Service Projects Update

Breif updates on my volunteer projects here:

The hospital has improved this year! It's still not anywhere close to first-world healthcare, but it seems to be better staffed and have more supplies. I'm supposed to be writing a paper on infection control standards so that when the other volunteers from Friends of Belampampa return in December they can make simple changes that will make a huge impact. (...but it's been hard to find time to write between working, traveling and studying spanish haha)

I also started a fundraiser between a bar here and Maximo Nivel's (my spanish school) healthcare programs. Half of the proceeds from Game Night are going to buy an orphan girl a hearing aide so she can learn to speak, and the other half is going to buy supplies such as soap for local clinics including my hospital. Last week was the first week, but so far it was a lot of fun!

And of course, I'm still working with Christmas in Cusco to help the street children here. Everytime I see kids sleeping in the 30 degree nights curled up next to a building for warmth, I'm reminded of how great the need is here. We expect PayPal to be up and running for the website by the end of this week to make donating easier. www.christmasincusco.org

Into the Amazon!

Photos from the Amazon... We were expecting it to be the normal temperature of 80-90 degrees, but once in a while there are rare Arctic winds that drop the temperature down between 30-40 degrees. So, it was a very cold, but beautiful trip.

These monkeys were rescued from black market sales and now live in freedom on "Monkey Island" in the middle of the Amazon river. The babies are captured and re-introduced to their natural habitat in the jungle.

¡Mi Cumple Años!

A few snap shots from my birthday. I spent the weekend with my host family at their house in Arequipa. On our last night they threw me a party complete with the tradition of salsa dancing and smashing the birthday person's face into the cake.

INTI RAYMI

Inti Raymi: festival of the sun, solstice, June 24th.


(inti= Incan sun god/ ramyi=Quechua for festival)

An all-week party with parades, fireworks and music day and night. The actual ceremony takes place in the morning on June 24th and lasts into the night. The entire city, locals and tourists alike, climb from the city's main square up a mountain to the Incan ruins of Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "sexy woman"). At the end of the ceremony, a llama is sacraficed below the thousands of on-lookers standing on the ancient cliff tops.

Climbing to the top of the mountain- left

A traditional dancer during the parade- right

A lone soldier overlooks the crowd during the ceremony

Two Days in Lima, Peru

Photos of my two days in Lima! A city with a mix of modern and third-world all rolled into one. Although it was intimidating, I liked it overall. Beautiful cathedrals, parks, museums impressive architecture, car exhaust, and nine-million people living in the slums surrounding the thriving central part of the city.

As for beautiful architecture and parks, here on some highlights:

The cathedral in the Plaza de Mayor at night. (right)

(above)The San Fransico Monistary with secret catacombs miles beneath its surface. (Took the catacomb tour, but would not recommend it for the sqeemish!)

A side of the heavily guarded President’s Palace. (above)

The coast in the Mira Flores district. (right)

But from the top of the mountain at San Cristobal, I got a better idea of what the area outside the center of Lima looks like. Imagine the following picture of the urban sprawl extending as far as the eye can see in every direction away from the city. (You will have to tilt your computer screen to see through the fog/smog that blankets the city during the winter).

Peru 2010

Heading back on friday for two months.... Stay tuned ;)