A Typical Day in Peru

From dawn to dusk I am rushing from one end of Lima to the other and can find no time to pick up the medicines waiting at Medifarma. Every month this Pharmaceutical Company donates $10,000USD worth of medicines to the hospital. With so much at stake, I make a call to the company and ask them if I can pick up the donation at exactly 2pm and explain that I need them to have everything ready at the door as I can’t spare more time to wait for them. I am assured by them that they will have everything ready promptly at 2pm.

After meeting with the Dean of Specialist Training at the University, Cavetano Heredia, I make a hasty dash across town to arrive at Medifarma at 1:45pm. Thankfully they have the 55 boxes of medicines ready and they are crammed into the taxi, with the last remaining boxes being precariously held on my lap. In fact, I manage to leave the warehouse at 2:20, a bit past the 2pm deadline, but here in Peru, a 35 minute hand-over is something like a world record!

Normally the trip to the bus station takes 15 minutes, but today there are demonstrations in the city led by protesting construction workers. There are traffic jams all over the city. In the end we pull into the bus station after 90 minutes and begin the task of unloading the 55 boxes along the wall of the terminal. Hopefully the precious cargo will be sent out on the evening bus and should arrive in Curahuasi about 36 hours later.

The next obstacle comes when the employee at the terminal asks for 500 soles ($170USD) for the transport costs. I succeed in bartering her down to half that price, but suggest to her that the bus company should start transporting the cargo for free since Diospi Suyana is a charitable organization. She replies that she has nothing against my idea, but that I should take the matter up with Mr Palomino himself (owner of the bus company). I decide to keep this idea in mind for the future!

We are so thankful to Medifarma for their generous monthly donation that helps us help others. KDJ

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