I went with Tracey and Larry today. She is a nurse so she knows what to assess for and what more to ask. She is very good at making people feel good about themselves. She always points out something I do that she thinks is clever. I admit I do adore her!
So we came across a young toddler and her mother at one point. The little one was resting, sprawled on her back on the bed. She wore only a diaper and had a fan blowing on her. I did a full assessment and her respiration an heart rate were normal, she was a bit warm but I only hand my hands no thermometer. I asked how many wet diapers she has had, listened to her lungs and heart and abdomen, and checked her pupils. She was limp, lethargic, and only stirred when I felt for swollen lymph nodes under her arms. The clinic doesn't know if it is chicken pox or not. It didn't look like chicken pox to Tracey or me. Tracey thinks it might be measles. Hopefully it will resolve in a few more days.
I also noticed a basin out back filled with water and leaves. The mother says it is Chaka leaves. I thought it smelled slightly like eucalyptus but we don't know. She puts the water on her daughters chest every hour to help with the fever.
Later we met Alma. Alma has a large area of land and is an animal lover. She has four parrots, a cat and kitten, two bulls and cows, and many hens. Oh and a tame fawn she has been raising from two weeks old!
She baked honey rolls that we bought hot from the oven for 50 cents. Of course her stove isn't hooked up to gas or electricity. It has fire wood on top and coals within, with the baking pan.
I got to speak to a Mennonite woman as well. She was very approachable and easy to talk to. She even answered my blundering questions asking how long she has been Mennonite. She said she prefers to be called Christian or a believer since Mennonite is a broad term. She said she doesn't believe a lot of Mennonites live the way they should.
It was odd that she lived in a village with everyone else. Most of them live in their own villages and are somewhat secluded. She is a school teacher who teaches the little children of Mennonite families, originally from Canada.
One of the families we talked with had a little kitten who came over and joined us. One look told me she was not in the best of health. The kitten needs worm medications and a vet. A big dish of cat food wouldn't hurt either. I nearly cried when I had to leave her. I really love cats. I miss my own at home so much! I miss my husband as well.
Before dinner Delia and a lot of the girls went shopping. I told Delia I'm kind of bad at shopping but I really wanted something lovely from Belize. I ended up buying three dresses for $30 US. I will be very excited to wear them later!
We all went for ice cream before heading back to the hotel. They had the strangest flavors! Crabo is a a strange berry that grows here. Some of the villagers have given us some before. They taste kind of bleh. Sara got sugar corn with real corn in it. I got a scoop of coconut and a scoop if avocado. It was perfect for a humid afternoon in Belize.
Also before dinner Tracey gave a brief lecture on diabetes and the history if the disease and the three crises associated with it. Even though I finished nursing school I am still learning new things about relatively common diseases!
Later we had escabeche at the hotel. It is an onion soup they served with crispy chicken and corn tortillas. The women who work in the kitchen also baked some amazing banana bread. It smelled so rich and decadent and tasted even better.
After dinner we had the other half of our group do their presentations on tropical diseases. Only a group of nurses can get so excited about scabies and dengue fever!
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