Week Eight
Home Sweet Home
18.10.2011
Even though in the last two months I have made new friends, settled into a new family, and adjusted to a different way of life, Peru didn’t quite feel like home until this past Thursday. For some people, a house is not a home until it has been decorated. For me, Ollantaytambo was not my home until I put my own unique twist on the Incan ruins. Turns out, these ancient fortresses are perfect hosts to nighttime games of capture-the-flag. Nothing says welcome home like showcasing my stealthy flag-capturing skills.
One of my good friends here is leaving today, so we had a going away party for her on Saturday night. We decided the best present we could give was a homemade Peruvian dessert. After viewing many recipes that were completely out of our league, we settled on a traditional Peruvian vanilla cake. It came out pretty tasty if I do say so myself. We have hosted many a going-away parties, but none quite like Saturday. Our favorite bar has decided to host free salsa-dance classes every Saturday night. Class one was fantastic, so I think I will be a regular student, though that will dramatically increase the number of embarrassing moments I endure.
Now that I have settled in, my schedule is rapidly becoming jam-packed. Though I love teaching, I am trying to join in more with the health program. The two projects that I am most involved in right now are our disabilities campaign and our weekly Chocolatadas. Chocolatadas are held every Friday morning in the health clinic and consist primarily of serving sick patients a hot breakfast. Chocolata is the Peruvian take on oatmeal. It is made with Avena (the oats), milk, water, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. It is more of a beverage than anything. We serve about forty cups each week in hopes of giving people a hot meal and an incentive to visit the health clinic. I can’t explain it, but there is something so incredibly satisfying about providing sick people with good food.
The disabilities campaign is my favorite project right now. There are seven cases on our radar varying from cerebral palsy to stroke recoveries. Because there aren’t many official facilities, we have to do home-visits. Each patient is unique in physical condition but unfortunately similar terms of daily life. Families here don’t have the luxury of staying home to care for their loved ones, so most of our patients spend all day alone in their bedrooms. Our visits are centered around physical therapy exercises and simply providing company and conversation.
Between health projects, teaching, and Spanish classes, I have fallen behind on my nighttime telenovellas. My family has tried to catch me up but with all the betrayals and murders, I find myself totally lost. Perhaps that’s a good thing, though. Peruvian soap operas make Pretty Little Liars look like literary genius.
All the best,
Katie
Posted by ktconroy1604 09:56 Archived in Peru
