June 13:

Volunteered at the clinic in Azapampa again today. John joined me in the CRED, but nothing interesting happened today. We watched as the nurses measure height and head sized, weighed and checked for proper development. We also got to watch as the nurses checked for all the normal reflexes of babies including: stroking the babies feet to make sure their toes curled, suckling reflex, walking reflex when their feet are placed on a surface, and grabbing reflex. We left the clinic at noon, because Eli and Neto were taking our whole group out to lunch for Pachamanca. This is where the Peruvians dig a hole in the ground, place hot stones on the bottom of the hole, and then fill the hole with food. The food cooks while underground. I ordered Pachamanca de Cuy...I ate Guinea Pig!! It was alright, tasted like chicken. There wasn't much meat, but a lot of thick skin. John ordered Pachamanca de Pollo, but he tried a bite of my Cuy.

June 11th: 


First day at the clinic in Azapampa!! John and I were placed at the clinic, and most of the other volunteers were placed at either the hospital or the other clinic in Chupaca. For the first time John and I took what is called a "Combie"-- essentially a large van for the public that costs S/ .90 to ride. When we got to the clinic John was placed with a cranky doctor named Juan, who apparently lectured young couples on birth control (which is severely lacking in Peru). I was placed in "CRED" which is kind of like a general check-up for newborns to 3 years old. Here the nurses gave children vaccines, checked for proper mental development and checked babies for reflexes.

Some of the mothers that came in had no idea how to care for a baby or a child. Most all of the mothers carry their children on their backs swaddled in blankets. It is easy to decipher those children who live in the markets/streets with their parents and those who come from well-kept homes. Many times the children from the market women do not have any diapers, and just pee/poop into the blankets that they are swaddled in-the mothers laughed it off like it was no big deal. Many times the nurses had to coach the mothers on how to breastfeed their babies because they often did it incorrectly or not often enough. About half of the children that were seen had the risk of malnutrition because they were either not eating properly, or not as often as they should. One mother had been feeding her baby (of less than a year) little breast milk and mostly soup-- which the nurses quickly told her was not okay. Many of the children had not developed the ability to speak, but were able to recognize objects when they were placed in front of them. The nurses wrote of list of suggestions for the mothers to practice with their children to help them develop the facial muscles to speak. This often included whistling and making other silly noises.

Near the end of my shift the nurses allowed me to use a stethoscope to listen to the children's lungs, they allowed me to measure the height of the children as well as weigh them. This allowed me to practice my numbers in Spanish. I really enjoyed this day in the clinic!


June 10th:

Today we went on the Valley Tour by horseback! John was feeling ill the day before, but got better just in time. We woke up early and drove with Neto to our destination. We climbed a few foothills where we were able to see incredible sights! We were also about to see the "burned bones" ruins. After this we traveled to the stable where we got on our horse! John was the first to climb on a horse, and we were all a little nervous for him. Apparently the last time he mounted a horse he cried. No tears this time! We rode through the valley for about an hour, until we arrived at another foothill. This time we were lead through the rock formations and caves by a young guide, who had obviously been on the trail many times. We were ducking through trees, climbing under and over rocks, and near the end of the trail we ascended a nearly vertical part of the hill. One girl sprained her ankle, but she is always the one to get hurt. It's a miracle we all made it to the top! We hiked right back to our horses, and rode the hour back to the stable. We were all exhausted and starving. The view was beautiful though, much prettier than where we are stationed in Huancayo. Our houses are in the middle of a small dirty city, with every breath you can feel your lungs blackening. Our trek through the valley was much different: tons of open space, farmland, just green and natural. Nearly untouched.

When we made it back to the stable, Eli and Neto joined us and took us to a nearby restaurant. The restaurant was called "El Encanto". The restaurant was surrounded by the greenery, many small waterfalls and tree houses. The seating was outside, and during our meal we had two Peruvian men sing to us. After the meal we went to some artisan shops. The first was an elderly woman, around 65 who had been making silver jewelry since she was 18 years old. First she showed us a bit about how she makes the jewelry. She used a stone slab and a blow torch (for which she powered the gas by pressing on a pedal with her foot). After she showed us how she made the jewelry she invited us into her home and let us look at her work. Many of the girls bought necklaces and earrings. I bartered for a necklace and was able to buy it for S/. 10 cheaper than the original. 

After this we went to another artisan shop where we were able to see how women made alpaca and wool sweaters. First they showed us how they made blankets. John and I tried it out, he was much better than I. We then looked around the shop at the many sweaters, blankets, and bags made from alpaca, wool or both. Alcapa is generally much more soft than wool, however it sheds much more easily making it more likely that item will lose "body". The women at the shop told us that it was much more beneficial to  buy a half alpaca, half wool sweater/blanket because it lasts longer. John and I didn't buy anything here.

After this long day we finally returned home at around 6:30pm.