Tuesday 10 March 2009

The start of my final Spring Break 2009

3 a.m., which was really 2 a.m. because of daylight savings time, about 30 of us met up at St Luke´s Hospital in Maumee, on Sunday Morning.

The first flight was at 6 a.m. from Detroit to Houston, Texas. I got upgraded to first class, which was pretty sweet. Breakfast was great and plenty of legroom.

After that, it´s about 30 mins of layover in Houston at about 8:30 a.m., then about a two-hour ride to Honduras.

The weather was amazing, it was warm and sunny, what a contrast from the weather in Toledo, Ohio. It felt kinda weird. I almost forgot how amazing it felt to be under the sun and loving the breeze against my face - unlike the cold wind in Toledo that actually hurts your face.

IT was about 12;30, and our bus arrived, and it was about four and a half hour bus ride to our hotel in Las Esperanze.

I was assigned to room with Lydia and Katie, both 3rd year med students at UT. A bunch of us walked around the hotel and checked the town out for a lil bit before dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Dinner was interesting. We were given two pieces of white bread, cheesy mashed potatoes, spicy barbeque chicken and steamed vegetables. It was different, but tasty. That was all that matters and I was starving anyways.

At 7;30 p.m., we spent about an hour unpacking the medicines and supplies that we packed in duffle bags before the trip. It was kinda chaotic. All 34 of us in a small room, yelling out categories of the medicines/supplies/soft toys and throwing them in the air, over our heads, across the room, you get the picture.

After thst, Dr. Richard Paat, the leader of the team briefed us on the next day. He spent almost 45 mins just going over what we expect to happen tomorrow, who´s assign to what station, which team, etc.

To end the night, the students were each assigned to research and make a short presentation on a certain medication/disease. I left right when they got started to take a shower. You have no idea how gross I felt.

I was told...

... some new mothers would stop breastfeeding, and they didn´t know any better, and fed their baby with Pepsi...

... do not brush your teeth with the tap water... use bottled water...

And we figured out the conversion rate is about $20 = 380 Lampiras

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