The five-second rule does not exist in Perú

This one’s for you Dad.  May PDX one day see the light.

Although my town of Huantar has running water (Praise the Lord), the water is not yet potable.  Everyone has to boil their water before using it.  The next improvement would be water treatment, which means that fluoridation of the water is a long ways away.  How then do the young children of Huantar receive fluoridation treatments, considering that the nearest dentist is about an hour away, and that’s assuming perfect traveling conditions (Ha.)?

Observe:

On fluoridation days the entire health post turns out to the elementary school to distribute fluoridation treatments, which consistent of generic teeth molds, disinfected with 96% alcohol, that are stuffed with cotton, upon which the pink gel-like fluoride is smeared on.  The kids hold them in their mouths, which quickly become overcome with drool, until it’s time to take them out, at which point an epic hacking, coughing, and spitting contest begins around the trashcan.

Did you know that it is perfectly acceptable to spit on the floor in Perú? Seriously, spit away, no one will bat an eye.  And that is why the five second rule does not exist in Perú.

With the help of several eight- and nine-year-olds I was able to capture the events of the day.

Besos!