Fried Green Bananas

Greetings from San Pedro Sula! Might be the shortest post ever but wanted to say 'hola' from San Pedro Sula! After Roatan, I took a ferry to La Ceiba and then a bus to San Pedro Sula (city I flew into). I met up with Dr. Schott and the 20+ people in his group!! OMG what an awesome group! We've been working our behinds off each day but it's been SO incredible. I'm so thankful that Dr. Schott let me tag along! We've held clinic each day and seen so many patients. Dr. Schott et al. function as a well oiled machine (is that the right idiom?). We've been seeing a few hundred patients each day, and today was a record in Puerto Cortes: 590+ patients!

We are staying in SPS and drive about 1-3 hours each day to a school, church or other community site where we set up our clinic. We work all day and then come home in the evening to a wonderful homemade dinner. Mirtsa and Dana are our wonderful hosts, and they have a beautiful home that fits all of us! After dinner we count pills, label bags, make "Miracle Cream" (cortisone, antifungal, antibiotic combo), and prepare other meds and supplies for the following day.

We've been going to bed around 9, which has been fantastic! We get up quite early around 6 or 630 but going to bed early is SO nice. I've got to do this more often. A friend told me that the quality of sleep goes up the earlier one goes to bed. Too right you are, dear friend! I've also had 3/4 a cup of coffee each day since I'm in the presence of Dr. Schott (usually drinks about 4 shots/day jeje). This combo of 9 hours of sleep and a fraction of a cup of coffee seems to be the winning combo. :)

It's been so awesome and special (sorry for the cheesy and generic words...my brain is tired....but these words are still accurate as far as how I feel) here. To connect with my gruop members, my patients, my interpretors....all of this has been such a gift, and I am so grateful! I'd like to write more in the future about the communities I've been visiting and a bit more about the sociopoliticoeconomic situation here.

More about clinic days. We have three people triaging patients. Once their vitals are measured and their chief complaint documented, the patients come to one of 6 stations. Liz, Karen, Kim, and Carla are 4 stellar nurses with whom I work. We each have a station at which we see individuals or families (usually a family of 2-4 people), and we're each joined by an interpretor. I've been able to use a lot of Spanish, but I've been so so thankful for the interpretors as there are times when I just can't understand or I just can't be understood. ;) And it seems that as the day goes on and my brain tires, the Spanish just doesn't seem to flow as smoothly--shoot!

It's been HOT. I've probably lost liters of fluid via sweat each day. Sorry if that's TMI, but it's true! It's been great though. I love heat and humidity. :)

Tomorrow we head to Aguas Calientes. I can't believe it's our second to last full day of clinic already! This week has flown by. This is the first time I've been able to get online since being in SPS, and it'll probably be my last. That's okay. It's good for my internet addiction. ;)

I am enjoying this group very much! It's fun to get to know everyone. Most are from Baker City, but there are a few from Portland and elsewhere. Everyone is super sweet, and there ain't nothing like road trips to get a group to bond! And what a fun group this is. I can't wait to keep in touch with everyone and return to Honduras together!! We've each taken hundreds of photos....combined I think we'll have thousands. It's also fun to grow as a group in terms of how we run clinic....I think we've got a pretty good system going. :)

Well, thank you, Dana for letting me use your computer and internet! Readers, sorry this entry's kind of all over the place...wanted to write as much as possible in the shortest time possible. ;)

So long for now, buckaroos! Hasta pronto! Actually, will not have internet until I get back to the States. So 'Hasta next week!"

36 hours in Half Moon Bay, Roatán

Half Moon Bay is in West End, which is the area most visited by tourists visiting the island of Roatán. There is one sand road leading through town. Cute restaurants, cafés, diving shops, and gift shops line his road.

The one street running north-south through West End

Last night I ate dinner at Creole Rotisserie Chicken, which was recommended by Lonely Planet as well as Christina and Simon, the Swedish couple I met in La Ceiba. I got a side of coconut beans and rice and some extra frijoles rojos for good measure.

Creole Rotisserie Chicken with coconut beans and rice + extra red beans (love my legumes!)

There are several open air bars/clubs along the road. Due to the recent inclement weather, it seemed that most places were empty or with just a handful of people. That didn't stop the clubs from blasting loud music. From my room, I could hear at least two different places pumping bass! I opted for a quiet night in since I wanted to study and get to bed at a decent hour since I was going to go on my Discovery Dive at 8AM today.

In the wee hours of the night, I dreamt that I was on a dock and I saw all these fins in the water. I was terrified because I didn't know if they were sharks or dolphins. Someone kept reassuring me they were dolphins and that I needn't fret. Suddenly a bunch of whatever was swimming around me swam under the small dock I was on and tipped it over so that I feel in the water. I was frantic and scared, trying to keep from drowning. The fins I saw looked like this (which are indeed dolphin fins):

Why did I bring this up? I think my subconscious was telling me in not so subtle ways that I am actually still quite afraid of being under water. I never got the hang of snorkeling, and I never really fancied swimming or water polo. I'll come back to this later.

So I woke up around 7 and headed to breakfast at the cute restaurant here at Splash Inn. I ordered a desayuno típico that consisted corn tortillas, eggs, frijoles, queso, plantains, and bacon. Delish!

Splash Inn Restaurant

Mi desayuno tipico

After breakfast, I learned that my class was at noon and not 8AM. So I checked out the quaint beach a little north of Splash Inn. There were a handful of people already lying out. I lay my towel down on one of the beach chairs and began a three hour review session, reading my "Spanish for Health Care Professionals" book (thanks, Elle, for letting me borrow this!). It felt good to brush up on some key phrases that I hope will come in handy during my clinics.

Little beach by Sundowner's Cafe

As noon approached, an increasing number of clouds gathered in the sky. I got a baleada for lunch and then headed back to Splash Inn Dive Shop. I began the PADI Open Water Diving Course and learned soon after that the course would have to be cancelled due to more inclement weather. I admit that I was secretly relieved. So I now I return to the dream; I was excited on one level to try the diving, but I think there was still a part of me that perhaps wasn't fully ready to embrace the experience!

Splash Inn Dive Center

I ended up taking a rejuvenating nap and then doing one set of Qbank questions for my Step 2 prep. It felt great to review some Infectious Disease. I also watched this Jack Kornfield video titled Bodhisattva. I really admire Jack and enjoy his teachings. In this particular video, he talks about how the rhythm of life consists of ups and downs but also periods of "inwardness" and "outwardness." Times when we seek quiet, stillness, meditation, and other times when we are "out in the marketplace" and interacting with the people and rest of the world around us. The "in" times help us be present during our "out" times, and our "out" times can be reflected on during our "in" times (said much more eloquently by Jack!). This spoke to how I have been feeling the last two days, and specifically the contrast between in and out. In Copan, I feel that I was quite busy, especially in the last few days, saying goodbye and doing some last minute sightseeing. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), I am in extroverted introvert or an introverted extrovert AKA right on the line between I and E. Therefore, I feel extroverted about half the time and introverted for the remaining time. I bring all this up really just to say that I'm grateful in a way that the weather has been crummy these past few days because it's allowed me to recharge and have some nice quiet moments. :) It's also been nice reflecting on my time in Copan, meditating, and integrating. Again, Copan was such a special experience. I really hope I can go back one day. I feel quite an affection for the place and the people, the Copanecos!

Jack also shares a beautiful poem by Mary Oliver:

For years and years I struggled

just to live my life. And then

the butterfly
rose, weightless, in the wind.
“Don’t love your life
too much,” it said,

and vanished into the world.

I love Jack and love Mary Oliver! Two amazing spirits. I digress--I apologize.

For dinner, I left my little sanctuary of my dorm room :) and ventured back out into the world. I bought dinner at Tong's Thai Restaurant. I met Tong, a lovely gentleman from Thailand who opened up this cute eatery two years ago.

Tong

After dinner, I needed to visit the ATM and am thankful that I had to because right next door there was a live punta performance! Punta "is a Garifuna music and dance style performed at celebrations and festive occasions. Contemporary punta, including Belizean punta rock, arose in the last thirty years of the twentieth century in Belize, Honduras and Guatemala."

Here is a video from the performance:

Cool! Loved the loud drumming. And gotta love those fast hip movements! :)

Back in my room, eating my pad thai. Arroy mak mak :)

I'm now back in my room and will soon hit the sack as I have a 7AM ferry to catch in the morning. I'll take the ferry to La Ceiba and then take the bus to San Pedro Sula, where I will meet up with Dr. Schott et. al! I'm really looking forward to seeing all of them! It's been over a year, and I'm excited to embark on this next phase of the journey with them! Here's our schedule for the next few days:

Addendum: just stepped out to get more water and saw cool fire poi dance (like this)! This woman was dancing to the catchy song DJ Got Us Fallin In Love Again by Usher! Quite a sight! Wish I had had my camera. ;)

I give thanks for this wonderful day! Goodnight. :)

Mosquito bite count: 22. About to stop counting.

Sand fly bite count: 5

And just for kicks, here is what I saw on TV. Made me smile. Jet Li, you didn't tell me you spoke Spanish so well! Kung Fu master and linguist? I'm impressed! (turn up volume for this one, it's hard to hear)

Caught in a Caribbean storm in La Ceiba...but there's a happy ending :)

Wednesday 1/12/2010 was my last full day in Copan. I was quite sad to leave. Everyone was so incredibly nice, the town is so charming and quaint, the food and licuados are beyond tasty, and I'll really miss my new friends from school and in my family. I am very grateful for my time in Copan. :)

At 4:40AM yesterday, Danilo picked me up in his tuk tuk and took me to the Hedman Alas bus station so I could catch the 5:15AM bus for La Ceiba via San Pedro Sula (city I flew into). I had polled a lot of the locals as well as other tourists, and everyone recommended Roatán, the largest of the Bay Islands.

Map of the Bay Islands, which are located in the Caribbean Sea north of mainland Honduras. Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands as can be seen above.

I arrived in La Ceiba around 1:30PM or so only to discover that the ferry to Roatan was not running due to the inclement weather (learned the word "inclement" in Portland jeje). At the time of our arrival, it was raining, and things only got worse throughout the night. The wind was blowing ferociously and seemed to be tearing through the palm trees. The waves were equally loud as they crashed upon the shore. I was thankful to meet a very nice Swedish couple. The three of us learned that all ferries were cancelled for the day, and we decided to stay the night in a hotel recommended by Lonely Planet (blanket 'Thank You' to LP for all the great recs!!).

After unpacking a little, I headed to the only banks that were open, those located in a mall about 10 minutes away by cab. Besides successfully changing my traveler's checks, the most exciting thing was seeing the logo of the Banco Atlantida:

Go Blazers!! :)

Later, the Swedish couple (Simon and Christina) and I went to dinner at Pupuseria Universitaria. The food was great. I got Honduran tacos and ordered water. "Una bolsita?" my server asked. "Sure," I responded. In my head I was thinking "I believe that means little bag..." but didn't really know what to expect. I waited with bated breath until the following arrived:

Mi bolsita de agua

Simon, Christina and me at Pupuseria Universitaria

Less waste than plastic bottles I suppose...though far less convenient! Oh well, a lot of surprises along the trail during this Honduran adventure. :)

After dinner, we came back to the hotel and crashed, utterly exhausted from our long day. I woke up a few times during the night because the wind and waves were so loud. I woke up the next morning and it still felt like Pirates of the Caribbean during the storm scenes when the Black Pearl was approaching. Sadly, this meant that the ferries would again be cancelled.

I headed to a hostel that was more central and decided to stay the night there and check again tomorrow on the ferry status. As I was sitting there typing on my comp, the gentleman at the front desk said, "You know you can take a plane right?" I had forgotten about this option and had assumed it to be far more expensive. As it turns out it was not much more than the ferry (around $35--can this be for real?). I am so thankful it all worked out! The man said "There is a flight leaving in one hour, so if you hurry you may be able to catch it!" He called a cab for me and we raced to the airport (15 min away). As it turns out, there was a flight leaving in 10 minutes(!) and the kind workers helped get everything in order for me so I could catch this flight. There were 9 passengers in total; we were taking a small plane. Fun! They let me sit next to the pilot and pretend to be co-pilot. I, of course, touched none of the buttons and levers. ;) But they did let me put on the headset and take a few photos.

Our plane from La Ceiba to Roatan. Are they loco for letting me be co-pilot? Affirmative!

We landed safely in Roatan and I cabbed it to West End, the area where most tourists hang out. I am counting my blessings that I was able to come to Roatan and that I was able to find lodging. Everywhere seemed to be booked, but luckily a newly renovated place called Splash Inn had some dorm rooms available if you take one of their diving courses. I don't usually like being underwater, but diving is the "the thing" to do here. "When in Rome..." It's considered the #2 diving spot in the world because of the reefs here. They have "Discovery Dives" for people who want to try diving once, so here goes nothing!

I'm sitting in my dorm room and am so so grateful that things worked out. I was kind of down yesterday and was kicking myself, wishing I'd never left Copan, especially with the poor weather here in the north. But tomorrow's supposed to be nice, so knock on wood we'll have have some blue skies and sun! Please don't judge me, but I'm also really excited to have wi-fi in my room. And the newly refurbished rooms are immaculate and have hot water yay! I'm quite tired from all the traveling these past 48 hours and look forward to a hopefully calm evening. I also look forward to studying some medical Spanish and reviewing some medicine. I meet up with Dr. Schott et al. in two days and we're pretty much hitting the ground running as we have afternoon clinic the day of their arrival.

Half Moon Bay in West End where I'm staying (image from Google)

Well, I best shower now (pretty filthy) and then grab some din din! Till next time! :)

Oh and I almost forgot --> Mosquito bite count: 16. Out. Of. Control. Voy a morirme por mosquito!

Field Trip to Las Aguas Termales (hot springs)

Our field trip this week was to Las Aguas Termales, located about 45min by van from Copan. Nine of us from Guacamaya went. The drive was picturesque (yay) but the roads were incredibly rough (boo). Trying to stay in our seats felt kind of like (mechanical) bull riding. Still, it didn't detract too much from the experience and all of us enjoyed practicing our Spanish juntos during the ride. We also passed through some pueblas.

We arrived at the hotsprings and changed into our swimsuits. We were led by flashlight over a bridge, through a small cave, and up a trail until we reached a series of pools, tucked away amidst a forest of trees. Gorgeous!! The small pools were lit by candles, and the entire area was so serene, and admittedly, quite romantic. ;)

Shannon and Ken relaxing in one of the first pools

The water gets higher as you go up the hill from pool to pool because the cool river water mixes with it as you go down. The water was so hot that we couldn't actually sit in the hottest pools, unless we wanted to be cooked like the eggs that some tour guides bring to demonstrate to people how hot it is. We enjoyed ourselves for about an hour, testing our limits on how hot of water we could handle. Most of us were okay in the second to hottest pool.

Shannon, Caro, Veronika and me in one of the "cool off" pools

Later we went to a pool at which the guides said that we could put the barro (mud) on our faces. "It's great for your skin." We obediently began to to rub thick, clay-like mud all over our faces as well as hands and feet. Veronika got particularly creative and crafted herself a lovely nose.

Veronika, Caro, Heather and me with our mud masks

Veronika's mud nose

Barro, Veronika's medium :)

Whether or not it really "worked," we all felt our skin felt "better" after the mud. Though this could be entirely attributable to the placebo effect. But why not harness the placebo effect! It's really about harnessing our ability to heal ourselves, right? :) That's a discussion for another day.

All in all, it was a lovely field trip and a wonderful experience! Thanks Kike and Guacamaya!

Mosquito bite count: 12. Hmm getting up there. Is my DEET working?

A typical day in Copán Ruinas...

...begins with breakfast (el desayuno) around 7:30am. Breakfast usually consists of cornflakes, half a cup of coffee (gradually tapering up...first tea, then decaf, now half a cup...), a banana, and pancakes/toast/other starch. I walk four hilly blocks to school.

Guacamaya Spanish School

Enrique "Kike" Carillo, the director of Guacamaya

Cesia and I meet for 4 hours. We converse, go over grammar and vocab, play games, and read. Es muy divertido and estoy aprendiendo mucho. Hace ocho años que he hablado español and I'm a bit rusty.

Cesia and me playing a game of Spanish Scrabble

After class, I walk home and each lunch (el almuerzo) con Bruce. I often take a quick siesta after lunch and then do a little sightseeing. I visited the museum downtown, the Mayan ruins (after which Copan is named), and the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and Nature Reserve.

Museum

Holding a Guacamaya (Honduran National Bird) at Macaw Mountain Bird Park

Copan Mayan Ruins

I come back for dinner (la cena) around 6:30pm and often will just sit and chat con mi familia or Bruce. After dinner, I study and complete mi tarea (homework) for the following day. I often go to the beautiful Hotel Marina or the hip-boho Via Via Cafe because they have wifi. At times, I wish I had wifi at home, but more often than not I'm glad that I don't. I'm not in denial that I'm an internet addict; not having it 24/7 is helping my addiction and showing me that I can survive sans computers. Joy!

Beautiful Hotel Marina where I often work on my comp (sorry so blurry)

In addition, on Wednesday evenings there is salsa dancing at Via Via, on Friday & Saturday evenings there is dancing at Via Via, Barcito and Papa Changos, and on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesdays, there are movies shown at Via Via.

Salsa dancing at Via Via (sorry so blurry)

There are also a lot of cute open air places to meet with friends or grab a snack. A lot of people just hang out in el Parque Central, the Central Plaza. On Saturday in particular, it was really happening and seemed like the place to see and be seen. I felt underdressed (and old) as I enjoyed a licuado with Caro en el Parque last Saturday. ;)

El Parque Central

Mosquito bite count: 10

¡Vamos montar a caballo!

Each week my school organizes an all-school outing. Last Saturday we had the opportunity to go horseback riding and visit a nearby Ch'orti' community. Andre, Lizon, Veronica and I met at school a las 8 por la mañana and were met by a nice gentleman on horseback named Alberto. He led us to our horses, and we began our journey! We rode for about an hour along the road leading out of town.

We passed by fields of coffee plants as well as fields of frijoles rojos. The ride was gorgeous and it was a beautiful day out! Good thing we had our hats and sunblock though; the sun beat down on us relentlessly (though who am I kidding...I rather enjoyed el sol and said beating!).

The four of us enjoyed walking, trotting and galloping. It was quite exciting (even if we walked a little bow-legged in the hours following!).

We also really enjoyed spending some time with the children of the community we visited. Andre is a wonderful magician and kept them (and Veronica, Lizon and me) entertained. We played duck duck goose and kicked the soccer ball around for awhile as well.

Thanks, Kike and Alberto for a great adventure! Here are some additional photos:

Mosquito bite count: 7

My first few days in Copan Ruinas

I've now been in Honduras for three and a half days. I'm living with a home stay family in Copan Ruinas in western Honduras. Me encanta Copan--I love it here! The town itself is so quaint with cobblestone streets and Lonely Planet describes it well when they call it "a charming colonial town." Copan is famous for its ruins, as the name suggests. The site is considered the largest of all Mayan ruins. I hope to visit them tomorrow.

Shots from around town

Copan Ruinas is the most visited place in Honduras after the Bay Islands (most likely because of the ruins). Despite having several tourists visits, it maintains the feeling of a small town. The "downtown" is only about 15-20 blocks and is centered around a central plaza called Parque Central.

Map of downtown Copan Ruinas

El Parque Central

The streets are quite hilly and are filled with tuk tuks. I learned that they're called toritos, meaning "little bulls," and that they are imported from India. They tried purchasing tuk tuks from other countries like China and Germany but found that only those from India could handle the hills here.

A Torito Tuk Tuk on one of Copan's many hills

My home stay family is lovely! Here's a picture of their home:

In my familia, there are the following people:

Rosa, Rudolfo: parents

Hilda, Klara: daughters

Cristian: son of Hilda

Karla en la cocina

View of Rudolfo from my balcony

The door is usually open (as is the case in my homes in Copan), and the following people frequently visit:

Danilo: cousin of Hilda and Klara; tuk tuk driver

Daniel and Jose: cousins of Cristian

Danilo y Cristian en el Tuk Tuk de Danilo

Rosa, my home stay "mama," cooks three delicious meals a day for the other home stay student, Bruce, and me. We feel so lucky; Rosa is an excellent cook, and everything has been delicioso! It's been so interesting to learn about typical Honduran dishes too (will write separate entry on food later!).

Eating a delicious meal prepared by Rosa (in the background)

They are providing me with a room that's on the second story of their house. It's quite spacious and has a full bath and balcony. They conveniently live about four blocks from the Guacamaya School where I have my classes.

My balcony on the second floor

The weather has been lovely; it's been sunny and delightfully hot these past few days. In contrast to the Pacific Northwest, the rainy season in this region begins in May and lasts for a few months.

Thursday and Friday I attended class at Guacamaya. My teacher is a 20 year old Honduran woman named Cesia. We meet for four hours each morning. I've learned so much already in these two days! My Spanish is still broken, but Cecia is helping me move in the right direction.

Guacamaya School courtyard where most teacher-student pairs meet daily

Cesia, my Spanish maestra. She is a pharmacy and chemistry student.

When not in class or at home, I spend most of my time with the other students at Guacamaya. There is a nurse from Utah (Heather), a physical therapist from Austria (Caro), a student from San Mateo, California (Ken), and a family from Canada (Andre, Lison, and daugther Veronica). We'll often explore the town together. We also really enjoy getting jugos y licuados (juice and smoothies) together, which are all made with fresh fruit. We challenge ourselves to only speak Spanish, and so far, we're not doing too shabby. :)

Caro, Heather, Ken and me enjoying jugos and licuados together.

Mosquito bite count: 5