Here it is, the end of our trip! Since I've been over all of the logistical stuff by this point, this will be mainly pictures!
(Oh, and got a hold of Burton's jump drive today with all of his fabulous pictures ... it is like a photo diary of our trip!)
Monday, June 14
Monday morning and afternoon we worked at the school in Chincha. We were set up in a room right next to our little sleeping quarters and had an abundance of fun kids to treat!
our treatment room
Megan and her a-mazing prophylaxis skills! Everyone got a little oral hygiene instruction and a toothbrush.
Then they practiced using them!
Dr. B giving RJ some pointers on his IA injection technique
pulling a tooth ...
success!
This little guy was more concerned about what was going on with the camera than my hand and syringe in his mouth ... those are the all-star patients!
The real deal amalgam - the mercury and alloy are separate and you use a well to combine the phases. No triturator required!
We are convinced that this little girl is going to be a model. She loooooved Dr. B! She even came back to see him later in the week.
At this point in the trip, we had convinced Alycia to look in the mouth. Now it was time to pull a tooth! I got the patient numb and am pointing things out to her ...
Success!
She was very concerned ... much moreso than the patient ... and had to talk to him afterwards to make sure she had not hurt him. (She hadn't.)
Tuesday, June 15
Tuesday we spent the day in Pisco. Pisco has a school, but no community center/medical center yet, so we set up in the library. The medical team also went out on "campaign" with us, which means we had to take two vans. Hmmm ... this created a little problem because none of the Peruvian medical staff could drive the van (license not necessary in Peru, folks!)
What to do, what to do ...
See that little car overtaking our little van?
Oh, that's because there is an American boy behind the wheel!
He was not yet driving like a Peruvian.
In Pisco we set up in the library. Poor kids; they will not want to read books for a while!
Our extraction station and supply station
Central Sterilization - Peru style!
Michelle rocked the mobile handpiece
Zach let this little girl "examine" him with his headlamp on. Unfortunately, this did not calm her fears too much; she still cried about 3 minutes later when it was her turn!
RJ, Candice, Dr. B, and me talking strategy
Burton can make any petite girl look tall with his great photography skills!
The chapel on the Pisco square
We went into town for lunch to a really great restaurant. Dr. B took us next door to the pharmacy (yep, pharmacy) to buy us ice cream after lunch, and when we left a homeless man begged for money. This would not have bothered me, but when we told him no, he followed us to our van, shouting, and Dra. Jenny almost had to run over him to get out of the parking spot! Oh, the experiences!
Wednesday, July 16
Wednesday morning we went on "campaign" with the medical team again, but this time to Ica. Ica does not yet have a school or a clinic, but they have a church. Right now the church is being used as the school so that the kids can get an education!
The church (aka school) with our little van in front.
All of the girls! Megan, Candice, Leslie, Michelle, and me
Me with some of the girls from Ica. The whole environment was so different in Ica - chaotic, wild, and the kids were [mostly] little swindlers! They would go from person to person asking for a toothbrush or toothpaste (multiples) so that they could go sell them later. We tried to corral them, but it is just the way they have been raised. Sweet kids nonetheless!
Tomas, the PICA child, who ate about 1/3 of the toothbrush handle by the time we left. I say this to stress the total depravity of the situation in Ica; it is causing such emotional stress that it is causing psychological issues in the children. So sad. (Everyone kept telling me not to be dramatic, but I'm telling you, this is the definition of PICA!)
Alycia went out to check on the process of the new earthquake-resistant housing and school while we were working. This is her real job ... writing grants to make sure these projects are funded.
Clean teeth, happy kids!
Around 1:30 we finished in Ica and went back to Chincha. We did not see the oldest students on Monday afternoon when we were there, so we decided to forego sandboarding so they could be seen. We knew they would be there waiting on us when we got back. First, though, we were greeted by Nellie, our cook while we were in Chincha. She was also our patient on Monday. We were happy to be able to share our gifts with her since she shared her gift with us all week!
After lunch it was back to work.
Candice offered Burton some encouragement while he worked.
Wednesday night we had some fun with Dr. B. Have you ever seen the iPhone app or website yearbook yourself? Leslie and I were yearbooking ourselves at dinner, and when we yearbooked Dr. B he explained that when he had hair it looked like Megan's, only not quite so long. An idea was born ...
pretty realistic!
Thursday, June 17
Our last day! We packed up early to head to our last site, Canete. We were going to head back to Lima from there. Little did we know the kids had something else in store for us!
Taking pictures before we left. Notice that box? We didn't think a thing about it ...
They are chocotejas! Traditional chocolate candies aka deliciousness in a little wrapper. The filling is like a cross between a caramel and nougat. I know that sounds weird, but that's what it is like! Our box was three flavors: prune, pecan, and fruit. I never could decide which was my favorite. Dra. Jenny snuck out on Wednesday and got them for us. It was such a thoughtful gift and we were overwhelmed by their generosity. Of course, where did we find Dra. Jenny when we went to tell her thanks?
Already in the van, ready to head to Canete!
Our last site of the trip - the school in Canete. There is also a tomato farm there - Coprodeli is trying to begin growing some of their own food.
After we finished our work Thursday we drove back to Lima. Thursday night we went to downtown Lima for a last group dinner. By the time I made it back to the Coprodeli house, I slept about 1.5 hours before leaving early, early for the airport and the 34 hour trip home. Gotta love airport delays.
What a wonderful trip. Such wonderful people and wonderful memories.
We are already talking about going back.
When you see faces like this, how could you stay away?
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