November 29th - Week 5
Yesterday, November 29th was the Honduran presidential Election Day. Today the hospital and all government businesses were closed for the day-after-election national holiday. Today it was announced that Pepe Lobo is the next president of Honduras, which the US has agreed to recognize. The weekend went smoother than I expected. There were no disruptive demonstrations. The government mandated bars to close for the weekend and liquor sales cut off. Also, Saturday night about 7pm the power was shut off. So without alcohol or lights, the chance of the public getting riled up was low. Islanders admit there was no particularly great candidate but they are happy with Pepe as he is pro-tourism. Also good for tourism- the US has lifted it’s travel advisor to Honduras. Hopefully tourists will come because the local economy was terribly hurt by the political situation.
The new attending, Dr. Robert, arrived yesterday. He is a pediatrician from Wisconsin who has spent half of the past two years doing medical work in Peru. I am looking forward to learning from him in the clinic.
This last week I worked on some organization in the clinic. It is obvious that many people have worked there for short periods of time and created their own partial organization systems, which do not translate to the next person. Having resources is one thing, and being able to find them is another.
I have really enjoyed working closely with Dr. Mario this week. He has been wonderful at explaining to me any disease, medication, or illness I have questions about. He lets me listen in on his consultations and shows me, for example, how to look into a child’s ear and tell if it is infected. I am very much enjoying working with children and leaning about the particular issues here, as well as common health problems with children everywhere such as tonsillitis. I feel lucky to volunteer in a position where I work hands on with the patients and closely with the doctors. Most opportunities, especially back home, do not allow for this great of exposure.
