Over Thanksgiving, my husband and I returned to his home country of Peru. We had a wonderful stay with his mom in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima, the capital of Peru.

Reunited at last!

Peru has nearly all of the microclimates in the world — desert, jungle, mountainous, subtropical, tropical, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed eating a wide variety of fresh fruit including papaya, pineapple, cherimoya, passionfruit, and mango. Peru is considered to be the gastronomic capital of the Americas, and we took full advantage of eating delicious seafood at a few restaurants.

Grilled octopus

Since the first time I came to Peru five years ago, the organic movement has really picked up. Peru is one of the countries where GMOs are banned, and now it’s common to also find certified organic products at markets. There were two organic markets close by where we purchased our fruits, vegetables, chicken, and goat cheese.

Fresh fruits sold at market

I’m exploring the possibility of having a satellite practice in Peru once I graduate. Initial visits would be in-person when I visit 2-4 times per year, and when I’m in Chicago, I could continue to treat patients via Skype. The next time we go to Peru, I’m going to look into having my degree recognized there, and what the legal processes would be. Many people in Lima suffer from allergies because of the air pollution, and naturopathic medicine can definitely help address that problem!

Watching the sunset

Now that I’ve returned from vacation, I came to the harsh realization that every school day through the rest of the trimester, I have an exam, quiz, practical, or assignment due! My first priority was to set up an organized calendar that I talked about in August so that I stay on top of everything and successfully complete the tri.