Honduras Part 6

I'm back! Maybe this should be the last Honduras post...you think I can do it? Maybe...I will shoot to finish posting all my pictures in this and one more post. Because this is ridiculous! I've been back from this trip for awhile now! Okay here goes....

The first week I have shared with you. I believe I already mentioned this, but our trip was divided into 2 weeks: the first week we spent in the mountains and the second week we spent in Catacamas doing clinic work there, as well as volunteering at a local public hospital in Juticalpa. In between these two weeks we had the opportunity to go ziplining! It was so fun; I had never been before! It was a fun way to break up the two work weeks. 

We went through the course in groups of 4, so while we were waiting for our turn, we played card games, etc. 

We played a lot of spades.... haha

This was where we started. Tall climb! About 5 zip lines in all. Very fun!!

Sharon....hamming it up! She definitely wasn't that scared! 

My turn!!! :)

Mmmm!! Haha no it was actually really good. Tilapia, I believe.

Andrea made a friend :)

The group!

This same weekend, we also had the opportunity to go visit a facility that cares for disabled children. It was very special to hear about each child's story and spend time with them. There were about 15 children. Some of them were more disabled than other, but it was great to see their smiles and also to see how great their care was. I was pleased to notice that none of the children (especially the bed-bound ones) had bed sores. The staff took great care of them. We played with the kids for a couple hours.

Found this wandering around! 

Also found this sweet little puppy. It was an orphan :(  I called him bear. 

After the weekend we went to work in the Predisan clinic. I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures while we were there, but we had the opportunity to work in many areas alongside many Honduran nurses. Monday through Wednesday we worked in helping nurses admit clients (included taking vital signs, height, weight, etc), helping in obstetrics, etc. I was blessed to go work in the OB area two days. The first day I worked in triage (vitals, etc). Good, but not as interesting as OB! I liked being in that area because of the doctor, as well. He helped us learn how to read an ultrasound. It was so neat! He spoke just enough English and I spoke just enough Spanish that we were able to communicate. It was so special to be able to be in the room while he had these appointments with different clients. I witnessed/assisted identifying the sex of the fetus, I learned how to differentiate between the frontal and occipital lobes of the skull on the ultrasound, and I was able to help assist the nurse in measuring a woman's fundus (fundal height is important in roughly determining the growth of the fetus). I also got to perform a PAP smear! I know that probably doesn't sound very exciting, but I think it is! I doubt I'll ever get the chance again, unless I go to med or P.A. school, so yey!! In addition to these exciting things, I also witnessed some not so exciting things. There was one female client whose appointment revealed that she had lost her baby. For some reason, she had had a spontaneous abortion. She was pretty far along, too. I think twenty something weeks (2nd trimester). But it was a great learning experience all around and I enjoyed the time we had in the clinic. 

We also toured a local hospital. It was still under construction in some areas, but it seems like a really great facility! Many physicians will come through in teams and volunteer their time at the hospital. I think they usually stay for a week and they have a nice little area to stay in just next to the hospital. Really really nice place to stay!  Here are some pictures from the tour:

The lab.

The birthing room!

The nursery!

The courtyard of where the volunteer doctors stay.....REALLY nice. Beautiful.

 Notice the flatscreen tv. But notice under it the white board (surgery schedule, etc)!

Here are some more random photos from week two:

Liz, one of our instructors, and a cute little baby during our lunch break at the Predisan clinic.

At the internet cafe, waiting & playing chess :)

INTERNET!! There was wifi at the hotel, interestingly, but it always cut in and out. Never knew if you'd have a good connection! This was much faster. 

Only one post left! I hope you've enjoyed hearing about week two!!

Honduras Part 5

Thanks for your patience with me. I am well aware that I was physically capable of having all my pictures posted within the first week of being back, but obviously that didn't happen....and I am so thankful I have an understanding audience that can empathize with a busy day to day schedule! My job (babysitting) has helped me empathize with mothers and I understand (better) how difficult it can be to fit in the simplest errand, the easiest task (such as uploading pictures to a blog). So I guess the understanding is mutual, now ;) 

Our last day we played a soccer game with them. It was a "Honduran nurses vs. American nurses" match. You may notice I didn't play... soccer is not my forte & I figured I would be more help if I just took pictures. So I took pictures.... 

Andrea was our goalie and she had some good saves! 

They were setting up speakers so that we could have an announcer for the game. It was a big deal. ;)  

So I kept seeing niece and nephew look-a-likes in Honduras. Couldn't help but see a resemblance to Matthew with the boy on the right. Maybe it was his stance.... ;) 

Half-time photo! 

Adorable. I find the cutest puppies everywhere I go! It's cruel in a way. All these adorable creatures and yet I can't have one. Ugh.... I have to wait at least one more year before that happens :/

After the game, Taryn wanted to give her shoes to someone who really needed them. So Carlos, one of our translators, helped her find this woman. I hope she gets some good use out of them!

After the game, we packed up and drove down from the mountains back to Catcamas. I can't remember who won the game, but everyone had a good time so that's all that matters :)  Once we were back in Catacamas, some of us went to the internet café and while we were downtown, we went to walk around this city park. Close by there was an ice cream shop, so that was fun to stop at once in awhile :)

You can't tell, but there were these beautiful, vibrant orange trees all around. This was the best photo I could get of one of them. 

A beautiful church building towards the outskirts of town. The sky was an incredible backdrop!

Andrea and her fancy camera ;)  I bet she got some great shots!

...but she also made some of my pictures great so, thanks Andrea! ;)

According to Honduran tradition, it is common to greet someone by saying "adios" or "goodbye" if you are walking past them but don't intend to stay and engage in a longer conversation with them. So it was humorous to me that these two men kept telling us "goodbye" (in English!) every time we walked by through the park. It was so cute :) 

On the weekend in between our two work weeks, we had fun ziplining!! It was so so fun. It was my first time trying it, so I thought it was pretty neat! Here are some pictures:

We went in groups of 4, so while other groups went, we played cards, etc. 

This was the starting point. Pretty high climb!!

Haha Sharon posing for another camera. 

A little less dramatic pose ;)  ha ha

And here is a little video of me my first time ziplining!!

Looks appetizing, no?! Ha this was our delicious (really!) fish lunch. I think it was tilapia? 

We seem to find animals wherever we go. Here's the local cat! 

Beautiful flowers everywhere!! Such vibrant colors.

A group photo after we all got our chance to go ziplining :) 

Next post to come soon!!