Below is the travelog from my most recent adventure, and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of mine doing work which I hope to continue throughout my life. I traveled with Ascend Alliance, a Humanitarian as an RN for a Medical Expedition to Peru. I have recorded some of my thoughts and feelings as they have been recorded in my travel journal throughout my journey.
DAY 1 LIMA
I am grateful for the grace of God in my baggage finally showing up here at the Lima airport. Even more, I am grateful for the peace He granted in a potentially stressful situation. The only thing that stresses me out is that I was unable to give her one of my Spanish Books of Mormon.. err Book of Mormons… COPIES of the Book of Mormon to Dina, my sweet little airplane-mate from Miami to here. However, we had a great conversation about the gospel, so the seed has been planted that I hope to be able to contact her in the future!
DAY 2 CUSCO
Right now I am on a flight from Lima to Cusco sitting by two very lovely girls, Erika (14) and Diana (7).It is SO fun being able to communicate with them in my broken Spanish- I am motivated now more than ever to achieve my goal of becoming fluent in Espanol! I shared some Olive Garden mints (my fave!) and you would have thought they were going to die and go to heaven! Diana began to dormir with my eye pillow and my bro Eric’s neck pillow—so cute! I left them with a picture of mi familia and they were mesmerized by it. (the more I am away from them, the more mesmerized I become with my family too)
This afternoon, upon settling in our quaint little “Royal Inka” Hotel, we were greeted with Mate de Coca tea--- I’m freaking in love with this stuff! I can’t seem to get enough of it (I’m sure that has nothing to do with the coca leaves that are the main ingredient—they are strictly for altitude sickness purposes)
Then we headed out for a guided tour of Cusco, our home for the next week. It all feels so surreal… like taking a step back in time. From speaking in an unfamiliar tongue to just immersing in this culture, I am disoriented… pleasantly disoriented… but then again that may just be the coca tea talking.
First up on the tour we went to the cathedral de Santa Dominica originally built by the Incan people. They had very advanced, brilliant architecture combined with a lot of Spiritual symbolism. One particular replica of Christ caught my attention. It was life size and showed Him brutally wounded on the cross. It elicited in me such overwhelming feelings of soberness and gratitude, to the point of tears (right in the middle of the tour, basket case? perhaps… sincere? Absolutely.)
I was also nearly brought to tears by a very steep, narrow, non-handrailed, terrifying set of stairs out back of the cathedral… of which I gave into my fears and just inched down them toddler style, accruing black mail photos for years to come..
Then we visited some ancient ruins called Sacsay-huaman (pronounced sexy woman, he he). It was truly majestic! I felt like I was walking through a Book of Mormon story. There was a lot of hiking – getting used to the altitude was a trick-, caves, and of course, picture opps.
DAY 3 PATABAMBA
This Morning we drove about 2 hours up the Andean hills to the village of PATABAMBA on narrow dirt roads in our tragically wide 10-passenger van. It was incredibly scenic, however unsettling. It appeared to be a deserted little place, then the moment we began setting up la clinica, people began coming out of the woodworks for the free healthcare we were there to provide. The clinic we set up camp in was filthy and run down, but not as dirty as the small stream which ran outside the front gate from which they obtain their drinking water.
We quickly divided to conquer the people’s needs according to our varied abilities and skill levels. I was put on the front line as triage nurse per my assessment and (limited) Spanish skills. In that position I was the first to greet the Patabambans and diagnose/ obtain a history on them. Imagine, a whole city full of people with major medical problems of which the ONE nurse there hadn’t the resources to care for. Complaints varied from hearing/vision loss, vaginitis, colds, abdominal problems, headaches ( one woman stated she has had a constant headache for the past 6 months!), and tons of musculoskeletal problems ( it is no wonder-they strap little papooses on their backs from the time they can walk on their own.) One young man was found lying on the street trying to make his way to the clinic on his forearms. A few of us from the team carried him in. The children were precious with their chafed faces, worn out clothing, pleading eyes, and yet through it all the bright countenances that only a child posesses. There was a wisdom behind those sad eyes...
Earlier today I read from 3 Nephi when Christ loosed the tongues of the children and when they spoke, it was of such wonder that it could not be recorded. I believe these children could tell much of suffering, hunger, illness, sacrifice, love, and God. It was touching to see older siblings acting as mamacitas with love and protection, some even carrying the burden of love on their young backs with minimal complaints of dolor de espalda (back pain)...
As I filled out their face sheets on scrap paper it dawned on me that here, there is no 'HIPPA', no sterile technique, no corporate policies, no insurance premiums, no overtime pay... nothing that we commonly associate with modern healthcare.. and yet, these people were still being cared for with the utmost respect, courtes, and devotion that you might find in the highest medical institutions in the world.
DAY 4 QUENCCO
Ok.. I am SO not a morning person, yet with the help of my trusty coca tea, I was up and about by 7:45.. At breakfast some people were gossipping about the dental group, but I feel that I have no place to judge or talk because I hate being on the receiving end, and who am I to judge another?.. no one at all!
Yet again we blazed the treacherous, muddy highland roads to QUENCCO where we were greeted by the smiling faces of dozens of children shouting greetings of "Buenos Dias!!" I worked triage again today and am feeling better about my limited language skills every day, I even learned a little Kechuan (sp?) which most of the villagers spoke- I cannot wait until I am fluent in Spanish!!
Favorite dishes so far: Pumpkin stew, Lomo Saltado (steak, french fries, and onions all mixed up together), Creme de Asparrago, Inka Kola, Chicken Parmiggiano... yummm...
DAY 5 HUARO
Today was definitely my favorite day thus far. We went with the Condor dental group to a little town SE of Cusco called HUARO. Along the way we stopped and got these delicious flat loaves of sweet yummy bread for breakfast :)
I was assigned to the Farmacia this time. Upon arrival, people were already lining the streets in anticipation. In the center of the village square there was a brass band, trained dogs, and peeps dressed up in costume-- a much bigger deal than we expected. As we were setting up the meds, a sweet little 4' nothin grandma with a top hat (literally) and pig tail braids hobbled over to me took my face in her hands (sad that she didn't have to reach up very far...haha) and mumbled some words in Quechuan- the only things I could pick up were 'mamacita' and 'gracias'. What I couldn't understand with her words I picked up in her embrace, kisses, tear-filled grateful eyes, and weathered hands that held mine.. so tight! Then later, after she had received her medications at the Farmacia, she leaned across the table and again with all the exuberance she could muster in her frail fram took my hands, kissed my face, sobbed, and then went her way. Our Quechuan translator said she was saying 'Thank you mamacita, come back, please, come back..."
Another person who truly touched me in Huaro was Polito. He is a retired army sargeant who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of the rising generation with education on hygiene, values, and safety. It was nice to feel a sense of hope for a better tomorrow, at least here in Huaro.. wow I'm a poet and I didn't even know it... ( I'm also a dork :) ) Anyway, when Polito talked to Chad about our purpose (because he was in disbelief that so many 'rich' people would come to a poor place just to serve) Chad wisely stated, Because we have been given much, we too must give. And with that, a rugged middle aged retired army sargeant began to weep...
On a less sublime note, the restroom was absolutely terrifying.. it was coed, grimey, with no tp or toilet seats... one of the only times in my life I wished I was a boy! Then I got locked into my stall and almost had to crawl over the door. A friend of mine reported that he was using the facilities later that day and some lady walked up to the urinal next to his and washed her hands in the overflowing water there... grodey!!
At our final dinner on Ascend we had a chance to reminisce on our week.. After sharing my testimony regarding the power and importance of the work we participated in, the group requested that I sing our them song:
Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live,
I shall divide my gifts from thee, with every brother that I see
who has the need of help from me.
Later Pepe shared with me in his broken English that although my musical talent was evident, the true talent was that he felt it 'here' as he gestured to his heart, and mine was warmed.
DAYS 6-8 WRAPPING IT UP
I am grateful to have assisted in bringing HEALING not just healthcare to the people of Peru. Their humility and simple happiness inspires me to be a more truly grateful person and to never take the many blessings that are mine for granted. How I long for my friends and family (present and future) to have experiences like this! God be thanked for His mindfulness of all His children everywhere! I pray they may recognize our love and care as God's love directly and tangibly delivered to them by a group of sincerely concerned gringos seeking to make a small difference in the world.
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