just another weekend in Hondu!

I was going to write about my amazing weekend in Honduras...

Then Jill did it for me:

A weekend in Honduras

She even included pictures!

No reason to recreate the wheel.

Enjoy!

H. to the Opkins

The Johns Hopkins medical brigade is currently in town, so I have not had much of a chance for updates.  They are keeping my very busy, since I am the only one working this brigade, but it has been a lot of fun.

Everyday, we load about at 7:30 (really it ends up being 8:00 or so but we are operating on Honduran time), and head out to some new location to do field clinics.

So far this week we have seen:
- A possible case of Chagas
- A possible case of TB
- A woman whose knee cap has been firmly located in her thigh for the past four years
- Lots of pneumonia
- And absolutely EVERYTHING in between.

The Brigade Leader, Ed Zueroweste, has basically become my idol. He works for the Migrant Health Network, as the medical director as is a nationally recognized TB expert. Not to mention just an amazing person.

This has probably been one of the more educational weeks of my life... when it is over I am going to sleep for three days straight.

Lost in translation

Some things don't translate.

Last night I was informed that teensy weensy was the spider's name.

How do you go about explaining that one?

Skills

You pick up some interesting skills when living in another country.

I am great at scaling bathroom stalls after being locked in one in Bolivia

I know how to get a Honduran dog to stop chasing you.

I am great at buying snacks out of bus windows

And now, I know how to wash long hair with a bucket shower!

Camasca, where Jill just got a position, only has running water every other day. And even then, only for a few hours in the morning.

This means that time spent in Camasca is also time spent taking bucket showers.

At first, it was a bit of a task but, then last night I figured out I was going about it all wrong. 

Instead of bringing the bucket to me, I needed to go to the bucket! Just squat down and stick your whole head in.

Okay, so I look a bit like this dude

But it works! 

I'm going to start putting that on my resume!

I live here

A former Honduras Peace Corps Volunteer once told me it took her about 8 months to feel really comfortable, and at home in Honduras.

Well, over the past week or so, I have been realizing how true that statement really is.

It hit me this week that living in Honduras just feels so incredibly normal. I know that I am living in another country, but it no longer seems unusual or strange.

I live here. 

Simple as that. 

Now, here are a few photos from the sunrise hike this morning. Just to show off what an amazing place I live in.

Never Gets Old

I started my day off today watching a chubby little girl be born.

It was amazing.

Again.

This is the third birth I have seen in the past four days, and I am loving it.

I'm filming all the births for a study they are doing here. My roommate Kathryn normally does this, but she is in the US for six weeks, so I am stepping in.

I love it.

Maybe after twenty of these it gets boring and routine.

But, right now, it is amazing each and every time.

Saturday mornin'

I woke up in a bad mood this morning.

The power went out last night, and when I was awakened this morning, by the sound of a pig screaming, it was still out.

This meant I had to make coffee on the gas stove.

And that the milk I put on my cereal was of questionable safety.

And my plans to work on some application stuff online today were not going to happen.

It all just made me cranky.

Then someone called me to come downstairs,

And I watched a baby girl be born.

It was, in one word, incredible.

 Absolutely. Perfectly. Breathtakingly. Incredible

Cranky = GONE

That, my friends, is how Honduras works.

Out of the crappy moments, will always come the most amazing surprises.

Even when the power is out.

Book Updates

So, I have not been doing very good on book summaries as of late.

However, I have been ROCKING my goal of reading one book a week. I think I have maybe missed two weeks, and the following weeks I read an extra one to make up for it. This has probably ended up being my favorite goal on my 27 things to do in my 27th year list, and something I would like to keep going for many, many years.

Cutting for Stone – Amazing. Amazing. Amazing book. The author also wrote another book called In My Own Country, which I am hoping to read soon but it is not yet on Kindle.

The Glass Castle – A good quick read. It makes you appreciate how sane and normal your own family is.

A Time to Kill – I have decided John Grisham is going to be my new go-to, long distance travel author. I read this while Jill and I were taking nine million bus rides and it was the perfect travel book.

The Coming Plague – If you are interested in public health or infectious disease you will completely nerd out on this book.

Shades of Gray – Not. A. Fan. I’m sorry, but I don’t get what the hype is all about. I think that the author forgot that most good book have a plot. Or a point in general.

There have been others, but those are the most recent ones.

My book this week is The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. This is another one my mom recommended. She is a smart one, because I can’t put it down. If I had a required book list for all medical and public health students this one would probably be at the top.

Happy. Happy. Day.

Oh. My. Goodness. 

I have had the luckiest week of mail in my entire life.

I got back from vacation to not one but TWO letters. One from the lovely Ms. Eileen and one from my Grandma Smith (who has become, by far, my best pen pal)

Then, today, I found out I had a letter waiting for me at the front desk. 

But, this was no ordinary letter. This was a package containing Sour Patch kids and, wait for it...

PUMPKIN SPICE VIA PACKETS!

The wonderful, and amazing Jennifer Cox (who I worked with at NPH), sent me a care package. 

Jen and I spent a lot of time talking about the joy of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes at the ranch. Usually over less than amazing coffee, 

I was so touched she sent them to me that I maybe had a little tear. 

Every now and then you are lucky enough to meet truly wonderful human beings. 

Jen Cox, I am so happy I was lucky enough to meet you! 

I miss you so much!