Day 2

Wednesday! After finally getting to sleep after too many hours of traveling, we woke up to roosters (which Jenny can imitate), and had our first Guatemalan breakfast! It consisted of eggs with ham or tomatoes, a ham and cheese tortilla, hot plantains, and refried beans. And of course we can’t forget the corn flakes served with hot milk. After breakfast, we met Victor, a director of a local university, who gave us a presentation about Guatemala and its economy. We learned statistics about the region in which we are staying and information about his university.
At around 10 o’clock we headed to one of Guatemala’s Regional Hospitals. Outside we saw people sleeping on the ground and had to enter the hospital through a locked gate with guards. With the help of a few nurses, we navigated our way through the crowded hallways that were filled with waiting patients. We then split into two groups and were allowed to tour the hospital where we saw many patients in different situations. Some of us were even allowed to observe minor procedures being performed. During and at the end of the tour we handed out surveys to the administration, doctors, and nurses.
At the end of the visit we were able to experience public transportation which involved a 15 passenger van that was filled a little beyond what people in the U.S. would consider as “full” – one of the men who solicited for passengers stood in the open sliding door while we drove a few miles.
We traveled to the mini- mall for lunch, which was very Americanized to our surprise (Burger King, Subway, Dominos, etc.)
At night we went back to Ut’z Hua for dinner and then out to celebrate our first working day!

Authors: Andrew, Lindsey, and Laura