After I got back from my cousin’s wedding in Florida I came down with a pretty bad cold that has been hard to shake. The cold nights here don’t really help…I can’t believe how drastically the weather changes from the daytime to the night. I am still working in the hospital, and liking it so much more than working in the “daycare” kindergarten. I just switched my job a few weeks ago to working in the obstetrician area which is so interesting. Luckily there is another American volunteer who has experience with this stuff so she has been able to explain all about babies and birth since I had absolutely no clue. I saw my first live birth the other day, and it was incredible! I almost missed it but I ran in just as they pulled the baby out. It was crazy to see! I have also seen a procedure done where they had to stitch up one of the mothers (I won’t get too graphic but let’s just say I’m going to have to get used to seeing so much blood). I also learned how to help the mothers breastfeed for the first time. The babies are adorable :) Sometimes the job can be slow when no one is in the labor room or delivery room, but I don’t mind. I also helped Rachel (another American volunteer) clean the umbilical cords of all the newborns which was also interesting, and I was taught how to use the ultrasound machine. I can’t believe the stuff they are letting me do here! It’s nuts.
Holding one of the newborn babies that I helped deliver :) Hospital Belempapa '10
As for life outside of work, I got a new “host brother” 2 weeks ago. His name is Hector and he’s from Wales and knows absolutely no Spanish. This has been a huge encouragement for my Spanish because he counts on me a lot for my translating, and it’s proving that I actually have learned something in the past 4 months I’ve had abroad. I took him out his first weekend here, and I didn’t realize he had a money belt on with everything including his passport, money, credit cards, iphone, and I don’t even know what else. Somehow all of his stuff got stolen and we aren’t sure where it happened…I felt so bad that I hadn’t asked why he had a money belt with him…when I go out I bring about 15 soles with me and my cellphone…oh well, water under the bridge. Another 50 year old woman from Spain also moved into my room which has been interesting. The Spanish accent is much different from what I’m used to but I’m getting used to it. It’s kind of annoying having an older roommate though because I usually come in late and have to keep the lights off while I try to get ready to sleep but oh well…
My new host brother, Hector, and I.
I’ve also been going to salsa every night at this club called InkaTeam. Because I’ve now been going for over a month, I’m getting to know everyone there and it’s starting to feel like a second home. I’m learning so much and I never get sick of it. It’s so nice to be around people who have a passion for dance like I do, especially when we are able to do it every night. It’s definitely something I’m going to miss once I come home… one of the nights there wasn’t many people in the club after salsa, so some of the breakdancers started doing some of their crazy trick stuff in the middle of the floor. After they were done, my friends Frank and Coco made me do my fuette turns and had everyone count to see how many I could do. It’s funny how impressed they are with easy things like ballet turns, but they can do all these crazy salsa and breakdancing tricks…
Pablo and Suzie doing some tricks at InkaTeam
I have also been helping Frank out with his salsa classes. Whenever he teaches group classes with the guys, he always needs more partners for the guys so I don’t mind going. It’s good practice for me, and Frank gives me tips along the way and I don’t need to pay for class which is nice. I also want to continue taking a few more private classes, but for now this is okay. Plus I’m getting to meet more tourists so it’s nice. Mostly everyone is from Israel like I said, so I’m even learning alittle Hebrew hahah…
a bunch of us out for a night of salsa
Last week I went to “la Molina” with Frank, which is the biggest market in Cuzco. It has literally everything you can think of and people are trying to sell their stuff or services in stalls. Frank was picking up clothes that were being sewn and fixed, and of course they were about 7 hours late with it being done (so typical in South America) so we had plenty of time to walk around and check out everything from clothes, shoes, TV’s, dvds, music, electronics, food, juice…everything. It wasn’t in the touristy section of Cuzco though so it was mostly locals there. There’s also another Mercado (market) close to the plaza that has more food, fruits, and juices. I went there with Hector and Ronnie last weekend and we stopped and drank juice that was made fresh to order in front of us. I had peach and it was delicioussss. We also went on a short city tour and saw a couple of things but it was kind of a waste of time. Oh well… I’m hoping to get some more touring and traveling in, but it’s hard because I don’t have too many people to travel with since most of my friends are locals and have to work.
alright, im going to post some other stuff separately so these entries aren't unbearably long to read... chau <3
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