I left last Thurs from Managua to go to Anna´s wedding. It was a whirlwind of a trip! I couldn´t believe how I went from one day in the clinic to the next getting served food. It was beautiful and I really enjoyed it. On the way back from Nicaragua it felt very normal to be back. I liked it. On Monday I was supposed to go to the school, but ended up having pink eye so I went to the office and counted pills with David for the medical brigade. When I say we counted pills what I really mean is we counted 15,000 by fives. It was awesome to say the least and sometimes I gave someone 31 instead of 30 just so that they can be lucky. On Tues. I did town visits with Javier. One elderly lady cried and hugged me and it was really cool to see that she was thankful. Wed. was a good and hard day. I helped clean this lady´s ulcer again and it´s getting so much better!! Then a 40 day old child came in (she has pneumonia and Javier took her to the hospital) and she is not doing good at all. I felt helpless, but Javier said ¨Science says this baby will not live, but God says anything is possible.¨ I´ve been thinking about her a lot. On Thurs. I went with a group for horseback rides. It was so much fun! I think they thought I knew what I was doing so I just shook my head and pretended. And at the end Ariel let me hold my horse back and it really wanted to be with the rest of the horses...so when I say ¨hyah¨ (ask later for demonstration) he TOOK OFF. I almost flew off we were going so fast and it was so much funnnn!! And then Katie and I went and milked some cows. I thought my cow was empty...but then the professional got up there and there was still like three liters left in this sucker. Showoff. Just kidding. But really. Friday was another clinic day. I love them every time bc I learn so much! Today was one of my favorite days yet. Haley, Kyle, and I went to Las Tekas aka swimming pool of the century. We went with the kids from the refuge and their tias and a tio and Olman. We played tag but not just like Marco Polo..i mean run around on the slippery edges with a 15 ft drop and no railing. Someone should have broken something, but it´s cool...no one did. There was music and laughing and splashing and swimming lessons. I love how they just squeeze you when they are afraid that you will let them go. I seriously have sunburn lines on my face where there are wrinkles when I smile. Such a blessed day. It is so good to be here. God bless!
Jaclyn
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Musings on the Road to Monjaras - by Haley
Today I had the privilege of traveling with Dr. Javier, Don Wil, Lexi, and three fellow interns to deliver food and visit patients in the villages of Monjaras and Cedeno, on the Pacific coast. We spent some good time in "El Jefe," our Toyota Land Cruiser, (since it's 1 hour one way to Choluteca, and from there on to the villages), during which I had the opportunity to think. Here are some of my musings:
One thing I've noticed about Honduras is that this is a very relaxed society. They work very hard, of course, but they also spend lots of time just sitting and waiting contentedly for things. When you visit the medical clinic, or a bus stop, or when you're riding somewhere with Honduras, you will notice that they don't fill all their waiting time with talking. Often they will simply sit quietly. I enjoy this. It provides plenty of good thinking time.
During some of my own thinking time here in Honduras, I have thought about how the families here could earn more money. (Maybe they could get some more laying hens and sell the eggs at the market. Maybe they could plant more corn. Maybe they could join a co-op and export the coconuts that grow in their yard to the U.S. Maybe they could weave hats and baskets out of palm fronds and sell them. Maybe a bunch of people could get together and start a mosquito net factory. Maybe they could turn that building on the beach into a hotel, and create a website to attract Americans/Britons/French/Australians/Canadians/Germans who want an adventurous, exotic vacation. Maybe...) And then I wonder why, when they have so much rich time to think, that so many here haven't acted on ideas like these, and are still living in poor conditions. (By the way, when I speak of the poor in Honduras, I'm not referring to the general standard of living here. What really bothers me are those families who can't even afford enough food, or clothing, or healthy living conditions.)
I must conclude that they don't think of these things because they haven't had the education to teach them to think of these things. They simply have never had anyone teach them to look for opportunities to do something, to create something, to fill a need in their society. They haven't been told that they can do something that provides value to others, and do it well, and earn good money for it. That when they work hard at something, and do something with integrity and excellence, God blesses them. If they do come up with ideas for a new business, maybe they don't have the resources because they haven't learned the principle of putting money in a bank and watching it earn interest. When we visit patients and see all of the kids who are at home, instead of at school, I wish that we could sit the kids down, teach them how to read, and then leave each family with a kid-friendly encyclopedia, or textbooks, or even fiction books. Something to teach them. And to teach them how to think. I think that education like this would be a huge step in helping the people of Honduras.
Que Dios le bendiga.
Haley
One thing I've noticed about Honduras is that this is a very relaxed society. They work very hard, of course, but they also spend lots of time just sitting and waiting contentedly for things. When you visit the medical clinic, or a bus stop, or when you're riding somewhere with Honduras, you will notice that they don't fill all their waiting time with talking. Often they will simply sit quietly. I enjoy this. It provides plenty of good thinking time.
During some of my own thinking time here in Honduras, I have thought about how the families here could earn more money. (Maybe they could get some more laying hens and sell the eggs at the market. Maybe they could plant more corn. Maybe they could join a co-op and export the coconuts that grow in their yard to the U.S. Maybe they could weave hats and baskets out of palm fronds and sell them. Maybe a bunch of people could get together and start a mosquito net factory. Maybe they could turn that building on the beach into a hotel, and create a website to attract Americans/Britons/French/Australians/Canadians/Germans who want an adventurous, exotic vacation. Maybe...) And then I wonder why, when they have so much rich time to think, that so many here haven't acted on ideas like these, and are still living in poor conditions. (By the way, when I speak of the poor in Honduras, I'm not referring to the general standard of living here. What really bothers me are those families who can't even afford enough food, or clothing, or healthy living conditions.)
I must conclude that they don't think of these things because they haven't had the education to teach them to think of these things. They simply have never had anyone teach them to look for opportunities to do something, to create something, to fill a need in their society. They haven't been told that they can do something that provides value to others, and do it well, and earn good money for it. That when they work hard at something, and do something with integrity and excellence, God blesses them. If they do come up with ideas for a new business, maybe they don't have the resources because they haven't learned the principle of putting money in a bank and watching it earn interest. When we visit patients and see all of the kids who are at home, instead of at school, I wish that we could sit the kids down, teach them how to read, and then leave each family with a kid-friendly encyclopedia, or textbooks, or even fiction books. Something to teach them. And to teach them how to think. I think that education like this would be a huge step in helping the people of Honduras.
Que Dios le bendiga.
Haley
Monday, June 23, 2008
Kyle week 4.2 Popping a stinky balloon.
It is a natural tendency for a child to tense the gluteus maximus muscle when nervous or in responce to a sharp stimulous i.e. a needle.
Thursday was my day to travel with Dr. Javier and Lexi to Duyure for the medical program. We checked on individuals that had been previously cared for and were unable to travel to a clinic. To some families we delivered food and gave prescriptions, to others we gave checkups and the occasional shot, others were in the process of digging latrines so I was volunteered by Javier to jump in and help break bedrock. The latrines were being dug to help waste control and prevent contamination of a water supply. A meter square hole dug three meters deep will act as a sufficient filter and will last a group of families nearly twenty years. The problem is that three meters is a deep hole! Javier´s great sense of humor sent me to the bottom of one of the latrines, swinging a pick down onto solid rock and then hoisting out the gravel with a shovel. I have a lot of respect for those families that finished the project. One family went above and beyond, well I guess below, what was expected of them. As we walked up to the worksite, all we could see was a group of people standing on a huge mound of dirt looking down into a hole where occasional jets of dirt would burst forth from below. The hole was so deep that I couldn´t even see the shovel as it lofted the dirt into the air. I gaped when I saw a man working alone at the bottom of a twelve foot hole and the ladder that was needed to escape from the pit. My conversion is probably a little off but I believe twelve feet is more than three meters. This guy didn´t hold back when digging an outhouse. None of those wimpy porcelain toliets would do, his latrine was going to be able to handle anything Honduran cooking could cause.
At one home a young boy about four years old had a bad fever and needed an injection. Javier prepped the syringe and handed it to me as we walked into a back room where the boy was waiting over his mother´s knee. Being slung over your mom´s leg, drawers around your ankles is not the most reassuring position one might find oneself. The poor boy was already stiff as a board when I swabbed his cheek. Javier had ahold of his arms and his mom had a tight grip on his legs, preventing him from going anywhere, but the boy had a fighter´s heart and was battling the only way posible in that given position. He was screaming his lungs out and clenching his butt so tight that his posterior was beggining to turn from brown to white. My job was easy, even if I was the most despised person in the room. All I had to do was slip in the needle, push down the plunger and the ordeal would be over, no hard feelings. Problem was, as the needle broke the skin, it also broke the final straw and the boy gave a desprate lunge. He was firmly held in place by four strong hands so the only reaction to his last effort of defiance was a tremendous burst of gas right into my face.
Nothing could have prepared me for that moment.
A mixure of disgust and convulsive laughter flashed onto my face for just an instant as I looked up at Javier and then at the mom. But only for a moment because neither of them flinched and the now intensified wailing quickly brought me back into the job at hand.
I quickly finished, with as best professional manner as I could muster, and patched him up just right.
The stink was hideous. Poor boy was sick.
On Friday I cleaned out a young man´s ear. I washed out a glob of dirt and wax that looked like the tip of my ring finger from the last nuckle. Didn´t phase me. I getting better at this stuff.
Point me toward wierdness Honduras, I ready!
Thursday was my day to travel with Dr. Javier and Lexi to Duyure for the medical program. We checked on individuals that had been previously cared for and were unable to travel to a clinic. To some families we delivered food and gave prescriptions, to others we gave checkups and the occasional shot, others were in the process of digging latrines so I was volunteered by Javier to jump in and help break bedrock. The latrines were being dug to help waste control and prevent contamination of a water supply. A meter square hole dug three meters deep will act as a sufficient filter and will last a group of families nearly twenty years. The problem is that three meters is a deep hole! Javier´s great sense of humor sent me to the bottom of one of the latrines, swinging a pick down onto solid rock and then hoisting out the gravel with a shovel. I have a lot of respect for those families that finished the project. One family went above and beyond, well I guess below, what was expected of them. As we walked up to the worksite, all we could see was a group of people standing on a huge mound of dirt looking down into a hole where occasional jets of dirt would burst forth from below. The hole was so deep that I couldn´t even see the shovel as it lofted the dirt into the air. I gaped when I saw a man working alone at the bottom of a twelve foot hole and the ladder that was needed to escape from the pit. My conversion is probably a little off but I believe twelve feet is more than three meters. This guy didn´t hold back when digging an outhouse. None of those wimpy porcelain toliets would do, his latrine was going to be able to handle anything Honduran cooking could cause.
At one home a young boy about four years old had a bad fever and needed an injection. Javier prepped the syringe and handed it to me as we walked into a back room where the boy was waiting over his mother´s knee. Being slung over your mom´s leg, drawers around your ankles is not the most reassuring position one might find oneself. The poor boy was already stiff as a board when I swabbed his cheek. Javier had ahold of his arms and his mom had a tight grip on his legs, preventing him from going anywhere, but the boy had a fighter´s heart and was battling the only way posible in that given position. He was screaming his lungs out and clenching his butt so tight that his posterior was beggining to turn from brown to white. My job was easy, even if I was the most despised person in the room. All I had to do was slip in the needle, push down the plunger and the ordeal would be over, no hard feelings. Problem was, as the needle broke the skin, it also broke the final straw and the boy gave a desprate lunge. He was firmly held in place by four strong hands so the only reaction to his last effort of defiance was a tremendous burst of gas right into my face.
Nothing could have prepared me for that moment.
A mixure of disgust and convulsive laughter flashed onto my face for just an instant as I looked up at Javier and then at the mom. But only for a moment because neither of them flinched and the now intensified wailing quickly brought me back into the job at hand.
I quickly finished, with as best professional manner as I could muster, and patched him up just right.
The stink was hideous. Poor boy was sick.
On Friday I cleaned out a young man´s ear. I washed out a glob of dirt and wax that looked like the tip of my ring finger from the last nuckle. Didn´t phase me. I getting better at this stuff.
Point me toward wierdness Honduras, I ready!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Kyle Week 3.2: like rolling up a tortilla.
I have decided to go into greater detail about last Monday. Javier left without me this morning so I have a lot of time to reminisce.
It started like every other morning. Waking up to David climbing out of the shower, walking downstairs to the smell of Heather´s fried egg breakfast, driving two hours to Las Pitas; the usual.
I feel the need to point out that I suffered from a strange case of insomnia the night before this all took place, not to make any excuse but to identify that I wasn´t my normal "able-bodied" self.
Katie and David were with me at the clinic and we sat with Dr. Javier seeing patients for twenty minutes before he sent Katie and me into the treatment room to give two shots to a gentleman. Mind that I had never before given a shot let alone filled a syringe. Neither had Katie. So with help from Lexi, the nurse, we filled appropriate amounts of whatever this particular bloke needed and, in turn, stuck him on both sides of the buttocks. Moral victory. You´d be surprised at how much pressure you have to exert on a syringe to get the needle to pierce the backside. Didn´t even phase me. I took it all in stride and so did Katie. Katie did have trouble keeping her hand from shaking but we blame it on the adrenaline. When Loren came in, he had to give a intravenous injection to an older lady by using a butterfly syringe. He did great. The old lady claimed that she didn´t feel a thing.
The three of us were feeling quite proud of ourselves for accomplishing great feats of medicine, when Javier sent the next patient in. "This time you will help Lexi, next time you will do it on your own," were the only words he said to us. The patient was a girl in her early teens that had an infected big toe that looked like a polish sausage. The toenail had to be removed.
All focus of thought and effort for the next twenty minutes was spent on a single purpose within my mind; make it through this one time and pray to God that another one never comes.
I remember holding the disinfectant while Lexi cleaned the toe.
I remember Lexi filling a small syringe with lidocane to act as an anesthetic.
I remember the pain on the girl´s face when the needle was stuck all over her toe.
I remember looking at the syringe and noticing that not very much lidocane had been injected.
I remember doubting that the toe had gone completely numb even though the girl no longer responded to Lexi´s touch.
The rest becomes a bit hazy, yet forever branded in my mind is the image of a small pair of pliers digging under one side of the nail and then lifting and pulling the nail up and away from the skin. The last that I remember of those few minutes was thinking that the way that Lexi gripped the nail with the pliers and twisted the nail away from the bed was that it reminded me of rolling up a tortilla.
Somehow I stumbled out of the room and into the waiting room, mumbling something about "I ... air... breath..."
I fell into a chair and began sweating like I had been in a sauna. I had the distinct impression that the room was much to hot, and the noise of the girl´s moans were still to close, and there was definately not enough air even in the waiting room, but by far the most ominous feeling was that something bad was going to happen if I didn´t get outside fast.
Staggering now, I swayed past all of the Hondurans waiting outside, and, leaning against the wall, made my way towards the back of the clinic. I was quite sure that my whole sense of balance was gone and just before my eyes rolled into the back of my head, I let myself down so that I was reclined against the corner of the clinic. Two Honduran boys stuck their heads around the corner just in time to see me vomit.
A while later, with no dignity left, I came back inside looking like I had stood under a shower with my clothes on. I was still dizzy when Dr. Javier lectured me on the importance of keeping my head in an emergency. "If it is just you and a doctor in the room and the patient is bleeding to death, you don´t have five minutes to go outside and catch your breath!"
Please God, don´t let another infected toenail come through the clinic. Or, if it must, let it be on a Wednesday. Wednesday is my farm day. Amen.
It started like every other morning. Waking up to David climbing out of the shower, walking downstairs to the smell of Heather´s fried egg breakfast, driving two hours to Las Pitas; the usual.
I feel the need to point out that I suffered from a strange case of insomnia the night before this all took place, not to make any excuse but to identify that I wasn´t my normal "able-bodied" self.
Katie and David were with me at the clinic and we sat with Dr. Javier seeing patients for twenty minutes before he sent Katie and me into the treatment room to give two shots to a gentleman. Mind that I had never before given a shot let alone filled a syringe. Neither had Katie. So with help from Lexi, the nurse, we filled appropriate amounts of whatever this particular bloke needed and, in turn, stuck him on both sides of the buttocks. Moral victory. You´d be surprised at how much pressure you have to exert on a syringe to get the needle to pierce the backside. Didn´t even phase me. I took it all in stride and so did Katie. Katie did have trouble keeping her hand from shaking but we blame it on the adrenaline. When Loren came in, he had to give a intravenous injection to an older lady by using a butterfly syringe. He did great. The old lady claimed that she didn´t feel a thing.
The three of us were feeling quite proud of ourselves for accomplishing great feats of medicine, when Javier sent the next patient in. "This time you will help Lexi, next time you will do it on your own," were the only words he said to us. The patient was a girl in her early teens that had an infected big toe that looked like a polish sausage. The toenail had to be removed.
All focus of thought and effort for the next twenty minutes was spent on a single purpose within my mind; make it through this one time and pray to God that another one never comes.
I remember holding the disinfectant while Lexi cleaned the toe.
I remember Lexi filling a small syringe with lidocane to act as an anesthetic.
I remember the pain on the girl´s face when the needle was stuck all over her toe.
I remember looking at the syringe and noticing that not very much lidocane had been injected.
I remember doubting that the toe had gone completely numb even though the girl no longer responded to Lexi´s touch.
The rest becomes a bit hazy, yet forever branded in my mind is the image of a small pair of pliers digging under one side of the nail and then lifting and pulling the nail up and away from the skin. The last that I remember of those few minutes was thinking that the way that Lexi gripped the nail with the pliers and twisted the nail away from the bed was that it reminded me of rolling up a tortilla.
Somehow I stumbled out of the room and into the waiting room, mumbling something about "I ... air... breath..."
I fell into a chair and began sweating like I had been in a sauna. I had the distinct impression that the room was much to hot, and the noise of the girl´s moans were still to close, and there was definately not enough air even in the waiting room, but by far the most ominous feeling was that something bad was going to happen if I didn´t get outside fast.
Staggering now, I swayed past all of the Hondurans waiting outside, and, leaning against the wall, made my way towards the back of the clinic. I was quite sure that my whole sense of balance was gone and just before my eyes rolled into the back of my head, I let myself down so that I was reclined against the corner of the clinic. Two Honduran boys stuck their heads around the corner just in time to see me vomit.
A while later, with no dignity left, I came back inside looking like I had stood under a shower with my clothes on. I was still dizzy when Dr. Javier lectured me on the importance of keeping my head in an emergency. "If it is just you and a doctor in the room and the patient is bleeding to death, you don´t have five minutes to go outside and catch your breath!"
Please God, don´t let another infected toenail come through the clinic. Or, if it must, let it be on a Wednesday. Wednesday is my farm day. Amen.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Kyle Week 3
David and I are now facebook friends. It is a big step in our relationship. Who knows where this is going to go?
None of the other interns will request me on facebook.
David and I rock out to Queen and The Killers. The girls laugh, but I can do a pull-up.
I sabotaged Javier´s office this morning. No coke is safe when I am around.
I discovered earlier this week that I can handle most procedures that take place in the clinic, but I might have found a weakness when watching a toenail being removed.
If it can be at all possible, I think I am getting worse at Spanish. I know that I no longer can spell words in English correctly. I did not know how to spell sabotage in the first place (see line five) and so I tried to look it up on dicionary.com and then at dictonary.com.
If the whole pre-med thing falls through, I can now say that I have experience in the field of sanitation control. On Tuesday, my ranch day, Arle (sp?) and I visited all of the mission sites and refuges, collecting garbage in the back of the truck before going to the city dump. Arle is awesome and tried in vain to teach me some Spanish. I am the garbage man. It was fun. I got to see parts of San Marcos and different refuges that I would have never been to otherwise.
Katie and I went to the bootmaker and were fitted for riding boots. Hopefully we will be able to find time to ride more so that I learn some form and feel comfortable in the saddle.
None of the other interns will request me on facebook.
David and I rock out to Queen and The Killers. The girls laugh, but I can do a pull-up.
I sabotaged Javier´s office this morning. No coke is safe when I am around.
I discovered earlier this week that I can handle most procedures that take place in the clinic, but I might have found a weakness when watching a toenail being removed.
If it can be at all possible, I think I am getting worse at Spanish. I know that I no longer can spell words in English correctly. I did not know how to spell sabotage in the first place (see line five) and so I tried to look it up on dicionary.com and then at dictonary.com.
If the whole pre-med thing falls through, I can now say that I have experience in the field of sanitation control. On Tuesday, my ranch day, Arle (sp?) and I visited all of the mission sites and refuges, collecting garbage in the back of the truck before going to the city dump. Arle is awesome and tried in vain to teach me some Spanish. I am the garbage man. It was fun. I got to see parts of San Marcos and different refuges that I would have never been to otherwise.
Katie and I went to the bootmaker and were fitted for riding boots. Hopefully we will be able to find time to ride more so that I learn some form and feel comfortable in the saddle.
The Wee Little Mouse
Well once again, I've had an exciting week. I started off at the clinic on Monday where I gave my first injection ever. I was a little nervous at first because I've often heard of people "jabbing the syringe" or hitting the bone but I'm happy to say that wasn't the case for me. On the first one, Lexi guided my hand as I inserted the butterfly into an elderly woman that had heart failure. The second one, I gave without assistance to a little boy. He cried for about five seconds and thats all. I gained a new appreciation for medicine and what it includes when Javier told us that a 25 day old baby with pneumonia was our patient and it was our job to take care of him until we could get him to the hospital. We had to give him breathing treatments and rehydration salts until we could get him down the mountain and to a hospital. That was about all that happened on Monday. When Tuesday rolled around, we headed out to Marcovia for the nutrition program. Once again, we got to paint the little kids' hands blue to get a handprint. Javier examined each patient to see if they were ill or not and then we gave them medicine and sent them on their way with their food for two weeks. Tuesday night's Spanish class was interesting finally and I learned something. I don't know if it was because the people around me helped out or not but nonetheless it happened. Now you might be wondering why the title of this blog is "The Wee Little Mouse" so now I'm going to tell you. Wednesday is the day that Kyle, Katie, and I go to one of the area schools. We found out that Shelly was going to Monjaras and decided to tag along. We were in the office gathering up some supplies when Shelly decided to open up a box to find some black yarn. When she did, a little mouse decided to pop up out of the box as well. Shelly's reaction is hard to describe but to the three of us it was hilarious. At the school, we entertained them by teaching them some of our American games. Today, we had the nutrition program and Monjaras and at Cedena. It was pretty much the same as the rest of the days, only way hotter. On the way back we stopped at the beach for a picture or two and then came into town to eat Chinese food...mmm mmm good. We're closing out the week with a nice little adventure to the ruins of Copan. It's going to be a pretty "wicked" sweet bus ride that last about ten hours. Well it's time to start packing so for now, adios amigos.
Loren
Monday was my clinic day with Loren and Kyle. I was able to give my first shot, and I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous. Lexi helped me out and then I was feeling kind of bad about how nervous I was, so she told me that I just needed more practice. Then she pulled out a needle and let me stick her in her hand, and I got the vein on the first try. I was so excited! I'm definately ready for another clinic day, more practice!!! The sad part of today was that we saw a baby (25 days old) with pneumonia. You could tell just from looking that she was really sick. We gave her two nebulizer treatments and then oral rehydration salts and drove her and her mother back down the mountain to the hospital.
This week has been fairly uneventful, although Kyle and I were able to get measured for cowboy boots. This way, on Tuesdays (ranch day) we can actually look the part. Loren, Kyle and I all went to a school on Wednesday with Shelly and played with the kids there for about an hour. It was definately cause to practice my Spanish because we ended up teaching them red rover and duck duck goose. All I have to say about that is that those kids are crazy fast!! I would tag them and literally two seconds later they had caught me! After that the kids had us play hide and go seek, and then jump rope. Tomorrow we head to Copan, I'm psyched about that 10 hour bus ride!!!
This week has been fairly uneventful, although Kyle and I were able to get measured for cowboy boots. This way, on Tuesdays (ranch day) we can actually look the part. Loren, Kyle and I all went to a school on Wednesday with Shelly and played with the kids there for about an hour. It was definately cause to practice my Spanish because we ended up teaching them red rover and duck duck goose. All I have to say about that is that those kids are crazy fast!! I would tag them and literally two seconds later they had caught me! After that the kids had us play hide and go seek, and then jump rope. Tomorrow we head to Copan, I'm psyched about that 10 hour bus ride!!!
First Day at School
Tuesday was the first Day that I was able to go to one of the schools. The school that I was able to go to was the one in San Marcos. School down here is free like it is in the U.S., however, like in the U.S. their are always expenses included. To go to school down here you have to be able to pay for a uniform and school supplies. Many families are not able to afford this, and in turn their kids are not able to go to school. Mission Lazarus saw this problem and has created schools for those kids who could not afford public school. At the Mission Lazarus schools the kids are given two meals, an education, and some love and care.
I arrived at school at 7 am, before most of the kids arrived. In the mornings the teachers meet and have a morning devotional. While I cannot understand what they are singing or saying, I can see the passion in which the praise the lord. School does not start until a little after eight, so I sat and played with the kids until it was time. The second you sit down on the floor next to one of the kids you immediately have 20 kids crawling all over you. Most of them just want to be hugged, or to sit in your lap. At eight the kids line up outside according to their age group, and sing kids worship songs. After this they are led into the kitchen and they are served breakfast. At the schools the kids are given glasses of milk that is from the Cattle on the Mission Lazarus ranch. After breakfast they are led off to their respective class rooms, I was with the kindergarten class. In class they were going over their alphabet, and on Tuesday, how to write the letter "D". After this they drew, and then played games. After playing everyone washed their hands and went off to lunch. This week in Honduras the public schools are out, and so the Mission Lazarus schools are only having half days. So after lunch the kids went outside and played on the playground until their parents came to pick them up. This was probably the best part of the day. On the playground the kids all want you to play with them, at one point all of the swings were full, which is about 15, and all of the kids were shouting "David, Push me" in Spanish. I ended up pushing kids on the swings for about an hour.
So far this has been one of the most rewarding days for me. I am looking forward to next Tuesday when I will be going back to the school.
David
I arrived at school at 7 am, before most of the kids arrived. In the mornings the teachers meet and have a morning devotional. While I cannot understand what they are singing or saying, I can see the passion in which the praise the lord. School does not start until a little after eight, so I sat and played with the kids until it was time. The second you sit down on the floor next to one of the kids you immediately have 20 kids crawling all over you. Most of them just want to be hugged, or to sit in your lap. At eight the kids line up outside according to their age group, and sing kids worship songs. After this they are led into the kitchen and they are served breakfast. At the schools the kids are given glasses of milk that is from the Cattle on the Mission Lazarus ranch. After breakfast they are led off to their respective class rooms, I was with the kindergarten class. In class they were going over their alphabet, and on Tuesday, how to write the letter "D". After this they drew, and then played games. After playing everyone washed their hands and went off to lunch. This week in Honduras the public schools are out, and so the Mission Lazarus schools are only having half days. So after lunch the kids went outside and played on the playground until their parents came to pick them up. This was probably the best part of the day. On the playground the kids all want you to play with them, at one point all of the swings were full, which is about 15, and all of the kids were shouting "David, Push me" in Spanish. I ended up pushing kids on the swings for about an hour.
So far this has been one of the most rewarding days for me. I am looking forward to next Tuesday when I will be going back to the school.
David
Monday, June 9, 2008
Week 2: Introduction to Medicine
I never posted my blog for last week so I'm going to take care of it now. Last week we finally got to get out of the house and get started working. On Monday, Kyle, Katie, and I headed up to the clinic with Javier and the crew. Javier said it was a perfect day because there were so many different types of patients that we would see. There was one patient that I possibly could have gone without seeing. When the blood started flowing, the room started spinning and I knew I had to leave the room. Other than that, it was a great day and a great learning experience. On Tuesday, we worked with the Mayfair group at the village outside of the ranch. Our first patient was an American that somehow busted his head open. After he got sewed up, we started seeing the Honduran patients. I was supposed to educate the patients on how to take their medicine. It was pretty difficult being that my Espanol is still limited but I managed. Our efforts were brought to a halt when it began to pour rain so we had to pack up and leave. We made it to the river and realized we were going to have to hike if we wanted to see the house. We made it back about an hour later but I think that the other interns would agree when I say that it was one of the best days. On Wednesday, we pretty much did the same thing except we were at the coffee plantation. When Thursday rolled around, I headed to San Marcos for the nutrition program with Javier. It was moving to see the work that had been done with the kids and the progress they were making. That afternoon we went to the children's ward with Meredith. It was very different from any hospital I have ever been to in the states. I felt like I was in a hospital that would have been used back in the 50s. On Friday, we got to hang out with a 90 year old guy planting coffee at the Posada. It was quite the workout walking up and down the side of the mountain in the slick mud. We finished and headed down to the casa only to survive another flood shortly after we got there. It wasn't the first and probably won't be the last either. Well that pretty much sums up the events of last week. Being here is still awesome and only getting better everyday. I look forward to the rest of the time here.
Loren
Hurricanes, Mud, and Floods
This past week has been a crazy one. Late last week Honduras had a tropical storm from the Pacific side headed right for it. It hit Honduras late thursday night and into Friday. By the time it went over San Marcos it had become a category one Hurricane. The intern house is seperated from the rest of the ranch by a stream, when heavy rains hit, however, the stream turns into a raging river and nobody is able to cross either way. Because of this we were trapped in our house most of the day friday until late friday night when the river went down enough. During the Rains a TACA (the name of the airline) plane tried to land in tegus and was not able to stop in time, which caused it to run off the end of the runway and into the middle of an intersection. The rains are not, however, totally at fault for this crash. The airport in Tegus is the shortest in the world that major airliners land at. The combination of the storm and the runway are the reason that this tragic accident, which claimed the lives of five, occurred. The Honduran Government has said that they are going to close the airport in Tegus indefinitely, so it will be interesting to see what will come of that.
This past week has been a fun one for me. On Sunday Dr. Lytle, the Dean of the College of Business Administration at ACU, flew in to visit Jarred, but because of the Airport problems in Tegus, he flew into Managua Nicaragua. Jarred asked me and one other intern who is in COBA, to come down with him to pick up Dr. Lytle. This allowed me to visit Nicaragua and to meat Dr. Lytle who I have not met before. During this week I feel like I have really become more aware of the way of life in Honduras. Getting stuck in the mud or trapped behind a river and having to walk back to your destination have become daily activities. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live down here, and to have to deal with these circumstances year round.
David
This past week has been a fun one for me. On Sunday Dr. Lytle, the Dean of the College of Business Administration at ACU, flew in to visit Jarred, but because of the Airport problems in Tegus, he flew into Managua Nicaragua. Jarred asked me and one other intern who is in COBA, to come down with him to pick up Dr. Lytle. This allowed me to visit Nicaragua and to meat Dr. Lytle who I have not met before. During this week I feel like I have really become more aware of the way of life in Honduras. Getting stuck in the mud or trapped behind a river and having to walk back to your destination have become daily activities. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live down here, and to have to deal with these circumstances year round.
David
Friday, June 6, 2008
It Was A Dark and Stormy Afternoon
It keeps raining here. Every day. Usually starting around 3pm, and lasting for 20 minutes to 8 hours. :) It´s the rainy season. I don´t mind. It makes crossing bridges exciting. We interens have had quite a few adventures this week due to the rain, as a matter of fact. Let me tell you more!
On Tuesday, all of the interns travelled to a village in the mountains with a church group that was here from Alabama. We held what they call a ¨medical brigade:¨ providing dental care, eyeglasses, medical care, and a mini-pharmacy for the locals for the day. Just before we finished, the rain began. By the time we got back to the ranch, one of the rivers bordering the ranch had flooded to about Level 4 rapids. The cars couldn´t cross. The church group was able to cross a swinging foot bridge and were picked up on the other side by some other Mission Lazarus workers, who took them to their cabins. We interns, on the other hand, were told that since our house is on the same side of the river as the village, we only needed to hike along the riverbank until we reached the house. It sounded easy enough, even though the rain made things a little - actually, a lot - muddy and slippery. So off we went. After walking 5 minutes along a fairly clear path, we found ourselves forging our way through trees and underbrush along the riverbank. Okay, we can handle that. Then the riverbank ended. The water had risen so much that it covered the remaining ground. We had a choice: to wade through the water until we reached more ground, to scale the sheer rock wall beside us, or to go back. We decided to wade to the next clear spot of riverbank. We prayed. Then we held hands and started into the water. Loren, who was in the lead, took about three steps before he was up to his waist and realized that it would only get deeper. We decided to turn back. We retraced our steps until we were no longer next to a sheer rock wall, but a 60% grade, slippery, vegetation-covered mountainside, and we began to climb. After several minutes of scampering almost on all fours, we reached the top. Yay! We were still in a forest as far as the eye could see, but we could see and hear the river raging down the slope to our left, so we continued to walk. We partly forged our own path, and partly followed the paths made by horses who had wandered through the forest before us. We felt like we were on the right track, as long as we kept encountering horse manure along the way. We walked and walked and hiked and climbed until we reached...a barbed wire fence. Ugh. After scanning for a break in the fence, to no avail, we decide to climb through. Loren and Kyle held apart the two center strings of wire for us ladies to pass through, then they followed. We continued on. We couldn´t see the river any longer, but we could still hear it close to our left. The forest started to get thicker. The ground began to descend. We passed a dozen little waterfalls, and encountered another stream. This one was only a foot or so deep, but the bank was high and slippery. Finally we found a good place to cross, and waded to the opposite bank. Now we needed to climb another small tree-covered hill. As we neared the top, we could see the roof of our house in the distance. We came down the other side of that hill, then up a grassy hill. To a waist-level stone wall. The house was in sight. With two footholds, we were over the wall. We traveled down that hill and up another rise, and found ourselves in the field beside our house. We walked to the end of the field, through the gate, and we were home. It had only taken us one hour. :)
In all seriousness, I think that Tuesday was my favorite day so far. We were able to provide medical care to the people of that village. I helped to fit people for eyeglasses. I made one gentleman laugh for five minutes straight because I told him that he looked handsome in his new sunglasses. Two little girls gave me hugs. And we interns experienced an adventure in survival and finding our way home. This is the best summer ever!
Haley
On Tuesday, all of the interns travelled to a village in the mountains with a church group that was here from Alabama. We held what they call a ¨medical brigade:¨ providing dental care, eyeglasses, medical care, and a mini-pharmacy for the locals for the day. Just before we finished, the rain began. By the time we got back to the ranch, one of the rivers bordering the ranch had flooded to about Level 4 rapids. The cars couldn´t cross. The church group was able to cross a swinging foot bridge and were picked up on the other side by some other Mission Lazarus workers, who took them to their cabins. We interns, on the other hand, were told that since our house is on the same side of the river as the village, we only needed to hike along the riverbank until we reached the house. It sounded easy enough, even though the rain made things a little - actually, a lot - muddy and slippery. So off we went. After walking 5 minutes along a fairly clear path, we found ourselves forging our way through trees and underbrush along the riverbank. Okay, we can handle that. Then the riverbank ended. The water had risen so much that it covered the remaining ground. We had a choice: to wade through the water until we reached more ground, to scale the sheer rock wall beside us, or to go back. We decided to wade to the next clear spot of riverbank. We prayed. Then we held hands and started into the water. Loren, who was in the lead, took about three steps before he was up to his waist and realized that it would only get deeper. We decided to turn back. We retraced our steps until we were no longer next to a sheer rock wall, but a 60% grade, slippery, vegetation-covered mountainside, and we began to climb. After several minutes of scampering almost on all fours, we reached the top. Yay! We were still in a forest as far as the eye could see, but we could see and hear the river raging down the slope to our left, so we continued to walk. We partly forged our own path, and partly followed the paths made by horses who had wandered through the forest before us. We felt like we were on the right track, as long as we kept encountering horse manure along the way. We walked and walked and hiked and climbed until we reached...a barbed wire fence. Ugh. After scanning for a break in the fence, to no avail, we decide to climb through. Loren and Kyle held apart the two center strings of wire for us ladies to pass through, then they followed. We continued on. We couldn´t see the river any longer, but we could still hear it close to our left. The forest started to get thicker. The ground began to descend. We passed a dozen little waterfalls, and encountered another stream. This one was only a foot or so deep, but the bank was high and slippery. Finally we found a good place to cross, and waded to the opposite bank. Now we needed to climb another small tree-covered hill. As we neared the top, we could see the roof of our house in the distance. We came down the other side of that hill, then up a grassy hill. To a waist-level stone wall. The house was in sight. With two footholds, we were over the wall. We traveled down that hill and up another rise, and found ourselves in the field beside our house. We walked to the end of the field, through the gate, and we were home. It had only taken us one hour. :)
In all seriousness, I think that Tuesday was my favorite day so far. We were able to provide medical care to the people of that village. I helped to fit people for eyeglasses. I made one gentleman laugh for five minutes straight because I told him that he looked handsome in his new sunglasses. Two little girls gave me hugs. And we interns experienced an adventure in survival and finding our way home. This is the best summer ever!
Haley
Kyle Week 2.2: The tip of the needle!
I started asking to many questions today in the clinic, and I paid for it. One of the girls that was with me, Jaclyn, had given shots before so Dr. Javier let her give a lady two shots, one in each cheek (not the ones you smile with). I got to watch, but he wouldn't let me give one until Jaclyn showed me how. Afterwards I started asking questions about how to know if the needle hits a blood vein. Javier explained it once to me but when I asked again he smiled and said, "I'll show you!" He walked out of the room and I looked at Jaclyn and said, "I hope he is not going to do what I think he is going to do."
He walked in with a syringe, a cotton swab and a rubber band. I laughed in disbelief.
He tied the rubber band above my elbow, and started swabbing my forearm.
"If you hit a blood vein, it will look like this!" he said, sticking the needle in my arm right into a vein. Sure enough blood came into the syringe, just like it was supposed to.
I still couldn't believe that he had actually stuck me.
And neither could the slack jawed ten year old that had been sitting in the office room watching the entire procedure.
If the doctor stuck an American with a needle who wasn't even sick, what other horrors could be possible?
While Javier was laughing at me putting a band-aid on my arm, I accused him of being a sadist. He speaks English well enough to understand and he countered, "No, I am a masochist!"
Sure enough when all of the patients for the day were finished, he owned up and let me do the same thing to him, talking me through the entire process of drawing blood.
It was pretty awesome. I found the vein first try. Nailed it. Drew a few milliliters of blood and pulled it out.
Only outside of America, could things like this happen. Unbelieveable. Interns, giving shots, volunteering themselves to be stuck, drawing blood from the doctor himself!
I'm loving it. Hope this doesn't get anyone in trouble.
He walked in with a syringe, a cotton swab and a rubber band. I laughed in disbelief.
He tied the rubber band above my elbow, and started swabbing my forearm.
"If you hit a blood vein, it will look like this!" he said, sticking the needle in my arm right into a vein. Sure enough blood came into the syringe, just like it was supposed to.
I still couldn't believe that he had actually stuck me.
And neither could the slack jawed ten year old that had been sitting in the office room watching the entire procedure.
If the doctor stuck an American with a needle who wasn't even sick, what other horrors could be possible?
While Javier was laughing at me putting a band-aid on my arm, I accused him of being a sadist. He speaks English well enough to understand and he countered, "No, I am a masochist!"
Sure enough when all of the patients for the day were finished, he owned up and let me do the same thing to him, talking me through the entire process of drawing blood.
It was pretty awesome. I found the vein first try. Nailed it. Drew a few milliliters of blood and pulled it out.
Only outside of America, could things like this happen. Unbelieveable. Interns, giving shots, volunteering themselves to be stuck, drawing blood from the doctor himself!
I'm loving it. Hope this doesn't get anyone in trouble.
Adventures with the interns!
It's my second week here and I did medical work all this week. I don't know a lot of spanish, but we had a medical brigade here this week and I was able to work with a Spanish teacher from the states to take patient histories. Let me just say that my Spanish dramatically improved!! I think the coolest thing that happened to me was when I stepped out of my comfort zone and went over to talk with a man. He was trying to teach me the spanish alphabet, and then we just started talking. He told me about how he has a car for work, and I told him about what I liked to do in the states. It was my first coversation in spanish and I loved it.
Then when it was time to leave on Tuesday, it started pouring rain. The only problem was that we had to cross a river twice to get to the intern house. We got to the river and Chad said that we couldn't cross it, so the interns had to walk home. This was quite the adventure since the main trail that led to the house was flooded we had to find our own way in the rain. It was a blast and teh scenery was spectactular. I really think that it was a blessing that we couldn't drive home, because instead we got to trek through the woods and by a waterfall for about an hour. Of course, then we got to our house and it was flooded, so yet another adventure began when we began to sweep the water out with brooms. Life is never dull on the ranch or at the clinic!!
-Katie
Then when it was time to leave on Tuesday, it started pouring rain. The only problem was that we had to cross a river twice to get to the intern house. We got to the river and Chad said that we couldn't cross it, so the interns had to walk home. This was quite the adventure since the main trail that led to the house was flooded we had to find our own way in the rain. It was a blast and teh scenery was spectactular. I really think that it was a blessing that we couldn't drive home, because instead we got to trek through the woods and by a waterfall for about an hour. Of course, then we got to our house and it was flooded, so yet another adventure began when we began to sweep the water out with brooms. Life is never dull on the ranch or at the clinic!!
-Katie
A whale of a week
SO much has happened since the last entry. Friday was supposed to be our first day out however hurricane emma put our world on hold. We stayed in the house all day and got a little stir crazy. On Saturday-it rained. Sunday was a bad day for me...I had a fever all day and when Meredith finally took it it was 104. I felt real bad to say the least...that night things continued to get worse in other areas. So I was stuck in the house again on Monday. Besides feeling like death I was frustrated that I didn´t get to get out. That night we went to the Pasada for dinner with the Mayfair group and I debated going until the last minute and am so glad I did. It was a turning point. Tues and Wed we went on a medical brigade with the Mayfair group. It was very good getting to know them and work with them. Yesterday I helped plant coffee plants on the side of the mountain by the Pasada. I haven´t gotten that dirty in a long time and it was awesome. And today I got to go to the clinic. Javier is great! I felt like I learned so much and got to do a lot (I gave two shots) So that gives a overview...but leaves out things like the Mayfair group feeding us, our house flooding twice, me breaking into our house because the door wouldnt open, crossing the rivers, not crossing the rivers, the interns hour hike in the rain crossing rivers just to get back to the house, whales, morning mix 08, countless stories in the house and in el jefe. Life is good and God is better.
Jaclyn
Jaclyn
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Kyle Week Two
A friend asked me if I had seen anything crazy in Honduras...
crazy: check
sicknasty: check
almost gagged: yep
touched something Id rather not think about: YES
got left: twice
felt stupid: never stops
forgot TP: never again
faked spanish: always
laughed to tears: yes
got dirty: quit caring
made friends: favorite part
got used to waking up at 5: strangely
couldnt stay up past 10: sadly
felt God moving: often
understood Jesus: daily
wanted to go home: not yet
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