Summer

2:30 pm on a Wednesday, I am sitting outside on the roof/ patio/ laundry room trying to even out my scrub T-shirt tan I have acquired while working in hospice . I am journaling and looking at travel information about Machu Picchu in hopes for a vacation there in the future. I’m almost at the 6 month mark! Things are good. The language comes slower than I would like but it is coming.

I am getting darker than I have ever been in the States. Even more so now with last weekend’s trip to the beach. My laundry is on the line flapping in the ever-present breeze from the Pacific ocean and I can hear the family of hummingbirds that are living in close proximity to the the Guanabana tree in our backyard. It’s probably in the low 90’s. The sun is intense. It is the hottest time of the day.

Wednesday is my day to cook. We had fish, rice and veggies. Summer has welcomed in new fruits and vegetables. We have said good-bye to corn and oranges and hello to mangos and zucchini. Another summer offering is the equivalent of a snow cone, a Raspado. It is sold for .50 sol on many street corners and helps to ease the summer swelter.

I frequently rise early to enjoy the peacefulness of the house, practice yoga, pray and boil water for the day. I must confess, against my better judgment, we have all been known to put the hot water in the freezer in order to expedite the cooling process. I am pleased to say my fitness routine has not suffered too much. In addition to yoga, I sometimes go to swimming with Julie at the pool, join Lisa in a spin class at the gym downtown or go running in the morning down Avenida Peru . Lisa is the newest missionary from a different program. She is from Canada, lives with a host family and works in Hospice as well.

I had my first adventure to the post office. I was able to take Wednesday morning off from Hospice thanks to the presence of volunteers from Padre Juanito’s parish. They come for the summer two weeks at a time. For the price of a Princessa ice cream bar, I bribed my roommate Jennifer to assist me. We picked up the package in record time – only 2 hours! 5 signatures later with about 15 carbon copies of addresses and 4 visits to an assembly line of various post office personnel , I emerged with a much coveted package from home. Two hours is good time. In December, some of the girls had to wait 2 days (8 + hours) for their Christmas packages. The post office is only open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 am to 12 noon.

Our census is low in the new home health program, Madeline, so I have returned to Hospice. My hours are much longer but I get more exposure talking to Peruvians which helps with the language. I actually made it on TV the other day while working in Hospice. One of the patients that is very near to death is using the local news to solicit funds. The crew was coming in as we were leaving. He is a frail skeleton, only 44 years old. We had to sit him up quickly after an episode of air hunger and nausea. It was only then that I realized he did not have the strength to lift his own head. I quickly put my hand at the nape of his neck to stabilize his head. All of his calories are consumed by a tumor that is the size of a basket ball originating from his right testicle. He and one other patient in the program will most likely die in the next few weeks. I am humbled and honored to be in these households at such a meaningful time. I attended my first funeral in Peru this past week for a patient that had spent some time in both Hospice and the Madeline program. The funeral was very similar to the states with a mass before burial.

I still manage to get out on a budget but I have to pick and choose. The group of missionaries that came before us, are about to enter their last 6 months of service. I think they will be remembered as being a very outgoing group (no pun intended). We went out to support our singing sensation Corina (aka Courtney) recently when she made her debut with a new band at a nightclub in Neuvo Chimbote. Below I have a clip of that night. I did not want to spend my money on beer or Pisco that night and the bartender did not show (on a Saturday night!). In the true spirit of community and probably only in Peru, Julie was invited to become an impromptu bar tender that night. Embracing the moment, she got behind the bar and mixed us a very tall White Russian which ended up being on the house! Both Corina and Julie have been asked to return. It was a very good night for us and for business at the bar.