Under the weather...

Caught a cold this weekend so I've been taking it easy. A little down time. Which got me to thinking about a lot of stuff. First and foremost...WHAT does under the weather actually mean? I spent a good 22 minutes thinking about that yesterday. Here's the best answer I came up with. You hear people say they feel a little foggy or cloudy in their head (or at least I have heard people say that) so I assume that if you feel cloudy in the head the rest of your body is "under the weather".  It crossed my mind to google it this morning and find out the truth, but instead I decided to devote an entire paragraph in my blog to it.

OK, back to Peru. Since I only took 22 minutes to reflect on "under the weather", that means the rest of the weekend was spent reflecing on my trip so far. So this is going to be a LONG one!

It's been 3 weeks! Time continues to fly by, although it seems like such a long time since I've seen my family or friends. The first week  here I was pretty overwhelmed by the whole experience. It was really tempting to start making all these bold statements about what I was going to accomplish here. how I felt about Chimbote, or how this experience had changed or will change me. But I felt like those would be snap judgements and most likely my perspective would've changed after I settled in.  But now it's been 3 weeks. For the most part I've settle into a routine here (routine should be used very loosely!) and have been able to set realistic goals about what I want to accomplish in the next 4 weeks.

PHYSICAL THERAPY: Since the 2nd day I've been here I go to one of two rehab facilities every morning. The patient population there is pretty split between children and adults. Birth deformaties or disablities are common as well as stroke rehab. Right now, 10 people come to therapy on a regular basis post-stroke that most likely occurred 1-4 years ago. Back pain is also a pretty common occurrence. I've gotten to do a variety of things so far! I've given recommendations for seating and wheelchairs. Unfortunately no wheelchairs are available now (a bunch are coming in January I think), so I've had to get pretty creative in making do with what what we have. I've been able to help construct a pair of AFOs for a child...again streeeeettching my creativity, but if you would've seen what he had before, this is a million times better :)

The best part of the experience PT-wise, though, is passing on ideas or concepts they can continue to use once I'm gone. Exercise and promotion of normal function are kind of secondary here to massage and soft tissue work. And while all are important, without using ways to maintain strength, posture, and mobility, long term gains and prevention of future or further injury is limited. Also, with surgeries being rare and limited access to medical care, promoting strong, healthy bodies should be a main focus. The language barrier has definitley been the hardest part of this, but luckily with exercise it is easy to demonstrate. AND thank goodness for google translator and internet access here so I can copy some key phrases and activities to bring with me. It has been fun to see the PT and assistant at the clinics already carrying over things I have shown them. And they have helped me become a better therapist too, in being creative and finding unconventional ways to make something work!

CHIMBOTE: If you asked me what I thought Chimbote would be like before I left it would be nowhere near what it actually is. I'm talking the place itself. First of all, saying you live in Chimbote is kind of like saying you live in the Twin Cities. It is seperated into differnt regions. I know the name of my region and it starts with an A...but I have no idea how to even attempt at spelling it. I can walk 8 blocks (not by myself because the neighborhood is pretty unsafe) and get to a different "region" where downtown is. There the poverty is not nearly as bad as it is here, there are restuarants, stores, and although extremely crowded, is seemingly "normal". In the region where the parish is located and where I live, the poverty is something I have never seen before. I knew to expect that going into this whole thing, but it still gets a little overwhelming.

My family I stay with is probably best considered "middle class" for the region we are in. Meaning, they have a house with concrete walls, electricity, and plumbing. They have 3 windows that are always open. They take great care in making sure the house is swept daily and flies and such are kept to a minimum. Their water is on for 2 hours every morning, they have no hot water, no washing machine, and use buckets of water for bathing and laundry. They have a small refrigerator, but usually everything is left out. We have a market where my host mother goes daily to get the little vegetables and meat that we eat. But rice, bread, and potatos are plentiful...too much if you ask me! Here, they don't call it a beer gut, but a bread gut. And bread guts are prominent!!! I have not seen a mouse or rat in the house, but hear they are usually pretty common throughout the town. Ants, flies, beetles, and other harmless insects are prevalent and I have seen 2 cockroaches in my bedroom (but I'm too dang slow to actually stomp on em!).  Elsewhere there are houses made that are tiled or some that are two stories indicating people that are a little better off financially and then there are many houses made of estera (woven reed). Floors are first dirt, then progress to tile (so the people can take the tile with them if they have to move), and the finally, some type of cement if that can be afforded.

Dogs...I won't go into much because I've talked about them ALOT...they are EVERYWHERE. Traffic is ridiculous here as a main road (kind of like an interstate) runs right through town, right by the parish. I have never seen driving like this...it's amazing to me I haven't seen an accident yet. I heard the fish smell would be difficult for me to get used to, but it's the dog/horse/various animal poop smell that I have a hard time with. Due to the warm, humid weather it is pretty prominent. But once you get past the living conditions, the trash, and smells, it is beautiful country. There are mountains, palm trees, the ocean...muy bonito!!!

Chimbote is not a place that sees tourists, especially Americans. So everywhere you go people are constantly staring, trying to speak common english phrases to you, or asking to take your picture. It can be a little awkward. Most are so grateful for the help the volunteers here provide, even if it is just as simple as the willingness to come here. They are so good about being patient with me and love to help me improve my spanish. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with greating EVERYONE with a kiss on the cheek, but I guess you'd say I'm used to it by now! I have been really lucky to experience much kindness here. Whether it's protection from those dang dogs, having someone to run with every morning, a patient brining me a giant bottle of pop in gratitude, or my host mom making me a "smoothie" every morning because she knows I like them, the people here to do the best they can to express their gratitude

The Mass is great! So much participation and celebration by EVERYONE. It has been really fulfilling for me, eventhough I don't know exactly what is being said and I can't follow along too much with the prayers or music. The choirs are AMAZING! My favorite part so far that's for sure! Fr. Jack is also a pretty neat guy to work with. It's pretty impressive that him and Sr. Peggy have dedicated their whole lives to this place. That is something I don't think I could do!

MY GOALS: Continue to help out in physical therapy as much as I can. Besides the clinics,  I  just started spending time in La Cuna...a daycare center at the parish for children whose parents don't spend much time with them. The goal of that place is to make sure the children are ready for school once they're of age. Basically a preschool providing early intervention services.
There is a "weight room" at the parish for the locals to use. It's not much to look at, but does serve its purpose. It mainly caters to males though. I'm working with one of the other long term volunteers to set up a circuit training type class that would be more geared toward females. Our hope is that eventually it will be lead by a Peruvian so it can continue once we are gone.
Keep working on my spanish! I'm pretty sure I sound like a caveman all the time. "Me like run" "Me sleep" "I go physical therapy". Hahaha!

Well...that's it for now. Just some reflections on the first half of my experience here. Happy Sunday!