This weekend the Chicken Pox struck at Rancho Santa Fe, and it struck hard. On Friday evening an 8 year old girl, Ana Gabriela, came into the clinic with some "very itchy bug bites." I took one look at her, handed her a bottle of calamine lotion, and told her she had to stay in the clinic.
Saturday morning the children started to file in, one by one; all itchy, all covered in red bumps. By the time I left on Saturday afternoon the running total was 9, very chicken poxy children. These kids did not just have 4 or 5 chicken pox; they are all covered from head to toe. The worst case has about 14 chicken pox just on his scalp. His abdomen, back, neck and arms are completely covered. Poor little guy was so itchy. Another child has them inside of his ears.
Saturday night I spent the night in the clinic slathering on the calamine lotion, trying to quell fevers, and entertaining itchy children that could not sleep. After they fell asleep they all slept well for the most part and there were no major chicken pox crises in the wee hours of the morning.
Sunday morning we all awoke, I passed out the Tylenol, and applied yet another round of calamine lotion. Someone suggested that I line up all the kids, fill a super soaker with calamine lotion, and hose them down. While efficient, something about this seems a little bit inhumane. I think I'll stick with the old fashioned method. The chosen few with chicken pox still continued to trickle in through out the morning. Surprising, most of the kids have been from the older hogars, between ages 9 and 14 years old. It hasn't hit my little kids Casa Suyapa yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Also, thank goodness none of the immunosupressed kids with HIV have gotten it! We are trying to quarantine and contain all the kids that have it so far.
I lost track of the total count of the itchy and infirm children, but I'm sure that the number will continue to climb. I can see a lot more calamine lotion and Tylenol in my future this week.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Time is flying! I can't believe it has already been a month since I posted my last blog! I have now been in Honduras for just over 4 months. Some days it seems like I just arrived last week and other days I feel like I've been here for years, but I am just now starting to feel truly acclimated with Honduran life. I keep thinking that I have adjusted, and saying that I have adjusted, but then something else unexpected and new comes along and shows me how much I have to learn. When I first arrived in Honduras I felt like someone surprised me by throwing me into a freezing cold lake and said "swim!" I started drowning. Then slowly I learned how to tread water in this new place, new culture, and new language. I stayed in the treading water phase for a bit; just enough to keep my head above the water. I am just now beginning to actually swim and make progress. I think the next few months will be full of progress and wonderful new opportunities to learn and grow.
All in all, life is going really well. The last few weeks have been crowed with all sorts of insane business. In the past few weeks the Honduran school year has ended, we have celebrated Quinceneras, another volunteer and I have met with officials from the Honduran Ministry of Health to obtain a license for our surgery center, and we have experienced the elections of a new president in an unstable political environment.
With school out, the ranch is a more relaxed place. The kids are not on such a tight schedule. This leaves more time to spend with the kids, but also more time for them to think up mischievous ways to get into a lot of trouble. Some of them are becoming pretty creative.
Quinceneras were definitely one of the high lights of my time here so far. In Latin American culture, turning 15 is a celebrated event. In November we celebrated the 15th birthdays of all the kids at the ranch who have turned 15 in 2009. There were about 50 boys and girls all together. The girls worked for weeks, sewing their own dresses and making their tiaras. Each of the children asked an adult to be their Madrina or Padrino (Godmother or father) for the night. We had a special mass and blessing for the Quinceneros, followed by a fancy dinner, and an elaborate party at the school. The kids had so much fun dancing and playing with one another until 1 in the morning! Most of my kids from Casa Suyapa were asleep on the floor by 9:30 pm.
Another volunteer, Andrea from Minnesota, and I have been working very hard over the past few months to obtain a legal license for the surgical center at the ranch. After many renovations in the surgery center and the external clinic, arguing with people in Spanish, and baking Ghirardelli Brownies for the women from the ministry of health, the surgery center will finally be licensed on December 16th! We are so excited for it to be the 16th. We may or may not be able to sleep after this date.
Honduras officially and unofficially has a new president. His name is Pepe Lobo. A regal name no doubt. Pepe Lobo lost the previous election to the infamous Mel Zelaya and has now returned triumphant. There is still some question about whether or not the elections were legitimate as Mel Zelaya called for all of his supporters to boycott the election. His reasoning was that by voting in the election, voters would be legitimizing the coup that took place in June. The elections took place with out any serious events, protests, or political unrest. Hopefully all will continue to be peaceful over the next few months.
My time with my kids in Casa Suyapa is always the highlight of my day. Last Thursday we celebrated the November and December birthdays. Every two months we have a huge birthday celebration. It always includes delicious food prepared by the Tias, pinatas, and complete chaos. This past week was no different. We also play a very uniquely Honduran game called Chop el Dulce. This game involves blind folding toddlers, handing them a Machete, and then having them try to chop a tiny piece of candy in half. When I first witnessed this game I was somewhat appalled! In the US we give four yearolds safety scissors to cut a page from a coloring book. Here we give toddlers machetes! The game has never produced any serious injuries and the kids and Tios alike absolutely love it! All and all the birthday celebration was complete chaos, but absolutely fantastic. I left Casa Suyapa that night with frosting and cake all over my face.
Yesterday I traveled with two other volunteers from NPH to a little town called San Juancito visit a Peace Corps volunteer who lives nearbye. This tiny town is one of the most beautiful places I've been since I've been in Honduras. Its an old mining town, with very interesting architecture, nestled at the base of the La Tigra National Park. The mountains surrounding it are absolutely beautiful! There isn't much to do in this town but look around, relax, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Two other local Peace Corps volunteers spent the night in San Juancito as well. It was a great weekend away from the Ranch, so nice refresh ourselves for the coming week, and a lot of fun to meet new people. Also, I really enjoyed learning about other projects and service that the Peace Corps volunteers are working on in our region of Honduras.
Well, that's all from me for now. Feliz Navidad! I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season and perhaps the snow. Here it is still 80 degrees and sunny. Its okay to be jealous!
Peace,
Anna
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
ER: Honduras Finale
I have spent the majority of the last four days at Hospital Escuela, the public hospital in Tegucigalpa. I've been in and out of the ER, the operating room, the children's ward, and the blood bank. It has been quite the experience and has given me a new, and very real look into Honduran life.
SATURDAY: Saturday morning I woke up to a ringing cell phone at 5 am. It was one of the other nurses from the clinic asking me if I could come and take a look at a boy who came in with severe abdominal pain. I went to the clinic to see the boy. He had all of the characteristics of acute appendicitis: sever pain in the right lower quadrant, an extremely high fever, vomiting, etc. When he continued to worsen, we decided him to take him to the Hospital in Tegucigalpa. I rode in the ambulance with him to the hospital. Depending on who you ask, me or the driver Juan Abel, the ambulance ride may or may not have been more dangerous then the suspected appendicitis. Normally, it takes approximately an hour to get to Tegucigalpa from the ranch. We made it through traffic, over twisting mountain roads, and to the hospital in under a half hour. I feared for my life on more than one occasion!
Once we arrived at the Hospital, we pushed our way through a crowd of people to get to the ER. It appeared that they were going to attend to us rather quickly. Unfortunately appearances are deceiving! We waited and waited, and then waited a little bit more. I had to carry the lab specimens to the lab myself to be tested, wait for the results and bring them back to the the ER. On more than one occasion I had to search for the doctor and basically demand that the assess Rodolfo. When we got the results back from the blood test, the white blood count was extremely extremely low. With appendicitis you would expect it to be very high because of the infection. I asked if they could repeat the test, which they surprisingly did. The results were the same. I started to worry that this child might be immuno supressed because of some other illness like HIV or Leukemia. In the meantime, Rodolfo's pain had subsided and he was resting comfortably. I called the NPH director and asked if we could take him to a private clinic to have the hemogram drawn again. We went to clinic just down the street and surprise, all of his lab results were normal. We also had an x-ray done at the clinic and discovered that Rodolfo just had a severe, severe case of constipation. It was quite the day.
From the private clinic we made the trip back to Hospital Escuela. Not for Rodolfo, but for another kid from the ranch who broke his wrist playing soccer. This time, we went in and out in about 30 minutes. A miracle! I had already spent almost 6 hours hounding doctors in the ER, so I think they were more than ready to be rid of me. We finally made it back to the Ranch around 8:30 on Saturday night.
MONDAY: On Monday I also spent approximately 12 hours at the Hospital Escuela. Thankfully this time it was not in the Emergency Room. A little 7 year old boy from Casa Suyapa, Lester Joel, had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. He went into surgery at 8 am and I waited in the "waiting room" with the other family members of pediatric patients who were in surgery. I sat for 3 hours in dirty hallway crammed with other worried parents. The hallway was hot and musty. There was construction going on at the other end so the sound of drills and saws was muffling all of the talking and crying going on in the hallway. The floor was sticky with blood and urine, but after waiting for hours, people sat anyways. Finally when Joel came out of surgery we went back up to the hospital ward. He was in a room with 8 other children suffering from all types of injuries and illnesses. There was one bathroom for the entire ward, not just the room of 8. There was no toilet seat, no toilet paper, and it was absolutely filthy. The nurses never once came to check on my little patient. They never took his vitals or assessed him after surgery. Never once did I speak with a doctor or have anyone give me any information about his surgery. I can't imagine being in Hospital Escuela and not having someone to advocate for you. I am honestly not sure how anyone leaves that hospital without being sicker than they were when they were admitted!
TUESDAY: Tuesday was by far the most successful and triumphant day at Hospital Escuela. They have a rule there that if you are a patient, someone has to donate blood in your name before you are discharged from the hospital. I woke up this morning at 3:30, got on a bus, and went to donate blood. The line was long and the hygiene was still bad, but it was a success. Lester Joel was discharged by 7 am.
Hospital Escuela is extremely scarce for resources. On multiple occasions I had to leave the hospital and go to a nearby pharmacy to purchase tubes and containers for blood and urine testing. Also, they rarely use gloves or other safety precautions when performing procedures. They lack the basic resources to provide safe health care to the public. More than anything, my experience at Hospital Escuela opened my eyes to the drastic disparities that exist here. It was so sad to see what the average Honduran has to go through to find help for their most basic health needs. The patients there are all shuffled from line to line and given absolutely no autonomy over their own bodies. They are treated without any dignity at all.
Even though it is heart breaking and difficult to go to these places, I think it is so important to recognize the suffering in the world. I can't just sit and pretend that it does not exist. Its overwhelming because it seems that its a never ending cycle; there is no way to truly fix it. This can be disheartening and prevent a lot of people from even trying to do good in the world. For me it is even more of a reason to keep trying. I don't think it has to be specifically through labeled service or volunteer work, but just in the way you treat people ever day in even the simplest and most ordinary situations. "Love your neighboor as yourself."
SATURDAY: Saturday morning I woke up to a ringing cell phone at 5 am. It was one of the other nurses from the clinic asking me if I could come and take a look at a boy who came in with severe abdominal pain. I went to the clinic to see the boy. He had all of the characteristics of acute appendicitis: sever pain in the right lower quadrant, an extremely high fever, vomiting, etc. When he continued to worsen, we decided him to take him to the Hospital in Tegucigalpa. I rode in the ambulance with him to the hospital. Depending on who you ask, me or the driver Juan Abel, the ambulance ride may or may not have been more dangerous then the suspected appendicitis. Normally, it takes approximately an hour to get to Tegucigalpa from the ranch. We made it through traffic, over twisting mountain roads, and to the hospital in under a half hour. I feared for my life on more than one occasion!
Once we arrived at the Hospital, we pushed our way through a crowd of people to get to the ER. It appeared that they were going to attend to us rather quickly. Unfortunately appearances are deceiving! We waited and waited, and then waited a little bit more. I had to carry the lab specimens to the lab myself to be tested, wait for the results and bring them back to the the ER. On more than one occasion I had to search for the doctor and basically demand that the assess Rodolfo. When we got the results back from the blood test, the white blood count was extremely extremely low. With appendicitis you would expect it to be very high because of the infection. I asked if they could repeat the test, which they surprisingly did. The results were the same. I started to worry that this child might be immuno supressed because of some other illness like HIV or Leukemia. In the meantime, Rodolfo's pain had subsided and he was resting comfortably. I called the NPH director and asked if we could take him to a private clinic to have the hemogram drawn again. We went to clinic just down the street and surprise, all of his lab results were normal. We also had an x-ray done at the clinic and discovered that Rodolfo just had a severe, severe case of constipation. It was quite the day.
From the private clinic we made the trip back to Hospital Escuela. Not for Rodolfo, but for another kid from the ranch who broke his wrist playing soccer. This time, we went in and out in about 30 minutes. A miracle! I had already spent almost 6 hours hounding doctors in the ER, so I think they were more than ready to be rid of me. We finally made it back to the Ranch around 8:30 on Saturday night.
MONDAY: On Monday I also spent approximately 12 hours at the Hospital Escuela. Thankfully this time it was not in the Emergency Room. A little 7 year old boy from Casa Suyapa, Lester Joel, had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. He went into surgery at 8 am and I waited in the "waiting room" with the other family members of pediatric patients who were in surgery. I sat for 3 hours in dirty hallway crammed with other worried parents. The hallway was hot and musty. There was construction going on at the other end so the sound of drills and saws was muffling all of the talking and crying going on in the hallway. The floor was sticky with blood and urine, but after waiting for hours, people sat anyways. Finally when Joel came out of surgery we went back up to the hospital ward. He was in a room with 8 other children suffering from all types of injuries and illnesses. There was one bathroom for the entire ward, not just the room of 8. There was no toilet seat, no toilet paper, and it was absolutely filthy. The nurses never once came to check on my little patient. They never took his vitals or assessed him after surgery. Never once did I speak with a doctor or have anyone give me any information about his surgery. I can't imagine being in Hospital Escuela and not having someone to advocate for you. I am honestly not sure how anyone leaves that hospital without being sicker than they were when they were admitted!
TUESDAY: Tuesday was by far the most successful and triumphant day at Hospital Escuela. They have a rule there that if you are a patient, someone has to donate blood in your name before you are discharged from the hospital. I woke up this morning at 3:30, got on a bus, and went to donate blood. The line was long and the hygiene was still bad, but it was a success. Lester Joel was discharged by 7 am.
Hospital Escuela is extremely scarce for resources. On multiple occasions I had to leave the hospital and go to a nearby pharmacy to purchase tubes and containers for blood and urine testing. Also, they rarely use gloves or other safety precautions when performing procedures. They lack the basic resources to provide safe health care to the public. More than anything, my experience at Hospital Escuela opened my eyes to the drastic disparities that exist here. It was so sad to see what the average Honduran has to go through to find help for their most basic health needs. The patients there are all shuffled from line to line and given absolutely no autonomy over their own bodies. They are treated without any dignity at all.
Even though it is heart breaking and difficult to go to these places, I think it is so important to recognize the suffering in the world. I can't just sit and pretend that it does not exist. Its overwhelming because it seems that its a never ending cycle; there is no way to truly fix it. This can be disheartening and prevent a lot of people from even trying to do good in the world. For me it is even more of a reason to keep trying. I don't think it has to be specifically through labeled service or volunteer work, but just in the way you treat people ever day in even the simplest and most ordinary situations. "Love your neighboor as yourself."
Monday, October 19, 2009
Another blog from Honduras...
Well, its been an adventurous few weeks in Honduras. I've been here for almost three months now, and I cannot believe how time has flown. Recently, life at the Ranch has been going well! I can now truly say that I am settled in and accustomed to the way things go here. Each day is still a learning experience, but there are less surprises and awkward situations. Plus, my Spanish has definitely improved in the time I've been here, making things much easier!
Things in the clinic have been going well. The most recent addition to the clinic has been two students, Luis and Nancy. They are finishing their high school community health education and have been assigned to work with me in the external clinic for one of their clinical placements. In a lot of ways, I really enjoy having the students. I love the opportunity to teach them and help them learn (and pass on my unending well of nursing knowledge...just joking). Also, they are hard workers and are helping me to work toward a lot of the goals I have for the clinic. One of these goals includes creating a program to provide more health teaching. Currently the patients come to the clinic, see the doctor, recieve their treatment, and leave. I'm trying to implement a program to provide more information and education to the patients regarding their diagnosis. Hopefully, in the next few months we will implement educational workshops for the patients with diabetes, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, and parasites. I am also working on education regarding hygiene and general nutrion.
My work in Casa Suyapa with the chiquitos is going well too. Every day with them is a surprise. I never know if I'm going to arrive at Casa Suyapa and find dancing children, screeming children, children watching Michael Jackson videos, etc. Regardless of the craziness that goes on when 50 children under the age of 7 live together, I have grown to love them immensely. This past weekend while working with my kids, we had mass in the cemetary on the ranch to celebrate the lives of all who are buried there. Many of the kids have mothers and siblings there who have passed away from AIDS. This experinece was joyful, but also very sobering. It gave me just a short look into the painful pasts that so many of the kids have had. One of my little girls in Casa Suyapa, Ruth Nohemi, has a mother buried in the cemetary. I helped her carry flowers and pictures to her mom's grave to decorate it. The whole ranch walked for about an hour, up into the mountains where the cemetary is. When we got there Ruth Nohemi just looked at me and said "Anna, this is my mom!" and began talking about her mom and memories she has with her. Nohemi's mom passed away last July in Casa Pasionista, the home on the ranch for adults in the end stages of AIDs and Cancer. It was amazing to see the perserverance that these kids had, and also the joy that they still carry with them every day. After cleaning and decorating all of the graves we had a mass for all the family members burried there. During mass it started to sprinkle a little bit and you could see a perfect rainbow over the mountains. The kids were so excited! It really was celebration of the lives of their parents and family.
The past few weeks, the entire country of Honduras has been in a tangible state of excitement because we qualified to go to the world cup! Soccer is religion here. People have an incredible amount of loyalty and love for their team. The first selection game we played was against the U.S.. As you can imagine, I was conflicted about who to root for. The night of the game my friends Danielle, Andrea, and I decked ourselves out in Honduran jerseys, painted our faces blue and white, and went out to a restaurant to watch the game. When it came down to it, I found it hard to root for Honduras. I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't aware that my love for America (or 'Merica) ran so deep. As it turns out, I have learned that I appreciate more about the U.S. than just cheese burgers a fantastic sanitation system. Regardless of my new found American Patriotism, I had to fake Honduran enthusiasm when they scored, and fake outrage when they lost, to avoid being assaulted! As you can imagine, it was quite a blow when Honduras lost to the U.S.. Luckily, they beat El Salvador the following Wednesday and still qualified for the World Cup. Celebration over this is still going on!
The political situation is still unresolved. The country has still been functioning as normal and its hard to hear any news regarding the situation. After my last blog, things with Micheletti's regime took a turn for the worse. They began suspending rights including the right to free speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble, and the right to due process of law. The suspensions were lifted, but it is still evidence that Micheletti and his regime are not out to pursue democracy. I hope that the elections in November will bring some kind of end to the political unrest in Honduras.
Well, thats all from me for now. Please keep the Ranch and all the kids here in your prayers!
Peace,
Anna
Things in the clinic have been going well. The most recent addition to the clinic has been two students, Luis and Nancy. They are finishing their high school community health education and have been assigned to work with me in the external clinic for one of their clinical placements. In a lot of ways, I really enjoy having the students. I love the opportunity to teach them and help them learn (and pass on my unending well of nursing knowledge...just joking). Also, they are hard workers and are helping me to work toward a lot of the goals I have for the clinic. One of these goals includes creating a program to provide more health teaching. Currently the patients come to the clinic, see the doctor, recieve their treatment, and leave. I'm trying to implement a program to provide more information and education to the patients regarding their diagnosis. Hopefully, in the next few months we will implement educational workshops for the patients with diabetes, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, and parasites. I am also working on education regarding hygiene and general nutrion.
My work in Casa Suyapa with the chiquitos is going well too. Every day with them is a surprise. I never know if I'm going to arrive at Casa Suyapa and find dancing children, screeming children, children watching Michael Jackson videos, etc. Regardless of the craziness that goes on when 50 children under the age of 7 live together, I have grown to love them immensely. This past weekend while working with my kids, we had mass in the cemetary on the ranch to celebrate the lives of all who are buried there. Many of the kids have mothers and siblings there who have passed away from AIDS. This experinece was joyful, but also very sobering. It gave me just a short look into the painful pasts that so many of the kids have had. One of my little girls in Casa Suyapa, Ruth Nohemi, has a mother buried in the cemetary. I helped her carry flowers and pictures to her mom's grave to decorate it. The whole ranch walked for about an hour, up into the mountains where the cemetary is. When we got there Ruth Nohemi just looked at me and said "Anna, this is my mom!" and began talking about her mom and memories she has with her. Nohemi's mom passed away last July in Casa Pasionista, the home on the ranch for adults in the end stages of AIDs and Cancer. It was amazing to see the perserverance that these kids had, and also the joy that they still carry with them every day. After cleaning and decorating all of the graves we had a mass for all the family members burried there. During mass it started to sprinkle a little bit and you could see a perfect rainbow over the mountains. The kids were so excited! It really was celebration of the lives of their parents and family.
The past few weeks, the entire country of Honduras has been in a tangible state of excitement because we qualified to go to the world cup! Soccer is religion here. People have an incredible amount of loyalty and love for their team. The first selection game we played was against the U.S.. As you can imagine, I was conflicted about who to root for. The night of the game my friends Danielle, Andrea, and I decked ourselves out in Honduran jerseys, painted our faces blue and white, and went out to a restaurant to watch the game. When it came down to it, I found it hard to root for Honduras. I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't aware that my love for America (or 'Merica) ran so deep. As it turns out, I have learned that I appreciate more about the U.S. than just cheese burgers a fantastic sanitation system. Regardless of my new found American Patriotism, I had to fake Honduran enthusiasm when they scored, and fake outrage when they lost, to avoid being assaulted! As you can imagine, it was quite a blow when Honduras lost to the U.S.. Luckily, they beat El Salvador the following Wednesday and still qualified for the World Cup. Celebration over this is still going on!
The political situation is still unresolved. The country has still been functioning as normal and its hard to hear any news regarding the situation. After my last blog, things with Micheletti's regime took a turn for the worse. They began suspending rights including the right to free speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble, and the right to due process of law. The suspensions were lifted, but it is still evidence that Micheletti and his regime are not out to pursue democracy. I hope that the elections in November will bring some kind of end to the political unrest in Honduras.
Well, thats all from me for now. Please keep the Ranch and all the kids here in your prayers!
Peace,
Anna
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Pros and Cons of Political Unrest...while vacationing in the Caribbean
I just returned from what was intended as a 3 day weekend at the coast, but turned into a 7 day stint at a seaside hotel under government imposed curfew. As many of you may have heard, the political situation in Honduras has been intense. Since the coup in late June, things have been relatively calm and peaceful. There had been no evidence of increasing unrest. However, Mel Zelaya, the ousted ex president, returned tot he country on Monday afternoon. He returned as a fugitive and was harbored inside the Brazilian Embassy. This past weekend just so happened to be a four day weekend for all NPH employees so some other volunteers and I had taken what we thought would be a long weekend jaunt to Tela, a coastal Caribbean town.
Tela itself was a wonderfully relaxing getaway and a much needed break from the day to day grind at the Ranch. On Saturday, we spent the day relaxing on the beach at the hotel Telmar. On Sunday, four other girls and I went on a day long boat trip to Punta Sal and the Jeannette Kawa Parque Nacional. This was a beautiful trip that included hiking through a rain forest, snorkeling, and spending time on a gorgeous secluded Caribbean lagoon. Snorkeling in the coral reef was definitely one of the highlights. Here we saw a variety of tropical fish, rays, and other underwater life. The beach was amazing with white sand and turquoise water. There are only two families that are allowed to keep residence in the park. They have grass huts near the beach and are totally isolated from all modern technology. On Monday, before Mel returned to the country, we took a bus to a little Garifuna village called Tornabe about 8 km outside of Tela. Garifuna is the name for the culture that arose along the coast after the immigration and trade of Africans that had been brought to the America´s on slave ships. They have a very unique culture and language. They speak a language that is a mixture of Swahili, French, Spanish, English, and a variety of other African languages. Their style of music is very African/Reggae. In Tornabe we relaxed on the beach (again!), and had incredibly traditional Garifuna sea food. We ate at a beach side restaurant where we ordered, watched the fisherman take his boat out to catch our fish, and then waited as he brought them in and grilled them. I really enjoyed spending time in this little town because it is a place that is off the beaten path for most tourists. The restaurant owners told us that they rarely get American or European tourists in their village. It is usually just a very tiny, calm fishing village. Life there seemed extremely slow, but very enjoyable.
While we were enjoying our freshly caught fish, we heard the news that Mel Zelaya had returned to the country and was barricaded inside the Brazilian Embassy. At the time, in our personal paradise, it didn´t seem like a big deal. Non of the Hondurans nearby seemed to think much of this turn of events so we continued our meal, swam a bit, and headed back to Tela. Once in Tela we learned that a Curfew (Toque de Queda) had been imposed on the entire country. This quarentined us to the Hotel Bertha until further notice. In Tela, we were in absolutely no immediate danger. The protests and unrest was going on in Tegucigalpa. We heard from friends at the ranch and in Teguc that things there were extremely out of hand. There were thousands protesting the de facto government, Honduran military troupes, vandalism, and civil disobedience. Tegucigalpa had turned into a very dangerous place to be within a matter of hours. People were vandalizing and looting stores, defacing public property, and holding large demonstrations outside the Brazilian Embassy. In Tela, things were calm as usual. There was virtual no evidence that any sort of political crisis was erupting within the country. We spent the evening inside playing cards and eating baleadas provided by friendly neighbors. The next day the Toque de Queda extended the entire day so we yet again spent the day inside. This was somewhat torturous being so close to the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Finally, on Wednesday they lifted the Toque from 10 am to 4pm. People were allowed to leave their homes for food, water, and medications. The lines at the grocery store were astronomical! People waited for more than 4 hours to receive food. Many were buying in bulk for fear of an extended Toque de Queda. Also, the lines at the bank extended for blocks and blocks while people waited to withdraw the majority of their money from savings accounts. Many people are afraid that the political crisis will lead to economic failure as well.
My experience in Tela during the Toque de Queda gave me a lot of insight into Honduran politics as well as into the viewpoints of many Honduran people. What I have learned is that the Hondurans that are interested in politics are supportive of Micheletti. There are a handful of Zelaya supporters that seam to be causing the trouble. In the grand scheme of things, most Hondurans are without opinion in the political debate. According to one employee at the Ranch, "The poor will be poor no matter who is president. Neither of the two presidents actually wants to help us." The majority of people just see this whole political mess as a threat to their lives, their home, their job, and their economic stability. Thousands of small and large business lost substantial amount of business and money this week during the imposed curfew. The women selling Baleadas next to our hotel asked "Who is going to pay for my children to go to school now that I've lost so much business? Micheletti or Zelaya?" Overall the Honduran people are tired and weary of the political turmoil in their country. They just want a resolution so that they may return to a normal way of life.
As an American in Honduras, it is somewhat frustrating. The U.S Government has backed Zelaya from the beginning because the Coup was undemocratic and unconstitutional. While this may be true, it is also true that Mel Zelaya has committed many unconstitutional acts and is alligned with extreme leftist leaders such as Hugo Chavez. In fact, Zelaya has recieved most of his funding and backing from leftists leaders like Chavez. In my opinion, Zelaya seems to be seaking nothing more than power and fame. However, the US still supports him. The US has removed all aide to Honduras and is refusing to recognize our elections in November. Also, the Organization of American States has reneged on their promise to provide funding for the November elections. Honduras and Micheletti's de facto government refuses to back down even while recieving pressure from the entire world. This creates quite a difficult situation. The real problem seems to be that no one cares about Honduras and its seemingly little problems. Its true that there are currently bigger fish to fry and other things to focus global time, money, and interest on, but Honduras needs a solution. We are not going to reach one without support from the global community.
Today (Friday) was our first full day without the curfew. Life slowly crept back out into the streets and appears to be normal for the most part. I was able to travel back to the Ranch with little trouble. There were a few government check points and evidence of the protests in Tegucigalpa, but overall things were very calm. Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica has offered to hold peace talks again between the two opposing presidents. I hope for the country and people of Honduras that some sort of resolution can be reached. Overall, I am extremely glad to have made it home after the unexpected, extended trip. It feels great to be back at the Ranch after such a long time away.
Pros of Political Unrest While Vacationing in the Caribbean
- Had more time to float around in the Caribbean Sea. We enjoyed every moment.
- Made new American friends. While in Tela we met two older men in their late 60's ( Norm and Al) from Vermont. We became their adopted grand daughters and were even invited to a surprise birthday party for Norm.
- Ate delicious sea food multiple times in the past week.
- Honed my Banana Grams skills while confined to the hotel.
- Increased our creativity, resourcefulness, and patience while spending over 24 straight hours in a small hotel room with 5 other people. We undertook endeavors such as fort building, trivia contests, etc.
Cons of Political Unrest While Vacationing in the Caribbean
- The obvious, Political Unrest
- Spending a torturous amount of time just blocks from the beach, without actually being able to go to the beach.
- The harm that this political situation does to the Honduran government and economy.
- Spending way more money than I intended to, due to my unexpected vacation extension.
- The unresolved political situation still looming in the future.
Obvisouly the Cons by far outweigh the Pros. We are just glad that we made it back to the ranch safe and sound, and that all seems to be back to normal for the time being. Please pray for peace in the country of Honduras.
Peace, Anna
This vacation was brought to you by the irresponsibilty of Mel Zelaya.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Top 10 things that Make Life at The Ranch this Week an Adventure
10) Scratching my mosquito bites for more than three consecutive minutes.
9) Eating Pancakes for dinner on Tuesday night.
8) Playing Banana Grams with my roommate while listening to NPR podcasts.
7)Watching the children of Casa Suyapa tie 25 helium balloons to a Dora the Explorer doll and send her into orbit.
6) Watching the Honduras vs. Trinidad Soccer (Futbol) game on Saturday night with my kids.
5) Man with a large Machete wound came to the clinic on last Wednesday. He cut through tendons and bone in his arm.
4)Swimming in the Represa, a large reservoir a little ways up the mountain from the Ranch.
3) A girl was carried to the clinic unconscious. Later it was found out that she was knocked out with a baton while practicing baton twirling for the parade next Tuesday. She is doing well.
2) Being smothered by hugs from sweaty children in Casa Suyapa every evening.
1) Riding back to the Ranch in the back of a pick up truck with at least 24 singing children ages 3 to 6.
This past week an a half has been a good one. Finally feel like I am really settling into my place here at the Ranch. I have mastered the names of all kids in Casa Suyapa (Approximately 50), implemented hand washing at the clinic, and continued to build relationships with other volunteers and coworkers. So far the year is definitely off to a good start. Poco a poco (little by little) Honduras is becoming more like home.
As I continue to get to know the country and the people of Honduras, the overwhelming poverty here becomes even more evident. In my job, I see it every day. I lack so many of the resources necessary to provide quality medical care that these people deserve. I see it in the stories of the kids that are here at the Ranch and in so many other ways. It is a very interesting dynamic to be be an American volunteer. I have been so blessed to have what I need and more, and to have received a quality education. Things that I have taken for granted as being common place are luxuries here. The challenge is that here my blessings seem to form barriers between me and many Hondurans. Education, health care, clean water, and a safe place to live are all things that the majority of Honduras strive for, but may never attain. As a Christian, I believe that it is my responsibitlity to strive for justice and peace. It is my goal here in Honduras to be engaged in solidarity with the people. I don't simply want to be another volunteer that comes and goes. I want to understand the way of life and serve in whatever ways I can. I think one of my biggest challenges here is to form relationships with Hondurans and look past the cultural, economic, and social barriers that arise. I think that my experience here at Rancho Santa Fe will teach me so much about striving for peace, living simply, and loving others.
Peace,
Anna
"If you want Peace, work for Justice." - Pope Paul VI
9) Eating Pancakes for dinner on Tuesday night.
8) Playing Banana Grams with my roommate while listening to NPR podcasts.
7)Watching the children of Casa Suyapa tie 25 helium balloons to a Dora the Explorer doll and send her into orbit.
6) Watching the Honduras vs. Trinidad Soccer (Futbol) game on Saturday night with my kids.
5) Man with a large Machete wound came to the clinic on last Wednesday. He cut through tendons and bone in his arm.
4)Swimming in the Represa, a large reservoir a little ways up the mountain from the Ranch.
3) A girl was carried to the clinic unconscious. Later it was found out that she was knocked out with a baton while practicing baton twirling for the parade next Tuesday. She is doing well.
2) Being smothered by hugs from sweaty children in Casa Suyapa every evening.
1) Riding back to the Ranch in the back of a pick up truck with at least 24 singing children ages 3 to 6.
This past week an a half has been a good one. Finally feel like I am really settling into my place here at the Ranch. I have mastered the names of all kids in Casa Suyapa (Approximately 50), implemented hand washing at the clinic, and continued to build relationships with other volunteers and coworkers. So far the year is definitely off to a good start. Poco a poco (little by little) Honduras is becoming more like home.
As I continue to get to know the country and the people of Honduras, the overwhelming poverty here becomes even more evident. In my job, I see it every day. I lack so many of the resources necessary to provide quality medical care that these people deserve. I see it in the stories of the kids that are here at the Ranch and in so many other ways. It is a very interesting dynamic to be be an American volunteer. I have been so blessed to have what I need and more, and to have received a quality education. Things that I have taken for granted as being common place are luxuries here. The challenge is that here my blessings seem to form barriers between me and many Hondurans. Education, health care, clean water, and a safe place to live are all things that the majority of Honduras strive for, but may never attain. As a Christian, I believe that it is my responsibitlity to strive for justice and peace. It is my goal here in Honduras to be engaged in solidarity with the people. I don't simply want to be another volunteer that comes and goes. I want to understand the way of life and serve in whatever ways I can. I think one of my biggest challenges here is to form relationships with Hondurans and look past the cultural, economic, and social barriers that arise. I think that my experience here at Rancho Santa Fe will teach me so much about striving for peace, living simply, and loving others.
Peace,
Anna
"If you want Peace, work for Justice." - Pope Paul VI
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