NEWS from Arequipa, Peru

Report #1 - Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Clinical/Cultural Immersion:  Alto Cayma, Arequipa, Peru

Students:    Alexis Medlin, Ashley Molnar, Tara Moran, Bre Scearce

      When we finally reached our destination after forty-nine hours of traveling, we were all pleasantly surprised with the very nice guest house provided for our lodging here in Alto Cayman.  Our lunch was hot and ready for us on the table when we arrived. Our meals have been delicious and we have all enjoyed the hospitality of Father Alex and the house keepers.  Nine of us are staying two to a room in the guest house while three students are staying at a lawyer’s home in town.  One of the hardest things in our day-to-day happenings is not being able to treat the many wandering dogs like pets.  However, we sneak in some petting when we get a chance.

      On our first day Father Alex gave us a history lesson on Peru focusing on Arequipa. He also gave us a tour of the surrounding areas as well as the clinic. During the afternoon, we split into three groups.  The four of us were in the clinic, three students were with Father Alex visiting families in the community, and four other students accompanied Maria, the social worker, on home visits.

      Within the clinic, two of us were with the doctors while the other two were stationed with the nurses. With the doctors, we were able to observe them interact with the patients as they assessed and prescribed medications. With the nurses, we were able to administer injections and do minor wound care. The health care providers graciously struggled to speak English while we experienced an equally hard time speaking and understanding Spanish.  Both the patients and the staff at the clinic seemed very excited that we are in Arequipa. 

      After observing and working in clinicals we returned to the volunteer house to eat dinner. Veronica and Julianna (the house cooks) greeted us with a warm meal of stuffed chicken, boiled potatoes and the much anticipated soup we were anxious to eat again.  Shortly after eating we gathered to exchange money and talk with Karen about the community and the mission.  Karen is an RN from the states, who is volunteering here under a grant from the Catholic Medical Missions.  She informed us of the most common problems and answered many questions we had about the clinic, the schools, the family dynamics and about the mission in general.

      Overall, we have been having a wonderful experience. We are so grateful for our lives in the United States, but we understand the importance of helping in any way we can while we are here.  Our immersion into this culture has already been such a great experience and we are excited about the experiences to come.