6.25.10

I wish that I had internet access so at least I could post to my blog, but that isn't the case. Hopefully on sunday I'll be able to hook up to the internet and load my stuff on the blog.
Well, we made it to the compound. The ride was very long and we had to leave very early. Except, because it took us so long to load all the luggage we didn't leave until 8am (we were supposed to leave at 6). The poor bus drivers were soaked in sweat trying to get all our luggage on top - and it was weighing the bus down like crazy!!! Another driver on our ride even honked at our driver and pointed to the back tires. They weren't flat, just smushed. Haha. Some of our luggage ended up on the bus with us, which made it extra cramped. We have 21 people with USF and then 2 bus drivers, plus all the luggage that couldn't fit on the roof. The picture of the bus I have kind of reminds me of the sleigh in 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' when it's just stacked really high and all precariously perched.
I'm convinced I was so tired because of the Bonine I took. It's supposedly an antiemetic that doesn't make you drowsy. But, I really don't think that's true. Once we were on the bus I was out. I slept the entire way (8 hours), when we got here for 3 hours, and then went to bed at 10 and slept until 7 this morning. There's no way it wasn't the meds - even though my family probably disagrees. They think all I do is sleep. :)
We stopped 3 times on our trip. Once to get gas, once to go to the bathroom, and once to eat. The time we stopped for food, we stopped at what looked like a gas station. And on the corner, instead of a store there was this huge open covered area that had tables, and a huge buffet line. The ladies behind the counter were very nice, and of course, only spoke espanol. Katie and I had chicken sandwiches from our lunch the day before, so we both just got rice. I wanted veggies - but they are pretty much non-existent in this country. So, I got arroz combinacion. It had chicken in it and some cilantro - it was good. I'm glad I didn't get the white rice. One of my colleages is really sick because of the white rice she had there.
The compound we're staying on is huge. It's thick and you can't see anything beyond the path you're walking because of the jungle-like feel. There are outdoor classrooms with bars all around, and they have their own farm with gardens and animals. They also have a very elaborate water filtration system. So, we can drink the water here! Yay! We can't drink any of the water that's in the bathroom though - so not in the showers or in the sink. You have to brush your teeth with the water fountain water. No complaints here! At least we have water.
When we first arrived, it was the hottest part of the day - so we all thought the stay was going to be miserable, but it's not. It's definitely humid and from 11-5 it's good-grief hot, but the mornings are nice. And the cold showers at night cool you off in a hurry. We're talking cold too. Mucho frio! Take your breath away cold. I haven't had a warm shower since I came to this country actually. But, I'm not complaining. I'm glad to have running water, which is more than I can say for all the people living in the communities here.
Today was our first day of actually doing nurseish things. We got up at 6:45 or so and got ready, breakfast was at 7 and we had meetings until about 10 or so.
Profesora Lordes is the lady coordinating our work in the clinics. She is so nice and I have yet to see her without makeup, a huge fashionable purse, and heels on - even in this ridiculous heat. :) I can understand her spanish perfectly. I dont grab every word, but I can completely communicate with her no problem. (She speaks very little english by the way). I'm actually surprised at how much Spanish I understand and even can speak. Random vocab words from high school pop into my head all the time. I have a feeling my family will get very annoyed with my random spanish words. Anyway, La Profesora introduced us to an epidemiologist that works with the Ngobe/Bugle tribes. Unfortunately his statistics are hardly resourceful - seeing as they are from 2005 and most only represent patients who sought care. For example, the research stated that 22 people had HIV. But that's 22 people out of people who sought treatment for something that would cause them to test for HIV. They aren't just testing for that randomly. Basically it's not representative of the population - and therefore, extremely unreliable. So, for those of us who sought comfort in the idea that no one had HIV - yeah, no.
We separated into our groups - we were visiting 3 different communities. I was with a group of 10 other students, my main director Doctora Cadena, Profesora Lordes, and 3 interpreters. The interpreters speak Spanish, Ngobe/Bugle, and some english. Enough to communicate a little bit. Their Spanish is very hard to understand right along with their english. We went out into this little community to conduct surveys regarding domestic violence and alcoholism. The community leaders have seen a rise in both, and wanted someone to do a study. So, we volunteered. It's a 168 pregunta survey asking all kinds of personal questions. It was uncomfortable for all parties I think. These women are definitely at risk - but I don't think they realize. Just to give you an idea, all the women we spoke with were beaten at some point in their relationships, all got worse during a pregnancy, and all their spouses were involved with other women during their relationship with that women (some even had children by other women). Some reported feeling depressed and other reported wanting to commit suicide. The hardest part was walking and giving them only the number and location of la clinica up the road. And the name of a mental health nurse.
The extreme poverty these people live is hard to fathom. They don't really even have houses. They have sticks tied together with tin roofs - or some have tarps over top. It's very hilly where they were so the houses kind of go up the sides of the hills, but they're very close together. Horses, chickens, dogs, cats: they all roam freely. All the animals are stick thin - esp the horses. The houses are sized based on how many people live in them, obviously. The first house we went into was probably the size of my room. It housed 3 women and 6 children. It had planked wood stacked up on other wood as beds. There was one tattered hammock and strings that were strung across the room to hang up their belongings. The clothes they have were dirty and tattered. There is no running water to do any laundry, let alone wash your hands. The walkways, when it rains turn into rivers - literally. Big enough that you can't cross them without some form of a bridge, like a fallen tree or something. It's slippery and gross.
The children are adorable, unfortunately a lot of their abdomens are distended because of worm infestations. Some little boys run around with loincloth looking things on. We call them Mogleys (little boy from the Jungle Book).
The women wear traditional dresses that are short sleeved, and to the floor. Their uni-colored with trim on the sleeves and around their hips. A lot of them were wearing off-brand crocs, which I thought was funny. The kids love having their picture taken - and when you flip the camera around and see themselves, they go crazy. :) It makes you laugh.
I think most of us were very humbled to come back to the compound, to a housing facility we probably had complained about before. Yes, it's hot, but it's not rank smelling inside. Yes, we have cold showers, but at least we have soap. And yes, maybe the food is different, but it's usually warm, and we don't have to worry that it's infested with worms.
Because this is the first trip USF has taken this far out into the jungle, we weren't really sure what we were getting into - and we definitely weren't prepared for what we're seeing. There was obvious opportunity for collecting donations for these people. They need clothes, shoes, toys for the kids. They need so much, and I feel like, because we were ill-prepared, we have nothing to offer them.
That's all for now - it's already an extremely long post.
Some staggering statistics: there are 2 doctors per 10,000 people. And one dentist and one nurse per 20,000 people. The leading cause of death is diarrhea.
I'm thinking of all the wonderful things waiting for me in the states and I am truly thankful to be an American - and to have been born to such priviledge. I miss you, Mommy. :) I have a request for asparagus, salad, and broccoli all in one meal when I get home. Kthanks.

So long from the oogly, boogly jungle (pronounced: hoonglah en espanol). Say that 10 times fast! :)