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.