Rotation #10 Portland, Oregon

For my last and final rotation I worked on the trauma unit for inpatient medicine at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, a level one trauma center (the most critical).  I was glad to be back in Portland since I'd been gone for a WHOLE YEAR.  Except, let's be honest, it didn't matter one bit because I had ZERO free time.  For the 6 week rotation, I worked six 12 hour shifts which ended up being about 80 hours per week since my shift would typically run over each day.

The first 3 weeks I worked the night shift, 6 pm - 6 am.  I thought it would be super rough, but I got adjusted pretty well to the schedule pretty quick.  My sole responsibility was responding to incoming traumas.  I was assigned to the foot of the bed.  Responsibilities: cut off clothes, check pelvic stability, all lower extremity pulses, musculoskeletal function, and assess for any cuts, bruises, injuries, etc.  It's amazing how quickly the trauma team works and how fast we get the patient to the CT scanner.  I also was in charge of obtaining the past medical history and writing up the chart note.  I didn't have too many opportunities for procedures since there were also medical residents, but I got to suture lacerations quite a bit and I even got to put in a chest tube.  That was a good day.  It was amazing just how many of the traumas involved alcohol, or some illegal substance.  At least half, I would venture to say.  Man, I'll tell you what, I saw some CRAZY stuff.  The majority of patients were motor vehicle collisions, motorcycle collisions, or bicycle collisions.  But there were also gunshot wounds, stabbings, and even suicide attempts.  Then the random things like kitesurfing accidents, jumping over a freeway interchanges, jumping into shallow bodies of water, getting too close to fireworks, etc.  I worked the night of the 4th of July and saw a few preventable incidents - a hand mutilated beyond recognition and inner thighs burned down the bone.  Fireworks are bad news people!  IF you get too close... Working the night shift, I also had the opportunity to assist on quite a few emergency surgeries.  If you got a message on your pager saying "Direct to OR," it was serious business.  What a fascinating experience -- emergently opening someone's chest wall to repair a hole in someone's atria due to a stabbing, seeing the heart beat so discordantly and then again rhythmically after medication administration.

Can you imagine...
...undergoing a craniotomy because your angry son threw an iron table at your head?
...becoming a paraplegic after diving into water that was too shallow?
...miraculously surviving a bullet that went right between your spinal cord and aorta?
...not being able to speak or minimally move 4 MONTHS after hitting a dog on your motorcycle (unhelmeted)?
...losing your right arm from a car accident because it was hanging out the window?
...not being able to work for months due to shattering both heel bones after falling off your roof?
...riding your motorcycle one minute and waking up alive and well in the hospital the next, having no clue what happened?
...getting the crap beat out of you by some thugs on the street after they yelled at you and you yelled back, and living to tell it?
...surviving stabbings to the abdomen after a man at a bar tried to make the moves on your girl?
...retaining hand function after fireworks blew it apart?
...falling off your toilet (yep, it happened) and then incidentally finding a giant aortic aneurysm that needs urgent repair?
Yep, this was definitely the trauma unit -- the good AND the bad.

I witnessed 3 people die before my very eyes.  The skilled trauma team and trauma surgeons save many lives, but there are those that also cannot be saved, even after everything they can do.  One patient had shot himself through the head and was unable to be revived with 40+ minutes of CPR.  Another had been stabbed in the heart and we couldn't keep up with his blood loss.  And the last and most significant to me since I was so involved in the care, was someone who had been involved in a motor vehicle collision -- had a substantial brain injury and cardiac tamponade.  For the first time ever, I was able to assist with chest compressions on the patient.  I was also second assist during surgery, but after multiple and various attempts we could not get the heart to beat on its own.  I have never had anyone die before me and it was quite the experience, as you can imagine.  So many feelings and emotions coursed through me, of which I still cannot even put into words exactly.  How could the surgeon just stop trying and end it (even though he did ALL he could do)?  Why could we not save the patient?  It was too late... they were basically already gone when they presented to our hospital.  Fortunately, I have knowledge of the plan of salvation and that this is not the end.  Their families will see them again someday.  Sorry for the heaviness of the last paragraph, but I wanted to share some of my experiences.

The last 3 weeks I worked the day shift, 6 am - 6 pm.  The day shift was completely different than nights as I mostly did inpatient medicine with trauma patients who had been admitted previously.  I only responded to new incoming traumas every now and then.  I had anywhere from 2-5 patients each morning that I would go see myself, review labs and imaging that had been done in the last 24 hours and develop a plan for their care in the next 24 hours.  I would then present this information to the attending surgeon on rounds and we visited each patient on the floor.  That took most of the morning.  Then in the afternoons, we went to trauma clinic where we visited with each patient that had been admitted on the TRACU (trauma recovery acute care unit) as follow-up and to assess how they were doing.  Clinic was usually pretty hectic as they scheduled 3-4 patients at the same time and there usually weren't enough trauma PA's to go around.  It was stressful for me as a student, because I was trying to go as fast as I could but also be thorough in my patient assessments.  I decided I do not like scheduled patient visits -- another plus for emergency medicine.

Obviously, working in trauma is a step up from the emergency department, but it only confirmed the fact that I DO want to do emergency medicine.  I want to be the go-to person to ultimately save a person's life.  Although trauma may be a bit much to handle emotionally long term, I really enjoyed my 6 week rotation.

I had the good fortune of living on the east side of Portland (across the river), which is considered more "hippie" (not hip).  But there are some delicious places to eat over there.  My mouth is watering already just thinking about it!  You have to go to Portland for the food!  Honestly, who cares about anything else.  I lived in a quaint little house with another PA and nursing student.  On Saturday, my one day off, wasn't much of a day off as I'd be catching up on what I couldn't do during the week -- exercise, grocery shop, clean, study, pay the bills, etc.  I was actually pretty sad to leave the east side.  Glad I got the opportunity!  I also had more opportunity to explore downtown Portland and spend more time exploring.  It's a beautiful city and I know I am going to miss it!

Rotation #9 Honolulu, Hawaii

Well, you got the daily run down while I was in Honduras, but decided I couldn't, nor wanted to continue the daily write-up.  I was too busy exploring the island!  This rotation was practically a cake walk, but a nice needed break just before starting my trauma rotation, graduating, and studying for the Boards.  My friend Sariah came with me for the whole 6 weeks and we just had the most AMAZING time.  We'd both been to Hawaii before and we talked about going this last Christmas break, but alas it didn't happen.  So when I found out about this assignment, I didn't have to do too much talking to convince her to come.  I can't imagine being there by myself... boring.

My rotation was in Dermatology (my one and only elective) and I worked with an 85 year old VERY experienced German Dermatologist on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base.  THREE DAYS A WEEK.  That's right.  So I had 4 days to play.  I've always had somewhat of an interest in Dermatology and I could probably go into it in the future (I love cutting out skin and suturing people back up), but I also realized I love Emergency Medicine much more.  This rotation wasn't very challenging, nor did it involve other aspects of the body system.  My preceptor was a joy to be around and was literally a walking history book.  He grew up in Germany behind the Iron Curtain, even stood next to Hitler once, flew for the Luftwaffe (German air force), and escaped to America.  He had some amazing stories to tell.  I loved it!  Not to mention plenty of jokes!

Sariah and I ended up living on the North Shore with my high school volleyball coach's sister and her husband, Auntie & Uncle.  It's amazing that worked out and we just loved them, not to mention they loved us too :)  It was an hour commute to work for me, but not bad only having to do it 3 days a week.  We shared the rental car with another PA student and her friend so it worked out pretty well (although I will never do that again... a royal pain in the neck, schedule-wise).  I would drop her off at work and then pick her up on the way back.  Then we'd generally all do things together on weekends.

So more about Hawaii!  We were on the island of Oahu.  There are SO MANY beautiful beaches there and SO MANY great hikes to waterfalls.  Also SO MUCH delicious food - shave ice, acai bowls, fresh fish, sushi, thai food, pineapple, kalua pork, coconut pancakes.  You know me and food!  We saw lots of tropical fish snorkeling, green sea turtles, geckos, and even a giant monk seal plopped on the beach.

My goal was to learn how to surf while there since we were there for 6 weeks, but I only got the chance to go once.  Surfing is hard work!  I maybe stood up once for like 1/2 a second.  Next time I will take lessons.

I've never been to the other islands, but I feel like there is WAY more to do on Oahu.  Here is a preview of things we got to do:

BEACH DAYS

WAIMEA BAY

DOLE PLANTATION

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

MAKAPU'U LIGHTOUSE

HAWAIIAN SUNSETS

DIAMOND HEAD CRATER

USS ARIZONA

VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES

LAIE HAWAII TEMPLE

PALI LOOKOUT - incredibly windy!

POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER

MANOA FALLS

KALIHI ICE PONDS

KOKO CRATER

WAIMEA FALLS

SPITTING CAVES

MORE BEACH DAYS!

RAINBOWS ON A DAILY BASIS

LAIE POINT

I was and am still terribly sad about leaving.  I've been in Portland for a total of 3 days and the weather is atrocious - overcast, gloomy, and rainy.  However am I going to keep up this tan?!  I just love the island way of life, how everyone enjoys each other and takes their time.  There is no rush to get things done or no fashion statement to show off.  Already planning my next trip back!  Who wants to come?

Roatan - Day 39

M convinced us to take the day off today to have one last play day before we leave tomorrow.  J and I didn’t need too much convincing.  We’ve really been working hard here (contrary to what Instagram might show you…).  M picked J and I up this morning bright and early to meet B and her parents at Earth Mama’s for breakfast.  Nothing like banana nutella coconut drizzled crepes with fresh fruit to start the day!  Then we all piled into the truck for a 30 minute drive up north to the Iguana Farm.  J was a little hesitant about going since she thought the iguanas might try to bite at her feet and she wouldn’t feel them, but that wasn’t the case.  All they want is fresh leaves to choke down whole.  Those suckers were HUGE.  I even dared myself to pick one up!  Those are the craziest creatures ever; they are like miniature dinosaurs.  There were also turtles, monkeys, and giant fish including a barracuda.  J introduced herself to the Iguana Farm owner and proceeded to chat it up with him, which won her a free Sprite (after I paid a steep $2 for mine…).  I like her tactics.

On the way back, B’s dad and I kicked it in the back of the truck and talked about everything from the housing crisis to why people behave the way they do to places I must visit when I go to Maine.  He’s a very likeable guy, both of her parents are.  We enjoyed the scenery on our grand tour of the island.  Riding in the back of a truck is definitely the way to see it best.  I wish I could have captured the people and things I observed (typical island life) in photos to show to you.

M took us for a tour through the public hospital in Coxen Hole, the only one on the island.  I’ve seen hospitals in third world countries before so I wasn’t too shocked at what I saw.  Let’s just say the clinic we’ve been working at here is 10 times nicer.  To give you some indication… the door into Labor and Delivery was an old front screen door and the door into Surgery was two pieces of plywood making a swinging door.  The word out there is that you only go to the hospital for two reasons – either to have a baby or to die.  So true.  There’s no way I would ever want to spend ANY time there.

B headed back to the clinic for her afternoon shift and then M, J, B’s parents, and I headed to West Bay to drop B’s parents at their hotel.  But first we ate lunch at Nice n’ Spicy where I enjoyed a delicious Thai beef salad.    M dropped us off at our apt. where we took a short nap then I headed off to basketball practice to assist the hondureño doctor with his basketball teams. 

I love how important God is in the lives of the people here and how much recognition they give Him.  The doc/coach always starts and ends practice in a team huddle with a prayer.  So he had me lead out with a prayer today, a real honor.  I introduced some new drills, worked with the post players on their inside moves, coached one of the girls teams playing 5 on 5, then played with the girls’ team against the boys.  Oh yeah.  I embarrassed the heck out of myself when I airballed 2 free throws IN A ROW (I literally haven’t shot a free throw in 2 years, sad I know).  But I redeemed myself on the next free throw and made basket, not to mention defense.  The hondureño doc (who calls me “Doc”) said the kids were impressed and thought I could probably dunk it.  If only that were the case….

Well turns out I was at practice for 2.5 hrs and still had to leave early to meet up with the rest of the gang in West End to say goodbye before they all took off.  The hondureño doc just up and left his practice just to drive me to West End.  We stopped for a delicious pastelito on the way.  Caught the gang for a few then M drove us all home.  We said goodbye to B and her parents.  Now we get to spend late hours into the night getting evaluations done and packing.  Can’t believe 6 weeks has already gone by…

CANNOT WAIT to take a warm shower, drink water out of the faucet, throw toilet paper in the toilet, wear cute clothes & jewelry, and actually do my hair and makeup.  It’s going to be a good day to be back in the U.S.

Roatan - Day 38

Once again, J and I had complete autonomy seeing patients today.  J is fighting some type of upper respiratory virus and was grateful I gave her the opportunity to talk and cough it out (she saw the first 3 patients).  Today was our last day working at the clinic so we took pictures with everyone and said our goodbyes.  Hopefully in the future someday I can come back for a week or two to volunteer (and vacation).  J and I had a great experience at the clinic.  I feel like I fine-tuned my knowledge and management of diabetes and hypertension, not to mention really progressed in formulating my own plan for the patient.

And it’s a good thing I’m leaving Central America soon… I’m sure I would get diabetes myself if I stayed too much longer.  I just can’t seem to stay away from the tortillas, beans & rice, fried plantains, coconut puffs, and Coca-Cola.  SO GOOD.  But way too many carbs and sugar.

After work, we hit up Marco’s one last time for our last baleada.  We invited the new pediatricians to join us for lunch.  I think they appreciated the new $1 baleada discovery.  I’m sure Marco will be sad not to have us frequent their place at least 3 times each week.  I’m sure their income is about to hit a steep drop off…

M picked us up for a quick drive to Flowers Bay for our last purchase of coconut puffs.  I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought FIVE of them!  How on earth am I going to eat them before they lose their freshness and savor?  I’ll do my best.  Those small pieces of heaven cannot be wasted!

Today was also our last day tutoring.  I worked with E one last time.  E is a first grader who does extremely well in math, but dislikes reading very much.  Her pronunciation is still off so she struggles reading aloud.  Not until today did I come up with a good method to help her read.  We would read the paragraph together at least twice, I would guide her through at least twice, then she would read on her own twice.  This really helped improve her fluidity.  It was super cute… she took my pointer finger in her hand and moved it along with each word as she read.  It was a successful day and I hope she impresses her teacher tomorrow.  I like working with kids and teaching them.  So naturally, I’m grateful for the opportunity for the patient education that comes along with being a PA.

Made a few quick stops in West End this evening and regretfully decided to share a pepperoni pizza with J for dinner, after I had just eaten a third of my coconut bread.  Bad idea.  I’m STILL full.  But I just had to eat a coconut puff for desert later tonight.  If I’m not careful, I’m going to easily gain back the 9 pounds I lost over the last 6 weeks.  No way!

Roatan - Day 37

Today was pretty uneventful, but a good day just the same.  J and I had forgotten to look at the schedule on Friday to see when we were working this week.  I even tried to call the nurse that makes the schedule, but to no avail.  So we decided to just show up in the morning and hope that we didn’t have to take a taxi ride straight back home.  Well, it was our lucky day.  We in fact were scheduled to work in the afternoon, but one of the nurses enthusiastically asked us to stay and work in the morning instead as there were no doctors on duty just yet.  So we immediately set to work seeing patients for the rest of the day, just J and I.  That’s what we like!  We had a good variety of cases too.  We were pumping them out right and left.

After work, I dropped J off at a souvenir shop while I took a quick trip to West End to restock our mango supply for the night.  Yes, I spent an extra $2.50 to get 4 more mangos, but definitely worth it considering the amount of time we have left.  Ha, there was another man at the fruit stand buying his own supply of fruit who complimented me on my Spanish, “You have very good Spanish, doctor.”  He was very liberal with his commentary as the only word (yes, just one) I said was “sesenta” (I was conversing with the boy about how much my 4 mangos were going to cost).  He was even more impressed as I continued speaking in Spanish.  His compliments are NOT to be trusted in the future…

This afternoon was the most boring one of them yet.  I had a community medicine project and paper to write for this rotation (J already did hers for another rotation) so I worked on that for one too many hours while J got to chat it up with her friends on Skype.  Jealous.  I mostly got it done and now I am looking forward to a dinner of mangos, plantain chips, and Coca-Cola.

Roatan - Day 36

Just another typical Sunday, yet our last Sunday in Roatan.  Met a few ophthalmologists at church this morning that will be working with the clinic, then set off for Infinity Bay to meet up with J.  The taxi driver wanted to charge bookoo bucks to get there, so I took a water taxi from West End instead.  On the ride to West End, the driver first said that he wanted to work at the clinic with me (never mind he has no medical experience) then said he wanted to come visit me in Arizona (never mind he’s never been to the States).  Oh boy… I guess being a foot taller really doesn’t account for much down here.

B’s parents flew in today so they all met up with J and me later in the afternoon.  We went out for our last snorkel (no exciting new sightings to report…) then we all took a water taxi back to West End to dine with her parents, super great people!  I struck out twice today with food...  The baleada I convinced our waiter to make for me at lunch (not on the menu) was less than satisfactory, ok not good whatsoever.  I mean come on, it wasn’t even made on a homemade tortilla.  $7 for THAT when I can get an authentic one for $1?!  Never again.  Then my nachos at dinner weren’t that good either.  That’ll teach me to eat out on Sunday I guess…

With just 3 days left here, J and I have to make EVERY minute count.

Roatan - Day 35

Having Wednesday off this week really threw me off and I felt like we had to go to the clinic today for work.  Fortunately we had a play day instead.  B, J and I met up at Carambola Gardens this morning and wandered around a tropical garden paradise.  We saw chocolate trees, cashew trees, mahogany trees, and all kinds of flowers.  I even hiked to the top of the mountain, which yielded an AMAZING viewpoint of some keys (smaller islands) off the main island.  It got me excited for Hawaii and all of the great hikes I will hopefully be doing there.

The rest of the day we literally sat on the beach.  We had ginormous delicious smoothies from Earth Mama’s and plantain chips for lunch on the beach.  We chatted some.  I read some.  The sun shone through the clouds some.  It was perfect… not too hot to sit there for 4-5 hours (guilty) with clouds and a cool breeze.  I’ve never seen so many ocean waves either since there usually are none (usually break at the edge of the reef).  There’s just something to hearing the waves crash on the beach.

We walked into town to find some chips for our guacamole/mango dinner and ended up running into one of our patients we saw at the clinic on our first week here.  He invited us into his store for some homemade tuna salad and hondureño coffee (he graciously gave me a Coke instead).  Little did I know I was about to eat the MOST DELICIOUS tuna salad EVER.  There’s something to be said for fresh fish.  A little lime addition always helps too.  SO GOOD.  We chatted it up for a while and then headed back to B’s place overlooking the ocean for our mango and guacamole dinner.  Finished the night off watching Transformers (my first time) with only one minor interruption due to the curtain moving unexpectedly.  After checking it out, a gecko flopped onto the floor and scurried under the fridge.  Hopefully he survived the fall…

Roatan - Day 34

J and I woke up disappointed to find a thick cloud cover on our morning off.  We had planned to dine out for breakfast at Earth Mama’s for a repeat of banana pineapple pancakes and then some sunbathing on our dock.  I headed out the door for a quick run on the beach, giving J PLENTY of warning to get up and going.  I ran along the beach until I saw a couple of homeless dogs kicking it on the beach, waiting for a helpless American lady like me to spread their fleas or rabies to, so I headed back.  I felt like I could have run a bit longer, but J and I had made a plan to be out the door by 8:15 (rain or no rain), so we stuck to it.

After arriving at Earth Mama’s, J suggested I go for another run while she sipped a cup of coffee.  So I tentatively set off in the sprinkling rain with the fresh memory of us getting soaked from the downpour the other week.  I ran like mad, getting back sooner than I wanted, but just in time to beat the downpour.  We enjoyed our pancakes while listening to the rain pitter patter and the fresh breeze on our faces.  A nice change from the stagnant hot humid weather over the last 3 days.

Instead of sunbathing, we did some souvenir shopping and replenished our mango and avocado supply.  As we were walking down the street, I heard a taxi driver say, “You wanna ride?”  We get lots of comments from taxi drivers (like the one time they called J “baby”), but when I turned my head was very surprised to see Peggy driving by, taunting us with her deep voice.  Ha, too funny.

Just as we were ready to leave Ed’s to get to the clinic early so I could work on my community medicine project, M gave us a call requesting our company for lunch.  He wanted to go to Earth Mama’s (we should have invited him for breakfast), but talked him into going to Marco’s instead.  It had been awhile since I’d had a baleada.  Turns out M saw me going for a run this morning EXCEPT he saw me JUST as I was turning onto my street from the main road and had stopped to walk for my cool down.  The joke is that I’ve been meaning to exercise the whole time I’ve been here, but I guiltily admit that I’ve only been running twice since I’ve been here.  He gave me a hard time about walking and that I need to start running.  If only he saw me running up that steep hill just prior to my street, he would know I mean business.

It was a GOOD day at the clinic today.  I saw 7 patients completely on my own and only had a few questions to run by the hondureño doc.  J had an interesting patient from Denmark that was planning to fly back home on Monday, but had broken her foot and had a cast on, which just happened 4 days previously.  Her doctor in Denmark wanted her to remove the cast before the flight because he figured her foot would swell up and might cause a DVT (look it up).  A little overboard, but whatever.  We tried to reason with her, but off it came.  Check this out… after the hondureño doc looked at her x-rays, turns out her foot wasn’t actually broken.  Whoever put the cast on at the hospital just did it for some extra cash on the side.  What a corrupt system.  It has to be hard not knowing if you and your family will have enough money to survive next month, let alone next week, but if the medical system in third world countries operates as such, just imagine what the political system is like…  No one is to be trusted.

We had a night out with M, B, E, and G since E and G were flying back to Utah the next day.  We all met up at Sundowner’s (beach bar) for some drinks, then made our way to Cannibal Café for dinner, then dancing at Blue Marlin.  It was a very entertaining night… lots of laughs over dinner and E (who is Asian) out dancing another Asian on the dance floor.  The music this time around was more up my alley, but due to the humidity I kept it simple.  I really like both E and G.  I was hoping to hang with them more this week, but they were staying so far away and working so hard they hardly had any free time.  Maybe we can be friends if I move to Utah.  But if not, I made plans with E to take a trip to Cuba this fall.  Yep, that’s right… Cuba!

So you of course know I LOVE to barter.  It is by far my FAVORITE activity when traveling abroad.  I don’t usually like to buy souvenirs, so fortunately I’ve had the opportunity to barter for taxi rides and even food.  I think everyone is duly impressed with my skills.  I can get what I want :)  Example #1 – we had a taxi driver in an Xterra (SUV) which is only 1 of 2 SUV taxis on the whole island.  Of course, gas is more expensive, thus prices are equally more expensive.  The going rate from Sandy Bay to West End is 25 lempiras each ($1.25) and he wanted 30 lempiras.  Well, I talked him down to 20 each.  Booyah.  Example #2 – for lunch one day at The Lighthouse (our favorite place to dine), I ordered a blackened fish sandwich that came with one side, either french fries or fried plantains.  Well, I wanted both.  So I talked him into doing half of each.  Then he told J “no” when she proceeded to ask for the same.  Example #3 – I fetched E and G a taxi at the end of our night dancing for $10 when the driver wanted $18.  In all instances it took some work to talk them down, but that is the best part AND is equally rewarding when they agree to your price.  Well, I failed at dinner… everyone was ordering the “fresh juice” which was orange and pineapple.  Another option was a mango smoothie.  Well… I wanted mango pineapple juice.  Seems logical, right?  They had all the right fruits, but our waiter just wouldn’t do it.  I guess because the mango has to be blended to make juice… added cost of the fruit?  Or added cost of electrical usage?  I put a lot of work into that one, but came up with orange pineapple juice just the same.  Oh well, it was good entertainment for everyone listening I’m sure.  I’m going to miss my bartering opportunities here!

Roatan - Day 33

Yet another disappointing day at the clinic...  J and I got roped into doing triage first thing for over an hour.  Then more women’s health exams.  Then only 2 patients on our own.  Then the donut man didn’t show up with our steak burritos.  So then we had Cup O’Noodles for lunch.  Glad to put that shift behind us!

When the hour for tutoring arrived, M came up to me to ask a favor… if I would cover for him, as he had some other more important (doubt it) errands to run.  I told him yes, but he owed me a coconut puff.  And he thought I was joking….  Tutoring actually went really well for B, J, and I.  The kids were separated and didn’t have each other to distract themselves.  Much accomplishment today!

OH MY GOODNESS was it HOT today!  Just imagine 90 degree weather with 85% humidity and NO ocean breeze.  I’m sure the mosquitoes liked that.  Today was probably the worst day yet since we’ve been here.  There hasn’t been much wind the last couple of days… I didn’t realize what a big difference it makes.  I sure don’t envy my classmates who are coming later in the summer.  They might literally die…

The only excitement after tutoring tonight was that J and I each ate a whole giant mango for dinner.  SO GOOD.

Also, you might actually call me tan at this point.  It only took 5 weeks…

Roatan - Day 32

It’s a rare occasion when you get to celebrate Labor Day TWICE in one year… May in Honduras and September in the U.S.  The only solid plans we really made between M, B, J and I was to call each other in the morning.  Turns out that’s always a bad idea… we didn’t get going until 11:30 this morning.  I could have easily called my new BF Jorge (taxi driver) and been out in the sun by 10 am.  Oh well, at least J made me go for an impromptu run before we set off for the day.  15 minutes felt like 45 in that heat and humidity.  I think it took me at least 30 minutes to stop sweating once I got back.  Don’t worry, that’s only the first time I’ve exercised since being here (oops…) and I’ve still managed to lose 9 pounds somehow.

M picked us all up in his truck and we headed to Infinity Bay, where we usually hang on Sundays.  M tried to persuade us not to go since it was a cruise ship day and would be over packed with tourists.  Little did he know we’d have the whole beach pretty much to ourselves.  Good thing we ignored his advice.  We did the regular… ate lunch, chilled in the water, sunbathed on the beach chairs, and snorkeled to the edge of the reef.  No sharks to be seen, dang it.  Just a 3 foot barracuda only 10 feet away that I frantically swam away from and used J as my shield for protection.  Yep, guilty…

We were all impressed with M today as he ACTUALLY got in the water.  Most, if not all, of the Islanders don’t swim in the ocean, either because it’s too salty or they are afraid for some reason.  M said he couldn’t even remember the last time he was in the water.  Sad day!  He thoroughly enjoyed himself though.  I mean, who wouldn’t with 3 lovely ladies around?  What a celebrity he is!  EVERYWHERE we go, he literally says hello or stops and talks with EVERYONE he sees.  He even knows them all by name.  I admire what he does here.  After playing professional volleyball in Europe for 10+ years, he came back to this poor third world country (home for him) and now makes only $800/month working at the Clínica Esperanza.  He is doing tons for the youth though, by setting up a lot of sports programs and trying to give them more opportunities to play on the mainland.  He’s doing a lot for the people here and I think they recognize it.

Later in the afternoon, a local Islander came strolling down the beach singing a catchy tune that is STILL stuck in my head (just ask J).  [Beth, I’m sure you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.  Haha!]  “Baaa-na-na DO-nuts!”  I wanted to buy one of his banana donuts, but I already killed most of the coconut bread last night (J secretly despises me for it) and he wanted $2 for one.  Instead, I asked to take his picture after which he only agreed to do so if I was in the picture with him.  What would a trip to Latin America be without at least one picture of me and the local men?  I then persuaded him to bring us steak burritos at the clinic for lunch tomorrow.  Booyah! 

Come to find out ER #1 and ER #2 made it back from their weekend trip to Utila and are leaving to AZ tomorrow morning.  So all of us (including a few other girls from the clinic) got together for a final hoorah… dinner at Rotisserie Chicken, dessert at the ice cream shack, and kicking it on B’s deck overlooking the ocean.  J and I wanted to keep the night young, but didn’t get home till almost 11 pm.  I guess hanging with the boys on their last night was worth it.  They will be missed!

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!