One week down, and the novelty has yet to wear off. Thus far we have done many things that I have yet to accomplish in travel. We attended the entrance of the new president and vice president to the Rotary club of Arequipa. We attended mass on Sunday (which was also Independance Day for Peru) where we were asked to come up on stage so that we could be introduced to the community. Afterwards we were greeted/welcomed warmly, and many asked when they could come and see us.
I believe Deedra´s popularity is soaring. Not only because of her friendly demeanor, but also because her services have yet to be introduced to the community, and thus there is so much opportunity for her to help. She has started a make-shift clinic, where she sees the children and adults of the area that might benefit from her therapy, and she is already needing to add extra days as the clinics fill quickly.
A trip to the surrounding community was more or less astounding. Provisions are meager. Most homes are shanties built from sub-par materials. Most are without running water and electricity. The stories of the patients we see are almost always heart-breaking, but there remains rays of hope here and there, which are enough to keep the project going.
We have made some trips to the central town, but it is far from where we are and requires some plannning. The central town of Arequipa is beautiful, and some have said that ¨when the moon left the Earth, it forgot to take Arequipa with it.¨ This is because the city is made of stone that shines a bright white against the backdrop of a blue sky. Last night we tried some of the local fare by the name of ¨Rocotto pimiento¨which is a pepper (some hot, some mild) with meat, cheese, and other goodness. Last night was the third that we have tried (yes, it´s a bit addictive) and by far the hottest. Deedra surrendered early on, and I was forced to throw in the towel when I could no longer feel my mouth (the feeling returned by this morning, thankfully.)
Once again, what we have learned thus far is truly amazing, and so we are thankful to keep learning and contributing what we can.
Lots of love,
Beau & Deedra
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Terapia en Arequipa
Family and friends,
I´m finding it difficult to summarize all the stories and emotions that we have experienced since we arriving. We have been in Arequipa for almost 1 week and it really feels more like 1 month. The nurses in the clinic have been organizing all the children who they feel like could use my services. This is difficult at times because the majority of the people here do not have phones in their homes. Well, they must have done something right because we had so many kids show up on Friday that we had to tell some to come back this week. Beau and I worked together on Friday which was really helpful because his Spanish is much better than mine. Between the two of us we can usually piece together what the parents are trying to tell us. We saw a variety of patients, two with cerebral palsy, 1 with club feet, 1 with muscular dystrophy, 2 with overall developmental delay. Many of these families received therapy services at some point, but can no longer afford it or it is too difficult to get to from their homes. These people are incredibly motivated to learn anything that will help their children. I am wishing now that I was an occupational therapist, speech therapist, physical therapist, and orthotist all rolled into one. There is so much these children need it is hard to know where to begin. I have been focusing my energies on basic range of motion and positioning techniques. Many children and adults here need prosthetics or orthotics and mobility devices such as walkers and canes. The clinic here does have some walkers and canes, but not nearly as much as is needed. Friday was more like an intake day just to get to know the needs of these families. Many are going to return tomorrow or Wednesday.
Beau and I were introduced at mass yesterday, which was pretty much like free advertising for the clinic. We had several people approach us afterward with stories about their friends, children, or neighbors who could use our help. All we could say (in broken Spanish of course) was to come to the clinic. The clinic where we are working costs 3 soles per visit (about $1) and has a sliding scale for medications. This is much less expensive than many of the other clinics in the area. Following the mass, the school near by had a presentation to celebrate la dia de patria. This weekend was a time to celebrate the city of Arequipa. They sold local food and the children participated in traditional dances. It was pretty impressive. Like an idiot, I did not remember the camera. I just figured that I would not need a camera to go to church. I am gradually learning that here, there are amazing photo opporutunities in the most unlikely places.
This morning I joined the local social worker on some home visits. The poverty level here is astounding. The organization who runs the clinic also provides about 600 meals per day for the residents of Alto Cayma (the part of Arequipa where we are staying). I met one woman today who has so much pain in her joints from arthritis that she can no longer walk. However, she does not have money for pain medication or for a walker. She has one son who attends school and tries to work as much as he can. Between the two of them they get one meal per day. The social worker told me that this woman´s son is very small because they cannot afford enough food for him. I am going to talk to the clinic about donating a walker to her as well pain medication. We visited another family who has a year and half year old who has a seizure disorder. This child had around 10 seizures during the time we were there. She has many more throughout the day and at night. Her mother was very concerned because the medication they have for her is very expensive and they are almost out of it. The medication costs approximately $30, which is an incredible amount of money for this family. She is very behind in her gross motor development. She does not tolerate being on her tummy, she does cannot sit or keep her head up independently. With her frequent seizures she is very lethargic, which doesn´t leave much energy for motor or social development. I´m worried that she is not on the correct medication for her type of seizures, but I don´t believe they have access to much else here, and even if they did, this family would not be able to afford it. They are going to try to come in to see Beau on Thursday. In the meantime one of our housemates and I are going to go into town to buy a boppy pillow or two (breastfeeding pillow) to try to get her into more of a sitting position for interataction and for trunk and head control. However, from a therapy perspèctive, there´s not a lot I can do until those seizures are better under control.
I know that these are some heavy thoughts. I think this blog is turning into as much an outlet for me to deal with what I´ve seen here as much as a way to share the events of our trip. I also think it´s important for you all to know about the existence of these people. It has been such an amazing experience to step outside of my world and realize how much I really have. Despite the poverty here, the people are warm and trusting. I am welcomed into every home I enter. The children run up and hug us or blow us kisses. I am quite impressed with the fact that although in many ways the need is greater here than where we live in the states, the sense of community is greater in many ways as well.
Love to you all!
Deedra
I´m finding it difficult to summarize all the stories and emotions that we have experienced since we arriving. We have been in Arequipa for almost 1 week and it really feels more like 1 month. The nurses in the clinic have been organizing all the children who they feel like could use my services. This is difficult at times because the majority of the people here do not have phones in their homes. Well, they must have done something right because we had so many kids show up on Friday that we had to tell some to come back this week. Beau and I worked together on Friday which was really helpful because his Spanish is much better than mine. Between the two of us we can usually piece together what the parents are trying to tell us. We saw a variety of patients, two with cerebral palsy, 1 with club feet, 1 with muscular dystrophy, 2 with overall developmental delay. Many of these families received therapy services at some point, but can no longer afford it or it is too difficult to get to from their homes. These people are incredibly motivated to learn anything that will help their children. I am wishing now that I was an occupational therapist, speech therapist, physical therapist, and orthotist all rolled into one. There is so much these children need it is hard to know where to begin. I have been focusing my energies on basic range of motion and positioning techniques. Many children and adults here need prosthetics or orthotics and mobility devices such as walkers and canes. The clinic here does have some walkers and canes, but not nearly as much as is needed. Friday was more like an intake day just to get to know the needs of these families. Many are going to return tomorrow or Wednesday.
Beau and I were introduced at mass yesterday, which was pretty much like free advertising for the clinic. We had several people approach us afterward with stories about their friends, children, or neighbors who could use our help. All we could say (in broken Spanish of course) was to come to the clinic. The clinic where we are working costs 3 soles per visit (about $1) and has a sliding scale for medications. This is much less expensive than many of the other clinics in the area. Following the mass, the school near by had a presentation to celebrate la dia de patria. This weekend was a time to celebrate the city of Arequipa. They sold local food and the children participated in traditional dances. It was pretty impressive. Like an idiot, I did not remember the camera. I just figured that I would not need a camera to go to church. I am gradually learning that here, there are amazing photo opporutunities in the most unlikely places.
This morning I joined the local social worker on some home visits. The poverty level here is astounding. The organization who runs the clinic also provides about 600 meals per day for the residents of Alto Cayma (the part of Arequipa where we are staying). I met one woman today who has so much pain in her joints from arthritis that she can no longer walk. However, she does not have money for pain medication or for a walker. She has one son who attends school and tries to work as much as he can. Between the two of them they get one meal per day. The social worker told me that this woman´s son is very small because they cannot afford enough food for him. I am going to talk to the clinic about donating a walker to her as well pain medication. We visited another family who has a year and half year old who has a seizure disorder. This child had around 10 seizures during the time we were there. She has many more throughout the day and at night. Her mother was very concerned because the medication they have for her is very expensive and they are almost out of it. The medication costs approximately $30, which is an incredible amount of money for this family. She is very behind in her gross motor development. She does not tolerate being on her tummy, she does cannot sit or keep her head up independently. With her frequent seizures she is very lethargic, which doesn´t leave much energy for motor or social development. I´m worried that she is not on the correct medication for her type of seizures, but I don´t believe they have access to much else here, and even if they did, this family would not be able to afford it. They are going to try to come in to see Beau on Thursday. In the meantime one of our housemates and I are going to go into town to buy a boppy pillow or two (breastfeeding pillow) to try to get her into more of a sitting position for interataction and for trunk and head control. However, from a therapy perspèctive, there´s not a lot I can do until those seizures are better under control.
I know that these are some heavy thoughts. I think this blog is turning into as much an outlet for me to deal with what I´ve seen here as much as a way to share the events of our trip. I also think it´s important for you all to know about the existence of these people. It has been such an amazing experience to step outside of my world and realize how much I really have. Despite the poverty here, the people are warm and trusting. I am welcomed into every home I enter. The children run up and hug us or blow us kisses. I am quite impressed with the fact that although in many ways the need is greater here than where we live in the states, the sense of community is greater in many ways as well.
Love to you all!
Deedra
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Peruvian medicine
Not even here a week, and it feels as though we´ve received 3 weeks worth of information. Medicine here is totally different than in the States. We assumed that there would be differences according to what resources are available, but I for one, was not expecting to have to learn new names for all of my common medicines. Additionally, some medicines work here, but not in the States, and vice versa. I feel like a student all over again!
This, however, doesn´t change the fact that we´ve been able to do some pretty cool stuff. Take yesterday, for example. I saw patients in the morning, while Deedra worked with a fellow housemate and saw patients as well. We came home for lunch and spoke with friends of our program who wanted me to see one of their worker´s kids who was sick. So after siesta (nothing can mess with the siesta) I hopped on the back of Jim´s (Jim is a 70 year old man who runs a woodshop here) motorbike and sped down to the clinic where I saw their worker´s child, prescribed "Amoxicillina" for an ear infection, and took off with Deedra to go to some travel agencies to discuss further travel plans.
We sat down for dinner at a very nice restaurant afterwards, had some delicious food for a meager price, and met up with the others from the program to see a documentary on the beginnings of Arequipa with the locals at the cultural center. Afterwards we piled 6 people into a cab (Deedra sat somewhat uncomfortably in my lap for the 20 minute ride) and crashed into our beds at about 10. We tire easily. Trying to understand Spanish for the entire day and reacting correctly can take alot out of someone. The experience thus far is exhausting and fantastic at the same time. We hope this finds everyone well.
Beau & Deedra
This, however, doesn´t change the fact that we´ve been able to do some pretty cool stuff. Take yesterday, for example. I saw patients in the morning, while Deedra worked with a fellow housemate and saw patients as well. We came home for lunch and spoke with friends of our program who wanted me to see one of their worker´s kids who was sick. So after siesta (nothing can mess with the siesta) I hopped on the back of Jim´s (Jim is a 70 year old man who runs a woodshop here) motorbike and sped down to the clinic where I saw their worker´s child, prescribed "Amoxicillina" for an ear infection, and took off with Deedra to go to some travel agencies to discuss further travel plans.
We sat down for dinner at a very nice restaurant afterwards, had some delicious food for a meager price, and met up with the others from the program to see a documentary on the beginnings of Arequipa with the locals at the cultural center. Afterwards we piled 6 people into a cab (Deedra sat somewhat uncomfortably in my lap for the 20 minute ride) and crashed into our beds at about 10. We tire easily. Trying to understand Spanish for the entire day and reacting correctly can take alot out of someone. The experience thus far is exhausting and fantastic at the same time. We hope this finds everyone well.
Beau & Deedra
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
No lo entiendo
This means ¨I don´t understand¨. This phrase has been said by either Beau or I about every 10 seconds since we arrived. Needless to say we are struggling with the language a bit. However, being immersed in the language and culture is already having a positive effect. We arrived yesterday at the house we will be staying in with the other volunteers. There is a couple here from New York as well as a young woman from Portland. They are expecting more volunteers to arrive this week. It is a 5 minute drive or so to the clinic. We actually asked if we could walk there and we were told that it was ¨too sunny.¨ Definitely something you would never hear in Oregon. At 9,000 ft elevation with sun 364 days a year, exposure is definitely a factor. We spent some time in the clinic both today and yesterday. We have mostly been shadowing other professionals to get ourselves oriented to the language, clinic, and culture. The people here are very friendly. It is customary to shake hands and kiss eachother on the cheek as a greeting. Children are highly valued in this culture. Beau and I have both been asked if we have children. When we reply no, they either ask us how old we are or how long we have been married. The ¨response to these questions is always ¨So, why don´t you have children yet?¨ Last night we took a trip in to the central part of Arequipa. It is a thriving and quite cosmopolitan place. Lots of shops, churches, restaurants, etc. We hope to spend some more time in this part of the city in the upcoming weeks. They are celebrating their national festival over the next month, so there will be muchas fiestas. Things are going really well so far. More to come...Lots of love, Deedra and Beau.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Day 1
No time for long stories. A bit of mayhem getting here, but all is ok. Slept like babies last night in Lima. Off to Arequipa in a few short minutes. More when we arrive. Having a great time so far........
Love,
Beau & Deedra
Love,
Beau & Deedra
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Ready or Not
It is Saturday morning and we are running around our messy house trying to get organized. I think packing can be highly overrated, which is why I've chosen to wait until the last possible moment. How hard can packing for 6 week trip to South America be? We will be departing PDX tonight around 8:30 PM and will arrive in Lima, Peru at 2:30 PM on Sunday. We plan to stay the night in Lima then depart for Arequipa Monday morning. Ready or not, here we go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
