I was serving the community. I felt like I was just feeding my own curiousity. On Friday morning I discovered the magical world of the lab. This was very exciting for me! I always loved chemistry and biology, so this was all pretty cool work to me. The lab tech spoke just a tiny bit of English, and since I speak just a tiny bit of Spanish, we were able to somewhat communicate. I really liked him a lot. He taught me how to do all sorts of tests, and I even ran a bunch on my own after a few hours. We ran blood tests, urine tests, pregnancy tests, hemoglobin counts, blood typing, HIV tests, TB tests, you name it. I was really excited to get to do this. I even drew blood twice on my own! I think my hands weren´t the steadiest in the world, but I tried and I did it!
After lunch, the nine of us piled into our little mini-bus for our 8 hour drive to the coast. Have you ever listened to every song on your iPod? Yeah, I have now. It was long, but at least we had some beautiful scenery. We also had our first llama sighting! I was so giddy about this. They are the funniest animals! Love them.
We arrived in our first town, Ica, around 9:00 that night after the long drive and a slight delay due to a flat tire. I didn´t fully realize where we were until daylight the next morning. When we woke up and stepped out of our hotel, I realized that we were literally surrounded by sanddunes. It was incredible. Ive never seen anything like it. Just huge mountains of sand. We were in the small oasis town, which we later got a good view of from the top of the dunes.
After breakfast, we loaded into dune buggies to tackle the sand. The dune buggies alone were worth the trip. So much fun! It was like being on a rollar coaster with no track in the middle of the desert. After a few minutes of driving we came to a stop and the edge of one of the huge hills. We got out and the sand boards appeared from the back of the trucks. Um, you want me to go down that? The girl with no balance, who has never so much as skiied in my life? Yeah.
Down went the first person (we made the guys go first). I bravely enough was one of the first girls to step up to the plate. I grabbed my board, which basically looked like a snowboard sort of thing, laid down on my stomach, grabbed onto it, and before I could second guess myself, the tour guide pushed me down and off I went. It was amazing! Huge adrenaline rush! Not scary at all, just fun. Think extreme sledding, but in the sand not snow. We got to do it four times. Each hill was bigger and faster than the previous. We took tons of pictures and got back to the hotel around 11 to shower. I think I still have sand in my backpack from that day (sorry, Matt :o)).
We left at lunchtime to visit a winery. They specialized in Pisco, which is a local brandy type liquor. Its very strong! We tried a few kinds, and also some wine from the vineyards. Next we traveled to visit a real live witch doctor (on Halloween!). It was really neat, but I have to say I expected some feathers or robes or something. He looked like he just walked out of the local mall, but still, it was cool.
We next drove about 2 hours to Nazca. We spent the evening there and saw the local niños and niñas in their Halloween costumes. It was an early night because we had to get up early the next day for the Nazca lines....
To be continued...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I don´t think we´re in kansas anymore...
The blog returns! I safely arrived in Peru a few days ago now and am only now getting a chance to update everyone. Elyse and I started our jouney on Saturday morning and left DC to fly to Miami. We made it with no problems and while in Miami we met up with a fellow volunteer, Todd, who was on our next flight with us. We flew a rather bumpy flight from Miami to Lima, but made it record time and arrived early into Peru.
All of our luggage made it to Peru, as well, and once we oriented ourselves with the airport we set up camp in the food court area where we had to spend the next 8 hours. We got there around 10 PM and our next flight was at 6 AM. You´d be amazed at the creative ways one can manage to sleep in an airport! I did manage to get about an hour of sleep with my head on a table, and then another half hour on a bench once we could go to the domestic flight area. Once we got there we met up with most of the other volunteers. Everyone else looked equally sleep deprived. We departed for Ayacucho around 6 AM and got here by 7. The Ayacucho airport is literally just one room, with one baggage belt, and two doors to leave by. Itty bitty! The flight here over the Andes was beautiful.
Once we arrived at the house, we were given our room assignments and some information, but all of us really just wanted to go to sleep! Elyse and I joined up with our room mate, Janelle, and we all slept for about 3 hours. We got up in time for lunch and began meeting the other volunteers. Everyone was extremely welcoming and kind. They gave us lots of tips about what to do in the city, about our placements, everything. We spent the rest of the afternoon at one of the staff member´s homes. He lives out in the country, about a half hour from here. To get to the house, we did have to forge a river Oregon Trail style, which was pretty exciting. But once we got there, we laid by the river and read and just enjoyed the scenery. When we arrived back at the house, we ate dinner and even watched a bit of the Yankees-Angels game. I was beat by 9 and went to bed.
The next day we felt much more refreshed. We started the day with a bit of a history lesson, and learned about Ayacucho and its people. Ayacucho is Quechua (the native language) for ¨the soul´s home.¨ We all piled into the van next, and checked out a few of the various placements. I was very excited to actually see the community and the people. In the afternoon we were given a city tour by Poncho, who is like the official tour guide for all CCS-ers. He brought us all over the place -- markets, workshops, you name it. That evening, after dinner, we went out into town and enjoyed our first Pisco Sours, the official drink of the region. It´s really good!
Tuesday was our first day of placements. I really had no idea what to expect. Luckily, Janelle was in the same clinic as me and she is a nurse, so I knew I could learn from her. We walked into the clinic and Janelle went to the lab and I went upstairs to the OBGYN office. The doctors on Grey´s Anatomy would have definitely called me a member of the gyn-y squad. We had many women come in that morning, all ranging in various degrees of pregnancy. One woman was starting to have contractions and another was bleeding pretty badily. I don´t know if she lost the bay or not, I couldn´t understand what was going on. The nurse let me listen to a fetus´s heartbeat, which was pretty exciting! It was a pretty fulfilling first day for me. That night we went out to Via Via and enjoyed hot ciders and desserts while sitting over the main square in the city.
Wednesday morning we went back to the clinic. We started by going into a room where two women had given birth over night. The one woman was the one I saw yesterday with contractions, so it was pretty neat to now see her infant baby next to her. We moved back to the OB office and observed there for a little while. They seemed to be having some sort of Planned Parenthood type day, so I went with one nurse and saw different patients to give them cotraception. When we returned home, I was informed that the clinic was offering flu vaccines the next morning and they wanted us to come there at 7 in the morning. Alright! Early night to bed then!
We were taken on a field trip Wendesday afternoon to the Wari Ruins and to the small town of Quinua. It was about an hour drive through the mountains--beautiful scenery! As soon as we got out of the van, many small children ran to our van (I guess they were excited to see ¨Gringos¨). We walked around a monument area at the top of a hill and got lots of beautiful pictures. We walked down towards the town, and stopped in several pottery workshops. There is a really neat tradition in that part of the country where residents put clay churches on their rooftops to signify that they arew Christian and religious. They are everywhere and range from simple to large and elaborate. As we were walking through the stores we were suddenly attacked with not only rain but a crazy hail storm! It was like golfballs falling from the sky. And they hurt! I took a video of it, but can´t upload it now. Ill add it eventually. After we took shelter in a store for a while, it eventually slowed down and we traveled to the Wari Ruins. The Wari were a tribe that existed here before even the Incans. It was really interesting and the ruins were pretty inredible. By this point we were all pretty tired. We left there around 5 to make it home just in time for our 6 o´clock Spanish lesson. Elyse and I spent the evening in, and watched a few episodes of The Office in our room. My wake up call of 6 AM was rapidly approaching...
Janelle and I traveled with two nurses early this morning offering flu shots to local residents. Instead of having a clinic or anything like we do at home (i.e. going to Target for a flu shot), we knocked on people´s doors and offered them. I was excited to actually be out in the community. We returned to the clinic in about an hour. It was a fairly quiet day there. We spent most of our time in the ´´ER´´ which is just a small room for people who need immediate attention. We had a few school children who had somehow crashed through a window come in. They were cut up and bloody, but nothing too bad. I helped clean up one. Another woman brought in a baby who seemed to be having breathing difficulty. We spent the remainder of the day making cotton balls.
As much a I enjoy trying to learn about the medical practices, the language barrier is incredibly hard. NO ONE at the clinic speaks English. It´s very hard to try to learn because of this, and I often find myself either in the way or not able to help when I wish I could. I spoke to Marisol today, and she said next week I can work at a Wawa Wasi, which is Quechua for Baby House. It´s a government funded daycare system. I think I will be of much more use here, and I can teach the small children basic English and play with them and help the Mama out. I feel like I will be giving back to the community much more in this capacity. I will still be at the clinic tomorrow and am very grateful for my week there.
Tomorrow the nine of us that started together are heading to the coast. Pancho is bringing us to go sandboarding (essentially sledding on sand dunes!), to see the Nazca lines, and to go to an island where there are.....penguins!! I can´t wait. I´m so excited to see the penguins and to be away with my fellow volunteers for the weekend.
I hope to get to update my blog when we return on Monday. I am having just a really amazing time so far. I am so happy to be helping a community however I can, and to be experiencing an entirely new culture firsthand. Theres really nothing else like it! I hope that everyone at home is doing well. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures sometime next week!
All of our luggage made it to Peru, as well, and once we oriented ourselves with the airport we set up camp in the food court area where we had to spend the next 8 hours. We got there around 10 PM and our next flight was at 6 AM. You´d be amazed at the creative ways one can manage to sleep in an airport! I did manage to get about an hour of sleep with my head on a table, and then another half hour on a bench once we could go to the domestic flight area. Once we got there we met up with most of the other volunteers. Everyone else looked equally sleep deprived. We departed for Ayacucho around 6 AM and got here by 7. The Ayacucho airport is literally just one room, with one baggage belt, and two doors to leave by. Itty bitty! The flight here over the Andes was beautiful.
Once we arrived at the house, we were given our room assignments and some information, but all of us really just wanted to go to sleep! Elyse and I joined up with our room mate, Janelle, and we all slept for about 3 hours. We got up in time for lunch and began meeting the other volunteers. Everyone was extremely welcoming and kind. They gave us lots of tips about what to do in the city, about our placements, everything. We spent the rest of the afternoon at one of the staff member´s homes. He lives out in the country, about a half hour from here. To get to the house, we did have to forge a river Oregon Trail style, which was pretty exciting. But once we got there, we laid by the river and read and just enjoyed the scenery. When we arrived back at the house, we ate dinner and even watched a bit of the Yankees-Angels game. I was beat by 9 and went to bed.
The next day we felt much more refreshed. We started the day with a bit of a history lesson, and learned about Ayacucho and its people. Ayacucho is Quechua (the native language) for ¨the soul´s home.¨ We all piled into the van next, and checked out a few of the various placements. I was very excited to actually see the community and the people. In the afternoon we were given a city tour by Poncho, who is like the official tour guide for all CCS-ers. He brought us all over the place -- markets, workshops, you name it. That evening, after dinner, we went out into town and enjoyed our first Pisco Sours, the official drink of the region. It´s really good!
Tuesday was our first day of placements. I really had no idea what to expect. Luckily, Janelle was in the same clinic as me and she is a nurse, so I knew I could learn from her. We walked into the clinic and Janelle went to the lab and I went upstairs to the OBGYN office. The doctors on Grey´s Anatomy would have definitely called me a member of the gyn-y squad. We had many women come in that morning, all ranging in various degrees of pregnancy. One woman was starting to have contractions and another was bleeding pretty badily. I don´t know if she lost the bay or not, I couldn´t understand what was going on. The nurse let me listen to a fetus´s heartbeat, which was pretty exciting! It was a pretty fulfilling first day for me. That night we went out to Via Via and enjoyed hot ciders and desserts while sitting over the main square in the city.
Wednesday morning we went back to the clinic. We started by going into a room where two women had given birth over night. The one woman was the one I saw yesterday with contractions, so it was pretty neat to now see her infant baby next to her. We moved back to the OB office and observed there for a little while. They seemed to be having some sort of Planned Parenthood type day, so I went with one nurse and saw different patients to give them cotraception. When we returned home, I was informed that the clinic was offering flu vaccines the next morning and they wanted us to come there at 7 in the morning. Alright! Early night to bed then!
We were taken on a field trip Wendesday afternoon to the Wari Ruins and to the small town of Quinua. It was about an hour drive through the mountains--beautiful scenery! As soon as we got out of the van, many small children ran to our van (I guess they were excited to see ¨Gringos¨). We walked around a monument area at the top of a hill and got lots of beautiful pictures. We walked down towards the town, and stopped in several pottery workshops. There is a really neat tradition in that part of the country where residents put clay churches on their rooftops to signify that they arew Christian and religious. They are everywhere and range from simple to large and elaborate. As we were walking through the stores we were suddenly attacked with not only rain but a crazy hail storm! It was like golfballs falling from the sky. And they hurt! I took a video of it, but can´t upload it now. Ill add it eventually. After we took shelter in a store for a while, it eventually slowed down and we traveled to the Wari Ruins. The Wari were a tribe that existed here before even the Incans. It was really interesting and the ruins were pretty inredible. By this point we were all pretty tired. We left there around 5 to make it home just in time for our 6 o´clock Spanish lesson. Elyse and I spent the evening in, and watched a few episodes of The Office in our room. My wake up call of 6 AM was rapidly approaching...
Janelle and I traveled with two nurses early this morning offering flu shots to local residents. Instead of having a clinic or anything like we do at home (i.e. going to Target for a flu shot), we knocked on people´s doors and offered them. I was excited to actually be out in the community. We returned to the clinic in about an hour. It was a fairly quiet day there. We spent most of our time in the ´´ER´´ which is just a small room for people who need immediate attention. We had a few school children who had somehow crashed through a window come in. They were cut up and bloody, but nothing too bad. I helped clean up one. Another woman brought in a baby who seemed to be having breathing difficulty. We spent the remainder of the day making cotton balls.
As much a I enjoy trying to learn about the medical practices, the language barrier is incredibly hard. NO ONE at the clinic speaks English. It´s very hard to try to learn because of this, and I often find myself either in the way or not able to help when I wish I could. I spoke to Marisol today, and she said next week I can work at a Wawa Wasi, which is Quechua for Baby House. It´s a government funded daycare system. I think I will be of much more use here, and I can teach the small children basic English and play with them and help the Mama out. I feel like I will be giving back to the community much more in this capacity. I will still be at the clinic tomorrow and am very grateful for my week there.
Tomorrow the nine of us that started together are heading to the coast. Pancho is bringing us to go sandboarding (essentially sledding on sand dunes!), to see the Nazca lines, and to go to an island where there are.....penguins!! I can´t wait. I´m so excited to see the penguins and to be away with my fellow volunteers for the weekend.
I hope to get to update my blog when we return on Monday. I am having just a really amazing time so far. I am so happy to be helping a community however I can, and to be experiencing an entirely new culture firsthand. Theres really nothing else like it! I hope that everyone at home is doing well. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures sometime next week!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Great Expectations
Well, here we are...less than 24 hours to go until I leave for South America! I don't honestly think it has all hit be quite yet. Yes, I have had my last day at work. Yes, everything is packed. Yes, my apartment is clean (VERY clean :o)). But it still hasn't completely hit me that we leave tomorrow.
I think I have a bit of a security blanket with me since I am traveling with Elyse. It definitely eases my mind to be with, not only my best friend, but also with someone who has done this before. I wouldn't have thought to pack multiple toothbrushes if it weren't for Elyse! (You're bound to put your toothbrush under the faucet out of habit at some point...). Between the two of us I think we have a small library and might qualify as a travel Blockbuster specializing in DVDs of "The Office" and "Friends." I have to say I'm rather pleased with my packing. Everything is extremely organized in my suitcase, and thanks to Matt I have one impressive backpack to bring as my carry-on and for weekend trips. But even though I think I did a really good job at packing for a month, it is HEAVY. I have to weigh it later and make sure I haven't hit the limit.
While I have been packing and cleaning, I have also watched about 10 hours worth of old Grey's Anatomy episodes. I think my expectations of working in a clinic are really high now....
But seriously, I am walking on that plane tomorrow with an open mind. I realize that I will come across many difficult moments. I know there will be times that I will be dying for the comforts of the four walls of Box Office Land. I am ready to challenge myself. I am ready to meet new people and try new things. I am ready to immerse myself in a culture that is not my own. I welcome this. It's not every day that you get to experience something like this, so I hope to live every moment to it's fullest and to really find my place as a citizen of the world.
Alright, there we go! That's a lot to live up to, but I am energized and ready for it (well, not really...really I want to watch last night's episode of the The Office and take a nap, but you know what I mean....).
Hopefully I will be able to update my blog often. Stay tuned to hear about my adventures of sleeping in the Lima airport :o) Much love to each of you. Thank you for your support of my trip, it truly means the world to me.
I think I have a bit of a security blanket with me since I am traveling with Elyse. It definitely eases my mind to be with, not only my best friend, but also with someone who has done this before. I wouldn't have thought to pack multiple toothbrushes if it weren't for Elyse! (You're bound to put your toothbrush under the faucet out of habit at some point...). Between the two of us I think we have a small library and might qualify as a travel Blockbuster specializing in DVDs of "The Office" and "Friends." I have to say I'm rather pleased with my packing. Everything is extremely organized in my suitcase, and thanks to Matt I have one impressive backpack to bring as my carry-on and for weekend trips. But even though I think I did a really good job at packing for a month, it is HEAVY. I have to weigh it later and make sure I haven't hit the limit.
While I have been packing and cleaning, I have also watched about 10 hours worth of old Grey's Anatomy episodes. I think my expectations of working in a clinic are really high now....
But seriously, I am walking on that plane tomorrow with an open mind. I realize that I will come across many difficult moments. I know there will be times that I will be dying for the comforts of the four walls of Box Office Land. I am ready to challenge myself. I am ready to meet new people and try new things. I am ready to immerse myself in a culture that is not my own. I welcome this. It's not every day that you get to experience something like this, so I hope to live every moment to it's fullest and to really find my place as a citizen of the world.
Alright, there we go! That's a lot to live up to, but I am energized and ready for it (well, not really...really I want to watch last night's episode of the The Office and take a nap, but you know what I mean....).
Hopefully I will be able to update my blog often. Stay tuned to hear about my adventures of sleeping in the Lima airport :o) Much love to each of you. Thank you for your support of my trip, it truly means the world to me.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Working Girl
I was very excited to open my email this morning and find the message I've been waiting for: Cross Cultural Solutions Volunteer Placement. I opened the email with the anticipation of opening a college acceptance letter...even though I knew I had to be placed somewhere, it wasn't like they were going to say "No thank you." But my work assignment really kind of dictates a lot about the trip, so I wanted it to be something I was interested in and excited to do.
And luckily for me, it was! I will be working at Belen Health Clinic, which is located about 10 minutes from our housing. According to the description that I was sent, I will be working closely with health professionals to take patient's vitals, weigh and measure babies/children, and make housecalls through out the community, particularly to mothers. I'm so excited to have this placement; it's exactly what I was hoping to do! I am really hoping to work closely with the expecting moms and newborns and other babies.
The reason I really wanted to have this placement was because it's something I will most likely never get to do at home. While I would be happy to do anything to help out the community, I feel like I could feasibly teach or work with children here. But, unless I one day decide that I really should go to med school, I probably won't have a chance to work in a clinic or hospital here. So I'll live out my Grey's Anatomy fantasy in Peru...minus the hot doctors and crazy medical mysteries that only ever seem to come through Seattle Grace Hospital.
It's so close now! A week and a half more of work, and then I will be fully focused on packing everything and closing up the apartment for the next month. I hope the cat realizes she's about to go on a month long vacation to mom and dad's...hmmm, maybe i should let her know that so she can be mentally prepared...right now she seems to be happy sleeping on the couch with her face wedged in between the cushions. Oh Gracie...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
What's Up, Doc?
One step closer to leaving for Peru! I have been vaccinated!
I went to the travel doctor this morning and had a great meeting with him (Dr. Sam Williams...amazing travel doctor, highly recommend him). We really went through everything together. He advised me on what vaccines I did and didn't need, any medications that I should bring with me, and just general well-being while traveling. He told me what I really should get is Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever and Typhoid. 3 shots, I can deal with that....right??
I'm not really squeemish around needles or blood or anything...I willingly watch those surgery shows on the Discovery Channel from time to time afterall. And I really had no problem getting the shots -- we just kept talking as he gave them to me. But ow-ee! A few hours later my arm, particularly the left arm which received the yellowfever and typhoid needles, felt like jello. And then the jello turned into aching pain. I passed out on the couch for like an hour and it felt a little better after that. I keep moving as much as I can. My mom reminded me of when I was little and got the usual little kid shots...apparently I wasn't enjoying the pain then either and 6-year old me decided to just not to move my arm AT ALL for several days after the shots. Yeah, let's just say I still remember how much that hurt then!
I also got a few prescriptions for malaria and altitude sickness. For those of you who have experienced malaria pill options before, I went with the once a week variety. These apparently give you some trippy, vivid dreams so I'm sure I will enjoy writing about those later! I was glad to be able to get something to help with the altitude sickness. That was one thing I was a little nervous about dealing with.
SO vaccines, check! 2 weeks to go now. I have been in contact with the 9 other volunteers who will be starting on the same day as me. Everyone seems really nice through their emails. There's even another girl from Maryland that will be there with us.
I'm really hoping to find out what my actual work assignment is at the beginning of the week. I'm really anxious to find out what I'll actually be doing.
Alright, my arm is starting to cramp up from the way I'm sitting and typing so I'll end it here. Ravens, please play hard and make one of the last games that I'll see before my trip a good one!
I went to the travel doctor this morning and had a great meeting with him (Dr. Sam Williams...amazing travel doctor, highly recommend him). We really went through everything together. He advised me on what vaccines I did and didn't need, any medications that I should bring with me, and just general well-being while traveling. He told me what I really should get is Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever and Typhoid. 3 shots, I can deal with that....right??
I'm not really squeemish around needles or blood or anything...I willingly watch those surgery shows on the Discovery Channel from time to time afterall. And I really had no problem getting the shots -- we just kept talking as he gave them to me. But ow-ee! A few hours later my arm, particularly the left arm which received the yellowfever and typhoid needles, felt like jello. And then the jello turned into aching pain. I passed out on the couch for like an hour and it felt a little better after that. I keep moving as much as I can. My mom reminded me of when I was little and got the usual little kid shots...apparently I wasn't enjoying the pain then either and 6-year old me decided to just not to move my arm AT ALL for several days after the shots. Yeah, let's just say I still remember how much that hurt then!
I also got a few prescriptions for malaria and altitude sickness. For those of you who have experienced malaria pill options before, I went with the once a week variety. These apparently give you some trippy, vivid dreams so I'm sure I will enjoy writing about those later! I was glad to be able to get something to help with the altitude sickness. That was one thing I was a little nervous about dealing with.
SO vaccines, check! 2 weeks to go now. I have been in contact with the 9 other volunteers who will be starting on the same day as me. Everyone seems really nice through their emails. There's even another girl from Maryland that will be there with us.
I'm really hoping to find out what my actual work assignment is at the beginning of the week. I'm really anxious to find out what I'll actually be doing.
Alright, my arm is starting to cramp up from the way I'm sitting and typing so I'll end it here. Ravens, please play hard and make one of the last games that I'll see before my trip a good one!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Big Fish
This Saturday afternoon I made an adventure into a world I've never experienced before. A territory filled with creatures and species unknown to me. A country where lovers of musical theatre, dry British humor and President Obama are surely shunned. This place is known as the land of the Bass Pro Shops.
I went in search of various items for my upcoming trip, but my main objective was to find a good pair of hiking shoes and water sandals (also for hiking). Luckily, these items were both easy to find in the Land of the Bass, but not before having to navigate my way through various stuffed animals (no no, not cuddly toys, we are talking actual stuffed bears, deer, ducks, you name it), every kind of clothing you could ever think of in camoflage print (seriously, underwear. why would that even be necessary? Anyone??) and several well-kept mullets.
But in all seriousness, I was able to accomplish my mission and bought my shoes (and some delicious gummy bears, too!) Who knew you could go to one store to buy a tent, ammunition AND go rock climbing right there in the middle of everything? Brilliant I tell you!
Thank you Bass Pro Shops for opening my eyes to a new world of shopping.
Shoes: purchased. Next on the list: waiting for my actual work assignment so I will know what I need to prepare for when I get there.
On a side note, thank you to all that is good and holy for Ray Lewis. What a game!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
An American Tail
Hello!
Welcome to my blog! I've never done the whole blogging thing before, but as I am preparing to leave for a month long trip to Peru, I think this is the best way to reach everyone. As I'm sure you know if you are reading this, I am leaving old Bawlmer at the end of October to do volunteer work in Ayacucho, Peru for a month. What you may not know is how this trip came to be....
My best friend, Elyse, decided well over a year ago that she was going to spend the summer of 2009 in Tanzania doing volunteer work with Cross Cultural Solutions. She researched it and had a very successful fundraising campaign....so successful that she actually ended up with more money than she needed for her program fee. Instead of losing the money, she decided that she wantd to plan another trip, this time to South America in the Fall. As soon as she booked the trip and told me about it, I decided "well wait a minute, I want to go too!"
The next few days happened very quickly, as I went through a whirlwind of telling my parents, best friends and (most importantly!) Everyman Theatre (my employers) my plans. Luckily, I work with some amazing people who very much supported my desire to do volunteer work. Ian's only stipulations about the trip were that I 1. don't call work mid-way through the trip and tell them I got married to a Peruvian and am never returning or 2. Pull an Angelina Jolie and come back with 6 adorable babies just in time for Thanksgiving. I easily agreed to these rules :o)
I quickly jumped on the fundraising train and received incredible support from friends and family. I was able to not only fundraise for my entire program fee, but also for my round trip airfare to Peru...just amazing!
The next few weeks will be dedicated to purchasing the various travel supplies I need, packing, organizing and...vaccines (more to come on that later. October 10th is the big day for the shots!).
Can't wait to share the next few weeks with you!
<3,>
Welcome to my blog! I've never done the whole blogging thing before, but as I am preparing to leave for a month long trip to Peru, I think this is the best way to reach everyone. As I'm sure you know if you are reading this, I am leaving old Bawlmer at the end of October to do volunteer work in Ayacucho, Peru for a month. What you may not know is how this trip came to be....
My best friend, Elyse, decided well over a year ago that she was going to spend the summer of 2009 in Tanzania doing volunteer work with Cross Cultural Solutions. She researched it and had a very successful fundraising campaign....so successful that she actually ended up with more money than she needed for her program fee. Instead of losing the money, she decided that she wantd to plan another trip, this time to South America in the Fall. As soon as she booked the trip and told me about it, I decided "well wait a minute, I want to go too!"
The next few days happened very quickly, as I went through a whirlwind of telling my parents, best friends and (most importantly!) Everyman Theatre (my employers) my plans. Luckily, I work with some amazing people who very much supported my desire to do volunteer work. Ian's only stipulations about the trip were that I 1. don't call work mid-way through the trip and tell them I got married to a Peruvian and am never returning or 2. Pull an Angelina Jolie and come back with 6 adorable babies just in time for Thanksgiving. I easily agreed to these rules :o)
I quickly jumped on the fundraising train and received incredible support from friends and family. I was able to not only fundraise for my entire program fee, but also for my round trip airfare to Peru...just amazing!
The next few weeks will be dedicated to purchasing the various travel supplies I need, packing, organizing and...vaccines (more to come on that later. October 10th is the big day for the shots!).
Can't wait to share the next few weeks with you!
<3,>
((For those very accute readers, you will notice that the blog itself and the entry title are both movie titles. That's going to be my thing...a little shout out to my love of Hollywood :o))
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