Submitted by Gercy Abad on the 2017 summer session program in Peru sponsored by the School of Nursing…
The past few days have been amazing! It took some time to get acclimated to the climate and altitude here in Peru, but we made it! The first two days were spent adjusting and getting to know the area. The following two days, we immediately jumped in and started helping out at the hospital located in Calca which is the next city over. Every morning, we got up early and took a convey (public transportation system) and packed in. When we got to the hospital on the first day, there was immediately a young woman giving birth to her third child. It was a precious moment that I will never forget for help assist the mom. I was shocked to see the quality of the healthcare in which they were just trying to do their best.
Afterwards, we explored the town and found the local food market. The culture of the people was very lively and all the people were kind and willing to help a few Americans who did not speak Spanish very well. My four years of Spanish from high school finally started coming back to me in the last few days, and it really helped me communicate with the people. 
Furthermore, we explored the festival in Calca which celebrated the different people’s in the area with dancing and cheering.
It was a new experience and definitely not something you see in America. The following day, we got to go see the museum which featured the entire history of the Peru predating to the Incans. Learning about the people and history is so amazing and I will hopefully continue to learn more about a place that is often not as visited.