Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The West is the Best

Hey all,
Joey here checking in from my new digs in the Miraflores District of Lima, Peru.  I am here until mid-May working with Teresa doing physical therapy and helping her on her quest to walk again.  Teresa broke 4 of her cervical vertebrae in a snowboarding accident 4 years ago and became a quadrapelegic.  Through the charity of others she raised enough money to come to Lima to receive cutting edge therapy from a doctor/shaman who, many years back, suffered a similar injury but through this therapy she now has fully recovered.  Yes, fully.  Teresa has been here since Oct '08 and at that time she had no movement or sensation in her torso or extremities.  Now she has regained some movement in her core, legs, arms and hands.  She is a remarkable individual.  I am living now with Teresa, her sister Amanda, and their best friend, Alecia.  We are all care-takers but my specialty here is the therapy that she must do daily at home in the apartment.  I am using my exercise and health science background with my knowledge of eastern medicines and yoga, plus shamanism and plant medicine to heal her body, mind and spirit.  Teresa has made astonishing gains in her quest.  She was at one time on a ventilator and now resides in magical Peru to receive therapy and be healed with the great plant teacher medicine Ayahuasca. Through Ayahuasca's spiritual and physical healing her gains have been rapid, bordering super-human.  I am truly blessed to be a part of her recovery and am answer the divine call to aid her.

You can read more about her story here:  http://www.Peruvianproject.org  Funding for her in-clinic therapy runs out within a week and beginning May 15th Teresa's funding for the apartment in which she lives will be run dry.  She has no intention of returning to the USA until she has made a significant improvement in her recovery and can once again walk.

As for me being in Lima is a great avenue for me to advance in many ways.  The climate is similar to that of coastal Northern California.  The view of the mountains jutting into the ocean from our 19th story balcony is gorgeous.  I am grateful to have a break from the rainforest climate because I have a few nagging infected mosquito bites which were only kept aggravated by the humid jungle air.  I am also happy to put my skills and knowledge into practice for a cause that I know is worthy and not simply to make money to stay above water in the western civilization dunk tank.  I have never lived in a large city so that is going to be a new experience as well.  Lima is home to 8 million inhabitants and sprawls out for miles surrounded by large mountains.  Being back in the city will also allow me to earn money selling art, playing music, and keep everything organized by have phone and internet access.  These are not crucial for survival and not appropriate when focused on deep personal work, but currently I see this as a good break from my apprenticeship and time to regain touch with the outside world.  The apprenticeship, however, does not really end or take breaks, just changes it's approach for teaching/learning.

So I guess that is all I have you you now, Caravaners.  I am off to stroll the beach and explore the neighborhood.  Take care.

Love,
Joey

1 comment:

  1. Hey Joey! It is very special the thing that you are doing with Teresa. I'm glad that you are experiencing these new things like living in a large city, always learning something new. Take care, Marlin

    ReplyDelete

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