Discubriendo el moto!!

 

On Friday afternoon, we made a huge discovery - el moto! In Paita, people do not drive around in cars. Instead, there are hundreds of motos. What is a moto, you ask? A moto is essentially a Vespa with a rickshaw on that back for 2-3 passengers. You can easily jump in one of these on any street corner and for 3 soles (= $1.2) they will take you anywhere you want to go in Paita. While they don't have a lot of horse power, they are not afraid to tailgate and cut in front of anyone who is going to slow. It is certainly an adventurous take on a boring commute!      If you've been following our blog carefully, you should realize that when we arrived in Paita yesterday, we were going on roughly 2 hours of sleep. But, those who know us, know that exhaustion didn't keep us from exploring the city and the school. When we first walked outside the school, which is next door to the convent, the children ran to us, so excited to shout ''Good Morning!!'' in perfect English and to get a look at the American ladies. As part of our tour of the convent, Sister Monica explained to us that we needed to take great caution in our water use. They do not have hot water for showers or dishes and they must use their water sparingly. Of course, this came at no surprise to me. How many times have I heard that third world countries don't have the water they need? Yet, adapting to this has proved challenging for all of us. As I wash up with baby wipes and hand sanitizers, I'm constantly reminded of the long, hot showers I like to take and the gallons of water I waste while washing dishes each day.   After we settled in and unpacked, we visited the off-campus preschool a few miles away. Riding there (in our motos), you could see a shift in the housing. There is no paved road to get to the neighborhood, only a dirt path leading to a complex of hand-built homes - many without electricity. At the pre-school (2 one-room buildings), we met with 56 children. Because Lisa is a nurse, the sisters and the parents wanted her to examine the children for medical issues. The first girl we saw was almost two and lacked the muscles to stand on her own, most likely from vitamin deficiency. Unfortunately, we were very limited on the help we could provide as we could not hand out medicine or treat her. However, I believe that merely consulting with Lisa was beneficial for the families and each child left with a yummy sucker. For example, one woman brought in her one year old son who had a fever and a cough. Because she didn't want him to get sick, the mom had him dressed head-to-toe in fleece pajamas in 75 degree weather. Lisa was able to explain, through a translator, that he was overdressed and needed to cool down. It was incredible to witness Lisa offering advice and sympathy to the mothers and giving each child a big hug.            We ended our evening with a packed 7pm Mass downtown and a chat with the sisters about life in Paita. A perfect ending to a great (but tiring) day!