26 August, 2012
~
This past Sunday I went to church in West Bay. The service was great as usual. Although I don’t like the songs as much as the ones back home. The band here isn’t as exciting, granted there are only three band members here and about nine back home.
~
After church Ms. Peggy drove some of us to this park called gumba limba. This park is gorgeous. I actually wandered through here on my adventure walking to West Bay and didn’t know exactly what it was. Gumba limba is like a huge jungle/tropical rainforest. As you drive in under the canopied trees, you can hear the monkeys, birds and other animals that live there. Guest can zip line, walk through the canopy, see the many iguanas that roam around, kayak, dive, etc. Of course this is all for an extra fee and is for people who aren’t stuck using crutches to get around…
~
Anyways, the real reason for coming to Gumba limba is because of Sundae by the Sea, Clinica Esperanza’s annual fundraiser was being held there under a large gazebo like area (thank goodness we had cover because it rained at the beginning). The gazebo was huge and I didn’t notice at first but if you looked up at the ceiling there were bats. They were just chilling upside down, doing their thing. I joked with JJ (one of the volunteers/translators at the clinic who is a U.S. citizen, is applying to UMiami and grew up in Roatán) that hopefully none of the guests get the honor of getting guano in their hair.
~
The set-up took a while and of course I couldn’t help. All I did was sit on my butt, but they did put me in charge of checking people in, collecting and selling tickets, handling money, etc. I did this all day and the live auction finally started around 2 p.m. By then I was so hungry for lunch…either way the live auction was exciting for me because I had never been to one before. The guys announcing the items were hilarious and overall it was entertaining. Some very cool things/opportunities were auctioned off live and in the silent auction. Some people will get to take a submarine ride down 1000 ft, spend a day as the mayor of Roatán, go in a hovercraft (or something cool like that), stay in a sweet resort for a week, get mani/pedi/massage for cheap, do some awesome diving, eat at some great restaurants, rent some sailboats, etc. I was lucky I couldn’t get around to bid on all of these items. All or nothing/go big or go home and this time choose the latter. Clinica Esperanza was lucky because so many supporters gave items for the auction.
~
A couple of the best restaurants on the island donated food for dinner and of course all of the food was set up near my check-in table, tempting me for at least four hours after church and before we finally ate around 3:30 p.m. At the event there were drinks and of course ice cream sundaes. You can’t have Sundae by the Sea without sundaes. I was holding out until I got some real food until around 3:15 p.m. I was dying and needed to eat something, so I gave in, got some ice cream and when I was almost done, they started serving dinner. I knew that was going to happen.
~
Dinner was amazing. I was super stoked to have a salad. I told JJ, who was getting food for the crippled (me), that I wanted lots of salad and then he could pile whatever looked good on top. He brought back a great salad with avocado, chicken and veggie shish kabobs, a bit of a surprisingly good potato salad, and some tasty rice. He told me when he piled on the lettuce and then everything on top people looked at him weird. I apologized and said people look at me weird all the time and for the most part I’m used to it.
~
We finally finished up closing the deals on items, collecting money and packing up everything we brought. The fundraiser was a success, but of course the clinic still is trying to raise more money. It costs $450 for each baby born their (including birth, prenatal care and vaccinations) but the clinic charges patients less than $5 to see a doctor, no money for medications, and a dollar or two to get blood work or other lab tests done. Like I mentioned in another post Ms. Peggy is in the planning stages of building a trauma center for Roatán. She has a donor who is giving $1 million in equipment but they need $250,000 to build the center and more to continue operating. It will take time but I have faith that Clinica Esperanza will reach their goals. They don’t turn any patient away and are a great asset to Roatán. The Global Healing Pediatric clinic in the public hospital is also essential and treats patients from all around Roatán. Without this clinic a large majority of the patients would not be seen and would not get the treatment or medications they need.
~
27 August, 2012
~
Monday I went to the hospital, had a typical there triaging patients, finishing with paperwork, etc. I found out that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week most of the hospital is closed because doctors participate in a Tuberculosis course mandated by the Honduran Ministry of Health. The next three days I will be volunteering in Clinica Esperanza as a translator, which is great to do in the afternoons after the hospital but now I will have a bit more time to practice my translating skills.
~
Today I was lucky to get a free taxi ride all the way to the hospital so I didn’t have to crutch half a mile or so. I didn’t argue. I was just relieved to not stumble in the door to the clinic drenched in sweat. Every morning I unlock the door, turn on the lights, turn on the AC, and wait for it to get cooler…crutches.
~
28 August, 2012
~
At the clinic today I had some interesting cases but enjoyed translating for the patients/doctors. A urologist is in town for the next week and he is pretty cool, but I don’t think his male patients felt very comfortable talking to me…so when JJ got to the clinic I continued to translate for Gavin, a PA resident, and stuck with talking to the pregnant but married 15 year old, a couple old ladies, a retired Canadian, and more but still engaging.
~
I also got my cast off today. Ms. Peggy sawed some of it off, the urologist did some (for the first time) and I also got to saw some of my cast off. I had never done that before so it was pretty cool. My wound on the top of my foot which happened while playing beach volleyball (sand sloughed the skin off) was stuck to the cotton inside of the cast. That cut is the reason why I rolled my ankle in the first place.
~
I put on my socks and sneakers to keep the sand out after I cleaned it off and because I put my sneakers on and was higher off the ground, it was easier to roll my ankle with a misstep…anyways Ms. Peggy properly bandaged it so the wound can continue healing. Next she put an air cast on me, which is kind of cool. I never knew what it was but I am surprised at how well it works. I’m glad I’m walking again because it makes everything so much easier and also my ankle was a bit stiff so finally moving it again feels good.
~
Today is my mom’s birthday and she turned the big 5-0. I’m excited for her and was disappointed I couldn’t connect to the Internet in the clinic to talk to her. So, around three after I finished up at the clinic I went home to my host family, had lunch and then took a collectivo to the hospital so I could use the Internet and the phone to call my mom and dad and to send my mom her birthday poem I wrote her.
~
Afterward, I stocked up on apples, bananas, lettuce and peanut butter since I could walk again and go out of my way to the grocery store. I also splurged on some blackberries and 90% chocolate, without my cast on I was feeling like a million bucks and thought I deserved something special. I started walking out of the parking lot to go catch a collectivo just as Dee drove in. Perfect timing, he went shopping while I at my refreshing blackberries and then he drove me back to Sandy Bay from Coxen Hole.
~
Recently I have been sitting on my butt a lot watching TV because I haven’t been able to do much. So I’ve gotten to know the Kardashian family fairly well, Bones, Numb3rs, How I met your mother, and the recent election excitement…I have also done a lot of reading which is enjoyable. Needless to say tomorrow I’m excited to kayak and snorkel a bit in the afternoon. It just started pouring and I’m glad it’s raining hard at night so hopefully the roads can dry a bit before tomorrow. It gets pretty dangerous here with the windy/hilly roads combined with the not so great vehicles. Good thing I’m walking to the clinic in the morning and can keep an eye out for myself.
