Ill try to summarize before I pass out though.
We took an hour bus ride out to August Pine Ridge neighborhood. We passed corn fields and sugar cane; the planting season has just begun.
Once we arrive we split into groups of six and dispersed throughout the area. I got to speak to the first home. I surprised everyone and especially myself with my Spanish. I was able to talk with the first woman really well and get her signed up for an appointment mañana.
The rest of the day consisted of going to each home and standing by the gate or the street and shouting hola! to announce ourselves. Our guide told us it isn't the culture to go up to someone's front door and knock.
All the girls did so well talking with the people! Everyone was so nice an friendly. Almost every house had a few skinny dogs out front and some chickens. Many people had skinny brown horses grazing in the yards.
At one point this very old woman invited all of my group into her house. She and her husband were in their hammock. He was blind and she told us stories en español. I took notes about her story of seventeen limes that she used to heal her husband. I will definitely write that up in a future post because its very interesting.
I was able to have so many conversations with las niñas; I noticed many of the it's were timido. I noticed everyone had very clean clothes and worked to care for their homes. The houses don't look like much; many are ramshackle or made with sticks!
I also bought a beautiful needlepoint pillow cover from a woman. She laughed because I bought it from her before she had even completed it! She was so flattered because we all bought her needle point work and kept blushing and laughing.
Once we finished the home visits we spent an hour or two with a bush doctor in his home. His name is Mr Blanco and he learned his trade from his mother who learned from her mother. He took us around his yard and showed us like thirty different herbs and plants. I took pictures and notes for each plant and their names in Spanish and Mayan and English if possible. After the tour he sat us down on his porch and had us pass around a stick and we each took a bite of the bark and chewed it. Afterward he told is what it was for; it's quinine! And it tasted awful and bitter.
After dinner we sat down in the hotel dining room. The doctor there gave us a presentation on triage and assessment. He is so young! And handsome lol.
So tomorrow we run the clinic. We get an early start at 0800 after breakfast. So exciting!
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