Semana numero uno!

On our way to Pisaq, Perú

I've survived my first week as a Peruvian even though my converter doesn't work so I can't dry my hair or charge my computer :) BUT, other than that, everything is still going well!! I’ve been at my placement for a week now and I’m still getting used to everything and getting to know everyone at the clinic but I really like it! I’m at San Juan de Dios working with kids who have disabilities. Most of the kids have cerebral palsy so the majority are in wheelchairs. There are 39 kids and they all live at the clinic. I don’t have specifics on each one of them yet, but for the most part they live there because their parents couldn’t afford or didn’t want to take care of them so they left them at the hospital. I’ve been working mostly with the girls because there are two guy volunteers there who have been helping with the boys. I get to the clinic around 8:30 and help bathe the girls, brush their hair, and help them go to the bathroom for the first hour-ish. Then I just hang out with them because they are in the clinic 24/7. It's amazing how happy they are with nothing to really do. There’s a little path behind the clinic where we go for walks, I help them out of their wheelchairs and we sit in the grass and hang out so they can crawl around. At 11:00 we have lunch. Usually I just feed one baby, but Friday I had three babies to feed because not as many nurses came to help. Of course, right as I put the food in each of their mouths, they start screaming bloody murder and spit everything right back out. All the other nurses were sitting with their happily hungry babies and I’m surrounded by screaming children. I learned that the airplane trick actually works, just so you know…but only for a couple bites. Then I had to resort to feeding them dessert first... probably not the best parenting technique, but it worked. It took us awhile, but they finally finished their meals. Another fun story--one of the girls at the clinic is 15-years-old and her name is Maria Louisa. She can't talk but she understands everything. She carries around a little booklet with letters on it and spells everything out so we sat at a picnic table and had a conversation that involved me talking and her spelling!

Moray, Perú

Saturday I went with six other girls I live with to visit the Peru salt flats, and a town called Moray where we saw some Incan ruins. It was really pretty, but we had more fun taking pictures than actually looking at the ruins. Sunday we went to a cute little town called Pisaq where there was a huge market and lots of shopping. I’ve already invested in the Peruvian tourist pants and sweater with llamas on it. And we're living and learning how to not get tricked by taxi drivers. We took two taxis to Pisaq because some people wanted to visit some ruins before they went to the market and some wanted to just go to the makret...when we arrived in Pisaq the taxi driver decided to tell them it would cost more to get to the ruins. BUT..we're getting better at bartering. Don't worry.

Tomorrow I start another week of working at the clinic and in the afternoon I'm going to work with the speech therapist instead of taking classes. I don't know anything about speech therapy, but it'll be interesting!! 

Thanks for all the prayers and support :) I miss you all! Besos!

Ciao!!