Woke up this morning at 6am with a clear head and a good night´s rest... finally. Veronica (the cook at the volunteer house) was already in the kitchen getting things ready for today´s meals. There isn´t much conversation between us since she speaks only in Spanish and I only know some of the basics. We just smile and nod our heads at each other. I grab my cup of coffee (instant Nescafe, of course) and head back to my room to get ready for the day. By 7:30, she´s got the table set for one (Irene is already gone to the preschool where she volunteers as a teacher), and had an amazing cheese omelet made for me. I learn later this morning that the rest of the group finally made it into Lima and should be arriving in Arequipa by 12:45. After breakfast, Father Alex and Bob met me at the volunteer house to talk about the plan for today. Bob and I decide to visit of few of Father Alex´s mission places (the preschool, the soup kitchen, the knitting shop and the clinic). We weren´t going to be spending too much time there, since our more formal orientation would be when the other six arrive today. So, I didn´t take any pictures.
The preschool was so heartwarming to see. There are about 80 children there that range from 3-5 year olds. Their parents go into the city to find day labor, so this is where they can drop the kids off so they aren´t home alone. I´m not sure if they have to pay anything to have them there... but if they did, like much else around here it isn´t much. Everyone around here seems to take care of each other, so just like at the health care clinic there are prices for services, but if someone can´t afford it they will still receive the service but pay what they can. After stopping at the preschool, we head over to the soup kitchen. Again, we aren´t staying long... just a quick pop in to say ¨buenos dias¨. From there, we visit the knitting workshop, but no one is there quite yet. All of these places are located right on Father Alex´s ¨compound¨ next door to the volunteer house. It´s a gated community, so it really does feel like a compound.
Next, we head down the street to visit a friend of Bob´s. We wind through all sorts of cobbled streets (some are just dirt paths) trying to find their home. With no luck, there is no one home. So, more walking to Father Alex´s health care clinic. I´ll post a few pictures I took later... A quick tour inside and we´re headed to another more ¨hospital like¨clinic further into town. This one is more for those that have absolutely no aid and have very little money... kind of like the ¨free clinics¨we have at home. Bob is good friends with one of the Pediatricians there. When we get there, the halls are lined with moms holding their little babies waiting their turn to see the doctor. We go in to visit Bob´s friend (can´t remember his name, but we´ll be stopping back at a later time). He welcomes us into his office where he is in the middle of examining a little boy. I guess there are no issues with patient confidentiality here?? Again, speaking very little of the native language, I don´t pick up on much of what was said, but he consulted with Dr. Bob about the symptoms the little boy was having. We stayed only for a short time, and Bob filled me in when we left. Apparently, the little boy has scarlett fever and strep throat. Poor thing!
By now, it´s time to head back to the volunteer house and get ready for lunch. Bob is heading to the airport to pick up the other Impact Peru volunteers. I head to the computer to get a few things up on my blog then grab a cup of tea and sit outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Finally... they all arrive at the house. YAY! Lunch was great... Veronica made some kind of vegetable soup and casserole dish. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here. It wasn´t long after lunch, my stomach started twisting and turning... churning and gurgling. And, nest thing I knew... I was experiencing the inevitable... an hour or so of non-stop vomiting with everything I had eaten in the last two days finding it´s home along the Arequipa sewer system, if you know what I mean. Thankfully, I felt human again just about the time the group was getting ready to board the van to head up the mountain. Father Alex was taking us on a tour of the most recent settlements up the mountain. Reluctantly, I go... but I take the seat nearest the door, just in case. The rest of the evening was uneventful... still trying to settle my stomach. Ben suggested I make a cup of anis tea, which helped tremendously. At dinner, I ate a little. After dinner, we all just headed to our rooms to get comfortable and settle in for the night. Some started journaling on their computers or skyping with family... which I finally got to do with Camden and Annalyn. Seeing their faces was the highlight of my day and hearing their voices was like music to my ears. We only talk for a few minutes and it´s off to bed for them. I finish jotting my notes down of today´s activities and flip through a book I found on Peru on the bookshelf here at the house. Finally... lights out for another good night´s rest.
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