Peruvian Health Tips

Peruvians tend to have a different outlook on medicine and health than most Americans, so I´m always entertained by the most recent medical advice given by a well-intentioned community member. In case any of you are feeling ill, I will happily pass along the treatments I’ve gathered during my time here in Peru.

COLD DRINKS CAUSE A COLD! Well, if you have the sniffles, a sore throat, or any other symptoms of the flu, you must have drank something cold. Everyone knows that cold water, cold soda, or a cold beverage of any kind predisposes you to a variety of unpleasant illnesses. For this reason, all Peruvian stores and restaurants offers two options for their drinks; cold or room-temperature. However, choose the cold option at your own risk: sickness will surely follow. When I come home from a run my host mom does not permit me to drink cold water until I am no longer warm or sweating, because that will surely cause the onset of a cold. Fans, or any air blowing directly on your body, are also a threat to your health. For this reason, Peru loves to offer lukewarm drinks of any kind! Despite the fact that hygienic practices leave much to be desired and glasses are often shared among dozens of people, it is definitely the temperature that may be contributing to your illness.

BIRTH CONTROL PILLS STOP HAIR LOSS! This is probably my favorite remedy yet, based on the sheer entertainment of the situation. I was complaining to my host mom recently that I feel like my hair is falling out more frequently than it normally does. I mentioned this in passing, not thinking much about it. A few days later, while we’re sitting at the kitchen table finishing up lunch, my host mom hands me a container of pills. Confused, I examine the package and realize they’re birth control pills. Either my host mom is extremely misled regarding my personal activities here in campo Peru, or she has some explaining to do. After laughing hysterically at the situation and my reaction, she explains that her hairdresser recommends crushing up birth control pills in your shampoo to make your hair shiny and prevent it from falling out. Evidently she made my host sister go the health post to acquire birth control to put in all of our shampoo. So we continued to sit at the table and crush tiny white pills (with my host dad and host brother, who also thought this was hilarious). Who knew birth control had so many uses? I’m wondering if we should start marketing this to old, balding men…

EGGS SOLVE HEALTH MYSTERIES! Something bothering you but you can’t quite put your finger on the culprit? Don’t fret! All you need is a simple egg to divulge all your health secrets. “Passing the egg” is a common practice here in Peru to help determine the cause of an illness or psychiatric issue. The process is more or less as follows: First, a healer or someone familiar with reading eggs will pass an egg over your whole body, allowing the egg to “soak up” whatever ailments you may be experiencing. Second, this healer will crack the egg, examine the yoke, and decipher your health problems. Often the cause may be an “asusto” or fear that is penetrating your body, but don’t worry, the first step to recovery is recognizing this fear through the passing of the egg.

GUINEA PIG FAT CURES CANCER! Cuy, or guinea pig, is a delicacy here in Peru and it’s often consumed on birthdays, parties, or other special occasions. However, it has recently come to my attention that the fat found in guinea pigs actually dissolves cancerous tumors. I’ve long since forgotten the American connation of guinea pigs as pets and embraced them as a food, but guinea pigs as a cancer cure is news to me. Who knew?

Transforming Tutoria

As part of this school year’s programs I will be working during “tutoria” to address various important themes and topics with the youth at Virgen del Carmen. Tutoria is a weekly class dedicated to personal development, and is intended to address topics including sexuality, future planning, etc. However, tutoria often becomes an excuse for the teachers to take a break and the students to do nothing. In an effort to provide more extensive education on important themes such as sexual health and responsible decision making, I’ve partnered with teachers to plan a program for this year’s tutoria. In my surveys I created, less than 20% of students feel they receive sufficient health education. The high rates of alcoholism and teen pregnancy further indicate the need for intervention. Although I firmly believe the most important values are derived from the home, providing students with education and the tools to make responsible decisions can help empower them as they come into their adolescence.

Throughout the upcoming weeks I will continue to plan educational sessions centered on issues including self esteem, assertive communication, changes in adolescence, STDs, HIV/AIDs, and future planning. Although these can be delicate issues, the students all know me fairly well at this point and are more open to participate in these sessions. Additionally, the teachers are more willing to contribute and I also now have the support of a new nurse who will be working with the health post. Although I tend to think more individualized attention and personal relationships are more effective means of changing behavior, it is also important for all students to receive basic health education. Sometimes it can be a simple matter of connecting actions and consequences to help students consider their decisions more carefully.

Building Confianza

School is officially back in session, so
my schedule has been quite busy integrating programs and activities into the
school day. It is nice to have more structured
opportunities for work now that the teachers and principal are consistently in
Poroto. I am starting to see the
benefits of the working relationships and introductory projects I started last
year, so this year everyone knows me and seems willing to collaborate on
programs I´d like to facilitate through the school.

Peruvians consistently reference the
importance of ¨confianza,¨ which is indispensible for the success of any Peace
Corps volunteer. You may be wondering what exactly is confianza? Personally I
would define ¨confianza¨as a combination of confidence, trust, comfort, respect,
and friendship built through time, communication, and shared experiences. This added ingredient is necessary for any
community project to flourish, and working with the members of Poroto has
become easier now that I´ve developed ¨confianza¨ with some of the teachers,
health post staff, youth, and others. I´m
in the process of coordinating environmental projects, health promotion
efforts, youth leadership, and more, but without the support and collaboration
of my community, all efforts are in vain.

Working with various community organizations
on a variety of different projects can be challenging, but patience and resilience
are key. Any time I´m disheartened I try that much harder to reach out to the
people I´m working with or throw myself into community activities, and so far I’ve
seen the results (albeit small at times) of my efforts to build ¨confianza¨. I’ll
be sure to keep you posted as my activities continue and the school year comes
into full swing.

Healthy Cooking and Comraderie

Today I walked into my health post, ready to start my first program directed at pregnant teens and mothers, when the obstetrician excitedly motioned for me to come into one of the rooms. When I walked in there was a tiny little baby, wrapped up in a bundle of blankets, happily asleep in her mother’s arms. Less than an hour before this woman had given birth in the health post and was now proudly showing off her new child. I’ve never seen such a brand-new baby, still pink and wrinkly, but somehow adorable. It was a perfect way to start off my workshop with pregnant women.

Teen pregnancy is an important issue in Poroto, and a significant percentage of adolescent girls end up pregnant before reaching the age of 20. I’ve been seeking a way to interact with pregnant teens, but accessing them can be complicated. My baking classes have been successful with the youth of my town, so I decided to partner with my health post to extend my classes to pregnant women. I’ve been coordinating with the obstetrician and nurse to offer a weekly program that incorporates interactive cooking classes, nutritional information, and maternal health care.

The first class was today, and more than 15 pregnant women came to participate in the program, five of whom were teenagers. We started by getting to know one another, and then prepared a carrot cake. Each of the women participated actively, although it took a bit of encouragement, and it was a good chance for them to gather, discuss, and participate in a new activity. As we waited for the cake to bake I gave a session about nutrition with the nurse and obstetrician. The women seemed genuinely interested in the information, and asked questions about incorporating healthy local ingredients into their cooking.

Each of the women was also able to attend their check-up with the health post staff and ask any questions about their pregnancies. Many of the women live in far away caserios and had to walk more than an hour to arrive at the health post. A high percentage of teen pregnancies occur in adolescents who live in isolated, rural areas, so it was a good opportunity to reach out to those who are typically further removed from access to health care.

Carnavales!

Following the conclusion of our training in Lima, several of us piled on an overnight bus to enjoy a vacation in Cajamarca. Each year before lent, Cajamarca explodes with energy as the city celebrates Carnaval, a unique festival unlike anything else I have ever experienced. Cajamarca is a beautiful city in Northern Peru, surrounded by rolling mountains, blue skies, and traditional buildings. After arriving in Cajamarca we decided to take advantage of some site-seeing before the full-on Carnaval festivities began. We climbed up hundreds of stone steps to the church of Santa Apolonia, which provides an incredible vantage point of the city. After enjoying some of the sites of Cajamarca we decided to stock up on our ammunition for the weekend. We loaded up on water guns, water balloons, and paint as we geared up for the following day’s festivities.

During Carnaval thousands of people flood the city to engage in an epic paint and water fight. There are no rules governing this ridiculous event, and anyone in the streets is fair game. At 10:30 on Saturday morning the official war began. We purchased incredible paint-suits for the big day, which we proudly wore to breakfast and through the entire day. As soon as we stepped out of the hostel we were bombarded by small children with water balloons, and the excitement didn’t let up. As we made the trek to the other hostel we were surrounded by parades of paint-throwing teenagers who were more than happy to splash our white paint-suits with a rainbow of colors.

We began the day on the hostel balcony, armed with a stash of water balloons to hurl at unsuspecting passersby. We later joined the swarms of people crowding the streets, and paraded around Cajamarca for hours, dancing to drum beats, singing along to Peruvian chants, and embracing the ever-flowing streams of paint and water. Strangers happily smeared paint on other strangers, and no one was safe from the combat; small children, old men, pregnant ladies: all were fair game.

Although Saturday was the most intense day of celebration, parades and events continued throughout the weekend. After Saturday’s events we toned down our festivities some and enjoyed some of Cajamarca’s good restaurants and cafes, and the thermal baths at Banos del Inca, but we were all targets of water balloons when we least expected it. It was quite a memorable weekend.

Training in Project Development

This past week we attended a training event in Lima to formulate a plan of action for a specific project we would like to execute in our communities. Each volunteer brought a counterpart from their community to collaborate in the planning of a project. I brought Enfermera Luz, a nurse from my health post. The training was held about an hour outside of Lima at a beautiful retreat center with delicious food. Through the course of the week we established a clear-cut plan to form a project in our communities and presented the plan of action at the conclusion. We plan to start a youth entrepreneurship in our community in the upcoming months. This class will incorporate business skills, vocational orientation, money management, and the utilization of local resources and products for profit.

It was really beneficial to have the opportunity to work one on one with a community counterpart. People in my community, although willing to support my ideas and projects when they can, are often overwhelmed with work and their own personal responsibilities, so having several uninterrupted days to form a project and talk about the needs of Poroto was definitely a good opportunity. We talked about this specific project as well as other programs I am currently facilitating within the schools and in coordination with the health post. As always, it was fun to see other volunteers and although training was long and monotonous at times, overall it was a good experience.

Happy Anniversary, Peace Corps!

Peace Corps was established by President John F. Kennedy on March 1, 1961 with the purpose of promoting development, spreading peace, and forming cross-cultural relationships with people throughout the world. Yesterday marked the 50^th anniversary of Peace Corps, and since its foundation more than 200,000 volunteers have served in over 139 countries throughout the world. Currently there are more than 8,000 volunteers serving in 77 countries, and Peru has one of the strongest and most developed Peace Corps programs. Peru was one of the first countries to receive Peace Corps volunteers, and the legacy of Peace Corps remains evident in the history of the country.

Yesterday we attended a formal event hosted at the US Ambassador’s residence in Lima to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Peace Corps World Wide. The event fell during our Project Design Management Training, so we were able to attend this event with a counterpart representing our community. Various influential leaders were in attendance, including Peace Corps Washington staff, Peace Corps Peru staff, US Embassy workers, the Ambassador, and even previous Peruvian President, Alejandro Toledo. Toledo was president from 2001-2005, and is currently campaigning for the upcoming presidential elections in 2011. Toledo has a special bond with Peace Corps Peru, because he grew up in a family that hosted a Peace Corps volunteer in their home. He came from a humble background and apparently was influenced strongly by the presence of the Peace Corps volunteer in his early childhood. I had the chance to speak with Toledo, and even got a picture with him! His face floods TV advertisements and is plastered on campaign billboards throughout the entire country, so I was pretty excited to meet him.

Here´s ex-President Toledo!

My Community Counterpart, Nurse Luz

In addition to Peruvian representatives, I had the chance to meet Stacey Rhodes, who is #3 for Peace Corps World Wide. He attended our training event and I was able to share an extensive conversation with him over lunch. His anecdotes from his own service in the 60s as well as his visions for the future of Peace Corps were quite interesting. The party was beautiful and quite a change from our daily lives as volunteers living in tiny towns in rural Peru. Although you might not expect it, Peace Corps volunteers clean up well!

Fifty years ago President Kennedy appealed to the compassion and curiosity of thousands of young people by offering them the opportunity to serve others as they experience a distinct culture and way of life. Since its creation hundreds of thousands of lives, both those of US volunteers and host country partners, have been impacted by the role of Peace Corps, and surely thousands more will be affected as Peace Corps continues to interact with people throughout the world.

To quote Kennedy:

“Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed—doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps- who works in a foreign land- will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bring to man that decent way of life, which the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.”

Happy 50^th Anniversary Peace Corps!