Karol

It has taken me a few days to get adjusted in the Hogar San Francisca De Asis and there is still much more learning to come, however as I meet more children and people involved with the home I become more comfortable with life here in Chaclacayo, Peru.  In the past 3 days, I have worked to serve the children three meals a day, clean dishes, take children to doctors and therapy appointments, and care for babies during what we call “Baby Hour.”  Since there are still so many people in the home that I have not yet met or talked with, I plan on writing a blog post nearly every day about the people I meet and the events that came along with that day.   To start out, I would like to mention to Karol who is a stealer of hearts and a crafty gal.

 

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Like many of the children that I initially met, Karol was a bit shy to interact with me but that all changed very quickly.  Karol is a beautiful little girl born with spina bifida causing incomplete loss of function of her lower extremities.  Karol trots around the house with her four-wheeled walker and is never shy to snap at you when she wants help up the stairs.  My first interaction with Karol was during her physical therapy appointment at the clinic in Peru and boy did she leave an impression.  I saw with her while we waited for the therapist to work with her and we discussed our likes and dislikes about Ana and Elsa from Frozen.

 

It was mesmerizing to watch the routine she has with the therapists and the resilience that she demonstrated throughout the duration of the exercises.  No matter how tired her little muscles were, she continued to work through it.  The children know that these exercises are not just workouts for them but they can affect how they live life.  I have even seen firsthand how keeping up with physical therapy has improved the life of one of the girls in the home, but more on her later. 

 

Karol’s therapies consisted of maintaining and strengthening the muscles of her core, upper trunk, and arms in order to keep her active around the house.  At the end of her session was when she showed me her true colors.  Being new at the job comes with a very steep learning curve and I learned quickly that you have to do it right with Karol or not do it at all.  We worked to get her hardware and leg braces on, but it took a few tries since I wasn’t doing it right.  After about 10 minutes I had finally gotten it right, we thanked the physical therapy team, and found our way downstairs to the car.

 

Karol and a few other children at physical therapy rode home in the car, while another Hogar worker, myself, and one child made our way to the street to catch a bus back to Chaclacayo.  Another activity in Lima with a steep learning curve is the bus/transit system.  For any of you planning to visit Peru, here’s a few tips to the bus system:

1. ALWAYS know where you’re going.  The buses don’t run on a schedule but instead they go by destination.  You basically stand on the street and look at the signs/ask the driver to find out where they are going.

2. It’s dirt cheap.  Literally dirt cheap.  We caught a bus for about 2 soles (approximately 50 cents) and it took us about 40 kilometers outside of Lima.  For 6 soles (about $2) you can take a possibly air-conditioned minivan that picks up passengers during its route.

3. Be quick about it.  The buses basically slow to about 2 mph at which point you have to hop out of the bus as fast as you can so the bus can keep on. 

 

My first encounter with Lima was hectic to say the least, but thankfully I made it back to the Hogar in time for a late lunch and a walk around Chaclacayo to see all the stores and parks in the area. 

 

- Nicole