After a month in Peru, Ashley VanderWeel of Springfield Township missed a few things in America.
One was her boyfriend, Andrew Vargas. Another, ‘water I can drink,? she said.
Homelessness, street violence, industrial pollution, traffic ? all presented danger to life and limb.
But she’s planning a return trip to South America, though next time accompanied by her boyfriend.
‘It was quite an experience,? VanderWeel said.
During her trip this past February and March, as a volunteer with Maximo Nivel, she hiked through rain forests, toured ancient ruins, and lived with a family in a mud hut on an island in Lake Titikaka.
‘I wanted to do a volunteer program,? said VanderWeel, a registered dietician and student at Wayne State University.
‘We’re sheltered in the United States. We take things for granted here. They didn’t have running water. There’s not enough housing. Children live on the street ? it made me appreciate what we have here.?
She volunteered at a hospital for children in Cusco, Peru, teaching staff about hygiene and safety.
She helped care for about 25 patients, newborn to about 25 years old, all with mental or physical disabilities.
She is set to graduate from Wayne State in May, and plans to pursue her Ph.D. in genetics or nutritional biochemistry, and a career in alternative medicine.
During her trip, people native to the rain forest taught her about medicinal uses of plants, she said.
They also showed her how to make jewelry from seeds and prepared for her a local delicacy ? guinea pig.
‘It was greasy, tasted like fried chicken,? she said.