The trip home!

I thankfully made it home yesterday, after about 48 hours of traveling. We left Iquitos Saturday morning at 5:30. After getting to the airport everyone proceeded to drop like flies sick. It was very fun.... I was not among them, I know I was surprised too. It still surprises me home okay the Peruvian people are when their plane is supposed to leave at 6:30am that it still isn't even there by 7:15. Maybe it's an uptight American thing? Anyways we finally made it to Lima! Then we boarded buses (took much longer than it sounds) and drove to lunch. We ate in a mall where everyone stared at us, which I guess I should just be used to by now. We had about a whole day layover in Lima before the flight to Atlanta so we got 2 hotel rooms for the girls who were sick. On the way up we all stopped to go to the bathroom in the lobby. 7 of us were jammed into the small bathroom waiting on the 2 stalls to be free when 2 girls start puking and another 2 started from the other end. It was very thrilling. I'm sure the hotel just loved us.

The unsick remaining students got to go to the market. It was very cute with lots of touristy things. I bought my family a few things and walked around with the girls. After a few hours it was finally time to head to the airport. We got through "security" which was a joke. I basically just put my backpack on the belt and walked through shoes, watch, water bottle, and all. As nice as it was, it was kind of unsettling. Where was homeland security to yell at me for talking on my cell phone? Waiting to board we passed around a bottle of melatonin. Thank the Lord for that melatonin. I woke up once on the flight with a stiff neck and looked out to see a raging thunder storm and terrible turbulence. I was so exhausted I just shrugged to myself and passed out, hahah normally I would have been having a panic attack. I was sitting next to a nice woman from Toronto. We talked about the bridge drama going down in Detroit and laughed, it was a bizarre conversation to be having but funny just the same. It felt like I blinked and we were in Atlanta! We had to go through customs and I have the nicest man checking me through. I told his supervisor how nice he was because you know how rare that is haha. I had to claim and re-drop my bag off. Then I found a Starbucks YESYESYES. I was so pumped. AMERICAN starbucks (which is where I am right now ironically). I boarded the LAST plane and was so over flying. I sat in my seat and was reading, the next thing I knew I heard a thump and we were landing. I must really have been tired! I usually never sleep on planes. We got picked up and I got back to my apartment Sunday afternoon. I immediately went out and ate a salad with Kellie. (Since you know cabbage/lettuce = diseases). I followed that with a shower and passing out. That was my journey, hopefully I'll be traveling somewhere interesting again soon! Thank you for all the love and support along the way!

 

The Amazon Treck!

I was so thrilled when I got up to be feeling better and going on this tour of the Amazon. I began the day by taking out Holly's IV at 6am. She was also sick and needed fluids, but thankfully was feeling better as well. We took a bus to a market by the river and then a boat to the Amazon! The first island we got off at I held the cutest sloth! It was so presh!!!!!!! Kind of creepy looking, but adorable. There were monkeys that ran around and jumped on you, pulling your hair and biting? People tried to play with them, but I thought that was insane. Monkey's have diseases and they betray you, hasn't ANYONE seen Indiana Jones? So I ran from the monkeys. We also got to play with an Anaconda. NASTY. I touched it and held it, but I was not happy. As long as the monkeys wouldn't bother me I was in business. One of the doctor's daughters was afraid of the snakes, so I selflessly volunteered to take her back to the boat. (Thank God no more monkeys!) The next stop we saw giant lily pads, fish, and gators. That was about it. Hahaha. The next stop was monkey island.... there wasn't anything worse I could think of then going onto an island full of monkey's. Hell to the No. I stayed back to guard the boat. (Like I would be much use if someone wanted to seriously rob me, but whatever.)

The rest of the ride on the Amazon river was seriously long, on an uncomfortable boat. We got off at another island and thought we would eat lunch. Oh no, just a short "walk" to see some big trees. I had worn keens, being told we were riding a boat and fishing for piranhas. This "walk" was lies. It was hacking through the amazon rainforest, without a sword to hack with for 2 and a half hours! It was still muddy from the flooding and some people were in flip flops! Most people were also wearing shorts. If knew I was hiking, I would have worn long pants! It was miserable, people were falling down and hurting themselves, getting dehydrated, hypoglycemic. The group was just falling a part. We finally get back and everyone is exhausted and in a bad mood. I acquired a lovely splinter from one of the many trees with thorns, all I could think about was bacteria streaming through my system. I also got a ton of bug bites, I am thrilled, just thrilled. FINALLY after finishing we ate lunch with was pretty good, rice and fish. Then we went Piranha fishing! I caught one with my bamboo pole and rotten meat. It was pretty fun, even if it was for 20 minutes. We got back in the boat and they told us it would be 2 and half hours to ride back because we were going up stream. Again, LIES. It took about 3 and half hours. We were all delirious and miserable. I just finished showering, eating, and packing. I am going to sleep now for the airport in the AM. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. All I have to say is thank the good Lord for Zofran.

The day of 300 patients.

Today we were very close to where we set up yesterday. I opened pharmacy again :) Then we had a patient come in with a Basal Cell Carcinoma that was the size of a silver dollar on his nose. The surgical dermatologists we had with us were PUMPED. They scraped it out as best they could and I got to assist! It obviously wasn't a cure, but we could have had to cut off half the man's nose to cure that. I also saw a child with another really intense fungal infection, it was called sporotrichosis. The derms were having a field day. It looked like a huge bug bite, but more raised and the size of a fust in circumference. 

We had a huge line of people waiting to seeing us still, so Dr. March let me be a practitioner with her! I got see patients on my own! Even though she was sitting at my same table and I asked a question about every 30 seconds. It was so interesting! I had an amazing time, and I was very flattered to be doing my own assessments and kind of prescribing! We saw SO many people today, it was exhausting. Anyways the day went on and I started to get very nauseous. Someone started cooking nearby and the smells were too much for me. I got very lightheaded and dizzy so they sent me home on a motorkar (as they say and spell in Peru). I got back and showered and then began the fever. I was freezing! I took some advil and proceeded to sweat the entire night, fun fun fun! I felt amazing in the morning though, thank goodness!

Happy Fourth of July!

(Okay so I'm going to post these past few days separately, since I have been sick.)

So on the day of America's independence we went to another area in Iquitos (also very poor), and worked out of a woman's house. It was very very hot again, but we were inside. She had moved everything outside for us to set up clinic. The bathroom was the worst I've seen yet, like slumdog millionaire style. You walked across planks of wood, like single beams, to an outhouse. That was really like 3 walls and 2 floorboards. When I looked down I could see maggots, it was lovely. Hanna and I opened and ran pharmacy again which was fun. I'm really getting good with drugs! It was dripping sweat about 20 minutes after being there. I went on two home visits to see patients. We saw a woman with terrible arthritis and a bum leg from an accident years ago. We brought them each some medications and some physical therapy exercises. I also saw some patients with serious fungal infections of the skin. When the practitioners asked them when it began, they said things like 3 years ago, or 1 year ago. They were really intense! Hanna and I also fell in love with a sweet like disabled child with hydrocephalus. It began to rain after a while which was a welcome!

I left the site for another home visit. We went to visit a 5 year old who was deaf and blind. It was very interesting, we discerned that her mother had rubella while pregnant to cause the disability. They knew there was nothing we could do. The family just wanted advice. The child had her nights and days confused and still wasn't potty trained. They also had never heard of Helen Keller. I think hearing she had made it, gave them some hope. We gave advice and tried work out getting her into a school with a teacher who could help her.

After showering the hotel decorated the eating area for fourth of July and had a little show! It was very sweet, even if it was a tribal dance to the Anaconda. Seeing an Anaconda worship tribal dance on fourth of July is very patriotic if you ask me...We then went out for some drinks at a bar called the yellow rose of Texas. (Seriously now, patriotic). The girls and I made friends with some boys from Kansas. The waitresses were screaming for us to dance on the table, it was very entertaining, becauase they can dance way better than we can, obviously.

Maybe I Should've Been A Pharmacist??

We woke up again to our amazing breakfast! I will have to take a picture of all the juices before I go, it's a rainbow of colors and so many options. We got in the bus and headed back to Rio Itaya through the market and slums. Stepping off into mud, we got on a smaller boat than yesterday. I don't know about you, but I love being greeted by hungry piranhas early in the morning on a rocking boat full of 40 people. We safely crossed... barely. Then hiked about a mile to the site. Today was already much hotter. I was sweating bullets in about 5 minutes. 

The pharmacy was very unorganized the day before, so I decided I would organize it myself. (I'm OCD like that..) So then I just decided to stay at pharmacy because I unpacked everything and knew where it was. It was VERY busy. I seriously learned a lot though. I even corrected Dr. March on the generic form of drug! (Those in Nursing at the Capstone understand how that makes me a badass). I know every drug in the bag backwards and forwards. Maybe I need a career change? HA. We had a dental and eye clinic as well as medical today. We also saw some really rare genetic conditions and some serious burns. I gave some shots, and watched a lot of rotten teeth being pulled. All the practitioners are very eager to teach us and show us rare things. After cleaning up we played with the kids and got them to sing Baby by Justin Beiber which was very entertaining. Today was basically hot and busy, period.

Being so smart I decided to wear a khaki scrub top and purple sports bra.... being in the Amazonian heat dripping sweat. By 11am I had sweat the purple onto the khaki to make a sort of half tye-dye sweaty disgusting shirt. It was beautiful and I was SO pleased. I fell onto the couch in the lobby when I got back with my friend Hanna. We didn't move or talk, we just sat, for an hour. People were coming downstairs showered and dressed. We eventually hauled ourselves up and showered (which felt AMAZING). We had a VERY long meeting and ate dinner at 7:30. We have like "sandwiches" for lunch every day. They consist of bread and turkey. We get an orange and some plantain chips. It's very bare, so I was about ready to eat a bear about 7:30. We ate at the hotel and I had beef tips with rice, which was amazing. I ate it all and was still hungry, yes I will admit it, I am now eating oreos. Bring it, judge me, they are delicious! I'm now going to pass out, thanks for all the support. Missing everyone at home!

Rio Itaya

Woke this morning to go to the most beautiful breakfast before our mission work. We eat outside by the infinity pool every morning. We are so lucky, I look hoping to hold the image in my mind forever. It is so upsetting how much I have overlooked in my life, and I want to savor every second here. Slums or beauty. Getting on buses we took through the market the guides told us all not to put out arms outside the bus, because the people will steal from you in a heartbeat. The market was beautiful, yet inspiring. I saw a man surrounded by old filthy shoes trying to refurbish them to sell again. We saw boxes and boxes stacked full of chickens, then the next store full of eggs. I saw salted fish (yes salted like old school style) stalked in huge piles, and of course tons and tons of fruit. we approached the river Itaya and got into a small ferry. The area around the river was already so poor. Barefoot children playing in gutters with trash, it felt like I fell into the set of Slumdog Millionaire. They told us not to touch the water and I saw so many people bathing in it and drinking the water. It feels wrong that we can't even touch the water that sustains another life, elitist in a way. I obviously understand why, but you get the picture. We arrive on the other side, in the "boat" which was a few planks nailed together with water at the bottom.

After a short hike we reached the site. It looked like a large shed on stilts, but it was the average size of most homes nearby. We set up and began the day. I started by shadowing Dr. March a nurse practitioner. We saw patient after patient parasites, UTI's, or dehydration. By the way, my computer is about to die and this outlet isn't cooperating so I will try to post as much as I can. I moved to pharmacy and administered medication, did patient teaching. I had an amazing translator, thank the Lord! I moved to triage after that. I actually got pretty good at talking with the patients in Spanish. There was an older woman who came up complaining of pain. I asked her where and she said, "I just have pain." I asked where and she responded, "I am just in pain." We questioned more she told me her entire story about the death of her husband and how it effected her children and grandchildren lively hood. I think she just needed a listening ear, we prayed and talked. It was a wonderful experience, and I really felt like I touched a life! I felt like she was teaching me as well. It just tore me up seeing all the children without shoes and clothing completely covered in silt and dirt. Everyone was so loving and thankful! We left to pack up after seeing 180 people. Yet turning away at least another 100. We are returning tomorrow to the same area for a dental and eye clinic. The children loved us, and we adored playing with them! I'm thrilled to go back tomorrow, it was like stepping into the pages of a National Geographic. Thrilled to do it again tomorrow!


By the way, I already started a rash on the back of my knees? Don't tell my mom, she may get me deported back to the States stat. I gave it some hydrocortisone cream and took a benadryl. We have a dermatologist on the trip, I'll make them look at it tomorrow. God Bless and Thank you all for your support!

Post Nap- The World is Looking Brighter

After Holly and I had a nice freak out over our BEAUTIFUL room, we took naps. Waking up after only three hours was rough, but I felt like a new woman. We skipped lunch to sleep, yes we are college students. So we scrounged through our luggage to have a lovely lunch of a granola bars and applesauce, YUM. The group met downstairs to go to a service and meet our translators. The service was in a concrete building connected to other businesses that must have been used as a store or something at one point. It didn't have shelves, it was just a larger empty kind of space filled with plastic chairs and a band. There was lots of praying and singing. My translators name is Jimmy and he speaks very well for an Amazonian native! We took these motorcycle rickshaws there, which was very fun! They drive like lunatics, so I just ended up holding my breath until it was over. (pics to follow- they take forever to upload)

We went to dinner down the road at a chicken place. We were served coke, a half a chicken, coleslaw, and fries. Literally I'm serious HALF OF A CHICKEN off a spit. It was really good, but I had already resolved against the coleslaw.. cabbage = diseases. So I ate chicken and fries, just like a good ole American. After dinner we walked across the street to a square full of a band, toy, jewelry, and magazine peddlers. There were at least 300 people there, it was amazing. All the children with their toys playing in the fountain. You can see it in the picture from above, it's the park our window faces. We stopped to look at some bracelets, next to them were some wire bug ornaments with gems encrusted in them. As I was squatting to look, the merchant held out a HUGE black beetle. I thought it was fake, and immediately squealed anyways. Then he held it out and put it on Holly, that's when it started to move and she squealed too. By the end of it all the nursing girls came around to see, and we were drawing our own Peruvian crowd, which made me nervous. I bought a very cute bracelet for 8 sol, which is about 3$. It goes with everything (this is of course of monumental importance). The vendor was very nice, but I'm sure he was just loving all the people we were drawing over. I decided it was time to go before we all got mugged.

We will be getting up tomorrow to go to our first medical clinic! I'm so thrilled and excited! Be ready for pictures of me in scrubs and hiking boots. I will post again after that day, I hope I have many stories and will make a difference in someone's life.