VolunTourism

Day Dos
Last night we finished out the evening by walking up the beach to one of the local bars where they were having the first annual San Juan Has Got Talent contest. There were several competitors including a seven year old girl who could pop-it like I've never seen before, a bar tender who made a drink by spinning bottles of Flor de Cana over his shoulder, and a woman who played some type of tropical instrument while hopping around the room. A Canadian woman who lives here tells us about the hospitals in Managua and the unbeatable health care she received as she was treated for breast cancer. Interesting.

The evening was unbearably long as the block lost power due to the community festivities and our fans could no longer run. I laid on top of the mattress I share with Scarlett and the heat eventually induced a coma-like sleep. The rooms in our home share common walls and the ceilings are all open and connected. The bathroom sits between our rooms so there is zero privacy and I imagine we will all soon be accustomed to the middle of the night bathroom runs, but as for now the amount of quality sleep is quite low as every time someone stirs we all seem to be effected.

The morning brings breakfast around 7:30 am and a walk over to the private clinic as well as the state clinic called La Clinica de Salud. The government is communist, but we are not to use this c-word, and instead refer to it as the revolution around the locals. Due to the revolution, it is explained to us, all medicine is free, however the staff makes 20% less due to the US blockade of supplies. Not much is going on this week and the clinic is only open today, tomorrow and Friday due to the festivities. The clinic is crazy crowded and we are quickly placed throughout to shadow and help. Almost all the patients are pregnant woman and their children. This is the primary purpose of the center. The compound is also equipped with an emergencia department, one main room for the patients and a couple of smaller ones for consultation. The sanitation is minimal and I pray no one gets sick while we're down here.

Below is a picture of the laboratory where I spend the morning shadowing. It is one room run by a gentleman who can type and a 21 year old technician. The technician has been working here one year and explains to me that he attended the local university. Neither wear gloves as they handle the urine (orine en espanol) and feces (heces en espanol) samples. The heces is delivered in a matchbox wrapped in toilet paper. I have the young man share with me any parasites he finds and we get lost in translation over a sample containing Entamoeba histolytica. Neither men are overly friendly or interested in my presence, but I do not complain because I am in the shade and the room has a fan. I sit here until noon, and then go find the others for lunch, followed by a sweaty coma-nap, and more exploration of the city.
Here is Heather and one of the many puppies/kittens that roam the city. She is also going to be an MS2 at UMass this coming Fall. She will be here for 5 weeks and is our new housemate. There are numerous other volunteers milling about the city, including Jeff another housemate who is working with the book exchange program and Melissa who will be teaching ingles to the locals. The villagers prepare these dolls for the festivities. It's apparently a big deal and source of great joy. Here is an average home, but I've seen much poorer along the countryside as we came into the city. It is difficult to tell where one house starts and the next begins. As for weather the temperature is warm year round and our summer corresponds to their rainy season. Some of the homes are on stilts and look as if they are one bad mud slide away from complete destruction.I'm off now to find the others in my party. Hasta Luego!