Clinical Cultural Immersion: The Peru Experience

Student Narratives - 10 March 2006 - Lauren Wiersma

The past couple of days have been really exciting.  On Wednesday we participated in the international womens' day celebration with close to one hundred women of the parish at the Sacred Heart Church.  The ladies performed traditional dances in their native dress, and we performed a country line dance for them.  The celebration included political speeches, songs, and a skit depicting domestic violence. 

The Condors participated in a knitting lesson that allowed them to learn a lot about the daily lives of the women.  The Condors also helped with the children, delivered meals, and helped prepare the next day's meal in the kitchen.  The kitchen prepares meals for over 400 parishioners daily, primarily for the elderly and families with young children.  For the majority of the people, this is their only nutritious meal of the day. 

The Alpacas have been rotating through different positions in the clinic: the triage room, treatment room, obstetrics, dental care, pharmacy, and exam rooms with the doctors.  The Alpacas have gained experience giving IM injections, cleaning wounds, assisting in physical exams, and taking vital signs.  On Friday, the Alpacas spent time with the midwife, who teaches prenatal care to the pregnant women in the community.  She demonstrated some of the exercises and shared her teaching methods.

Both groups, the Condors and Alpacas, have been assisting the medical staff and local people with English, while they have been teaching us Spanish. 

Photos

Peruvian Dancers

One of the groups that performed at International Women's Day.

The teacher, named Lily, is showing Erin and Kelli how to knit.

Children, Erin C., Lauren, Erin H.  enjoy a new Peruvian beat.

The Condors shelling peas in the kitchen.

Line Dance - All lined up and ready to go!

The outside of the clinic.

Inside the clinic with the Alpacas and Cecelia, the midwife at the clinic.

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