Hospital Espana and Santa Matilde

This past Friday and Saturday were super relaxing. Friday afternoon was spent at the beach (the interns are lucky – we get to go to the beach with the groups EVERY Friday!), and Saturday was spent prepping for the next group. The group this week is from all over – a few are from Crossroads in Cincinnati, a few are from Canada, a few are people who’ve invested in the bike program, a few are artists who are painting a mural at the new property, etc. It’s been really fun to get to know everyone and to have lots of adults around. It also seems to be dad week, though, and it makes me wish more than ever that my dad was here!

On Sunday, I went on my second volcano climb. This time, I took the hardest route up Cerro Negro. This way is the steepest and requires you to climb on all fours. Plus, this side of the mountain is basically gravel, so when you take two steps forward, you slide one step backward. It’s mentally and physically exhausting, but it was worth it at the top. The view seemed so much better than it had when I took the easy way, and my lunch tasted better at the top, too. It was awesome to watch the rest of the group climb, as well. One of my friends, who had given up last time she tried the hard way, made it up to the top. Another person who impressed me was a 63-year-old woman who climbed. She made it up before I did! It was an all-around awesome day.

Yesterday, I went with part of the Purdue group to one of the general hospitals. Mostly I felt like I was in the way of the nurses and doctors because I have no medical skills and sub-par Spanish, but the experience was worth it for sure. I was heartbroken when I first entered the hospital, it was hot and smelly, and there were flies everywhere. There were patient beds in the hallways because there weren’t rooms left to put them in. Supplies and staff were limited. I couldn’t imagine having to come to that hospital for any sort of illness.

I was also heartbroken for the diabetes patients. We saw probably thirty patients with missing toes and huge open wounds. Clearly these people had gone undiagnosed and untreated for a long time before they ended up at the hospital. The nurses let each of us help clean and dress the wounds of one patient. I actually enjoyed getting to help, which proved to me that I have a strong stomach. I also really enjoyed talking to and comforting the patients, and I was reminded of why I want to become a nurse.

Today, Brittany (my fellow healthcare intern) and I went to Santa Matilde to help the Purdue group with lessons on first aid and dental hygiene. I helped with the first aid lesson, and Brittany helped with the dental hygiene one. The kids were so great and so willing to participate. It was a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish and see how to improve on the charlas that Brittany and I want to plan. We can’t wait to do our nutrition charlas and our community clean-up day in El Chonco!