Michael Journal 2

Last week we went hiking through a barrio in Roatan called "La Colonia", which basically means "the settlement". La Colonia was created in 1998 during Hurricane Mitch when basically all the poorest islanders living on the shores of the island had their houses destroyed by the hurricane and fled up the hills to escape the water. Once the hurricane left, the people stayed and built their houses directly on the hillside. The problem was, they didn't own any of the land they'd built their houses on; it was owned privately by a Canadian. But they're still there today.

Since it's built into the hills, and since it was built so quickly, La Colonia has basically no infrastructure. As we hiked through the villages, we were taken up narrow and really steep dirt paths completely surrounded by tall grass, completely inaccessible by car, so anything the people needed had to be carried up by hand. The water is pumped up through PVC pipes that we saw above ground, and even then, the people only get running water 3-4 times per month. And there is no sewage system - which means that the sewage from the people at the top of the hill runs through the yards of the people at the bottom of the hill, creating a huge health hazard with GI diseases. This is especially a problem when there's no clean running water to begin with. I guess that's why a lot of the kids we see at the clinic are from La Colonia.

Anyway, here's La Colonia in pictures:


Built on the hillside


The locals we talked to insist that it's safe, even in the heaviest of rains


At the very top of the hill, where there was once a cellular tower, now destroyed. Doesn't look like it's going to be rebuilt any time soon.


Some cute kids we saw, doing chores I guess.


It doesn't take much to build a church.

I finally finished Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Everybody swears by this book, and gushes about Paul Farmer and how great a visionary and model he is and how he inspires you to want to change the world, and I can see his influence as they try to open new clinics in other parts of the island too. It's really inspiring to see such inspiration in other volunteers, but I wonder if I could ever lead the lifestyle that they or Paul Farmer lead - spend a few months in the States, and then fly out to wherever poor place to raise money, build your clinic, and see patients. A lot of the doctors/nurses here spend about a quarter to a half of their time here, and there's really no good reason not to when you could be helping so many people directly. One of the other volunteers asked me whether I’d ever come back. I’d definitely like to return again, preferably as a doctor (in 8 years when I’m done with my residency, if all goes to plan) so I can be more useful. It’s kind of frustrating working with all these other volunteers who are nurses and doctors and pharmacists who are helping out so much with Global Healing or Peggy’s Esperanza Clinic, and although I know I’m helping out too, I want to be able to help out more. Also, it seems like with all the tourism and diving, Roatan has attracted enough donors and volunteers that in 8 years, there will be enough clinics to serve the population – perhaps I should consider other destinations to help out, like other Latin American countries or some African countries.