The sermon I listened to this Sunday stemmed from James 4. I've been thinking about it this week...
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners' and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."
9.09.2010
7.26.2010
That's me!
I knew it! I just knew it!
I knew I wouldn't blog very much when I got home. I knew it!
Truth is... I don't have very many exciting things to talk about. I spend my days at the pool, teaching swim lessons. When I have the day off I usually end up there laying out. And then there are our staff meeting/in-services, that, once again, land me at the Y. Needless to say... I live there now.
I've stayed really busy this past week (yes, laying by the pool, but there were other activities as well)! I caught up with some friends, had several lunch dates and even got to take Sydney to the movies. We saw Ramona and Beezus - very cute movie for anyone who read the books! Reminded me of my childhood and my mom reading me Ramona the Brave! :)
I'm ready for school to start. I'm ready to get back into the swing of a job, and classes, and all the people I've been missing. There will be lots of parties and back to school events that are always fun. Very ready.
That's me!
I knew I wouldn't blog very much when I got home. I knew it!
Truth is... I don't have very many exciting things to talk about. I spend my days at the pool, teaching swim lessons. When I have the day off I usually end up there laying out. And then there are our staff meeting/in-services, that, once again, land me at the Y. Needless to say... I live there now.
I've stayed really busy this past week (yes, laying by the pool, but there were other activities as well)! I caught up with some friends, had several lunch dates and even got to take Sydney to the movies. We saw Ramona and Beezus - very cute movie for anyone who read the books! Reminded me of my childhood and my mom reading me Ramona the Brave! :)
I'm ready for school to start. I'm ready to get back into the swing of a job, and classes, and all the people I've been missing. There will be lots of parties and back to school events that are always fun. Very ready.
That's me!
7.19.2010
Home
Yeah, so it feels weird being home.
I thought I was going to feel a physical rush of relief as we landed on US soil... not really. I thought I was going to like being home... nah. I thought I was going to love not having Spanish all around me... not so much.
The first few days were hard for me actually. I just wanted to lay around. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to be alone.
I talked to Katie the next day:
Katie: I feel weird.
Morgan: I know, me too. I feel sort of blah.
Katie: Yeah, it's like I don't want to be around anyone, but I don't want to be alone either.
Morgan: Exactly how I feel.
Katie: Ya know, sometimes we're one in the same. :)
She explained it so well. I was depressed. I think the bottom line is that I grew close to my nursing buddies on the trip. We experienced things together that not everyone will understand or be able to appreciate. We bonded. We talked. We learned about a new culture and submersed ourselves in it. We became community health nurses. We saw the needs of a community and strove to meet them.
So, yeah, I'm glad to be home, but Panama is still on my mind.
I thought I was going to feel a physical rush of relief as we landed on US soil... not really. I thought I was going to like being home... nah. I thought I was going to love not having Spanish all around me... not so much.
The first few days were hard for me actually. I just wanted to lay around. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to be alone.
I talked to Katie the next day:
Katie: I feel weird.
Morgan: I know, me too. I feel sort of blah.
Katie: Yeah, it's like I don't want to be around anyone, but I don't want to be alone either.
Morgan: Exactly how I feel.
Katie: Ya know, sometimes we're one in the same. :)
She explained it so well. I was depressed. I think the bottom line is that I grew close to my nursing buddies on the trip. We experienced things together that not everyone will understand or be able to appreciate. We bonded. We talked. We learned about a new culture and submersed ourselves in it. We became community health nurses. We saw the needs of a community and strove to meet them.
So, yeah, I'm glad to be home, but Panama is still on my mind.
7.11.2010
7.9.2010
I definitely didn't think these last few days in Panama City were going to be any kind of fun, but they have been!
On Thursday we went to the YMCA where all the local people set up stands to sell things. I had a few gifts to buy, but I was disappointed because everything was so touristy. It all said Panama all over it. Haha. Guess I'm not the typical tourist. We spent like 3-4 hours there. I wanted to leave the whole time because I wasn't feeling well, but I managed to find a few things.
After we were done shopping, our dear bus driver, Dario, drove us to The Causeway for more shopping and food. Dario must think all we do is eat and shop - we stopped at shops and food markets easily once a day. :) We love to eat.
The causeway was gorgeous! You could see mountains in the background, then the huge high rises in downtown, and then the water and boats. Muy bonita! There were tons of ships in the distance too, waiting to enter the canal. We walked through the shops a little bit, and while everyone else ate lunch (Katie and I had pbjs cause we were tired of spending money on food) we walked the length of the causeway and found an amazing froyo place. We had coco froyo. Wow - it was so good.
We all came back and chilled out for a few hours... ate dinner. There was talk that some people wanted to go out (we did have 2 birthdays during the trip), and I didn't really want to, but I knew if I didn't I would regret it. We had a blast! I'm so glad I went. We all got dressed up and went to some salsa bars to practice the salsa we learned at our salsa class. ;) There was one place that was playing English music too, but it was only like 4 songs and then it was back to Spanish. Haha. A blast. I didn't go to bed until like 4am.
There are certain members among our party (who shall remain nameless) who are very demanding. If they don't want to do something - we don't do it. If they do want to do something - we do it. Very frustrating. But, you'll be happy/surprised to know that I practiced patience the entire trip and didn't say one word. :)
In any case, the said party wanted to get up early to go to the mall - so we did.. even after our late night. The mall was ridiculously huge. It was about 4x the size of international mall - easily 6-7 times the size of the Ocala mall. There were 4 major food courts... with 20 resturants a piece. Poor Katie and I got lost and she almost had a panick attack. We kept going around in circles and couldn't find a way to the other side of the mall. By the time we made it out of section D it was almost time to leave. Oops. And every time we would try and go up or down on the escalators they were always going in the opposite direction than we needed. If we were trying to go down, they would be going up, and vice versa. It was terrible. I felt like I was stuck in a weird dream - and everyone was speaking Spanish. BTW: ordering Subway in Spanish - es muy dificil. Between getting lost and eating a sandwich that wasn't what I wanted... I was ready to leave. To top it all off, Katie and I found NOTHING we liked. Absolutely nothing. We did buy $1.50 world cup shirts though. :D
We got back at about 5:30 or so and had to rush and get ready for dinner. When we first got to Panama City we had a welcome-to-Panama dinner. So, when we got back, we had a so-long-Panama dinner. :) We went to a dinner theater type restaurant where they danced all the traditional dances for you. Per usual, the menu was in Spanish, and a lot of the stuff I didn't recognize. So, I ordered the thing I did recognize: filet mignon. Unfortunately, it was no bueno. :/ And since I haven't had red meat in weeks - it made me sick. :/ It was nice for all of us to get dressed up and hang out all together though. We got Dr. Cadena a Panama shirt and on the back we wrote: "We couldn't have survived the jungle without you!" and all signed it. It turned out really cute - and she loved it!
I kinda wished we got to see all the dances at the beginning of the trip because they explained to us all the pieces of the formal dress, and the costumes they wear. There were several shops that sold dolls dressed up like the dancers, etc, but I didn't buy any because I didn't know what their significance was. Oh, well. The dancing was really cool. It was very sensual, per the typical latin-ish dance, and the boys were Cuuuuute. :) There was a live band singing and playing for us - they were awesome too!
Towards the end of the show the dancers came out into the audience to choose partners to dance with them. All the dancers chose partners; I was so relieved I didn't get picked. :) Then I felt a tap on my shoulder... Profesora Lordes (who also joined us for dinner) told one of the dancers to come get me. She makes me laugh. I did my best... pulled my best salsa/merengue moves. :) I told the guy: "I don't know what to do!" and he gave me a thumbs up. There's video of it, but I won't bore you. ;)
It was another late night, and I hadn't packed yet. We got home at 11 and Katie's and my room was a mess. Per usual. We stayed up until 1:30am trying to get everything packed and semi-organized. I tried to fit everything in one suitcase, but I was just too tired to try very hard. Good thing I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it cause my larger bag was 54lbs. I had to pull out some books and toiletries and stuff them in my other bag to get it back under weight. I wasn't about to pay $50 dollars for 4 lbs.
I'm surprised the entire traveling situation wasn't more chaotic with 22 people flying together... but it never has been. Everything went smoothly getting through security, so Katie and I went on a search for coffee. :) We wanted to go back to the little cafe shop we went to at the beginning of the trip at Cuidad del Saber before we left for the airport, but it didn't work out. Dunkin Donuts was the next best thing. Once again, ordering Spanish. It's so much harder than you think it will be. There's a lot of pointing and "no!". Haha.
The flight to Miami was rough. I thought I was going throw-up the entire 3 hours. Miserable. But, we made it here. Katie and I grabbed our bags and went through security on our own. We ended up going to the wrong gate though, so we had to backtrack. Oops. Both of us were on the phone and just following the crowd. It worked out though, because we got away from the group. We were needing a break. :) Our first American dinner? Chinese food. Haha. It wasn't that good, but at least it wasn't rice. Ironically... we both got pollo.
Getting through customs was no issue. And the passport guy even spoke English to me. What a concept! I told him how happy that made me and he just smiled and said: "You'll feel like you're back in Panama when you get downstairs!" Sure enough, I did. Everything's in Spanish.
Katie and I are just hanging out now... probably going to play cards or something.
It feels good to be back stateside!
P.S. When we could see Miami out the window we started singing 'God Bless America'. We're so patriotic!
On Thursday we went to the YMCA where all the local people set up stands to sell things. I had a few gifts to buy, but I was disappointed because everything was so touristy. It all said Panama all over it. Haha. Guess I'm not the typical tourist. We spent like 3-4 hours there. I wanted to leave the whole time because I wasn't feeling well, but I managed to find a few things.
After we were done shopping, our dear bus driver, Dario, drove us to The Causeway for more shopping and food. Dario must think all we do is eat and shop - we stopped at shops and food markets easily once a day. :) We love to eat.
The causeway was gorgeous! You could see mountains in the background, then the huge high rises in downtown, and then the water and boats. Muy bonita! There were tons of ships in the distance too, waiting to enter the canal. We walked through the shops a little bit, and while everyone else ate lunch (Katie and I had pbjs cause we were tired of spending money on food) we walked the length of the causeway and found an amazing froyo place. We had coco froyo. Wow - it was so good.
We all came back and chilled out for a few hours... ate dinner. There was talk that some people wanted to go out (we did have 2 birthdays during the trip), and I didn't really want to, but I knew if I didn't I would regret it. We had a blast! I'm so glad I went. We all got dressed up and went to some salsa bars to practice the salsa we learned at our salsa class. ;) There was one place that was playing English music too, but it was only like 4 songs and then it was back to Spanish. Haha. A blast. I didn't go to bed until like 4am.
There are certain members among our party (who shall remain nameless) who are very demanding. If they don't want to do something - we don't do it. If they do want to do something - we do it. Very frustrating. But, you'll be happy/surprised to know that I practiced patience the entire trip and didn't say one word. :)
In any case, the said party wanted to get up early to go to the mall - so we did.. even after our late night. The mall was ridiculously huge. It was about 4x the size of international mall - easily 6-7 times the size of the Ocala mall. There were 4 major food courts... with 20 resturants a piece. Poor Katie and I got lost and she almost had a panick attack. We kept going around in circles and couldn't find a way to the other side of the mall. By the time we made it out of section D it was almost time to leave. Oops. And every time we would try and go up or down on the escalators they were always going in the opposite direction than we needed. If we were trying to go down, they would be going up, and vice versa. It was terrible. I felt like I was stuck in a weird dream - and everyone was speaking Spanish. BTW: ordering Subway in Spanish - es muy dificil. Between getting lost and eating a sandwich that wasn't what I wanted... I was ready to leave. To top it all off, Katie and I found NOTHING we liked. Absolutely nothing. We did buy $1.50 world cup shirts though. :D
We got back at about 5:30 or so and had to rush and get ready for dinner. When we first got to Panama City we had a welcome-to-Panama dinner. So, when we got back, we had a so-long-Panama dinner. :) We went to a dinner theater type restaurant where they danced all the traditional dances for you. Per usual, the menu was in Spanish, and a lot of the stuff I didn't recognize. So, I ordered the thing I did recognize: filet mignon. Unfortunately, it was no bueno. :/ And since I haven't had red meat in weeks - it made me sick. :/ It was nice for all of us to get dressed up and hang out all together though. We got Dr. Cadena a Panama shirt and on the back we wrote: "We couldn't have survived the jungle without you!" and all signed it. It turned out really cute - and she loved it!
I kinda wished we got to see all the dances at the beginning of the trip because they explained to us all the pieces of the formal dress, and the costumes they wear. There were several shops that sold dolls dressed up like the dancers, etc, but I didn't buy any because I didn't know what their significance was. Oh, well. The dancing was really cool. It was very sensual, per the typical latin-ish dance, and the boys were Cuuuuute. :) There was a live band singing and playing for us - they were awesome too!
Towards the end of the show the dancers came out into the audience to choose partners to dance with them. All the dancers chose partners; I was so relieved I didn't get picked. :) Then I felt a tap on my shoulder... Profesora Lordes (who also joined us for dinner) told one of the dancers to come get me. She makes me laugh. I did my best... pulled my best salsa/merengue moves. :) I told the guy: "I don't know what to do!" and he gave me a thumbs up. There's video of it, but I won't bore you. ;)
It was another late night, and I hadn't packed yet. We got home at 11 and Katie's and my room was a mess. Per usual. We stayed up until 1:30am trying to get everything packed and semi-organized. I tried to fit everything in one suitcase, but I was just too tired to try very hard. Good thing I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it cause my larger bag was 54lbs. I had to pull out some books and toiletries and stuff them in my other bag to get it back under weight. I wasn't about to pay $50 dollars for 4 lbs.
I'm surprised the entire traveling situation wasn't more chaotic with 22 people flying together... but it never has been. Everything went smoothly getting through security, so Katie and I went on a search for coffee. :) We wanted to go back to the little cafe shop we went to at the beginning of the trip at Cuidad del Saber before we left for the airport, but it didn't work out. Dunkin Donuts was the next best thing. Once again, ordering Spanish. It's so much harder than you think it will be. There's a lot of pointing and "no!". Haha.
The flight to Miami was rough. I thought I was going throw-up the entire 3 hours. Miserable. But, we made it here. Katie and I grabbed our bags and went through security on our own. We ended up going to the wrong gate though, so we had to backtrack. Oops. Both of us were on the phone and just following the crowd. It worked out though, because we got away from the group. We were needing a break. :) Our first American dinner? Chinese food. Haha. It wasn't that good, but at least it wasn't rice. Ironically... we both got pollo.
Getting through customs was no issue. And the passport guy even spoke English to me. What a concept! I told him how happy that made me and he just smiled and said: "You'll feel like you're back in Panama when you get downstairs!" Sure enough, I did. Everything's in Spanish.
Katie and I are just hanging out now... probably going to play cards or something.
It feels good to be back stateside!
P.S. When we could see Miami out the window we started singing 'God Bless America'. We're so patriotic!
7.07.2010
7.6.2010
Last day in San Felix!! We're all so glad to be leaving. No more trickling showers. No more creepy men standing outside our bathroom trying to look inside. No more wearing shoes every waking moment of every day. No applying bugspray immediately following a shower. No more sharing a room with 15 other people. No mas! No mas! No mas!
We leave for Panama City - and the city of knowledge - tomorrow morning, hopefully by 9am. We're always a little late (due primarily to our faculty), so we'll see if that actually happens. ;)
Today was another sort of boring day. Our final presentations were due at 9am - when we had to present to the health staff here in La Comarca. The nurses and some of the doctors we had been working with at the clinics in Alto Caballero, Soloy, and Hato Juli were present. My group was the environment and health portion of our trip. We basically talked about the different things we saw. We pointed out positive things we saw (like health promotion for TB and malaria) and negative things too (like biohazardous waste being dumped into holes in the ground). For our particular topics, it was hard not to be negative because most of what we saw were not good, healthy practices. Thankfully, none of this was news to these health officials. We made sure to point out issues that America shared with them. For instance, we discussed litter and trash here. No matter where you go, litter is everywhere. In the urban areas, in the rural areas... It doesn't matter. We shared with them that litter is a problem in the states too - and if you're caught littering - you have to pay a fine.
The other groups were 'the nurses role in the community,' 'school visits,' and 'Survey statistics.' The other groups summarized those very things. Because one of the main reasons for our visit was to conduct the domestic violence surveys, the health officials were interested primarily in the prelimenary statistics that were presented. They were very thankful that we came and for all our efforts. We're hopeful that the next trip will be more organized, and the students will be more prepared and they are too.
The presentations took about 3 hours - so it was lunch time after that. The health officials and our translators (that we worked with the first week) stayed for lunch and were presented with certificates of thanks from USF Health. It was a nice gesture, I thought. Lunch was.... Drum roll please.... Chicken and rice!!! A big thing here is to serve white rice, chicken and baked beans. It sounds a little gross, but I've grown accustomed to it. It makes the rice go down a little easier. Haha.
After lunch we left for the UNACHI (the university of Chiriqui) for a formal welcome from their faculty and a tour of the campus. The school was part of the university of Panama for years, but they've since become their own entity - completely independent. The college of nursing is only about 12 years old - total they've had 340 graduates. One of the faculty told us that there are only 60 students admitted each year. They have two classrooms for nursing classes, and a very small lab. The lab consisted of a table, some books, and maybe some sample NG tubes and such to practice with. There were no mannequins, or dummys like we have at USF. Profesora Lordes told the faculty about our simulation lab - and they were just in awe of what she was saying. Our dummies can birth babies... it's pretty neat!
This was the first time USF and Profesora Lordes (who works with the university of Panama) had any type of formal meeting with UNACHI - so it was cool to be a part of it. They are very receptive to accomodating more students next summer and it being more of a partnership with their school. We didn't really know about them until this last week. So, we didn't work with their students at all. They started discussing how our trips would benefit them, and I hope there will be opportunity and funds to support some of their students coming to USF to study. They would be amazed!
Because Dr. Cadena is good with money and budgeting, we had enough money for us all to go to dinner tonight. We chose TGIF, which was one of the only American restuarants that we saw in David. It was fantastic. I had real diet coke (I have pictures of the experience), and pasta. It was lovely. They even had wifi, so I was able to get online for a bit.
Katie and I made some coffee when we finally got back to the compound - and we spent some time talking about how the trip has affected us and how we think it will change (or has changed) who we are...
Amanda brought up earlier that we get to leave... we get to leave the poverty and sickness behind. We get to leave the dirty water and lack of electricty behind. We leave the domestic violence behind. These people stay. Their children stay. What did we really do to help them?
Unfortunately, with how politics plays such a role in health care - though it really shouldn't be that way - there will be no immediate change. The soap we handed out will be gone by next week... so will the toothpaste. The shoes and clothes and shampoo we're leaving will hopefully be useful... for a while. And the research we did? If it results in some policy changes, we won't see it for another 7-10 years. And that's just the policy changes... that doesn't include the actual implementation of the new policies.
It's a little bit sobering to realize those things. I hope USF has more opportunities in the future to be apart of improving health care here in Panama - especially in the Comarca among the Ngobe Bugle.
I would come again in a heartbeat. Even with cold showers, constant shoe and bugspray wearing, and even with sharing a room and bathroom with 15 other girls for 3 weeks. God brought me here for a reason - and one of the biggest reasons, I think, was to show me my own sinful and selfish heart. I hope I don't forget...
We leave for Panama City - and the city of knowledge - tomorrow morning, hopefully by 9am. We're always a little late (due primarily to our faculty), so we'll see if that actually happens. ;)
Today was another sort of boring day. Our final presentations were due at 9am - when we had to present to the health staff here in La Comarca. The nurses and some of the doctors we had been working with at the clinics in Alto Caballero, Soloy, and Hato Juli were present. My group was the environment and health portion of our trip. We basically talked about the different things we saw. We pointed out positive things we saw (like health promotion for TB and malaria) and negative things too (like biohazardous waste being dumped into holes in the ground). For our particular topics, it was hard not to be negative because most of what we saw were not good, healthy practices. Thankfully, none of this was news to these health officials. We made sure to point out issues that America shared with them. For instance, we discussed litter and trash here. No matter where you go, litter is everywhere. In the urban areas, in the rural areas... It doesn't matter. We shared with them that litter is a problem in the states too - and if you're caught littering - you have to pay a fine.
The other groups were 'the nurses role in the community,' 'school visits,' and 'Survey statistics.' The other groups summarized those very things. Because one of the main reasons for our visit was to conduct the domestic violence surveys, the health officials were interested primarily in the prelimenary statistics that were presented. They were very thankful that we came and for all our efforts. We're hopeful that the next trip will be more organized, and the students will be more prepared and they are too.
The presentations took about 3 hours - so it was lunch time after that. The health officials and our translators (that we worked with the first week) stayed for lunch and were presented with certificates of thanks from USF Health. It was a nice gesture, I thought. Lunch was.... Drum roll please.... Chicken and rice!!! A big thing here is to serve white rice, chicken and baked beans. It sounds a little gross, but I've grown accustomed to it. It makes the rice go down a little easier. Haha.
After lunch we left for the UNACHI (the university of Chiriqui) for a formal welcome from their faculty and a tour of the campus. The school was part of the university of Panama for years, but they've since become their own entity - completely independent. The college of nursing is only about 12 years old - total they've had 340 graduates. One of the faculty told us that there are only 60 students admitted each year. They have two classrooms for nursing classes, and a very small lab. The lab consisted of a table, some books, and maybe some sample NG tubes and such to practice with. There were no mannequins, or dummys like we have at USF. Profesora Lordes told the faculty about our simulation lab - and they were just in awe of what she was saying. Our dummies can birth babies... it's pretty neat!
This was the first time USF and Profesora Lordes (who works with the university of Panama) had any type of formal meeting with UNACHI - so it was cool to be a part of it. They are very receptive to accomodating more students next summer and it being more of a partnership with their school. We didn't really know about them until this last week. So, we didn't work with their students at all. They started discussing how our trips would benefit them, and I hope there will be opportunity and funds to support some of their students coming to USF to study. They would be amazed!
Because Dr. Cadena is good with money and budgeting, we had enough money for us all to go to dinner tonight. We chose TGIF, which was one of the only American restuarants that we saw in David. It was fantastic. I had real diet coke (I have pictures of the experience), and pasta. It was lovely. They even had wifi, so I was able to get online for a bit.
Katie and I made some coffee when we finally got back to the compound - and we spent some time talking about how the trip has affected us and how we think it will change (or has changed) who we are...
Amanda brought up earlier that we get to leave... we get to leave the poverty and sickness behind. We get to leave the dirty water and lack of electricty behind. We leave the domestic violence behind. These people stay. Their children stay. What did we really do to help them?
Unfortunately, with how politics plays such a role in health care - though it really shouldn't be that way - there will be no immediate change. The soap we handed out will be gone by next week... so will the toothpaste. The shoes and clothes and shampoo we're leaving will hopefully be useful... for a while. And the research we did? If it results in some policy changes, we won't see it for another 7-10 years. And that's just the policy changes... that doesn't include the actual implementation of the new policies.
It's a little bit sobering to realize those things. I hope USF has more opportunities in the future to be apart of improving health care here in Panama - especially in the Comarca among the Ngobe Bugle.
I would come again in a heartbeat. Even with cold showers, constant shoe and bugspray wearing, and even with sharing a room and bathroom with 15 other girls for 3 weeks. God brought me here for a reason - and one of the biggest reasons, I think, was to show me my own sinful and selfish heart. I hope I don't forget...
7.05.2010
7.5.2010
I think today was my least favorite day of the whole trip. Botanical gardens sounds so exotic. Yeah, not in the oogly boogly jungle. I got to sleep in until like 7am this morning... such a treat. :) I didn't shower after we got back from Boqete, so I hopped in this morning. It was freezing! I attempted to shave my legs, and it worked at first... and then i got goosebumps. So long smooth legs. We've all given up on trying to be girly and pretty. As soon as you walk outside you look and feel nasty.
Our dress code changes on a daily basis, and today was walking shorts and polos with tennis shoes. Well, after that hike, my right foot doesn't fit into my shoes anymore. So, I wore flip flops to the gardens,. It didn't work out very well, but there's was nothing I could do. The mud was extremely slippery and the hike was almost 2 miles from the road. I wish I could say that the plants and flowers were worth the hike and it was fun... not so much.
When we got there we were introduced to the doctors and midwives that ran the whole thing. Then we had to hike up a giant hill just to look at some plants that looked the same as all the other plants. It's not like a garden in the US. The plants are on a hill amongst every other plant that grows there... weeds included.
After a trip all the way around the village we went to the meeting house, which is basically just a covered cement slab. Thankfully, they had plastic chairs for us to sit in. The next hour was filled with a Spanish doctor talking about how great he was... in Spanish. I stopped listening very early on; it was incredibly boring. As soon as he finished talking we all clapped, took a picture, and took off running to the bus. It rains every day starting from noon on, and I was not about to get rained on for the second day in a row. I was running out of clean dry clothes.
On the way back to the bus two twin brothers came up to me and started walking next to me. One reached out and grabbed my hand - Jose and Monerto. I eventually had to tear my hand away so they wouldn't try and get on the bus with us. Then it was back across the rickety old swing bridge. It was probably about 50 yards across and felt like it could fall at any moment. Then, when the people behind you start walking - the whole things bounces and you're sure you're going to fall off. Ew. I didn't like that.
We made it to the bus without getting wet - and then it was back to the compound to listen to a lecture from El Padre that runs this joint. On our way back to the bus Jim (one of our faculty) fell in the mud. When he got back to the bus he looked at his arm that he hit on the way down and there was a huge hematoma... and it was growing. It was probably the size of half a tennis ball. What great company he was in though - with all these gorgeous and smart nurses. We rapped him, and he's doing fine. :) We need him to be fine - he speaks Spanish!
I took a nap after we got back - and we've been working on our final presentations ever since. So, not a very exciting day. Tomorrow we're presenting to the doctors and nurses and health staff that work in this area.
I'm very ready to come home. I don't even really want to go back to Ciudad del Saber. I just want to be back in the states.
**Daddy, when I come home... can you please cook me a steak and tons of veggies. And whatever you make, please, NO RICE!!!
**Gracie Brand: you would be so upset if you saw the animals down here. I saw a horse today whose back was raw with tons of ulcers on it where the saddle had been left. All the animals are stick thin and the kids kick and hit them often. :( Don't come to Panama, unless you plan to adopt more pets! :)
One more day in this town. Yay!
Our dress code changes on a daily basis, and today was walking shorts and polos with tennis shoes. Well, after that hike, my right foot doesn't fit into my shoes anymore. So, I wore flip flops to the gardens,. It didn't work out very well, but there's was nothing I could do. The mud was extremely slippery and the hike was almost 2 miles from the road. I wish I could say that the plants and flowers were worth the hike and it was fun... not so much.
When we got there we were introduced to the doctors and midwives that ran the whole thing. Then we had to hike up a giant hill just to look at some plants that looked the same as all the other plants. It's not like a garden in the US. The plants are on a hill amongst every other plant that grows there... weeds included.
After a trip all the way around the village we went to the meeting house, which is basically just a covered cement slab. Thankfully, they had plastic chairs for us to sit in. The next hour was filled with a Spanish doctor talking about how great he was... in Spanish. I stopped listening very early on; it was incredibly boring. As soon as he finished talking we all clapped, took a picture, and took off running to the bus. It rains every day starting from noon on, and I was not about to get rained on for the second day in a row. I was running out of clean dry clothes.
On the way back to the bus two twin brothers came up to me and started walking next to me. One reached out and grabbed my hand - Jose and Monerto. I eventually had to tear my hand away so they wouldn't try and get on the bus with us. Then it was back across the rickety old swing bridge. It was probably about 50 yards across and felt like it could fall at any moment. Then, when the people behind you start walking - the whole things bounces and you're sure you're going to fall off. Ew. I didn't like that.
We made it to the bus without getting wet - and then it was back to the compound to listen to a lecture from El Padre that runs this joint. On our way back to the bus Jim (one of our faculty) fell in the mud. When he got back to the bus he looked at his arm that he hit on the way down and there was a huge hematoma... and it was growing. It was probably the size of half a tennis ball. What great company he was in though - with all these gorgeous and smart nurses. We rapped him, and he's doing fine. :) We need him to be fine - he speaks Spanish!
I took a nap after we got back - and we've been working on our final presentations ever since. So, not a very exciting day. Tomorrow we're presenting to the doctors and nurses and health staff that work in this area.
I'm very ready to come home. I don't even really want to go back to Ciudad del Saber. I just want to be back in the states.
**Daddy, when I come home... can you please cook me a steak and tons of veggies. And whatever you make, please, NO RICE!!!
**Gracie Brand: you would be so upset if you saw the animals down here. I saw a horse today whose back was raw with tons of ulcers on it where the saddle had been left. All the animals are stick thin and the kids kick and hit them often. :( Don't come to Panama, unless you plan to adopt more pets! :)
One more day in this town. Yay!
Photo update
Some photos so far...
Eli and I on top of Volcan Baru. He was holding onto me so I wouldn't fall off. He knows how clutzy I am.
a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOxHgUY3A2s9CloDnOYMArpZypZKwBZ5V7kocekStKMl859W1KMcB-g246Bhn187oSHcNe7eQ25F-llu84mJ9NYbRV12nKAj9q4onF9X0zYZifbaI8r0j9Vi8GxZMIjlPT438lMnn/s1600/IMG_2575.JPG">
Injections at the health fair in Alto Caballero.
This little raincoat was $1.50. Unfortunately, it didn't last the weekend before ripping. It was kinda cute though.
a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgEKhnu4FDmC_xIx0FGNBkNayyjVM-0eeFK__LIfeFoPS24XRCGrhyXdeKXmRYJYiJRqMxdOWWvKSpd5KilJpgeKiphttfgpVwU1yM3FM3Wcb0rSulV6lYGSjVynBc8vObLJoHoA9/s1600/IMG_3227.JPG">
Katie and I with Dr. Cadena. Lunch was sooooo good in this little cafe!
*Please note my attempt at patriotism on the 4th!
:) This one is one of my favorites! On top of Baru - the highest point in Panama! And the only place in the world where you can see two oceans!
a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YbL7465Ef4Aq3jH3xkWokD5o0f_LPwkm0hT8wLjLH-_hiv39eecEHfL1tP9yW3J6Sktlj_a_yX65WUEXIh7enA_3ZDQEzNiU7QdpJW-Q5Inx2y07RUnwaIXSlKwPWDOFHArTdT7S/s1600/P7030902.JPG">
Jumping for joy that we made it to the top.
And Josh and I on the hike up. This was when I was still smiling.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I have hundreds to show y'all when I get back.
P.S. Sorry about the formatting issues, I can't seem to fix them.
Eli and I on top of Volcan Baru. He was holding onto me so I wouldn't fall off. He knows how clutzy I am.
a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOxHgUY3A2s9CloDnOYMArpZypZKwBZ5V7kocekStKMl859W1KMcB-g246Bhn187oSHcNe7eQ25F-llu84mJ9NYbRV12nKAj9q4onF9X0zYZifbaI8r0j9Vi8GxZMIjlPT438lMnn/s1600/IMG_2575.JPG">
Injections at the health fair in Alto Caballero.
This little raincoat was $1.50. Unfortunately, it didn't last the weekend before ripping. It was kinda cute though.
a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgEKhnu4FDmC_xIx0FGNBkNayyjVM-0eeFK__LIfeFoPS24XRCGrhyXdeKXmRYJYiJRqMxdOWWvKSpd5KilJpgeKiphttfgpVwU1yM3FM3Wcb0rSulV6lYGSjVynBc8vObLJoHoA9/s1600/IMG_3227.JPG">
Katie and I with Dr. Cadena. Lunch was sooooo good in this little cafe!
*Please note my attempt at patriotism on the 4th!
:) This one is one of my favorites! On top of Baru - the highest point in Panama! And the only place in the world where you can see two oceans!
a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YbL7465Ef4Aq3jH3xkWokD5o0f_LPwkm0hT8wLjLH-_hiv39eecEHfL1tP9yW3J6Sktlj_a_yX65WUEXIh7enA_3ZDQEzNiU7QdpJW-Q5Inx2y07RUnwaIXSlKwPWDOFHArTdT7S/s1600/P7030902.JPG">
Jumping for joy that we made it to the top.
And Josh and I on the hike up. This was when I was still smiling.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I have hundreds to show y'all when I get back.
P.S. Sorry about the formatting issues, I can't seem to fix them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
