Lice and Beans

As you've probably guessed from the title of this blog, this past week has not necessarily been my week. Casa Suyapa is a wonderful place to be, but it definitely has its downfalls. One of the main ones being that it is frequently subjected to head lice epidemics. I try as I may to evade this, I wear my hair in a bun every day and I don't let the girls play with my hair. This week all my avoidance tactics failed and my hair and scalp unfortunately succumbed to these unwanted creatures. I was the first of any of the new volunteers to get it, and with my abundance of hair it was not a pleasure to remove. Luckily, I am so blessed to have Tezra, a fellow Michigander, as a friend and co-volunteer. She spent 4 hours on Monday combing through my hair and making sure that these little friends would not return. I have a lot of hair! It was a rough job. I've never had lice before and in fact, have had quite a phobia of it. I took this lovely little infestation as a "welcome to Honduras!" from the lice community here at the ranch. I know have a sign in my room that says "Lice free since September 15!" Unfortunately, I know there will come a day when I have to cross this off.

Other than this unfortunate and semi-traumatizing event, things at the Ranch have been wonderful lately. Yesterday (Tuesday the 15th) was Honduran Independence Day. The entire ranch went by bus to a nearby pueblo called Talanga. There we participated in a parade with children from 8 other area schools.The kids worked long and hard to prepare for the parade. There was a percussion group, baton twirlers, decorated cars and trucks, kids dressed as historic Honduran people, and much more. Hondurans are very serious about their patriotism and have a deep love for their country. It was a big job to live up to their standards in the procession, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle after my decades of involvement in the world famous Tulip Time. Because I work in the clinic, I rode in the ambulance with Ana Karina, another nurse. We didn't have any major injuries or problems. Just a few band-aids, aches and pains, and plenty of thirsty children! It was incredibly hot and dusty. Two children fainted from the heat and got to spend the rest of the parade cruising in the ambulance. Over all the parade was a great success and our kids from NPH did a phenomenal job. We spent the rest of Independence Day relaxing and re hydrating.

The more time I spend in Honduras, the more I realize what a valuable opportunity it is to be here for the year. The longer I'm here, the more I fall in love with the children, the culture, and the language. I know that I am learning so much and hopefully changing for the better as a result. Also, I am really enjoying strengthening my relationships with people I work with and with the kids. I already know that it is going to be so bittersweet to leave next August.

Peace,

Anna

Top 5 Moments of the Past week or So (in no particular order).

1) Eating chocolate chip banana bread made my another volunteer

2) learning to do stitches, then using my new found skill frequently!

3)Completing 7 small surgeries this morning before 11:30 am

4) Finding time in my schedule to finish "The Grapes of Wrath"5) Waking up on Tuesday to a louse free head.