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Buenos Dias Mi Amigos!!
Had a new breakfast favorite this morning, chocolate oatmeal!!! Can't believe that I haven't thought of this before?!?Also found out that a few members of our group went running this morning, sad that I didn't know about it but happy to learn that there are fellow runners in this group! I am excited to explore the streets of Iquitos in my running shoes! After breakfast we boarded our sturdy wooden bus and rode out to "Santo Tomas" to what is called POPPYS house. It stands for People of Peru Protective Youth Services. It is a crisis center for women and children. Women in this home are put through school and taught practical skills for independence and parenting. When we arrived there was not a feeling of "crisis" but one of sanctuary. The home is on a few acres of tropical land with chickens, a friendly monkey, birds and beautiful floral trees.The house is under construction which has been halted by the current flooding. Sand bags are placed along the edges of the house to protect it from the water. We met some of the women and children. I played bounce-a-ball with two shy young boys named Kevin and Marcos and helped a mother fix her child's eye glasses….actually Mike fixed the glasses, I just watched! Next we walked around Santo Tomas and discovered a fun new fruit called "guava" but it is not the guava we are familiar with in the U.S. The shell is hard and looks like a long green snake, or if you are medically inclined, a few feet of colon, anyways…when opened there is a white cotton candy looking fruit with black beans in the middle. It is delicious!!!! Back at the compound we had rice, potato curry (well it probably wasn't curry but it was very similar) and cucumber salad - extra yum! Next we put on our closed toed shoes and DEET and set out to "Vieleta Correa" not sure what the name means but it is considered a "marginal zone", meaning it is not a legitimate town.It is a squatter village composed of poor, landless people trying to start a life from the ground up- literally. The houses are made of scrap wood and metal pieces. A creek of sewage water and trash runs through the center of the village, and there are as many children and dogs running about as there are mosquitoes. The homes do not have bathrooms "we just go in the jungle", some have electricity, and only houses on one side of the creek have running water. The other half buys water from their neighbors! The water is also new to the village. Up until 7 months ago there was not a water supply and the inhabitants had to buy water from a government owned "water truck" for apx. 20 cents a bucket. Most are employed as "independents" meaning that they will take any work that they can get. We had a team of translators and split up to interview some of the inhabitants. I was specifically interested in learning about the primary health problems of the village's children. The main problems reported were diarrhea, bronchitis (although I think this is the term learned for respiratory problems in general), fever, and malaria. I asked "in your opinion, what is the cause of these illnesses"? One woman responded "This area is like a hole, the rain brings the dirty water down the hills to us and it just sits in this hole". This is pretty logical to me. If human waste is on the grounds surface and the village is frequently flooded then they are swimming in pools of unimaginable amounts of toxins! Like the people we met in Belen, these people did not seem sad or defeated; they seemed content but concerned about the issues affecting their life. I liked them and am excited about the clinic we will set up within the village. I think we can help these people with simple education about hand washing, family planning, ect…Back at the compound we discussed what we saw today then me and my roomies/ new friends took portraits with tropical flowers in our hair! On another note….I have "kankles" , really, for some reason my legs and feet are swollen with about a 1+ pitting edema, myself treatment will be at least 8 hours of rest and elevation!
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