Luis and I have spent at least half of our time together discussing Bible passage, suffering and Christianity, homosexuality, grace and good works, the roles of foreigners and locals in community development, roles of men and women, marriage, tattoos, alcohol and many other topics. We cover other important stuff like medical terms and grammar, but I definitely get the most fired up about our theological discussions and easily stay longer than necessary.
This week several of us newbies started in the clinic. We had a day of orientation and learned how to discuss hypertension and dehydration with patients. Tuesday we had clinic here in Xela where I got to help out in Triage and Pharmacy. It's great because in one way or another you get to talk to each patient. Wednesday was mobile clinic in a nearby rural area called Llanos deal Pinal (Pine Flats) where I again worked Triage/Pharm. That meant taking blood pressure, glucose test, taking weight and height. We've seen mostly women and children. I love seeing things we learned about in class this last year (Ménière's disease, goiter, neuropathy, etc); I just wish I knew more about the meds prescribed...but I'll get probably more than enough of that in pharm next year. The day's can be sort of long but working in clinic is really energizing for me, and I love talking with Luis afterwards.
When not in class, we've been busy as well...several of us hiked to Laguna Chicabal, a lagoon on top of a mountain that the Mayans still hold sacred. We've gone dancing, watched the Copa de Oro (soccer) on TV, explored local restaurants, played volleyball at the local complejo, learned about Guatemalan politics, and have come to appreciate siestas! Thursday was my free day so we headed to the black sand beaches for a day of swimming and hanging out together. I can't wait for another week of this :)
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