¡Bienvenidos a Piura!

"Traveling carries with it the curse of being at home everywhere and yet nowhere, for wherever one is some part of oneself remains on another continent."  - Margot Fonteyn

Today could be summed up in one word – long.  However, I mean to place no negative connotation along with it, besides lack of sleep!  After being awoken by a rooster’s call with less than three hours of sleep at the hostile, we headed back to the airport and flew from Lima to Piura, arriving at around 7:30AM.  Much to two of the girls’ dismay, they discovered that their bottles of bed bug spray had leaked all over their bags, resulting in an unusually strong cinnamon smell that permeated through all of their things.  Nonetheless, we were greeted shortly after by our other professor Darlene (or “Dar” as the DE’s now call her) and a few important people from the parroquía, Santísimo Sacramento, waiting with a huge Marquette sign and welcoming abrazos y besos. 

Watching the sun rise on the way to Piura – I finally got a window seat!

We made it to Sacramento Santísimo in time to eat desayuno with the first session of Marquette nursing students (all direct entry or DEs) and then had a little bit of time to get settled into our rooms at la parroquia (parish).  It has 35,000 parishioners, yet serves the entire Piura community of over 300,000 people. (Over 80% of Peruvians are catholic and the Church plays a huge role in these people’s lives.)  Next, we took just a short walk from where we are staying to tour a public Peruvian hospital.  As a large group of Americanas we definitely stick out; however, so far we have been treated very kindly.  It is so refreshing to just walk down the street, exchanging smiles, waves, and kind greetings with the people we pass by. Peru has a national free healthcare system that is free for the people.  However, the socio-economic condition of the nation has a profound impact on this system; with such a large portion of the population living in poverty, providing medical services to these people is a daunting task. Furthermore, a problem that many people in need of healthcare face is that they don’t have the money or resources to travel to a hospital, even if it is free to them.

This hospital was very different from most hospitals in the United States. The design of the hospital was very open to the elements, which resulted in it being very caliente (hot!) with bugs flying around us and the patients.  There was even a part of the hospital that consisted of multiple tents in which people would come wait in line to see various specialists.  Inside the hospital there were multiple patients in each room, with the nursing station being in the same room or right next to it.  Men and women are always segregated into different rooms.  Furthermore, technology and equipment are extremely limited. I didn’t see even one computer, thus everything is charted on paper.  Another big thing that struck me was the complete lack of privacy and patient confidentiality.  We walked around the entire hospital on a tour being introduced to patients, learning their names and diagnoses (without their permission), and a woman from the church took pictures all the while (again without their permission).  Luckily, none of the people seemed to mind. Everyone – tour guide, doctors, nurses, and patients – was extremely kind and welcoming.  I look forward to coming back to the hospital for clinical in the coming weeks!

Peruvians waiting to be seen by various specialists.

I really enjoyed talking with two enfermeras (nurses) from the parish, Veronica and Pema, as we walked back to the parish for almuerzo. The hard work these women do every day is absolutely amazing.  Lunch consisted of carne, papas, arroz, y zupa de tomate; however, the DEs had told us that we pretty much are served chicken and rice for lunch and dinner everyday.  Though I must say, the food has all been very good so far!

After lunch we had a tour of the hospice that is supported by Sacramento Santisimo.  This tranquil facility, which is completely free for the patients, was built five years ago thanks to a generous benefactor from the United States.  One of the nurses gave us a tour and introduced us to each of the unique patients that live there, since we will be doing clinical here each week.  In a hospice in the U.S., patients are typically only admitted if they are expected to only live for around another 6 months; however, we learned that not all of the patients are terminal at this facility.  What a blessing this hospice has been for the patients, who would otherwise have no where else to go.

The hospice – muy tranquilo.

Every day at 7pm, we have to attend mass at the church. Although, I can only understand bits and pieces of what is being said, the structure is almost identical to Catholic masses in the U.S..  My favorite part was actually after mass, socializing with the parishioners – they make us feel so welcome!  After mass we chatted some more with the DE students over dinner (chicken & rice) about their experiences thus far. Their stories are unbelievable, and I am beyond excited to start clinical!

Two adorable sisters that I met after church. :)

Mi dormitorio.

Beethoven!

Until next time,

<3 Lisa

p.s. Shout out to mi familia en Los Estados Unidos: I’m sorry I can’t be with you all today, but lots of love & prayers are being sent your way! Descante en paz, mi tío amado <3