Back to Otuzco

Today I traveled back up to Otuzco in hopes of experiencing some more great clinical cases. I left at about 7:30 am, solo. I had to take a taxi to the “paladero” where I immediately jumped into a station wagon that would take me up to Otuzco. The paladero is a bit hectic because as soon as you show up, 3-4 people approach you trying to persuade you to choose there vehicle because it is the cheapest and fastest (there is no difference). Along the way, we had to stop for about 10 min before we could pass the construction site, which provided me with an opportunity to take a few photos of the mountains and sugar cane fields. During the stop, the drivers of all of the vehicles tend to get out and stand in the middle of the street to chat while they wait. Then, as soon as there is an opening, there is a bum-rush as everyone runs back to their cars and tries to beat everyone else to the front of the line, creating a huge bottleneck. This happened again on my returning trip home, and I was lucky not to be left because the sudden bum-rush occurred as I was “relieving” myself roadside.

The drive up to Otuzco, besides being an adrenaline rush due to the high speeds and chaotic driving, is a beautiful site. I enjoy the short trip there because it is a chance for me to get a look at the Peruvian countryside. Also, I feel as though I am actually in Peru while in Otuzco because they lack the modern amenities you find almost everywhere, like wireless internet, television, even hot water is difficult to find.

            I spent the late morning volunteering at the Centro de Medicina, which is the only other medical clinic besides the hospital in Otuzco. The two doctors I met there were very nice and receptive. One of the doctors, Dr. Bruce, allowed me and two other volunteers to assess many patients throughout the morning. We did plenty of spine/back and leg/knee assessments, as well a blood pressure. Overall, it was another good day in Otuzco.

El Progresso Re-visited and the New Year in Pacasmayo!

So last Thursday all of us went back to El Progresso to hand out flyers to the community informing them of the upcoming free medical campaign. You can see on the flier that the medical campaign will take place on the 6^th of January. This is essentially what all of our medical training has been preparing us for. We will be recording history and basically triaging patients for the doctor(s) we bring. As we were handing out flyers, we got a better look at the neighborhood. It is difficult for me to imagine living as these people do. They really have the definition of a “hard” life.  For this reason, I am all the more excited to have the opportunity to provide medical care to this community. This is most definitely a service that they otherwise would not have access to. I simply hope that we can make a significant positive impact.

After handing out the flyers, a few of us went to Apiat. It is a large store that is surrounded by an outdoor marketplace. There were tons of people there that congested the streets, with venders selling practically anything you could imagine. Lots of the merchandise was related to the New Year celebration, including fireworks and yellow underwear. The yellow clothing is a tradition in Peru that claims one will have good luck if one wears yellow during the New Year. Once we entered Apiat, we suddenly became dizzy from all of the shoes. I have never seen this many high quality shoes in such a small area. The smell of leather almost made us nauseous. It should go without saying that street food was definitely had during this occasion: the best churros ever! (wish I had a pic)

We left for Pacasmayo on Friday the 31^st to celebrate the New Year. Luckily at the last minute, we got a hotel that housed all 30 something of us and it was one block from the beach. That night we went to a beach party that had plenty of loud music, dancing, and drinks. We made it just in time for the count down and it was crazy, unfortunately I forgot my camera so you will have to use your imagination. After the long night, our plan for waking up early in the morning for surfing was quickly forgotten. Instead we lazily got up and spent the day hangin’ out on the beach where we all proceeded to get badly burned. HAHA, oh well, it was totally worth it. Finished our 2 night trip by getting sum beautiful pics of the sunset at Pacasmayo beach. Had a great New Year