Our first day was spent traveling from Boise to Denver to Houston to San Pedro Sula. Getting off the plane we were hit by a wall of 90% humidity and I began to question my reasoning for signing up for the trip in August. Then we began the clinics. Day one was in Calan, a short drive from San Pedro Sula. We arrived at the church where we were going to be doing the clinic, and there were patients already waiting, smiling. I was so excited to get started, but also had no idea what to expect. Medicine is not my forte, and what if I didn't understand the Spanish they spoke? Or worse, what if they couldn't understand me? To many this may seem like a silly worry, but the very first patient we had proved that even within the same language there are barriers. I asked what we were seeing her for, she grabbed my hand and, smiling, said "I have lots of sugar in my blood" I said "You are sweet". She's diabetic. Oops. Good thing we both had a good sense of humor. Things went much smoother after that. We saw over 300 people the first day giving vitamins and parasite meds to most who came, there were lots of diabetics, yeast infections, UTI's and funguses too.
Day two we headed to Morazan, a town which many in the group have a special connection to. (A little girl from the village was brought to the US for cancer treatment, some from our group have been to Honduras on this mission before). This day was by far the most intense for Pam (the woman I got to translate for) and me. It was foot day. Our second patient had an amputated leg and was in a wheelchair (foot rest on the wrong side, something a man in our group went out of his way to fix). She told me had an 'owie' on her foot, and as I'm unwrapping it we're talking about the need to check your feet as she's diabetic or she could risk getting a diabetic ulcer...surprise. She had a sizable one.
Second diabetic ulcer this woman has had, the first one caused her to lose her leg and this one will too (trying to save it is something that cost too much) Our morning was spent cleaning it out and talking to her and her family about the risk of not going in to the hospital. Through the whole process they were all so grateful and kind.
Our working space.
Foot #2, stepped on a stick, went to the hospital, they didn't look at the wound. There was still wood in it causing a nasty infection and lots of pain for the poor man. After him we got one more foot (asking for us by name, "The women who take of feet for people with diabetes"), stepped on a nail.
Finally playing with kids.
Superheroes
Day three was my favorite, we went up in the mountains to the village of Tablon, Yoro. The people were so welcoming, Jorge walked us up to a house, knocked on the door and asked if they could show us their bread stove out back, they then invited us in to tour their home. The patients were simple this day too, karma for all the feet the day before, needing mainly vitamins and parasite treatment (some diabetes meds and yeast infections too). We were done around lunch time and had time to take in the area and play around with the kids and locals. Back in San Pedro we went out for dinner and ice cream too.
Bread stove out back
Piglets behind the house
Day four was in Aguas Calientes, a town full of machetes. Rolling up to the clinic we were greeted by a smiling old man with a machete. Everyone walking around seemed to have one, I still am not sure what they were being used for exactly. It was another shorter day, allowing us the chance to interact with the locals more. The kid team taught some of the young adults how to make bracelets, we visited a fortress, and came back for dinner.
Everyone and their kids seemed to have a machete in this town, this boys posed with their new masks for me
Rising river means time to leave and time to fish
After finishing clinic for the day and before dinner we headed out to the Spanish fortress San Fernando de Omoa. Even after having spent a considerable amount of time in Spain, I believe that the old fortresses the conquistadores left on our side of the world are among the most astounding of their architectural accomplishments.
Before we headed out to Tela for some R&R, some of our group opted for a 6am hike up Mount Merendón to visit one of the city's best known landmarks, the Coca Cola sign. If the hike up was difficult, it was all forgotten as soon as we reached the viewpoint. The morning fog still lingered over the valley and opposite us we could see the mountain peaks jutting out above the fog. We then headed back down, out to the market and then to Tela.
At the top of Mount Merendón
View from the Coca Cola sign
Tortilla aisle at the market
Dad's truck broke down, so the kiddo got to try to fix it, then push it
Pool bar at La Ensenada
Canoes all along the shore to take out fishing
Fisherboy
La Laguna Negra
Puppies for days in the Garifuna village
Fresh coconut water
The view
Perfect place to dry your laundry, in your bar
Headed out as the tide comes in
Bean fondue, unreal
This guy catches shrimp and then sells them down south. He proudly showed us his day's work and explained his livelihood to us
Cranes in the tide pools
Sunset over the sea
Don't pee in the pool, it'll change colors on you
Back at the Garifuna village, this little girl posed for her photo
The Caribbean
Sheep grazing on the beach
Leaving Tela
The day after Tela we had one more day of clinic. The clinic was in Puerto Cortes, and the largest one we had during our time in Honduras. The town had not had a clinic pass through it in three years, and it seemed to be made primarily of unattended children (the parents were working is what the kids told us). There were many of the same ailments as at the first few clinics (headaches, yeast infections, arthritis, fungus, ear infections) along with a terrible burn from a tortilla grill, another foot (a little boy that stepped on glass) and asthma. Truthfully finishing the clinics was a bittersweet moment, we had finished what we had come there to do, having provided care for over 1,500 people in five villages, but it meant that it was time to leave.
He was so worried we were going to give him a shot, tears for days
Forms from the last day of clinic, almost 400!
Group shot, saying goodbye to Wilfredo (front and center) our driver. His goodbye speech brought tears to the eyes of many in the group
Never have I left a country feeling I owed it something more. Something more because the people gave me so much. So much love, kindness and so many hugs. My time in Honduras was too short and it was with a heavy heart that I boarded the plane. Apart from the typical feeling of gratitude for what we have available to us at home after seeing how little so many have in the areas we visited, I gained an appreciation for the ability to continue smiling and being grateful even if you have nothing. There is so much to be learned from the Hondurans, and I hope to have the chance to learn more. I also want to thank every person in our group, everyone added to the experience and had so much to give back to the communities we visited. También quería agradecerles a todos a quien hemos conocido por su ayuda, hospitalidad y paciencia. Han hecho que el viaje fue lo mejor posible y espero volver a verles pronto. Jamás me he sentido tan bienvenida en un sitio nuevo. Un fuerte abrazo a todos y ¡hasta la proxima!
Leaving San Pedro Sula
Saying bye to Jorge
