My
experience on Roatan was unforgettable, but in a way I could never have
imagined before I got there. As a pre
med student with a love for learning the Spanish language, I knew this trip
would be an amazing experience. When I
arrived, I’ll be honest I was a little bit scared – I had no idea what to
expect! Ms. Peggy picked me up from the airport and brought me to the beach
house where I would be spending the next month. That night, some volunteers
came over to our house to cook baleadas, a staple in the Honduran diet.
Everyone was so friendly and welcoming; my fears were immediately assuaged and
I knew that this would be an extraordinary month.
Naturally,
I was nervous for my first day of work. When I cabbed to the hospital with
Genevieve, the nurse practitioner I would work with for the month, and other
volunteer doctors, my nerves were again alleviated as I quickly realized just
how amazing these women were. Genevieve
showed me around the hospital and the doctors taught me about some interesting
diagnoses as we worked through the patients for the morning. I headed to
Clinica Esperanza in the afternoon.
There, I was translating for some of the nurses who did not speak any
Spanish. My Spanish was definitely put to the test, but I loved every minute of
it. Explaining instructions for birth control pills, or picking out the right
glasses for a patient is not the Spanish I was used to speaking in my
university classes. But I worked my way through it and I returned home excited
for what the next day would bring.
As the first week went by, I
explored the island a little more and began to get used to triaging patients. I
made friends with a little girl named Neli, whose brother, Junior, was at the
clinic for neurological problems. I drew pictures and played with the two of
them as the doctors spoke with their mom. The next time they came in they were
so excited to see me, and their mom told me they wanted to learn English after
meeting me. This was really moving. I loved making connections like this with
the patients, and this was only the first of many.
Neli and I at the hospital
Neli and I at the hospital
A patient and her mom sporting their new butterfly tattoos
Finally a patient that didn’t scream on the scale!
Clinica Esperanza Triage
The kids at the clinic absolutely
loved the donations that I had brought. Most were just small balls, or stickers
that we would give to the patients after seeing the doctor. The little boys
loved the toy cars and their faces lit up when they realized they could bring
it home with them. Many times, they would offer to give it back, but when I
explained it was a present, they were delighted. One day I sat and put
temporary tattoos on with a patient waiting to see the doctor. We ended up
putting one on her mom, her grandmother and some other patients sitting in the
hallway waiting. Putting that smile on the patients’ and parent’s faces was a
truly special feeling, but realizing that sometimes this might be their first
and only toy was heartbreaking. So many children in the US have piles of toys,
but these boys and girls barely have crayons. We take these things for granted
as kids and as adults, but such a small thing can make such a big difference. These
children simply learn to play with what they do have, and sharing is never
questioned. I learned to truly be thankful for everything I am blessed with at
home in the United States.
Using my
Spanish every day was a fun experience for me. I’m by no means fluent, and I’ve
always been a little behind in my speaking skills because I was so afraid to
make a mistake. Listening always came easy to me, and writing I could simply
look up what I wasn’t sure of. But this trip finally made me realize that making
a mistake while you’re speaking to a native is okay. They will always understand what you mean and appreciate that
you are trying. Leaving Roatan I feel more confident in my Spanish skills. I
loved learning Spanish from patients. If I couldn’t understand a word he or she
was using, I would ask for an explanation. This way, we both worked out the
meaning of the word, occasionally through a few laughs, and I could add a new
vocabulary word to my list. I also loved it when patients would ask me about
English words. It was fun to teach and it was great to see the patients’ desire
to learn.
Although
of course more upsetting, young patients who came in with rare, severe cases
were the most interesting. Working with young children and babies allowed me to
see various medical problems that are so easily preventable in the United
States. Sometimes we’d see little things, like a little girl with a marble up
her nose, or a fever and a cold. However, the babies born septic, the boy with
a rare genetic disease, or the child with spina bifida, are the patients I’ll
always remember. Many of these cases could have been prevented in the US,
simply due to more sterile conditions or availability of resources and proper
care. Sometimes I was also saddened to see parents’ serious lack of education.
This lack of basic medical knowledge meant many children were missing out on
proper care because their parents did not understand when it was necessary to
see a doctor. This is definitely something that can be prevented with a more
intense education program put into place for expecting mothers.
Roatan is an interesting place.
Because of the diving tourism, there are parts of the island that are well
established, with resorts and shops. The rest of the island lives in poverty,
however, and it creates an interesting dynamic. Volunteers are well respected
on the island and the locals really appreciate the “gringos” helping out. It is
quite surprising though how isolated and unaware the tourists are of the
poverty plaguing the island. It seems if more of the diving tourists understood
the conditions of the hospital perhaps they could help in some way. Of course,
the tourism itself is helping the island, but it is terribly unfair how
severely separated the island is. Perhaps if tourists were more aware of the
conditions in the communities and the lacking healthcare system, word of mouth
would allow more Americans and Canadians to travel and volunteer their in some
way. Roatan is a beautiful, vibrant
place but I’m not sure visitors truly understand the hardship and
impoverishment that exists throughout the island.
I feel
very blessed to have had such an amazing opportunity to meet and work with such
truly amazing people. The Hondurans living and working on Roatan are some of
the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. The nurses and doctors are
incredibly talented and passionate, and I am not sure they get enough credit
for it. My last day of work, some of the nurses and doctors were sad to see me
go. I’d made a connection with these people and I’ll never forget them. In
fact, I hope to return to Roatan as soon as I can, maybe next time with an M.D.
next to my name.
