Arequipa, Peru: Clinical and Cultural Immersion
Report #6
March 26, 2009
Saturday we visited the St. Catalina Covenant. This convent dates back to the 1600’s. The architecture and bright colors are stunning. It was amazing to be in the presence of history. There are still twenty-five nuns living in the convent; however, their rules are more lenient than they were in the past.
After a delicious crepe lunch, we went to the Santuarios Andinos UCSM Museum. We watched a video on how the mummies were found. The Incans had a history of climbing to the top of a mountain to make a sacrifice to the gods. The young girl would drink an intoxicating beverage and was hit over the head. The girl was buried in the ground with golden statues, pottery, and diverse other artifacts. The snow would fall on the mountain and preserved the bodies; they were left untouched for 500 years. In the mid 90’s archeologists uncovered several of the preservations on the peaks of several volcanoes over 19-21,000 feet or so above sea level. Volcano eruptions melted the snowmaking the artifacts visible and accessible. The museum has many items on display from the Incans, e.g., clay pots, utensils, golden statues, little dolls, bags still with coca leaves inside, and maize. Original mummies were also unearthed. The mummy, Saraita, was entombed in a pressurized tank, at -20 degrees, to keep her preserved.
Sunday morning we traveled to the mission to attend Mass. Father Alex delivered a beautiful sermon complete with guitar playing and singing. There is an overwhelming sense of community among the people of Alto Cayma. They were very welcoming and their greetings warmed our hearts. We received many expressions of thanks and warm embraces. It was truly a unique experience to attend a Peruvian Catholic Mass. The rest of the day was spent exploring the city of Arequipa and resting.
Monday morning we met as a large group with Father Alex and other mission leaders with whom we had worked with over the past two weeks. We shared our thoughts, emotions, and feelings about our experiences in Peru and the impacted on our lives. We discussed the importance of family, and the similarities demonstrated in this community which reminded us of values at home. This cultural experience has opened our eyes to third-world medical practices. It also emphasized how privileged we are to have the healthcare access and modern technology and conveniences at home. It brought to light the importance of humanity in nursing. We discussed how our personal judgments can be barriers to providing quality, sensitive care. This experience has shown us that a person’s circumstances should not determine the care they receive or the treatment provided.
Later that evening we had a goodbye dinner with everyone with whom we had worked over the past two weeks. There was traditional Peruvian music and dancing. The end of the night was filled with tearful goodbyes and reminiscing. It was bitter sweet to leave Arequipa behind, but we are excited about the upcoming adventures in Cuzco.
Rachel Livingston
Meredith Lomax
Stephanie Ivey
Second Semester Senior Nursing Students
