Today was my first day in the new clinic - Clinica San Juan de Dios. It is a clinic that is for kids with neurologic disorders. After not doing much in my last clinic, I had high hopes that this one would really need and want the help. I walked in and instantly fell in love. It is a newer building and very well kept. The kids were all in the dining area playing with other volunteers while I got the low down on how the place worked. The other volunteers were very nice and welcoming - some speaking only spanish and some speaking only english. I think I should able to practice my spanish a bit more here since I will actually be interacting with the kids and staff/other volunteers compared to the last clinic. One of the other volunteers brought his ukelele so the morning was filled with a lot of great music. The volunteer work consists of trying to give the kids with sensory stimulation and human interaction. Without the volunteers there, the kids pretty much sit in their wheelchairs and watch cartoons... not so good for the brain. Since some of us volunteers are a bit more trained, we are able to push the kids a bit more with their physical therapy which is really great for them. We stay through the lunch period and feed all of the kids. It was a little frustrating to see how some of the staff feed the kids, especially the ones that needed more attention and time. It seemed like a rushed event which, to me, should be something that should be completed with caution considering the choking risks. However, most the nurses have awesome relationships with the kids which is great. The kids range in age from babies to teens and range in capability from completely dependent to mostly independent. I am also able help the nurses with their work which is awesome. I just feel a lot more needed here and am able to actually put my skills to work which is so nice. Overall, super jacked about the switch.
This afternoon I met up with some other volunteers and went to the Ollantaytambo ruins with our tourist pass. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and had a good time exploring the grounds for like an hour. We headed back to town (a super small town that you can walk everywhere) and the plaza is packed with people. There is a big stage set up for a band, bleachers for people to sit, food everywhere, and beer everywhere. It takes some getting used to to see people just openly walking around town with alcohol, super strange but super awesome. We come to find out that it is the anniversary of the town of Ollantaytambo so there is a huge celebration. The band starts and it's kinda modern music but in Quechua. There is a group of older folk in front of the stage that is all dancing and drinking and generally really enjoying themselves. As we stood and observed the crowd, an older woman came over and grabbed my hand, brought me to the center, poured me some beer, and told me to dance. Another older man took the hand of my friend and we made our way around the dance floor. It was quite the experience and very fun.
I get off the bus from Ollanta, it's dark, and I have literally no clue where I am in Cusco (Cusco is huge and there are a couple different bus stations). I start chatting with a Peruvian girl on the bus and she is probably one of the nicest people I have met here. She is with her little girl and happens to be heading to the plaza which is were I needed to be. So she invites me to walk and come with her to destination, we chat in spanish the whole walk (about 20 minutes) and we make tentative plans to hang out on halloween! After, I met up with some other volunteers from a different program and we got dinner for one of their birthdays. We went to a place called Papacho's. It was a little touristy and expensive but soooooo delicious. I got myself quite the elaborate burger... don't judge me. I was starving.
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