daunder: Odontologos sin fronteras and then a farewell

I'm pretty much at home now in Arequipa and today is my last day here. I am sick so I will be spending it resting instead of frantically taking and re-taking pictures of things I have previously tried (and in the most part, failed) to capture. A month has passed quickly and yet so much has happened.

Last weekend I was in Coporaque for the second time. It's a beautiful village in the Colca region and the organisation I've been volunteering with, Intiwawa, runs an intercultural project there. Last weekend we were there for something different. Intiwawa were working with odontologos sin fronteras to run a weekend-long free dentistry project in Coporaque and in neighbouring town, Chivay. Unfortunately the name dentistas sin fronteras was already taken so I'm forced to trip over the name all the time, adding in extra 'ogos' and 'ogicas' as the mood takes me. You get the drift.

The lovely dentist, Sophie, with a patient.

It was a really great project and I have only the highest respect for all the dentists who work tirelessly with these projects almost every day for months at a time, lugging a lot of equipment around and living in buses as much as anywhere else. Hundreds of people had teeth hauled, plugged, poked and spruced up. Unfortunately for the populace, there was an awful lot of hauling in mouths that already didn't have many teeth left to haul.

We, as Intiwawa, helped to clean the tools, assisted the dentists and put the patients in order. I took down peoples personal details and put them on the correct list depending on what treatment they needed. Thus, I now know how to recognise and spell the surname Choquehueñca, even when spoken in both thick Peruvian and Quechwan accents. I am picking things up after all!

We stayed the night in Chivay and I was lucky enough to see this sky, this church and a traditional fiesta, full of bright costumes, masks and saya dancing (I think it's called) which my camera failed to do justice. I predict the inadequacy of my camera will be a continuing theme of this blog.

The kids have had school holidays these last two weeks, so we planned activities instead of the usual homework-help in San Isidro. It was great, we played games with the Scouts, taught them (and me) chess, and completed a geography project. While I've been ill, the others also took them to see Los Pitufos (The Smurfs) as a treat for the end of holidays.

This (skipping a lot of stories, skies, barbecues, falling-downs, new arrivals and sad departures) takes me to today. My final one in Arequipa, the beautiful white city with a stunning centro historico which has given the texture to my days, and the friends I've made who added the lights. I will miss the cows wandering past our apartment in the afternoon, the cakes and the ladies from the corner shop, again, the texture of the colonial-era buildings and, of course, the Intiwawa house and family. And that's me trying to avoid listing wondrous things (and favourite kids! - I know, I know) as my parting words.