NEWS from Alto Cayma, Arequipa, Peru

Report #3  
March 13, 2008  

Students:  Nate Bach, Christy Byrne, Holli Hughes, Taryn May

      This week has presented many hurdles and tribulations as a few of the students have become sick.  The common symptoms include GI irritation, fever, aches, and fatigue.  However, these unfortunate illnesses have not overshadowed the intriguing culture in which we are currently immersed. 

       On Monday (3/10) Father Alex took us into the depths of downtown Arequipa in order to gain more insight into how the locals go about living their lives.  A theme that has been quite common throughout the trip, even in downtown Arequipa, is that of poverty.  In the city we witnessed many Peruvians begging for centimos (change) and rummaging through barrels of trash to find plastic and glass bottles to cash in for money;  they  receive two soles (about 70 cents) per kilogram.  Although there is much poverty in Peru there is also a wide gap between socioeconomic classes with a very small percentage being considered “well off”.  The top 10% of the population with the highest income received 36% of the national income, the bottom 10% of the population with the lowest income received only 0.8% of the national income.  In 2003 the monthly average national household income in Peru was $130. While in the city we were fortunate enough to tour Santa Catalina, a monastery built in 1580. 

      Tuesday we spent the majority of the day in the clinic giving shots, taking vital signs, and helping the doctors with interviews.  Although the language barrier presented many challenges it was surprisingly easy to convey what we needed to say through hand signals, motions, and rough translation.  Of those who came to the clinic seeking health care there were many similarities.  Malnutrition is especially prominent in the younger population with many of the children suffering from a caloric deficit.  Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea, are quite common due to the lack of clean drinking water.  Poor dental health is yet another common health disparity seen at the clinic which is most likely due to the extreme poverty which plagues the area. 

      On today, Wednesday, we spent the morning at the clinic/community center making food baskets which we delivered to the community later in the day.  There were a large number of 50 kilogram bags of rice, beans, flour, sugar, and spaghetti that we divided into smaller 3 kilogram bags to prepare for distribution.  Although the work was tiresome we all agreed that it was very gratifying.  Doing hands-on work that will directly help local families instilled a great deal of satisfaction in all of us.  Our tired backs, sore stomachs, and aching feet were of no concern to us because we all knew that there has never been a day when we worried about where our next meal would come from; unlike the families that would soon receive the food baskets.

      Our experiences in Peru thus far have been enlightening in identifying the cultural norms that guide and influence the lives of others.  We all agree that the smiles and thank you from those we have helped offer much more fulfillment than any vacation we possibly could have taken over spring break.