Jungle, Titicaca, Arequipa and more!

A quick little entry to say that we are all still having a blast in Peru. We are all coming back from a short trip to Lake Titicaca, close to Bolivia, where the weather was definitely a little chilly, but the scenery was absolutely amazing! We had a chance to stay in families with natives inhabitants of the isla Amantani : what a cultural experience. We also had a chance to sail on Lake Titicaca, walk on floating islands and see a bit of the city of Puno. For the rest, the girls have had a chance to go for a nice trekk in the Cañon de Colca where they saw the flight of gigantic condors. Some of them got a little ill on the way back, but everything seems to be better now that we are all comfortably installed in our hostal in Arequipa (a gorgeous city with amazing shopping and restaurant!). Nick just came back from an amazing 4 day trip in the natural park of Manu in the Amazon jungle: what an experience! Tons of animals and a great stay in jungle lodges, rafting, ziplinine, hiking and more.

We are now approaching the end of our trip, with only 4 days left before we get back to Canada. We are all a little sad because we are getting so attached to Peru... Last plans: a few days more in Arequipa, where the weather is so nice. Trekking for some, rafting for others and eventually a plane or bus back to Lima to catch our flight to Montreal on the night of Monday to Tuesday. If all goes well, we shouls be back in Montreal late on Tuesday the 25th...

More pictures to come... (Internet access isn´t as easy these days...)

Machu Picchu

What an amazing and intense experience. 5 days of hiking for a grand total of more than 80 km overall. The reward at the end was extremely worth it: an amazing morning spent at Machu Picchu... The hike itself was great: we had an amazing package with porters, cooks, guides... all we had to do is walk... But the altitude was a challenge for some of us (we got to more than 4600m). The Salkantay trail was awesome and offered us some breathtaking landscapes.

From snowy mountains to the Peruvian jungle, passing by the dry tundry, we can say that the past 5 days gave us a great taste of the Peruvian wilderness. We will definitely have tons of pictures to share when we come back... But for now, we are heading in a few different directions, with Claire going back to Canada, Nick heading to the Peruvian jungle and the other 5 girls going to Puno. The next few days will probably be a bit more relaxing after this intense camping experience!

Cuzco!

Wow! What a change of scenery... We are now in Cuzco and we are getting ready for our 5-day trekk to Machu Picchu (it´s so exciting!). Our departure from the Hogar was pretty sad, as we were getting so attached to the staff and patients... But we are all pretty tired (departure time: 3:45 am)

Our flight to Cuzco was great: the scenery was breathtaking: mountains piercing the clouds at sunrise... We got to Cuzco in good time and met up with 4 other friends: Corey, Chloe, Lauren and David, who will be joining us for the trekk.

Our hostel here is great and we have taken advantage of the last 3 days to visit many museums, markets, ruins, restaurants, cafes... We are really feeling the change of pace from our work at the Hogar... we are now definitely on holiday! However, the high altitude here in Cuzco is making it a little tough for some of us. Our hearts are racing as soon as we climb a few steps... This didn´t prevent some of us from going mountain biking or rafting though...

More news to come and hopefully more pictures!

Farewell Hogar San Pedro...

Already 5 weeks have passed since we first set foot in the Hogar San Pedro. So many things have happened, so many good memories. The 2 last days at the Hogar were no different, or even, they can definitely qualify as the grand finale.

Yesterday morning, one of the patients at the Hogar San Pedro, Fortunato, got married. It was absolutely amazing! Him and his wife looked gorgeous and most of the patients at the Hogar attended the wedding. The sun was shining, the patients were all dressed up, the employees too: what a great experience. We were also so happy for Fortunato, a charming young man! The wedding was followed by a great lunch at the Hogar with the married coupled, their 2 children and their family. As volunteers, we decided to help out with the service in the kitchen and we ended up working really hard, to make sure that everything was nice... The organization of everything was a little chaotic, but in the end, we got to taste a bit of Pachamanca, and Papas a la Huancaina, the food that was served to all.

After everyone was finished with the chocolate cake, there was music, and most of the patients were dancing. Later on, since yesterday was the 30th anniversary date at the Hogar San Pedro, there were activities for the staff and patients: many small games where we all laughed and ran around! We are very sad to be missing the official 30th anniversary celebration with over 350 guests, which will be taking place on Saturday... We were sure it would be on the 5th, but then when we found out, it was too late to change our flights to Cuzco...

Today was also a great day at the Hogar San Pedro. In the morning, after a packing sprint, we all went to the nearby municipal healthcare center, where we
were shown around and got a chance to shadow a pediatrician and a gynecologist for a little while. We were also explained the Peruvian healthcare system in great depth by a very sympathetic doctor whom we had met at the medical campaign on Tuesday. It was awesome to see a bit more of the rural Peruvian reality.

Finally, this afternoon was a very emotional one... After giving away gifts and clothing to some of the patients and staff, we starting taking our last pictures and saying our last goodbyes. It is so sad to be leaving this wonderful and peaceful place. We got so attached to the patients and employees: it will definitely be hard not to come back...

So I guess this marks the end of the official MSAHI 2009 experience... we are now heading off for a bit of travelling: Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Cañon country and Lima. We are also hoping to spend a day with a doctor who has become our friend to finish our trip on a medical note... More pictures yet to come!

Only 2 more days at the Hogar San Pedro...

Incredible... Only 2 days left at the Hogar San Pedro... And so much to do still.

The last few days were very busy as they were filled with many different activities. It has also been great to have one more person living with us in our little volunteer´s house: Louise L´Hérault, from the Montreal-based Fondation Père Ménard. She had helped us organize our trip (she was our contact with the Ste-Justine hospital) and is now visiting the Hogar for its 30th anniversary celebrations, which will be starting tomorrow.

A few highlights from the last few days... On Friday, after spending an extra day in Huacachina and a day in Lima, Glynn came to join us at the Hogar San Pedro for one last supper in Chosica, at our favourite local restaurant: Mama Elsa´s. A great night, even though we were all a bit tired from the big week we had just had. The next day, Jess, Claire and Nayima went back to Mama Elsa´s for an authentic Peruvian cooking class: a blast! On the menu, Lomo Saltado and Pisco Maracuya... delicious! Glynn finally left the rest of us on Saturday, as he needed to catch his plane to Canada. Although all 3 of the boys, Amine, Glynn and Constantin made it safely back to Canada, Glynn had quite an adventure at the customs in Toronto... One thing is for sure: never carry someone else´s luggage when it´s time to cross the customs...

On Saturday, we received the visit of Dr. Enrique, a friend we made in Lima during our Tuberculosis class and with who we went out in Miraflores. It was great to spend some time with him and get to learn so much about the Peruvian medical system. We are also organizing to spend a day with him in his rural clinic in Cañete at the very end of our stay in Peru. Also on Saturday, some of us took place in a typical Peruvian even: the Hogar´s 2nd "Pollada",or Grilled Chicken sale to raise funds for the upcoming celebrations.

On Sunday, at the patients´request, we prepared a 2nd bingo afternoon and made our famous pancakes with maple sirup after supper. An other success! Sunday was also our last sprint at the farmacy to finish sorting the medications for the Medical campaign which took place today (Tuesday).

Speaking if the medical campaign: what an AWESOME day! The medical campaign took place in a small school in a nearby village and was open for free for anyone who was seeking medical attention. There were also donations of clothing and medication, all from the Hogar San Pedro. During the day, we shadowed doctors (3 GP, 1 pediatricia, 1 dentist, 1 ophtalmologist, 1 obstetrician and 1 gynecologist), gave little health awareness workshops, helped with the triage and carried lots of boxes around to help make everything happen. It was great to see so many healthcare workers at work in Peru. Hundreds of children and adults were seen today, and we had the occasion to learn a great deal about typical Peruvian medical condition. We were so sad that the 3 guys missed this wonderful experience. Laura was also unable to make it, as she is still recovering from a pharyngitis (but already feeling a lot better).

We are very much looking forward to our last 2 days at the Hogar, knowing very well that they will fly by... We are also looking forward to Machu Picchu and the rest of our trip, but very sad to be leaving this wonderful place where the sun always shines... On Monday morning, we were each given a special "thank you" certificate during the morning mass. It was very touching to see all the patients and staff so appreciative of our coming to the Hogar. We will definitely keep the Hogar in our hearts for many years...

Viva Peru!

Wow! What an amazing time we just had during the last 5 days... To celebrate the national Peruvian holiday, we enjoyed a 5 day break from work at the Hogar. We took advantage of this time to visit a bit of Peru and get a good taste of the Peruvian nightlife.

On Saturday, we headed out to Miraflores, Lima´s "chic" neighborhood. Over there, we went shopping and walked around in the streets. At night, we met up with a doctor we had met during our Tuberculosis class. He let us into one of Lima´s nicest "discotecas". We met many of his friends and danced on the rhythms of Cumbia and Reggeaton. A great night!

On Sunday, we slowly made our way to our next destination: Paracas. The bus ride was not too bad and we had time to enjoy a nice lunch in Lima before leaving. Paracas is a tiny costal village located 3 hours south of Lima. We arrived at nightfall, had some amazing seafood and went to bed pretty early in our hostel to get ready for the next morning.

On Monday, we had an amazing day once again. Early in the morning we set out for a 2 hour boat ride around the Islas Ballestas, where we saw tons and tons of birds, sea lions and peguins! The islands, also called Peru´s Galapagos, were very pretty. Later on during the day, we went the Paracas´ national Reserve where we saw amazing views and enjoyed some ceviche (fresh uncooked fish) and a few hours at the beach. We then sent off for our last destination: the Oasis town of Huacachina.

In Huacachina, we had a very nice hostal, with a pool and rooms for ourselves alone. On Tuesday, we went for a tour of Ica´s wineries and Pisco factories. It was quite an experience. Later on, we hit the sand dunes for a memorable experience: a buggy ride and a few runs of sandboarding... wow! So much fun! We even got to catch the sunset in the Peruvian desert.

On Wednesday, it was already time to slowly head back to Lima and say an official goodbye to Amine and Constantin, who decided to stay an extra day in Huacachina before heading back to Canada. Glynn, promised he would come by the Hogar before catching his flight on Saturday. Hence... from now on, it´s only Nick and the 6 girls...

Back at the Hogar, it felt just like coming home after a long relaxing weekend out of town. We certainly missed the Hogar, the staff and the patients. Only a week of work left before we head of to Machu Picchu... time really flies.

The first goodbyes...

Incredible! For 3 of the guys, Glynn, Amine and Constantin, it´s already time to say goodbye to the Hogar San Pedro. Today, we will be heading out to Lima for a 5-day trip which will mark the end of their stay in Peru. As a matter of fact, this week is the Peruvian national holiday. We hope to get a good taste of Peru "fiestas" as we will also be heading south to the small towns of Paracas and Huacachina for some sand boarding and much more!

Last week was another amazing week at the Hogar San Pedro. On Tuesday, we celebrated Amine´s 22nd birthday with an awesome chocolate cake. Also, to follow the Peruvian tradition, Jessica made sure to crack an egg on his head, to wish him happy birthday. On Wednesday, some of us also went out to Chosica to eat out at the town´s most popular "Chifa" place (Chinese food). Over there, Constantin was brave enough to try a traditional Peruvian dish: anticuchos (beef heart...).

On Thursday night, we had the amazing opportunity to be invited for supper at Eloisa´s small Peruvian home for supper. Eloisa, who we affectionately called "Mamita", or Mom, works at the Hogar´s pharmacy. She prepared an amazing Pachamanca, a traditional Peruvian dish, which consists of chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans, all cooked in a huge pot. It was delicious and a great cultural experience too!

Last night, we organized a little fiesta for the 3 guys´ last night at the Hogar. It was so much fun! Peruvians really know how to dance and party. We had a piñata up for them and bought lots of cookies, candies and Inca Cola: everyone was all smiles!

This week, we also got some great medical experience. On Wednesday, it was the monthly Tuberculosis control for all of the patients at the Hogar. We had a chance to observe the respirologists who came in to discuss the patients´treatments and status. Also, we were tought how to change patients´ bandages. What an experience! Some patients at the Hogar have numerous one-or-even-two-inch-deep wounds with massive gangrene... We made good use of our scrubs...

Another amazing weekend in Peru

Wow! What a great weekend at the Hogar San Pedro. On Saturday, most of us enjoyed a well deserved sleep-in after a full week of work. In the afternoon, we all decided to organize a special Bingo afternoon for the patients at the Hogar. It was great! The patients were so excited to see all the small prizes we had purchased or brought for them... Really, it is amazing to see how such little attentions can make such a big difference in these patient´s lives...

After our Bingo game, we all headed to the Hogar´s kitchen to prepare a special dessert for all the staff and patients: Pancakes with Maple Sirup: total success! Thanks to Ana´s recipe and our cans of maple sirup, we managed to bring a smile on everyone´s lips.

On Sunday, most of us decided to go for a excursion in the montains. We found about a waterfall (las Cataratas de Palakala), a 5km steep uphill hike from the village of Surco, 1-hour north east of where we are staying. What an amazing experience. The view was undescribable. The air was pure, the trees and flowers were gorgeous, the sky was perfectly blue. However, the hike was pretty challenging. It took us about 3 hours of intense climbing to get to the waterfall and another 2:30 hours to come back down. Ana and Claire had the brilliant idea to ask for a donkey ride for a part of the ascent, which brought them a lot of satisfaction...

Today, it was back to work, the last full week of work for Amine, Constantin and Glynn. We are actively planning our 5 day escapade for the National Holiday starting next Saturday. More details and pictures coming up!

2 weeks of work at the Hogar San Pedro

Time really flies here in Peru, as we have just completed our second week of volunteer work, here at the Hogar San Pedro. All week long we were fairly busy with our usual tasks, once again rotating amongst ourselves between the kitchen, the pediatrics wing, the "tópicos" (patient´s quarters), the laundry room, the pharmacy and general cleanliness. Some of us also helped out with painting the walls of the administration building or translating documents from French to Spanish.

On Tuesday night, we went out to our favourite restaurant in Chosica: Mama Elsa´s. We invited two of the nurses who work with us at the Hogar´s pharmacy to come with us. It was a great night with lots of laughter. We are starting to know our way pretty well around the Hogar now. We often go play soccer or basketball at one of Ricardo Palma´s outdoor sports complexes or hang out in Chosica. Chosica is only a 15 minute bus ride away from were we are in Ricardo Palma and we go there almost every other day to buy food and supplies. It is a cute little town with tons of little shops, restaurants and market, always buzzing with activity (starting 6 am!). On Wednesday, Jess, Nayima and Claire prepared the most fabulous supper for our group at our house. It was a great night!

Also, this week, we had the chance to visit and spend some time at another of the Fathers´ villas, the Villa La Paz. Only 20 minutes away by foot, this humongous villa (which looks more like a resort than anything else...) has swimming pools, amazing gardens, a soccer field, a basket-ball court and resonates peace and quietness. We plan on spending the day there on Sunday, taking advantage of the warm Peruvian sun. Speaking of which, we haven´t had even a single day of rain or clouds since we´ve arrived. The weather is always sunny with a nice breaze and the temperature goes up to approximately 25 degrees during the day and down to around 10 degrees at night.

Today, we will be organizing a special bingo-fiesta-pancake night for the patients at the Hogar. They are all pretty excited and we can´t wait to learn a few Peruvian dance steps on the Hogar´s "dance floor". Next week will already be the last week of work at the Hogar for some of us, as we will be heading off to Lima once again on Saturday the 25th to celebrate the Peruvian national holiday, and will only be back at the Hogar on the 29th. We can´t wait to get a taste of Peruvian fiestas and will try to do a bit of sand boarding and paragliding as well...

An amazing weekend in Lima

Wow! What a weekend! We just came back from an amazing 2 day trip to Lima. We had the chance to find and register for this most amazing international course/conference teaching us all about tuberculosis. Considering that we work with Tuberculosis patients every day, it was amazing to get the latest and most accurate information from imminent peruvian doctors and scientists. We arrived in Lima Friday afternoon and attended the course on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Even though it was a bit of a challenge for some of us to understand everything that was being said (in Spanish), we all got a lot out of it and had a chance to get a good taste of the Peruvian health system. We also made amazing contacts with Peruvian doctors and even with a very important employee of the Ministry of health.

But that wasn´t the best of it! We also had a good chance to visit Lima and the surrounding areas during the afternoons and evenings. For two nights we spent in Lima, we were staying at the Casa de San Jose, a 250 year-old convent belonging to the Fathers who run the Hogar San Pedro. What a great time we had, eating at a huge table in what almost looked liked a Renaissance castle in the heart of Lima.

We also got to attend an great show on Saturday nights, which included tons of traditional Peruvian dances and live music. We had a blast with the Fathers and Brothers who were accompanying us and got a taste of the Peruvian nightlife.

On Sunday, we got to see the Pacific Ocean! What an amazing sight. It´s hard to imagine that the Pacific and it´s nice cool breeze lies so close to the pollution and traffic of the very busy city of Lima. We all ate at a wonderful restaurant in the afternoon and some of us had a chance to try cevich (delicious!) and other seefood dishes. Finally, we got a chance to walk through Miraflores, the richer part of Lima, with its nice parks and more expensive shops and restaurants...

Today, we are back to work at the Hogar. We are definitely reenergized after this most unique weekend. We are looking forward to our next adventures in Peru.

1 week in Peru

As our first week of work at the Hogar San Pedro is coming to an end, we are all getting ready for a most exciting weekend. We will be heading to Lima for an international Tuberculosis conference. The program looks amazing (and is extremely relevant to us, considering that a great proportion of our patients at the Hogar are affected have tuberculosis). What a great timing: this conference could not be better placed, considering that we are all eager to learn more about the Hogar´s patients medical conditions. Also, we will be staying in the luxurious Casa San Jose, a mansion belonging to the same Fathers working at the Hogar San Pedro. Also on the program for the weekend: a visit of Lima´s main tourist attractions... should be awesome.

For the rest, the days are going by very fast. The pace is very mellow at the Hogar, leaving us lots of time to relax, do our daily workouts and play tons of sports. Tonight, we went to play soccer in the village of Ricardo Palma with some of the male staff working at the Hogar. We are slowly getting accustomed to white rice (which we eat 2 times per day...) and bunk beds. Ana is feeling much better and we are getting along very well as a group.

Two days of work at the Hogar San Pedro

Wow! It has been a week already since we´ve left Canada and time is flying by so fast here at the Hogar San Pedro. Yesterday morning, we started working at our different tasks at the Hogar. Every day, we rotate between the different stations that we are assigned to help out with. By far the most challenging so far, was to spend time with the patients; washing them, changing them, feeding them... However, the work we do is very rewarding as most of the patients are very friendly and appreciate our presence. Also, while counting and sorting pills, working in the laundry room and washing the floors might be a bit tedious at times, working with the younger patients in the pediatrics wing and helping out in the kitchen can be lots of fun.

Today, Nicholas and Constantin had the opportunity to go down to Lima for a part of the day to help pick up some items for the Hogar. They also had a chance to visit a bit of the city, go to the market and have lunch at a Chifa (Peruvian Chineses food) restaurant. The main purpose of their visit was to plan out the upcoming weekend during which the MSAHI group will most likely be attending a worlwide conference on Tuberculosis held in the center of Lima: what an opportunity! Hopefully, they will also have a chance to visit a bit of the capital and perhaps go paragliding.

Life at the Hogar is going very well, as we are getting used to our little routine. We appreciate buying our fruits and cereal at the corner stores or in the markets in the nearby town of Chosica. We are a very energetic bunch, always keen on holding a quick exercise session... So far, we have all been feeling fairly well healthwise except for Ana who seems to have caught a little something... nothing too serious though as we are very well looked after, here, at the Hogar.

Tomorrow, Peru will be the host of a national strike, or "paro". There will be no public transport and perhaps a few demonstrations... we are eager to see how things will go.

More news coming soon...

A wonderful weekend in Peru!

Already 3 full days spent in Peru. Time is flying by so fast as we are starting to get accustomed to our new home: the wonderful and welcoming Hogar San Pedro.

This weekend, we had the chance to discover the villages of Ricardo Palma (where the Hogar is situated) and Chosica (1 hour away by foot or 10 minutes away by bus). Yesterday, July 4th, was Laura's birthday. We celebrated it by going out as group to have supper in Chosica at a wonderful restaurant run by a very kind lady. We had great peruvian food (Lomo saltado, trucha a la plancha...) and even had the chance to have a free performance by a local Latin American Idol runner up!

Today, we had the visit of about 40 teenagers from the village who are in training for their confirmation. It was a great cultural experience and yet another opportunity to practise our Spanish skills (which are constantly being put to the test!) This afternoon, most of us went for an enjoyable hike up the montain that is behind the Hogar. What a view from the high points we managed to reach, and what a unique setting! We had the chance to talk to many locals and play a soccer match on a soccer field located up high with the most amazing view...

We are also starting to get used to the life in "community" as we are all getting along very well in our cosy volunteer's house. We are buying our fruits, bread and dairy product to complement the very rudimentary (yet very edible) food served at the Hogar's cafeteria.

Tomorrow we will be starting our "work shifts" working with patients and on different chores. We can't wait to get started and to see how it will go.

In Peru... at last!

After an eventful plane trip to Peru, we have now all reached the Hogar San Pedro. For some of us the trip was more eventful than for others...

For Constantin, Claire and Amine, everything went as planned: their planes were on time and they were welcomed at the aiport by the very sympathetic Saul... and a very enthusiastic volunteer named Christine. They were absolutely amazed by the Hogar and the friendliness of the staff and patients...

However, the 7 other members of the group had the "not so unfortunate" opportunate opportunity to spend a day in... Mexico city! After what seemed like forever, their 2nd flight departed from Toronto with an 8-hour delay... which meant that they missed their connection.

After a few hours of uncertainty, they were given a free night in a 5 star hotel, free meals and a chance to enjoy and visit Mexico City with a private guide (for Glynn, Nicholas, Ana and Benedicte). The scenery was marvealous: Mexico city and it´s monuments and pyramids made up for the 1 day delay in the arrival in Peru.

At last, when their plane landed in Peru and the 7 other members of the group met their 3 friends at the airport, the excitement was hard to quantify: the MSAHI group was reunited and everyone was very excited to see the Hogar in the daylight. When they went to bed at last (at somewhere around 3 am on July 3rd) they were already feeling at home in the cosy volunteer´s in the small town of Ricardo Palma.

What awaited the MSAHI group in the morning was aboslutely amazing! The first official day at the Hogar consisted of a tour of the place, many introductions and explanations about their work schedules and the rules to follow. The weekend will probably be very mellow with a potential visit to Lima and nearby villages. Monday morning, the official work schedule will start, with shifts at the Farmacy, Pediatrics wing, Tubercolisis wing, in the kitchen, in the laundry room, in the garden and with the regular patients.

At this moment, we are all coming back from a little walk in the village of Ricardo Palma. After one day at the Hogar, it is unanimous in the group that the place is very comfortable and welcoming, that the weather is amazing (about 22 degrees and sunny in the afternoon), that the landscape is breathtaking (we are surrounded by mountains) and that this next month will probably fly by...

Only a few more hours before departure!

Here we are, only a few hours before the official departure from Montreal. All very excited to get to the airport, we are packing "intensely" and making sure we have everything we need for our trip. It's hard to believe that after all these months of preparation and anticipation, the moment has come at last...

This blog is meant to be a way for you to follow us in our adventures in Peru. We will be posting up news and pictures regularly. Although this is a "group" blog, some of the messages will be written personnally by some members of the group (check who signed the message!). If not otherwise specified, the entries will be written by myself (Nicholas) and will be meant to represent the overall mood and experiences lived by the group as a whole!

We hope that you will enjoy our blog and we invite you to comment on our pictures and messages.

Next entry: exclusive news from Peru!