Day 7 - Nicaragua

Buenos! Today was so much fun. We went back to the church/clinic and got to spend time with the kids away from the medicine in the scary scrubs. We brought all of the games, art/school supplies, coloring books, candy and toys we could find and passed them out to the 50+ kids that were waiting for us as soon as we pulled in. We unveiled the piñata first, and let all the little ones attack and then the big kids got a chance. It was a mad house once all of the candy dropped. Afterward we played soccer and colored and took A LOT of pictures. The kids absolutely loved being in the pictures and even taking the pictures. It was such a joy to see these kids have smiles on their faces the entire time we were with them, and even though we didn't understand each other it was still so fun. The principal of the community school thought we should give all of the board games and school supplies to the school in order to get the best use of it and he gave a really moving speech afterward, thanking us for our time and dedication. But really, we should be thanking them for giving us 14 Adrian College students the experience of a life time! I have learned so much in these past 7 days, that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. Mucho gracias!

At dinner we said goodbye to Adriana who is meeting another team tomorrow. She was so much fun and a wonderful person and I'm really going to miss her.

Ronaldo our bus driver, Sandra, and Adriana

Our last day in Nicaragua is tomorrow, and it's full of tourist time and fun activities!

Day 6 - Nicaragua

Buenos! Today was a sad day as we said goodbye to our translators because it's our last day of clinicals. We saw another 28+ people and a few new diagnoses. During an abdominal exam we found an umbilical hernia in a 6 year old, and in an adult we found chikeygunya, which is a curable disease but causes serious joint pain. 

Translator Jairo, Maria Esther and Dr. Cerrato

Dr. Suarez 

Our translator Eleane

The locals were preparing for a big church service at 9pm to celebrate the first service of the new year. This is where we held the clinic each day

Our little chikita friends

New day, new drink!

We met a lot more kids today and they weren't afraid of us!! They sat with us during lunch so we gave them and some of the hungry dogs our leftovers. Unfortunately, the caretaker of the village didn't like us giving away our food to the dogs or the people, but we don't really understand why. 

The church in preparation for the mass

I have a lot more pictures from today but they are on other people's phones so I will post them when I get them! Tomorrow is community day and we get to play games with the kids and I can't wait! Adios!

Day 5 - Nicaragua

After the second day of clinicals, we served another 31 people. The first half of the day I was working in the "farmicia" which was a makeshift table with all of the necessary medicines and it was a really interesting experience because I never considered pharmacy as a career path, but I didn't mind counting and organizing meds. Though I still wouldn't change from studying to be a PA. It wasn't always busy, so I was able to speak to one of our leaders, Adriana, about the lifestyles of Nicaraguan people. We noticed a lot of people wearing what looked like wedding rings on all different fingers, as opposed to just the ring finger. She said that most rings that people get are passed down or found so they don't always fit certain fingers, so they wear them on whatever finger fits. I also noticed that all of the people wore much nicer clothes to the clinic than they did in their homes and Adriana said it's quite normal for people to put on their best look when they go out, even if the clinic is in the church down the street. The second part of the afternoon was spent diagnosing patients. Most of the people came in with the same sort of problems as yesterday. But today we did have a few new ones like ear aches caused by wax buildup or pre-hypertension in a 16 year old.

Our seminar today was how to inject a vaccine into the body. We practiced with oranges and learned to aspirate needles of water and where to inject (at the right angles). 

The kids liked us a little more today. We had to bribe them with lots of stickers! [not many pictures from the clinic]

The hotel was used as a wedding venue today and it was beautiful!

Dinner at the "country club"

Last day of clinicals is tomorrow.

Day 4 - Nicaragua

Buenos! The first day of clinic was a success. We served a total of 28 people through small diagnostic teams of 3-4 students, 1 translator, the patient and the doctor. After the home visits yesterday, we invited as many people as we could to come to the clinic today to be examined and it was great to see some familiar faces among the bunch. It was an awesome experience to speak Spanish and diagnose patients based off of our evaluations, vitals and discussion with the medical professionals and to follow up by prescribing the correct medications which were immediately available. Most of the little children were very scared of us and screamed the entire time, and it was especially frustrating to not be able to comfort them because of the language barrier, but we were able to help them in the end. Prognoses ranged from urinary tract infections to back pain to positive pregnancy tests, kidney infections, potential pre-diabetic patients and most commonly the common cold or cough. Surprisingly, alcohol and smoking are not very common but many people have chronic cough caused by their frequent use of fire wood to cook food. It is definitely noticeable how much smoke and dust is constantly in the air compared to areas in the main parts of the country. A lot of patients will return tomorrow to receive a second round of treatments for things that cannot be done at home, like nebulizers (breathing treatments). The second part of the day was a quick seminar on how to suture. We learned how to do the interrupted stitch, which means each stitch is separate. It was very fascinating to transfer what I see in my surgery observation internship to actually practicing the sutures. 

It's an early night today, perfect to catch up on some sleep. 

Doctor Cerrato and our leader Sandra

Take out lunch 

Before 

After

To end the night: margaritas!

Another day of clinic tomorrow!

Day 3 - Nicaragua

Feliz añu nuevo to Nicaragua and happy new year to the States! Today was filled a lot of Spanish practice. We went to the homes of different communities in Masaya, Nicaragua to gather medical histories for census information. It sure was an eye opener... We generally did not take pictures of the homes because it would come off as rude but some people didn't mind. But I can tell you that the floors were of dirt and water was often thrown on the ground to keep it patted down and smooth. Most of the homes were not made of permanent parts and people spent their time outside. Sorry to say, but LOTS of stray dogs wandered the communities hungry because they are not considered pets, though some do have collars. Latrines were used as toilets, which is basically a 5 foot hole in the ground and was treated with calcium to clear out the bacteria over time. Drinking water was kept in buckets and covered, while laundry water was not covered and a lot of mosquito larvae was inside. We advised everyone to cover their water to prevent outbreaks of dengue fever. Despite the poor living conditions, the people were incredibly nice and understanding of our poor Spanish speaking abilities. They answered everyone question to the best of their knowledge and always offered us a place to sit, even if it was their own chair. Garbage was piled high in the streets or is generally burned to get rid of it. A lot of the people worked in mini grocery stores in their own home as their main form of work and sold snacks and soda. Though their culture and lifestyle is completely different from ours, their outlook on life through spirituality and positivity is tenfold to what we practice. They are proud Nicaraguan citizens and I'm so grateful to have met them! 

Granadia fruit

This water is treated by the Minsa or health center which is why it's so clear

As a New Year's tradition,the  Nicaraguan people will light these "spirits" on fire at midnight let go of the year that has ended to free room for peace in the new year. These lifelike dolls are made of old clothes, shoes and toys and filled with fire crackers

Happy New Year from our AC Global Health group!

Team leader Adrianna

I miss all of my family and friends very much and I love you all. Tomorrow is a day full of clinical diagnoses and I can't wait!