Warning: This Post May Induce Hunger...



A Traditional Street Food Vendor Selling Patas de Pollo

Cuy Frito

It would be depriving you of something absolutely vital I left Peru without describing the unbelievable Peruvian cuisine. Aside from Cuy Frito (fried guinea pig) and Patas de Pollo (Chicken feet), I have come to discover the Peruvian cuisine is the most amazing food I have ever eaten. 

Here are some of my favorites: 

1.  Ají.  I could eat this condiment with a spoon.  (Okay, so there is a slight possibility that I have done that... on multiple occasions...) This spicy sauce is made from different varieties of peppers, mixed with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Every meal is accompanied by a small dish of this heavenly goodness and I generally end up asking for seconds.  This request is usually followed by a laugh from the waiter because they are not used to Gringos asking for more! I do not know what I am going to do without it when I go back to the US.   American hot sauce is like water compared to Ají.

Ají de Tres Colores

2. Choclo. This white corn variety is served on street corners, where women boil the corn and serve it with nothing more than a dash of salt.  It's gigantic kernals are sweet and juicy and leave you begging for more.  In Southern Peru, specifically the Cusco region, they serve it with a local cheese.  I have dreams of Choclo.  Mmm...

Choclo

3.  Arroz Con Leche.  A silky, creamy sweet rice with a hint of cinnamon.  Plump, juicy raisins are like delicous little pieces of treasure every time you find one in the bowl.  I have this at least 2x/week.  Okay, maybe closer to 4x/week...

Creamy Deliciousness

4.  Humitas and Tamales.  Humitas are made of delicously sweet Choclo, corn meal, and queso fresco. They are wrapped in corn husks and are generally cooked in boiling water. Tamales are a savory variation, and are usually spicy, large and wrapped in banana leaves. They are generally filled with chicken or pork, boiled eggs, olives, and chili peppers.  As most dishes are in Peru, it is accompanied by mass amounts of mayonaisse. 

Tamales

5.  Ají de Gallina.  A delicous dish consisting of shredded chicken served with a creamy, yellow sauce made from ají amarillo, cheese, and crackers.  It is served with Peruvian rice and topped with hard-boiled eggs. ¡Fabuloso!

Ají de Gallina

6.  Lomo Saltado.  Although I do not eat red meat, I did try this (eating off Amber and my Dad's plates!).  For a girl who hates red meat, it is absolutely amazing.  It is a dish that has Asian influences, consisting of thin strips of tender steak, marinated in vinegar, soy sauce and spices, then stir fried with red onions, parsley and tomatoes. Served traditionally over white rice and homemade french fries. Yum!

Lomo Saltado

7.  Cebiche.  Okay, I feel bad even talking about this because I did not have a good experience with Cebiche.  I tried it in Lima, which was the wrong place to try it.  The fish was not fresh and definitely made me quesy.  However, Trujillo and Northern Peru are known for their delicious Cebiche.  Every Peruvian I have spoken with said, "You haven't seen Peru until you try Cebiche!"  Cebiche is fresh, raw fish (or octopus, shrimp, crab, anything that swims, etc) marinated in lime juice and spicy red peppers.  It is served with Camote (sweet potato), red onions, and Choclo. 

Cebiche

8.  Anticuchos.  I am only writing about these unsightly things because Amber loves them.  I could not bring myself to try them.  Anticuchos are brochettes made from beef heart marinated in a various Peruvian spices.  They are grilled, often sided with boiled potatoes and corn. They are usually sold by street vendors and served shish kabob-style. 

Peruvian Street Vendor selling Anticuchos (Beef Heart)

9.  Pollo a la Brasa. This grilled chicken is one of the most consumed foods in this country. It's basically a gutted chicken marinated in a marinade that includes various peruvian ingredients and baked in hot ashes. The dish comes with French fries, salad and various sauces (peruvian mayonnaise, ketchup and ají).  You can either order a 1/4, 1/2, or whole chicken and it is served on a plate with bones and all. 

Pollo a la Brasa

10. Mazamorra Morada.  I did not think I would like this, as it looks like purple goo with fruit chunks floating about.  However, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it is! It is a jelly-like dessert, made from the juice of purple maize (corn), sugar, cinnamon, cloves. When that mixture is cooled, chopped fruit is added. Absolutely delicious!

Mazamorra Morada



If you are not drooling by now, you should be!!  The food is so amazing, and I could literally go on forever describing the delicous food.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, I am so happy to say that in 6 weeks, I did not get Montezuma's revenge.  Well, not anything too vicious anyways :) I consider that, in itself, to make my entire trip a success! 

Tears of Joy and Tears of Sadness

Hospital Belen, Trujillo

Finally, an unbelievable day! Okay, that's not true.  Every day in Peru has been unbelievable.  But yesterday was a day that went even BETTER than planned! I walked into La Sala de Partos (labor and delivery) in the morning to see every delivery room full!  I had my first experience with a screamer, whereas most of the other mothers have barely make a sound. (This mother also left bruises in the shape of grip marks on my upper arm and wrist. In fact, I'm glad to have walked out of the room with all my bones intact!)  She held/deathgripped my hand through contractions, and looked to me for support as I gave her my limited repertoire of Spanish encouragement phrases.  It was amazing to watch, as the 17 year old kept repeating "no puedo, no puedo, no puedo!" (I can't, I can't, I can't!), but somehow she found the strength to delivery a perfect little boy.  The moment she saw her baby, tears of joy started falling down her cheeks and she turned to me to say, "gracias, gracias, gracias... no sé lo que habría hecho sin ti." (Thank you, thank you, thank you... I don't know what I would have done without you.)  If those words don't make you smile, I don't know what will.  It was a moment I will never forget. 

The second mother was 16 and delivered her baby at just 27 weeks gestation.  Premature births are extremely frequent in Peru.  The nurses told me that every incubator in the neonatal unit is always full and they frequently have to put two infants inside a single incubator- just to give you an idea of how often this occurs.  In the US when a baby is delivered that early, there is generally an entire team of doctors and nurses ready to assist the delivery.  Here, there is the normal staff, the neonatologist, an incubator, a pulsoximeter, and an oxygen tank.  The baby is delivered and carried to the warming table where the neonatologist quickly places it in a plastic bag and listens to it's tiny little lungs.  The baby yesterday was probably slightly longer than my hand.  It immediately cried and showed no signs of immediate distress, so they placed a teeny-tiny oxygen mask on the baby and whisked it away in the incubator to the neonatal unit.  Life then continued as usual; on to the next delivery.  Truly fanscinating, and oh, so tiny! 

I then made way to the next room.  Another 17 year old who also had the occasional tendency to scream and crush hands.  She was a sweetheart and I was able to help her through the course of her contractions, holding hands and massaging her aching back.  As I wrote in one of my previous blogs, the women are generally placed in a room with two beds; one for labor and another for delivery.  This poor mother was in a room without a delivery bed, so she had to walk down the hall (while fully dilated and having contractions), climb onto a metal bed, and proceed to delivery her adorable baby girl.  What a trooper she was.  It amazes me how in just one second these young girls change from being children themselves into mothers; forever responsible for a tiny life.

Part way through the progression of her labor, there was a lot of commotion in the hall and I heard, "¡expulsíon!" which essentially means, "he's crowning!"  Down the hall fly three nurses pushing a mother on a table, with the baby clearly making it's grand entrance into the world.  I won't go into any more detail on the birth, but it was the saddest thing I have yet seen.  The baby was stillborn.  The mother had some sort of mental deficit and the obstetrician told me later that the baby had a birth defect that caused premature birth at just 20 weeks.  Apparently, this is also fairly common in Peru so they handled it quickly and stoically.  I however, had to wipe away tears; it was devastating to witness. 

Today was my last day working at the hospital.  It was a busy day- Friday the 13th.  Peruvians are quite superstitious, but for them Friday the 13th is more a day of unpredictability, not necessarily bad luck.  For Peruvians, today is more importantly, Día de la Virgen de Fátima (a day in remembrance of a Portuguese woman, Lucía Santa, who saw many apparations of the Virgin Mary starting the night of May 13th, 1917). They believe that it is a day that many babies will be born.  I think there may have been some truth: babies were born right and left.  I brought my camara and was able to take many pictures of the hospital, the awesome staff, and the delivery rooms (forget HIPAA rules here!).  I honestly am sad to be leaving.  In the course of my time at the hospital, I have made some great friends!  The people are so genuine, kind, and friendly.  Never once during my time there was a treated as a Gringa, and ambrazos y besos (hugs and kisses) were shared as I left.  It was hard to say goodbye to them, but I hope to return some day.  And more importantly, Alaska is calling my name...

A Weekend Getaway to Máncora!

It may sound ridiculous, but after the craziness of last week, I needed a vacation from my vacation! Amber, her friend, Kaylee, and myself took the overnight bus to Mancora, an amazing town on the Northern coast of Peru. White sand, warm water, hot sun... Ahhhh it was incredible. Although I felt almost uncomfortable with all of the other tourists! I am so used to going days without seeing a single white person, it was a sight for sore eyes. We filled our Saturday with relaxing on the beach and lounging by the pool. Saturday night I had my first Peruvian nightclub experience. If you know me well, you know there's nothing I love more than going dancing!


Pisco Sour

My nightclub experience in summary:

1.) Fabulous music!!
2.) As mentioned in my previous blog, Peruvians can really dance!
3.) Inka Cola (the infamous bubble gum flavored soda) and rum do not mix... Yuck
4.) It is best to avoid using bathrooms at bars. Well, that's a true statement in any Peruvian public place, but this brought unsanitary to a whole new level...
5.) When Peruvians go out with other people, they socialize soley with that group.  There is no separating, mingling, or heaven forbid, dancing with someone outside the group. 
6.) Pisco sours are pretty tasty, but very sweet! I tried my first one on Saturday which is practically the national drink of Peru. Pisco is a colorless grape-flavored brandy that is mixed with lemon juice, simple syrup, and topped wih frogged egg whites. Okay, I admit that sounds awful in writing, but it actually quite tasty.
7.) As in most European nightlife scenes, nightlife doesn't really start until 12 or 1AM.  By 3AM, the town is just start to get wild and crazy! (And I've turned into an old lady here... bedtime at 9, so I was one sleepy Brittany!)



Moto "Taxis" in Máncora

Sunday morning was fabulous.  After an amazing run on the white sand, I relaxed by the pool, trying to soak up every last bit of warmth that I could.  It's amazing how even two short days can rejuvinate you- I highly recommend a weekend getaway to all of you!

It was back to reality on Monday.  Frustrations have reached an all-time high on the volunteering front.  I have learned very quickly that the concept of organizing ahead of time does not exist here.  Amber has told me this many times in the last 7 months of her stay, but I had NO idea just how true it is.  I truly admire the amount of patience you have to have while living here.  

On Monday I was going to work in the inpatient pediatric department, so we went to the hospital to meet with the department chair to arrange my rotations.  It turns out he didn't even know we were coming and he was in surgery until almost noon... so we sat outside the hospital and waited for him for 3 hours.  Of course at that point it was siesta, so I went to lunch and went back a few hours later. When I got there, they had already done rounds on patients, so I literally sat around for 3 hours without the doctor even saying one word to me.  Whew.  Luckily the nurses were very nice and I was able to practice speaking Spanish the entire time.  If nothing else, I will be a much better Spanish speaker when all is said and done! 

Yesterday morning I was supposed to help with infant and toddler physicals at the clinic, but it turns out they didn't have many scheduled so I was only able to help with 4 patients.  In the afternoon, thank heavens, I went back to the delivery room and was able to help dress, weigh, and feed newborns.  I also got to see an emergency C-section!  I don't know if it is the same in the United States, but it is a brutal operation.  Not to get into too much detail for you non-medical readers... but there was a lot of pulling, stretching, and blood.  Washed blankets were again used as sterile skin covers, instruments were used after being soaked in a bleach solution, gauze was used in place of cauterizing, a catheter bag was created out of a used glove, and the anesthetist was on her computer in the corner of the room. You almost forgot that there was a human underneath the blue blankets!  After a few minutes, a tiny little newborn emerged!  There is nothing more beautiful than the baby's first cry.  

Today the "possibility" is to return to the delivery room.  Although, yet again, the person who is "organizing" my rotations has not responded to my e-mails.  Patience, patience, patience... :)  Lucky for all of you (haha), it gave my time to write a blog instead!  ¡Hasta luego amigos!

Baila, Gringa, Baila!

Whoever said white people can't dance may, in fact, be correct. Or maybe it's more of a Walker sister thing. Don't get me wrong, we can definitely dance in our own way, but my hips just don't move like the Peruvians do. Amber and I took a dance class on Wednesday at the gym. Think Zumba on steroids. This was some serious dancing. Front, side, criss-cross, together, spin forward, side, back, repeat! Whew! Let's just say I was almost made roadkill by the other dancers :) After letting go of the fact that I looked ridiculous and attracted many stares, I had a great time. It was definitely an ab workout from all of the laughing!

The best part (insert sarcasm here) was that there is an overhang for observers, and the back of the room is lined by floor to ceiling windows that open to the gym equipment. During the dance classes, I think the men do less working-out and spend most of their time watching (or in our case, laughing at gringas) while we get our dance on! It was absolutely hysterical.

I am SO happy to tell you that I got to help deliver my first baby yesterday! (And second baby, a 28 week old preemie!) It was absolutely incredible. Let me first tell you how lucky women are in the US. (It giving birth freaks you out, you may not want to read all of this!) 

In Peru:

1.) Women are not allowed to have any family (no spouses, mothers, sisters, etc.) in the room from the time contractions start until the time they go to recovery 8 hours post-partum.

2.) The labor and delivery rooms are combined. When it's time to push, women have to climb off their bed and climb onto the delivery bed. (Which is no more than a metal bed with stirrups, covered in a plastic towel, with a metal "catching basin" that leaks fluids into a bucket below.)

3.) Forget an epidural injection. These do not exist here.  And forget numbing medication for episiotomies... eek!  I could not believe the strength these women have; barely a sound was made in the room until the baby's first cry! No tears, complaints, or screams!

4.) After giving birth, the baby is literally whisked away to a little room where it is measured, cleaned and placed in the same crib as all the other newborns. And Peruvians are so creative! I learned swaddling techniques I had never seen, and a genious way to make a hat- simply put a diaper upside-down on the baby's head! They definitely make use of what they have! The teeny tiny newborn don't meet his mother until approximately 2 hours later.

5.) Sterile is a relative term. Washed sheets are used to cover the mother's skin, betadine is poured over her and wiped away with non-sterile cotton gauze, scissors and instruments are placed on a non-sterile table, sterile gloves are also used to move things, open packages, etc. In addition, some nurses and doctors wear masks and hairnets, while other's don't, and the same scrubs are worn daily.

6.) Forget privacy. Women give birth either nude or wearing only a shirt, with the door wide open and approximately 15 people are scattered about the room observing the birth. After delivery, all of the mothers are placed together in large room filled with beds- it would almost be like a slumber party if they weren't so exhausted from giving birth...

7.) Fetal monitoring is nothing more than hand palpations, blood pressure monitoring, and checking the babies pulse using a heart monitor every hour, or less.  Even in the case of the premature birth. 

It was such an amazing learning experience and the best Mother's Day present for those young women! Speaking of which, ¡Feliz dia de Madre! (Happy Mother's Day!) to all of you who are mothers, and a very special "Happy Mother's Day" to my Mom!  I love you!  I am so much more appreciative of what mothers have to go through to bring us into this world!

Poco a Poco

Day Two in Summary:

1.) I did not work in obstetrics as planned. (Anyone surprised?)

2.) I did not work this afternoon as planned. (Sigh...)

3.) I talked to the airlines and it seems my bag mysteriously left this world but they are "still looking." (Deep breath...)

4.) Given the above, I decided to buy a change of clothes so I took a taxi to the mall. After finding a shirt and shorts, I was told at checkout they will not accept credit cards without ID. (Where was my ID you ask? Of course I left it at the hotel!)

Peruvians frequently use the saying, "Poco a poco," meaning, little by little.  Although my day presented challenges, I am learning poco a poco that they are nothing compared to what Peruvians face on a daily basis.

This morning I went with a nurse to various neighborhoods near the clinic. The nurses go out every week to do house visits with patients that miss appointments or haven't been seen in a while. Most of the patients lived in areas called quintas, which are living spaces with a communal kitchen, toilet, and washroom for laundry. If they are lucky, there may be a shower to share among 20+ families.

The quintas are located in the space between buildings; a cobblestone pathway no more than 3-feet wide surrounded by disinigrating brick walls reaching high into the sky above. Hoses bring water to the homes and trash is scattered throughout the walkway. Stray dogs are curled in the doorways, their legs scratching away ticks and fleas. Doors are no more than 3 wooden planks nailed together or even a tarp hanging from the rotting wooden doorframe. House numbers were traced onto the cement with a pencil, as were multiple initials, drawings, and inappropriate comments. It was better to breathe from my mouth only, as the stench of urine lingered in the air. Inside the homes was a dark room filled with multiple bunkbeds, a handful of dishes, a small rickety table, and a clothesline hanging from the blue-tarp celing above.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." The people I met today have insurmountable strength and it truly puts my challenges into perspective. I aspire to live as they do, especially in every day-to-day obstacle that happens to come my way.

First Day of Volunteering!

If it hasn't been made clear enough in my blog thus far, I am definitely learning that things usually do not go as planned. In fact, I think it's better to eliminate the word "plan" completely from my Spanish vocabulary and change it to "possibility." I started volunteering today, not my possible start date of yesterday.  This was actually was a huge relief because I was so exhausted from traveling. Instead of the possibility to volunteer at the hospital in labor and delivery, I will be working in many clinics throughout Trujillo.  So... no baby catching for me!  There is a slight possibility that I am going to work tomorrow night 7PM-8AM in the delivery room which would be amazing!  But... I am not going to get my hold my breath! :)

This morning I ventured into a poorer neighborhood of Trujillo, where I'll be helping in multiple specialties. Today, I worked in family medicine and in just 3.5 hours we saw 25 patients and three pharmaceutical reps! Whew! Literally no sooner had the patient walked out of the door and the next patient was being called into the room. Charts are no more than a stack of papers stapled together, examinations are sporadic, and some sort of medication was given to every patient. Antibiotics were prescribed for most symptoms: from stomachaches to sore throats to coughs.

Also advised by the doctor was drinking lots of LUKEWARM beverages. Never, ever, are the patients to drink cold beverages. If they do happen to drink something cold, the doctor told the patients that it will aggrevate their symptoms and they will only get more sick. One patient had a fever and a slightly redder-than-normal throat and the doctor said that it was caused by the ice cream she had eaten the previous day. It is no joke that Peruvians truly believe cold drinks, foods, showers, etc. can cause sore throats and flu-like symptoms. Definitely a difference from what I am used to. I get many stares at the gym when I drink my refrigerated water. Although it is probably becuase I am a gringa and not as much the water. :) All in all, it was a fabulous first day and a true learning experience! The majority of the patients were children and infants which was exactly what I wanted to see!

One of the funniest parts of the day was meeting with the pharmaceutical reps. For all my fellow OPA'ers, it was quite the change from what we're used to! The rep handed a drug sample to the doctor and gives a 15 second speech on how it will help the patients (most saying, "it will solve all of the patients' problems, it is the most effective on the market, and you will be very pleased!"). Out of the bag comes another box if medicine, and the same speech is given. This goes on for approximately 3 minutes and they shake hands and in comes the next patient without skipping a beat. I was given approximately 20 samples today from arthritis drugs to iron-fortified pain medications. Very interesting!

Tomorrow I get to work in obstetrics and help with pregnancy exams. The doctor informed me today that the average first-time mother they see in their clinic is around 17 years old. By the time they are 30, most mothers have 4 children. I asked about contraceptives and she said that many do not take it for one of two reasons: either they are not well educated and don't know how to take the prescriptions correctly, or that their significant other believes taking the pills will increase the likelihood of her infidelity, so they do not allow it. Most of the mothers are just children themselves and it is not uncommon to see 12-year-old mothers in the clinic. My experiences are definitely humbling and put my superficial complaints into perspective. It makes me ask myself what is truly important and how incredibly much I have to be thankful for. I challenge you to live vicariously through me and remember how blessed we are to be Americans!

Peruvian Time

Fact: Things just move slower in Peru.

When walking down the street, people tend to move at a very leisurely pace, even when they are running late. If you happen to say, "tengo prisa!" (I'm in a hurry), they give you either a glare or a deer-in-the-headlights blank stare. Unlike a certain someone who is used to mapping every second of the day (e.g. wake up at 4:45AM, gym at 5:30AM, work from 7:30AM-4:30PM, run at 5:00PM, 6:00-11:00PM to include: grocery store, clean the floors, study/work on applications, cook, eat, spend time with friends/family, get stuff ready for tomorrow, fall asleep while reading and... repeat! Who could this be?!), their days are less rushed.  Time is spent doing what is absolutely necessary with the ones they love: Relaxed breakfast, leisurely walk to work, walk home to have a gigantic lunch, 2-hour siesta, walk back to work, walk home and enjoy a light dinner with family and friends.  That is not to say that life is not hard here.  I cannot even begin to fathom the stressors that they face on a daily basis!  As I said above, things just move slower, not easier. 

That being said, it has been a challenge to adapt to their slow pace.  I love the lifestyle: A built in naptime for adults?  Sign me up!  Required lunch breaks?! Yes, please! Walking everywhere? Sounds amazing! But when it comes business, (specifically the LAN airlines lost luggage department) it is a whole different story.  Two days have passed since my luggage disappeared, and the airlines doesn't seem to think it's an issue.  I have called probably 15 times, spoken to different people (in Spanish, which is frustrating in itself!), to find out, "Lo siento señorita, no sabemos nada.  Pero estamos buscando." (Sorry Miss, we don't know anything.  But we are looking.)  I suppose it is a blessing that they are speaking in Spanish because my vocabulary isn't good enough to tell them what I really want to say.  I am trying to change my frame of mind today, because I know everything happens for a reason.  Either this is a really mean lesson in surviving as a smelly person, or it's a lesson in handling things outside my control.  I suppose it's the latter, but I definitely do not smell very good!  I am very grateful that I have my sister here to lend me clothes and shoes, and I am learning that things can be easily replaced.  Well, everything except for the 5 lb block of Cheddar Cheese that I was bringing down for Amber.  Mmm... can you imagine how good my clothes are going to smell if they do find my luggage?!  Maybe I should be thankful for the way I smell now... :)

California Dreaming!

This past week I spent in sunny California! As some of you know, I am starting PA school at Stanford in just 2 months. We had orientation this past week, so I has to take a small (ha!) side-trip to California. I felt like a kindergartner on her first day of school: so many unknowns and 50 new smiling faces to meet! Luckily all of my worries subsided the second I met my classmates. They are amazing! We are going to have a great, albeit extremely intense, two years together! It is truly hard to believe that I am going to attend Stanford. While walking on the gorgeous campus, it felt so surreal! If you have never seen the campus, you need to put it on your bucket list. It is absolutely stunning. After two exhausting days of orientation, I spent some time looking around the Palo Alto area for housing. Whew- not as easy as it sounds!! Average rooms rent for $900+/mo + utilities (and that's sharing a house with 4+ other roommates!) I am pretty sure I found one, so cross your fingers it works out!

The quick trip came to a close and before I knew it, I was sitting on a plane headed back to Peru. For the first time since leaving Alaska, today I felt ready to hop on the first plane back home. Why do they call it "homesick?" I feel like "homeache" would be a more appropriate term. I am definitely aching for home. Let's just say today was rough and not my finest: My number one apartment choice fell through, had a horrible experience with a fire hydrant that we won't talk about, and upon arrival into Lima, I found out my luggage is nowhere to be found. That was definitely the icing on the cake. Whew.

Lessons learned today:
1.) Breathe in, breathe out.
2.) Things could always be worse and will always get better.
3.) Nothing replaces a good hug. Any takers?
4.) Most importantly, I am so grateful for the generosity and kindness from my CA family, The Griffins. I love them so very much!

On a positive note, I am very excited to start volunteering on Monday! (That is, if they find my luggage. Haha! Right now I just have one pair of jeans, flip-flops, and a sweatshirt. No scrubs or shoes to wear... But that's easy to replace I suppose!) I'll be working at a hospital in the labor and delivery and neonatology units! It should be a humbling and eye-opening experience! While at orientation this week, a Stanford med student told me his one piece of advice for working in L&D: Never drop the baby. A very wise man. :) If that's all I have to remember while delivering babies, I think I'm set! I hope you all are doing well and know that I'm thinking of you always!!