El Fin de Semana (y mas)

The weekend (and more).

On Saturday, a group of us were invited by a Peruvian friend to a cookout in the countryside to help raise money for his neice's heart operation. Urpi, who's name means "dove" in Quechua, is an adorable 8-month-old girl born premature. Pictured below is trucha, a traditional Andean trout dish. The 10 soles a plate we each donated was considered very generous (about $3). I only speak broken Spanish, but from the conversation I had with her aunt, it sounded like the operation was going to be a lot more money than what they had.

Sunday was Machu Picchu day! Pictures cannot accurately show how breathtaking this place is. Ten megapixels is just not enough to capture the humid jungle, the cloud forrests, the jagged mountains rising out of sight, or the absolute still that seems to hover over you at the top. It truely deserves to be one of the seven wonders.

We decided to climb from the base at Aguas Callientes to the top. Several locals told us that the hike would take around 40 minutes, and was not that difficult. However, because of the altitude, for Aena and I, it turned out to be a grueling two hour verticle climb in the rain. But it was totally worth it at the top. :)

This week I'm working in the obstetrics section of Belampampa. I was supprised how many births happen there every day. Yesterday morning we had four (two at the same time) with another one expected in the afternoon. Verticle births using a large wooden chair with the center cut out seem to be the norm. The mother waits in the "dilation room" and when she's ready, is walked across the hall to the delivery room where she sits over the chair while a nurse catches her baby underneath. It actually doesn't look as bad as it sounds, although there is virtually no pain medication available for the mom. Health standards in this section of the clinic are higher, but still not what I would consider great.

Side note: !Viva Peru!
Today is the Peruvian independence day, so most businesses including hospitals are closed down for the next two or three days. The annual parade has been canceled this year due to swine flu, which has also closed down many of the schools in the area as well.