Lago Titikaka

I´m finding it harder and harder to amuse myself here these days. I know I should be really excited about having visited places like Lake Titikaka (the highest navigatable lake in the world), but Im really not. It was really pretty and the mountains surrounding to it only added to its beauty. However, it was almost just another lake in my eyes.

Visiting the floating islands (Uros Islands) was pretty cool. They are built with this dirt stuff with reed laid on top. There is no electricity and no plumbing. The people living there wear traditional clothes and speak Quechua. It was really cool because you can feel the island moving beneath you as you walk on it and we got to ride in a reed boat. The people charge a lot for the souvenirs that they make and the guide told us that they have so much money that they don´t know what to do with it, so they just drink and party for five days straight when someone gets married. That fact was a little less than impressive to me.

We spent the night on another island, Amantani, this one was natural, not floating. There was again, no plumbing (which was not very fun might I add), and no electricity. They are vegetarians, so a lot of potatoes and rice are eaten. We hiked up to one of two temples called Pachatata or something like that. It means Father Earth. You´re supposed to walk three times around it counter clockwise and make a wish. That was kind of interesting, but it was a bit annoying to me that our guide kept telling us to be careful of altitude sickness (because we were 14,000 feet above sea level, another 3,000 from what we´ve sort of gotten used to). Yet, the guide had us walking up a mountain, old people included, without breaks. Im honestly surprised that no one passed out, I was out of breath within minutes. Anyway, the sunset from there was really pretty.

The family we stayed with that night was very nice. It consisted of a mother, her dauther, and 9 year old son. I dont know where the father was, and I know that there were three other children staying with their grandmother. The boy, Eddy, was probably the cutest kid Ive met here thus far. He was constantly giggling and talking to us. We taught him a few english words and called him El Capitan. His accent was adorable too. We even had him calling us names (in spanish obviously). Paul was the donkey. Lauren was the yellow cat. Paul taught him to call me la bruja negra, or black witch, and JT was the rabbit. He was a lot of fun, and basically the only thing I didn´t want to leave about the whole trip. The best moment of the whole thing was probably when the boys went out at night to use the bathroom and on their way back, Eddy jumped out at them and the both of them screamed.

The last day of the trip we visited a third Island, Taquile. While hiking (yet again) was a bit annoying, we did learn a few cool facts. Apparently it takes these people about 15 days to fall in love. When a boy reaches the age of 14 or 15, he collects a lot of really tiny rocks and puts them in his pocket. When he sees a pretty girl, he throws the smallest at her. She then decides if she wants to have children with him or not, right then and there. If she does, they move in together to his parents house and live there for a year. They then decide to have kids or not and if so, they have a child, then get married. You must have a child before getting married here because there is no divorce. Or police for that matter. In order to have a political position, you have to have at least 2 kids. The dress is interesting too. A single girl wears big yarn things on her head covering, while a married one wears small. Important people wear sombreros. Single boys wear a half red, half white hat. To one side if they have a girlfriend, to the other if they do not. Married men wear a more colorful hat.

Overall it was pretty interesting, well see where the next few weeks lead.

Frogger

I was sitting in the taxi today thinking about how dangerous riding the horses was and even the ATVs, then I realized that the most dangerous thing I have done since I got here was get into a taxi, and I do it every day. If you have ever played the game Frogger, you know what its like to cross the street in Cusco. The cars don't stop, if they think they might hit you, they beep to tell you to move, and fast. To cross busy streets, you have to run to the middle, stop, wait for a break in the other direction of traffc, and run to the other side.

Driving is a whole different story too. I'm convinced there are zero rules here. They don't use blinkers, though every car has them. They change lanes as they please (on the roads that actually have lanes). When there aren't lanes, they drive on whichever side of the road, or should I say dirt, that they please. If one car gets too close to another, they just beep to tell them to get out of the way. Two days ago I watched a dog come literally within an inch of getting hit (he was lucky this cab slowed down a little bit, usually they dont). I can't even count the number of times I have seen my own life flash befre my eyes as cars come within inches or less of hitting us and the shell of a car that we are in. Its kind of crazy, and I definitely won't miss it when I finally get back to New York.

Espana, Te Echo de Menos

Every day we get a little bit more homesick. It’s odd to me because I’ve been away from home for longer than this and I understand why we are doing it, but just listening to the people speak on the streets makes me wish I could go back to Spain for the next 5 weeks. I miss it a lot, almost as much as I miss home.

Today was kind of interesting. I learned a new thing or two. I learned how to do an ultrasound, how to find the head etc, and how to take measurements. I was even allowed to do it by myself. Probably one of the more interesting things I have gotten to do was draw blood. They just had me watch once and were like “ok your turn.” Well, I guess that’s enough learning to suck the blood out of some woman’s arm? Apparently so because I managed to do it better than some of the techs there. They really aren’t very savvy. One woman took the needle out before taking off the tourniquet. The poor patient was bleeding all over. Anyway being here is basically like reverting back to the 70’s, not that I was there, but its what I would imagine the 70s to be like. The cars are all from that era, the rolling stones stickers on the walls of buildings. Even the way they draw blood is almost prehistoric, as far as drawing blood goes. The needle is attached to a plastic end, this little plastic end does not get attached to a tube, the tube has to be held so that the blood falls out of the needle and into it, using the same hand you pierce the patient with. The way they then mount the blood on slides for the microscope and determine the blood type seems so old-fashioned as well. I’m convinced after only half a day in the lab that everything must be contaminated. I wish there was a way to teach them to keep the areas sterile but I know the effort would be futile. It was interesting none-the-less and it will be interesting to see how much more I will be allowed to do in the next few weeks.

May 22

Yesterday we went ATV-ing. The view from the mountain was beautiful and no one died. Yet another successful adventure… Out of the whole trip two particular moments made me pretty happy. We were riding semi-automatics, which was no big deal. My machine, like my horse, was testy but I guess that’s just my luck. We were all a little nervous about Paul because he had to drive a manual bike and it took a bit for him to get it going smoothly, but he managed, despite the many bushes he ran into and trees he almost had imprinted in his face. We got to stop and switch bikes to try Paul’s and I was pretty proud of myself for getting the bike going on my first try. I got it going a few times and if I had more time, I know I would have gotten comfortable with it quickly, so all I have to say is, next I’m movin onto manual cars. Dad, your sports car isn’t safe for long... During the trip, we drove through a number of small towns. These people are the poorest of the poor in Cusco. They live in dirt houses and animal feces, there is dirt and dust everywhere, and the animals are around every corner scrounging for more food. When we stopped in one town, the children ran up to us and climbed on our bikes. One little girl was yanking on my arm, pulling me to her, while another marveled at my blue nail polish. They all said “propina propina!” to us, asking for a tip. The kids were so poor and so dirty, yet they seemed happy and the mothers smiled at us while we played with the kids and let them sit on our bikes. It was sad to see what they lived in and I would love to be able to take one home with me, but they still seemed happy despite the hardships they live in.

Today we decided to go for a run. Apparently running miles at a time in New York did not prepare me for what running would feel like in Peru. Two blocks of a light jog and we were all breathing hard. Two more and we had to stop because our chests got tight and started to hurt. We ended up doing a lot of alternating between running and walking so that our bodies could get the needed oxygen. It felt good to actually do something physical again though and hopefully by the end of the trip, a run won’t feel so hard and when I get back home, my miles will seem easy. JT is a lifesaver on the runs though, there’s no way Lauren and I could run alone here. As it is we had to keep our faces straight ahead when we passed anyone because of the honking and whistling. They don’t see gringas very often apparently. Despite that it was good to get out and it helps to pass the time until I can finally come home.

You're Funny Americans

What do Tuberculosis, fetuses, breast cancer, dirty dogs, and stitched up wounds all have in common? I saw them all at the clinic today. The clinic itself is pretty nice, but you can tell that it is in a bad area by the lack of hygiene of the patients and the care. There was a dirty dog with matted hair who just peed in the middle of the waiting room floor, apparently a common occurrence. There were children with rotten teeth, and they do not change their gloves or wash their hands between seeing patients. We told them from the beginning that Lauren and Paul speak almost zero Spanish, that JT and I understood a lot and spoke at an intermediate level, and that all of us were pre-med. They listened to none of that and just threw us in. The doctor I followed was a general practitioner and she spoke to me in even more rapid Spanish than she spoke to the patients. I did manage to understand almost everything, which was kind of lucky. So there I was in my scrubs and white coat with a stethoscope around my neck and gloves on my hands pretending that I was a real doctor. The patients called me Doctora or Doctorita and I was expected to listen to the lungs and heart and check the ears and throat of every patient. I had to check for abdominal pain and did a breast exam on a girl with breast cancer. There were a few patients who the real doctor did not even touch, just me. However I learned so much. I learned how to do an ultrasound on a baby, find the head, spine, sex, heart, placenta, and umbilical cord and to take measurements. I saw a little boy whose wound from his appendicitis and intestinal surgery wouldn’t close, and I even had to watch the doctor explain to a patient that he had not only tuberculosis but also cancer.

I feel like I have done nothing but take from these people already. I’ve already begun to learn so much, see another part of the world, practice their language, and immerse myself in their culture, yet what have I given back? I know its just been one day but really, have I given nothing? At first I think yes, then I remember the little girl I played with, the boy who stopped crying because I gave him candy, the mothers who just appreciate that you are trying to help their children and the wave of “gracias” heard directed at me throughout the day. Its so small what I have given thus far compared to what they have already given me, but I hope that as the next five weeks pass I can give more and leave them with something positive.

May 17

My host family is actually great. The house is the exact opposite of what I expected... not only do I have running water, but I have a hot shower, and my Senora's cooking can be awesome, and when its not, at least it's edible. I am very pleased and comfortable with where I am lving. Today, we decided to explore, we know we aren't supposed to do anything physical due to the altitude sickness, but we figured a walk wouldn't hurt... we were kind of wrong. We ended up with three who were so exhausted we just wanted to pass out, let alone walk from the taxi to the door, and one who had a headache so bad he literally couldnt move. We started with a simple walk, that ended up heading uphill. Upon realizing this, we decided it would be a good idea to just keep walking up the stairs and rocky pathway that led to the top of yet another mountain (as if we weren't already on one). We were aiming for a Jsus statue at the top of the mountain that we never thought we would get to. When we got sort of close, some guy offered a horseback tour up the mountain and we didnt even think before we accepted. We were out of breath and my chest hurt. Did he put us on horses? No. He told us an 8 minute walk. Was it? Nope. He walked us 20 minutes or more higher (we did walk by the Jesus we didn't think we'd reach) and we found the horses.
We rode them to the Temple Luna, which was really fun. My horse we decided was the Volkswagon because we never knew what he was going to do. JT was enjoying his "one horse power" and the rest were having fun until my horse decided to wreak havoc upon everyone else. When he wasn't getting kicked for getting to close to Paul's horse, he was biting Lauren's or running away from everyone else, with me flailing on his back. Needless to say we didn't get along to well. Overall it was fun though. We got to see a lot of sites during the day and ride some prett interesting animals on a less than safe trail up a mountain. I'd say job well done.

May 16

We finally arrived in Cusco, Peru. I feel like I am in a totally different world. The streets are dustand dirty. The sidewalks are cracked and stony. The buildings have cracks in their cement and the paint has faded. I know I am up 11,000 feet above sea level, an altitude many people never get to travel to, yet I feel like I am in a valley. Mountains surround us and the houses seem to be on top of each other creating a red wave of stone that makes up the roofs. Some of the people are dressed in colorful native clothes and have dirt on their faces. i have no idea where I am going or what I will be living in. It's scary, but it's real. Then I look at everything from a different perspective. The culture is rich, the clothing is bright and beautiful. The architecture is unique and despite the cracks, the walls are strong and it adds to the culture of the city. The red sea of roofs is a pretty contrast to the blue of the sky and the green of the mountains. And finally, despite the fact that my fingers and feet are slightly numb, being at this altitude, surrounded by these mountians, is breathtaking.

I Guess The Adventure Begins

I still haven't realized that I leave for Peru tomorrow. I have no idea how the time passed that fast, I'd rather be back at school singing to old Destiny's Child songs in the middle of Saga. Of all days for plans to change, I find out today that Im living in a home somewhere rather than the volunteer dorms I was expecting. Sweet. I guess Ill be good as long as I can shower, nothing gets stolen, and I can contact home and take my online class.

While I am absolutely in no hurry to get to Peru, the bugs, the cold at night, the altitude, the language, the uncertainty, I cant wait. I cant wait to experience the country, live on a mountain, speak Spanish, and walk into some adventure that will become my life for the next six weeks. Sam thinks its funny that I will have enough down time on this trip to get bored. She likes to tell me to "wait 5 minutes," which I do not know how to do, but maybe it will be good for me. I hope that I can leave this experience with a sense of accomplishment. I want to make a difference in someone else's life, and I want to make a difference in my own. I hope my volunteer time is filled with difficult situations for me and plenty of opportunities to connect to another human at any level. I hope my free time allows me to learn more about myself and what is important to me. And I pray to come home safely.

Here goes nothing I guess.