Actual work

Finally, after two days of being useless (the weekend) I got to go to the clinic and be useless some more, but also learn a few things. Dr. Javier's pretty chill. He taught me to take blood pressure within the first hour after we got to the clinic. We say 31 patients that day and I witnessed two minor surgeries, after which I wiped a lot of sweat off my face and drank some water. I have never seen a surgery before.

So the road to Las Pitas, where lies the clinic, well, road is a generous term. It's more like a ritted dirt path that got in a fight with a giant wielding a fifty foot samurai sword. The Land Cruiser takes an hour to travel the 5 km from the bottom of the mountain to the clinic. I have the opportunity to improve my Spanish during those rides with Tomas, the clinic evangelista. He is really patient with me (which is good, because he doesn't speak English, so Spanish is all we've got) and supplies the extra words I need when I pontificate on theology and psychology. I'm sure he things I am completely arrogant, but extends me plenty of grace.

At the clinic, Javier gives me quite an education. He knows that I want to learn about medicine, so when I ask a small question he gives me a lot of details. I have learned a lot about the heart, vascular system, digestive system, diseases, medical politics, etc. I am actually getting a lot more medical experience and knowledge than I was expecting before I came to Honduras.

Pab