The end but really only the beginning.

The reception area. These two ladies handle a lot of traffic on a daily basis and do so with a smile on their faces.

View from the second floor of the waiting room area.

Senor Mario! The doorman and all around amazing man that welcomes people in.

The physical therapist, Hermana Maria Angeles, testing some equipment on the unsuspecting Dr. Velasco (the Chilean doctor we've spoken about earlier).

Ananys, the receptionist, working hard. The clinic could not run without this woman.

Erick with Senor Julian, one of the registered nurses at the clinic. Senor Julian does the majority of the wound cleanings and there are a lot!

Senor Julian talking to a patient.

Two of the cooks from the kitchen. These women, along with Hermana Graciela, keep the entire hospital fed. That includes inpatient, staff, and us.

Karin, one of two biologists that run all of the tests that the doctors order. These women routinely work into the night.

Hermana Katy, the right hand woman of the director of the clinic, Senora Amparo.

Senora Gladys, the woman that secretly runs the entire clinic. She is a registered nurse but knows as much as the doctors, and the doctors depend on her a great deal.

DR. VELASCO AND HERMANA/DOCTORA CECILIA! These two people are angels. Dr. Velasco is the Chilean doctor that gave up his entire life in Chile to help the poor in Peru, and Hermana Cecilia is the coolest/sassiest/sweetest nun around. She was a doctor first then found her calling as a nun. She is probably the kindest soul I've ever met.

Senorita Janet, the pharmacist and all-around foodie that we depended on a lot for restaurant recommendations. She was sweet as pie. She works all day and goes to school at night to learn English.

And just like that, our time here is over. The title of this post is "the end but really only the beginning" because while we may be leaving Peru, we're not done working with the clinic. I thought it would be nice to introduce all of you to some of the people that make the amazing clinic that we've come to love the incredible place that it is. We're missing some key people (Hermana Graciela, Hermana Alejandra, Hermana Elaine, and Hermana Amparo), but this is just a taste. Our goal now is to spread the word about the clinic so that they can receive some much needed donations. That's where you are all going to come in once we have set up a way that you can donate online. Don't worry, you'll get an email from me soon. I'm also hoping that you will all hold us to our promise to continue helping the clinic.

The past month has been life-changing, at least that's how I feel. The people we've met here dedicate their entire lives to help the poor of Peru. That is incredible. Amazing. Unbelievable. It's hard not to come here and not feel completely inspired and spiritually rejuvenated. We're hoping to harness all of this new energy to help the clinic. These people are angels on Earth. Today, as we were saying goodbye, they thanked us for coming and helping them. We blushed in embarrassment and repeatedly told them that we are the ones that should be eternally grateful. The nuns told us that they would be praying for us, and suddenly the rest of medical school doesn't seem as intimidating.

I, for one, plan to return to do a rotation at the clinic during fourth year. I've talked to them and they seem eager to have me. Something inside me tells me that I have to return, I can't really describe it. Maybe it's because this country reminds me so much of my native Cuba, and the people remind me so much of my own. Sadly, I can't return to Cuba and help in the way that I can in Peru. But I can return to Peru with a more established knowledge of medicine and help when I'm in my fourth year of medical school. I've made a list of things I want to do when school starts, and talking to an administrator about a fourth year rotation is at the top.

Next up for me is flying back to Florida on Sunday. Then I'm headed to Maryland to work at an HIV clinic with Julia (travel companion extraordinaire/best bud) on Wednesday. I actually enjoy the fast-paced aspect of my summer plans. I have some time to rest in August, I promise. Until then, I'm trying to learn as much as I can and help as many people as I can. One of the many things I've learned from the nuns at the clinic is that every person, no matter their position, can make a difference. I plan to continue to do my part.

Saludos,
Annelys

P.S. I'm not sure yet whether the July Peru Crew wants to take up the blog. If they do, you'll see some new posts soon. If not, thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed the blog.

Weekend in Lake Titicaca with Julia!

On one of our stops on the way to Puno (aka the Lake Titicaca town). No, I have not photoshopped Julia in.

At another stop we got to hang out with vicunas, a cousin of the llama and alpaca. They are endangered so they are protected by the government.

Our awesome hostel!

Eating ceviche made from trout caught in Lake Titicaca. Normally I don't eat fish, but when in Rome...

We found this awesome little cafe that had amazing hot chocolate, board games, and oldies on the radio. Naturally, we stayed for a couple of hours and played Scrabble.

On the lake!

One of the two floating islands we visited. The islands are made out of reeds and there are about 60 of them. Five to six families live on each island.

The dwellings on the island. Notice the solar panel, this is their only source of electricity.

Inside the dwelling.

Julia made a friend on our "mercedes benz" reed boat. The boat took us from one island to another.

One of the women from the islands rowing us across.

Trying to smile and not blink despite the blinding sun.

On another floating island.

The second floating island we visited.

Playing around with my camera.

A lone boat tethered to the island of Taquile. Taquile was the last stop on our tour and it was a two hour boat ride from mainland Puno.

Again, I have not photoshopped Julia in. It's just that beautiful on Taquile.

We found the black sheep of the family!

Paradise.

I kind of fell in love with this tree.

Some fresh trout from Lake Titicaca. This was absolutely delicious, and I don't even like fish.

This one is probably also getting placed in my room next year. The mountains in the distance are Bolivia.

This one too.

Okay maybe I photoshopped her into this picture...kidding kidding.

We made some friends!

Hello readers,

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I decided to go to Lake Titicaca after all. It was probably against sage medical advice because I'm sick as a dog right now, but it was completely worth it! The lake was absolutely gorgeous, and the floating islands are probably some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. The view from the island of Taquile was so beautiful that Julia and I were considering staying and volunteering as medical professionals. By now you know Julia, my travel companion extraordinaire. She's featured in most of the pictures because as it always turns out, I took pictures of her and she took pictures of me. We had an amazing weekend, and now she's off to Arequipa and Lima with some of her friends from her medical program. For now, I'm looking forward to my last week at the clinic and in Cusco. I'm going to miss the clinic and the nuns a lot!

Saludos,
Annelys

Photo Dump 6: Moray and the Salt Mines

I posted a lot of pictures recently...but there were even more. Last Saturday we visited the Salt Mines and Moray. The salt mines are just what they sound like. Moray on the other hand is a little more interesting. It stands as the ruins of an agricultural research site. Each tier has a different temperature over the course of the year. Thus the Incas could grow different crops on each one.

The plague

Hello readers,

Apologies for the delay in posting but we've had a little setback this week. We've been hit by the plague. By "plague" I mean flu season in Peru. As you can probably infer from this blog, it's winter in Cusco right now. It's cold, very very cold! It's also the peak of flu season, and as health care providers we've been exposed to patients with the flu at the clinic quite often.

The first to be hit was Marilyn. After I came back from Machu Picchu, I found out she had run a fever of 103F during the weekend. The fever and malaise continued until we decided to take her to get checked out at the clinic. Eventually she had to be hospitalized. Thankfully, as I type this she is back home and is on the mend. The nuns and everyone at the clinic were amazing!

The next target was Veronica. The poor dear also developed a fever after Marilyn and had to spend a couple of days at home recovering. Eventually we also took her to the clinic and she got a Z pack for an infection. She's also on the mend now.

In the meantime, Erick, Monsy, and I have been trying to hold down the fort. Now, however, Monsy is coughing up a storm and I am as well. It seems Erick is the last man standing (perhaps something to do with this Peruvian blood...). Throughout this entire process, the nuns have been incredible. They have taken excellent care of Marilyn in the hospital, and have sent home food for Veronica. I don't know if I've said it before, but just in case I'll say it now, those women restore my faith in humanity. They are the most selfless souls I've ever met.

I'm hoping to get better soon from whatever I have because 1) I have a scholarship interview via skype tomorrow at 4:30pm our time, and 2) Julia and I are supposed to head to Lake Titicaca this weekend. I've wanted to visit Lake Titicaca since my days studying fish in college, so I will be extremely disappointed if I can't make it. Cross your fingers that I can :).

Saludos,
Annelys

Dealing with loss in Cusco

Hello readers,

I'm back to Cusco after a weekend in Machu Picchu with one of my best friends, Julia. I added some pictures to the blog prior to this post. This post isn't about my weekend though, spectacular as it was. Julia and I had a blast at one of the wonders of the world. This post is about a patient that we all met during our first day at the clinic. He was in a coma and had a tracheotomy tube. He had been in an accident and had been transferred to the clinic from one of the regional hospitals when his family couldn't pay anymore. Erick and I grew attached to this particular patient because we rotated with the Chilean doctor first, and this particular patient was being cared for by the Chilean doctor. Every day, Erick and I would look in on him and see how he was doing. We would try to get him to open his eyes and respond to our voices. He seemed to be improving daily and had even been started on physical therapy. Sadly, he passed away this weekend.

I was compelled to write this post because when we found out about his passing, Erick and I were filled with a profound sadness. This was a man we had never actually spoken to. Our interactions were brief and one-sided. Yet, his death has left a mark in our lives. We had hoped he would improve. The clinic had patients in the past that had made miraculous comebacks from similar conditions. Yet, his body finally gave out and his spirit went to a better place. I've been trying to analyze why it is that I feel so sad. I think perhaps it is because this patient was by all accounts our first patient. We knew his history, his story, and his ailments. He didn't need to talk to us because he communicated plenty without uttering a single word. Wherever he is now, I hope he is finally at peace.

R.I.P. Senor V.

From my favorite poet...

Ah, when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

And bow and accept the end

Of a love or a season?

Robert Frost

Weekend in Machu Picchu with Julia!

On the Perurail train to Aguas Calientes (aka the Machu Picchu town).

We're here!

Eating lunch at  so-so cafe with an amazing view.

It looks like the background is fake, but it's not. Promise.

We hiked to a waterfall about an hour away from Aguas Calientes. Julia wanted to take a little dip.

Machu Picchu at around 6:30am. Notice that the mist hasn't lifted yet. We took a bus at 5:30am and got there around 6am.

The mist is slowly lifting...slowly...slowly...and...

Mist is gone!

Yes, this picture is being blown up and placed in my room for next year.

Julia looking out at the beauty of nature.

Probably my favorite picture of the entire trip.

ALPACAS! We had an alpaca traffic issue while walking around Machu Picchu.

On our way to the top of Huanypicchu, the giant mountain next to Machu Picchu.

Looking at the beautiful surroundings.

We're on top of the world!

Julia said my feet looked giant next to hers. She was right.

On the way back from our epic day at one of the wonders of the world. Two tired friends.

An epic Jenga game to end the day! Julia won twice.