Little Miracles

Most of you know that I have been working with an 11-year-old girl every Monday through Wednesday. For those that don’t know, I’m teaching her to read and write because she never learned in school, and yes I am teaching her in Spanish! I was advised one day that maybe she might need glasses. After, while working with her, I started to take notice to how she had to have the paper super close to her eyes. When I asked her to move the paper away from her face, she told me that she couldn’t read it. So I told my supervisor Doris and we scheduled a time for her to go to the hospital.

The first time we went to the hospital I was stunned. The place was jammed pack. There were people everywhere trying to get the help they needed. The system for the hospitals here is different also. When going in for a consult you have to pass through the triaje were they weigh you, check your pulse, etc. There is only one triaje in the hospital, so needless to say we waited for a very long time. We eventually got referred to the eye doctor’s office, where we again had to wait. When we finally got to see the doctor, he checked her eyes to see if there was anything medically wrong with them, and then scheduled an appointment for a vision check two weeks later.

So on Thursday I picked her up early and accompanied her to the hospital. I was supposed to meet my boss, Doris, there, but she ended up being late due to something at work. Alone with this little girl, I started to panic because I had no idea where to take her, and I didn’t want her to miss her appointment. So while I anxiously waited for Doris, most likely looking panicked, a woman who works at the hospital came up and asked me if she could help me. I explained that the girl had an appointment, but that I didn’t know if she had to go through the triaje again or if I could just take her to the office. The woman explained to me the system, and then she graciously took us to the place where we were supposed to wait. It was an incredibly sweet gesture. I’m sure that she had plenty to do with people in every part of the hospital looking to receive help, but she took the time to help me, the panicked gringa, with something that was probably a simple task for most Peruvians. She was my miracle that day.

 One of the other projects that I have been getting involved in is with a group of women that have been physically or sexually abused by either their husbands or other men in their lives. My job for these meetings is to come up with an activity for the women to do that helps them with their health, be it emotional or physical. So this past Thursday, I gave each of the women a piece of paper and a colored pencil. I then asked the women to draw their alma (soul). I advised them to draw a shape or thing that expressed who they were inside, how they viewed themselves. While going around the group, I was amazed to hear explanations such as, “I drew a rose because I am sensitive, but it has thorns because I am tough.” Another response was, “I drew a tree because I am strong and can handle anything that blows my way.” My favorite, unlikely response was, “I drew an elephant because I am strong, kind, and fiercely protective of my children.” I was so incredibly proud of the women for not only expressing themselves, but for thinking about themselves in such strong and positive ways. One of the things I love most about these meetings is that each time one woman shares the story of her life. The others listen and then after can give positive feedback or advice. It’s such an empowering experience to see a woman who has been abused and hurt receive love, advice, and strength from 20 other women who have gone through experiences like hers. These women are my miracle every other Thursday.

One of the views from my office of the walking bridge in Huánuco, another little miracle because it's such a beautiful view