No pictures, only stories here. Today is our last day in Cusco - we travel to Urubamba tomorrow, which is much more rural and a very small town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The last 3 days have been an eye opener as Becca, K. Marsh, and I have been working in the only free nursing home in Cuzco - a town of over 300,000 people only has 1 nursing home! The conditions there are meager, as there are only a few nuns (who have dedicated their lives to helping the elderly), a nursing student, an pre-med student from Georgia Tech, and a few other assistants for the many people who live there.
The people here are the sickest of the sick - taken here only if they have no family or there family does not want to take care of them or cannot afford care. In Peru, hospital trips are limited for the elderly, unless they have a good deal of money to pay. The last doctor visit was over 3 weeks ago for these ancianos and the pain some of them are going through is unbearable due to the lack of knowledge, lack of willingness, and general lack of pain killers in the facility. Some are in end stages of cancer with only days to live, several with uncared for hernias, many with contractures of the body so extreme it is hard to imagine what their normal body once looked like, one with a broken rib and possible punctured lung, another with a completely dislocated hip, and many more similar stories. We have been forced to start our own clinic here to help the people as best we can. Relying on our basic medical instincts we have been taught and our modest at best spanish speaking skills (our G. Tech friend has been indespensable because of his spanish) we are trying to help the people as best we can. Though frustrating in our attempts to communicate as some speak the ancient language of the inca called Quechua and limiting because we only have 1 year of school under our belt, we are satisfied to see that our attempts are helping the peruanos.
Este dia es el dia yo conozco por que yo soy un estudiante de medicina y un doctor del futuro.
Friday, May 28, 2010
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TRIP ITINERARY
Sunday, May 16th: leave US (overnight flight)
Monday, May 17th: Arrive in Lima at 3:22 pm
Tuesday, May 18th: AM - Depart Lima, Arrive Cusco (please note there are not
late afternoon or evening flights to Cusco)
Tuesday, May 18th: PM - Orientation, Spanish diagnostic exam and walking
tour of Cusco
Wednesday, May 19: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Wednesday, May 19: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Thursday, May 20: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Thursday, May 20: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Friday, May 21: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Friday, May 21: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Saturday, May 22: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Saturday, May 22: PM - Free time
Sunday, May 23: Free day
Monday, May 24: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Monday, May 24: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Tuesday, May 25: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Tuesday, May 25: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Wednesday, May 26: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Wednesday, May 26: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Thursday, May 27: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Thursday, May 27: PM - Spanish classes & free time
Friday, May 28: AM - work in Medicina para los Andes health campaign
Friday, May 28: PM - Spanish classes & free time THEN orientation for Inka Trail at Maximo Nivel office
Saturday, May 29: Travel to Urubamba
Sunday, May 30: Free Day
Monday, May 31 - Friday, June 4: Work in Clinic in Urubamba
Saturday, June 5: Pick up in Urubamba to begin Inka trail
Saturday, June 5 - Tuesday, June 8: Inka Trail
Tuesday, June 8: PM - Arrive back in Cusco
Wednesday, June 9: Depart for LimaThursday, June 10th - Saturday, June 12th: Free days in Lima
Sunday, June 13th: Arrive back in U.S.
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