Day 2

Today was a very good day. I am so relaxed here, I have to keep reminding myself that I am not on vacation and my downtime has to include some studying. I slept like a baby last night and woke up to sunshine, the sound of birds chirping, and a cool breeze coming through my open window. We were scheduled to teach the “English version” breastfeeding class this morning, but a last minute cancellation by the “Spanish version” teacher led us to a roomful of Mexican women. I pulled out my slighty rusty Spanish and let the translator take over where my medical terminology ended. Only two of the six of us speak Spanish, and as it was, I ended up playing translator back to English for some of my classmates. It was great to realize my comprehension is still there, and I can still have conversations even if my grammar is somewhat below par. After our class we had an amazing lunch cooked by one of the midwives. It included one of the first tofu dishes that I’ve genuinely liked and not just tolerated, and was so fresh and summery! From there we split up and half of us headed into the clinic to help with prenatal and postpartum check-ups. The clinic is run completely by nurses and midwifes, many of whom are students and fellows who have come to do service for periods of weeks to years. It didn’t take long for them to realize I spoke decent Spanish and I was hooked up with a midwife who spoke almost none. It is so great to be in this environment of love, service, health care, and Latin American culture. It has me thinking about Peru a lot and remembering how much I love public health and clinic work. After a great afternoon in the clinic, we came back to hang out around the house. Liz had brought a Pilate’s DVD so we spread out all over the floor for a very entertaining fitness endeavor The rest of the night was spent talking, studying, laughing, cooking and eating together. I’ve posted a mess of pictures (probably WAY more than you’re interested in looking at) on my Flickr page, so if you’re looking for a good way to waste some time, feel free to check them out.

I’m including my favorite one of the day. My friends and I like to play the “scenario game,” where we make up situations, then take pictures of the emotions and responses they evoke. We managed to get both of our profs involved, which was awesome. One created the scenario and the other acted it out with us…any guesses on what it was?