El Bichito: Trip to the University

March 8
By Anna Solomon
Watching the kids say goodbye to Anna this past week was truly heart wrenching.  Though it has only been a short two months, we have all grown so close as we have learned together about nutrition, washing hands, and the importance of taking care of ourselves.  I am really grateful to have worked with Anna Gleave and have learned so much from her.  Together I feel we really showed those kids as much love as we possibly could and sacrificed whatever we could for them.  I hope they recognize how important they are, and that their dreams are attainable.  When all is said and done, I think that’s what Anna and I wanted to get across the most.  After all, there is nothing more healthy than fulfilling your dreams.

The girls heartbroken to see Anna leave.

One dream we personally have for all of the kids, is to see them go to college.  I believe that Anna, Matthew, and I are all passionate about our university education.  We are each studying different careers, but can all agree that we are grateful for the chance to progress academically in life.  This past week we took the kids to visit the National University in Cajamarca.  Our lovely tour guide showed us through the main buildings, talked about the different career opportunities, and of course we had to see their numerous collection of alpacas, pigs, ducks, and slew of other farm animals.  My favorite part of the day was watching our little friend Elmer with his arm around the tour guide, pestering him with all manner of questions in the world.  Elmer is one of the most troubled, poor, and struggling children at El Bichito.  To watch him so excited about the University, answering all the guide’s questions, and so filled with excitement, really touched my heart.  I hope more than anything we can get Elmer out of the hole he is stuck in, and into the University.  Especially considering that as of now, his parents hardly care if he goes to school or not.

Elmer with his new best friend, the University tour-guide.

Antoni, our más chicito field-trip goer with the president of the University!

The kids listening intently as our tour guide talked about the University's greenhouse.

Vicki getting a little pig kiss!

he fieldtrip to the University was apart of our “Career Week” for El Bichito.  On Monday we had our friend Mateo come up and talk about Civil Engineering.  Engineering is the biggest and most profitable career here in Cajamarca, due to the mine.  At the national university, engineering is the most funded and researched discipline.  Mateo is one of the top students in his class, and did a great job engaging the kids.  He brought different rocks with minerals to try and get the kids excited about learning.  The kids couldn’t get over the tiny specks of gold in one of the rocks. His calculator and other math tools also amazed the kids.  He motivated them to work hard in school, and especially in math.  Thanks Mateo for all your help!

On Friday we brought up another friend of ours, Rosangela, who recently graduated from nursing school.  She now works in a small clinic and really makes a difference in her community.  We brought Rosangela in to talk about the importance of medicine, nursing, and the role of doctors in our lives.  The kids shared stories of times they had been sick or hurt and we all talked about how we would suffer so much without medicine.  Rosangela talked especially to the girls about nursing and how great of a career it is.  The girls were so excited to see Rosangela’s pictures in her nursing outfit at her promotion and her work in the clinic with sick babies.  Finally, she let the kids take turns using her stethoscope to listen to their pulse and sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure.  By the end of the day the kids were all pretending to be doctors and didn’t want to stop listening to our heartbeats.  The most impactful part of Rosangela’s visit was when Feliciana and Melchora asked her to come check on their sick father.  All the kids who had been listening to her lesson, followed her upstairs into the room where their father was recovering from a recent appendix operation.  He had been complaining of a fever, and all the kids watched in silence and awe as Rosangela took his temperature, and then taught Feliciana and Melchora how to use the thermometer.  She then suggested some aliments for recovery and tips for helping take care of him.  In that moment, Rosangela did more than she knew.  She was so powerful with her ability to help this family, while at the same time being such an example to all those kids.  By the end of the day, we couldn’t get them to stop telling us they wanted to be doctors when they grew up.  I am so grateful for my time here in Bichito.  To watch these kids find inspiration and hope in pursuing dreams and goals, makes me want to keep pursuing my own dreams.  I love how service does that do people.  You serve and serve and serve, and yet you will always get so much more back.  That’s how I feel everyday I spend here in Peru.

The beautiful, talented, and smart Rosangela! Thanks for the awesome lesson on nursing!