12/30
Ok I am just going to have to learn to write before the sun sets. So to finish off the first day, we arrived at the hostel around noon. After having lunch and bringing in our bags, we took a few hours to explore the property. There was a small obstacle course and rope bridge. Of course a few of us had to cross the precarious “bridge” hanging just a few feet above danger infested water. Alright fine, it wasn’t danger infested, but it would have sucked to have fallen in.
Finally we made our way over to the play ground where Will, Ryan and I climbed things and the others attempted to play an ever-changing game that sprung from the active imagination of the sweet, yet bossy daughter of the hostel owner.
Perched on top of my rope wall structure, I was able to enjoy such a beautiful sight. The mountains off in the distance, a cool breeze offering sweet relief from the day’s heat and everyone all smiles and laughs. It was a perfect ending to a long day of travel.
Dinner was served at 6, followed by our orientation (we only had electricity from 6 to 10:30). There we learned some general information about what to expect, how to take blood pressure and had quite an amusing skit of the set-up between patient, students, doctor and translator. Let’s just say I would have been fine if they were French patients. Unfortunately not and my 4 ½ years of French are of little use.
Since we didn’t have any light, everyone went to bed soon after orientation. It would be the last bed we slept in for 2 nights.
It’s 6:30 AM now and I have to start getting ready so again… I will continue the next chance I get.
It’s 5:30 PM now and I can start again. I’m determined to at least catch up to this morning; now to see if I can remember where I left off. I believe I left with our first and last night at the hostel. Around 8 we set off for Embarcadero. It was long, muddy and hilly. I’d describe more, but those three adjectives pretty much sum it all up. We started off carefully picking our route and finished beyond caring whether we added on another layer of mud or not.
It wasn’t over once we arrived. Oh no. A few hours of rest and Edwin (our translator), Blair (who I found out lived within walking distance from me in good ol’ Rocky Mount), Queena (who speaks the same language as me! It’s a small language so it was quite exciting), Sarah (the girl from JMU) and I set off to another community to do house visits.
Though the journey was long and arduous, we had plenty of fun along the way. I was not sure what to expect when we arrived to the houses. There was a mixture of uncertainty, anxiousness and excitement. I also learned I need to do more mountain hiking. Each family we met, though not all were able to walk/ride to the clinic the next day, was welcoming. Despite our mud covered boots and selves, they invited us to sit down or pulled out benches and chairs from inside for us.
The children were shy and some eventually came out…but just a few. Of those families we visited, and there were quite a few, less than half thought they could come the next day. Trying our best to get the information, with broken Spanish at best, we coaxed a few smiles out. My fears were allayed as we spoke to more families, with Edwin’s help of course.
Finally we trekked back to camp in record time. We were the last group back. The boys, who hiked an hour away, even beat us back. Tired and dirty, we walked down to the school for a late dinner and it was glorious. Not to mention it was SPAM in some red sauce, plantains and rice. I think it was so magical because we were exhausted, it was thankfully cool out, we could sit and the sun was setting. So perfect.
Oh, I forgot to mention that our first adventure at the hostel was a walk down to the river in Coclesito. We took some great pictures and had a relaxing break by the water.
Now for what happened today. We woke up early and had a quick breakfast. I woke up still tired since sleeping on a wooden floor did not lead to a restful night. After breakfast we grabbed our gear and walked down to set up the clinic in the school.
Honestly, I was plagued with fear when we started. How was I supposed to get over the language barrier? Fortunately I had Will and Blair in my triage. Our first patient came in with her two sons and we were off just like that. Our translators were lifesavers. I feel like I learned so much this first clinic. Though it was a bit uncomfortable to begin, my team and I transitioned into a routine and were doing quite well. It was amazing how much we were able to do. The doctor would come over once we finished the patient history and took the vital signs. Once she came over she would listen to our report and ask for a diagnosis. It was incredible how much we were able to accomplish. We collaborated with each other to come up with a diagnosis. Then the doctor would explain more about the illness and prognosis. There were many skin cases and respiratory related cases. I even got to use what I learned from shadowing Dr. Martin (an orthopedic surgeon) with a sweet older lady who had a skin infection and aching knees, which I diagnosed as arthritis.
Sure it was quite frustrating at first not being able to communicate with the patients, but gradually I picked up some key words and made it work. We worked throughout the day taking a lunch break until about 3. We didn’t actually leave until 5, spending about 2 hours playing with the kids. Will was our entertainer and distracter with his juggling show.
Right now some of us are playing Mafia and resting after a very long day. Our team has grown closer and with each day we just have more fun. Blair and Steve have just died in the game. So sad. Tomorrow we head out to the hostel and will celebrate New Year there. This adventure has been challenging, yet incredible so far.
