Roatan - Day 31

Today was pretty slow at the clinic.  J and I ended up only seeing one women’s health patient and just a few patients on our own, but we saw some interesting things.  Like a snake in the treetops right outside of M’s office window.  Or a nasty large growth on this kid’s nose that the hondureño doc burned with silver nitrate sticks.  Or the 20 year old lady with a gaping open wound on her leg.  It’s interesting because the hospital here really is not that functional.  This lady spent 10 days in the hospital and only got IV fluids and came to our clinic the day after she got out.  If that doesn’t say a lot about the capabilities of the local hospital, I don’t know what does.  It’s a big concern that many people have here, especially with so many tourists coming to the island on big cruise ships.  If someone were to get really sick or have a really bad accident, I’m not sure if they’d survive here.  They would for sure have to be flown back to the mainland, or the U.S.

J, B, M and I went to the local bilingual school to tutor this afternoon.  We gave B the low down on LM, a trouble maker to the max.  She put a lid on him quick and kept him in pretty good control.  I’m establishing a better relationship with a few of the kids there, so it’s getting a little easier.  Those kids will do anything to get out of doing their homework.

On the bus ride back to the clinic we always take the kids with us and drop them off at their house along the way.  I was joking around with them and having a good time.  I miss being around kids every day… that’s the only thing I miss about teaching.  Then for some reason I mentioned the fact that I wanted to rent a scooter and M immediately piped up, saying there’s no way as my knees would get caught in the steering and I’d most likely crash.  I appreciate that he has my best interest at heart, but really M?  Are my legs REALLY that long?  Get caught in the steering?!  Haha!

M is hilarious.  We’ve been hanging with him a lot more since ER #1 and #2 left.  He always says “My goodness…” or “How could you?” at the perfect time and it always makes me laugh.  Or when he says, “What?!” in that high pitched drawn out voice that only my brother would know to what I was referring (old Sprite commercial).

After tutoring, M drove us to Flowers Bay specifically to buy some coconut puffs (pastries filled with caramelized coconut) and coconut bread from an Islander selling goodies on the side of the road.  HEAVEN.  Those coconut puffs are DANG GOOD.  Wish I could bring some back with me for you to try.  It was actually my second one for the day.  Earlier, a lady was sitting outside the clinic selling them, but they don’t even compare… more bread-like than pastry-like.

M then drove us to the grocery store for our LAST TRIP.  Cannot believe we only have about one week left.  I made sure to stock up on plantain chips and mangos.  M stocked up on Pringles.  M’s remark, “You’ll stock up on my stuff and I’ll stock up on your stuff.”  Dang right!  I cannot even believe I forgot to buy more mango packets to flavor my water at work… that stuff is delicious.

Roatan - Day 30

It wouldn’t be a Monday if SOMETHING didn’t go wrong, would it?  First off, we almost missed our ride to the clinic… One of the administrators at the clinic lives in the same apartment building as us so we catch a ride with her every morning.  J was stuffing her belly full of yogurt and didn’t even have time to finish.  THEN, we checked the schedule at the clinic only to find we were scheduled for triage and pharmacy 2 days and doing pap smears the other 2 days (we have Wednesday off for Labor Day).  Not even one day to see patients this week!  Whaaat??  J managed to work with B this morning and saw a handful of patients and I got a chance to see one on my own.  We are happy to work where we are needed, but of course we would prefer to see patients as this is our rotation for PA school and are actually paying money to be here.  Also, Marco’s failed us by not putting any avocado in our baleadas.  Boo.

E and G roamed around the clinic all day, filming everyone in action.  They even pulled J and me aside to ask us a few questions about Peggy and the clinic.  I meant to convey enthusiasm, but somehow my fumbled words came out less than inspiring.  It’s nerve wracking being on camera!

B met us with us later in West End on our favorite dock as she had to stay a few extra hours than originally planned.  We chatted in the sun for a while then went out for some dinner.  I had a 20% off coupon at the joint we went to, but our waiter wasn’t going to accept it UNTIL I brought up the fact that we work at Clínica Esperanza.  It’s funny how mindsets can change so fast once we bring up that little tidbit.  Everyone is super appreciative of the volunteers at the clinic.  I’ve even had a few taxi drivers ask us to move to the island to keep working there.  Maybe I’ll take up that offer from that taxi driver who asked me out the other day…

Roatan - Day 29

Wow, J and I have had a busy couple of days.  This is the first time all weekend I’ve had time to sit down and catch up on everything.  At church this morning, I sat by a nice American family (who turned out to be related to one of my friends in San Diego AND own the Banarama resort here in Roatan) and shared my hymn book with their 8 year old daughter.  After sacrament meeting ended, she turned to me and said, “You’re a good example.”  How sweet is that!  I love kids.  You never know what they’re going to say.

THEN I met E (girl) and G (guy), from SLC and Provo respectively, both my same age.  Turns out we were all at BYU the same time as well.  They are here for the week to film at the clinic to make a promotional video for Nurse Peggy to help with funding.  I had heard a small film crew was coming, some of the same people who did Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre.  Yep, that’s right.  Don’t be jealous Ryan or Sonya…  That is indeed the case!  E works for said filming company.  G does freelance.  Funny that I met them at church… both super great!

Since they are staying at a resort in West Bay, I shared a taxi with them so I could meet up with J and the other volunteers at the clinic.  Had a nice chat with E and G, then parted ways upon arrival in West Bay.  They were going to the clinic later in the afternoon to interview Peggy in a much quieter environment (Mondays are always chaotic, and with PLENTLY of loud crying babies).  [Side note: the Bananarama owner invited us to the resort tonight for dinner on him, but after church was nowhere to be seen.  Darn.  Maybe the offer will still stand next week.]

B, J, and I hung out together at the resort/beach.  We went snorkeling yet again (I think I’m just now starting to get tired of it…) and saw a giant eagle ray.  I went in (water was too cold) before J and D spotted a ginormous stingray.  Since we always see something new every time we go out snorkeling, I’m hoping for a shark next time!  Swimming to the edge of the coral reef and staring into the deep dark abyss and sudden drop off always gets to me… a little uneasy, but amazing to see at the same time.

After lunch on the beach and with too many people playing volleyball, I took a stroll up and down the beach.  Even though the rest of the beach is nice, our spot in front of the resort is prime.  At one point, I was blowing up one of those air mattresses made for the swimming pool and I must have looked ridiculous because one lady told me I could take it up to the left where some inflatable water toys were and they could pump it up for me.  After finding out there was a $2 fee, I resorted to blowing it up myself.  Then the security guard came over and told me I could take it up to the right where a shop could blow it up for $5.  Shoot, I only bought the thing for $3 so I’ll gladly spend 20 minutes of my time to blow it up myself.  There’s just something about floating on top of the ocean waves that I love.  5 minutes of that is definitely worth 20 minutes of effort.

Not at all jealous of J’s sunburn from today.  My tan may be slower in coming, but I have 6 weeks in Hawaii to look forward to next!

Roatan - Day 28

Perfect day today, apart from the morning downpour and postponement of morning snorkeling.  We made plans with B (the new ER resident) to go snorkeling from West End, a new spot for us.  It’s ridiculous the amount of snorkeling we are doing here.  I love it and yet I’m getting sick of it.  This time we saw a tiny sunken submarine with some exotic fish swimming around it.  We didn’t go too far out as there were some ominous rainclouds close by.

                                                    

We ran into ER #1 and ER #2, who were on their way to Utila (a nearby island) for a few days.  We also ran into M, who was with the boys.  We persuaded him to accompany us to lunch at our new favorite restaurant – The Lighthouse.  Our favorite waiter was delighted to see us again.  I even persuaded him to give me a mix of french fries and fried plantains instead of just one or the other.  You should have seen J’s face when she asked for the same and the waiter told her no.  Ha!

Since the sun finally decided to show itself, we went out to our dock to suntan for a while and then made a stop at a fruit stand for some more fresh mangos.  J and I headed back to Ed’s to freshen up before heading back to West End to meet up with B and M later for some homemade guacamole.  Problem was our upstairs neighbor from the clinic was throwing a massive birthday party for her 2 year old daughter, complete with an outdoor tent, all kinds of food, and at least 50 people.  We decided to stop by since she had invited us the day before.  After sitting down with a few other people from the clinic, a very nice gentleman each brought us a heaping bowl full of crab salad.  Then a tall glass of Sprite.  Then a piece of birthday cake.  So much for the guacamole…

Oh, and I cannot forget this story!  You’ll LIKE this one, if not LOVE it.  So on our taxi ride back from West End to our apartment, I was chatting it up with our taxi driver like usual.  At one point he asks J and I if we are married (this is all in Spanish mind you, so J has no idea what’s going on).  I told him I wasn’t, but J was (only a few months to go, so what’s the difference?).  So then he says, “You’re single?  I’m single too.  In fact, I want an American girlfriend” (‘novia gringa’ were his exact words).  He then proceeded to tell me he’d like to invite me out to West End sometime for dinner.  After asking him how he expected to get an American girlfriend when he charged too much for a taxi ride, his best response was “gas is expensive.”  Well, so is a girlfriend, J remarked later on.  Ha!  Then we started talking about other things so I asked him typically how much it would cost to get from Sandy Bay (where we live) to West Bay (where the resort we go to is) in a taxi (we are planning on going on Wednesday).  He said he’d charge us $11 for the two of us both ways, which is really good since normally it would be $20.  I think he was starting to figure out he couldn’t charge me so much money for a taxi if he wanted to see me again.  Upon arriving at our apartment, I asked him for his phone number so we could call him to take advantage of such a deal.  Then he had the audacity to ask for my phone number.  He said he wanted to take me out to Punta Gorda (another area of the island) to the beach for the day and he wouldn’t charge me anything at all.  He even upped the ante by saying he’d drive me in an SUV, “porque me gusta el modo suyo.”  Wow, what a great offer, BUT after telling him I didn’t want to give him my phone number, Jorge (great name by the way) asked for a good reason why not.  I told him we’d see how Wednesday goes.  Question is… do I call him on Wednesday to have him take us to West Bay, or not?  However will I turn him down yet again?

J and I finally made it back to B’s place in West End where we cut up a few juicy mangos and made our homemade guacamole.  We sat (I may have even sat in the hammock for a while) on the deck enjoying the fruits of our labor and the ocean breeze coming from the beach across the street.  M kept us enthralled with a few amazing stories.  I could repeat that every night.

Afterthought: Somehow the sand fleas rediscovered my juicy blood and I am again covered in bites from head to toe.  Ay ay ay…

Roatan - Day 27

We had a FULL day today.  We woke up bright and early to have a scrumptious breakfast with MA on her last day before leaving tomorrow, at Earth Mama’s in West End.  If banana pineapple pancakes and coconut drizzled nutella banana crepes accompanied with fresh fruit isn’t any indication of scrumptious, I don’t know what is.  I already want to go back.  Our Canadian hostel friend showed up halfway through for some additional company and to eat our leftovers (he graciously surprised us by paying $5 on the total bill).  We are going to miss MA mucho!

J and I headed to our dock (M jokingly said he had heard it was now “ours” from some of the locals) and chilled for about 5 minutes before it started to rain more than we were comfortable with.  After looking back and seeing a giant dark ominous rain cloud on the horizon, and coming fast, we decided to pack up and leave.  We made a few stops along the way back to the taxi stop.  We just had to get the fixings for another round of the delicious guacamole we made last night.  Yep, chips and guacamole for dinner!  That was the plan anyway…

Right after our vegetable purchase from the back of a pickup truck parked alongside the road, the clouds let loose and down poured on us.  We literally got soaked in a matter of seconds.  Turns out we got our swim AND shower in for the day.  Our morning was cut short so we headed to the clinic early to bum the internet for a while.

Turns out we missed an awesome case downstairs as we were non-productively bumming the internet upstairs.  ER #1 was just finishing up a finger amputation.  So sad we missed it!  What a way to finish on his last day too.  I was able to see quite a few patients on my own today, which I loved.  Just over 3 months until I will be completely on my own so it’s nice to have the autonomy now to prepare for the terrifying yet exciting change.  Looking forward to it.

M invited us to play volleyball again on the beach.  I had a feeling our plan for guacamole and movie that evening was about to change...  After M, ER #1, ER #2, and I got killed (yet again) by a team made of some of the locals, M and I played 2 on 2 with ER #1 and ER #2.  I love playing 2 on 2 beach volleyball, but it’s a bit of a challenge.  Not to mention the difficulty of trying to see the ball in the dark with lights only coming from one direction on the court (we are in a third world country here… no luxury of stadium lighting all the way around).  M probably wanted to kick me off the court and throw down the rest of the game all by himself.  We had a good time, though.  J kicked it with a new ER resident that just arrived for her 4 week rotation here.

We met up with the other half of the gang (remember the random mix of people from our dinner last night?) at Sundowners, a bar/restaurant on the beach for drinks, hamburger and fries.  At least we had some avocado on our bacon cheeseburger to make up for missing our amazing guacamole dinner at home.  MUCH more fun to hang out with everyone on the beach.  When Sundowners closed up for the night, everyone was beyond belief that J and I were up for relocating to the next restaurant/bar.  It was already 10 pm by that time and usually J and I head back earlier than everyone else.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that our second stop had a dance floor!  Except no one in our group acted interested in actually dancing.  I love J.  After telling her I wanted to dance, but no one else was, she said, “Come on!  Let’s go!  We can dance!”  So out we went and everyone else followed.  Just imagine me in my beach gear post volleyball wearing a backpack on the dance floor (excited to see 2 others just like me).  Yeah… I soon lost the pack so I could dance better.  Downside: electronic versions of hip hop songs with the same beat over and over.  I was good after an hour or so, so we called it a night and sad goodbye to everyone.  Sad to say goodbye to MA, ER #1 and ER #2.  Made my night when ER #2 told me to get in touch with him if I want a job in the ER in Phoenix.  I JUST might have to make him follow through with that promise…

Roatan - Day 26

Today we switched our shift to the afternoon since everyone else was working the morning shift.  It gets chaotic with too many people around.  So J and I woke up bright and early to head to our dock close by… we hadn’t been for almost 2 weeks.  Turns out some other gringo girlies noticed we had vacated it and gladly took it upon themselves to put it to good use.  So we grudgingly sauntered onto the dock next to it… it would have to do.  Problem is, you can’t get to the water from it to cool off every now and then.  Next time we will beat them to it!  We didn’t last very long so we headed back to freshen up for work and eat our daily PB & J.

Amazing new discovery today!  I poured a packet of strawberry-orange flavoring (local purchase) into my water bottle and I wanted to stop between EVERY patient just so I could take a swig or two… so tasty!  Can’t wait to try mango, pineapple and coconut (separate flavors).  Already looking forward to tomorrow.

Work was a bit confusing today since we had changed shifts at the last minute.  M was counting on us for tutoring this afternoon so we got permission to leave during that time and come right back to work afterwards.  Well, turns out there weren’t enough nurses around to staff triage and pharmacy, so I was wanted in pharmacy.  Then L said she could cover pharmacy, but she’s never done it before so they turned her down.  Peggy came to staff pharmacy, but then M had already cancelled tutoring so we continued seeing patients on our own.  Those poor kids without a tutor… yeah right, I’m sure they were thrilled to no end (no exertion on their part thinking up new excuses to get out of doing their homework).  We’ll whip ‘em into shape next week.  J and I were glad to have more autonomy at work today seeing patients on our own.

MA had everyone over this evening for dinner since she is leaving on Saturday.  Wow!  Such good food… makings for chicken, beef, or shrimp tacos plus beans, coconut cilantro rice, pico de gallo, and tres leches cake.  J and I made a TASTY guacamole that was definitely a hit.  We will be making a repeat just for the two of us – avocado, red onion, tomato, mango, lime juice, and salt.  AMAZING!  J very keenly pointed out that there could be so many of us here all doing so many different things with different backgrounds and yet we all get together and have a good time.  There were a few Canadians, native Hondureños, an English lad (word choice selected in honor of England), med school students, nurses, dive instructor, wedding photographer, hostel stayers, apartment stayers, beach house stayers, etc.  You get the idea.  Plenty of diversity.  The people who permanently live here are going to miss the rest of us.  I couldn’t just up and move to a third world island permanently, that’s for sure (shocking I know)…  I need a backbone of my family and friends.

Roatan - Day 25

My morning was a bit crazy bouncing between J and ER #2 to translate for each of them.  I only saw one patient completely on my own, but still had some other good cases.  ER #2 and I literally had a crazy lady come in… I asked at least 3 times why she was at the clinic, but she kept going off about her daughter and what had happened earlier that day.  Then I asked if she had high blood pressure… her response, “Yes, no I don’t.”  And diabetes, “Yes, no I don’t.”  Talk about confusing.  ER #2 and I had to wonder if she literally was crazy or was delirious due to an ulcer she had on her leg.  She finally said she needed some medication refills and when I asked for the names of the medications, she told me her name.  Then she said her daughter was with her at the clinic, but she couldn’t tell us her name.  So I went outside with her to look for her daughter and she couldn’t find her.  I was starting to wonder if she was even there, but some other patients waiting pointed her out.  Thank goodness.  We finally sorted everything out and got her taken care of, but it was a struggle!

[Side note: Peggy brought in a GIANT bag of licorice (red, black is disgusting) and totally made my day.  Hoping there’s some left over tomorrow…]

After our shift, we headed down to West End for lunch at The Lighthouse, recommended by a nurse at the clinic.  J got fresh lobster and I got a huge plate full of a whole fish (literally), fried plantains, rice, beans, and a salad.  Oh, and don’t forget the fresh mango juice w/ a chunk of mango on the side.  My new favorite restaurant!  The couple I met in church on Sunday showed up halfway through our meal so we had a nice chat with them.

Oh, and I ran into the dude from Infinity Bay who offered to take me out parasailing for $65.  Our conversation abruptly ended after my counter offer of $15.  Hey, that’s what I paid in Mexico a few years back so why should I pay more?  When I reminded him who I was he gave a boisterous laugh and a big hug.  I love making the local people laugh.  Like the guy we bought makings for guacamole from… his prices were atrociously high, yet his red onion was less than acceptable.  I was hoping for a discount after he laughed at my remark of the onion having an ulcer… I guess a 20 cent discount will have to do.

After tanning on our favorite dock for a few hours, we started to head back for a taxi.  Turns out my new taxi friend from Sunday isn’t my new friend after all.  After asking if he could take us home (he’s always sitting in the same spot) and how much, his enthusiastically replied, “However much you want!”  Then he immediately said no to 20 lempiras each ($1) AND then to 25 lempiras each.  That’s it, I’m done with him.  Either we’re friends, or we’re not… there’s no middle ground here.  It was easy enough to find another taxi for 25 lemps each.  J thinks he just doesn’t want to work, which I’m sure is accurate.  After all, we are in Honduras.

Roatan - Day 24

Because the OB/GYN doctor didn’t show up today for one reason or another, J and I ended up doing women health exams again.  This time it went MUCH smoother and quicker than last week.  After finishing early, we saw another patient and her son, both with an unusual rash.  Turns out it was a VERY good idea for J to wear gloves while she examined them since they both had scabies, which is very contagious.  I couldn’t get out of that room fast enough!  J and I washed our hands multiple times and wiped everything down with alcohol.  Crossing our fingers….

I finally had some success with V (as we’ll call her) during tutoring today.  She is very skilled at coming up with every excuse in the book not to do her work and then when she does sit down to do it, is very distracted.  She ran through a couple practices of a presentation she has to give and then we actually did a whole worksheet on synonyms and antonyms without putting up a fight or being distracted.  My trick – “When I say ‘synonym,’ you say ‘same.’  ‘Synonym.’  ‘Same.’  When I say ‘antonym,’ you say ‘opposite.’  ‘Antonym.’  ‘Opposite.’”  I drilled it in her.  Even the other kids learned a thing or two.

Another med student at the clinic, MA for short, accompanied us for an evening in West End… souvenir shopping, dock sitting, and quesadilla eating.  My fumble for the night – losing Hector’s phone number, our taxi driver on the way home that was going to drive us to West Bay this weekend for a song.  Dang!

Roatan - Day 23

Big morning today… we wore ourselves out snorkeling.  We went out in Sandy Bay (where we’ve already been a few times) with Peggy, L, and D.  Our typical snorkeling adventures last 1 – 1.5 hours so we were planning on the same today.  Only 2.5 hours and bright red sunburns later did we realize we should have planned more carefully.  I DID put on sunscreen, but not enough apparently.  It was a GREAT snorkel though.  We went out farther than we had before… until we came to 20 foot high coral reefs and the steep drop off into the dark abyss.  We even saw a barracuda and a couple of turtles.  We swam around a small island, Anthony’s Key Resort, and got close enough to touch the dolphins (you can pay bucko bucks for the dolphin encounter).  Well J did anyway… she put her hand through the fence and one swam right up to her.

After such a long snorkel we were all famished.  Nothing that a Coca-Cola and giant chicken quesadilla with fresh pico de gallo couldn’t fix.  Thank goodness for Marco’s, the joint at the bottom of the hill from the clinic.  We are regular customers there.  He might even have to close down after we leave for lack of business.

L took us to the grocery store were we stocked up on the usual – makings for a salad, juice, yogurt, Oreos, plantain chips, bread, and peanut butter.  On the way back we made a stop at the Rusty Fish, a tourist shop filled with cute brightly colored décor handmade out of recycled metal.  You are guaranteed a typical locally made souvenir here, not one shipped in from Guatemala or China. 

I passed out on my bed when we got back until I got a call from the hondureño doc at the clinic, asking if I wanted to come help him coach his basketball teams.  Heck yes!  The basketball court was literally my dream come true.  I wish I had taken my camera with.  Imagine this… a super nice outdoor court literally built OVER the ocean with bleachers on the water side.  I could play there all day every day.  I thought the doc’s teams were high school age, but turned out to be junior high.  They are some talented kids, but have some distractions and learning the basics to work through.  They did some warm up drills, then I worked with the post players (guys & girls) on inside moves to the basket.  Then we played some 5 on 5 ball.  Yes, I got to play with the girls.  I have never sweat so much in such a short amount of time.  Playing in this humidity is a killer.  Also, I was the ONLY white girl on the whole court (most were Black)… on the other end, there were 15-20 dudes balling it up.  Yes, I got a few looks. 

It was super fun and made me miss coaching my girls back in the States.  I hope I get the opportunity again to coach in the future.  J stayed behind to rest from her 2.5 hour upper body snorkel this morning (AMAZINGLY, she didn’t fall asleep while I was gone).

Tip: Have you ever tried a spoonful of peanut butter on the top of an Oreo?  Try it!  It’s our new favorite sugar appeaser.

Roatan - Day 22

This morning I got up bright and early to go to church.  Everyone was very friendly and I met a lovely American couple a few years older than me who asked me to take their picture outside the church.  They said they always take a picture such as this (to show their kids) and go on a vacation every year for their anniversary.  Love it… that’s what I want to do!  During Sunday School, I got a message from J saying that no one came to pick her up to take her to the resort (we always get a free day at Infinity Bay every Sunday).  So I stepped out to call Peggy, but no answer.  After not understanding much of the lesson (that’s what I get for sitting on the back row) and J stranded at home, I just headed back to figure out how we could get to Infinity Bay ourselves.

We hailed a taxi, who turned out to be my “friend” from last week that I was giving a hard time about charging too high of prices.  We had a nice chat about his previous two girlfriends (yes, simultaneously) and then about his kids.  We are now good friends, even after telling him having two girlfriends at once is a huge no-no. 

THE AFTERNOON WAS AMAZING.  Never have I seen such a beautiful beach.  And the resort itself was gorgeous.  In all my beach travels, I have never stayed at a resort.  I think I could definitely stay at one for a week, never set foot on other soil outside the resort, and be completely happy.  Such a different place than the rest of the island.  The rest of the island is ghetto paradise, but this is just paradise in the truest sense of the word… white sand beach lined with palm trees and crystal clear blue water. 

The snorkeling was amazing.  You would swim between giant walls of coral teeming with schools of fish until you arrived at the edge and looked down into deep dark abyss.  Sharks might be lurking there… that’s what I was trying to avoid thinking anyway.  Every time we go snorkeling I see some new sea creature… this time it was a turtle!  I wanted to touch it (which is illegal) so good thing it was too far down for me to dive.  You see, I’ve been having a bit of a hard time trying to propel myself downward very far.  My fins get stuck out of the water and I don’t go very far before I have to breathe again.  Meanwhile, ER #1 and ER #2 are diving 40 feet down, going through tunnels in the coral.  Good thing I still have a few more weeks to practice.

We lazed another hour or so on the beach chairs before I went to go play some beach volleyball.  This time I nailed it… lots of good spikes, amazing blocks and strong serves.  They call me Xtina.  However did they know that was ACTUALLY my real nickname?  I’m pretty sure M (professional volleyball player) was impressed… that alone makes it a good day.

On the way back home, we ALL piled into the red pickup truck.  M sat on the passenger side with J’s wheelchair on his lap, 4 of us ladies in the second row back and about 10 in the back, no joke.  D was willing to make 2 trips, but we all made it safely in one.  SO ready to go back next weekend!

Roatan - Day 21

So we slept the morning away.  Ok, so actually J did.  We didn’t get out of the house until after noon, but I got some stuff done for school at least.  We wondered down to West End and explored some overpriced tourist shops before we met up with the whole gang from the clinic for some afternoon sailing.  I wasn’t holding out for the biggest or best sailboat, but when a giant catamaran pulled into the bay, I couldn’t contain my excitement.  I have always wanted to ride on one of those!  Actually, I think us kids did when we were younger in Rocky Point once… remember?

A few of us sat at the bow (aka front) of the boat with our legs dangling over the edge (mine were long enough that I’d catch some water every now and then) as we sailed for open water.  Ok, it wasn’t really a sailboat… there was an engine or two involved.  We finally anchored at a prime snorkeling spot and right when we got in the water, we saw a giant eagle ray!  Incredible.  Actually only a few of us stragglers getting into the water saw it, the rest were too far gone to even notice it.  We spent over an hour out in the water exploring.  I saw a lionfish, squid, starfish, and even found some seashells for my souvenir.  It took me 6 or 7 times to actually get it off the ocean floor (pretty deep).  Every time I’d try diving down I couldn’t propel myself since my flippers were out of the water.  Ok, I also admit I couldn’t hold my breath very long.  And I was worried about touching the surrounding coral.  There were many factors involved… but I finally got it!  Turns out I don’t think I was supposed to take it either since we were in a marine park area.  Oops.  That just makes it an even better souvenir!  We also got to see the dolphins at Anthony’s Key Resort on the way out.  Who needs to go swimming with the dolphins?  This was just as good!

On the way back in, the crew caught a giant tuna fish (they should have fried it up for us right then and there.  I demand a refund.  Ok, I guess I can’t complain for only $25.  Free Coca-Cola makes up for it).  No sun was to be found, so I must have gotten my tan on the way out.  After a group photo (there were 12 of us), we set off to find some dinner in West End.  After walking up and down the main street a few times we finally settled on Lionfish Louie’s.  Fresh fried fish always hits the spot.  M showed up halfway through bringing a bundle of heaven with him, coconut candy, for us try.  Delicious.  The other kids set off to Coxen Hole for the festivities going on and J and I headed back to Ed’s for another $2 pirated DVD.  Who thought I’d be watching Les Miserables for the first time since it came out in Roatán, Honduras?

Roatan - Day 20

Yay for Friday!  ER #2 and I pumped through the patients this morning.  We had a good system going – I would ask all the questions and do my physical exam while ER #2 typed away on the chart note (as I translated).  Then we would decide our final plan and what medications to give together.  It was perfect.  I got the experience of doing everything on my own without having to type the note.  Now we’re talkin’.  One patient even told me she thought I was a model at first because I was so thin and tall.  She was surprised to find out I was her “doctor” (PA’s don’t exist in this country).  She is my new favorite patient.

I have to laugh because ER #2 tries so hard with his Spanish, yet patients just give blank stares back at him.  Take for example, early today he asked a question… the patient had no idea what he said so looked at me… I then asked the same EXACT question and they immediately replied appropriately.  Haha, so dang funny.  We all give him a hard time.  He even went so far as to show a patient how to gargle salt water for his sore throat.  In one hand, “agua.”  In the other, “sal.”  He then proceeded to actually gargle both together in front of the patient… and the patient still didn’t get it!  Or the time he told a patient 3 times in a row, “Me llamo doctor ___.”  The patient’s response after 3 times, “No te entiendo.”  I DIED LAUGHING.  He’ll never live it down.

After work, J and I laid out on the dock in Sandy Bay for a while then went snorkeling.  Not our favorite spot – way too murky.  However, we did find LOTS of brightly colored fish and even saw an octopus!  I almost thought it was going to come out after us.  Can the small ones squirt ink?

Remember a few days ago when M never showed up for volleyball?  Well, he was actually there this time, along with a whole lot of other peeps (or people, if you prefer).  We were 45 minutes late, but they were still only on the second game.  Finally it was our turn to play.  M, ER #1, ER #2 and I all formed a team and proceeded to win the next 3 games in a row.  So the islanders all teamed up with the best players and finally beat us off the court.  Not my best games, but beach is always much harder to play.  The very first play of our very first game, I made an awesome block over the setter of the opposite team.  She looked up at me with eyes that said “not fair” and made a remark about me being too tall.  Booyah.  Later, M told me that when all the other players saw me walk up and how tall I was, they all got worried.  Too bad I didn’t deliver more of my skills.  I was a little rusty… But can’t wait to play some more! [Side note: the same dog that bit me had to be tied up due to his bad behavior.  Maybe he DOES have rabies.]

We all spent the next couple of hours at Cannibal Café, enjoying steak fajitas, mango smoothies, ice cream sopapillas, serenaded songs from the local guitarist, great company, and plenty of laughs.

And what better way to top off the night than with our $2 pirated DVD we bought on the street?  Can’t beat that.

Big news: NO WORK ON MONDAY.  We will be celebrating the island’s revolution.  Other big news:  NO WORK THE FOLLOWING MONDAY.  It’s a national holiday.  Don’t be jealous.

Roatan - Day 19

This morning J and I worked completely on our own to do women’s health exams.  Yep, we did it all.  We didn’t have all the fancy equipment we are used to in the States so it was a bit challenging.  We made do.  And glad we are done!  Hope they don’t rope us into another day of that…

We tutored the kiddos again this afternoon, just J, M and I.  I worked with Esmerelda, who after reading a story out loud about sharks, adamantly refused that sharks lay eggs.  With my knowledge of ocean life, I could hardly refute that.  I had to stick with the book, which said they do.  Can anyone confirm this?  Apparently she took a liking to me (despite my instance that shark lay eggs) and wrote my name out and decorated it all fancy on a piece of paper.  Then when she told me she didn’t speak any Spanish (she was pulling my leg, of course), was extremely shocked to hear me spout off multiple questions in Spanish trying to get her to answer them.

The school bus then dropped J and I off in West End where we lounged on our favorite dock (I can’t believe J brought a change of clothes and didn’t even tell me!  Mostly I was jealous since I was still in my scrubs).  Just as we were getting ready to head in for some dinner, two European boys joined us on the dock so we chatted with them for a bit.  One was from Madrid (oh how I miss that accent!) and the other from Germany.  They were nice enough.

For dinner we had lionfish tacos and a fresh mango smoothie (he cut it up right before our very eyes), my dream come true.  And lunch was a baleada and mango.  LOVE the food here!  [Side note: at dinner a cat put her mangy paw on my lap and almost jumped up to join me in feasting on my fish tacos.  J is the one who loves the animals here, yet they keep coming to me…]

Roatan - Day 18

Saw a TON of patients this morning, but my most interesting case was a young man with Dengue Fever, a mosquito borne illness.  Both Dengue Fever and Malaria are transmitted via mosquito and both are prevalent on the island.  It’s important to differentiate them because the possibility of death with Dengue is greater.  Tropical medicine has been interesting to learn.  That, along with what to do about a Lionfish sting.

J and I changed into our swimsuits at the clinic, stopped for a brief baleada at the bottom of the hill (where I also gave J a short Spanish grammar lesson), and headed to our favorite dock in West End to catch some sun.  We didn’t get much since it was almost 3 pm by the time we got there, but enough to keep us content.  Until our next beach day anyway. 

So our new volunteer coordinator at the clinic used to play professional volleyball in Europe for almost 10 years (we’ll call him M).  He said I should come play some beach volleyball this afternoon, with some of the islanders.  He also invited ER #1 and #2 as well.  So after a couple hours on the dock, we set out to find said volleyball beach court.  After conveniently blocking the narrow path of some tourists riding horses trying to get to the beach, we finally spotted it.  We had to backtrack a bit to actually find a way for J to get to it.  Turns out there was NOBODY there!  Also, turns out as I was walking back to J, a slobbery dog decided he wanted to bite my hand (no warning mind you.  A bark would have been nice)!  J and I have this joke about dogs here.  She feels sorry for the whole lot of them and constantly wants to pet them all.  I, on the other hand, realize full well that most of them have fleas, a handful have rabies, and one or two could end up as your meat taco you plan on eating that night.  I just don’t do dogs in third world countries.  I have been taught to stay away, mostly because of rabies.  Well, J was smart and got her rabies vaccine.  So…. I was freaking out that the dog bit me and couldn’t believe J didn’t even warn me it was coming up behind me!  At least he didn’t break the skin.  I’m safe… for now.  Also, so you don’t think I’m a dog hater, I LOVE dogs (big ones only and in the States only) and miss my dear pup, Hershey, terribly.  Wow, that was a long paragraph to simply say, there was no volleyball to be played tonight.

So dinner it was.  On the way back into town, we ran into ER #1 and #2 who were also coming to play volleyball.  We waited around for a few for M to show his face, which we never saw.  So we ventured down the main drag to find some din din. 

Speaking of Lionfish (I mentioned it earlier, ha), we decided to try LionFish Louie’s and actually ate lionfish for dinner, along with “fried potatoes” (aka french fries) and fried plantains.  If you don’t know what a lionfish is, Google it.  They look incredible – brown with white stripes and all kinds of fins extending from it, which are actually barbs and which actually are poisonous.  But the meat of those suckers is delicious!  What better way to spend the evening than eating fresh fried fish while reclining on the beach and watching the sunset?  We sat around on the beach for another hour or two chatting with ER #1 and #2, their friends from the hostel, and M who finally decided to show his face.  Our longest day yet away from Ed’s apartment…

I could do a repeat of tonight every night while we are here (minus the dog bite).

Roatan - Day 17

Another day of seeing patients was swept right out from under my feet.  I’ve been excited to work with the hondureño doc this week (and probably my only week), but then I got asked to work in the pharmacy today instead.  Ok… I’ll go where they need me.  At least I snuck in some translating for ER #2 here and there.  Then on Thursday, J and I will be doing pap smears and breast exams all morning.  Can’t wait (actually, I can).  Nah, we’re pros by now.  Maybe more information than you wanted, but it’s common talk among PA students.  Welcome to the club.

Berta, one of the nurses at the clinic asked me where I was from and when I said Arizona, she pointed out the fact that that’s where all the illegal immigrants cross into the U.S. and that now she knows to come to my house whenever she wants to come to the U.S.  Haha, that made me laugh.

A little more about the island that I don’t think I’ve explained before… There are 3 types of people living here in Roatán.  1) The Islanders, who are Black and speak mainly English, although they also know Spanish.  There are also white islanders (literally just a handful) who have been here since the British occupied the island.  2) The Hondureños, who are brown/Hispanic and have come over from the mainland.  They speak Spanish only.  3) The Gringos, who inhabit every tourist area and restaurant/bar in West End.  It’s an interesting mix of people and brings a nice variety to the island.

After work today, some of us volunteers at the clinic went to a local school to tutor some students.  I think (ok, I know) most of us were expecting to help poor underserved students who were struggling.  Instead, we were bussed over to the most expensive school on the island to provide one on one help to a handful of kids who would probably get along just fine if their parents at home spent some time with them.  It was a beautiful school (remodeled resort), set on the edge of an unpopulated bay with a cooling sea breeze coming in through the windows.  Any kid would be lucky to attend school there.  The girl I worked with (3^rd grade) had some serious ADD, but that didn’t even compare to the kid ER #2 ended up with.  I’m more than happy to help and love being around kids, but I couldn’t help thinking “I’m so glad I’m not teaching anymore…”  I do miss my high school kids terribly though…

Tonight J and I had a daring adventure in the kitchen.  We had bought the makings for spaghetti back on our first trip to the grocery store upon arrival in ghetto paradise.  So we decided we’d finally attempt to cook in the kitchen.  J chopped up fresh vegetables for a salad and I set to work on the spaghetti.  Background: I trust NO dishes that aren’t in the dish drainer.  Who the heck knows how long the dishes in the cupboards have sat there, collecting dust and other things not to be named.  So we have 3 plates, 2 cups, a couple spoons, 1 fork, 1 knife, 1 pot and 1 skillet to rotate through.  Because I wanted a bigger skillet to warm up the spaghetti sauce, I pulled out a bigger one from the cupboard only to find a bug (earwig maybe) surprised and disturbed that I had bothered him.  I’ll stick to our regular skillet then.  After realizing we only had plates for our salads (they are more like teacup plates), I pulled out a larger one from the cupboard.  After finding a cockroach leg on the second one, I gave up.  I will never use dishes out of the cupboard again.  And I will never cook in the kitchen again.  I am more than happy to spend more money eating out.  We start tomorrow night. 

               

Oh, and I can’t forget that I accidentally squirted J in the face with mandarin orange juice when trying to open the can with our new, less than acceptable can opener.  Oops…

Roatan - Day 16

Back to the morning shift this week.  This morning was madness.  There were 4 doctors and 3 of us students seeing patients in only 4 rooms.  So much for seeing patients on our own.  This week I am working with one of the native hondureño docs.  My first patient of the day was an interesting case.  She came in with abdominal pain and vomiting.  At first I was thinking a gastroenteritis until her pregnancy test came up positive.  After further workup we sent her to see a gynecologist due to a probable ectopic pregnancy.  Hopefully everything turns out fine.

ER #1, ER #2, J, and I had lunch at the bottom of the hill at Marco’s, a hut with a few tables and plenty of flies (where we found out about the Boston Marathon – they had a TV on).  Only $5 for a plate of fried fish (turns out it’s not fresh…tilapia is NOT an ocean fish), fried plantains, rice & beans, and steamed vegetables.  This will be a new frequented joint by us, same place we get the baleadas. 

This afternoon we took a trip to the grocery store in Coxen Hole to stock up on yogurt, salad toppings, peanut butter, Oreos, and Snickers.  Ok, we bought other things too, but we definitely upheld the American stereotype.  On the way back, our taxi driver kindly passed us some Jehovah’s Witness pamphlets and a short discussion of religion ensued.  He said he doesn’t belong to any church in particular (although he does prefer the Baptists), but likes to visit other churches.  I asked if he had been to visit The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), and said he hadn’t, but would like to.  I told him when and where on Sunday and that I’d be there.  He said he’d come.  We shall see…

J and I passed out on our beds after we got home for an hour or two (that was J, not me…) and are kicking it back at Ed’s for the rest of the evening.  Exciting, I know…

Roatan - Day 15

Bummer of a day today, for me anyway.  J has a whole different story.  Every Sunday the volunteers at the clinic get in free to this big fancy resort on the island, which apparently has one of the best snorkeling spots.  I was planning on going to Sacrament Meeting this morning, then having Peggy pick me up on the way to the resort.  It was going to be perfect, until I found out the church building isn’t exactly on the way.  So then I planned to go by myself, then take a water taxi there.  But not having ever been there, it would be nice to check it out first, see where we get our bracelets and where I could meet them.  Church next week then.  I know… poor decision.

So Peggy picked us up this morning and we went to church with her, but right before she came I started to not feel so bueno – stomach pain.  By the time we got there, I felt like I wanted to throw up, so I ended up spending most of the time in el baño.  Peggy came in to check on me and volunteered to drive me back.  We went up to the clinic and she gave me a shot of Zofran (anti-nausea) and took me back to her beach house.  I sprawled out on the bed for a couple hours, took a nap, then spent the rest of the afternoon reading (1776) out on a hammock on her dock.  L brought me a few packages of saltines and even offered a chocolate chip cookie.  Shhh, don’t tell Peggy.  I declined anyway.  It was a lovely afternoon, despite the intermittent abdominal pains.  I feel better now.

Made it back home just before J came home to tell me about her wonderful adventure at the resort and snorkeling.  One day I will make it…

Roatan - Day 14

BEACH HEAVEN.  I could leave the post at that and call it good.  I’ve been to quite a few beaches in my time, pretty frequently – California, Oregon, Hawaii, Mexico, Spain, Greece, and several islands in the Caribbean.  I’m a bit of a beach bum, it’s true (but I also love the mountains).  That’s what happens when you spend a week at the beach each year as a kid/teenager and then living a 7 minute walk away from the beach for a whole year (teaching English in Spain).  The point is that today we went to one of my most FAVORITE beach spots – Frenchy’s 44.  We spent a good 6 hours there.  Roatan is a pretty small island, but it has “keys” as well, which are smaller (very tiny) islands just off the coast.

Well, someone got ahold of this little French key and made a tropical paradise out of it.  Words don’t really do it justice (you’ll just have to see my photos, better yet, GO there), but I’ll give it a try.  So you take a boat over to the key and immediately when you dock you see several tiny spots of beach connected by a dock.  There are huts, cushy places to recline, umbrellas, tables in the water, chairs in the water, chilled drinks, and pumpin’ music, all surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water.  Magical.  On the rest of Frenchy’s Key there are inlets with white sand beaches, sun chairs, hammocks, a volleyball net, monkeys and macaws, kayaks, and a 12 foot platform to jump into the water.

Started the day with some daring jumps, then shared a delicious plate filled with lobster, shrimp, chicken, beef, coconut rice & beans, pico de gallo, coleslaw, grilled tomatoes, and fried plantains.  It was my first time eating lobster… very tasty!  I much prefer it over crab.  Went out snorkeling for a while (not much to see…) and then kicked it in the sun for a while.  There were 10 of us from the clinic so we all had a jolly time together.  J and I DEFINITELY want to go back, maybe our last weekend here.

J and I sadly said goodbye to our English friend (who is the cutest) since she flies out tomorrow, then ventured out later for a GIANT bacon cheeseburger for dinner in West End, at a cute little joint down on the beach.  I need all the red meat I can get!

Roatan - Day 13

This morning was FABULOUS!  J and I went out snorkeling with D, an older gentleman (late 50’s to early 60’s) just kickin’ it on the island and helping out with the clinic.  He knew all the great places to look and where the reefs were.  We saw lots of tropical fish, plenty of lobsters (D even tried to catch a few), sea shells, an eel, and all kinds of ocean “plants.”  We spent a good 2 hours out snorkeling and it was great to finally get in the water!  I wasn’t a fan of the bay we snorkeled in since the bottom is all silt and very murky water until you get out further.  We had to hunt for at least 15 minutes to find J’s snorkel that D accidentally dropped while helping her de-fog.  Can’t wait for more snorkeling this weekend!

After dropping my laundry off at Ed’s Lavandería, I was walking back to the apt. along the road and then a car honked at me from behind.  I just thought it was a taxi (taxis honk at you to see if you need a ride), but then I hear a man’s voice say, “Where are you headed?”  Turns out it was one of our patients at the clinic and he told me to hop in the truck and he’d take us to work.  J was pleasantly surprised to see who I had “flagged down” as our ride to the clinic.

At the clinic this afternoon, there was no one to man triage or pharmacy, so I ended up doing both instead of seeing patients.  I crazily ran back and forth between the two for a good solid 2 hours and then all of a sudden the clinic died.  No more patients.  We sat around for an hour watching the hondureño doc control his heart rate (he could literally make it go faster or slower, depending) before J suggested we get some baleadas at the bottom of the hill.  So down the hill I went to place a carry out order for the both of us and the ER residents. 

Baleadas are typical hondureño food – thick tortillas filled with refried beans, scrambled eggs, and fresh avocado.  Sounds like a strange combination, but they are delicious!  I cannot speak for J, but I will be eating a lot more of them instead of PB & J for lunch.

The clinic closes at 6:00 pm (also when the sun sets, SUPER early…) but we called it a night at 5:15 and all went home except for the hondureño doc to man the last 45 minutes.

Since we went out the last two nights and my nose has become a snot factory, we’ll stay in tonight, catch up on some internet time and study (I guess I better do SOME of that while I am here…).

More scoop on Ed’s Apartment: just found out the freezer doesn’t actually freeze.  So much for our chicken that’s been “freezing” for the last 2 weeks…

Roatan - Day 12

Yet another repeat of beach morning, except this time we had a fisherman casting his pole out into the ocean near us, but apparently not near enough.  He scared all the tropical fish our direction.  We were running extremely low on water (the water I purchased the night before seemed a little sketchy and didn’t actually say “purified” on the label, not to be trusted).  Not wise to be out in the sun in such a condition.  On the way back, I ran to a nearby restaurant (ahem, hut) and bought us a few saving bottles.

Interesting day at the clinic today.  I performed my first ultrasound – transabdominal 6 month pregnancy check, the lady’s first one for this pregnancy.  So amazing to see those tiny little arms and legs move and the tiny little heart beating away.  Life is truly a miracle. 

We also had a guy come in with a pretty serious infection on his foot after getting scratched by something on his sailboat 2 weeks earlier.  I really wish I had a picture of this guy to show you… just perfect really.  A true islander.  Picture this: a 30 year old tall gangly German fellow with long sloppy sandy-colored hair and a full unkempt beard wearing black plastic framed glasses sporting a striped polo shirt and pale blue shorts, cut off at the knee and held up with a piece of rope through the belt loops.  No shoes in sight and braided loops around his wrist and ankle.  His clothes probably hadn’t been washed in at least a month.  He had a fabulous accent as well.  Basically he had to choose between securing his sailboat (currently just sitting on the beach and not docked) or going to the hospital to get IV antibiotics.  In one case he might lose his boat and the other, potentially his foot.  Either way, couldn’t believe he actually chose to walk barefoot everywhere. 

We had dinner out with a few of the other ladies volunteering at the clinic, Thai food in West End.  We sat chatting for a good while and enjoying the evening outside (good thing I doused myself in mosquito repellant before we left).  One of the girls is from England so we were all having fun comparing the U.S. with England in so many different ways.  One of her favorite states is Utah and she was absolutely thrilled (!!!) to find out I was Mormon.  “You’re my new favorite person!” she said with enough enthusiasm to turn heads as we were walking down the street.  She is the cutest, a ball of energy and a lovely accent to boot.

While I was locking the door after getting home, J pointed out that there was a gecko above me on the wall.  This little dude has been wandering around our apartment all week and J is terrified of it.  I didn’t think I was either until it ran out onto the ceiling (upside down?!) while I was trying to catch it.  After a little bit of a wild chase and laughing our heads off, I finally caught it in a glass, ran it outside and threw it back into the jungle where it rightfully belongs.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t come back to seek revenge on J…

Ending note: All I want to do right now is blow my nose (stuffed up).  This cold is making it difficult to enjoy island life.

Roatan - Day 11

This morning was basically a repeat of yesterday morning – lounging about on the dock.  The only difference was J forgot her beach towel and I picked up a huge conch shell (about the size of your foot) from the bottom of the ocean floor (shallower than it sounds) that J pointed out with her keen eye.  We brought it back with us to spiff up our apartment décor.

I worked with ER #2 again today and he is definitely emergency oriented.  When talking about my differential diagnoses, he ALWAYS mentioned the most serious option FIRST.  These guys just aren’t focused on primary care.  They do a good job anyway.  I know ER #1 was impressed with J’s family medicine approach.  The day seemed to be filled with ordering labs and patients with gastrointestinal worms (maybe I should stop brushing my teeth with the water here…).

We made it out of the clinic exactly on time so J, L , and I took a taxi to West End for some real food.  Not being able to cook in our apartment really limits our options.  Plus, we forgot to sign up for the weekly hydroponic (look it up) lettuce handout.  It was SO great to be out enjoying each other’s company over a delicious meal instead of kicking it, back at Ed’s.

Getting home was entertaining.  Felt bad for J who was out of the loop since she doesn’t speak Spanish, but I was having a good time.  So we only paid $1 each to get to West End from Sandy Bay (where the clinic is and where we live) so naturally you would expect to pay the same price on the way back.  Apparently the taxis charge more during the night so all the taxis I was hailing wanted to charge $1.50 each.  Heck with that (or so I thought at the time).  It was dark on the way there so why should it cost more when it’s STILL dark?  Well, after talking with at least 5 different taxis, no one was budging.  The first cab driver I spoke with was just sitting across the street pointing out the next taxi, watching me flag it down, failing to agree on the $1 return fair, thus proving his point and enjoying every minute of it.  Finally, I grudgingly said he could take us for the $1.50 each.  After the 3 of us piled in the back and another passenger got in the front, our cab driver asked the passenger to scoot his seat up so I’d have more room in the back (yes, I am a tall lady).  After he scooted forward, the cab driver asked if that was better and I replied it would be better if he only charged us $1 each.  He gave a good chuckle in response.  I decided to have some fun with the situation.  And THAT’S why I love traveling.  I love to joke around with the locals – taxi drivers, waiters, and people selling their souvenirs made in China (ok, Guatemala maybe).  That way, they laugh, have fun and cut me a deal.  It’s a brilliant strategy.  Works every time!  But not this time…

Most people on the island know Nurse Peggy so I even told our driver that she had told us not to pay more than $1 each.  “Well she doesn’t know the prices then.”  Of course she does.  On the way back to Sandy Bay, the cab driver and I got into a discussion about the usual prices - $1 during the day and $1.50 at night.  So then I asked why we only paid $1 at night to GET to West End?  “Because some cab drivers don’t know the prices.”  I asked how could that be?  “Because they are ‘new’ on the island.”  Ha, yeah right.  Good one sir.  I had to laugh at that.  So then I told him I’d just have to seek out the “new” drivers then.  L had a good laugh at that.  Poor J, had no idea what was going on.  I was done by that point.  This guy was no fun, way too serious.  And what a waste, half my post ended up about him…

Cab Driver 2 points, Kristina 0 points.

Roatan - Day 10

J and I FINALLY made it to the beach this morning!  And when I say beach, I mean a dock extending 50 yards or so out into the ocean.  A perfect respite from the sand fleas and mosquitos.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  Just the way I like it.  While J studiously read about obstetrics, I gluttoned (yes, I made up that word) myself on the sun rays, enjoying the warmth and cool gentle breeze.  After 2 hours of dedicated sunscreen application, we headed back to the apt. to get ready for work.  I thought I had it bad by not having showered in over 48 hours, but J wins!  AT LEAST 60 hours since she last showered.  No wonder there weren’t any fish in the water around us.  Ha, I kid.  We’ll do anything to avoid taking a cold shower.  I will anyway.  But after pushing J up a steep hill and making sure she didn’t go too fast down another steep hill, I welcomed the freezing downpour in the shower with open arms.

Our 5 hour shift at the clinic today turned into 6.5 hours.  I know, we have it rough.  It IS rough when you make dinner plans with L after her invitation and you have to turn them down because you are behind schedule.  By the way, can I just say I love L?  She is the greatest and super sweet.  She’s a Canadian, probably in her early 40’s who took all of her vacation time for the next 2 years to come down here to work in the laboratory at the clinic.  We’ll just have to do dinner with her tomorrow.

J and I worked with 2 third year ER residents today (their first day at the clinic).  She worked with one and I worked with the other (we’ll call them ER #1 and ER #2).  By default, ER #1 becomes #1 since I met him first.  Because ER #1 speaks Spanish and J doesn’t, they worked together.  I worked with ER #2 because he didn’t speak Spanish (very little).  It was a great set up – I got to see my own patients and present to ER #2 AND translate for him while he saw his patients.  I really like those guys.  They are great teachers and they actually have a personality – fun to work with.  J and I are really looking forward to tomorrow. 

My highlight of the day was translating for ER #2 (who speaks very little Spanish) who was seeing a 9 month old and his mom.  He correctly asked her twice in a row (in Spanish) if her 9 month old had any allergies to any medications.  After she stared blankly at him, I stepped in and we solved the issue.  Then she started laughing uncontrollably… then it was our turn (for ER #2 and me) to both look at each other with blank stares.  We had no idea why she was laughing… she told me that she would have no idea what ER #2 was saying if I wasn’t there to help.  It made ER #2 feel quite sheepish about his Spanish, especially since he was conversing with her earlier without me in the room.  On the other hand, it was my moment of triumph :)  I even helped ER #1 (who does speak Spanish) a time or too.  Booyah!

The lowlight of the day (I guess you could call it that, due to the probable outcome) was a patient I saw presenting with 4 day vaginal bleeding (11 years post-menopausal), 40 pound weight loss over the last 8 months, and lower back pain.  It could be something benign, but it could also be a cancer.  As far as what we are able to do on the island to manage her care isn’t much.  The resources just aren’t there.  She’ll come back in a few days to follow up with the OB/GYN doc, but will most likely need to go to the mainland for imaging and a biopsy.  She was the cutest and sweetest little lady, but spoke faster than Speedy Gonzalez himself.  I had to ask my questions at least 2 or 3 times to clarify.  She gave me a hug at the end and said she was very glad to meet me.  I can only hope for the best for her…

Perfect ending to the day: surprise knock on the front door from our upstairs neighbor (she works at the clinic) with a plateful of grilled meat, corn tortillas, and pico de gallo.  Buen provecho!

Roatan - Day 9

Not until this morning when I tromped through a whole field of grass at 7:30 am to drop off a load of laundry did I realize just how hostile of a climate it is here.  NO DEW ON THE GRASS?!  Maybe it wasn’t early enough, but the morning sure dawned way too early in my book.  J and I were up an hour prior to that so we’d be ready for pickup at 7:30 am.  We were to be judges at a science fair competition.  Little did I know I’d be riding 20-25 min in the back of a truck both ways (most likely getting fried by the sun), or eating less than satisfactory fast food pizza for lunch, or working the afternoon shift at the clinic as well.  A day full of surprises.  I like surprises, mostly, but today J and I got the life blood sucked out of us by those kids at the science fair, or something.  We just didn’t have the energy to keep us going at the clinic.  All I wanted was a big fat nap.  That, or a large Coca-Cola filled with sugar cane to pump through my veins.  At least I got to translate for J during one patient visit.  I LOVE IT.

The science fair was actually pretty fun.  About 10 of us from the clinic were paired up with other local Hondureños to judge projects, grades 3-10 at a bilingual school.  Everything was expected to be presented in English: poster, project, paper, AND presentation (love the alliteration).  I was assigned to the 3^rd and 4^th graders.  It was the first year their projects were being judged so they were a bit timid (and when I say a bit, I mean A LOT).  They were just the cutest things.  When I expressed to the lady I was working with that I hoped I wasn’t being too harsh, she assured me I wasn’t and that SHE is the one who usually grades hard.  Ha, little did she know I taught high school for 4.5 years.  After spending a good 20 minutes with each group (five total), we compared our scores to rank the winners.  Turns out I was much more harsh.  Oops.  Poor little things. 

One group made a model of the solar system (what would a science fair be without at least ten of these?!  You know you made when you were a young innocent kid…) and was explaining how Pluto is no longer a planet.  We asked what happened to it and one girl’s response, “It disappeared.”  Another girl’s response, “It exploded.”  Bahahaha, almost cracked up right then and there.  Dead giveaway on the amount of research they did.

I triaged a lady today who said she had been punched in the ear.  She was having pain, dizziness, and couldn’t hear.  Dr. Molina walked in an hour or so later asking me if I wanted to see something I probably wouldn’t normally get to see.  Jumped at the chance!  When I looked into her left ear, I was looking directly into her inner ear.  Found out later from J that her husband had slapped her and the air/pressure acted as a knife, rupturing her eardrum.  SO SAD.  I can’t believe so many people suffer from abuse, let alone other types of abuse.  I’m sure it’s fairly common on the island too…

After 9 days on the island, J and I YET to have a true beach day.  We are kind of dying inside.  Tomorrow morning we WILL be at the beach to actually start on our rockin’ tans we are about to get.  I think we’re the whitest ones on the whole island, cruise ship tourists included. 

Roatan - Day 8

Wasn’t Conference so good?!  Sad I missed yesterday, but I’ll just have to catch up soon.  I took a taxi to Coxen Hole to the church building, walked in the door and was walking into the chapel when one of the gringo missionaries said to me, “Oh, they’re showing it in English in that room down the hall.”  My first thought – What?!  I probably speak Spanish way better than you!  Ha, not really.  I was actually very grateful to watch in English to make sure I didn’t miss anything important.  I met a lovely family from Kentucky who are here for a few weeks, the husband on business.  Turns out we flew in on the same flight last Sunday.  They invited me over for dinner, but I already had dinner plans (keep reading to find out what, I know the suspense might kill you…).  Then they asked if I would like to come to the beach with them some time.  Definitely!  Then I met another lovely Hondureño family.  She was probably just a few years older than me, but said she wanted to get to know me and be friends.  Can’t wait!  I love going to church abroad.  It feels like I’m at home, every time.  So glad I ran into the missionaries yesterday.

Because Coxen Hole is a little ways from Sandy Bay (where we live), I just stayed at the church during the 2 hour break, bumming the internet and catching up on emails.  I was really hoping to post more photos to Instagram, but access was blocked.  Darn, you’ll just have to wait on photos for now.

This evening J and I went to another potluck with all the volunteers at the clinic at the lovely beach house that I wish we were staying in.  I was starving and somehow the combination of food just didn’t do it for me tonight.  I’m craving some more fresh coconut fish.  I could eat that every day and be completely happy.  Fighting a new onset sore throat tonight so I guess I should down the 5 liter jug of water we just stocked up on at the grocery store.  Somehow, I don’t think J would appreciate that.  Also, I’m jealous J still has half of her Snickers bar to enjoy later tonight… Eat it when she’s not looking?

Roatan - Day 7

What a GREAT day!  Loved seeing more of the island today!  J and I slept in – that girl can sleep way longer than I can, which is really saying something.  We went out exploring to find beach access close to our apartment so we won’t always have to take the taxi all the time.  So I pushed her up the steep hill to the main road, then walked a treacherous 100 yards to the next side road (continue reading for my explanation of treacherous…), which turned out to be paved all the way to the beach.  Not very far, and we found ourselves a nice little dock to camp out on – to study and/or soak up the sun.  Next time we will for sure be in our swimsuits.  There are even some steps down to the water from the dock to take a little dip and cool off.  Unfortunately the water is too shallow and the coral too high for any sort of snorkeling or swimming.  Good to know it’s so close though, mission accomplished.

Then J and I met up with 3 other girls that are also volunteering at the clinic and we drove out to a tiny native town in Flowers Bay for a health fair.  We spent three hours inside a church passing out medical supplies, checking blood pressures, checking glucose levels (the infamous finger stick – you know you’re scared too…), and handing out reading glasses.  It was really very rewarding.  A young group of kids took to J and so she tested all their sugar levels.  I always love meeting and talking with new people.  We got to see much of the island on the drive there and back, and even though I’ve seen a few third world countries and the different circumstances people live in (Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, even parts of China and the Caribbean), it STILL amazes me how people can live like this and how lucky I truly am in the United States.  I will always need that reminder.  I love to travel, but there is just something so rewarding and humbling about dedicating your time and working on behalf of others that even makes your travel experience that much better.

[Side note to Elise: Apparently there is a house in Flowers Bay (pretty fancy) that was featured on House Hunters International.]

I love driving on the main road that circles the west side of the island.  It’s twisty and turn-y, parallels the beach (saw a basketball court built OVER the ocean!!!), is lined with palm trees and people’s less than ideal living situations, and the tires screech around every corner.  It truly makes you feel like you are on some wild exotic racetrack, except for the people walking along the non-existent shoulder which you have to steer clear of to keep from hitting.  It’s a wild ride.

After volunteering at the health fair, we did some grocery shopping in Coxen Hole (found ourselves each a Snicker’s bar!) and then had some dinner at a 3 P’s restaurant – Pizza, Pollo, Pasta.  Since they were out of pizza, pollo, and lasagna, that didn’t leave very many options.  So I had an Italian version (margherita) of the pastelito described in my previous post.  I MUCH prefer the hondureño version.  As we were eating dinner, I looked out the window and to my utter amazement saw 4 missionaries walking up the hill.  I had given up on General Conference this weekend since I didn’t even know 1) where the church building was, 2) if they would even be broadcasting Conference, and 3) if they would be broadcasting it at the same times.  I thought about just showing up tomorrow and trying to figure it out, but all the volunteers were planning a big outing to the beach and fancy resort (Infinity Bay – we get in free every Sunday for working at the clinic).  Such a tender mercy to see them, talk to them, and ask them about Conference tomorrow.  It couldn’t have been more perfect.  I feel bad leaving J to her own devices tomorrow, but am SO GLAD I get to listen to Conference for at least one day.  Ha, I forgot to explain myself to the missionaries… I just walked around the corner to confront them and shouted, “Missionaries!”  They probably wondered where the heck I came from.  Ya, I’ll make sure to do that tomorrow.

Roatan - Day 6

I hate feeling so disconnected from the world.  There are surprisingly quite a few white people living here that have been here for years.  Even with a nicer apartment, I don’t know if I could permanently be an island bum.  It’d be nice to just pick up the phone and talk to family.  It’s fine at the clinic because we have wireless internet we can stay and use after our shift, but then when we get back home, there’s not much too do.  Except type up this blog post and do some studying, but who wants to do that?  I guess I could read the book I brought, 1776, but way too detailed for my new island mentality.

Today I feel like I went back in time to my former life.  I worked in the pharmacy for my shift today (I was a pharmacy tech for over 3 years prior to teaching high school).  I got a 60 second introduction and was set free to work on my own.  What?!  No pharmacist to check to make sure I filled the prescription right?!  Nope.  I WAS the pharmacist.  I actually enjoyed it.  I wonder how many patients can actually read their medication instructions…

J and I discovered a lady outside the clinic today selling pastelitos – fried dough filled with chicken or fish.  Wow, the spices in those things are AMAZING.  For only 75 cents each, I just had to go back and get another.  Heck with the PB & J.  I’d rather gain 5 lbs of fried pastelitos each week than spread two sides of bread each morning.  Plus, the humidity should offset that 5 lb weight gain.  Golden!

We paid our rent to Mr. Ed today, so there’s no turning back.  I’m sorry if I keep mentioning the apartment in each post, but we really cannot stand it.  In all my living situations and travels, this is definitely one of the worst.  $325 each for 6 weeks should be an indication of that.  And I thought we were getting a bargain!  Joke’s on me.

J and I were going to see if we could find beach access close to our apartment (we have been taking a taxi to West End – the main thoroughfare of all things touristy), but ended up taking a nap instead.  Just more hanging out in the apt. tonight.  Excited for the weekend and EXTREMELY sad I’m going to miss General Conference.  I COULD just show up at the church, but 1) I forgot to look up the address and 2) who knows if they’d even be broadcasting it at the correct times.  I’d just have to catch up via text, hopefully SOON.

Oh, and the Spanish grammar on this island is TERRIBLE.  The pharmacy instructions have incorrect grammar and spelling.  Even when I speak to people, they say things incorrectly.  Maybe instead of helping students with their English (we start tutoring next week), I should teach a Spanish class.  Ha.

Roatan - Day 5

Today I was assigned to triage and it was J’s turn to see patients.  Another nurse and I pumped those patients in and out in a good solid 3 hours and then I was left with nothing to do.  So I was roped into seeing patients again since there were at least 15 waiting.  It’s crazy here.  These people leave their mountain villages at 4 am to get here early to be one of the first people seen.  There are so many people they can end up waiting until after noon to even be seen by the doctor.  Then they might have blood work to do in the lab.  Then they have to wait for pharmacy to fill their prescriptions.  Just plan on spending the whole day at the clinic.  I guess that’s why there’s always a lady out front selling fresh fruit and pastelitos (fried goodness filled with chicken).  And then if you’re a gringo (I’m so surprised just how many there are on the island) you can pay a “rapid care” fee of $25 and skip to the front, don’t mind the little old lady with stomach pain and diarrhea that has been waiting for 3 hours.  It’s a crazy system.  At least their healthcare is very affordable - $3.50 for their whole office visit AND medications.

I double teamed with J during the afternoon to translate until a patient paid the rapid care fee just 15 minutes before our shift was supposed to end.  Chest pain x 3 days.  Previous history of a MI (heart attack).  We definitely want to see this.  Almost 2 hours later, we ruled out any cardiac etiology and sent her on her way.  At least we got an offer for free zip lining out of it.  No, but really, always happy to see patients, whether it’s in ghetto paradise or not.

Turns out it’s always a good idea to name drop Nurse Peggy.  She is the one that set up the clinic here so many years ago and everyone on the island seems to know her and appreciate the service she provides.  Our taxi cab driver to the beach wouldn’t take ANY money from us after he found out we were volunteers at the clinic.  The taxi cab driver on the way home seemed a little put out that he agreed to half the price he originally stated, then completely changed his disposition when he found out what we were doing on the island.

After I accidentally dumped J out of her wheelchair after running into a speed bump due to rubbernecking (thankful for the 5 local men who ran to the rescue), we found a prime spot to relax – beach chairs bolted down to a dock extending out into the bay.  Our new favorite tanning and snorkeling spot.

Dinner at Rotisserie Chicken proved delightful, filling my tummy with ¼ perfectly roasted chicken, coconut rice & beans, and fried plantains.  Reminds me of the Chicken Hut in Rocky Point.  We were heartily enjoying our meal until a dog came bounding by us to the kitchen and the cook rubbed her hands all over it.  Always a good time in Latin America.

Final mosquito & sand flea count = 71 bites (that spans 5 days… 5 more weeks sounds like el infierno…)

Roatan - Day 4

Today I had the most autonomy I’ve had in my whole clinical year thus far.  What a day!  Turns out it takes a lot longer to see a patient completely by myself than I anticipated.  And my sloppy rusty Spanish didn’t speed the process along either.  I averaged about an hour per patient, and they weren’t easy cases either.  Take for instance the 18 year old girl coming in complaining of stomach pain and diarrhea… turns out she’s been having chest pain and passing out pretty regularly for the last 2 years with a recent visit to the hospital for the same a few weeks ago.  Challenging, but glad for the challenge!  Anyway, I presented each of my patients to the doctor/PA after doing the whole history and physical myself and after solidifying a diagnosis and plan, I finished up with the patient alone.  What I’m used to on my previous rotations is my preceptor briefly seeing the patient him/herself just to verify my findings.  That isn’t the case here, but if I want him to double check something on my physical exam, the doctor is available and happy to do so.  It’s excellent practice for coming up on my graduation in just 4 short months.

The rest of the day wasn’t very exciting… J and I stuck around the clinic for a few extra hours to take advantage of the free WiFi and to complete some school assignments.  By the time we got home it was time for a tuna-topped salad accompanied by a cheese crisp and a whole plate of mangos for dessert.  We don’t dare cook in this apartment.  The million dollar question of the night for J was if she would use the lonely cheese grater sitting up on a high shelf.  She replied “no way” without hesitation.  Looking forward to more mangos tomorrow!

Roatan - Day 3

After getting oriented to the clinic yesterday, I was assigned to work with a PA today to see patients.  I was very excited to work with her since she has over 30 years of experience.  We teamed up – I did the history and physical while she typed the chart note.  Toward the end of the day, we realized it would be more efficient if we both saw our own patients and I presented my patient to her with my assessment and plan.  Excited to start out this way tomorrow.  J was in triage and during a break discovered a lady outside the clinic selling a whole bag of mangos for one dollar.  Yep, we will be buying mangos every day I think!

After putting in a full 5 hours of work (hey, I didn’t get a break or even lunch during this time) and an hour or so catching up on emails, we headed to the beach.  We took a taxi to West End which has all the shopping and restaurants, as well as a very nice white sand beach.  We walked up and down the road following the beach, then found a perfect spot to spend the rest of the afternoon.  Fortunately the water wasn’t very far from the road so it wasn’t a problem getting J down to the water.  I popped her up onto her back wheels and wheeled her down.  Getting her OUT of the water was the problem.  I tried to carry her – turns out she’s too heavy for me, not because she’s a big person, but because I don’t have the muscles I need (I haven’t worked out regularly since before Christmas, ay…).  So I wheelbarrowed her out of the water onto her towel, then pulled the towel up the beach, a pretty steep incline mind you.  Then I had to wheel her back to the road.  Turns out a wheelchair doesn’t move very well in the sand and turns out I’m not very strong.  I may throw my back out while I’m here, but at least it’s for a good cause!

Also, turns out the sand fleas everyone has talked about are indeed real.  I was hoping they wouldn’t dare ruin my ghetto paradise staycation, but it looks like they just might.  I am covered in bites, all over.  I thought they would just go for my legs, but turns out they seemed to have liked my back quite a bit.  Mosquitos and sand fleas are turning out to be my nemesis. 

We ate dinner at an outdoor joint called Monkey Island, right next to the beach with a perfect view of the setting sun.  J had heard good things about it from another nurse at the clinic.  I couldn’t decide between coconut fish and a burrito, but fortunately I went with the fish.  SUCH delicious fish!  Coconut crusted w/ a coconut dipping sauce accompanied by coconut rice & beans.  I will definitely be back!  By the way, just a warning… I may talk about food a lot on this blog.  Food is pretty big in our family.  My brother would remember our family vacations by where we ate lunch or by what he ate for dinner, anything that applies to the sense of taste :)

J was impressed with my taxi bartering skills.  I’ve been getting us good deals on our fares.  And after some chavo (what’s the Hondureño word for dude?) tried to charge us 6 bucks and I cut the fare in half, maybe I’ll shoot for a lower amount next time.  I LOVE bartering.  Why can we not do this in the States??

Oh, and by the way, I could really go for a bag of red vines right now…