Week 1: Digestion Probs in Peru- Toilets, Cold Showers, and Mamey

Our first day in Peru we were greeted by an apartment with no working water, meaning our toilets didn't flush. Luckily, that's fixed now...for the most part! I definitely have a new appreciation for flushing toilets! And HOT WATER! Every shower is cold. It's not so bad though because it's so hot.
Lesson #1- Warm water and flushing toilets are a luxury!

The view of our backyard from our window

I've been here in Piura for a little over a week now and my body is trying to acclimate to the new environment, germs, and food.
Lesson #2- Don't eat fresh vegetables unless they have been sanitized. I was craving fresh vegetables after all the fried food we'd been eating.  ate a chicken wrap that had lettuce and tomatoes in it while everyone else ate KFC. Needless to say, I was the only one that got sick.

On the bright side, I discovered my new favorite fruit: Mamey! It tastes like a mixture of a peach and a mango. It's delicious!

In this last week I have visited different places to find where I want to focus my efforts for my internship. I need to find opportunities to help with nutrition because that is the area of my major that I have chosen to gain more experience in. I volunteered at two different schools for kids with special needs and that was a great experience.

I also went to a school that's in a poorer area on the outskirts of Piura and loved it! The kids are so cute and well behaved.

I visited an orphanage and helped with the kids in one of the houses. On Tuesday I am going back to talk to the nutritionist that makes all of the menu plans for the houses within the orphanage. I hope there is an opportunity for me there!

Last weekend we went to the beach in Colán. Lesson #3- When you are warned that there are jellyfish in the water, it's best not to go into the water. McCall learned that lesson when she got stung on her foot. Luckily there are kind people in the world to help! Some local fisherman were able to get her foot taken care of!

This weekend we went to Chiclayo, Monsefu, and Lambayeque(a 3 hour bus ride to the South). We are doing a project in Monsefu this coming weekend so we went to check things out so that we'll be prepared. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recently installed a well for the people that live outside of Monsefu, and have asked our organization to teach workshops on how to use the water. I am teaching a workshop on how to sanitize fruits and vegetables as well as how to clean water.