Day 16: Finding a Groove

Today was a very exciting day for the Lima Program of Cross-Cultural Solutions, as well as for the people involved at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying and Destitute. A new group of volunteers came to the home base this weekend, ready to embark on a full week of volunteering. The dynamic in the house is much different now than it was when I first arrived in Lima. My first week here, the base was at full capacity with a whopping 43 volunteers living under one roof. It was an intense week at the base, but there was a wide variety of very interesting people. We had volunteers from the United States, Canada, and Australia. Working so closely with people from around the world was a great experience. This week, there are only 25 volunteers in the home base, which is a much more manageable number, now that we aren’t living on top of each other.

There are only seven other volunteers who have been here for as long as I have. So, the majority of the volunteers this week are newbies. At Mother Teresa’s, I am the only volunteer left from the previous weeks. Two of the new volunteers are joining me at Mother Teresa’s for the week. One of the volunteers, Angie, is working with the adults on the first floor, while the other volunteer, Matt, has joined me in working with the children upstairs. Today felt slightly odd for me at the Home. For the first time, I was the volunteer with the most experience at this placement, which was strange because I have only been here for two weeks. That’s just another reason why Mother Teresa’s, as well as the other volunteer placement sites in Lima, need as much help as possible. Yes, this is a PR address for everyone out there reading my blog. You can all see how much this experience has meant to me so far. I can guarantee that you would all have an amazing time volunteering for CCS.

But, anyway, the other two volunteers sort of looked to me to show them the ropes a little bit today. Matt helped me perform physical therapy on some of the teenagers with Omar. For my entire time here so far, I have enjoyed helping with the therapy of the kids, even though I know it causes them pain. Stretching their tense and atrophied muscles is a task that requires a large amount of patience as well as physical endurance. The children wince and cry, their only ways of showing that they are not happy with the therapy session. However, it is something that will help them in the long run, even if it hurts now. For the children who are in wheelchairs, which is the vast majority of the residents, no amount of physical or occupational therapy is going to help them walk again. However, studies have shown that the therapy does actually make quality of life better and life expectancy higher. This is just one more way of stretching our resources to give the best care possible to the residents of the Home. As I have said before, it is difficult work, but even more rewarding for all parties.

Halfway through the work day, Matt wanted to see what else was happening on the children’s ward. So I took him to the area where all of the children usually congregate for meals. Sure enough, it was lunch time, and the nuns needed help feeding the children. At this point, I let Matt spread his own wings and feed a child by himself. That’s the same thing that happened to me when I fed one of the children for the first time. There is nothing like being forced to take a running start on an unfamiliar task. Learning on your own is often one of the best ways to do so.

I had time to feed two of the boys today. For some reason (and I haven’t figured out what exactly that reason is), I gain a certain pleasure from feeding the kids. Maybe it is the idea of giving them the physical sustenance that they need to live. Maybe it is the connection that you form when you are in such close contact with the kids. Feeding them is, in a way, a very intimate act. Usually, this experience is only shared by people who know each other well and care for each other. When I feed the kids, I am fully expressing that I am devoted to their care, that I want what is best for them. Maybe it is a combination of all of these factors. Who knows? All I know for sure is that working with these children and forming relationships with them is not something that I will ever forget. I plan on drawing from this trip in my everyday life. The children that I work with show that they have an immense strength, a strength that keeps them chugging along when everything else seems dark and dreary. They are brave beyond belief, a trait that I wish I could share.

And that was the beginning of my third week here in Lima. I am just over halfway through my trip, and I feel that I have found my groove at Mother Teresa’s. I know what I am doing there without having to be told or asking questions. When I am not sure of something, I am able to figure it out myself and work from there. It is a good feeling for the simple fact that I am actively contributing to the everyday tasks at the Home. The nuns and staff can trust me to work alongside them. In many ways, I wish that I could stay here for longer to work with everyone at Mother Teresa’s. I’m just going to have to come back sometime...