Futbol or Football?

The kids LOVED Mike

Syta and I (She was my favorite)

Our group at one of the community centers

June 28, 2012: The past few days have been really exciting! We are still working on the campaign where we provide free examinations to children and their mothers throughout Cusco. On Wednesday, we had a very sick little boy come in whom we expect probably has Hepatitis B or Leukemia. It is always hard to see a child in so much pain but trying to diagnose a case with the symptoms we have made us want to be doctors even more, and we helped that child a lot by directing him to the hospital. We plan to go see him there on Friday.  On Thursday, we worked at another clinic way up in the mountains. Michael and I spent the morning checking pulses, temperature, and blood pressure, which is hectic at first but we really got the hang of it by the end of the day. The kids were really friendly, and they all loved to play with Michael! At one point, I think he was holding at least eight of them and they tackled him to the ground. At that clinic, we encountered a young boy with a potential case of pneumonia and another girl with bronchitis. We helped both get the help they need, and it was really interesting to hear the difference in their lungs. On the way to the clinics, we usually take a bus or a taxi but on the way home, we walk. It is usually a couple of miles back to the volunteering office but we have gotten to see a lot of different parts of Cusco which is really cool!

Michael and I have also been able to watch both the Spain vs. Portugal and Italy vs. Germany game with some of the people we met through the campaign. We get a little confused when everyone calls it futbol but we are getting used to it. We found a little pub near the plaza with really good food and the place gets packed when the games come on. Some of our Irish friends taught us how to play darts and now Michael is completely obsessed. Go Espana!

Watching the soccer game with
our Irish friends

Found a New Mexico flag in Peru!

This weekend we are planning to explore Cusco a little bit more and hopefully hike up to Saksayhuaman. Then, next weekend we are going to Machu Picchu! So far our journey has been absolutely amazing and we can’t wait to see what is going to happen next!