Day 9

Day 9: Sunday, August 18th, 2013

Today, we woke up in the town of Panajachel, next to Lake Atitlan. I slept in, took a nice hot shower at Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the restaurant with a nice big cup of cafe con leche. A few of us walked around the town, doing a little shopping before we had to leave for Market Day in Chichicastenago. 

Chichi is about an hour drive from Panajachel - Cobblestone streets make the ride a bit bumpy, causing some of us to get a little motion sickness, especially me. I kept a nice little barf bag right next to me the whole time. I had to keep my eyes closed, because every time I looked around, I almost instantly became nauseated. So jealous of people who can read or journal on long car trips or airplaine rides. I took a few Dramamine to try and help with the mostion sickness, but it didn't help me very much unfortunately.

 After the drive, we made it to the market where we split up in pairs or small groups to do some serious shopping. Hammocks, necklaces, knives, backpacks, purses, and cigars were just a few of our purchases while there. We've all become experts at bargaining with the locals! After spending almost two hours at the market, we headed back to the bus for our long ride home, but stopped at a restaurant along the way. Outside the restaurant, a woman was selling fresh bags of strawberries and papaya. A man was playing an instrument on the steps of the restaurant, while children ran around the grounds playing games with each other. 

The drive home took about 4 hours, we caught up with a lot of traffic which only made the long drive, longer. More motion sickness, but not as bad this time surprisingly. Once we arrived home, our street was packed with people selling bracelets, food, shoes and other various items. It was nice to finally be in our own beds at home base. Funny how this feels like "home" now after just being in Guatemala for a little over a week. Once we all settled in for the night, we skyped and chatted with friends and family, then went to sleep for the evening. Tomorrow we start our last week here in Guatemala City, and volunteering at our sites bright and early. Cheers to a fabulous weekend and an even better week ahead of us!

Sam

We Made it to Guate!

After almost 12 hours of traveling... WE MADE IT TO GUATEMALA!

We flew from Madison to Dallas, then Dallas to Guatemala City.
Our flights were on time and the the turbulence was minimal... I still had to pop a Zofran because i'm a baby and can't handle the tiniest bit of nausea. 

In Dallas, we ate as a group at TGI Fridays, had a few cocktails and talked about what we had planned for the next two weeks. All of us are getting along great and i'm excited to have these girls by my side!

Once we landed in Guatemala City, we picked up our luggage and headed to customs. I had to show my passport to a woman in order to pass through the gate... she kept saying "medico? medico?" I didn't know what she meant and just assumed she was asking me if I worked in the medical field so I said "si". Apparently she was asking me if I was a doctor. And I said yes. 

***

As we drove from the airport to our "home base", I realized this country is nothing like i'd pictured... We asked our driver, Henry, to play his favorite music, and suddenly "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden was playing. There's either a McDonalds, Wendy's, Domino's, Burger King or a Pizza Hut on every corner - And I thought i'd have to live off of beans, rice and tortillas for two weeks, HA! I learned that "night clubs" are actually strip clubs, and that we aren't allowed to flush toilet paper down the toilet (it goes in the garbage can).

For now, i'm comfortably laying in my bunk bed, listening to dogs barking in the distance, and seeing the red and green lights coming from the police motorcycles down the road.

....signing off for the evening,

Sam Thomas, MD

Guatemala bound!

{Photo Cred}

In just five short days, I'll be heading to Guatemala!

 

On this two-week trip, I am volunteering as a nurse to work with patients that have ESRD, or End Stage Renal Disease, at a health clinic in Guatemala City.

 

Nerves are starting to kick in and I'm quickly realizing that I should have brushed up on my español a bit more.

 

I'm excited for the adventure and the experience I'm going to gain from this opportunity. By the end of my trip, I'll most likely be able to tell you that I rode a donkey up a volcano. Please tell me... How many people that you know can say THAT?! Boom.

 

Follow along as I document each and every day!

 

Sam