Roughing It 102

You'll all be happy to hear that all of our luggage safely arrived to us earlier this week (poor Molly was the last one to get hers on Wednesday, while the rest of us got ours Tuesday). So luckily, yesterday we were able to enjoy an ENTIRE day free of worries about clothing, towels, toiletries, etc. We all finally smelled clean, could take a shower and put on clean clothes, and didn't have to wear the Peruvian underwear we bought earlier upon hearing that our luggage might not make it back to us for a few days (for the record, a large here is more like a small in the U.S.).

But our carefree day soon came to an end, as it became more and more obvious that Peruvian cuisine (or more precisely, the microorganisms living in the cuisine) didn't agree with all of us. Throughout the day yesterday, many of us had upset stomachs, and Melanie even began vomitting towards the end of the afternoon. By the bus ride home from the Casa, she was pale, and had to be let off early because she was getting sick. We were all a little worried, but after we got her in bed and comfortable, she seemed alright - so five of us went to dinner, while Chris F. ordered a pizza and stayed behind to take care of Melanie and Marcia (who was also not feeling well). We ate as fast as possible (although this is often hard in Peru, which runs on "latino time" - meaning that sometimes it can take an hour or so to get a meal after ordering it). By the time we got back later that night, Melanie had taken a turn for the worse, and we decided to call a doctor to the hostel. She took one look at Mel, who was pale and had been completely unable to keep down food for over 12 hours, and said that she needed to go to the hospital NOW.

Immediately, we all sprung into action. I called our insurance company to make sure they would cover Mel's medical expenses, while the others raced around to get a bag full of clothing and toiletries together. Chris F. and Luis (the hostel owner) carried Mel down the long pathway to the nearest street, where a car was waiting (our hostel sits near the top of one of the hills of Cusco, which means we have a fabulous view of the city, but also means we have to climb hundreds of stairs each day to get to and from it). Although she immediately felt better after an IV was administered at the clinic, Mel still had to undergo lots of tests to determine exactly what was wrong.

Meanwhile, the rest of us returned to the Casa this morning, worried about Mel but also concerned that we wouldn't finish the work the Casa needed done. We set to work right away, in the kitchen, nursery, and the outside wall, where I continued to paint the ten white angels over the purple background while Chris B. helped clean up spills and chalk lines, and make sure I didn't get 'napped. Chris F. was charged with the task of taking ProGo a bag of clothes and toiletries, since she was not going to leave Mel's side and still had no idea how long she'd be there.

We finally recieved a call from ProGo in the afternoon, telling us that Mel had a microscopic parasitic infection of her intestine, most likely from something she ate, or maybe even from brushing her teeth with tap water (side note: since then, we've all been brushing with bottled water). She'd need to stay at the clinic for another day or so to recieve antibiotics, but would eventually be fine. We were all completely relieved that she was ok, but also extremely skeeved out (Where did she get the parasite? Were the rest of us going to get it? Could it be from the food at the Casa?).

We decided to put the incident out of our mind, and just continue with the work at hand. After lunch, we presented the madres and hijos with a special surprise - delicious chocolate cakes from the local bakery, which are a rare (expensive) treat. We thanked them all for their hospitality and friendship, even if it was only for a short week. They thanked us for our hard work and help, and for showing our support for the Casa again for a second year. And we all enjoyed the rich chocolatey treats together, and just enjoyed each others' company for a while. It was really nice to see the mothers and kids enjoying a special treat, and really sobering for those of us who indulge in chocolate a little too often - I think we all began to realize how fortunate we are, and I hope that the next time we all eat a really good piece of cake, we'll think of this time at the Casa.

After the cakes, it was game time - time to bang out the last four angels on the wall, get the little ones down for a nap, and watch the toddlers and older kds who had just returned from school. The older boys played with the remote-controlled helicopter donated by Kevin Concannon, one of last year's volunteers from Bryant (they loved every second of it, even when the helicopter got stuck on the roof and Mark, one of the oldest boys at the Casa, had to climb a ladder to get it).

By 4:30 the angels were done (if only we could share photos - but unfortuantely the internet connection here is not fast enough to upload them). The older kids were tired out and ready to start their homework with the tutor, the babies had napped and were fed again, and we were all exhausted (as usual). But we were all grateful that Mel was ok, the rest of us weren't feeling sick (yet), and the work was finally done at the Casa.

- Katie Gorham