7/31/10 in Peru

We started the day by going with Dr. Tony and Mamita to the market. It's something that they do every Saturday morning, and the food (produce and meat) is purchased for the week. Sean and I had been to Chosica before, but it was not nearly as busy as it was on Saturday. The banks had been closed for a few days due to the Independence holiday, so the banks had lines that formed at least a block and were doubled. The markets themselves are interesting. Dogs roam all over in Peru, and the market was no exception. Around every corner you encounter at least one dog, and they casually lay in the most random places.

Mamita, with the assistance of the vendor, selects the produce for the week, and several large bags are filled and carried to the van on a dolly. There are a couple of meat vendors at this same market, but after purchasing produce we drove about a mile to another market for meat.

Dr. Tony, Sean and Mamita at the vegetable vendor.

Rice anyone?

Another view of Chosica.

Getting help loading up the vegetables (no fruit yet!).

This woman just sat the entire time pulling leaves from some type of herb. She sat right in the middle of the walkway.

One of the small meat vendors at the first market.

Onto the fruit...

Sean and Mamita. She is so sweet, and you can often find her chasing the boys in the house (playing around). She and Sean got along so well. She left yesterday to go on vacation for two weeks, so we won't see her again before we leave.

The second market was huge, and there were people bustling everywhere. Vendors of every type lined the rows and rows throughout the market. We followed Dr. Tony to a covered area where the meat is butchered and sold. And when I say that it is butchered, it is being done right in front of you. As we walked to the counter where Dr. Tony purchases the meat for the Hogar another counter had two full cows heads laying on the counter, and a woman reaching into the head and pulling out the contents. It is all sold. Once the tongue had been removed, and everything inside of the skull scraped clean the exterior shell of the head, with the eyes still intact, lay on the counter. Every part of the cow is displayed and sold, including the anus, testicles, tongue, and membraneous tissues from throughout the body.

As we walked past another counter on our way out Dr. Tony asked if we had seen the guinea pigs. Sure enough, there lay skinned and severed guinea pigs (cuy) ready to be purchased.

A variety of meat and tissue to choose from, including the anus (second from the left), heart (third from left), and hooves (bottom on the counter).

This is what was left of the cows head once the contents of it were removed. It just sat there on the counter.

Guinea pigs (cuy).

The market.

It is culture shock not only to see parts of animals and types of animals sold for consumption that we in the United States don't normally see, but it was also shocking to see it all out in the open. Most of it unrefrigerated.

After we got back to the Hogar from Chosica we spent the rest of the day with the kids. We had an afternoon at the park in this beautiful 65º weather, and just enjoyed spending more time with the children.

The garage door of the Hogar. Notice anything different about it?

No need to open the entire garage door to walk out of it.

(l-r) Rosefelina, Sean, Elsa, and Lourdes.

David doing his homework.

Lindsay-she is confined to bed, and each time I ask her if she wants her picture taken she always does, but she has to fix her hair first. It's so cute.

A few of the kids out on the courtyard. (front to back is Angela, Axel, Luis Sanchez, Victor)

On a walk with some of the kids.

Julia. She is a cancer patient, age 9.

Victor without his helmet.

Franco suffers from burns to his back.

Williams is one of the babies. He is three, but is developmentally less than one year old. His parents are poor field workers from the Andes, and when he was born they could not take off of work to stay with him. As a result he was left alone all day while his parents worked, and he never developed the social skills needed to interact with others. He came to the Hogar malnourished and unable to sit or stand. He can be very aggressive, and is a bit of a loner, but in a one on one situation he really comes out of his shell and reacts in a positive way. I even had him laughing the past couple of days. Not only is he now sitting, but he is able to walk by holding onto our hands or pieces of furniture. The nurturing of the Hogar has been very evident in his life, and his progress is testament to this.

Andrea out on the courtyard.

On the third Saturday of every month the birthdays for that month are celebrated at the Hogar. Mamita makes a cake, and each child with a birthday in that month sits at the head of the table to blow out the candles together. They also each receive 1-2 gifts. Everyone in the house is there to sing "Feliz Cumpleanos" to the birthday boys and girls.

The cake that Mamita made for the birthday celebration. It was a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and coconut, M&M's and peaches on the top.

The children of the Hogar singing Feliz Cumpleanos to the birthday recipients. It's so sweet.